"Mom, I'm scared!" Yoru cried as he clung to his mother. She stroked her tail along his back as if to assure him that everything would turn out alright. The fire that was threatening to bring down the entire forest was moving closer towards them. A bush near them rustled, and out popped Yoru's father. He stalked up to his mate and son, and Yoru watched as he whispered something in her ear. Yoru's mother's eyes began to cloud with grief, but she nodded.
Yoru watched as her mother turned to him. "Yoru," she told him in her sweet voice. "Can you promise me something? It's very important." Yoru could not bring himself to talk, so he nodded vigorously to show that he was listening.
"Your father and I need to help the other cats in the area to put out the fire," his mother continued. "I want you to go south and run, and don't stop running until you think you are safe." She pointed her tail in the direction she wanted him to go.
"But I don't want to leave you!" Yoru protested.
"We can't bring you with us, sweetie," his mother replied, her voice cracking. "I'm sorry, but you need to go." Yoru's eyes flooded with grief as he looked at his father.
His father gave him a nod. "Do as your mother says," he told him in a stern voice. "You will survive out there just fine without us. This is the reason I trained you the way I did. Now go, run, and don't come for us!"
Yoru gave his parents a final look of pleading, hoping they would change their minds, but they wouldn't budge. That was when Yoru knew that this may be the last time he would ever see them. They were making him go because they wanted to protect him, and they knew that this place was no longer safe.
Yoru turned south to leave, but as he did so, he looked over his shoulder. "I love you," he whispered to his parents for the last time, and he broke into a run as the flames started barrelling towards where he once stood. He kept running and running until he stopped in an open patch of grass to catch his breath. He took this time to look back from where he ran. His eyes widened in horror at the sight.
The flames were growing much stronger than what he saw a few minutes ago. The tips of the burning embers were reaching almost as high as the sky, and not a single inch of the area he was in was still unscathed by the burning touch of the relentless flame barrage. A single tear drop slipped from Yoru's eye onto the ground below as he realized that it was indeed the last time he would ever see his parents. With that horrible thought playing in his mind over and over, he whipped around and sprinted as far as he could from what was once his home.
"And afterward I made it here into the city, and proceeded to scream all of my worries away," Yoru told Ryla, a grieving look in his ice-blue eyes.
Five days after Yoru and Ryla's meetup, Yoru finally felt like he could trust Ryla enough to tell her about what happened during his escape from the forest fire.
"It's hard knowing I'll never see them again." Yoru said, his voice cracking. "I miss them so much..." Yoru suddenly felt paws wrap around his neck, and he looked up to see Ryla hugging him close, her nose pressed against his cheek.
"I'm so sorry..." Ryla whispered into his ear. "I can't even begin to imagine the pain you must've felt that day." Ryla gasped softly as she felt Yoru hug her back.
"It's fine," Yoru assured her, pressing his forehead against hers. "At least I know I'm not alone anymore." Ryla smiled and let go of Yoru, as he did the same. They both shared a smile as they sat down in their makeshift nests.
Yoru watched as Ryla's eyes started drooping. He laughed softly and asked, "Are you tired?" Ryla nodded slowly, and Yoru grinned.
"Well, good night, then," Yoru told her as he felt his own eyes begin to close.
Ryla yawned quietly. "Night," she whispered to him, and her eyes closed. Yoru, through closed eyes, listened as her breathing turned long and deep, signifying that she was asleep. Yoru purred quietly as he allowed Ryla's soft breathing to take him into the land of dreams.
But before he went to sleep, he began to think how this she-cat could have possibly calmed him down from all the stress he was going through.
Did he see something in her? This brung up another thought, something that has been swimming through Yoru's head for the past couple of days.
Did he love her?
Yoru watched as her mother turned to him. "Yoru," she told him in her sweet voice. "Can you promise me something? It's very important." Yoru could not bring himself to talk, so he nodded vigorously to show that he was listening.
"Your father and I need to help the other cats in the area to put out the fire," his mother continued. "I want you to go south and run, and don't stop running until you think you are safe." She pointed her tail in the direction she wanted him to go.
"But I don't want to leave you!" Yoru protested.
"We can't bring you with us, sweetie," his mother replied, her voice cracking. "I'm sorry, but you need to go." Yoru's eyes flooded with grief as he looked at his father.
His father gave him a nod. "Do as your mother says," he told him in a stern voice. "You will survive out there just fine without us. This is the reason I trained you the way I did. Now go, run, and don't come for us!"
Yoru gave his parents a final look of pleading, hoping they would change their minds, but they wouldn't budge. That was when Yoru knew that this may be the last time he would ever see them. They were making him go because they wanted to protect him, and they knew that this place was no longer safe.
Yoru turned south to leave, but as he did so, he looked over his shoulder. "I love you," he whispered to his parents for the last time, and he broke into a run as the flames started barrelling towards where he once stood. He kept running and running until he stopped in an open patch of grass to catch his breath. He took this time to look back from where he ran. His eyes widened in horror at the sight.
The flames were growing much stronger than what he saw a few minutes ago. The tips of the burning embers were reaching almost as high as the sky, and not a single inch of the area he was in was still unscathed by the burning touch of the relentless flame barrage. A single tear drop slipped from Yoru's eye onto the ground below as he realized that it was indeed the last time he would ever see his parents. With that horrible thought playing in his mind over and over, he whipped around and sprinted as far as he could from what was once his home.
"And afterward I made it here into the city, and proceeded to scream all of my worries away," Yoru told Ryla, a grieving look in his ice-blue eyes.
Five days after Yoru and Ryla's meetup, Yoru finally felt like he could trust Ryla enough to tell her about what happened during his escape from the forest fire.
"It's hard knowing I'll never see them again." Yoru said, his voice cracking. "I miss them so much..." Yoru suddenly felt paws wrap around his neck, and he looked up to see Ryla hugging him close, her nose pressed against his cheek.
"I'm so sorry..." Ryla whispered into his ear. "I can't even begin to imagine the pain you must've felt that day." Ryla gasped softly as she felt Yoru hug her back.
"It's fine," Yoru assured her, pressing his forehead against hers. "At least I know I'm not alone anymore." Ryla smiled and let go of Yoru, as he did the same. They both shared a smile as they sat down in their makeshift nests.
Yoru watched as Ryla's eyes started drooping. He laughed softly and asked, "Are you tired?" Ryla nodded slowly, and Yoru grinned.
"Well, good night, then," Yoru told her as he felt his own eyes begin to close.
Ryla yawned quietly. "Night," she whispered to him, and her eyes closed. Yoru, through closed eyes, listened as her breathing turned long and deep, signifying that she was asleep. Yoru purred quietly as he allowed Ryla's soft breathing to take him into the land of dreams.
But before he went to sleep, he began to think how this she-cat could have possibly calmed him down from all the stress he was going through.
Did he see something in her? This brung up another thought, something that has been swimming through Yoru's head for the past couple of days.
Did he love her?
