"And stay out!" I hurried on. Hearing the BloodClan cats victorious yowls behind me, and it was all I could do not to turn around and shred their ears. That'd wipe the smug look off of their faces. Pausing in the shade of a Nofur den, I caught my breath, absentmindedly tracing the fresh cut on my flank. I smoothed my brown fur with a couple of licks and moved on. Before I knew it, I was at the fence. The fence dividing the Nofur dens and the forest. The forest. I didn't know much about it, just rumors and tales. I sprang to the top of the wooden fence, the momentum almost thrusting me right off. Growling, I straightened up. What I saw took my breath away. Row upon row of beautiful trees, birch, oak, and ash, spread as far as a could see. Birds with brightly-colored feathers darted between the branches, chirping. A clear blue stream ran through it, the soft gurgling of the water lapping at the pebbled bank and flowing over the smooth stones mingling with the chatter of squirrels as they called to each other. I thought of the shadowy alleyways, hard gray ground, murky puddles of sludge that had been my whole life. This place was breathtaking. I couldn't help jumping down. The ground was soft and cool. I started forward, my eyes following a vole as it skittered along the ground. I took a step in it's direction when; SNAP! I gave a yowl of pain as agony shot through my tail. I pulled, and another wave of pain swept over me. Just then, I saw them. The four cats padded into view. They came closer. One, a white tom with tabby patches, took a stride into range. I lashed out, my claws swiping over his nose. He fell back a tail-length and seemed stunned. I took the opportunity to rip myself free. The pain . . . it was like nothing I'd ever felt before. But I didn't stop to see the damage. I leaped up onto the fence and back down. I didn't stop until I was far away. I turned to see what was causing the burning, throbbing sensation. I gasped in horror. The tip of my tail had been torn clean off. I gritted my teeth and kept walking. Soon the alleyways were familiar. I knew a group of cats who could help me. "Flint? Cord? Purr?" I called. A sliky tortoiseshell head poked out from behind the corner of an alleyway, clutching a pigeon in her jaws. "Hi," she meowed in a soft voice, dropping the pigeon. "Is that you?" "Yes," I responded. "I need help." I whipped my tail into view. The pain was becoming excruciating. Purr gasped in horror. "Come on, let's go to to the others," she mewed, gripping the pigeon once more. I followed her back through a narrow alleyway and ducked under the mesh fence that lead to a larger, wide alley. Flint and Cord lay on the stone ground, gnawing on rat bones. Their eyes widened at the sight of me. Cord, a lean black tom, sprang forward. "What happened?" He glanced at my cut leg, missing tail-tip. "BloodClan," I meowed. "And . . . the forest cats." Three pairs of eyes stared at me in disbelief. "Y-you went in the FOREST?" Flint cried. The dark gray tom dropped the rat bone he'd held in his jaws. The silver markings on his muzzle and ears seemed to glow in the dim light. "But . . . WHY?!" Cord asked. His skinny tail lashed. "I was curious," I admitted. "Did THEY do THAT?" Purr inquired, gesturing to my tail. There is no need to ask who "they" are. "No," I meowed "I got caught in a fox-trap," I told them. "And pulled myself free." Stunned expressions followed my words. They tried comforted me, pitied me, but I didn't want to hear it. Then, out of the blue, Cord finally asked; "What's your name?" I had no name. My mother never named me. But now that could change. ( thought of the fox-trap, the loop of wire that had ensnared my tail. Ensnare. Ensnare. Snare. "My name . . ." I started. "Is Snare."
:)
