The Path of Fables: November Competition Submission

Allegiances
Reuben - Lovely white she-cat with brown tabby splotches and eyes the color and shine of sapphire

Boris - Lean and skinny but fluffy brown tom with glowing, comforting amber eyes

Ruby - Gentle fluffy brown she-kit with a flat, cute face and green, soft eyes.

The story
Boris gently awoke his sister from her nap. The young she-kit yawned, and looked at her brother in disapproval and drifted off to sleep. Boris nudged her again, and this time she properly woke up.

"Hmm? Five more min-" The she-kit got cut off.

"No, we have to leave. Now." Boris firmly asserted as he picked up his sibling and left the house.

"But  whyyyy??" The young one whined.

"I'll tell you later..." Boris stopped by Reuben's barn and went through a crack in the wall.

Putting down his sister, and called out Reuben's name. The spotted she-cat came rushing to greet the duo.

"Hello Boris! Oh, and Ruby too!" She was extremely bubbly, but it soon died away once she saw Boris's crushed look on his face. "What's... wrong? Is everything alright? You look..."

"I have something to tell you." Boris's voice was breaking. "Come with me, you two."

After the two females leaped out of the window, Boris told them what happened.

"Our twolegs. They were dragged away by these other twolegs... and then they were screaming and... I... they're gone..." He continued. "I heard one of them talk to some other twolegs with a truck, and they said that some of the strays of the area will be captured... and taken to who knows where! I am a loner now... and you were too! I can't leave you here! I can't leave my sister either."

Reuben's blue eyes peered back at him distantly. She took a while to comprehend what he just said, and when she did, she had no words.

"I-uh... I see..." She struggled to speak. "My barn... is my home... but... we have to get out of here!"

Ruby overheard this exchange.

"So where are we gonna go, brother?" She asked curiously, almost oblivious.

"I don't know." Boris panicked. "I don't know! This just happened! I-"

"Calm down, Boris. We'll find a way out of this." She reassured "I promise."

"Brother?" Ruby rubbed on her Boris's leg.

"What?!" Her brother was still agitated.

"Wasn't there a road we used to take a walk on that we got lost in one time? You said spirits are in there! They were friendly too! It'll be perfect!"

"Ruby... I already told you... Starclan is just a my-"

"No it is not, Boris. The clans were a real place. That's what my family passed down from a distant generation... Ravenpaw, I think his name was..." She stared him straight in the eye. "Even then, what are the chances of the twolegs getting us in the forest?"

Boris had no arguement.

"Well then... thank you, Ruby." Boris faced towards the crack. "Shall we, ladies?"

"Let's go!" Reuben rushed through the exit, forcing Boris and Ruby to chase after her.

Off they went, trying to follow what they knew from memory. Dodging cars trying to cross the roads, they made progress, step after step. until they got hungry. Ruby, starving, lept blindly at a creature. Boris noticed and leaped on front of his naive sibling, nearly getting bit. He bit the neck of the snake, killing it.

"Ruby!" He reprimanded her. "Be careful! You nearly got yourself killed! At least we have food..."

Boris layed down the snake, and the three of them took bite after bite, hating the taste, but knowing this will give them energy over the next couple of days.

After they were done, Reuben buried what was left and secretly prayed for Starclan to protect her groupmates, thanking them for the food.

After walking for what felt like hours, and the sun shimmering against puddles reflecting it's light, but that light of sky blue turning lovely shades of pink and purple, Ruby started to get tired. The group stopped at a cliffside, and looked for a place to rest. Reuben climbed a sycamore tree and found an empty hole inside, barely large enough for the 3 of them. A few more minutes went by, and Ruby was fast asleep. Reuben woke to Boris gone, but found him outside, lost in the sunset. She padded over to where he sat, and took a seat too.

"Oh... you're awake." Boris looked at Reuben. He sighed as he turned back into the sunset.

"Is everything okay?" Reuben was met with no response. Knowing her friend, she knew that something was wrong. "If this is about leaving our old lives behind, we did it for the better. I know you miss your home, but it was for the better."

"It's... not that..." He sighed as he gave her a sad glance and he teared up a bit. "I... I miss my twolegs... they may have... not been the best to me, but they were still my caretakers! I... I don't know what I will do without them!"

"At least we have each other..." She laid her head on his shoulder. "It's better than nothing... right?"

Boris blushed a bit.

"Uh... y-yeah!" He tried to remain calm.

MORE COMING SOON