Always And Forever

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aLWAYS & FOREVEr

Sequel to Never meant to be

A oneshot by Foxstep

PART ONE

 ❄️Cyrus

Life is always the same for Pauciflora's adolescent cats; get up, hunt prey, offer it to your elders, eat when told, have a little social time, and fall asleep. There's not much for our age to really do here. Once you turn 24 moons, you are let in on the real work, the real business and, you suddenly turn from childish and playful to stern and leader-like.

Well, every now and then the lucky youngster gets called onto a mission and/or patrol. The lucky ones do.

"Cyrus! Are you going to stand there daydreaming all day or come hunting like you're supposed to?" Xavia's voice calls from east of me. I purr, padding over to my sister and a few of her friends, Flax, Foxy, Elisa, and Roxanne. "Where's the rest of our patrol?"

"Went hunting already," Foxy answers, swishing her bright ginger tail. "Figured you were too much of a slowpoke but we stayed behind."

"Yeah!" Roxanne shoots me a toothy grin. "How kind are we?"

"All right," Xavia cuts in. "Time to get to the others now."

"Imagine how grumpy Carson will be when we get there" Flax jokes.

"All right, I'm sorry guys," I laugh.

"Eh, it's pretty hard not to tune out when we're expected to do the same thing always." Foxy snickers.

"Hush!" Xavia nudges the ginger-pelted she cat. "We can't talk like that about what our elders expect us to do."

"That was exactly what I was thinking about!" Foxy and I share grins.

Xavia rolls her eyes. "Let's get there before these mouse-brains start a rebellion plan."

I shrug. "Nothing wrong with my planning."

"Oh please!" Flax huffs.

"What's wrong?!" I pretend to be offended.

The other she-cats shake their heads, laughing and we're silent for the rest of the time until we get to the rose bushes and begin to hunt.

We come back with loads of prey and I've caught two mice. This is pretty pitiful as the older cats have caught 5 rabbits each. I need to try harder.

"You need to try harder," Father says.

"I know, I will." I grumble.

"What was that?" He hisses. "Do I have a rebel for a son?"

Mother pads over to us, looking concerned. Father whirls over to her. "Do you see that, Lily? How our son talks to us?"

Mother turns her glare on me and I lose it. "I WILL TRY HARDER, OKAY?," And I run off of the hunting grounds and into my family den. I storm into my room.

I stare there for 5 minutes or so, face flat on my nest until Mother comes storming in. You can't really ask for much privacy. "What was that?" She demanded, her brown tabby fur bristling. "You don't speak to your Father that way!"

There is nothing else to say. "Sorry."

"Tell that to your father," Mother says at the same time Father says, "You don't sound like you mean it."

"Sorry." I storm out and go over to the eating place. I do my chore of preparing the prey without being asked; there.

I hear father and mother talking. "Adder, we need to give him more discipline."

"How? We've given him all the work an adolescent can have."

"Xavia is much more worthwhile. She doesn't stroll around rebelling; she caught three rabbits and one mouse today!"

I grit my teeth at Mother's insult. It is no doubt Xavia is their favorite, she's absolutely obedient but it still makes my heart flash.

Xavia comes inside the den