I Can't Lose You Too (WCO Winter Contest Entry)

A full moon hung in the dark leaf-bare sky, illuminating the forest below. Dark clouds lingered in the night sky, blocking out all the stars and showering the world below with thick flakes of snow. It fell silently as it muted all noises down below and it began to quickly build up on the trees, some branches giving way to the weight. Not even a gust of wind disturbed the silence.

    Down in the forest there was a grey che-cat who was trudging in the deep snow, a kit dangling from her mouth. The cat’s blue eyes were tired and weary, her pelt clinging to her visible ribs. The cold gripped her like harsh claws and every pawstep was a forced one as the she-cat knew that if she were to stop then she and her kit would freeze to death right where they were standing. 

    “J-Juniper… I’m cold…”

    “I know Maple. Momma’s going to try and find someplace warm to stay the night, okay?” Juniper's eyes softened as the looked down at her kit. This was the third time the poor thing had mentioned being cold. A normal kit would probably have complained much more, but Maple and Juniper were hungry and leaf-bare didn't provide much food. The queen's breath rasped in her throat as she walked. 

        She wrinkled her pink nose in disgust as a sour smell traveled out of her mother's mouth, making her shudder. For days she had tolerated the smell from her mother as she had no idea what was causing it to have such a strong stench like that. Maybe it was because they had eaten crow-food here and there? "Your breath smells funny..." Maple stated but didn't flinch from the smell every time her mother had to breathe. 

    Juniper’s chest felt tight and with every breath she took it tighten even more. She could even feel liquid bubbling in her chest. Around her eyes were streaming with water and yellow gunk covered the corners. Juniper had greencough. For days the illness had been draining the life out of her but Maple had no idea that her mother was sick. While Maple was sleeping, the queen would try to find herbs to give her a day or two to at least tolerate the pain and uneasiness that taken over her but not even that was enough. It had even begun to affect her hunting where there may be a day where the two had to go without eating and only survive off of the snow for thirst and find crow-food, if they were that lucky. 

    Suddenly a cough had erupted from Juniper and she dropped Maple in the snow. Juniper’s body convulsed against the cough and sticky mucus sprayed out on the ground. Maple didn’t even protest to the sudden drop, she just laid there with closed eyes. She shivered violently but even still, the kit didn’t move. I’m so sleepy, thought Maple. Maybe Juniper will be okay if we just rest and sleep here…

     Panicking and wheezing heavily, Juniper began nudging her kit with her nose. “No, no, Maple! You have to stay awake, dear or else you’ll freeze to death,’ cried Juniper, looking down at her daughter with a broken heart. They needed to keep moving.

    Maple looked up at her and Juniper’s heart began to crack. Her kit’s eyes were no longer shining and instead they were dull as if all the life had been sucked out of her. "I can't move, mama. I'm too tired. Can I ride on your back instead?" asked the kit. Maple tried to lift herself up to her paws and while she was putting a lot of effort into it, she didn't even budge. "I can't move..." Maple repeated tiredly.  Juniper nodded sadly. She lifted her poor, weak kit by the scruff and laid her on the back. Juniper continued on looking desperately for a warm place to sleep. Maple’s head rested perfectly between her mother's shoulder blades but her legs hung limply on either side of the queen's body. She closed her eyes and focused all her energy on trying to stay awake and breathe. 

    A strong wind chill began blowing through the forest and Juniper had to force herself against it, gritting her teeth and closing one eye since the wind was so sharp that it stung her eyes. The further Juniper walked the more the snow began to deepen and it soaked her pelt halfway up her belly. She looked up at the moon to see how much longer it would be until dawn but unfortunately it still hung in the middle of the sky and showed no sign of lowering anytime soon.

    I have to find a place for us to sleep soon or else Maple will die out here. Juniper stopped, shivering violently as her eyes quickly scanned the forest for some sort of den or rotting tree trunk that she could break through and make a nest for the night. But there was nothing. The tree roots were buried under the snow and the only bark that would give way to any rotting was the branches. There was no place for them to sleep. No place for warmth. Suddenly, Maple's ears picked up a sound. From behind them she could hear rustling come from the brush and alarm pricked at the kit's pelt. "Mama," said the kit urgently. "There's something making noise behind us."

        “What?” Juniper heard the rustling and swung her head around in alarm, trying to detect what was there. Yellow eyes peered out from the brush and out came a low growl. A rogue, big enough to be a fox and had the same russet fur color came prowling out, a large smirk on his face as he saw the two weak cats.

    "Well, well, well, what do we have here? A sick queen and her helpless kit?" he sneered, taking a step towards the duo.

    "Y-you stay away from us!" Juniper flattened her ears, eyes widening in fear. There was no way she could beat this tom. He'd tear them to shreds. She took a step back. 

    The rogue cocked his head to the side and let out a snicker. "Now, where would the fun be in that? I can add you to my collection of other queens and kits I've killed this leaf-bare. Now," he growled and unsheathed his claws. The rogue's hackles began to rise as he prowled towards them, a maniac laughter coming from him. "Where was I?" Another laugh came from him and he ran towards Juniper and Maple. 

    "Maple, run!" Juniper shrieked, grabbing her kit and placing her in the snow. "I'll find you later, just run!" The queen stood in front of Maple and unsheathed her claws. Maple looked up at her mother with fear in her eyes. She watched in horror as the vile rogue leapt at Juniper, pinning her to the ground. Run! Without looking back Maple ran from the two cats, tears blurring her eyesight. She ran as fast as her weak legs could carry her and the farther she ran the more the world around her started turning black.

    The rogue leaped at Juniper, pinning the she-cat to the ground. He leaned down, his muzzle right next to Juniper's ear. "It would be a shame if your kit didn't make it either, after I'm finished with you, hmm?" he growled and slammed a heavy paw onto her back.

    Juniper yowled with rage. From under the rogue, she could just make out the fluffy white bundle of fur bounding through the snow. Find somewhere safe and warm! she pleaded. "She'll make it, and so will I! We're stronger than you think," She shoved herself up with as much strength as she had remaining, attempting to at the very least knock the tom off of her. 

    The rogue let out a hiss as he was pushed off of the she-cat, landing on his side in the snow. He quickly jumped to his paws and fluffed out his fur to make him look twice his size. "We'll just see about that!" yowled the rogue and leapt at her again, this time raking his claws across her cheek. 

    Juniper hissed and scrambled back weakly, suddenly finding herself backed against a tree. There was no way out. She looked around frantically and spotted a rotting stick. One end was sharp and the stick still looked strong enough that it wouldn't break.

    "Aww, is the poor little kitty pinned? What happened about you surviving and your kit?" cooed the tom and chuckled darkly. He bobbed his head back and forth like a snake, trying to intimidate Juniper. Then with one final battle cry, he lunged for Juniper's neck. Juniper grasped the branch with her mouth and twisted her head so the sharp end was pointed toward the fox-colored rogue. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for impact.

    The stick stabbed into the rogue's neck and a gurgling sound came from his throat. He collapsed in front of Juniper, blood pouring out from the neck wound onto the snow, turning it from beautiful white to a deadly red. His claws scrabbled at the snow and his mouth was fixed into a snarl as he stared at Juniper with hatred. The rogue's breathing started to slow and his frantic clawing began to cease. Finally, his eyes clouded over as the rogue's life finally slipped away. 

    "Told you we'd survive!" Juniper hissed to the dying tom. She lifted her head to search for her kit. Maple was a few fox-lengths away lying in the snow. Her fur ruffled against the wind but made to attempt to move. Maple's eyes were closed and her body was stiff, unmoving. 

    It didn’t take long to find the shallow indents from Maple's frantic run, but they ended suddenly and Juniper could just barely make out a tiny ball of fluffy white fur curled in the snow. The queen bounded over to her kit, heartbreaking as she pulled Maple close. The green eyes she loved so much were dull, frozen in defeat.  

    Maple's starry body stood beside her mother and she looked up at her, knowing that Juniper couldn't see her just yet but figured she could at least hear her. "I'm sorry, Mama. I was so tired. But it's okay! You'll see. You need to sleep too, you've been trying really hard for a long time."