| Sprucepaw |
Hidden as he was in the shadows, Fudge kept alert. Partly because he still felt paranoid. Self conscious after having realized he couldn't even identify who Tiger... something or other - great, he'd already forgotten the extra words stuck in there - was, and partly because he felt so out of place. Exposed. At three moons old, he didn't think he was particularly young to start this training thing. His life out on the streets had taught him that you were never too young to have a cat try to maul you. But he still felt oddly small compared to some of the other new apprentices... never mind the older ones getting their names changed.
The celebration only made him feel all the more paranoid. These cats were... celebrating. Cheering on the accomplishments of four cats right after having thrown away one of their own? Casting him out for what? Care with the
twolegs? Don't make him laugh. Angry claimed to have lived with the housefolk and to have known them to be kind? Yeah, he'd known a few kind cats in the streets as well, didn't mean that all the cats were kind. This Blazingwhatever would probably get cast out too. But that didn't matter, did it? Because it was time to make merry and have fun!
A shudder ran down Fudge's spine at the thought. He'd come to this forest for safety. A better chance at survival. The stranger had told him here he would find a haven. Cats who cared for each other and stood by each other, no matter what.
The stranger had lied. Or had his memories plagued by an odd sense of nostalgia. But these cats? They were no different to the ones in the streets. True, they kept together in a bigger group, but they were the same. Make no mistake about it. If you were of no use, no amount of sentimentality would save you. You were out, and may the fickle housefolk take pity on your otherwise useless pelt.
Realizing he was trembling in fear, Fudge curled up, wrapping his dark tail around himself in an attempt to hide his weakness. He couldn't show any, or else he would be kicked out as well. The chocolate point kit knew that he wouldn't survive out on his own, and he'd already been kicked out of his first home with no housefolk taking pity upon him. Sure, his littermates had found homes, but he'd had no such luck. He needed to learn. Become stronger and self sufficient. Not attract attention to himself. Maybe that way he wouldn't be bullied out of this place as well before he could even make himself feel at home again.