Falling, Falling, Fallen[Solo]

The days since his last trip out had been incredibly boring. His mother, despite having promised him time and time again to bring him out as she always did before, was so busy helping the other queens with their kits that it was almost as if she didn't have a son anymore. Palekit sat at the edge of the camp, just tail-lengths away from the camp entrance. His dull gaze flickered from cat to cat, watching them move about with their lives without much thought. The new kits were tumbling about in the clearing, and his paws itched to run forward and join them, but he knew that his mother would scold him for even going near them. He was just a bit too "chaotic", as she loved to put it.

Palekit's attention switched instantly to the camp entrance. He was five moons already, and could be made an apprentice any day now. What was stopping him from just taking a walk outside of camp? Surely, whatever predators there was wouldn't come this close to camp? And if they did... he'd show them! This was the chance he was waiting for, to prove that he was ready for his apprentice ceremony! The ginger tabby scrambled to his paws and without a glance back scurried out of camp. He pushed past the brambles blocking the camp entrance, shouldering away any stray tendrils until he was standing outside.

The world was as beautiful as he remembered. Vast, endless mounds of dirt spread as far as the eye could see, with tall trees scattered about. Their branches seemed to touch the sky, holding up the pale blue blanket with their small leaves. The wind ruffled his fur, bringing with it the dozens of scents, both old and new. Palekit trotted out with shining eyes, looking all around him with wonder in his eyes. There was a sudden urge to run, and this time he didn't hold back.

The kit raced across the moor, his pelt brushing past the tall blades of grass and the rainbow of flowers. He flew across the land, laughing with delight as the wind streamed into his face. He didn't notice the increasingly larger shadow until it was too late. The flapping of wings sounded all around him, and with a yelp talons dug into his scruff and Palekit was lifted off the ground. His eyes flew open at the realization that he had been taken, and he thrashed violently in the hawk's grip, but it was already too late. His paws lashed out uselessly into empty air, pummeling the air with blows. Higher and higher they went,  the world slowly fading into a speck in the distance. To the kit's surprise, the moor ended, giving way to marshland and heavy woodland. Even further away, the world split, a huge gap right in between the moor and the wetlands. Since when was the world this big? He suddenly felt very, very small.

They flew for quite some time, and eventually Palekit gave up fighting it. The hawk gave him a glare, as if to check that the kit was still alive, but when all that the tabby did was to dangle uselessly from its talons the bird seemed to sigh and flew lower to the ground. All just to drop the kit face-first into a dumpster. Palekit gasped as he landed into the smelliest pile he had ever seen in his life. It was soft, but slippery, like a very soft rock. He slipped over the piles of soft rocks before sliding off and crashing onto the rougher and harder ground below.

Palekit laid there for a while. His vision spun like his heart hammered in his chest. Okay, now all he had to do was get back to camp. His mother was so going to rip his ears off. His apprentice ceremony wouldn't get delayed because of this, right? The tabby's legs were wobbling as he pushed himself up. The sudden stench of rat filled the area, and a low growl sounded close to him. He whipped around to see a pair of beady black eyes starring straight into his soul. The rat hissed, and lunged forward. Palekit's eyes widened as he caught sight of the sharp, yellow teeth. This was no play-fight, this was a real fight. And he was not ready.

His paws lashed out blindly, knocking the rat away with a scream. More rats streamed out of the shadows along the tall walls. For the first time, Palekit knew fear. And stars was the air thick with it. The ginger tabby stumbled away, and turned tail and pelted down the alley way. The walls seemed to close in around him as more rats hounded after him. He could feel their breaths hot on his heels, and hear the hammering of paws just pawsteps behind him. Palekit wanted to scream, but he couldn't find the breath to keep his paws running. Just as his paws were slowing down he spotted a low wall. With one last heave of his hinglegs, Palekit jumped onto the wall, where he scrambled for a while to get onto. The rats stopped at the base of the wall, unable to climb up after him, and eventually scattered.

Palekit let out a breath of relief. He had no idea where he was now, but at least he got rid of the rats. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he had not eaten since that morning. The comfort of the fresh-kill pile had never seemed further away. He pressed against the wall, breathing in the dirty air all around him. Starclan help him. He just wanted to go home. A sob wrecked his body, but no tears came out. His entire body ached. He shouldn't have left the camp at all. So what if his mother only cared about the other kits? So what if his father was dead? At least he had been well-fed and comfortable. Would he even survive here long enough to see his mother again? Fear crept into his heart. He wanted to see his mother, at least one last time. He wasn't ready just yet.

Palekit rose to his paws once more and began padding along the wall. It seemed to stretch on forever, but even the moor could end. This had to end somewhere, right? Holding back his whimpers, the ginger tabby tredded on into the Twolegplace.