As the Crow Flies

as the crow flies

"There is no truth."

act one / breaking
"You were a fool to even think I was your friend."

Break.

I think that's my name. I can't say for sure, since I don't have any memories.

Actually, my friend gave me this name. She's called Auri. Auri's son is Auyotha. I don't know her mate, but apparently she left him because he was being a jerk to her and the kitten.

My name's rather simple compared to Auri and Auyotha. I like it though. It fits me well.

Anyway, Auri told me that I "don't have a past anymore" and that I'm "heading down the path of a new future". I can assume that she named me Break for that very reason. I guess she's hinting that I'm breaking away from my past, whatever it might've been, and remaking my life. She has a strange way of thinking.

I don't hear anything of interest. The sounds of the river. The chirping of birds. Dry leaves stirring across the forest floor.

I stand and stretch, flexing my claws. I glance over to Auri and her son - they're still sleeping. Auri is curled tightly around Auyotha, who is pressed into his mother's long fur.

I blink, then look away. From the moment I met Auri, I've been wondering. Do I have a kit like she does? Were we as close as those two are? I mean, it's probably pointless to think about it, but the thought still clings to my mind and I can't shake it away.

The cavern floor is cold, like ice, and for a moment I wished that I had stayed in my nest. It's late newleaf, but it's still so cold. An omen, perhaps?

As I step outside, a faint breeze washes over me, and I fluff out my fur. The sun is just showing itself from behind the trees. Some dead, crushed leaves still remain, so out of place in the lush green forest. Maybe... the dead leaves are like despair, so frail, compared to the hope that continues to spread over the trees.

I crush a dried leaf under my paw and drag my claws through it. Pieces of the leaf are lost to the wind, and the remains of the shredded leaf look so pitiful.

I once met a cat who told me leaves are alive, just like cats and dogs and the Nofurs... They get food from the sun to live.

How strange.

This leaf is definitely not alive now. So it's dead, because the Lifecats murdered it.

I lift my paw away from the leaf. By leaving it alone, I guess I'm letting the new green leaves mourn it.

I wander toward the river. Here, in this very river, is where the carefree waterpelt lives. He's a Lifecat, so he does murder, but not nearly as often as the grasspelt or the cloudpelt.

I crouch beside the river and stare intently into it. The dark shapes of fish flash back and forth under the water, and then I wonder if they're grateful for the home given by the waterpelt. Slowly I dip my paw into the water, and instantly the fish dart away.

I stay there for a long while, in that exact position.

"Break?"

I only flick one ear up in response to the questioning voice.

"Break, what are you doing?" Auri pads up beside me and looks down at me in confusion. "Are you alright? You aren't hurt, are you?" Her soft voice sounds concerned. I don't know why she's worried.

"I assure you, I'm okay." I meow in reply, not looking at her. Then, frowning, I ask, "Is that disappointing?"

Auri now looks surprised. "Why would I be disappointed, Break? I'm glad you're alright."

"...I see." A third voice joins the conversation. "Mom! Rea!" I recognize Auyotha. His small paws thump against the grass as he bounds joyfully over to us. He halts at my side, purring, "Guess what, Mom! Guess!" I glance back at him to see a squirrel dropped between his paws and his amber eyes shining.

Auri has obviously spotted the squirrel as well, but she plays dumb for the kit. "What is it?"

"I caught a squirrel!" Auyotha sounds so proud of himself. "Squirrels're s'pposed to be really hard to catch, but I caught one!" He shoves the dead animal toward his mother.

Auri praises the small tom, telling him how proud she was and how he'll be catching birds soon.

It's all fake, obviously. She's totally lying to make the kit feel better about himself.

"Break!" Auri whispers into my ear. "Please, congratulate Auyotha on his catch."

Why should I? I mean, the kit's almost six moons old. I was catching squirrels since I was five moons. ...I think. No memories, of course. Despite having good reasons for not congratulating Auyotha, I mumble, "Great job, Auyo."

His eyes shine.

I stifle a sigh - Auri would likely scold me later, like I was some ignorant kit, and I didn't want that to happen again. But how could Auri be so proud of a cat who just murdered something? I mean, it was for survival, since we need to hunt to eat, but any killing is murder. That's how I see it, and I bet others agree with me.

I mean, killing someone for any reason? That's exactly what murder is.

act two / stranger
"It was really a lie..."

From the beginning, you're told one thing. Don't talk to strangers. No good can come of it. But, y'know... everyone in your life is a stranger, since you've never seen them before. Once a kit opens his eyes, then all he'll see are faces he's unable to recognize. Then later, what if he has kits? He meets those kits, and they're strangers to him. So everyone's a stranger!

That's the thing about life.

Meeting strangers is unavoidable.

act three / hearts
"Stop trying to act strong. You're weak, and you know that."