I padded as silently through the forest as I could. I smelled the air again, and I could tell I was close.

The mouse I was hunting lay in

its hole, buried under the snow. I was getting my evening meal, the sun was low over the trees, almost completely hidden from view. I
heard a movement in the snow, and my ears twitched. I crouched low, my stomach brushing the snow underneath me, my back legs
wiggled slightly, my tail low to the ground, flipping through the air side to side silently. I tensed my legs, preparing to spring, and I
leaped. My body was flying through the air, my forelegs pointing forward ready to catch my fall, my back legs pointing back, ready to
catch and absorb the impact. I fell, the mouse stuck its pink nose out of the snow-covered hole, and noticed me. It started to run, but it
ran right underneath my paws.
I hooked the mouses tail between my nails, and scooped it to my mouth. The mouse was wiggling in my grasp and squealing loudly.
My ears laid back in annoyance at the sound, and I silenced the mouse with a snap at its neck, my teeth cutting through it. I picked up
the now dead mouse in my mouth, and I walked across the snow, my feet staying on the surface of it. I walked to a tree, and settled
underneath it, resting in the dying sunlight, letting it warm my black pelt.
I lay there, eating the still-warm mouse, thinking my cat thoughts, wondering what I would do tomorrow. Wondering if there was any
other cat, who lived so well, even in the winter. Sometimes it was cold, but then I would sleep in the cover of a small brush, using it as
a blanket, and something to block the wind.
I looked around, my shadow laying in front of me, the wind ruffled my fur a bit, sending a bit of my hair flying around on my back. The
trees swayed in the wind, around me some snow fell from the overhanging branches, hitting the ground with a muffled thump. I let out
a satisfied meow, my food gone, my stomach now filled. I got up, stretched my legs forward a bit, my back arching. My pure black hair,
shining in the dim light.
The snow was sparkling like diamonds, it looked beautiful, even to me. It wasnt so nice in the daytime though, the snow was blinding,
and when it wasnt, it was littered with paper from the ones who walk on two legs. My whiskers twitched, and my mouth opened wide
in a yawn, my tongue lolling out, stretching too. When I finished my stretch, I scraped snow over the blood and the remains of the
mouse.
Then I walked over to the brush, my bed for the night. I padded over, not being too careful, being too tired to be. My ears suddenly
stood up, my whiskers straight out, my body rigid. I could smell something. It was a strong disgusting smell, it smelled of road kill, I
knew it was a fox, I hadnt ever had a run in with one, I was lucky, but I knew the smell, my mother had been killed by one.
I opened my mouth, and hissed. My teeth baring, and my fur fluffing up, my tail standing tall, high in the air, not moving at all. My back
arched, I looked around, my ears listening hard for sounds. The wind came from the east, a gust blowing, bringing the scent of fox
with it. I hissed again, spitting in the snow. I looked around, the night scenery clearer than it had been in the day. My keen eyes
studying the landscape, looking for the fox, my back was still arched, my body sideways, making myself look as big as possible, I
seen the glow of two eyes, the color of orange fur standing on end, the tail waving through the air, the fox looked excited, hungry.
I looked around, never turning my back to the fox. Watching carefully, looking for other signs of predators, there was none, but the
same one fox. The fox bushy tail was waving lightly through the air, but it looked tense. From the scent, I could tell it was a female fox,
I then noticed another scent in the air, along with the small whiny yelps of young fox pups. I realized this was a mother fox, she was
protecting her pups.
The wind whipped through the clearing again, stronger and more unfriendly, bringing a fresh scent of the fox again. I hissed again, the
fox tensed, her muscles bunching under her, she was getting ready to spring. I watched her, ready to spring myself, ready to attack, to
defend my life. A cloud of snow washed upwards, blocking my view, as the wind swept through again, shaking the trees, making a
wispy noise. When the snow calmed down, and the view was clear again, the fox was gone. I hissed again, not knowing where the fox
was, I couldnt smell her, I couldnt see her, I couldnt even hear her. My whole body was tensed, waiting, listening and feeling for the
fox. I was waiting for the fox to slip, to make a noise so I could hear her.
I spun around. Looking for her, I couldnt see her still. I heard a low growl behind me, and I spun around just in time to be thrown
across the field, barely missing the tree, I landed on my feet, skidding across the ground a bit. The fox was standing where I had
been, already charging again. I raised my back unsheathing my claws, just as the fox was 4 feet from me, I sprung I timed the jump
just right and landed on her back, I used my forepaws to hold on, and my back ones to scrape, trying to cut, tear her skin, and do as
much damage as I could. The fox yelped, trying to shake me off, her muzzle swinging around, trying to bite me, snap at my neck, or to
get a grip on me.

Finally the fox mouth stopped trying to get me, as she flipped onto her back, and landed on top of me. I yowled loudly, crying out in
pain, as the fox pinned me on the ground, the fox was on her back though, whining and her limbs were flailing. As the fox tried to flip
over and keep me pinned, I squirmed and wiggled out from underneath her. As soon as I escaped, I spun around hissing and spitting.
My claws digging into the frozen ground. My breath was coming out of my mouth in long gasps, the fox standing, hackles raised
growled a long low noise that rumbled in her stomach.
I stood there, crouched ready to spring again, ready for the fox attack. The fox stood there staring at me, her fur standing on end, her
tail no longer waving in the excitement of a hunt, it was standing straight up, knowing her life was in danger as much as mine was. Her
eyes brightened as a cloud passed over the full moon, making her eyes shine like perfectly round diamonds.
We continued our standoff, both of us standing there, staring at each other waiting for the other to make the first move. The wind
passed through the clearing again, the coldness of it slicing through my warm fur coat, making it ruffle and bend over. My body was
still tense, as was the fox. both our ears were standing on end, facing each other twitching at every other little sound.
I blinked, my eyes closing for less than a second, and when I opened them the fox was almost upon me. I let my feet fall from under
me, falling to the ground and flipping over just as the fox was upon me, she flew overtop skidding on the snow. I grappled onto her
chest, holding on with my front claws, my nails cutting through the soft flesh. With my back paws I scratched as quickly and furiously
as I could, feeling the flesh tare from her body, the fur getting caught in between my toes. My feet started to feel warm, as the fox
started to yelp continuously, and blood poured from her stomach, running slowly, trickling over my feet and legs. The fox started
rearing up on her hind legs, shaking her body, her muzzle snapping furiously at me, missing me by less than inches. I hung on,
clinging with my back paws, letting my claws sink through the soft flesh then squeezing the nails closed to grip. Holding on for my life.
The fox reared again, and shook her body, making my claws lose their grip. I went flying off her, as her head finally snapped at my
body and threw me out from under her. I skidded across the snow covered ground, the wind slipping through the holes in my fur easier
than ever. As I slowed down, sliding across the snow, I hit a solid object and stopped dead. I got up slowly, my ribs hurting, I felt a low
moan of pain in my leg, and I looked down and found there was a dark liquid shining crimson running down my leg.
I bent low to lick the blood off, forgetting for a moment about the fox, she sat there watching me, getting ready to finish off her prey. My
ears stood up, as I remembered she was there, my fur on end again, tail straight up, and I hissed. I took a step forward, and I almost
fell to the ground. My other feet broke through the snow, as the fox charged at me, her feet pushing against the ground, her muscles
bulging as she absorbed the impact, using it to propel her forward. She jumped, she soared over the ground, her momentum keeping
her going, and she landed on top of me.
Her anxious jaws clamping down on my mane, leaving me room to spin around. I tried to spin, her jaws clamped on the loose skin on
my neck, and I swiped at her nose. I was too slow, fatigued now. She threw me upwards, letting my claws spin wildly in the air, swiping
through empty space. She recoiled backwards kicking up snow, as I came down spitting, getting ready to land on four paws, she
caught me with her mouth, picking me up by the rear leg, biting through the muscle, and I hissed in pain.
I kicked out wildly with both hind legs, swiping the claws across her nose, cutting through it making her yelp again. I landed sideways,
scattering the snow as I kicked with my good legs. I ran as fast as I could, trying to escape the fox, I heard her growl and try to catch
me, she was chasing. I ran through the forest, the branches scraping against my fur, the snow sliding from under me making me slip.
The moon was covered again, either by trees or clouds I was too busy to tell. I ran through a low opening, hoping to delay the fox a
bit, running as fast as my broken leg would carry me. I stumbled through the forest, scraping everything, running sideways the fatigue
more powerful than ever. I started to stumble, tripping over my paws, falling a few times. I looked behind me, the fox was nowhere in
site, so I slowed down.
I looked around, no one was near, nothing in site but a few shadows and a raven hiding in the tree. The moon was covered in cloud
again, the darkness engulfing the land. I lay down, too tired to walk over to a bush, and I started to clean my wounds, beginning with
the one on my leg. My whole body was sore, my ribs hurt with every small breath I took in. I stopped cleaning for a few minutes, just a
small break.
My eyes started to close lazily, not able to keep them open, trying hard, but it was no use. Finally I gave in, letting them close slowly,

just a nap I thought, I was tired, I deserved a rest. I closed my eyes, my breathing slow, letting the wind wash over me slowly, bathing
in the moonlight. My eyes closed fully, a strange chill went through my body, and I slept.
I kept sleeping, as the moon went low in the sky, bringing the dawn light. The sun rising and the moon setting, I slept from that winter
night, and never woke. The birds sang beautiful songs, and the fox came near, and I still slept through, my breathing stopped, my
body still, never to move