Jude didn't know what a chicken was. They'd been called it a lot though, so they liked to think it was a kind of mouse or maybe a cool bug. Today, being "chicken" meant scurrying back into their yard when they heard a cat yowl echoing deep in the forest.
"You're such a chicken, Jude!" a voice called with a snicker as the little brown cat emerged from the gap under the fence, hackles raised and eyes wide.
"I don't know what that is but am not!" Jude called back, sitting on their haunches and trying to calm their racing heart. That just made the laughing grow louder, though. A large black tom with white paws and funny folded ears emerged from the shade of Jude's house. He looked more of a dog than a cat, really, with his long fur and huge form despite being so young. It was
Bundy, a close friend of Jude's who lived just nextdoor. He was a good friend-- a great one! But sometimes being a good friend meant being an absolute cricket butt.
"You so are," Bundy argued back, taking a seat by his friend.
"You never want to do anything fun. You always turn tail and run like a kit at anything relatively scary!"Did 'chicken' mean 'cowardly' then? Jude could see why Bundy would call them that, but... well, yeah. He was totally spot on. Jude quickly turned their head away from him to groom themself, feeling slightly embarrassed. They knew all the other cats in the PeoplePlace were out exploring the neighborhood and growing more curious of the surrounding territory.
"It's not my fault the forest is so scary." "No, but it is your fault your fear keeps you from exploring." There was a long pause before the young tom perked up and leapt to his paws again.
"Prove it!"Jude stopped grooming, looking at him with wide eyes. They knew that tone in their friend's voice, and it never led to anything good.
"Prove what?""Prove you're not a chicken! Let's go explore the forest later. AFTER dark."If it were possible, Jude's eyes grew even wider and their fur puffed up like their human's hair in warm weather.
"Oh Bundy, I can't possibly--""Great! So I'll see you tonight then!" ---
It was...
dark. Darker than Jude ever remembered dark being. They could still see things fairly okay, but the faint blue glow the moon cast on everything was simply haunting, and just the thought of what could be lurking out there was terrifying. The freakish yowling they had heard earlier echoed in their mind. Oh, rat butts, why were they even thinking of doing this?! They could live with a lifetime of teasing from Bundy if they backed out of this, but they
couldn't deal with being dead if some horror attacked them in those woods! They sat atop their fence, restlessly treading their paws and staring into the endless forest that would soon swallow them whole. Out of the corner of their eye, they noticed a sliver of white moving along the ground below them, and Bundy soon came into view. He was already on the other side of the fence and seemed completely unbothered by this fact.
"You coming or what?"With a nervous gulp and a shiver that ran down their whole spine, Jude leapt to the ground.
"Let's do this quickly now." they said, trying to keep the fear out of their voice.
Bundy, still completely unconcerned, flicked his tail excitedly and led the way into the forest.
---
It was still very dark. The two cats had been walking for a little bit, and they could hardly see the PeoplePlace behind them anymore. It was so still in the forest, cold and quiet and just... unsettling, like you were being watched from every angle. It even felt like the stars and the moon were judging them, shining harshly on their pelts like those light sticks the People used. There were crickets all around, they too singing of the arrival of these strangers. Something --maybe a fox?-- screamed deep in the forest. Jude's tail poofed up like a bottlebrush and they pinned their ears back in fear.
"Bundy," Jude whispered urgently, pressing even closer to their friend's side.
"We've explored enough I think, why don't we go back now? Our People are probably looking for us and I'm hungry..." Bundy shook his head, though Jude could see even he looked a little unsettled now.
"I want to try and catch a mouse before we leave. For a trophy, you know?" He took a deep breath, possibly to calm himself, and began to sniff the air.
"Just stay here, okay? I'll be right back." Jude knew better than to split up at a time like this, in unfamiliar territory no less, but arguing with him would probably make their stay here longer and that was the last thing they wanted. So the little cat took a seat as Bundy disappeared, curling their tail over their paws at some feeble attempt of comforting themself.
They realized there were dozens of strange scents around them, now that they weren't just focusing on putting one paw in front of the other. There were plenty of cats, some faint prey trails, and even the stale scent of a dog. There were spots in the PeoplePlace that were like this; void of any car noises and People-Speak, but nothing could compare to where they were right now. Despite the thought of the things that were lurking in the dark, Jude felt a little more at ease. Just the taste of the air was wonderful, beyond anything they could get at the PeoplePlace. Maybe this place wasn't as scary as they thought it was. Maybe... they weren't such a chicken after all!
As if the universe had heard their thoughts, the scent of the strange cats suddenly grew stronger and a low growling came from the bushes in front of them. From their right side came a quiet mumble, something they couldn't understand, and then a gruff response from in front of them before two pairs of eyes emerged from the shadows from each direction. At this point, their body was rigid with fear and their ears were pinned so tightly to their head they nearly disappeared.
"U-um!" they stuttered, looking from one pair of eyes to the other. Were these demon cats? Fierce hunters sent to smite them down for daring to enter the forest? Oh sweet sunflowers, they were going to die and they didn't even get to snuggle their People kit today!
"You don't belong here," hissed the one still concealed in the bushes ahead of them. A heavy sigh sounded from Jude's right, and the eyes narrowed in its direction before turning back to Jude.
"Leave, kittypet!" Thorn-sharp claws flashed past Jude's nose, and a ferocious hiss filled their ears. This wasn't a statement anymore. The voice was cold and furious, and Jude certainly got the message. Without a second thought, they whirled around on fear-prickled paws and raced towards the PeoplePlace as fast as their legs could take them. Their heart was practically in their throat and racing at 100 miles a second, pounding so loud in their own ears they couldn't hear Bundy call after them in confusion when Jude raced past him. They didn't stop running until they had flown over their fence and collided with the house's back door, collapsing onto the doorstep in a panting, terrified heap. Let them be called a chicken; they were
never, ever doing that again.
