Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Liberty

        Liberty sat quietly in the kitchen. She was a pure black cat and wears a white collar.

        She lifted her nose to smell the air reviling. Her blood red eyes followed her human "Mary" who was busy about the kitchen.

     Liberty could smell the special cat snacks and dog treats her owner gives them everyday at sun-high.

        "Yuck!" Liberty thought to herself. She hated cat food, especially canned cat food.

        "Liberty, Bobby, Meal time!" Mary sat the canned cat food on the kitchen counter and sat the dog bowl on the floor.

        Liberty jumped onto the counter and approached the can of cat food. She held her breath so she couldn't smell its sloppy unattractive scent. It smelled like garbage to her.

        Just then, a tiny black and white shih zuh came strolling in, his long nails tapping on the hard floor.

        He was an old dog. His long fur reached the ground, but was very well groomed. Liberty thought that it was so funny how he looked like a wash mop crawling around with his long droopy hair and short legs.

        A rubber-band cinched the hair on top of his head; keep it out of his eyes.

        "Oh great, I have to eat these hard foods again?" He muttered.

        Good old Bob, or as the humans call him 'Bobby'. He was in his 11th year, which was typically very old for a dog. If it wasn't for his lazy walking and cranked voice, it would be hard to tell he was actually elderly because he still acted like a younger dog. Plus the dark green collar around his neck somehow made his appearance look younger.

        Bob was easy for Liberty to get along with. He was a wise dog.

        Liberty was the only cat that Bob had ever talked to. She had a strange ability to understand what other animals were saying. She could understand dogs and even humans, too. She could only speak back to most animals though, not humans.

        Liberty sighed. Humans were always the talkative ones, next to the yelping dogs of course. And it would be great for her to speak to the ones who cared for her, but for some reason she couldn't.

        Bob always bothered her here and there, but he was nice. She loved him like a grandfather she never had. His loud barking and his lack of understanding sometimes bothered her. Liberty liked the wise, funny, comforting part of him.

        The shih zuh slowly made his way to his food bowl.

        Mary waited, leaning against the kitchen door that lead to the dinning room. She would stay in the kitchen with them for a moment or two, just to see if they were eating their food. She didn't like to waste any food and didn't want the animals wasting food, either.

        She wore a white apron as if she was about to cook dinner. She always feed them treats before her and her husband ate dinner.

        Liberty didn't want to take a bite out of her food, but she didn't want Mary to think it was going to waste, so the cat bent her head down, and pretended like she was eating. Bob did the same. It was something he learned from Liberty.

        He didn't enjoy how the solid food made his teeth hurt. Liberty wished the humans could understand her, so she could convince them to change the menu.

        As soon as Mary left the room, Liberty turned and kicked the can of food onto the floor with her hind leg.

        It was Bob who would eat this food. She stayed careful not to splat the food on Bob's head. That would be a mess she wouldn't want to lick up.

        The sloop spilled everywhere on the floor, but Bob didn't care. He liked to eat things when they were not stuffed in cans.

        Bob padded up to the cat food with his curled up tail wigging in joy.

        "Thanks." He said before gulping up his meal.

        "You’re welcome."

        Liberty jumped down from the counter firmly landing at Bob's side. She gave him a friendly lick on his little floppy ear.

        Usually Liberty did not get along with others, especially dogs. Oh, dogs no doubt annoyed her to craziness! But Bob and Liberty seemed to always get along.

        Liberty let out a faint snort of laughter as she remembered Bob's young friend, Chars, who belonged to Mary's friend. Chars is a huge black and white Great Dane and it has been months since he had last visited. He was the silliest and most clumsiness dog Liberty had ever met. Liberty tolerated Chars, but he was just too much of a dog for her. She preferred Bob.

        Liberty showed respect for her old fellow, Bob. She always told him everything, because she trusted him. Mostly because Bob had no other dog friends he could tell them to, or would tell them too.

        Bob knew Liberty wasn't a normal cat. She had blazing red eyes, a mysterious demeanor, the strange ability to understand other species, and most of all a dangerous craving for blood. She didn't need food or water to survive.

        The humans call this a 'vampire'. Liberty heard them joking about it when they noticed her unnatural red eyes.

        Another time they saw her licking Mary's husband, Jacob’s blood off the floor when he got injured at work. He had a cut leg and blood was leaking on the floor. It was the only thing that Liberty wanted to feed on. Blood.

        Liberty began to eat the hard pellets and bits that Mary had given Bob. She hated dog food more than any other. But, Bob couldn't eat them; he was too old to eat hard foods anymore. If she doesn’t eat them, their owners would think that Bob didn't get anything to eat. They might think that he is too old and bring him to the vet.

        They don’t know that hard food hurts his teeth.

        After the little dog was finished eating, he went to take a nap by the couch in the middle of the front room.

        The house was huge, but Bob stayed in very few places in this mansion of a home. Sometimes Bob would get lost in such a big house and would need help finding places.

        Liberty went for the kitchen window after she ate the bits. Luckily, the window was open this time. She stood behind the sink with her head out the window. The cat started coughing and managed to make herself vomit the dog food she just ate out the window. Her stomach couldn't take that kind of food, and that is why she hated it.

         Calmly cleaning herself up, Liberty overheard her Mary and Jacob talking about something. She heard the word ‘cat’ come up.

        Are they talking about me?

        Jumping down from the kitchen window, she curiously stalked into the dinning room to see Mary and Jacob seated at the smooth, rich wooded table.

        Liberty sprang up into Mary's lap with listening ears. Mary greeted her and began petting her head. Liberty started purring loudly. Her humans were the best.

        "I'm telling you we searched for like 2 hours," said Mary to Jacob.

        "Well, if he ran off, you can always find another kitten to bring home," Jacob suggested.

        Another kitten, Thought Liberty. They want another kitten? I should be the only cat around here!

         "I just feel bad. It was my fault I left the car door open, and now he's probably some were hungry and alone..." said Mary.

        Oh, poor cat! Liberty thought with sarcasm.

        "Don't worry." Her husband interrupted," We can go back to the shelter and see if they have any more of those forest cats. Tomorrow though," He added.

        Great, Thought Liberty, They must think I’m a freak if they want to replace me with another cat!

        Liberty's purring faded away at the thought. Mary paid no mind and continued to stroke Liberty.

        Finally, Mary nodded and replied, "Okay," in a small voice.

        For a few minutes Mary, Jacob, and Liberty sat in quietness. After a moment Jacob pushed his chair back and stood up.

        "How about we cook dinner now?"  He asked as if to break the silence.

        Is it just me? Liberty thought, or is everything more awkward with me around?  

                                                               

        That night Liberty lay curled up on the front porch of the mansion. She begins purring into sleep.

        Liberty glazed up at the night sky one last time to see a full moon shining brightly in the sky. The cold breeze that whispered through the warm air cooled her. Laying her chin on her paws, Liberty's purring faded as she fell asleep and drifted into a dream.

        Liberty became blinded by utter darkness. She was somewhere, but didn't know were. Sniffing towards where the ground would be she scented something odd, a forest like scent and the scent of other creatures.

        What other creatures are here?

        She stalked along wet grass. Liberty smelled the scents of wild creatures everywhere. She heard terrifying sounds. They were growls, howling, and snarling. Her heart began to race and she became nervous. Monsters? She hoped that she was wrong.

        Her blood runs cold. It felt too real, but Liberty knew she was dreaming. Yet, the graphic sounds and smells made her scared. The cat began to tremble.

        She could see nothing but pure darkness.

        Liberty crawled along the ground trying to stay away from things that can try to attack her, like the monsters she heard, growls echoing.

        Every step she took only made things worse. The smells got stronger and the growls grew louder. She was surrounded by the creatures in the dark.

        The cat knew there was something about to reach out and get her; she could smell it, hear it, and feel it.

        This is a nightmare. A familiar nightmare...

        The terrified cat froze in fear unable to catch her breath. Liberty swung her head left to right, eyes wide, in effort to see what was lurking in this dark place, but still nothing!

        Desperately Liberty told herself: It’s just a dream, nothing can hurt me here! This 'fear' is just all in my head! It's just a dream.

        Liberty, as hard as she tried, could not drown out the fear.

        She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head wildly, trying to wake herself, but it didn't work.

        Then, in a flash of pain, the black cat felt sharp claws sink deep into her back. Something got her.

        This seemed more than just a nightmare; she clearly felt the agonizing pain as the claws sank towards her spine. The creature snarled loudly at her. Liberty was too shocked to yowl from the pain.

        She could hear the blood roaring in her ears.

        Wake up!

        Liberty tried to escape, but the creature's insurmountable weight kept her pinned down.

        Liberty's legs fell limp to the ground as the beast raked her deeper. She tried to swing her head back to get a glimpse of the attacker in the darkness, but she had become paralyzed.

        The cat wanted to swing her head wildly again to wake her, but she couldn't move one bit.

        The claws sunk deeper and deeper into her back. Liberty thought to herself, “This must be it. I'm dying! But, how can I die in a dream? Did I die while I was asleep?"

        Her thoughts went blank and her breathing stopped.

        A beautiful blue glow shined in the distance reflecting off her eyes: It quickly faded into a deep blood red color.

        Suddenly the darkness was broken with a bright light flashing in front of her motionless body. All the horrible scents and sounds had faded away from Liberty, along with most of the feelings.

        Back on the porch Liberty's eyes snapped open. She jerked her head up to see the familiar yard of her home.

        It was morning.

        Bright sun light began pouring through the trees, making everything visible.

        Finally, she had waked from the nightmare, but the pain in her back from her dream still seemed real.

        Liberty turned to lick her back to shake of the felling. Her heart lurched as she spotted a claw scar on her back across her spine.

        Was that there before? She nervously asked herself. No.

        She licked her fur again, but now the scar was gone.

        Then it all came back to her. 

        A Vampire...

        Liberty realized her nightmare was of a memory, something that happened to her long ago, something that she had almost finally forgotten.

        A Vampire... a vampire is one that has come back from the dead.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Leon

        Alone in the wilderness, at least I am in the forest. That was much better then being a pampered house cat, but the thing that sucked was that Leon was lost. It would be harder for him to survive without his family's support...

        When he had awakened he thought that the pool of water from the dream would be in the same place, but there was not a single drop of water. The young cat had been lost, hungry, and most of all, quenched for hours.

        The hot sun shined brightly. He made his way to the grassland, but it was bone dry.

        While he didn't find any water, but Leon did happen upon a tiny mouse. Leon slowly stalked the mouse. He stepped lightly as not to make a sound and alert the mouse. He bunched his hind legs and pounced on the helpless mouse. Leon got a good grip with his claws and brought the mouse to his razor sharp canine teeth. He felt warm blood fill his mouth as the prey went limp.

        Finally. Food.

        It had taken him all morning to catch this. Leon still thought that he might of die of thirst, but at least he could eat.

        Maybe he could live and survive by himself, but he didn't want to. Leon needed somewhere safer to stay either way.

         He devoured his kill in a couple of hungry bites. The cat wished he had someone, like his family, to share it with.

        Deep down he knew he would never see his beloved family again. Never.

        The ginger cat's hunger wasn't satisfied yet. He saw movement in the distance nearby a large cave surrounded by ferns. It looked like a den that could be home to a larger animal.

        Overwhelmed by curiosity, Leon stalked towards the cave; thinking it could be more prey. He loved hunting.

        Or, I could be the prey! He thought with a shiver.

        But hungry and desperate, he crawled toward the rustling sound.

        When he approached the den only a faint scent fell over him.

        Suddenly, Leon heard an intense growling noise echo though the den. Leon's fur bristled and his heart started pounding. What could it be? He heard heavy steps rush though the den and Leon retreated to a tall clump of grass to hide himself from the open.

        Oh no! I knew this was a mistake!

        The scent grew stronger and the steps closer. Leon shifted deeper into the grass.      Had Leon found a bear, cheetah, or lion den? Was he going to be eaten?

        Leon's fur stood on end.

        Numbed by fear, Leon stood his ground as the animal rushed out of the cave. It ran so fast that he only saw a blur. It made him flinch and jump back.

        Once the creature was out in the open Leon saw its pouncing hind legs and its tall ears. It was too small for it to eat a cat as prey. 

        Leon let out a sign of relive as he realized it was just a hare.

        I was scared of a silly little bunny? He nervously joked to himself.

        Creeping out of his hiding place the ginger tom had a crazy thought that maybe he could catch the hare as prey. It couldn't hurt to try.

        Leon shifted back to his hunting stance and stalked toward the hare.

        The creature seemed almost as big as him. This was a big rabbit. It tried to hide in a spot where tall dry grass grew. Leon gave chase. He could no longer see the hare once he reached the grass patch. Closer Leon couldn't see much of anything beyond the tall grasses that surrounded him.

        The grass on Leon's right began to shuffle. The hare was only steps away. Leon prepared to make the kill.

        I can do this! He told himself.

        At that very moment something massive rushed past Leon and struck the hare. The hare let out a squeak, cutting off as it feels limp.

        Leon held his breath as he made out what had taken his kill. It was big. It was...

        Leon gasped. Surely he must be dreaming again, because before him, with the hare hanging limp from its jaws appeared to be a lioness - a real life lioness!

        Leon trembled. The ginger cat always longed to be in the company of a lion, but here he was standing before one and Leon didn't know how to react. They are dangerous, he reminded himself.

        Leon felt small and defenseless and he knew the lion could end his life with a simple swipe of a paw, so Leon did not move an inch.

        The lioness gripped the hare with it's sharp teeth and began smoothly walking to a near by tree.

        He watched the dark-pelted lioness. She was only a couple of paw steps away from Leon, but took no notice of him. She dropped her kill under the shaded tree and began to rip into its flesh.

        Leon saw how easy it was for the lioness to tear apart the hare and was glad that the lioness didn't spot him.

        Moments later two more lions arrived to share the meal. One was an adult male with a dark pelt and majestic mane. The other was another lioness with pretty gold-like fur.

        Leon didn't know what to do. He knew he must be in their territory and if he tried to leave one of the lions, or something else, could attack him.

        What should I do?

        Drowned in fear, Leon let out an uncontrollable cry of distress.

        The big cats immediately stopped tearing at the remains of the hare. Their ears pricked, and their eyes wondered around. The lions had heard him! They began to move into a stalking stance.

        Leon gasped. He wanted nothing more than to run away, but he was frozen in fear and couldn't make his legs move.

        As the lions closed in Leon was finally able to get his feet moving.  He could hear the lion's paw steps following him.

        They were too fast. One of the lionesses ran past him and turned around to block Leon's path. He dashes toward another direction, running for his life, but as he turned the other two lions blocked his way. The lions had Leon surrounded as he shrunk back. There was nothing he could do. He was trapped by lions.

        "Please don't eat me," Leon begged his voice high trembling with fear.

        "Eat you?" The massive male lion replied with a hint of amusement. "You don't look like a hare to me." He joked, pushing Leon over with his huge paw.

        "Of course we will eat you!" The Dark lioness broke in with a harsh tone.

        She stared Leon down with blazing eyes.

        Leon felt as if his whole body was numb. He just waited in fear. Who knows what they would do.

        "Okay, Okay," the lioness went on rolling her eyes, " Calm down little cat. Just tell us what an animal like you is doing here. I've never seen a cat as small as you before."

        The other lioness stepped forward. "In case you haven't noticed, you are in our territory. Don't you know how dangerous it is to wander around here?"

        Leon tried to steady his breathing and speak again. He knew everything they were saying was true; it was far to dangerous for him to be out here. But why were they telling him that? Wouldn't they be the danger?

        "Well?" She growled when Leon did not reply.

        "I...I don't know. I was ju-just, uh, trying to find my home." The nervousness obviously showed in his voice, and no doubt that they could smell his fear.

        "I'm sure this is not your home" The dark lioness responded.

        Then she began to speak again but, the male lion waved her silent with a flicker of his tail.

        "You’re lost?" The male lion asked tartly.

        There were concern and curiosity in his yellow eyes.

        Leon nodded, "Yes, yes, and I'm so hungry, and thirsty. Please, please don't eat me! I'm sorry I didn't know this was your territory. I don't know were I am!"

        "It's okay! You can calm down," The male lion soothed him.

        Leon tried to be calm, but it was hard to be calm when he felt so helpless. 

        Looking at the huge male lion, Leon noticed a scar on his check. It looked like a scar from the claw of another big cat. There must be more lions out there; lions that were enemies of these lions.

        Without a word the lion beckoned his tail to his companions. They grouped several feet from Leon. They began to talk amongst themselves. Leon couldn't hear a word they were saying.

        The male lion seemed to be in charge of the others. That must was certain.

        Leon let his fur lie flat again. It seemed like they were not going to eat him as prey, or act aggressively toward him.

        Maybe I can make peace with these amazing creatures.

        A moment later the lions finished their secret meeting. The male lion approached Leon and beckoned him to follow. Maybe they were showing him out of their territory, thought Leon.

        The lion looked back to see Leon still put in the same place.

        "Come on," he urged beckoning his tail again as if he was talking to a fellow lion.

        This time Leon followed. He didn't want to make them angry.

        Following the lions, a faint feeling of excitement flooded threw him. Here he was on an encounter with real live lions for the first time! All the stories he heard about the lions whispered in his ears had not prepared him for this. Leon must have been lucky to not have yet been attacked by them.

        Leon eyed the big cats in amazement as he half ran to keep up.

        "Where are you taking me?" He asked the lion.

        The lion turned, and grinned down at him with amusement in his yellow eyes.

        "I'm bringing you to our pride's camp," His voice was friendly. “I will explain why later."

        For a moment Leon thought that this all seemed a little to fishy for a lion just to take a cat in its camp. Was this all a game?

        "To-to your camp, W-Why?" he stuttered.

        Leon hoped that they weren't planning something horrible. It felt all too good to visit a fierce lion camp. It seemed too good to be true.

        "Well, we have meat," the darker lioness pointed out as she leaped over a broken tree branch.

        The friendly expression on the feline's face seemed to put Leon at ease. Why were they being so nice to Leon?

Chapter 1

                                  Chapter 1

Leon

Where am I?

        A strange scent fell over Leon, much like the smell of gas from a car.

        I'm here sleeping soundly. I remember just having my lunch. Not the nasty foods the house cats get. I had a nice plump mouse just yesterday. That's right. I'm a forest cat. And hope forever to be so...

        Dazzling, Leon awakened. Then he blinked the sleep out of his eyes ready to see his location. The ginger tom gapped his jaws wide in a massive yawn. He was still tired but too eager to stay asleep. The cat's green eyes wandered around his surroundings. A small place, leather seats...and humans!

        Instead of waking to his usual family in the exotic forest, he woke to constant shaking, an unsteady ground. There was an annoying roaring noise, too. It was something he certainly couldn't miss. It looked as if he was in a small moving house. All the makings of the machine were very unnatural-like.

        Leon noticed he was lying on the lap of a female human. She was a stranger. In fact, all the humans were strangers; from now on, cat nippers, too. Humans were the certain kind of creatures who he didn't see everyday. There weren’t many humans he recognized. This one seemed harmless. She didn't act aggressively towards the young cat.

        Leon lifted his furry head to sniff the air. He could only sense human and the burning fuel of the machine. The fuel smelled worse. It was too overwhelming, but not as overwhelming as being apart from his family-surrounded by strangers.

        Leon felt as if his heart skipped a beat. He wondered how he got here, desperate for an explanation.

        Leon was roughly only 8 months old. Not really a kitten anymore, but not full grown yet. He lived in the forest all his life. He didn’t know much about the human world. He was a forest cat. A wild born cat.

        His fur began to bristle from stress. Where were these humans taking him? Was it to their home where they would keep him as a pet? There was no way he could allow the humans to do that!

        The rumbling machine had no opening for him to escape through. He was locked in. Trapped!  It moved fast along the ground, roaring and shaking him out of balance. The human kept a grip on him with her hands, keeping Leon from slipping of the seat. She was being very fragile with him, but he was irritated and didn't care if the human cared for him or not. He didn't want her to love him as their pet. He just wanted someone of his own kind to love and care for.

        Leon had heard stories about humans. "Outside of this forest, humans build just about everything you lay your eyes on," His mom had said. "And they use big machines called, ‘cars’ to get around."

        I must be in a car. Leon confirmed. It wasn't too pleasant either-mostly because of the woozy, sick feeling it gave him. Eh. He could just feel the vomit rising in his throat.

        The woman he lay on began to calmly stroke his long ginger fur.

        Again, Leon wondered how he had gotten here. All he remembered was lurking around in the forest with his sister and then being ambushed and captured by humans. He had heard the humans shouting, and yowling. He also heard hissing from his siblings as they were fighting to free themselves from the human's capturing objects. They used them like a third arm, reaching and then gripping the young cats with it. Everything was a blur after that.

        That must be it. Then, they put me in here, all unexpected.

        Leon has lived with his family in the forest all his life. It was all that he knew. He enjoyed every moment of it. He loved the feeling of being wild, hunting for his food, surviving like real animals-not like house pets. But, if these humans were bringing him somewhere tamed... What more could he make of it?

        Leon's pretty tortoise shell mom, Violet, would always fix his nest every night before he went to sleep. Then she would curl up to him and his two beloved sisters, Willow and Jessie, and keep them warm.

        He liked the stirring sounds at night, of the frogs, bugs... It helped him sleep.

        His father, Blizzard, who looked so much like Leon with his long ginger fur and green eyes; would teach him and his sisters how to hunt. Just recently he had learned how to hunt well. He could stalk the prey and make the kill.

        Hunting had come easy for him to learn. It was surprisingly natural to him. Leon was born for the wild.

        Leon was the far better hunter when compared to his sisters, but he never bragged about it. Leon respected his sisters. There were always his best friends.

        "Someday you will see in the eyes of the lion; become the heart of a lion,” Blizzard always told them, and every time Leon had small glimmers of hope in the back of his heart telling him it was true. This young tom wanted it to be true every time he heard it. Someday, someday, he promised to himself.

        Trapped in the car, Leon began to look around, his heart was speeding up.         Where are they now?

        He longed for a simple answer. There was nothing but the panic rising in his chest, and the disturbing roaring of the car.

        Leon searched the car for his family. He did not sense a trace of them. Now he began to panic. They were nowhere near. In fact, Leon was the only cat in the car!

        The tom tensed with his fur standing on end. He just wanted to go back to his den with his family again. He had never been apart from his family.

        Bewildered, he began to helplessly call for his family, “Mom! Dad! Willow! Jessie! ” He bounced up and almost fell to the car floor.

        “Where are you?”

        Leon hooked his claws into the skin of the human that he stood on, struggling to keep his balance. Leon looked up at the human with his wide green eyes full of confusion. Where are you taking me? He silently wailed to the human.

        The human glanced back at him with soft brown eyes. She begins stroking him again. She was speaking words to him in a language he could not understand. She seemed calm. Leon wished he knew what the human was saying and wished he could speak to the human. How he wanted to ask her what was going on.

        The cat gazed at the human, strange looking creatures. It had no fur except for the top of the head. The weird wrinkly pelts they wore seemed different from the other creatures he'd seen before.

        Some of the humans Leon encountered were not nice. The woman was not being aggressive at the moment, but someone took Leon away from his family. Was this woman responsible?

        The human began to stroke him again. Leon would never be able to understand humans. He was more of a cat’s cat. Not a human’s cat and not a human's pet. Leon wasn't like that. He knew everything about the life in the forest and was smart for his age. He always thought big. He was the kind of cat that wanted to be all he could be and kept his mood positive. Well, most of the time.

        I must calm down, He told himself, and be brave like… like a lion!

        Leon heard many stories of the big cats: Lions, Tigers, Cheetahs, Leopards, and other cat the size of horses. These kinds of stories were passed down by his ancestors; Classics.

        The lion was always his favorite. They were known to be "king of the jungle", but he knew that they never really lived in the jungle. Lions preferred territory like grasslands, tropical deserts, forest and sometimes the mountains. The lions that lived in the mountains were known to him as "mountain lions".

        Other cats always told him that he looked just like a lion and that he could be the ruler of a lion’s pride if he had the chance-even though he was not a lion. Maybe it was because of his long ginger fur. It had the same color of a lion's pelt. His sisters said they were only saying that to make him feel better. It did make him feel better about himself.

        His desire to meet a lion grew and grew with every story he heard of these amazing beasts. How he wished he could even be one!

        His father had always told him that lions were dangerous, that he should never encounter one, or want too. The curiosity Leon felt only made him want it more.

        Leon sighed and laid his head on his paws and thought of his family.

        "Will I ever see you again?" He whispered to himself.

        There was a tiny voice in the back of his head telling him "no."

        The small cat slowly started to purr as the human gently pet him. It almost melts panic away.

        He tried to sleep out his stress, but the loud rumbling of the car and shaking kept him awake.

        Annoyed, he sighed. His eyes were wide awake even though he was a bit tired. Leon longed to go back to his family and get away from all this nonsense, but there was no way out. If he tried to attack the humans, it could only get worse. He could get hurt.

Leon still lay awake in the car as night began to fill the sky. Hours had passed.

        Leon could fell the nervousness building in him. Further and further away he went from his home.

        Finally, the car came to an easing stop. The human in the front set operating the car opened up the car door. It murmured something to the other as if for a cue. The human he was lying on picked him up out of her lap. Then she laid him back on the leather car seat and stepped out, too.

        Leon looked outside curiously. He could see the forest and feel the wind: calling him.

        As the car door lay wide open Leon decided to use this as an advantage.

        It was the perfect time; he could escape into the forest and find his family!

        Some of the nervousness he felt before started to fade away and was replaced with excitement.

        They could be waiting for me!

        Leon quickly crawled over to the edge of the seat and, with all his might, jumped from the car, past the humans, and onto the cool grass waiting outside. He could feel the summer's heat beat down upon his pelt. The familiar forest ground reminded him of where he and his family lived.

        This has to be the place! He reassured himself.

        He looked ahead to see tall pine trees and wild growing plants that looked so much like home. The orange-pelted cat searched left and right before stalking into the darkness of the forest.

        The humans chased after him, but Leon was fast. Within seconds the humans were left far behind.

        Good, he signed, they shouldn’t kidnap cats.

        Leon padded quietly as possible through the forest. He only caused faint rustling in the bushes.

        The humans would not be able to find him now.

        Rarely had Leon spent time in the forest alone. His mom or dad would always lead him and his sisters through the forest. They were still young and needed full grown cats with them.

        He kept each paw step light. His nose, eyes, and ears were all fully alert. Leon tried to remember all the things his father told him to do when he was hiding or searching for prey.

        He traveled deeper and deeper into the darkness of the forest. Every now and then the young cat would hear bird songs, a frog croaking, and tree branches rustling about. All the noises he heard were too strange to make out. This was surely not the same forest he called home.

        The tall pines, brambles, and ferns began to become less as he traveled further. This was a landscape that was becoming alien to him. It reminded him of the Savannah lands that he heard of in stories about the big cats.

        Twilight began to fill the dark blue sky. The air started to become chilly. It was getting late.

        Leon was tired and hungry. The cat had a clinching thought that he was much too far to find his beloved family. He was smart enough to know that he wasn't in his normal territory and that finding someone so far away could be impossible.

        Shivering from a cold breeze Leon seated himself by a small oak covered by dead leaves and moss. It was the only good cover he could find where nothing could try and attack him in his sleep. He needed to stay alert because his mother was not with him to protect him.

        Leon padded in circles to soften his bedding and then lay down. It was not very comfortable and the fact that he was alone still bothered him.

        Leon wished his mom was there to make a nice nest for him. He wished she slept next to him and kept him warm, but she wasn't.

        He took one last look around and sniffed the air. No sign of his mom. No sign of his dad. No sign of his sisters. Leon knew he was lost.

        Is there any hope in finding his family? No, the voice told him again.

        Leon wouldn't go back to the humans for care, no matter how desperate he was. If he had to be apart from his family then him just wanted to live in the forest-even if it cost him his life-even if he was alone for life.

        “Mom, Where are you?” he wailed, gazing at the first appearing stars in the night sky.

        “I want to see my mommy, daddy, and my sisters again,” Leon’s voice began to crack; “I’m too young! I…I can’t live here alone!”

        Hopelessly scared, Leon closed his eyes used his paws to cover his head as he buried his face in his makeshift bedding. He was too tired to think anymore and quickly drifted into sleep.

When Leon finally awoke, he lazily stood up, let out a long stretch, and shook his drowsy head around to wake up-just like he always did.

        Looking behind him the nest he had slept in seemed smaller than he remembered.    A lot smaller, Strange…

        “Mom?” He normally called out.

        When there was no reply, he opened his mouth to call out for his mother again. Then Leon sadly remembered he was alone and lost, in the middle of nowhere. His family wasn't around.

        Disappointed, he dangled his head and laid his ears flat.

        Leon gazed at the ground in displeasure.

        What a horrible feeling it is to wake up to nothing...

        Leon's whiskers twitched as he looked down on his paws. They looked a bit different than usual. They seemed more round and it looked as if they had grown. There was something that didn’t feel normal...not right.

        Nothing was right at the moment. He was lost, hungry, alone, scared, and now it seemed as if he was walking in another cat's paws; a different body.

        Spotting a small lake nearby, he scrambled over to it. He had not had water for hours and he was dreadfully thirsty.

        Leon drank deep from the lake's cool water. Just as he quenched his thirst Leon opened his eyes and looked down at the surface of the lake.

        Leon was expecting his own kitten-like reflection to appear in front of him. That was not what he saw.

        Glancing closer, he tried to confirm what he was staring at. A broad head, huge sharp fangs, and a young lion's mane!

        “Someday you will see in the eyes of the lion," His father’s words echoed in his head.

        To shock to speak or move, he stared on as his eyes stretched wide in disbelief.

        "A…a Lion? But I’m only a helpless little cat! How Could I be a lion now?" Leon said with the tip of his tail waving; half confused half excited.

        This was incredible! Leon hoped he wasn't just dreaming. He turned away from the lake with a joyful stride.

        Suddenly, like a strike of lightning, a large beast with blazing yellow eyes, pounced at Leon. It roared loudly.

        Uh Oh!

        A somber shadow lined the beast's angry face and light up his golden pelt reviling scars on its face and body. Its teeth were barred and its claws were long and sharp.

        Leon instantly realized it was a lion, another lion much bigger than him, ready to kill him!

        Frozen, breathless, and eyes wide in shock; Leon never thought this could happen to him.

        Leon held his breath as the attacker flew though the air at him. He saw its blood thirsty eyes. He shrank back and tensed for the attack, but in the back of his mind he could hear his father's voice, "Become the heart of a lion,” the voice calmly echoed.  "Someday you will see in the eyes of the lion; become the heart of a lion." 

        The lion's claws sliced through the air and fell towards Leon.

        This must be the end!

        Leon shut his eyes tight and waited for the death blow to reach him.

        The next thing Leon remembered was gasping for air and reaching for the sky as if to block the razor sharp claws of a lion. Leon's heart felt as if it was going to jump out of his chest. 

        His eyes darted about his surroundings. It was dark and quiet. He was lying on the same soft ferns and moss where he had fell asleep.

        It took him a moment to realize what has happened.

        His body had not changed. He was still the same kitten as before. Leon hated that he hadn't really been somehow magically transformed into a mighty lion. The thought was greatly overshadowed by the reality that he wasn't being attacked and killed by a lion. He was still safe and alive.

        "It was only a dream", he told himself. "Only a dream…"

Bella Bio

Bella; a very important character in the book. She is pure white with long fur and piercing blue eyes. In the begging of her life she lived in the forest with her family. She was know as 'Willow'. She was very close to her brother, sister and her parents. She liked to practice hunting with her family too.
This cat was very disappointed when she was taken from her family by the humans and brought her to their home. That home happened to be the mansion that Liberty; the vampire cat, lived in. Mary, Bella's owner had renamed her, 'Isabella'. Liberty, and the dog that also lives there call her 'Bella', for short. As a house cat Bella now wears a black collar around her neck. At first she finds it hard to get used to her new life style and the separation of her family. Liberty helps her get use to the new home, but then again she starts to overwhelm Bella.
After Bella hears Liberty talking to the dog Bob; not knowing of Liberty's strange ability, she meet the cat spirit of Toby. Bella is the only one that can see Toby. He tells Bella that Liberty was the one who had killed him and that Liberty is a vampire. Then Toby strictly told her to do what this vampire cat told her to do. And she promised to do so. Bella didn't want a angry vampire killing her. Plenty of times Toby visits Bella. Rarely does she snap at him, but sometimes this cat can get on her nerves.
Bella's life starts to get harder in the mansion but she feels most at home living as a house cat. Bella griefs for her family, but to find out that Liberty has a connection to her brother, Leon in dream, she has felt less alone, but left with the thought of why Leon could of not came to her instead.
Bella lived a easy life in the forest, even with the constant dangers, and that's why she liked to live there. When she is moved in to the mansion as a house cat, she expects to be pampered and have a boring lazy life. Instead she is constantly causing drama between her and Liberty. But that is when she realizes that her life has only just begin. 

~Bella~ Soft and sweet on the out side, but brave and wise on the inside. ~<3

Liberty Bio

Liberty is one of the main characters in the Sleepwalkers Series. She is pure black with red eyes and wears a white collar around her neck.
Liberty is much older than the average cat, about 40 years. Why? Because she was attacked years ago by a lion when she was only a year old. After her death she had came back from the dead as a vampire and forever has become immortal. And so her diet is only to be blood. Any other food or drink (except for water) disgusts her.
No other animal or human would notice her age, only that the fact her eyes are red. Her appearance has not changed sense her death. When she was adopted by Mary and Jacob (her owners now) to live in the mansion with them and their shih tzu, Bob, they had not thought much of her red eyes.
Liberty also has the ability to talk with other species except for humans. Bob was lucky to earn this cat respect and knows that she is a vampire. Liberty has become close to this dog and he is a good friend to her. She goes to him to talk about anything she fells.
After a year of living in her mansion there owners bring in a new cat, that called herself 'Willow'. 'Willow' is now call Isabella(Bella). At first Liberty was very unwelcoming to this newcomer. Later on she  decides to befriend with the new cat. Liberty shows Bella her favorite room, the Library were she likes to sits on the rug in there because it is so quiet and peaceful. This vampire cat also shows Bella that she can read. Liberty has tough herself how to read human words. But only a few words.
In the following time that Bella has arrived at the mansion she has a dream of a cat that she had never met before, Leon. Liberty quickly found out that Leon was Bella's brother. Only Liberty can dream of Leon and only meet him in dream.
Later on the friendship between her and Bella began to stumble. With Liberty's unpredictable personality and attitude, it is almost imposable to for her to not go off on Bella. They get in lots of fights and Liberty wonders if there friendship will ever be at peace. Bella is somewhat luck though. The last cat that has come into her home unwelcome was Toby, who Liberty had attacked and killed.
Even though Liberty is more of a cats cat than a dogs cat, she thinks it would be better to only befriend with the little dog, Bob.

~Liberty~ A very mysterious and rude character and a dangerous vampire- but one of the most emotional and interesting characters in my eyes. What will you think of her?
-Read about this interesting character and the others that are all so amazing too in my first book that is soon to come~ 'Sleepwalkers- The Moon Can Only Whisper'

*I will post more bios about other characters soon!*

And now for a fan slide show video i made of Liberty a few months ago(none of the images are mine)-



Fan art (by me)-

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