The Hidden Mountain Pass

You blink your eyes. Colour, many colours. It was beautiful here, but you were still trapped in the gemstone valley. Crystals as far as the eye could see, but not a tree or even a pile of dirt. You never thought you'd miss dirt.

You hadn't realized that you'd spoken out loud until one of the cats meowed in response. He looked at you with understanding eyes, or at least you thought he'd understood you. So you express your wish to leave this valley to him. Explaining that much as you like his home, you don't want to stay there forever. You'd like to feel the soft grass beneath your feet instead of the hard, sharp, glittering crystals.

He trotted off at a pace at which you could follow. You had no idea if he'd understood you, or if he did, if he cared. Soon another cat appeared.

The two got to talking, both audibly and with body language. Could the first be asking the second where the exit to the valley was? You watch with wonder. Then the first bounds off much faster than your eyes could follow, let alone your feet. The remaining hunter cat wait patiently. Perhaps you were to follow her now? I couldn't hurt.

She led you a much greater distance than the first before encountering more cats. Once again you were witness to the cat conversation.

This time there seemed to be some disagreement. Suddenly the red and blue male took offense at something the blue and orange male said or gestured (you weren't sure which). The next thing you knew there was a rapid exchange of hisses and growls and the two males raced off after each other. The female made a kind of exasperated noise in her throat, then continued to lead you on.

The pair of you eventually encountered a purple female. You were glad for the moment's rest because your feet were hurting from walking on the hard ground. The two females got along a lot better than the males had, so much so that you'd rested so long that now your bottom was starting to hurt form sitting on the ground. You were about to go off on your own when the purple female rubbed up against you knee. You hadn't noticed the other female leave. Seems like it was time for you to go as well.

The pink female pounced from nowhere. With a yowl she went after the purple female. There was some flying fur, hisses and you nearly had a scratched leg from a poorly aimed swipe. Then as quickly as it had started, it stopped. It was like they had vanished into thin air. You wait a moment to see if the purple female would return, but she did not. You were on your own now.