Maggie turned her eyes to her friend beside her. Promise couldn't help but notice the hint of sadness hidden behind them.

"Are you alright, Maggie? D-did I say something wrong?" The kitten asked softly.

"No! You didn't say anything wrong... It's just..." The ginger cats' voice faded. "When you do get out there, will you forget all about me?"

"I would never forget you! You're my best friend and I would never do that!" Promise mewled in disbelief. "I will come back every day to tell you the things I've learned and seen. I will tell you the stories of my adventures."

"You better! If you don't, I'm going in after you and when I find you and I'll-!" Maggie began

"There's no need for that! I will come back. Besides, there's not a guarantee that I will ever get the chance to go out into the forest. You know how protective my mother is."

"She is that way for a reason Promise. Who knows what is out there?" Maggie added.

"And that's why I want to go! Can you imagine how much we can learn about life beyond the fences? What wonders are waiting for us in the trees?" The small brown kit mused.

Her gaze returned to the trees as the rain continued to pour down upon the small kittens. The branches of the trees swayed as the wind blew them relentlessly. The sounds of the leaves and rain brought a great feeling of peace to Promise.

"Well, I still think you're crazy for fantasizing about that kind of life. The cats are cool, sure, but their life style is so different from ours. We have everything we would ever need here! Food, shelter, safety." Maggie emphasized.

"But safety is so boring! I want to go out there and have an adventure, Maggie. I want to get my fur dirty. I want to climb the trees. I want to be free. I can't do that here." Promise's voice faded.

The ginger kitten stared at her friend before letting out a sigh. "I see there is no way I can stop you then, huh?"

"There is no guarantee I will ever get out there, remember? I might be stuck here for my entire life. I may never get the adventure that I long for."

"Have you ever thought about what you would do if you were stuck here?"

Promise stayed silent. The thought had never crossed her mind. What if she couldn't live her dream? What if she really was trapped for the rest of her life?

"I can't say I have." The kitten spoke softly. "I guess I never even wanted to think about it so I didn't."

Maggie looked at her friend, drenched and distraught. Her heart sank seeing her usually cheerful friend lacking they joyful spark in her eyes.

"You'll get out there one day. I'm sure of it. Life in the forest will no longer be a dream. You will wake up under the trees with dewdrops in your fur, moss and dirt in your claws, and a happy heart beating in your chest. You will be free." Maggie said, not taking her gaze away from her friend.

"You really think so?" Promise replied, hope returning to her voice.

"Well yeah. I know you'd find a way out there. I've known you long enough to know you are not the type to give up on something. Believe me. I have tried to get you to give up on your goal to pull the neighbor's dogs' tail." The small tabby sighed, a small smile forming on her face.

"And I still won't! Denali would never hurt me. He's too old." The brown kitten scoffed.

"Faolan and Finnian aren't. If they see you, better hope you can out run two dogs running at top speed."

Promise shuttered at the image in her head.

Maggie smiled again at her small victory.

"I'd miss you, you know?" She spoke again, sadness returning slightly.

"Yeah. I'd miss you too, but like I said, I would come visit you."

"Thank you, Promise. I hope that you make it there one day."

"Me too."

The two kittens continued to look out into the forest, listening to the rain fall on the leaves, imagining what life you be like beyond the trees.

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A/N: Look what's back with a short chapter after years of no uploads!!! I am so sorry for vanishing for this long! I have had no idea where to go with the story and life happened. COVID occured and I had to work throughout the pandemic so I was doing that for hours everyday. College has also been a thing that has occupied my life and effort but I finally have a somewhat free schedule to update on a more regular schedule.

- Warriorloves14/Erin Johnson