|
|
Post by Juniper on Feb 3, 2011 21:47:18 GMT -8
| [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true] | [atrb=background,http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq95/amanda1472/cin2.jpg]
Everything was a dark scarlet. Fumes of crimson streaked the black sky; the barren earth reflected its red glare. Beneath was simply chaos: cats tussling with each other, bared fangs clashing with extended claws; dark shadows swallowing up Warriors whole; bright stars plummeting from the sky, their glow blinding everything. And in the midst of this crouched a dark tabby kit, its amber eyes watching emotionlessly at the destruction of his Clan. Cinderheart gasped at the cruel reality of this scene, willing herself to look away but somehow unable to.
A loud yell came from somewhere above. Cinderheart’s head snapped up as her vivid dream faded away. She was quivering with shock and terror. Her lustrous fur was thick and matted with sweat. Shivering despite the warmth of the nursery den, she attempted to groom herself, wincing as she tasted blood. She must have scraped herself along the rocks of the nursery while she thrashed in her sleep. Still shaking, she stood up and padded to the den’s entrance. Perhaps she ought to visit Gazelleheart, their Medicine cat. She herself could have applied a cobweb to stop her bleeding, but in her present state she was half afraid to.
Softly, she padded out of the nursery den, looking fondly at the snoozing figures still inside it. When she emerged from the den entrance, she was half blinded by the light of sunhigh. She made her way over scorching terrain, though was used to its heat. She swept her tail along her dirty flank self-consciously.
Aware of her growling belly, Cinderheart sprinted to the fresh-kill pile. Her once-lean legs were mere bones swathed in thin skins, no muscles rippled beneath a shrunken pelt. She used to love streaking along hillsides of the Clan territory despite not being a Warrior, but that was no more. She had to concentrate even just to walk normally. As usual, the fresh-kill pile was exceedingly tiny. There was only one rabbit and one field mouse. Guilt washed over her as she stared at a few starving cats gathering near her. They deserved this more than she had. After all, they were the ones who gathered this prey to eat. Still, she needed to think about her unborn kits. As well as Lifekit. Hmmm…
Something clicked in her brain as she turned her attention to her adopted kit. It nagged at her for a while. She was sure there was something about him that she should remember… Another pang in her stomach interrupted these contemplations. Unable to bear it no longer, she dipped her thin muzzle and dragged the field mouse a little ways away and began tearing at its flesh. She ran her tongue across chapped lips and closed her eyes, savoring the tangy flavor of mouse. Now what was it she was trying to remember…?
"Cinderheart speaks"
Cinderheart ponders
Cinderheart does
Word Count 470
Tags Hopefully Lifekit and maybe Ermineheart?
Ooc Ah, nothing?
|
[/sub][/blockquote][/color][/blockquote] [/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td][/tr][/table][/center] |
|
|
|
Post by dawneon* on Feb 4, 2011 13:03:04 GMT -8
| [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true] | [atrb=background,http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u189/Siberia118/lifekitmiddle.png]
lifekit was wide awake, but no one else was. sometimes it was a problem, being an insomniac. especially when it was nap-time and he couldn't sleep. lazily batting a paw at one of the younger kits, the rather large tom sighed, he couldn't wait to be out of the nursery and get to train to be an apprentice. hiddenstar had even guaranteed that he would get to train, even if he wasn't from ashclan. . . or even able to remember where he came from. closing his amber eyes for a moment, he immediately opened them when he heard someone getting to their paws.
rolling onto his back, he watched as his foster mother slipped out of the nursery. tilting his head in curiosity, it was nap-time, why would she want to leave? besides, it was cold out there, it was nice and warm in the nursery. yawning a rather toothy yawn, the kitten rolled to his paws, immediately getting a yelp from one of the young kittens whom's tail he'd landed on. ducking his head in apology, he darted out of the den, tripping over his paws as he went. pausing, he looked around, needle-like claws stuck in the ground. glaring at them, he yanked the claws out of the earth, shaking the dirt from them. lions have it easy. . . stupid lions. he muttered, searching for his mom.
finally his eyes landed on the queen, moving away from the freshkill pile. retracting his claws took a fair bit of thought, but after a moment he had it done enough so that he could sneak across the camp. tail high in the air, lifekit crouched down towards the ground, paws uncomfortably close to his face, he began stalking his way over towards his 'mother'. when he was only about a catlength away from the she-cat, he lifted his paw a little to high and nailed himself in the chin, sending him tumbling forward and landing on his back, beside the older she-cat. hi there. whatcha' doin? he asked, trying not to draw attention to how clumsy he truly was.
he hated his paws, they were too big for him. . . he was always tripping over himself, thus leaving him in stupid situations like this. it always made him nervous about whether or not hiddenstar would still let him be a warrior if he couldn't even walk in a straight line. . .
ooc;
|
[/i] so little lifekit is going to be veryyy entertaining. . . =D [/center][/sub][/blockquote][/color][/blockquote] [/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td][/tr][/table][/center] |
|
|
|
Post by Juniper on Feb 6, 2011 11:37:46 GMT -8
| [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true] | [atrb=background,http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq95/amanda1472/cin2.jpg]
Shivers slithered up Cinderheart’s spine, her muscles twitching nervously. She simply couldn’t get that gruesome image out of her mind. But it wasn’t the violence itself that disturbed her, it was something else… It was those… those eyes. Those heartless eyes that calmly surveyed the destruction below. Yes, of that she was certain. Amber eyes that stared blankly, uncaringly. Wait, were they amber? Whose eyes were amber that she knew of?
The pale she-cat was acutely aware of softly padding pawsteps mere heartbeats before a fluffy figure tumbled before her. She gasped and shrank in terror as two very amber eyes stared up at her. Its jaw parted and spoke in a tone that seemed almost exasperated. She warily studied its gray-and-tan tabby pelt, resembling that of dark earthy tones. Pointed ears held tufts of pale gray fur sticking out, an inquisitive expression was upon the innocent facial features of the cat before her.
“L-l-lifekit? I-is that you?” she stuttered, managing to stifle another gasp of recognition. Suddenly, a film of hazy gray clouded her eyesight, and the scenes from her dream returned to her. The rocky and scarlet world around her revolved; she felt as if it were shaking her off like some bothersome flea. Instinctively, she sank her claws into the hard earth as if rooting herself to the spot. Her eyes opened to reality, and flames seared through her dark orbs.
“Where are you going Lifekit!? Why are you following me? Stay in the camp!” Her usual soft voice abruptly became harsh and grating. If she suspected him of wrong-doing, what about everyone else? Her eyes raked the scene behind her wildly. What if… What if…!?
Her chest was heaving as she took huge breaths. She needed to calm down, and fast. She was becoming hysterical and she knew it. Now, what would help her again? She sifted through her memories of chatting with Ermineheart about herbs. She distinctly recalled him saying that poppy seeds were best with stress. And yet she was no longer feeling that stressed out. Her mind cleared, she turned her gaze back to Lifekit. “I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken my stress out on you,” she apologized, trying to keep her paws from trembling. She took a few steps forward, looking at the edges of their territory, towards Rabbit Hill. Gesturing to the famous prey-hunting place, she offered, “Why don’t we go to the Rabbit Hill for a bit of fresh air?” Cinderheart wrinkled her nose. The camp still stunk of sizzling lava. Meanwhile, cool breezes flowed from the east, sweet and refreshing. And very, very tempting.
"Cinderheart speaks"
Cinderheart ponders
Cinderheart does
Word Count 436
Tags Lifekit
Ooc It wasn’t an earthquake, she just imagined it.
|
[/sub][/blockquote][/color][/blockquote] [/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td][/tr][/table][/center] |
|
|
|
Post by dawneon* on Feb 12, 2011 8:54:58 GMT -8
| [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true] | [atrb=background,http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u189/Siberia118/lifekitmiddle.png]
fluffy paws in the air, he cocked his head to the side, peering at his foster mom through bright eyes. L-l-lifekit? I-is that you?
|
[/i][/color] the question confused him, but not more than the fact the she-cat had backed away trembling. brow creasing, lifekit watched the older feline, confused. was she alright? had the mouse she was eating made her sick? of course it's me. are you alright?[/b] soft voice piping up, he watched her, his mind sorting for any reason that she wouldn't know him. Where are you going Lifekit!? Why are you following me? Stay in the camp![/i] clambering to his paws, he was slightly fluffed simply from surprise, he shrank back, perplexity showing in his amber eyes. but i- you -[/b] he stuttered, completely bewildered. the tip of his tail twitched as lifekit glanced around, furry mane never quite sitting still. but i wasn't leaving camp.[/b] he finally murmured, looking down at his paws, afraid that he was in trouble. i'm sorry. . . [/b] he added, preparing to trudge back to the nursery alone. I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken my stress out on you,[/i][/color] blinking, he looked back up at the cat, still seeing something in her eyes that said maybe it wasn't all stress, but he shook it off, just wanting to trust her. Why don’t we go to the Rabbit Hill for a bit of fresh air?[/b][/i] she had stepped closer to him, obviously trying to fix the scene that had just occurred. shaking his body to get the dead grass and sand out of his coat, his eyes lit up. rabbit hill? sure! will you teach me how to hunt? i've always wanted to race a rabbit. are they truly as quick as the elders say they are?[/b] eyes alight with wonder, the kitten dropped into a clumsy crouch, pretending to pounce on a rabbit. ooc;[/i] not as long as i would have liked, but oh well. . . =/ [/center][/sub][/blockquote][/color][/blockquote] [/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td][/tr][/table][/center] |
|
|
|
Post by Juniper on Feb 12, 2011 11:43:38 GMT -8
| [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true] | [atrb=background,http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq95/amanda1472/cin2.jpg]
Wide amber eyes regarded the soft bundle before her. Lifekit seemed so innocent, bursting with energy, and so eager. His trusting eyes of deep amber somehow unsettled her. It… it rather frightened her. In a hurt voice, the pale kit inquired about her well-being, concern in his eyes. Slowly, Cinderheart allowed her tense muscles to relax, inhaling and exhaling deeply to further calm her nerves. She gazed around at the russet hills reaching for the bleak sky. A light wind scattered pebbles near her paws. Dust swirled in clouds all around, as if signaling an approaching storm. Feeling the overwhelming presence of serenity, she sighed.
The very instant she mentioned the well-known AshClan hunting location, the curious kit nearly tripped over himself in excitement. His eyes narrowed at something invisible to the queen, and he bent his awkward legs into a crouch. Merriment lit up Cinderheart’s eyes, her earlier apprehension forgotten. And that was the strange part. For in a heartbeat, all thoughts of her dream vanished, dissipating into nothing like the dust that settled as the wind stopped. A meow of laughter escaped her lips as she watched.
“You’ll trip over the rabbit, crouched that way,” she teased. She bounded a few tail-lengths ahead of him and raised her tail to signal him to follow.
“Now I know you’re close to being an apprentice, but you’ll have to wait before you’re ready to start hunting. I’m not sure I could teach you much anyways. But I can offer you some tips,” she said, her paws pressing daintily into the hard earth as she walked. It was true. Although Lifekit’s actual age was unknown, the rest of the AshClan cats surmised he must have been 5 or so moons old by now. And he was more than ready to earn his apprentice name.
Cinderheart’s pale tan muzzle turned to see the distant Drop Canyon. It was a deep chasm, steep and treacherous. Many a cat had died over its edge. Another shiver travelled the length of her spine. She would make sure Lifekit never ventured anywhere near that dangerous place, or at least not until he was several moons into his Warrior status. She turned and herded her precious foster kit farther away. “Let’s hurry. If we don’t get there soon, all the rabbits will have run away.”
"Cinderheart speaks"
Cinderheart ponders
Cinderheart does
Word Count 389
Tags Lifekit
Ooc I think it would be cool if something about the plot happened at Drop Canyon. After your reply, I’ll move the thread to the Rabbit Hill.
|
[/sub][/blockquote][/color][/blockquote] [/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td][/tr][/table][/center] |
|
