Post by Rainspark on May 11, 2009 15:53:11 GMT -5
One beautiful spring day, a family of three was prowling the moors, searching for cotton-tailed prey: rabbits. The largest cat of the group, a brown tabby tom with unusual blue eyes, whispered, "I smell one near that gorse bush."
"I call it!" cried a pale ginger she-cat. "You got the first one yesterday, Juniper."
"Hey! What about me?" mewed a tiny indignant kit, his kitten fur fluffed up, the color of the setting sun.
"Oh silly, Red, you can't hunt yet. I told you just to watch. As soon as you are four moons, I promised to teach you."
"But I"m three and a half!'
"Exactly," mewed his mother mewed firmly, closing the matter.
"Alright, Dawn, my love, it's all yours. Red, watch. Your mother is a graceful hunter. She moves like the wind. I hope you inherited her talent." Juniper mewed, pulling his son towards him with his tail.
Dawn blushed. "Oh, stop it! Of course he'll be a wonderful rabbit-catcher, it's in his blood. Alright, here I go."
She moved across the moor on light paws, both swift but silent, closing the distance between her and the smell of prey. She slowed down at the bush, and crept around it...
Suddenly there was a screech of pain.
"DAWN!" Juniper yowled, and Red crouched agaisnt the ground. blue eyes wide with terror and his fur all spiky.
Juniper shot across the moor, snarling. Whatever had hurt Dawn was sure to pay... He would rip out its throat!
He leaped over the gorse bush, and yelped in surprise. A huge hole was directly below him, and he had to twist in the air to not land in it. It stank of badger, and he felt a stab of guilt. He hadn't smelled it. But the wind was blowing away from them, and the bright sun brought out the scent of grass and gorse, and hiding the badger. There it was, the huge, black and yellowish white creature, crouched over a small, limp heap of ginger fur.
Juniper leaped at the badger's back, and sank his claws into his pelt and began tearing, as if ripping out grass. He snarled furiously, roaring like a lion cat. The badger roared too, but in pain, and fell on his side. it was trying to roll over and crush him! He had to admit, it was sneaky. He leaped into the air, planning his landing perfectly. He came down on the badger's belly, and raked his thorn-sharp claws into the soft flesh, ripples of blood appearing in his paws' wake. The badger whined and yelped now, trying to break free. Juniper moved his blows upward, aiming at the throat. Suddenly there was a splattering of blood everywhere, drenching his pelt and turning it scarlet. He had hit the great vein. The badger shuddered and died beneath him. Juniper jumped off, but there was no triumph in his eyes, only loss. He nudged his fallen mate, but her sky-colored eyes stared sightlessly at the sky. A terrible blow from her shoulder to her hind leg, and a pool of blood continued to pour from it, turning the grass red. The brown tabby tom looked so old just then, his shoulders sagging with grief and head and tail low. "No, no, no... My precious Dawn. Why did you leave me? What about Red?"
Just then the ginger kit came running. he had heard the noises of the battle, and couldn't wait any longer. He had to know the outcome. He saw his blood-stained mother, and a wail rose from his throat. He threw himself at her body, and buried his nose against her neck and sobbed into her fur. Juniper watched with anguished eyes, then lay down beside his family.
"I call it!" cried a pale ginger she-cat. "You got the first one yesterday, Juniper."
"Hey! What about me?" mewed a tiny indignant kit, his kitten fur fluffed up, the color of the setting sun.
"Oh silly, Red, you can't hunt yet. I told you just to watch. As soon as you are four moons, I promised to teach you."
"But I"m three and a half!'
"Exactly," mewed his mother mewed firmly, closing the matter.
"Alright, Dawn, my love, it's all yours. Red, watch. Your mother is a graceful hunter. She moves like the wind. I hope you inherited her talent." Juniper mewed, pulling his son towards him with his tail.
Dawn blushed. "Oh, stop it! Of course he'll be a wonderful rabbit-catcher, it's in his blood. Alright, here I go."
She moved across the moor on light paws, both swift but silent, closing the distance between her and the smell of prey. She slowed down at the bush, and crept around it...
Suddenly there was a screech of pain.
"DAWN!" Juniper yowled, and Red crouched agaisnt the ground. blue eyes wide with terror and his fur all spiky.
Juniper shot across the moor, snarling. Whatever had hurt Dawn was sure to pay... He would rip out its throat!
He leaped over the gorse bush, and yelped in surprise. A huge hole was directly below him, and he had to twist in the air to not land in it. It stank of badger, and he felt a stab of guilt. He hadn't smelled it. But the wind was blowing away from them, and the bright sun brought out the scent of grass and gorse, and hiding the badger. There it was, the huge, black and yellowish white creature, crouched over a small, limp heap of ginger fur.
Juniper leaped at the badger's back, and sank his claws into his pelt and began tearing, as if ripping out grass. He snarled furiously, roaring like a lion cat. The badger roared too, but in pain, and fell on his side. it was trying to roll over and crush him! He had to admit, it was sneaky. He leaped into the air, planning his landing perfectly. He came down on the badger's belly, and raked his thorn-sharp claws into the soft flesh, ripples of blood appearing in his paws' wake. The badger whined and yelped now, trying to break free. Juniper moved his blows upward, aiming at the throat. Suddenly there was a splattering of blood everywhere, drenching his pelt and turning it scarlet. He had hit the great vein. The badger shuddered and died beneath him. Juniper jumped off, but there was no triumph in his eyes, only loss. He nudged his fallen mate, but her sky-colored eyes stared sightlessly at the sky. A terrible blow from her shoulder to her hind leg, and a pool of blood continued to pour from it, turning the grass red. The brown tabby tom looked so old just then, his shoulders sagging with grief and head and tail low. "No, no, no... My precious Dawn. Why did you leave me? What about Red?"
Just then the ginger kit came running. he had heard the noises of the battle, and couldn't wait any longer. He had to know the outcome. He saw his blood-stained mother, and a wail rose from his throat. He threw himself at her body, and buried his nose against her neck and sobbed into her fur. Juniper watched with anguished eyes, then lay down beside his family.
