First her mom dies. Things only go downhill from there. Alongside raising her new siblings, Junco must navigate the now dangerous waters of life as a Wanderer. Death and feelings are the worst kind of problems.
Oriole was always very cheerful, and...
It was mid afternoon when Oriole walked back over to the stump to announce that Lupine was leaving. It seems like a lot of being a leader is giving speeches about things most cats already know.
"Lupine, we thank you for your service and hope you enjoyed your time with us. We wish you the best."
"And thank you for the prey," the pretty she-cat responded.
She strode to the stump and made a slight bow before leaving the clearing and disappearing into the forest. The wanderers had all gathered to hear the farewells but now they went back to what they were doing.
She jumped off the stump to meet Junco at the base.
"Are you ready to leave tomorrow?"
Oriole nodded, "Yes. I need to go to the mountain as soon as possible, so I can find out if the ancestors accept me."
"I'm sure they will," Junco mewed reassuringly, "why would they not?"
"Yeah, you're right, still nervous though," And I will see Branch. I hope he is proud of me.
"Across the clearing, Static was sitting by herself, fuming. She's really angry, it seems a little excessive.
The two cats started walking, subconsciously tracing trails the wanderers had made in the earth during their time here. They strolled through the lush grass and ferns of the forest they had called home for the past few moons. A light breeze ruffled their fur and cooled them in the greenleaf heat. Soon all these leaves would turn the colors of fire and die, but they would not be here for that spectacle. Mushrooms grew out of a nearby fallen tree, and Oriole nicked one with her foot as they hopped over. They stopped when they reached a small brook, winding its way through the wood.
Prey-scent flooded the area, but Oriole was full, and knew most of the other cats had already eaten. So she ignored the tempting aromas. There were also a lot of herb scents. Snapdragon probably comes here often.
Junco leaned down to drink from the chilly, fast moving, water. Her paws were quickly soaked from the splashing.
"Why do you think she is so angry?"
Junco lifted her head and sighed, "Static? She's always been overly emotional about a lot of things, not sadness, but she gets angry really easily. It seems like she has gotten worse lately though."
"I have noticed she's been a little intense lately, but she didn't seem affected at all by any of the losses recently," I haven't thought about it much though.
"See, I thought I was good at reading cats, but I'll never understand her."
Oriole felt a quick sort of giddy, panic rush through her. If she is good at reading cats... What if she knows how much I like her? Do other cats know I like her? Am I too obvious? Does that mean she doesn't like me? Because she hasn't said anything about it?
Junco looked at her with mild concern, "Are you okay?"
Oriole squeaked, "Great! I'm great."
The atmosphere had gotten tense again, admittedly in a different way from before the vote, and Oriole needed to break it, again. "Catch me if you can!"
She bounded across the brook and raced away from Junco, who looked surprised for a moment, but was quick to give chase.
Oriole leaped over a stump, landing lightly on the other side and continuing. Her paws skimmed over the earth, barely even touching it. She could hear Junco behind her. The gray she-cat was big but stocky and Oriole easily outpaced her.
She slowed a bit and Junco got closer, both cats laughing. Running through the woods, dodging trees and with the wind streaming through her fur, Oriole felt more alive then she had in a long time.
Is this wrong? Since Branch died so recently? Oriole paused for a second, jarred by the thought, and Junco crashed into her, knocking both of them over.
She rolled over and looked at her dearest friend, lying next to her and panting from the race. She smiled. I will never forget Branch, or stop being sad about his death, but she makes me so happy, and that's what he would have wanted.
Junco turned to face her, and noticed her expression, "Oriole?"
"Look I really like you and," Oriole's pelt grew hot and she could feel the words tumbling out faster than she could control, "I was trying to tell you before but we got interrupted and I wasn't sure how you felt and I didn't want to ruin our friendship but I need you to know!"
Junco got up and stepped back, her face filled with fear.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
