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...
A fox was standing a few tail-lengths behind Oriole, but she hadn't noticed it. Probably because of all the prey and plant scents!
The pretty she-cat looked hurt, and Junco realized that her expression was terrible for the current moment. There was no time to change it though because as soon as she moved to speak, the fox charged at them.
"Oriole! Fox!"
She got to her paws and turned just as the fox arrived. Its huge paws trampled her but it tripped and thudded to the ground. Oriole squeezed out from under the animal.
The slavering beast was only down for a second, as it got to its paws quickly. What are we going to do? There aren't enough of us to take down a fox!
Thinking fast, Junco unleashed the loudest caterwaul she could muster, in an attempt to alert the other Wanderers. Oriole caught on and did the same. Hopefully they will hear us and come running!
The fox raced straight at Junco and she jumped just as it got to her, landing on its back. She dug her claws in and held on tight as it tried to shake her off.
While the fox was preoccupied with her, Oriole ran in to nip at its legs. She wove around the fox, dealing damage to each of its limbs. One particularly hard bite made the fox buck up and Junco felt a searing pain in her paw. One of her claws had been torn. She lost her grip and tumbled to the side. The fox wasted no time in turning on Oriole. It swung its massive paw at her, but missed, confused by how fast she was moving.
They were fending it off, but sooner or later, the fox would land a dangerous blow. One they couldn't recover from. Panic sparked in Junco's chest. Where is everyone? We need help!
"Quick! Climb that tree!" she waved her tail at a nearby oak, "We can wait for the others!"
Oriole turned tail on the fox and pulled herself up into the branches of the wide oak Junco had pointed out. Junco followed, scampering up the tree faster than she thought she could, especially with a torn claw.
The two cats stopped at a branch set a bit higher than where the fox could reach. That was close. Two cats are no match for a fox. The beast was jumping and growling at the tree. Mindless rage filled its eyes. Junco shuddered, amidst her panting.
"I... I hate foxes," Oriole gasped. She was a little battered from the collision with the fox, but didn't appear to have any serious injuries. Thank goodness.
"I hate foxes too."
Oriole nodded and looked down at the fox. Junco shuddered again. She felt jumpy and the adrenaline was not helping.
The silence stretched.
"So," Junco started, "About what you were saying..."
"Oh, yeah, um... It's nothing. It's fine if you don't feel the same," she sighed.
"But, what if I do? Feel the same?"
Oriole's ears perked up and she lifted her head.
"I'm happy when you are with me, you always know how to cheer me up, I've," Junco paused, "I've felt this way about you for a long time, but I'm afraid."
"Afraid?"
"I'm afraid, of, of losing the ones I care about! I'm afraid of loving someone and, and something happening to them!" Junco didn't know when she had started yelling, but her voice was strained with emotion. Adrenaline from the fight was still coursing through her veins, making all her emotions more prominent.
"What if something had happened to you just now? With the fox! What if you couldn't get up the tree in time?" That would have broken me. She was about to go on when Oriole laid her tail on her shoulders.
"I never knew you felt this way," Oriole murmured softly. She shifted closer to Junco. The fox was forgotten, still pacing around the bottom of the tree.
"Even if someone you love dies, isn't it worth putting yourself through that pain, to be able to really love them? Isn't it worth it, to be truly happy, even for a short time? Instead of wishing forever? Even if it ends too soon?" Oriole was asking her, but it felt like she needed the answer all the same.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
