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...
Static released her grip on the fox and swiped at it one last time, as it ran off deep into the forest. She had come with Llano and Blizzard after they heard yowls in the forest. Once they had gotten to the fox, Junco and Oriole had jumped out of a tree to help.
Now the beast was terribly outnumbered and bleeding from lots of injuries. So it had done the reasonable thing, and run.
Now the area was quiet. Soft panting and rusting trees were the only sounds.
"Okay, we're safe now, does anyone have any bad injuries?" Oriole asked the group.
There was a pause, as all the cats looked around at each other, then Blizzard answered, "No, we all only have minor scratches."
Oriole nodded, "Does everyone think they can start the journey tomorrow, or do we need to wait?"
"I can."
"My paw still hurts, but I'll be fine."
"I'm good."
Static nodded, she hadn't really received any injuries at all. That fight was far too short. Too short and too easy. I need better opponents.
Oriole looked around, "Well then, everyone will be checked and treated by Snapdragon, and we will continue the plan to leave in the morning."
She waved her tail and began to head back to the camp, with the other cats following her.
"Oh, actually, I'm going to go hunt!" Static called after them. Oriole flicked her tail in acknowledgement. OH THANK YOU. The MIGHT ORIOLE, the LEADER of the Wanderers, ACKNOWLEDGES that I am going to hunt. A TRUE HONOR.
The white fur along her spine raised slightly, and she rolled her golden eyes, but she continued further into the woods, tasting the air for prey. It was easy to find, the area was full of scents. She focused on one, a squirrel. She could tell it had run through here recently and was still nearby.
Moving slowly, every step precisely where she wanted, Static stalked through the trees. Dodging pine cones and fallen branches she located the animal. It was sitting on a nearby root, munching on some kind of nut. Blissfully unaware of the danger it was in.
She got a little closer. This is going to be easy. She sprang.
Static landed exactly where she wanted and pinned the squirrel between her paws. It struggled and squeaked, trying desperately to escape her grasp, but its attempts were futile. She smiled. Foolish rodent, struggling will only make it worse.
She bathed in its terror. This squirrel had learned to be afraid of her. As many others should. The other prey, other cats. Too bad it won't live to employ its new knowledge.
Leaning down, she snapped its neck with one bite. Its warm blood flooded her mouth as she picked up the dead squirrel. This would make good prey. Too bad we already have enough.
Grinning, she threw the squirrel into the leaf litter. She watched it skid, smearing blood, and continued her hunt.
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