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...
"I'm so sorry, the wounds were so big, I couldn't stop the infection," Snapdragon mewed.
Junco simply sighed, she was too tired to mourn any longer. Her emotions were totally spent.
She was numb.
Amber, Granite, Branch, Oriole, and now Llano. I am so sick of the loss.
It had only been two days since the fight, and he had finally succumbed to the wounds and infection. Tigerlily had quietly left one night, only a whispered farewell. Junco couldn't blame her. She was really surprised that Inky was still with them.
The black she-cat had been really helpful, finding herbs and cobwebs. Too bad all of their efforts had been a waste. We only prolonged his suffering.
I'm so sorry Llano.
Her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn't eaten in a while. They had been so busy, she didn't have much time to think about it. I guess I should go hunt.
Her paw, though it did not hurt much anymore, was stuck like that it seemed. Snapdragon had seen it and immediately apologized.
"I should have been able to fix it, I didn't see how bad it was! Junco, I'm so sorry, I can't do much now. It's been like that too long," she had said.
It's okay. I needed her to heal Llano anyway. His life was more important than my paw.
Too bad that didn't work out either.
Junco walked into the woods. Her gait was still uneven but it was getting better as she got used to her twisted foot. She opened her mouth to taste the air.
She could smell a bird nearby and started tracking, walking as carefully as she could. The orange and black feathers of the bird poked out from behind a tree. As she walked around the tree, she could tell it was an oriole.
Losing her focus, Junco backed up and stepped on a twig. The bird was alerted. It turned its head towards her and flew away. I wasn't going to catch that anyway. Dumb bird.
She continued walking and scenting for prey. She quickly found the scent of a vole. Again she began tracking her prey. The vole was rooting through the undergrowth, digging up roots to eat. Well I also have to eat.
She crept a little closer and attempted to pounce. She was uneven and missed the vole, her twisted foot throwing her off. Junco cursed as the vole ran off deeper into the woods.
Trying again I suppose. Third time's a charm, right?
Again she began walking and tasting the air and caught the scent of a squirrel. As she again crept towards the unsuspecting rodent, sitting nicely on a stump, she positioned herself to catch it with only her left paw. Pushing off with her hind legs, she slammed her good paw into the squirrel. It writhed until she broke its neck with a killing bite.
"I suppose that's how I'll have to do it now," she muttered to herself.
I suppose now I will be a lopsided hunter.
Junco carried her squirrel back to the rest of the Wanderers and sat down to eat. Estacado walked over to her.
"Do you mind if I share?"
"Of course not," Junco mewed, shifting to the side.
The pair ate in silence for a moment, until the squirrel was gone.
"I'm sorry I couldn't protect Llano," Junco said.
Estacado looked at her,"Why are you sorry? It's not your fault."
"Well, ever since you were born, I've been trying to protect you. Oriole and I, we found cats to help us raise you. I wanted to be like the mother you lost, so you wouldn't have to deal with the grief."
"I've always appreciated that, Junco."
"And now, our own sister has decimated our family. And I wasn't fast enough to stop her."
"Don't blame yourself, you did the best you could," Estacado's gaze grew dark, "What did I do? Sit and watch."
"You couldn't do anything, we never gave you any training to fight. I guess it was foolish to hope you would never need it." All of this was Static's fault.
Estacado slowly nodded, looking resigned.
"I've always sorta thought of you and Oriole as my moms, you know. Llano did too."
Junco looked surprised, "Really?"
"Yeah, I mean you basically were. You raised me and everyone could always tell you were in love."
"I guess we could be sorta obvious, it took me too long to realize," Junco's voice cracked, "I miss her so much."
"One day we will see them again. Amber, Branch, Oriole, and now Llano. One day." He's far too young to have to think about death so much. What kind of world do we live in?
And they were quiet again.
"Snapdragon says we have to choose our leader, and then we can bury... Llano," Blizzard walked up to them.
"Does anyone want to even be leader now?" Junco asked. I can't imagine, after what happened to the last two.
"Snapdragon said she was hoping you would. You're the oldest besides her, and your quick thinking saved Llano, if only for a while."
"I'd definitely vote for you Junco," Estacado mewed.
"I would too," Inky appeared.
Me? Leader? It's never been something I've wanted, but I do want the Wanderers to be happy.
"I guess I'll run then."
...
Snapdragon looked around before speaking, "Well if no cat has any objections, we unanimously chose Junco as the new leader of the Wanderers."
They cheered her name, if a little half-hearted. Too bad my election is ruined by death. I can't even really be happy about it myself.
"Tonight we bury Llano, tomorrow we will leave again. The mountain is close now. Then we can rest."
And so they did.
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It Should Have Been Me By KittyPeep on deviantART (me)
