𝙎𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙢. 𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙧𝙨

─── 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙪𝙚

Moonlight bathed like a silver blanket over the endless forest, topping the trees with a glorious shimmer that seemed almost ethereal in appearance. Speckled among the full moon's light were the stars, giving off their own glimmer that illuminated the otherwise shadowy world beneath.

     The forest floor was alive with the pattering of tiny pawsteps. Mice and squirrels emerged from their homes as nightfall sent the predators into a deep slumber.

     A single mouse scampered over the leaf litter, hardly making a sound as it searched for small seeds away from the safety of its burrow. Nose pointed downward, shuffling leaves and dirt aside in favor of nibbling upon tiny morsels buried beneath the surface, the tiny creature was completely unaware of the danger lurking in the shadows of the undergrowth, pinning it with eyes of shocking green.

     In a burst of motion, a large and slender figure burst out of the darkness, landing a pace away from the mouse and startling it into a bolt. It scampered toward the safety of its burrow, only to be cut off when thick tendrils rose up from seemingly nowhere, blocking the entrance to the little hole which served as its home.

     Changing course, the mouse bolted for the cover of the undergrowth, but the figure shifted and scuffed a paw up, showering dirt over the frightened animal. As it stumbled, the large shadow laughed, lashing out and catching the mouse with a paw.

     Now with its tail trapped between the toes of what was obviously a night-dwelling predator, the mouse could only struggle and squeak helplessly, thrashing its legs around in a hopeless attempt to get free and make a run for it.

     The shadow stepped into the moonlight, mouse gripped in one paw,  revealing itself to be a feline of sorts. Green eyes the color of a pine tree's bristles and a pelt the color of wet sand — clearly a beautiful young cat, with a crown of leaves circling her head and flowers growing from her fur, swirling muted colors into her otherwise plain pelt.

     Gaze glimmering with amusement, she brought the mouse closer to her muzzle, white teeth glinting in the shimmer of moonshine.

     "What a poor, unfortunate little thing," she cooed, voice reminiscent of that of a singing flower — if flowers could sing, which this individual knew they could. "Walked right into my trap."

     The creature screeched and thrashed, but couldn't free itself from the feline's grip. Less than spider-length from her terrifying teeth, about to be devoured and thrown aside—

     "Flora!"

     Turning away from her prey, the feline scanned the other side of the clearing, just in time to see another cat-like figure drop down the trunk of a large oak tree, landing delicately upon the grass. Her distraction was enough to save the mouse, for it managed to struggle free of the grip on its tail amd scamper into the bushes, safe from harm.

     The young brown cat sighed as she watched it disappear, before she stood up and turned to fully face the newcomer, twitching the tip of her long tail in irritation.

     "What are you doing here?" She demanded, clearly annoyed by her presence. "I was in the middle of something."

     "Yeah, tormenting that poor mouse." This newcomer was slightly larger in size, with a darker and longer brown coat. Her eyes were unusually blue for a cat of her color — similar in shade to the feathers growing among the strands of fur. However, one noticeable feature that would cause any head to turn was the massive crown of antlers which donned her head, as though she were some mix between a deer and a cat. "Father and I have told you time and time again not to play with your food."

     Flora's expression soured slightly, and she flicked the tip of her tail. "I wasn't playing with it."

     "Sure you weren't." The larger cat shook her head, rolling her eyes. "The poor thing was terrified. Either you kill it mercifully, or you don't kill it at all. Traumatized prey isn't ethical, and you know the Law."