Hunters - Act One (Read Desc.)

'' Chapter Three ''

Patches of unmelted snow littered the grasslands. Pheasant had been ecstatic to get out there and run free since the moment she stepped out of the den for the first time all those months ago.
Orchid liked the wind blowing through her fur a bit. Her light brown, thick winter coat had been shedding like crazy since the air warmed up. Pheasant bounced around, dashing from snow patch to snow patch to see how fast she could run. She could run alarmingly fast. Maybe it was because of her long legs.
"You were really built to be out here." Orchid stopped to groom her fur, getting clumps of shedded fur out.
Pheasant made excited chirps as she continued running around tirelessly.
Orchid picked up a distant scent and froze. She stood up, looking into the distance.
Five silhouettes were walking along the hill.
As she craned her neck to get a better view, she got a slight uneasy feeling. I didn't know anyone lived here...?
One of them spotted Pheasant joyfully bounding up and down the hill, turned to it's groupmates, and all of them started dashing in Pheasant's direction.
Orchid's heart dropped into her stomach. She hared over to Pheasant, shoving her in the direction of the forest with her shoulder. "Run! Hurry up!"
She gave Orchid a confused look and stopped moving. "What? Why?"
"JUST-" Orchid froze as she heard the pawsteps getting closer, within earshot now.
"GO GO COME ON." Orchid began to run, but Pheasant wasn't following.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING WE HAVE TO..." She trailed off, following Pheasant's gaze to a cat coming up behind her.
She sighed. "For the love of-"
"Hey! You two!" The stranger in the front of the group called to them, coming to a halt in front of Orchid.
Orchid arched her back, stepping in front of Pheasant.
The stranger laughed, seemingly at the ferocity of a kitten about a quarter of his size. "Oh, I have no intentions of hurting your friend here or you. I just need to ask you a couple questions."
Orchid and Pheasant exchanged a confused glance, looking back at the new cat. "Ask away." Pheasant replied. 

.       .       .       .

The sun started to set over the horizon, casting a firey-orange glow across the line between land and sky. Orchid licked a paw and drew it over her ear, ruffling her fur at the cold breeze the open moorland offered oh-so-generously. 

A frail looking skinny elder with an intricate pelt padded over to the flat rocks on the edge of the camp, flopping onto her side and rolling onto her back with her body outstretched. A long furred, younger looking cat with a very similar pelt picked up a rabbit from the pile of fresh-kill and brought it to the elder, sitting down next to her as they started chatting happily. Orchid's eye caught on the long scar on the younger cat's cheek several times, and she found herself staring at some of the cats in the camp. For some reason she just felt like she didn't belong here; yet at the same time she did.

Pheasant was on the other side of camp playing around with some other young kits. Orchid watched her for a bit, looking over and catching the elder staring at her every so often.

She shifted her paws uncomfortably, standing up and stretching her legs and back. She jumped into the branches of the fallen tree at the edge of the camp, hopping as high as the branches would let her and perching herself. The sky darkened more, and the camp was more full with cats eating, sharing tongues, or going to their nests after returning from one of the hunting patrols. She watched over the whole camp; apprentices practicing moves on each other at the side of the camp, two young warriors play-fighting, elders sunning themselves in the last of the sun's heat. She heard rustling branches and claws on wood as another kit climbed onto one of the branches below her. 

The kitten called to Orchid to get her attention. "Hey Orchid!" 

She looked down, startled a bit. "Huh-?" 

The small kitten scrambled to the ground again. "Milkweed and Cottontail want us back in the nursery since it's getting dark." Little pawsteps scuttled into the distance toward the nursery. 

Orchid sighed, carefully climbing back down to the ground. She was greeted by soft grass that grew around the branches. The moon could be seen over the hills now,  casting it's dim light over the endless rolling hills. 

Orchid made her way to the nursery, following the other kit's tail as she didn't know where the nursery was yet. She slid through the entrance, hurrying to the back of the den where Pheasant had chosen a nest hidden in a little corner. A stick poked her and some little thorns dug into her pelt as she settled herself next to her sister.

Pheasant took a deep breath, smiling. "This feels like home. I just belong here so well." 

Orchid looked down. She was miserable, but she couldn't bear leaving her sibling. 

She sighed. "Yeah..."  

Pheasant lifted her head to look at Orchid, eyes round with worry. "Is... something wrong?" 

She rested her muzzle on her paws, giving a little huff. Turning her head away from Pheasant, she frowned. "It's nothing... don't worry." 

Pheasant gave a doubtful sniff, resting her head on Orchid's back and soon making a deep exhale, signaling she was asleep. Orchid stared at the ceiling of the den for a long while, eventually slipping into a light sleep as darkness crawled over her vision.