03-02-2021, 08:10 PM
| Shellnose shivered, the cool early leaf-fall winds chilling her ears. She hated this time of year. Green foliage gradually paled and shriveled, prey became scarce, and as bellies grew hungrier, tempers thinned. Every cat was pricklier when the grass was covered in a veil of frost as the sun rose. And one thing the petit molly could not handle was clanmates ready to snap her fur off the moment something goes awry. That’s why she appreciated the slight rays of sun shining on her pelt while she still could. Padding through the familiar Forest of Storms, her jaws slightly parted to pick up prey-scent, she paused to relish the warmth of the fading star. She fluffed up her fur to brace herself for the oncoming breeze. Her whiskers twitched when she realized it carried the scent of... something tasty. She parted her jaws a little farther and drank in the plethora of woodsy smells. Damp moss, various grasses, shredded tree bark, and prey-scent bathed her tongue. Vole, to be specific. She pricked her ears and detected the soft scuttling sound upwind. ”You’re mine,” she mused under her breath, a smile playing on her maw. With a few light steps she approached the sound and spotted the creature nibbling on a seed, busy fattening up for the wintery moons ahead. Too busy, in fact, to notice it’s a encroaching predator. Shellnose crouched low to the ground, haunches still as she waited for the right moment to strike. At the last moment possible she leapt, landing with the prey right between her forepaws and delivering a swift killing bite to the neck. It was scrawny, she realized with a sigh. It must have just its started preparation for leaf-bare. The white and cinnamon tabby tried to look proud of her insignificant catch as she returned to her clanmates, the limp thing dangling in her jaws. Any prey at this time of year is a blessing from StarClan,” she told herself, the pep returning to her usual jaunty gait. Though her back paw was still sore, it had scabbed over decently, and her legs ached from a night cooped up in Salmonsplash’s den. She just vowed to take it easy while out, and to return to them straight after. Her mouth watered as she found a suitable place to bury the vole, covering it with earth to recover it later. ”The sun feels nice today!” Shellnose mused to the others, glancing up and the sky. The bright sun shone through the trees, whose leaves rustled with an almost violent vigor in the wind. It was just like her to always look on the bright side of things— no pun intended. She hoped that if nothing else, she could keep spirits high better than she could feed hungry bellies. |