Riley
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349 Posts
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Post by Riley on Apr 6, 2023 3:51:03 GMT
Things were finally looking up! Yes Patch had died, and Shirley would always miss him, and for a while it had looked like Rat would follow. But he was better now, thanks to that weird healer cat! All healers were weird to her. Shirley couldn't comprehend how cats could spend their entire lives fiddling about with leaves and flowers and all plants.
With the sickness mostly gone and things on the mend, Shirley was finally allowing herself to explore for the sake of exploring. She didn't have to worry about hunting anymore, or at least not always. She was free to act her fairly young age once again, gazing at the world with wide eyes and leaving the burden of responsibility on the older cats' shoulders.
Shirley had set off from their new camp (that was really just Juniper's den but it was cleaner and healthier than the carrionplace) after sunhigh, just exploring. She hadn't even been planning on going very far!
But then she'd caught sight of a weird glowing bug that she'd never seen before. It lit up and dimmed down in seemingly random intervals, and Shirley was so curious about it that she'd inadvertently followed after it, further away from her friends than she'd been lately.
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Post by azcomet on Apr 7, 2023 22:21:53 GMT
Pepper’s naturally curious nature had taken him far further than usual this time. He was accustomed to the moors–not this part of the land, where the ground was mushy and stuck to his paws. He grimaced as he picked up a paw to continue moving forward, feeling the mud try to keep his foot down. This was way out of his comfort zone, but Pepper had come too far to give up now. The flickering light that had led him to this point brightened yet again.
He’d never seen such a peculiar thing. It was almost like a star, but far closer to the ground and definitely less bright–sometimes he could hardly see the speck at all. Pepper had tried to swat at it a couple of times, and he could feel that there was something solid behind the speck of light. However, the thing only seemed to be momentarily affected by his attacks. It continued on aimlessly, much like himself.
The speck led Pepper further and further into the marshes, eventually leading him to a curious sight. There was another one! As well as another cat, a very pretty cat. Pepper found himself staring dumbly at the she-cat for a moment before finding any words. “Do you know what they are?” He spoke quietly, not wanting to scare the she-cat or the strange lights that had brought them together.
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Riley
Head of Advertising
349 Posts
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Post by Riley on Apr 14, 2023 4:23:22 GMT
The sound of squelching paws made Shirley's ear twitch, but she still managed to somehow be surprised at the voice. She startled slightly and bristled defensively. She faltered slightly at seeing the stranger though. He was so SMALL. Had she ever been this small? He was kind of adorable. Was it normal to want to take adorable things home? She tried to imagine Rat's face if she brought home a kit, then Juniper's.
As funny as the thought was, Shirley didn't think anybody would thank her for providing another mouth to feed. Instead she turned her attention toward the kit's question, looking back at the floating blinking lights. "I... think they're bugs? But they're not like any bugs I've ever seen before."
One of the lights floated close to her, and she lightly batted at it. She didn't hit it, but she hit near it. It was enough to make the bug fly away though, and the other light followed. "After it!" she cried, delighted by the new game. Without checking to see if her new friend was following, Shirley bounced after them.
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Post by azcomet on Apr 14, 2023 16:38:14 GMT
[googlefont="Courgette"]  Survival Pepper wasn’t used to being perceived by other cats. The slightest glance from the she-cat was enough to make him drop his head slightly in something akin to embarrassment. It made him shrink even further, exacerbating the size difference between him and the grown cat significantly.
Bugs, huh? It was difficult for Pepper to process the idea, although that did seem to be the only explanation for the flickering lights.
Regaining his typical posture, the little tom looked at the older she-cat in amazement. “Wow, so you’ve never seen them before either!” His eyes traveled to marvel at the bugs instead now, amber eyes reflecting their glow. It shocked him that another cat–much more worldly than he was–had never seen these either. The thrill of seeing something completely new caused a shiver to run up the curious tom’s spine, tail swishing with interest.
Pepper watched in wonder as the older she-cat reached out to bat the bug. It quickly began flying away, followed by the other bug. It took Pepper a few moments to start running after the she-cat as her yell of “After it!” rang out in the air. He remained a few tail-lengths behind her on account of his shorter legs and his belated start.
The ground was still uncomfortably moist and stuck to his paws as he ran–but this time, Pepper didn’t care. The fun of chasing after his new older friend and their shining prey outweighed his discomfort. In fact, he found himself letting out a couple of huffs that almost sounded like laughs.
Using as much volume he could muster during their brisk run, Pepper yelled out, “I’m Pepper! What’s your name?” He could only hope that the she-cat would hear him over the repeated squelches of their footsteps and the rush of excitement.
they are friends :') |
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Post by azcomet on Apr 16, 2023 20:53:23 GMT
[googlefont="Courgette"] Survival Luckily, the she-cat had heard Pepper’s call. Shirley, huh? The young tom committed the name to memory. “Nice to meet you, too!” the orange cat yelled once again.
He watched in awe as Shirley hauled herself up the branch, paying no mind to the muck all around them. She made it look easy. Yet, when he tried to follow–Pepper had to fight to pull his paws out of the mud and grime. He grimaced after making it onto the upper branch, giving each paw a thorough shake in an attempt to rid himself of the gunk.
The orange cat took a few deep breaths. After getting situated, he let out a small “Thank you”. He dipped his head slightly at the older she-cat, respectful as ever.
“How do you run so fast here?” Pepper raised his head as he asked the question. “There’s just so much mud,” he spoke the last word with some level of disdain. He never liked getting dirty, probably because he was never good at getting clean. The little tom couldn’t stand being in the water for any longer than he needed to, and cleaning off mud with his own tongue was far from ideal.
“It’s amazing!” was all Pepper could think of to follow up his questions. He was genuinely surprised that Shirley was able to traverse the land so easily–especially since he was having such a hard time with the most menial tasks here.
what a prissy lil guy |
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Riley
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349 Posts
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Post by Riley on Apr 21, 2023 2:06:48 GMT
Shirley watched Pepper haul himself up, wincing in sympathy at the squelching sound of him needing to free himself from the mud. She let him catch his breath in silence so he didn't waste it on conversation. "You're welcome!" she chirped, grinning down at him.
She tilted her head at his question, pondering it. "I guess it's just a matter of... being more used to it?" She shrugged and shifted her weight, making the branch bob just a little bit. She glanced down at it to make sure she was still safe before ignoring it and answering his question further. "My group and I came here at the beginning of newleaf. We started living in the Carrionplace but some stuff happened-" no need to bring the mood down with Patch's death and Rat nearly following- "-so we live someplace else now."
Wait, he hadn't asked that, did he? Shirley shook her head to clear the webs in her brain before apologizing. "Sorry, you hadn't asked that. Rat says I have a habit of rambling if nobody stops me. My point is! I've had time to learn. It's easy once you get used to it! You learn where the forest is drier than in other parts and where the ground is only just beyond the surface of the mud. Watch!"
Shirley tensed her muscles and leaped, aiming for a spot in particular. It was only when a mild breeze went through that Shirley realized her mistake. The breeze had stirred the surface of the mud.
The mud rippled. Short mud puddles didn't ripple.
'Uh oh.' she thought, right before she splashed in it. It wasn't deep enough for her to to under all the way, not really. But it was deep enough to splash halfway up the log to where Pepper safely sat. The mud went on her ears, in her eyes, even up her nose. She was coughing and gagging even before the mud settled around her.
Shirley made her way back toward the log, spluttering and trying to spit out the mud in her mouth. "Oh gross it's on my tongue! Bleh! Blech!" She hauled herself back up with none of her earlier ease, shaking each leg vigorously away from Pepper.
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Post by azcomet on Apr 29, 2023 1:53:21 GMT
[googlefont="Courgette"] Survival The little tom is wide-eyed as the she-cat explains her life to him. “Wow, you’ve been here for a while then!” he exclaims happily. Pepper tilts his head curiously as Shirley puts herself down, “It’s alright! I think it’s interesting. I never knew so many cats were living here!” Despite living in the surrounding territories for quite a while, Pepper almost never ran into other cats–not until this moon, anyway.
Pepper shifts his weight as he saw the she-cat do just moments before, nearly losing balance before scrambling to regain his grip on the branch. He flashes the she-cat a nervous, embarrassed smile as he does so. He hopes he doesn’t look foolish.
The branch shakes a bit as Shirley leaps off, but Pepper’s ready for it thanks to his almost-falling earlier. When she hits the mud puddle, he can’t help the little laughs that he lets out. He regrets it soon after as a splash of the muck reaches up to his safe branch and right into his mouth. “Blech!” He grimaces slightly, sticking his tongue out as his head shudders. He shakes himself in an attempt to rid himself of the flecks of grime that have made their way onto his pelt.
Pepper seems not to have learned his lesson, giggling while the she-cat shakes out her own pelt. After the humor of the situation has left him, his expression becomes one of sympathy. “Oh no, there’s nothing worse than muddy fur… Are you alright?” He’s not sure he can really do much to help her, but he wants his new friend to know that he’s appreciative of her plight.
“Is there anything I can do?” Pepper can feel his own fur instinctively flexing as he imagines what the sticky layer of mud must feel like on Shirley’s coat. Her white coat. Oh geez, he really hopes fur can’t stain.
nothing worse than mud |
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