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Post by Solaris on Jan 8, 2023 0:36:19 GMT
Day 3 of Snow Moon 2021Face-to-Face Snow Moon 2021 Day 3 | Leafbare
guava SUMMARY: Snowy Owl runs face-to-face with an angry predator.
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Post by Solaris on Jan 8, 2023 0:38:00 GMT
Snow 3, 2021 | guava After days of freezing in the cold, the weather seemed to let up. The cold was still there, of course, but at least it hadn’t snowed as much. His pawprints from the past few days were still present in the snow, and by now, the snow was starting to melt into mush. He’d watch the seasons change from inside the twoleg den, seeing the vibrant emerald buds mature into deep viridian shades and then erupt into a flurry of fiery colors before they fell off the tree. It was a favorite pastime of his to watch things, like droplets from rain or flakes of snow, descend from the sky. He saw these as gifts from a celestial friend from above.
So the warmer weather, too, must be a gift from his friend. He lifted his head upward and blinked his thanks. Then he turned to the forest around him, the view of the forest landscape unfolding in front of him.
He wasn’t sure how he managed to survive, but that too must be a gift from the clouds. He was lucky to find a dead bird laying on the snow yesterday, otherwise he wasn’t sure how else he was supposed to eat. So far, his ventures into the forest and live like a true warrior had not come as he’d like… but he was certain he would find a way! Sooner or later, he would. At least, he hoped so. He would try to hunt then—
A strange scent entered his nose. He spun around, whirling face-to-face with a snarling creature, its claws lifting up, as if to swat at his face. His eyes shot open, and instead of doing something sensible like running… he stood frozen, paws to the snow.
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Post by guava on Jan 29, 2023 14:10:42 GMT
Gemstone hadn’t been planning to find anyone other than prey on their hunt. There was predators, but they preferred to avoid them at all costs. It was harder to keep hidden, especially since it had snowed. There wasn’t much, but what there was contrasted against Gemstone’s caramel-like fur. It made zir extremely visible to predators and prey alike.
Looking for prey, Gemstone saw it. A predator, just like them but much larger. Stalking their prey. Gemstone didn’t think anything of it, decided it would be best to turn around and hunt elsewhere. Something caught their eyes though. This wasn’t just any prey, it was another cat. A much younger cat. Confusion drew on Gemstone’s face and they thought, “Why aren’t they running? They should have smelled the predator by now, or at the very least sensed it. They’re…frozen? Is it fear? I don’t care. I should leave. This is their problem to figure out.* Even with those thoughts, Gemstone couldn’t leave.
Gemstone knew that showing up behind the predator wasn’t a smart idea, but they had a plan. Making a ruckus with the snow, Gemstone successfully got its attention. Almost as if taunting it, Gemstone ran in a circle before running away. Looking behind them, I did it. They thought. They had already hunted multiple times in these particular areas so they knew how to successfully get away from the predator. Hiding in a fallen tree trunk, the predator chose that Gemstone wasn’t worth the wait and left. Enough time had passed where the other cat could have left, but Gemstone wanted to make sure and so they headed back to where they last encountered the cat.
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Post by Solaris on Feb 12, 2023 14:25:40 GMT
Snow 3, 2021 | guava He peered into its piercing eyes, soulless, unreadable, like staring into the blaring headlights of cars. His heart pounded, and he could hear the panicked gasping in his heavy breaths, as if he strained for air. Then, behind the creature’s looming form, he caught a blurring flash of movement descend upon the snow. The creature’s interest diverted to the sound, swiftly turning to face the intruder. A deep sigh escaped his maws. Relief bloomed through his terror-locked limbs.
He looked up around, finding that a tabby was taunting the creature in a circle before scaling up a tree’s length, perching atop a branch and waiting for their next move. He hurried into a bush, waiting for the outcome of the encounter. The large creature nosed around the foliage surrounding the tree’s base and then raised its neck to the branches. The stranger hung above it, out of reach. Eventually, the creature gave up its pursuit and moved elsewhere.
He crawled out of the bush, looking at the stranger who had returned to him. He dipped in his head in, Thanks. And by instinct, upon meeting any newcomer, he twitched his ears and shook his head. Cannot hear.
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Post by guava on Apr 1, 2023 19:48:17 GMT
You’re welcome, it was no problem at all. Gemstone didn’t know how to say what they wanted to. They knew, they had forgotten. There was differences between this cat’s language and the language they used with their sibling, so it was hard to know for sure if this cat would understand them.
Why did you not run? Move out of the way? Even deaf cats know better than to stay right in front of a predator. A bunch of answers for Gemstone’s own question came to their mind. With those answers, more question arose. This cat seems smart, yet not smart enough to run. It’s almost like…they haven’t encountered a predator yet? That look in his eyes is the same one I’ve seen on multiple cats when they encounter their first predator. That can’t be though, they seem old enough to have encountered predators by now. How long has this cat been in the wild for? There was plenty of things that didn’t seem to add up, even though they have barely had a conversation. His fur seemed too…tamed. It still had some shine to it, something that the fur of cats who have been in the wild for a long period of time no longer have.
Returning to the matter of their language, Gemstone was trying to think of all the similarities and differences, to see what the pattern of differences between their two versions was. If they would figure it out, they would be able to ask all of their question and communicate much more efficiently with him. Gemstone wanted to ask this cat for their name, but they chose not to because having their name would be the first step towards getting to know them. Something Gemstone had no interest in doing.
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Post by Solaris on Apr 7, 2023 16:01:49 GMT
Snow 3, 2021 | guava He was stunned that the cat even knew sign language as well, even if there were some slight differences here and there. But for all of those small dialectical changes, he could understand what the stranger was saying. He leaned in for to sniff, familiarizing himself with their scent and to check for intentions. They didn’t seem too bad so far. Another cat who knows sign language! What is your name? He signed back to the cat, trying to restrain his enthusiasm at meeting someone else who could communicate with him, though his fidgety tail betrayed his excitement. He sat down, hoping to hide his tail behind his haunch. Why did you not run? There was a demanding gravity to the stranger’s way of signing, like the bluntness of a pommel to the head. And more than anything else, they seemed comfortable and familiar here, as if run-ins with huge predators were daily occurrences. Above all, they were intimidating. They commanded the space, and not the other way around. He found himself shrinking to accommodate. I didn’t know what was happening. He said in his own defense, taken aback by the harshness of the words.. For a place that was going to be their new home now, he realized he needed to fill his head with the secrets of the forest, if only in the hopes of one day becoming an expert like the stranger. Do you know what creature that was? Do you know why it attacked me?
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