You Are My Savior, My Forever Eclipsemoon focused on the mouse before her nose. The newleaf air crisp across her nose and scent palette. Bunching her hind legs under her, she lunged out for the small creature only to see the grey pelt of her mate dash in a grab it before her. She hissed in annoyance and butted her head to his muzzle, making him drop the prey.
“You are the biggest pain in the tail, and I hope you know that!” she hissed, mostly in annoyance, but also with affection. She quickly scraped a few wet leaves over the small animal to cover the scent from other predators that might want to eat after the heavy snow. “Yes,” the tom mewed back, flicking his tail in amusement, “you know it, I know it, Reedfeather and Runningshadow know it.” Her reaction to hearing that her siblings knew about him being a pain made the tom that much more enthralled to see her finally showing emotion after moons of being cut off from the world. “There, that’s the cat I fell in love with as a kit.” He licked at her nose, wanting nothing more than to make her feel like everything that had happened so far was now gone and over with. “Oh shut your jaw,” she snapped playfully turning around, parting her jaw to scent for other prey. The call of a bird in the trees made the black cat perk her ears. Pushing hard off her legs, she bounded toward and up a tree, easily making it to the nearest branch. The grey tom sat beneath her, watching as she balanced easily on the branch, ears flicking every which way, listening for the minor sounds the tree creatures were making. The scraping of teeth on a pine nut, the pecking of beaks at their own feathers, or their small clawed feet at a nest or tree branch. He also flicked his ears, trying to guess which way she was going to go. Moving quickly, her black pelt flashed white for a second as she paced along the branch, making an easy transfer to the next tree over. She disappeared in the shadows of the pine needles and rough bark, the only thing alerting him to where she was, was the terrorized screech of the prey as she delivered the final blow. He couldn’t count how long it had been since they had found Reedfeather, fought in the battle and made Strawberryclan their new home, but it felt like they had always been there. The sweet scent of pine met his nose as Eclipsemoon landed beside him, squirrel in her jaws. He shook his head, playfully telling her that she was a show off, before digging up the mouse and trotting back to camp. He dropped his kill in the pile first, quickly followed by his mate. The sounds of a sleeping camp filled the air. “Everyone must be out on a patrol,” he commented, hoping it would stir some that were just laying in their nests. The muffled sounds of Dustwind sleeping reminded him that it was going to be his night to watch here in a bit. The she-cat only had a few more days of being on night watch then it would be his turn. The rustling of the brush surrounding the camp made the tom aware of where the sun now was. He had ended up spending all day out of the camp, doing a border patrol and crashing on his mates hunting. He watched as Reedfeather and Moorstar gathered outside the chief’s den, talking about the day and what the plan was for tomorrow. Leafecho dropped a rabbit on the fresh kill pile, nodding to him as if to say it was for him and Eclipsemoon. Nodding back he picked it up, padding over to the black and silver she-cat grooming herself by the sky watchers’ den, do doubt waiting for Minkriver and Reedfeather to join her. ‘This will be great, this rabbit will be enough for all of us, a nice family dinner maybe?’ he looked back to Runningshadow, the leopard spotted she-cat busy sniffing around in the fresh kill pile for a vole. ‘That’s right, she doesn’t like rabbit too much,’ gently placing the rabbit down before his mate, she looked at him with blue eyes. “You just can’t seem to leave me alone today,” she teased, quickly stop talking as the lighter black pointed pelt of Minkriver joining the cats, followed closely by Reedfeather bounding over from Moorstar. “How was the territory today?” Minkiver started, allowing Reedfeather the first bite of the shared meal between the four cats. “Borders were untouched for the most part,” Stoneclaw started, allowing Eclipsemoon the next bite and followed by Minkriver. “Alpine is out an about, no doubt expanding his borders away from the twoleg place, but he is respecting our area.” Stoneclaw thought of the red fox that had helped them all those moons ago. They never would have made it as far and as fast as they did without his help. “Hunting is getting better for sure with the last of the snow melting, allowing the small animals out of their burrows more often,” Reedfeather commented, no doubt having been hunting all day to build up the fresh kill pile. “Reedfeather tells me that you two are thinking of finally having kits this season?” Eclipsemoon, quickly changing the subject, making her brother look down in embarrassment and Minkriver coughing on her bite in surprise. Stoneclaw stopped short of his next bite surprised at the bluntness of his mate towards her brother. Her locked down heart making its way back, apparently not ready to be around her family still. “Yes actually,” Minkriver finally responded after having swallowed. She stood and turned towards her den, flicking her tail goodnight to everyone, before disappearing behind the bramble barrier. “Eclipsemoon, have some decency for once,” Reedfeather finally snapped, having had enough of his sister being cold to him. “Aspen is dead, the rogues disbanded after you killed most of them, Lion is dead, I have the memories of doing something I did not want to do. Stop acting like the worst thing ever happened to you, I know you are more open around Stoneclaw, so just stop.” The black tom stood up and made his way to the sky watcher’s den as well, spending the night with his mate. Stoneclaw woke in the middle of the night, suddenly feeling like something wasn’t right. Looking at his side, Eclipsemoon’s black pelt was no longer there. Getting up, he headed out of the den and into the clearing, parting his jaw for her scent. Pushing out of the brush he bounded into the grasses, hoping that she hadn’t run away again. He stopped just short of the clan border to the east when he spotted her sitting on a fallen tree. “Eclipsemoon, what are you doing?” he huffed, having not ran that hard in moons. “Maybe I’m not cut for clan life anymore,” she started, eyes and ears looking over the horizon to the hills in the far distance. “You stop that!” he yowled, making the she-cat turn her head sharply to look at him, tears welling in his eyes. “I love you, I don’t care what your family might think. I need you here in my life. I need you to stay and fight with me. I have fought hard for you, and now I will fight with you so you can open up to your family! Please! Eclipsemoon I love you.” A lick to his cheek made the tom open his eyes and see the tears streaming from Eclipsemoon’s eyes. He sighed in relief and nuzzled up to her, nothing mattering to him in the moment. “Stoneclaw,” she croaked unable to control herself after his outburst, “I’m carrying your kits.” The tom felt his heart soar as he pressed harder against the black and silver she-cat. “I was thinking maybe naming on after your father?” “No, he would never want that, we will name them what we want to honor him.” |
Artist Requested; SurgeFire
Accepted on January 13, 2020 Completed on January 19, 2020 Parent(s); Eclipsemoon, Stoneclaw Kits Received; Nightswoop, Bumblebreeze, Brackenpelt, Shatteredice Cooldowns; none |