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Post by kinkajou on Jun 29, 2017 16:59:45 GMT -5
This is where I will post stories for the Beach Bash Fic Clash
Starfish
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Post by kinkajou on Jun 29, 2017 17:01:02 GMT -5
WavesThe ocean at night was always beautiful. Stars sparkled in the water, rising and falling with each wave.
โI love coming out here at this time,โ Blazing Sun said. โWhen everything is silver and the only sound is the lapping of the waves.โ
Fluttering Wings nodded in agreement. โEspecially since the kits are asleep and I can relax for once.โ She stretched. โI love them, but I canโt wait til theyโre to-bes.โ
โNeither can I.โ Blazing Sun pressed her ginger pelt against the kit-motherโs. โBecause then I can train one.โ
The brown and white cat purred. โI hope so. Thereโs no one Iโd rather have train my kit than my best friend.โ
โThis is when I feel happiest,โ Blazing Sun told her, raising her head to feel the cool breeze. โWhen I can just relax and talk to you.โ
Fluttering Wings licked her ear. โMe too.โ
Blazing Sun was once again watching the waves. Fluttering Wings was not with her.
When the frozen-water season hit, it hit hard. Fluttering Wings and all but one of her four kits didnโt make it.
The ginger tabby looked up at the stars. She tried to picture her best friend up there, warm and happy in the Tribe of Endless Hunting. It didnโt work.
She wanted to wail like a kit. Fluttering Wings was with her her whole life. How would she go on without her?
A wave crashed onto the shore as the padded away.
โYour mother and I used to do this almost every night,โ Blazing Sun told her to-be, Strong Current.
The little brown and white tom looked at the rolling waves. โItโs kinda cold.โ
โBut look how pretty it is!โ she prompted him. โEverything sparkled under the moon and stars. Donโt you think this is what the Tribe of Endless Huntingโs beaches must look all the time?โ
โMaybe,โ he responded. Blazing Sun mentally sighed. It was so hard to get him to share his thoughts. But his blue eyes were shining. โItโs kinda nice,โ he finally admitted.
She licked his ear. โI knew youโd think so.โ As the two cats watched the waves, Blazing Sun thought could feel another cat with them. A cat with the same brown markings and blue eyes as her to-be.
โItโs not your fault,โ Strong Current told her time and time again. Yet Blazing Sun couldnโt help feeling like it was.
After the oldest healer died, he immediately jumped to the position. She didnโt understand why he was so eager. Was she really that bad a trainer?
โI owe it to Drifting Leaf,โ he explained. Drifting Leaf was his sister, and had always wanted to be a healer.
Blazing Sun couldnโt help feeling sorry for herself. She just lost her first to-be, who was her best friendโs kit. She should respect his decision, she knew, but it was still sad. They couldnโt go hunting together or play togetherโฆWould they even be able to watch the waves in the evening anymore?
Either way, she knew she just lost the only thing she had left of Fluttering Wings.
Blazing Sun was now an elder. It was cold outside and she knew it would be safest to stay in her nest, especially since she was very sick.
She had to do this though.
She could feel she was running out of time. She stood on her unsteady legs and left the warm den. The frozen wind pushed against her harshly, but she just pushed harder.
With her poor eyesight and sense of smell, it wasnโt until she got there that she noticed someone was already at her favorite spot on the beach.
โStrong Current?โ she rasped.
โI hoped youโd come,โ he said softly. โBut I didnโt think you would.โ He was looking across the glittering silver sea. โThe illness is just getting worse, and Iโm not sure what else to do. Combined with this weatherโฆand your ageโฆโ
โItโs fine,โ Blazing Sun told him. โIโm ready.โ
โBut-โ His eyes were big and pleading, just like the kitten he was when he was her to-be.
โIโm so proud of you,โ she mewed, and licked his ear. โFluttering Wings is too.โ He blinked, eyes watering. โIt will be okay,โ she continued. โLook at the waves. Look at how they rise and fall. Right now your wave might be falling, but soon it will rise again. I know from experience.โ
Strong Current nodded, but stayed quiet. It was obvious he was struggling not to cry.
โThatโs right,โ a voice said from behind her. Turning around, she saw a brown and white she-cat.
โFluttering Wings?โ The cat nodded.
โReady?โ she asked. Blazing Sun looked back at Strong Current. She gave his ear another lick, then turned back to her friend.
โReady,โ she said. The last thing she saw was a rising wave.
Storms
Rising Waves let out a startled squeak as the sound of thunder once again resounded through the cave. Outside, the sky flashed with blinding light. She huddled closer to Sandy Shell.
"I don't like it," she whimpered, burying her face in his long fur to block out the sound of pouring rain.
The elder stroked her back with his tongue. "It's okay. We're safe here," he assured her.
"Are you sure?" The silver-gray kit brought her face out of his fur. Watery blue eyes looked up uncertainly.
"I've lived through many storms worse than this one," Sandy Shell told her, licking her head. Rising Waves's eyes grew large.
"Even worse?" she whispered. The old gray tom nodded. I can't even imagine that. A question popped into her mind. "Why do storms happen, anyway?"
"You want to know how the first storm came to be?" She nodded excitedly. "Well, it was many, many moons ago..." As Sandy Shell told the story, it came to life in Rising Waves's mind.
Wild Waters was a strong, handsome tom with brown tabby fur and green eyes. He was the best cave-guard in the Tribe. Many she-cats had their eyes on him, but his were only for Calm Breeze.
Calm Breeze was a very pretty white she-cat with glossy fur. She was very quick and nimble, making her a great prey-hunter. She and Wild Waters were very much in love, ever since they were to-bes. They made the perfect couple.
The mates had been talking about kits for a while, and both finally felt ready. Everyone was excited, if not a bit jealous, for them.
That day, Calm Breeze was on the beach collecting shellfish for the Tribe. She didn't notice the eagle until it was too late. It swooped down and carried her to its nest in the mountains.
"Wasn't anyone with her?" Rising Waves asked. "Why didn't they fight the eagle?"
"In those days, everyone was only focussed on themselves," Sandy Shell explained. "To them, it was okay for Calm Breeze to be eaten if it mean they didn't get hurt."
"That's mean!" the she-kit exclaimed. I wouldn't do that. When I'm a cave-guard, I'll be the best fighter ever and not be scared of anything. Not even eagles.
"Ready to continue the story?" Sandy Shell asked.
"Yes!"
When Wild Waters heard of his mate's death, he was devastated. He wished he'd been there. As a cave-guard, it was his job to protect the Tribe. Mostly, he was angry at the cats who had been there.
"Why didn't you help her?" he snarled at them.
A cat called Gull's Feather answered, "No one can fight off an eagle. You know that."
Wild Waters knew the prey-hunter was just making excuses. Full of grief and anger, he fled to the mountains.
There was a slight possibility Calm Breeze was alive. He called out her name at the top of his lungs, tears pouring down his face.
Up high in the mountains, the clouds were close enough to absorb his feelings. Their negativity turned them dark and gray. Feeling his deep sorrow, the clouds cried. They too called out as loud as possible for his lost mate. And that was the first storm.
"Is that the end?" Rising Waves asked.
"I'm afraid so," Sandy Shell answered. "And look, it's the end of this storm too." He pointed his nose to the cave entrance. Rising Waves saw the rain had stopped, and she didn't hear any more thunder or see anymore lightning.
"One more question," she said, looking back at the tom. "Did Wild Waters ever find Calm Breeze? Was she alive?"
"He did," he replied. "And she was alive and well. Wild Waters's new bright and joyful feelings took the form of lightning."
"So lightning's a good thing?" Rising Waves asked. She never thought of that. "Well, I'm going outside to play in the puddles! Thanks for the story!"
"Have fun," Sandy Shell said. He gave her ear a quick lick.
After that day, Rising Waves was never scared of a storm again. Even though it was dark and rainy, there were still flashes of happiness. That's what I'll focus on, she decided. I'll focus on the happy things.
She looked to the sky, toward the mountains. "Thank you, Wild Waters," she said. "Thank you for giving us storms."
Ships
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Post by kinkajou on Jun 29, 2017 17:01:14 GMT -5
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Post by kinkajou on Jun 29, 2017 17:01:32 GMT -5
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Post by kinkajou on Jun 29, 2017 17:01:42 GMT -5
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Post by kinkajou on Jun 29, 2017 17:01:52 GMT -5
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Post by kinkajou on Jun 29, 2017 17:02:05 GMT -5
GullsWind's Howl hung back as the rest of the Tribe rushed to congratulate his littermates. He knew he should be happy, but instead was full of anger and frustration. I should be a prey-hunter too. It wasn't fair. What made Splashed Stone and Pouring Rain better than him?
If he had to be honest, he knew the answer. Ever since the three of them became to-bes, they were always much better at hunting. What took Wind's Howl weeks to master took them a couple days. That was when he was only seven moons old, though. Now, at thirteen, he wasn't much worse than anyone else.
A light ginger tabby padded up and sat next to him. "Aren't you happy for them?" she asked.
"I guess," he mumbled, avoiding her gaze. Leaping Fish was his trainer, but spent more time encouraging him to get along better with his siblings than teaching him.
"Are you too jealous to feel any joy in their accomplishments?" Her voice was stern. Wind's Howl shook his head. It wasn't because he was jealous, exactly (okay maybe a little). He just felt like he should be with them, sharing one of the most important moments of his life with them. Leaping Fish continued, "You know why they were made prey-hunters before you. A prey-hunter is expected be be able to catch anything, and you have yet to catch a single gull."
The blue tom's tail twitched as he tried to hide his embarrassment. Splashed Stone and Pouring Rain had been catching hundreds of gulls since they were eight moons. And here he was, five moons older than that, and still had never caught even one.
Leaping Fish stood up and stretched. "It's late and I'm tired. See you in the morning." She headed to the cliff where the prey-hunter and cave-guards' den was located.
Wind's Howl sighed. He was pretty tired too, but didn't want to go to bed just yet. By now the crowd around his siblings had all but disappeared. He stood up and walked over to where they were laying.
"Hey Wind's Howl, what's up?" Splashed Stone greeted cheerfully as he sat down beside them. Pouring Rain twitched his ear in acknowledgment.
"I just wanted to say, good job," he mewed awkwardly. He didn't know what else to say.
The gray tabby she-cat blinked happily. "Thank you. I'm sure you'll have your ceremony real soon."
"You know, if you need help, you can just ask," Pouring Rain said.
Wind's Howl looked down. He knew his brother was trying to be helpful, but it sounded more like saying he wasn't good enough on his own.
"I just - how are you two so good at everything?" he asked, looking back up.
"You're good at everything too!" Splashed Stone mewed brightly, but Wind's Howl knew she was just trying to be nice.
"It just comes naturally, I guess," Pouring Rain answered, which wasn't very helpful.
"I mean, how do you catch gulls?" he clarified.
"I can show you the best way tomorrow, if you want," Pouring Rain suggested.
"I can help too!" Splashed Stone added.
"Thank you," Wind's Howl said. The idea of being taught by someone other than Leaping Fish did sound promising. Maybe I will become a prey-hunter soon after all.
The next day at sun-high, Wind's Howl and his littermates were watching a flock of seagulls on the beach.
"You don't want to startle them into flying away," Pouring Rain instructed. "So you have to keep very quiet and get them from above."
"From above?" Leaping Fish always told him to be silent and sneak up to them on the beach, then run at full speed and pounce.
Pouring Rain nodded. He turned his nose toward a tall, rugged rock not far from the birds. "Look for something like that. That way, you can jump on the gulls before they see you. Or, if they start flying, you'll be able to get them from the air."
"Can I demonstrate?" Splashed Stone asked. Pouring Rain gave her the tail signal for 'go for it.'
The she-cat stepped slowly and carefully across the sand, then climbed up the rock. She stayed at the top for a few moments, carefully watching her prey, until she leaped off with claws extended.
The birds all took to the air with loud squawking. All except two, that is. Splashed Stone had one pinned under her paws and managed to claw the wing of another. She quickly killed both and brought them back, tail held proudly.
Wind's Howl had never seen anyone catch a gull like that. Actually, the only cat he'd seen catch a gull that he paid attention to was Leaping Fish, and her method was completely different.
"Wanna try?" his sister asked.
"Okay," he said. It's worth a try, I guess.
After waiting a while for the gulls to return, Wind's Howl quietly stalked them, just as he was taught. This time, instead of rushing toward them, he climbed onto the rock.
That one looks the easiest to catch from here. Keeping his eyes on the one particular gull, he unsheathed his claws and jumped. He landed on something soft and feathery.
"You did it!" Splashed Stone cheered, running up to him. For the first time in a long time, Wind's Howl felt proud of himself. I finally did it. I actually caught a seagull.
After about a week of practice, Wind's Howl could catch gulls as well as he could any other prey-animal. At the end of the week, he finally got his ceremony.
"Yay! Congratulations!" Splashed Stone ran up and licked his ear. Pouring Rain simply purred, but his eyes shone just as bright as her's.
"I knew I could make a prey-hunter out of him," he overheard Leaping Fish say to her friends. At first, this annoyed him; she wasn't the one who showed him a way to catch gulls that worked for him. But in a way she was right. She constantly pushed him to interact with his littermates more.
As Wind's Howl laid down in his nest that night, he knew he would always be grateful to all three of them. They were the reason he was finally a prey-hunter.
Diving
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Post by kinkajou on Jun 29, 2017 17:02:22 GMT -5
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Post by kinkajou on Jun 29, 2017 17:02:35 GMT -5
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Post by kinkajou on Jun 29, 2017 17:32:10 GMT -5
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Post by kinkajou on Jun 29, 2017 17:35:53 GMT -5
Other
All these stories take place in the Tribe of Endless Water. The Tribe of Endless Water is a group of cats much like a Clan that live by the ocean. They have the same ranks as the Tribe of Rushing Water: prey-hunters, cave-guards, to-bes, kit-mothers, kits, elders, and healers. There can be up to three healers at a time, because while the position is important, itโs more important to have lots of cats to hunt and fight for the Tribe. When a kit is born, the mother names it after the first thing she sees. They use the same type of names as the ancient Tribe. When a kit turns seven moons it is old enough to be a to-be, and they choose which rank they want. They have no true leader, and instead look to the oldest and most experienced cats to guide them and make important decisions. They normally have two meals a day, one in the morning and one at night, but there may be more or less depending on the amount of caught-prey. Their afterlife is the Tribe of Endless Hunting, but they have no way to communicate with them. Instead they look for signs in nature. They make their home in the caves and crags along the beach.
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Post by kinkajou on Jul 1, 2017 16:30:41 GMT -5
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Asexual
แดแดแดsแด
แดส
do you walk in the valley of kings? do you walk in the shadow of men who sold their lives to dream?
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Post by แดแดแดsแด
แดส on Jul 1, 2017 16:36:30 GMT -5
nicely done with this prompt.  your score for this prompt is 7 points. please note that i'm not giving out score breakdowns due to the sheer volume of entries i'm expecting this month. good luck moving forward! |
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Post by kinkajou on Jul 3, 2017 21:11:59 GMT -5
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Post by kinkajou on Jul 5, 2017 20:43:16 GMT -5
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your score for this prompt is 7 points.