- - [ resurgence - open ]

     The grass rippled as a breeze swept over the moors and Soot shivered. He had gotten tired of waiting in the forest for Lynx to return from his walk, and Tiger had ended up wandering off herself. Irritated, he had decided to take a trip back to the moors. He hated being in the forest, under the cover of the trees. He much preferred the great open sky above him and being able to see a good bit around him, in case of predators that could be approaching. He felt unsafe in the forest, pinned down. It was a mystery why Lynx liked it so much. He shifted on the grass, enjoying the feel of it under his paws. Soft and a bit rigid, considering the cold weather. His pelt bristled slightly at the chill, wishing it could be the warmer seasons again. He hated the cold more than he hated the forest. Soot sent a glance behind him back to the trees, wondering if it was such a good idea to be going off alone. They had only been in this area for a few days, and though they felt more comfortable now than when they first stumbled upon it, he still wasn't sure it was safe for them to stay long term. Unfortunately, Tiger and Lynx weren't interested in moving on anytime soon. 

Soot shook the thoughts off and turned back, padding further on. He had crossed the river a while ago and had been disappointed to see it was almost frozen from the cold. He wished it wasn't, or he might have tried to catch a fish for himself. He was tired of squirrels and birds and that stale kittypet food that Vanilla had shared with them. As appreciative as he had been for it, the flavor had never quite left his tongue, like it was tainted now. He supposed he shouldn't be ungrateful, the mollie didn't have to share her food with them, and she had looked fairly frightened at the sight of three wildcats at her doorstep, but couldn't two-legs feed their pets something more tasty? It kind of made him feel bad for them, to have to eat that food every day. As difficult as it was to live on their own, at least they got to go where they wanted and eat fresh kill for their meals. He paused and lifted his nose to taste the air. Was that...cat he smelled? He hoped it was from long before now, that it wasn't fresh. He wasn't in the mood for a fight, and he had no knowledge of herbs or how to apply them. He was riddled with scars because of not being able treat his wounds properly, he wasn't eager to add more. 

     Tiger struggled through the thick undergrowth of the forest, cursing to herself as she attempted to make her way back to the river. She had left Soot at their makeshift camp ages ago and gotten turned around in the trees. She hated it here. It was all so confusing and...thick. By the time she had turned around and made it back to the camp, Soot was gone too. She had set out after his scent, hoping to stumble across him before he got too far, but had lost it fairly quickly. Now, she was doing her best to remember the way to the river so she could cross back to the moors. She needed a break from the trees. She wanted to sit under the sun in the grass and warm her pelt. Finally, after snagging her fur on yet another bramble, she tumbled out of the cover and found herself a little ways back from the riverbank. She let out a sigh of relief. Now, she needed to find that tree bridge they had crossed a few days ago. She hesitated at first, glancing back at the trees. She wondered if it was a good idea to go so far from where Lynx was. They hadn't spent a lot of time apart since their mother had died, but he had been gone for ages. Would he be worried when he made it back to the camp and saw both his companions had left? Would he be upset? The thoughts made her want to turn around and hurry back - until she realized there was no way she could find her way back to the camp, even if she tried. Her best bet was to hang around by the river and hope either Lynx or Soot stumbled across her and helped her. 

Feeling more confident in her decision, Tiger began padding alongside the river, slowly at first. A sharp wind blew through her fur and she shivered, bristling to try and combat the chill. How far were they into the cold weather now? Not far enough, she thought bitterly. It would be many moons before the warm weather began to creep back up on them. It was why she craved the sun so much - at least she felt warm with it bearing down on her. It wasn't perfect, but it helped. After a while of walking, Tiger felt a rush of relief when she noticed the tree bridge not far in the distance. But, as she got closer, she began to see two figures on the other side. One of them was a white cat that, as she approached the tree bridge, she could see had speckles of black and grey. The other was a lean, dark grey cat. Tiger hesitated by the bridge. Was this going to turn aggressive? There was no way she could take two cats by herself. She could hardly fight as it was - Lynx was the fighter between them, with Soot close behind, but she had never really been great at it. Too late. It wasn't like she was invisible on this side. But, they didn't seem to be...violent, and she could see the moors behind them and her longing to be out in the open beat out her cautiousness. 

Slowly, Tiger made her way up and across the tree bridge. As she neared the other side, she slowed her pace and paused on top of it. "Hello." she said, trying to keep her tone even and not show her nervousness.