Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2016 17:11:48 GMT -5
Prompt
Is this the real life?
is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide, no
escape from reality.
Open your eyes
Look up to the skies and see...
-Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
Thanks to John 3:16 for
providing this prompt. (:
Is this the real life?
is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide, no
escape from reality.
Open your eyes
Look up to the skies and see...
-Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
Thanks to John 3:16 for
providing this prompt. (:
Part 1
“He’s not normal, you know.” Her eyes were narrowed in concern, pupils wide. “He never will be. That will lead to his downfall.” She stared as she spoke, watching the kit that was snuggled at her belly; his soft white pelt rose and fell as he breathed.The tom across from her nodded. “Of course,” he said smoothly. “He’s definitely an unusual color. Definitely won’t make hunting easy for him; but, he can practice, y’know?” His voice was cool, his body relaxed. He didn’t seem to be worried at all. His dark green eyes betrayed no emotion.
The queen’s fur bristled. “I know that,” she growled, staring at the tom. “Just because I’m blind in one eye doesn’t mean I can’t see at all.” Her lip had peeled back, revealing sharp, yellowed teeth. Her soft, grey-tipped ears were locked backwards against her head, making her seem frightening. However, the tom was used to this.
“Yeah.” His nonchalant response caused the queen’s growl to grow in volume. “I’m sorry,” he added quickly. “I didn’t meant to upset you, Frost. I just thought that you were having trouble seeing again.” His voice lowered, and his gaze softened as he looked at the white queen.
Frost finally relaxed, her actions showing that she accepted the tom’s apology. “Very well,” she murmured. Looking back down at her kit, she rasped her tongue across his fluffy pelt. “And I wasn’t referring to his pelt color.” Her gaze darkened as she watched the kit squirm in the crumpled leaves for a moment, before settling back down. “I meant about how he acts. There’s something about him… he just doesn’t seem normal.” Her speech had grown to a whisper as she spoke, and she curled her tail protectively around the kit.
In the forest, a mockingbird sang, its voice rough, giving away its disguise. Though it sang the song of other birds, Frost could tell the difference. The bird was not like the others. Looking down at her kit, she knew that he would not be like the others as well. “He should be called Mockingkit,” she said, glancing up at the tom.
He nodded slowly as his soft purr filled the hollowed tree. “Seems appropriate,” he meowed. “I don’t see why not. He certainly does remind one of a mocking bird.”
The queen nodded, love warming her normally icy gaze. "I'm glad you agree, Redblaze," she murmured. "Will his soon-to-be Clanmates approve, though?" She looked up at him with a worried expression as she voiced her thoughts.
Redblaze simply purred, then pressed his muzzle up to hers. "They'll accept him," he reassured. "They have to. My word goes, and I'm sure that Pumastar will approve. You know how she is," he added with a sly smirk.
Frost let out a hoarse mrrow of laughter, her gaze centered on Mockingkit the entire time. Despite Redblaze's words, an unsettled feeling lay heavily on her heart. Something was different about Mockingkit... something that would curse him. No matter what the deputy or even Pumastar said, he would live a life alone... and mocked.
Part 2
The rain was laughing at him.As he stood at the entrance to the tepid den, the tomkit bared his teeth at the drops as they came down. One landed on his nose and began to screech with laughter, its watery face contorting into an expression of amusement. During its onslaught of laughter, it slipped off the kit's nose and onto the ground, muting its chortling.
"Good riddance," he mumbled to himself, glaring at the wet ground. However, the rain drop's friends did not take that comment kindly. They soon began to fall more heavily onto the small cat, causing him to hiss in annoyance. Backing away into the cover of darkness, he found himself bumped up against a large, furry figure.
"Watch, Mockingkit." The queen's rough voice sounded above his head, tickling the fur on his ears. Her words dripped with scorn as she stared down at him, tail lashing back and forth. Moosefur definitely wasn't happy with him.
Squeaking an apology, the kit side-stepped around the large she-cat, his eyes catching the soft white form of his mother in her nest. Her back rose and fell in timed rhythm.
She stirred a moment when Mockingkit climbed into the nest and curled himself up beside her, then settled. Her large belly twitched every once in awhile as she grumbled in her sleep, but this didn't bother the kit. He had grown used to it, ever since she came back to the clan.
Mockingkit himself still could hardly believe that tomorrow was his initiation as a patrol cat. His fur prickled with both joy and fear as he thought of what it would be like to explore the territory, looking for signs of sickness, prosperity, enemies... he could hardly wait.
Of course, Frostwind would hardly miss him. She already had another litter of kits on the way. She was happy. She would be fine, and lonely she would not be.
Above him, the roof wheezed with effort as something landed on it; whatever the thing was, its feet made licking noises as it scurried about. "Are you there, my friend?" Mockingkit whispered, a warm feeling of delight covering him. His friend always loved to visit him when he was down. The little bird always had such nice stories to tell.
And soon through the roof popped the head of his feathered friend. The little chickadee's head tilted back and forth a few times before she hopped down into the warm den. "It's chilly out there!" she trilled quietly. "And wet. Oh, so very wet." Sh shook out her feathers and fluffed herself, growing nearly twice her size. "Anyway, little friend," she cooed. "Hi again. I have something very important to tell you, so please listen, alright?" Her black beady eyes seemed sad as she looked at him.
"Oh, of course," Mockingkit squeaked. "You always have the most wonderful stories."
Part 3
That story still refused to leave Mockingpaw, no matter what he tried.
The horrendous tale of a kit, lonely and bruised, looked down upon by all. No happy ending, no pity, no nothing. Just a kit who was always by himself, seeing things that no one else saw. An outcast. And he hated it.
Now, surrounded by other patrol apprentices, he wondered if that story had been about him. He didn't get to hear the end, though... his mother had awoken and shook her head at him when she saw his friend. "Why are you talking to prey?" she had mumbled, disappointment obvious in her eyes. At the time, the tom had no clue what she was talking about. Little Lorrie was real, of course.
Now he was really starting to doubt himself.
In front of him, Otterface was rattling off the tasks for the day; who would be with who, challenges, the usual stuff. The daughter of Moosefur, she was large and intimidating, just like her mother. Her fiery orange eyes stared at all, as if challenging them to stare back. Most dropped their gaze quickly.
"Today," she meowed, her voice echoing in the trees, "we'll be having solo missions. Each apprentice will be required to go out by themselves, make a list of what notable things they see, then report back to me. This is when your training is needed most, cadets." She glanced across the messy lines of felines, nodding as if to agree with herself.
"You'll each have your own section of the forest to look through, which will be divided by very large pieces of bark in the ground. Stick within your perimeter. You'll each have until sun-high to return. If you don't, you will be disqualified and will have to return to training. We'll explain how you'll be graded when you return. Now, follow me."
