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Page Eight
Tenaku woke the next morning, her ear still bothering her in spite of Ariya's poultice.
From the look of it, she was the first cat up. Tilynka was curled next to her, Merra was stretched on top of a nearby rock, and Koryo was snoring in the middle of the clearing. Lazy idiots. The she-kit thought.
Might as well make the most of it, and go hunting, Tenaku decided as she padded out of the temporary camp.
The rays of the morning sun shone through the leaves, as the first winds of Autumn blew through the forest. Tenaku hardly cared. She was here to get those stupid little creatures. Little idiots lived to be eaten. Other than that, they were no use to anyone.
She caught the scent and sounds of a squirrel, foraging through the dead leaves, crept until she caught sight of it, and dropped into the hunter's crouch.
The breeze changed directions, warning the squirrel of her presence. Tenaku knew it was now or never. She sprang, just missing the squirrel.
Tenaku spat angrily, and kept going through the woods. The sound of a trickling stream caught her attention, and she padded towards it. Maybe something would come down to drink.
As soon as she saw the stream, she saw the water vole. The training-kit's mouth watered as she thought of the creature that had been gorging itself all summer.
This time her hunt was a success. Tenaku pranced back to camp with the vole in her jaws.
When she got there, she knew something was up. The other queens were anxiously huddled outside the makeshift nursery, even Liyen and her two tiny kittens. Merra was looking both worried, and deep in thought.
Tenaku dropped her vole and padded over to her sister. "What's happening?" She demanded.
"Solla's having her kittens." The calico whispered.
Tenaku nodded. Kittens, while they were journeying? They would all die.
The clowder waited for another hour. Hunting parties were sent out, and patrols to check for other cats, and predators.
Finally, Ariya emerged from the nursery. She said something to Sarma, Liyen, and Cowa, and the three queens padded inside. Tenaku didn't have to strain her ears to could hear purrs of delight from where she was standing. Tilynka relaxed beside her. "I guess it turned out alright," she murmured.
The members of the clowder were allowed into the nursery in small groups.
When it was their turn to see the kittens, Tilynka purred, and warmly congradulated Solla. Even Tenaku couldn't help but sigh as she looked at the kittens.
There were four of them. A little white tom, that already resembled his mother, a light-colored she-kit, a white tom-kit, splotched with brown tabby markings, and a ginger and white tom. "They're adorable," Tilynka breathed. Tenaku grinned. "Yeah, and they'll make great warriors someday."
Solla closed her eyes wearily and purred as the two left the nursery.
After that, they went on one of the most successfull hunting expeditions they could remember. Coming back, their mouthes stuffed with prey, Tenaku caught a familiar scent. She froze as she caught sight of orange fur in the undergrowth. Fox!
From the look on Tilynka's face, she'd seen it too. Without a word, they hurried back to camp, to warn Merra.
The grey and white she-cat's eyes widened slightly when they told her. "We must leave, now." She hissed. The leader wasted no time warning her clowder. Warriors tensed, and queens dashed into the nursery to Make sure their kittens were safe.
"Queens, and warriors carrying kits in the middle, training-kits, and other warriors on the outside!" Merra called, as they prepared to leave. The fox normally wouldn't be such a big deal, but they were weaker than they should be, and with newborn kittens...
The wary clowder left their campsite, wondering what would happen next.
 Lupine Pyrefly · Fri Aug 26, 2005 @ 12:46am · 1 Comments |
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