dewly_noted wrote:Username;; dewly_noted
Cat Name;; Echo of dried river [Echo]
Gender;; female
Age;; 56 moons
Clan;; BeachClan
Rank;; wave runner
Prompt;;
Echo was a fresh face amongst the tribe, fresh out of the nursery, eyes glowing with potential and ambition. A kit among kits, with all the promise of being something great. You see, this is how our story begins, the Tribe of Tall Pines, far from the water's edge that BeachClan called home. It was Echo, an only kit amongst a sea of siblings, hitching her wagon to the plans and schemes of other litters. Of those litters were a sickly kit, Snow on fallen oak and her brother Lark Flying South. Now it was clear, in the way the adults spoke of Snow she wouldn't last long, of course, they were right. Snow faded one night leaving Lark an only child like Echo.
They bonded over the solitude, becoming peas in a pod, always by each other's side as they committed their own little acts of rebellion, sneaking out of camp, putting thorns in elders nests and shouting during gatherings. Trouble-makers, but always well-intentioned with their rebellion. Their small comradery made them closer, sealed a bond between them as they built off each other. Where Lark was strong, Echo was kind, she whispered in his ear reason he didn't quite possess himself and he protected her, from the world and from her own fears.
As the grew into apprentices of the tribe Echo and Lark were assigned mentors who happened to be mates, the Chiefs gentle way of playing matchmaker, knowing that the relation Echo and Lark had showed promise. They could no doubt become a power couple, pushing each other further than most would reach on their own. He was correct, of course, the budding romance that formed leading them towards working and learning faster than other apprentices their age. Of course, despite their fast learning, they became a closed system, barely getting anything done when separated. Co-dependent.
It didn't matter, of course, their shared excellence lead them to become the best hunters of the tribe. Echo's overthinking with Lark's readiness for action, they were a duo that balanced each other out perfectly. When they weren't together, Echo became self-conscious and Lark became impulsive, both to the point of driving their tribemates insane. Luckily they spent all their time together, rather happily in fact.
As the moons passed it wasn't long before Echo brought the word 'family' into their lives, two mewling kits lighting up their lives. Their small bundles of joy and energy, Snow on Fallen Pine, in memory of Lark's sister and Petals in Breeze were there everything. However, as Echo stayed in the nursery to care for their kits, Lark stayed working and their lifelong bond began to crack, only to give Echo space to finally become herself. Working by herself, being with her kits she worked up the confidence to be on her own and love herself. By the time she and her kits left the nursery both she and Lark had headed separate ways, still close but no longer joined at the hip.
Snow was a bubbly little thing, brimming with confidence and kindness. She was always asserting herself around the nursery, bringing laughs to all they could. It was her life to make people happy and she did, she brightened the souls of everyone she came into contact with. Breeze was a quiet thing, sweet and filled with gentle smiles. He was always tilting his head, looking at things from a different perspective, smarter than he let on. There was no doubt he would be a shoulder any cat could cry on, a comfort for any who asked.
When war broke out with a rival tribe it was all hands on deck. Fights were breaking out across the borders daily, and her kits, now apprentices were fighting alongside the rest of them. Never knowing who would be lost in the fighting, who would win and who would lose. Lark and Echo got by but through bad luck and unfortunate timing, Snow and Breeze both lost their lives.
Lark brushed it off, continued moving on with his life, fighting the fight. Echo couldn't. Snow and Breeze were her kits, the proof of the love she and Lark shared. She lost herself, crying day in and out as she tried to cope. At first, she was hopeless, lost in her own despair but eventually, that sadness turned to rage and vicious mockery. She began protesting the fighting, the more she looked into it, the more it seemed futile. Their borders needed to change since their neighbour's territory had been reshaped by a flood. They didn't need the land that their neighbours were fighting for. The war was pure stubbornness, pure pride and her kits had paid with their lives. She spoke her reasoning to her mate, but he had become the Chiefs second and he was sold on the war. In fact, instead of hearing her out, he tried to silence her, tried to keep her from rocking the boat.
He did the best he could to change her mind and for the first time, Echo didn't see Lark as her mate. She saw a traitor, who cared more for a piece of grass than he did for his own flesh and blood. Lark may as well have killed their kits himself. It broke her heart, 30 moons of life and love abandoned because of a territorial dispute. She couldn't look him in the eyes, she couldn't stand to be near him. She fled in the night and never looked back. [917/1000]
Congrats! Ill put in a form tomorrow
