Username: almondkitty
Cat Name: owlheart (lyli) & solace
Gender: female & female
Rank: gardeners
Clan: rosemary meadowsAge: 5 years
Prompt: solace is hard fought and seldom won in the harsh winters that hound the mountain peaks surrounding Rosemary Meadows. a small, fluffy auburn shape can be seen moving through the mounds of snow in search of such solace on one particularly harsh winters night, her paws heavy with matted snow. exhaustion makes the dangerous trek even more likely to end in tragedy as no matter where she looks, all she can see is the thick curtains of white snow falling endlessly around her. even her desperate mewls are being mercilessly drowned out by the muffling silence of impenetrable white. though hope should not be lost for this small kit, whose journey has only just begun. how she got here is a shorter story, and sadder, for another day. today, though, a glimmer of optimism is shining through as our young kit collapses into the backdrop of white, fatigue overcoming her. how could this be optimistic? just as the snow began to bury her beautiful fur, a great big owl swooped down out of the sky and plucked her from her misery.
when she awoke again, warmth and the smell of hay surrounded her. blinking the sleep from her eyes, it didn't take long for her to discover she was in a great big nest, inside of a barn, enveloped on both sides by tiny owlets. they were only old enough to have developed the first of their colorful feathers, which she noted were nearly identical to her own cinnamon coat. it seemed the owl that descended upon her had mistaken her for a lost owlet and taken her back to its nest. relieved that she had not in fact gotten to meet her ancestors so early in her life, the little kitten quickly nuzzled back into a comfortable position and drifted to sleep once more.
many moons had passed since she was welcomed into the little owl family and since then she had learned many things. owls, it turned out, had a very similar language to cats, and it hadn't taken her very long to learn it. her mother, as she referred to the owl who had scooped her from the snow, was called Mahalia. her owl siblings were Nyto, Fie, Iry and Solace. although Fie, Iry and Nyto had left the nest relatively early after she had been taken in, Solace was much smaller and needed extra care, so she had stayed behind. she was still too small to fly and until she could, would stay in the nest with Mahalia. our protagonist, who had not been named before she was thrown into the snowy tundra, was called Lyli. Lyli and Solace got along fantastically, the two of them being clear outliers compared to the other owlets. Lyli spent most of her time in the barn with Solace, who seemed to be the only one able to tell that she was not an owl.
one morning, as Lyli woke to the sun tickling her whiskers, she noticed that Solace was not next to her like she usually was in the mornings. at first, panic swallowed her whole. what could have happened to her partner in crime? she needn't spend long in the panic spiral as Solace quickly descended from the rafters and tackled her sister.
"I can fly! Look, Lyli! I'm flying!"
she flapped up into the air once more and swooped down upon Lyli again, playfully pecking at her ears.
"You're really flying! Hey, quit it!"Lyli swatted at Solace with a soft paw and the two of them descended into giggles.
it was not long after that morning that Lyli and Solace departed from the nest, leaving Mahalia with love and appreciation. Lyli promised she would visit again if she ever found her way back. upon their departure, the two sisters quickly arrived at the same conclusion: they must find more of Lyli's kind, so she can know where she came from. so searching they went, now older and more prepared for the icy tundra that awaited them. they had managed to find a relatively easy way down the mountainside, marveling at the greenery that greeted them the further they went down. lush green meadows waved soft tendrils of grass in the breeze, the scent of a hundred different flowers carried on the gentle winds as they arrived at the bottom of the mountain. the further they went, the more they saw. oak trees, by the hundreds, willow trees, birch, etc., all sorts of plant life they had never seen. thankfully Solace was there to stop Lyli from chomping on any of it.
the first cat they saw was actually
Leopold, taking a stroll to see the area where he and
Giorgio had first met. when he came across the unusual pair, he immediately welcomed them to the territory of Rosemary Meadows and lead them toward the camp where the rest of the clan was doing their regular duties or just mulling about in the afternoon sun. introductions were made and the sisters found themselves a little overwhelmed, until
Scrunch was introduced to them. her strict, no-nonsense demeanor made them feel a bit more at ease and they easily settled in after that.
that was many moons ago. Lyli has since changed her name to one befitting a warrior, Owlheart. though she still goes by Lyli to Solace, who has known her by that name her entire life. yes, the two are quite at home in Rosemary Meadows, and have even visited Mahalia since their arrival.
Cedargaze took them back up the mountainside, his big paws easily trampling through the snowy peaks, and he became their guide each time they visited their mother.
you see, even when all seems lost, you never know what might be awaiting you around the corner. the little kitten lost in the snow had no hope of living another day, yet life had other plans for her. never give up, for even in the face of unbeatable odds there is hope.
