dewly_noted wrote:
Extra;; Playlist is annotated through out for ease of reading.Username;; dewly_noted
[1] Shelter 2 - Chase
[2] The Kooks - Naive
[3] Meadow OST - Den
[4] Avicii - Hey Brother
Cat Name;; Russet
Gender;; female
Age;; 34 moons
Clan;; BeachClan
Rank;; Cove Mother
Prompt;; [1,403]
The day had started at the peak of normality, no sign of the great misfortune that dawned across the horizon. She had taken her younger brother, Copper, to their usual spot, a place outside a restaurant that knew them as regulars, always filled with happy faces when the two of them approached with purrs and trills to be fed.
They spent as much time as they needed until they had full bellies of finely cooked fish. They could choose to bathe in a sunny spot of their choosing, the cats of this city lax in their ways of war and fighting. So they did, Russet showing her brother a newer spot she had discovered during her nightly rounds. Something was off as she walked up a quiet side street that was filled with sunlight, a different scent, one she knew too well filled the air and she stumbled backwards, a hiss escaping her maw.
An ugly looking creature [1], twice her size was rustling through trash. Gently she tried to coax her brother backwards, only to find the young kit glued to where he stood. She gave him another nudge, only to find him stuck in place still, so instead she slowly moved in front of him, breaking his line of sight with the beast. The sound of rustling stopped from behind her and her heart sunk in her chest as a low growl erupted from the dog, followed by barking. Her brother was still stuck in place, the dogs was on it's way. It wasn't the first time she'd faced dogs and with life in the city it wouldn't be the last; now she was faced with a choice.[2] She gave up trying to move her little brother, pushing past him, causing him to stumble to his side. A shrill scream echoing out of his maw as his inaction finally caught up with him. The scampering of paws behind her as he stumbled to get away from the mangy beast. Russet put the sounds out of her mind as she kept running, the scream of her oath and parents filling her mind. She had promised to keep her brother safe but under the lightest pressure she had abandoned the only blood she had left. Slipping down the streets the echoes of angry screams kept her moving, each place of the city a reminder that she had left her brother to die. She kept moving as if the guilt was something she could out run or out live.
[3] With this choice her mate abandons her, furious upon realising everything Russet had told him was a lie and while she wasn't kicked from BeachClan, the constant presence of her brother and her guilt drove her to leave. She would later meet an untimely fate, travelling through the world when she is caught during a snow storm, without shelter she passed quietly into the night, all a result of her own cowardice.
She travelled through open fields, dense forests and past a waterfall that took her breathe away. None of these places enough to stop the guilt that buried her. Over the months she tried to rationalise her choice, thinking that in some ways it had been her brother's fault, that he could have done more to save himself. Those thoughts did little to reassure her.
The guilt seemed to run it's course when she stumbled upon a newly constructed clan, BeachClan and with it found a new family. They hadn't know about her lapse in loyalty to family and as time passed the ever present scream of guilt became nothing more than a whisper. She found herself relaxed, at peace. She fell in love with a tom called BlossomCreek, fiercely loyal and fiercely moral. He would often speak about how family came first, that family was the most important thing you were given, to wrapped up in his blind love to see the way Russet always flinched when the subject came up.
He wouldn't be so blind when a now older Copper stumbled into camp. He was badly injured, covered in scrapes and scars that while having long since healed screamed treason in Russet's mind. As quickly as she had recognised her little brother, he recognised her a bitter smile spreading across his face and he let out a low chuckle.
"Hello big Sis." He spat, bitter and angry as he walked closer, showing off more of the scars that littered his form.
Russet was silent as her brother scanned the camp of BeachClan, eyes narrowed as he let out another bitter chuckle.
"So this is where you went after abandoning me," he continued, "do you like my scars? They're because of the choices you made."[4] She leans in close to her brother, whispering in a stern voice, "Run and don't ever stop." Everything else comes naturally, shoving his side so hard that he stumbles into a run, watching as he soars out of the alley and out of her line of sight. Then she turned to face the beast, a bitter reassurance in her mind that even if she died now, she'd have died protecting the only thing left she had that mattered to her. Her brother would survive and she would be brave.
With this choice she suffered alone for some time, putting her life on stand by, risking everything just to keep her little brother safe. She stumbles across BeachClan on her own time, is reunited with her brother and meets the cat who she fondly calls her soulmate. Ultimately the risks paid off and everything worked out.
With a deep breathe, the first thing she did was bolt to the left, evading a snap of jaws that would have claimed her if she had remained still. The second thing she did was beeline towards a dumpster climbing up in one leap, wincing as the dumpster shook as the dog began clambering it's way onto the high ground she had just seized. Looking around it felt as if there was no way out, only for a window sill to catch her attention. One more leap and she was safe from the dog tail bristling as it tucked close to her body avoiding the dog that jumped to grab at her and it.
Then it was all about waiting.
Waiting for the dog to give up interest, waiting for the coast to be clear, waiting for the adrenaline to stop pumping though her veins with more fervour then her own blood. Then the wait was over and she climbed down, cautious as she snuck her head out of the alley, the dark night sky overhead acting as a blanket. It was quiet and in that quiet her soul turned over.
Any other night her brother would have started debating bed time stories, voice becoming shrill to her ears as he tried to find out information about their parents, about the world, about the stars overhead as if somehow by merit of age Russet new everything. Coppers absence was evident in the quiet and despite the aching tired she felt she chased the faint scent of her brother in the air, hoping to track him down and tell him everything was okay.
She couldn't find him and as the scent trails becoming harder and harder to track she prayed to her mother's ghost that she'd keep him safe.
She travelled restlessly for moons, watching as time passed her by, always hoping that she stumble across her brother sooner or later. On the word of a group of strays she heard about BeachClan and a young warrior- no wave runner, called CopperSpirit who's description matched her brother to the letter. She had chased down wild goose chases before, stumbling across all numbers of orange felines but as she was escorted into camp that first time, she practically ran into her brother, stumbling upon herself as the happiness hit her to see her brother in one piece.
Regardless of self preservation and unfortunate ends or bravery and fortunate ends it all came down to one moment. She knew that irregardless all that mattered was she keep her oath. With no way of telling what the future could hold, it all came down to the fact that she was a good sister, a good caretaker, that would die to keep the promise she made even if doing so could kill her.
She was brave and she stayed.
Congratulations! I enjoyed the story, and it made me honestly feel; especially with the end of the first route.
Your usage of the art extras added to the form to me; I liked the symbolism of Russet staying versus leaving. The music in each part was well-chosen and added to my immersion; I loved how you linked the songs within the story (with Hey Brother I got to a good part at a good part in the story and that was just :ok_hand:). It was very well-formatted! I have nothing but good things to say about this piece, and I hope you enjoy Russet.
I'd like to give HMs to TheSongOfTheStars and Dimi..
