[Zentropy]

user: Zentropy
prompt: [986 words]
xxxxxOut of the corner of his eye Rune sees a flash, brighter than any of the fireflies in the meadow. He scans the tree line for a second glimpse of the light when it flashes again, this time further into the forest. Rune leaps through the underbrush, taking shortcuts to try and catch up to the light but the distance never shortens. He runs out of breath and must stop, figuring he’ll never see what that light was. Rune then realizes that he is lost. Trying to hold back his fear, he sniffs the air for any hint of something familiar and gets a whiff of a strange smelling cat. Suddenly, Rune senses that he is no longer alone, and whips around to see an unusual pair of eyes staring back at him.
xxxxxBravely, he calls out, “Come out! I can see you and I’ll have you know I’m a force to be reckoned with!”
xxxxxA chuckle that almost sounds like a hiss is heard in reply, and the stranger slinks out into the light and stands just a few meters away. Rune gets a clear look at her unusual features and is taken aback by what he sees. Standing almost a head taller than Rune, the young female cat is long and lithe. She has rusty orange fur with a white belly and black points. Her nose is slender, her ears are large and scalloped, and her eyes are narrowed with slit pupils. Upon this closer inspection, Rune can only feel one thing…love at first sight. He has little experience with what cats should look like outside of the ones he knows back at the burrow, and while he has this feeling deep in his gut that something isn’t quite right, he pushes it aside, more enamored by her than afraid of her.
xxxxx“W-who are you and what do you want in our...my territory,” Rune stammers out.
xxxxxUnfazed, the stranger hiss-laughs again before replying. “You may call me Nanashi. I am merely a traveler through these parts and didn’t know you where the guardian of this meadow.”
xxxxx“Uh, well…my family helps me keep it safe! You should come meet them, I’m sure they would like to know you are just passing through”
xxxxx“Of course, but does your family know you’re out here right now? Would you get in trouble if they did?”
xxxxx“They don’t know, and yeah, I probably wouldn’t be able to leave the nest at all until the next moon. I don’t want that!”
xxxxx“Hmm, yes, I don’t want trouble. How about I guide you back to the meadow and then at the next full moon look for the brightest firefly, it will lead you to me and we can play together again.”
xxxxxPausing to think about the offer, Rune shakes the doubts from his head and trusts his heart. “Yes, I would like that a lot!”
xxxxxOn the next full moon, Rune sneaks out of the nursery, past the night watch, and runs along his path to the meadow, excited to see Nanashi. There are less fireflies now, but one stands out brighter than the others. Rune tries to sneak up on the light this time, but it skips away when he gets close and takes off into the forest. It disappears behind a tree, and Rune stops to catch his breath and wait for Nanashi to reveal herself, but she doesn’t. Confused, Rune uses his senses to try and find where she might be hiding, but instead hears the footsteps of many cats coming closer, and they don’t sound friendly.
xxxxxBursting out of the undergrowth, three huge cats tower over Rune.
xxxxxOne of them speaks up, “Hello little thief, thought you might just give yourself up in the end huh?”
xxxxx“What? Thief? I have no idea what you are talking about!”
xxxxx“Lies!” Another cat hisses in his face. “You would do well not to lie to us, it’s been a whole moon of your antics and we are sick of it.”
xxxxx“Please, it isn’t me! I – “
xxxxx“Stop it, let him go. It’s me you’re looking for.” A familiar voice cuts Rune off. “I’ve been stealing from you, but you deserve it because you are hunting too much, and the forest is suffering because of it.”
Confidently stepping out of the shadows, Nanashi then stands between Rune and the enemy hunters.
xxxxx“Well, lucky us for catching two kits with one stone. I bet you both are in on it, so we’ll have to just punish you both!”
xxxxxThe cats lift their paws, claws extended, ready to strike when one knocked flat, an even larger cat stands over them. Nanashi and Rune are then smothered with long black and orange fur, and Rune recognizes Tonna’s scent as she growls ferociously at the hunters.
xxxxx“You are trespassing on our territory, so get out now if you know what’s good for you”
The three cats scramble to their feet, terrified by Tonna’s scars and growls, and sprint away with their tails fluffed out and ears lowered. She then reprimands Rune for sneaking out. “-- It’s dangerous out, we don’t have enough cats to patrol our borders and the last thing you need are scars like mine. And you,” she growls at Nanashi, “You’re not welcome here, all your kind brings is chaos and misfortune.”
xxxxx“I understand your feelings, but please, allow me to stay. You have saved my life, and now I wish to protect yours. Rune, I had a lot of fun playing with you, lets meet again in the meadow.”
xxxxxNanashi’s body begins to glow, and she transforms into her true form as a fox with three tails, before bounding off into the forest. While returning to the burrow with Tonna, Rune looks back as they pass by the meadow and sees a single firefly that dances higher and shines brighter than all the others. He smiles and whispers to himself, “I’ll be back soon.”

extras: Canva Moodboard

[spookypuff]

poking this since a month has passed!

[Keryth]

ARCHIVAL NOTE:

The remaining Storkatten from this competition have been Voided from the game