Username: Adamented
Choose Your Clowder: Cliffside
Previous Prompt Response: n/a
Prompt Response: ( from the perspective of Kaneli
#A89 )
The forest is a welcome home to me, with its towering old growth trees and looming shade, however I feel like my body is melting through the gaps in my fur within moments of being here. It was quite a long trek to get here, sweat isn't an unfamiliar feeling as it tickles my skin and prompts a quick itch, but the humidity under the thick brush and dense foliage are new and uncomfortable. The wall of heat here is enough to make me choke a little, already a pressure builds in my lungs. How is it so hot...? Yet... it's also like the air is wet and dense, looming shadows press down on my tense shoulders and I duck below ferns that sprout tall and proud from the deep, rich earth. The scents around here are like nothing I've ever experienced, my whiskers twitch about while I open my mouth to drink them in- carefully. It's overwhelming trying to pick out distinct features of the taste of the air, everything is so rich, earthy, and alien to me.
I can pick out a few familiar notes of course, the damp bark of the tall, thick trees reminds me of home, for a moment I feel a little homesick. There's also some prey that's passed through the area recently that also live and grow in my homeland. Most of them are pleasant, vibrant green scents of foreign undergrowth and floral lilts of flowers that I've never seen before, though there are a few that give me pause. Suspicion, even.
Predators. Of course there must be some around here, I'm sure of it, keeping low on my haunches and my ears are constantly swiveling for any sound of life- there are so many. The distant shrieks and whistles of exotic birds, the chittering of other fauna. I can hear the grass and leaves shift with movement, possibly a breeze but it's so dense in here that I suspect instead that some sort of other animal is moving through. I am careful to avoid anything I don't recognize but... there's a lot of that. I recognize so little here.
After a while, the nerves get the better of me. I've practically jumped out of my fur several times in the last hour, really what I need is a change of pace, so I take to the trees. The wood is different here too, it smells more of the water that runs underfoot through the soil, and falls apart easily under my claws. They shred the bark on contact, I barely make it up onto the lowest branch and the scramble has me out of breath. I cling to that solitary branch for longer than I know I probably should, it's likely my scent is left in those claw marks that work their way all the way up to this low hanging spot, I'd be better off to move on before I draw too much attention.
It takes a little resolve, but finally I convince myself to move forward. The first few leaps are clumsy, embarrassing even, and the jungle is quick to pipe up. At first I'm startled when I hear the jeering and a cold shiver crawls down my spine, before pairs of gleaming eyes catch mine and I relax. The dark fur around the eyes disguises him amongst the shade, I almost miss him altogether in my first fearful glance over, but then it would be impossible not to notice them with a more careful search. His eyes are gleaming green-blue, gorgeous and captivating with their joyous upturn. At first I'm a bit offended at his laughter, but then again I've been making sloppy work of getting around this place that is rightfully his home. A purple flower is woven into his fur, it's not like any I've ever seen at home though there have been many of them around the jungle floor.
"You must be here for the Festival, yeah?" I dip my head in respect to him, he has a surprisingly tender voice that disarms me quickly. A kitten is at his side, much smaller than us both with its fur in patches.
My loss in pride causes a warmth to spread under my fur. "Is it that obvious?" I mumble back to him, a sense of over self awareness making my voice crack with my attempt to be hushed. It could be dangerous to make our positions known to any potential waiting predators, and I still haven't seen any. Somehow, not seeing them is worse than knowing what they look, sound, and smell like.
"Don't worry about it," he huffs dismissively, "you're not doing too bad. The name's Ube, my little one here is Anemone." The young patched kitten mumbles a greeting past stifled giggles, it relieves my anxious state of mind to bring joy to them.
"Kaneli, it's nice to meet you." In anticipation I give a sweep of the area, there's nothing below us rustling and the jungle is quiet where we are. It seems we're alone, I'd be worried about that more if it weren't for the snickering kitten, it makes me feel safe to have found someone else here. I wasn't sure on the way about how receptive the native cats of the area would be to outsiders and visitors, even during festivities. "Uhmm... do you think it would be okay if... I mean, I mean could you- uh, give me directions maybe?"
Ube gives me a kind smile, carefully slinks over to my branch and brushes my shoulder with the tip of his tail on the way by, perched carefully on his feet while I cling for dear life to the soggy-barked branch. It's a reassuring and friendly gesture, he tilts his head back to my direction. "Just follow me closely. I can get you where you need to go! Anemone and I were just on our way to the Feather Festival to join the festivities and visit with their other parent. You can trust me to keep you safe."
It's an overwhelming relief to hear and I can feel my whole body relax, my claws are sore from gripping so tightly but with Ube's guidance, and even Anemone's little quips now and again about my posture, I'm able to get the hang of traveling along the trees before they bring me to one with lower-hanging branches that we can easily leap from to the ground. We're able to stop by a nearby stream that cuts through the overgrowth and I'm offered a chance to rest and recuperate, one I take gratefully. The water is much murkier and warmer than I'm used to, the icy floes back home are always melting into the river to create crystal clear, frigid waters. It is still a relief from the humid air, however, and I'll take anything I can get. After that and a quick stop to show me how to properly track and hunt the common local prey, the three of us are able to make it to the festivities.
Maybe my opinion would have been different if I'd arrived on a different side of the river, but I find myself immediately more drawn to the Cliffside clowder... even if they seem more withdrawn, I'm enamored by the secret way they communicate, I have a lot to learn here.
In my anticipation, I'm too nervous to sleep. The sound of bugs chirping and ringing out in the dense wooded area even in a place where there is cracked concrete once dominated by mankind is perpetual and unending, it shocks me awake every time I think I might be fit to drift off, and then I catch myself in a loop of thoughts. I'm eager to get started. I'm afraid of what a mistake in this place might cost me. I'm excited to make new friends. I'm bubbling with anxiety over whether or not the locals will like me and want to clue me in to their methods and lifestyle... it's all so much.
By the time the morning sun rises, I am absolutely buzzing and bouncing on my paws. The fur on the back of my neck stands on end and even as I yawn nearly every five minutes, daydreaming of a nap to come, I don't feel the least bit weary or tired. I pad my way over to the meeting spot for the festival, and look up to where Ube has told me Kardal will be, announcing the rules of the event. When I watch the patched grey, orange, and white tom step forward with supports bound to him that I've never seen before, another trill of eagerness causes trembles all the way down to my tail. I'm already making eye contact with Ube and Anemone when the announcements are made, and as the feather drops we are off. Bounding into the forest, quieting as we separate.
I'm not sure what I'll find, but in the first hours of my hunt I am hopeful... There are many bright birds flying around in flocks, perching with their young... I've seen pink, yellow, green, orange... so far, no blue. I push forward, then I see something curious. A hollow within a tree, then another... two, they're pretty close though in separate trees. I wonder if they might be good nesting spots, and perhaps if I'm lucky, a feather might be left behind?
[ 1,568 words ]
