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july 22 -- august 22| leo wrote:- - solid cream longhair with dark mane-like fur and yellow eyes - -
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This cat is a natural born leader and is always busy taking care of everyone around them. Write about a time where they had to step back and let someone else lead.
- username: lyttlekytten
clan: VagaryClan
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cat's name: Lionleap
cat's gender: male
cat's age: tbd
prompt fill:
When Lionleap joined VagaryClan, the first thing he noticed was how different the other cats were. Most of them were smaller than he was, many of them lithe where he was tall and powerful, muscles rippling in an intimidating fashion beneath his pelt. Out of every cat, only the temperamental Blazethroat and bubbly Thorndash nearly matched his sturdy physique, which made him wonder how these cats had survived as well as they had. Although guilt flashed through his fur at the thought, he couldn't help but feel as though they needed protecting- he worried they might overestimate themselves if faced with an immediate threat. So when he joined, the second thing Lionleap decided to do was dedicate himself to his new Clanmates.
At first, this seemed like just the same way that any members of the Clan would treat one another. He would always be careful to reassure Lynxface that he would stay close while on patrol, or offer to help carry the abundant amounts of prey Waxwhisker would catch. But over time, it became clear that even though his intentions were good, Lionleap's goal was more than to just have the back of his Clanmates. He was always the first to ask to lead a patrol, and the worried glances he stole over his shoulder were no less than obvious to his companions. Even when it was made clear that someone else was to lead, Lionleap would often attempt to take over, directing the other cats and swiftly pushing his way to the front of the group.
And this was exactly what was taking place on a quiet, sunny day in VagaryClan territory, where a patrol consisting of Briarthorn, Ashfall, Turtlesplash, and Lionleap himself was conducting a remarking along the western border. Briarthorn, a cat who was confident to a fault in Lionleap's eyes, was the leader, jerking her head to one side or another rather than speaking when she wanted something done. She was proud and self-assured, but she was also physically small and rather impulsive. For that reason, Lionleap found himself bounding to the front of the group once again, his steps only slightly surpassing Briarthorn's. He opened his jaws to call Ashfall and Turtlesplash back to the patrol when the ginger molly prodded him in the side. When he looked at her, he was startled to find anger glittering in her green eyes, and she gave a huff of annoyance.
"I know what you're about to do, and this is my patrol to lead. I'll call them when I'm ready. You always do this, and I don't understand why- we ran countless patrols just fine before you arrived, so why won't you let us?" Lionleap tilted his head at her as he considered how to reply. She was certainly smaller than him, with her head only reaching his shoulder, so he wasn't sure if there was a response he could give without both sounding and looking condescending. He shook out the fluffy fur around his neck and cleared his throat awkwardly.
"W-well, I suppose I'm just worried about possible dangers. Animals like dogs and badgers are quite a bit bigger than cats, and-"
"The whole reason we train our apprentices is for situations like that. Do you really think we can't handle ourselves, even after all the time we've lived out here without you?" Briarthorn snapped. Lionleap realized that the answer to her question was yes, but he didn't want to say it- and he didn't need to. His patrolmate scoffed at him. "Brute strength isn't the only answer to everything, you know. I think-"
She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence as a furious yowl rang out from the forest behind them. The two warriors shared a brief look of panic before turning around and dashing into the undergrowth in search of the noise. After a few moments they scented fear, along with-
"Fox!" Lionleap hissed quietly, and Briarthorn gasped. Keeping low to the ground, they slunk forward until they were just able to peer through a clump of ferns and see a massive ginger pelt cornering Turtlesplash against a tall boulder. The fox's tail swung excitedly from side to side, and Turtlesplash's mottled pelt was bushed out, her eyes wild. Immediately Lionleap bunched his muscles to launch an attack, but Briarthorn prodded him sharply before he could move. She angled her ears towards a small dip in the ground, where the cream tom could make out three tiny red bodies huddled together.
"She's protecting pups, and she's almost twice your size. You can't just attack it this time," Briarthorn whispered, her gaze not leaving Turtlesplash. Suddenly she looked up, and Lionleap didn't have time to see what she'd been staring at before she gestured at him to follow and darted away. Holding back a curse, he crept after her, surprised to find that he had a bit of a hard time keeping up. Her thinner shape was better for maneuvering the flora around them, and when he got to her, she was already scrambling up an old maple tree that looked like it might fall over at any moment. He dug his claws into the soft bark and climbed after her, holding back startled shouts as he lost his footing more than once.
"Hurry!" Briarthorn cried, her panicked gaze moving back and forth from the fox to Turtlesplash. Lionleap joined her on her branch, which he could feel shake under their paws. Looking down, he realized that they were almost directly over the fox.
"Jump!" The ginger molly commanded, and they did at the same time, their combined weight enough to break the branch from the tree and send it falling right onto the fox below them. They leapt backward and Lionleap almost fell out of the tree again, but managed to keep his balance and watch as the fox let out a pained yelp and crumpled to the ground awkwardly. Seeing her chance, Turtlesplash launched forward, letting out a battle cry and swiping her claws across the red creature's face. By the time Briarthorn and Lionleap had descended from the tree and reached them, Ashfall had appeared, and together the patrol drove the injured fox and her pups in the opposite direction of the VagaryClan camp.
Once the threat was decidedly gone, and the four cats were standing together, fighting to get their breath back, Briarthorn shot Lionleap a grin.
"See? Told you we could handle ourselves." And with that, she turned and flicked her tail, and the other two warriors followed her without hesitation. Lionleap blinked after them for a moment, then gave a small smile as well. He trailed them back to camp, making sure that this time he brought up the rear.
