@kat, ember
omg yay! i'll post it in a tiny size so it doesn't make the post too long. just copy and paste it! c:
"come on snow, you'll be fine. you know your sister is too weak to move, and frankly, so am i. your best chance is to go on your own. hush, don't argue with me. go, and you'll be great. remember that i love you."
snow shivered, his paws dragging in the snow. his fur was soaked to the bone, due to the still-falling snow from the sky. he scowled, his eyes narrowing. 'of course i'm named after the snow, and that's how i'll die. typical.' he thought with a grim sense of humor. he looked up to the sky and snarled, his distain clear. distantly he realized that it was morning already. he had lost track of how long he had walked. with a sigh, he stopped in his tracks. he was thirsty, so thirsty, but the snow wasn't melting and he had no idea where the next body of water would be. he bent his head down and took a bite of the snow, his face twisting in disgust. he kept eating the snow until his throat stopped hurting, but his stomach growled loudly. eating the snow had reminded him that the last meal he had was two mornings ago, prey was scarce since the snow had started up. he didn't know how to hunt anyway, he had gotten lucky with that vole. he looked at his surroundings with more attention, scenting the air. the snow had laid a thick blanket on the ground, but he recognized a faint trail of a squirrel. he followed the scent deeper into the forest, his only focus on finding himself food. he started walking faster, noticing the scent was getting stronger. he was close! he saw it a heart-beat too late, it had seen him first and scurried up a tree. with a muttered curse, he ran to the tree and started climbing. the squirrel was just a branch away, he could practically taste it. with a mighty jump, he landed onto the same brach and quickly hooked it with his claws. he nipped its neck and heaved a heavy sigh as he sent a thank-you up to the sky. it was something his mother had always made him do, it puzzled him but the tradition had stuck. he munched happily on his prey and yawned, then the yawn descended into a cough. his chest rattled and he winced, knowing instantly something was wrong. he decided to try and sleep the illness off, his thoughts trailing off. he looked around for somewhere to rest, and purred as he saw a medium sized hole in the tree he was in. he climbed up into the hole, and curled into a ball. he sneezed once, then yawned again. he was safe inside this tree. he closed his eyes and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
when snow woke up, he felt hot. he tried to stretch out, but hit his head. he cursed and then started sneezing again, loud and echoing through the forest.
"hey, you up there! are you okay?"
snow froze, his thoughts a rush. someone was outside and had heard him! he couldn't jump down from this height, and he couldn't run. he poked his head out of the tree and looked down, seeing a red and white tom on the ground. 'well, at least the snow melted.' he thought with a cheery forced optimism.
"are you okay?" the tom asked, his tone milder this time. snow thought about what to say, but he couldn't show weakness to a stranger. better to say he was fine then. he nodded to the tom but sneezed, and tumbled out of the hollow. he free-fell for a moment and shut his eyes tight. 'i'm gonna die!' he screamed inside his mind, sure of his prediction. his fall suddenly stopped as he felt teeth on his scruff, and he relaxed against his will. 'what the...?' he looked up with wide eyes to meet the concerned green of the strange tom. "t-t-thank y-you..." he said, his teeth chattering. whether it was from the cold or the shock of his fall, he didn't know.
"mind telling me what you were doing up in that tree?" the tom asked with a smile, making snow flush. he looked down at his paws and realized he was shivering madly. he debated on telling the truth about the squirrel, but the cat might get mad for hunting on his territory! he couldn't say that. he thought wildly and then came up with a believable story. "G-Got l-lost.... T-The snow... it c-came down hard and I w-was scared... so I climbed the tree." he sighed internally as the tom looked at him sympathetically, believing his tale. he felt his chest seize as he started coughing again, his eyes closing in pain. when he opened them again, he saw the tom looking at him again with even more concern in his eyes. 'he has pretty eyes. oh no, i think i'm really sick if i'm being this ridiculous.' he lowered his gaze, beating himself up inside because he knew now was definitely not the time. he felt another sneeze coming, this time ready for it. the tom looked at him for a moment before speaking again.
"why don't you come with me? i know a cat who can fix you up in a jiffy." snow looked up at the tom, feeling his chest swell with hope. he wouldn't die? the tom chuckled, seeing that the answer was a yes, and picked snow up by his scruff gently. snow felt himself relax again, his thoughts coming to a slow halt as his eyes slid shut like before, but this time his dreams were filled with blue streaks and starry cats.