Username: Oceanfosh
Clan:
Cats of the Whispering WoodCat Name: Emberflight
Gender: Male
Rank: Warrior
Age: 28 moons
Prompt: (800 words max)
Emberflight’s kittypet name was Ember.
xxxxxEmber sat on the windowsill, staring out of the clear surface at the water. The waves lapped at the sand, leaving a darker pattern in it that faded away. He closed his eyes, imagining that he were outside: the cold water, the warm sand, the attention from all the twolegs, and the cool breeze. However, opening his eyes again, Ember knew that it wasn’t so pleasurable outside. The twoleg den was always colder than outside, the sand only making the warm temperatures worse. Still, he turned around and lept to the floor. Ember didn’t have anything to do, so he might as well go outside. He padded across the den, heading straight for the door-flap that he could push himself through. Strangely, none of his twolegs came and pet him along his way to the door. Not thinking much about it, Ember went outside. The stretch of sand beside the ocean was empty and silent, the only noise Ember could easily focus on was the waves, the natural noises of birds and plants, and his own paws. Looking around, he made his way towards the tide, sitting down and letting the water splash around his orange paws.
xxxxxThe next day was similar, and so was the next. Ember waited and waited, no twoleg coming into sight. He was hungry but refused to move. Eventually, he heard pawsteps and looked up. A red mink she-cat was approaching him, and he recognized the feline immediately. “Hello Ember!” The she-cat said, her voiced hinted with worry. “Hello Dawn, what brings you all the way to the ocean?” Ember responded, noticing the worry in her voice but not mentioning it. “Well...” Dawn said, looking around. “Have you seen any twolegs recently?” Ember looked around again as well. “No, I haven’t, actually. My twolegs disappeared and I haven’t had any food in a while either…” He got quieter when saying the last part of the sentence. “You know you have to eat! Let me go find something for you!” Dawn said before whipping around and running back towards where she came. Ember sighed. Dawn was an expert hunter, but she lived much farther inland than Ember. She was known for not only her skill as a hunter but her kindness towards every other cat.
xxxxxDawn had returned with a mouse, which she allowed Ember to eat. It was an amazing piece of prey, not only because it was the first thing he had eaten in days but because it was Dawn who caught it. There were a few moments of silence, both cats staring at the silent ocean.
“Ember?” Dawn suddenly asked.
“Yea? What is it?” Ember responded.
“Do you ever wonder what’s out there?”
There was a pause.
“Yea, sometimes. But what about you? There’s endless land once you begin to walk inland right?”
“Of course,” Dawn replied immediately, then paused. “What if we went and looked for the twolegs?”
“Wh-wha?” Ember stuttered, surprised. “You sure you want to go and look with a useless cat like me?”
“No cat is useless, there is something called learning!” Dawn replied. “Come on, let’s go find them!”
xxxxxThe journey began a day after that conversation. Ember padded to where Dawn used to live, the sun half cut off by the ocean. He felt a sort of loss, leaving the waves, but he forced himself to look forward to the journey. He met up with Dawn around her twoleg den before discussing where to go and starting to walk. The first, long days of walking were fun to Ember, and it appeared to be the same to Dawn. However, deep in an unknown forest after many days of walking, the she-cat started to get less and less lively. Ember had to hunt now with the knowledge Dawn had taught him, but it wasn’t long before it was clear that she was sick. Ember spent days searching for a cat to help, but to no avail. Ember eventually was forced to give up, and sat beside Dawn.
“Ember…?” Dawn’s voice was weak and fragile now, unlike when she had first talked to Ember the day before the journey.
“Yes? Do I need to go hunt?” Ember replied quickly.
“No… Ember, you need to leave.” Dawn continued.
“I can’t leave you here all alone!” Ember said, panic in his voice.
“I’m holding you back. Could you… Could you keep walking? Can you find the twolegs for me? If I’m only going to die here-“ Dawn said, but Ember cut her off.
“No, Dawn! What’s the point of me going on without you? We are traveling together!”
“If you leave, you can continue the journey. You know, I’ve heard about a world up in the stars. Maybe I’d go there and follow you, so you wouldn’t be alone…”
“Do you promise?” Ember asked.
“I promise. Go fly, Ember, fly. Rise into the sky and maybe someday we can truly see each other again…”
Ember couldn’t say anything anymore. After catching a mouse and leaving it for Dawn, he left, grief filling his heart every step that took him further from the dying cat he left behind.
xxxxxEmber continued to walk for days afterward. Only hunting when he truly needed to, he walked with his head down. Eventually, he came up to another twoleg den. Hope flared in his chest, and he approached it. Ember had then met the Cats of the Whispering wood and decided he would do his best to fly like Dawn had told him. He may be days away from his old home, the ocean, and days away from Dawn, but he looked at the sky. He had a new name now, Emberflight.
“Fly, Ember, fly,” Emberflight repeated Dawn’s words. “Okay,” He continued, forcing back the grief in his heart.
“I’ll fly.”
970 words out of 800+200 words
1 NPC cat usedExtra: (+200 words OR +1 extra art) Included above, went with +200 words
