[Wolfiedog3]

hope it's okay to enter even thou uhh didn't know about the kiddo c;

Username;; Wolfiedog3
Cat Name;; Leo // The Lion Zodiac
Gender;; Male
Age;; 24 moons
Clan;; Cat of the Zodaic
Rank;; Leader

Prompt;;
``It's not every day that you see an animal being hurt by a human, son.``
The small kit looked up at his father, his bright, wide yellow eyes staring at the cat before him. A cat of unbelievable strength, but seemingly gentle towards the baby.
``Your mother was the most beautiful cat I had ever seen, I wouldn't have saved her if it would have been any other cat.``

The hissing and growling filled the bobcat's large tufted ears as it walked away from the town. He turned his head and hid in the shadows, the hissing intriguing him to who and why they would be hissing this loudly. He rounded the corner, his bright eyes glowing their yellow in the darkness. That's when he saw it, a cat of the vibrant red color, standing out in even the darkest of night. His eyes widened at the scene unfolding before him, however. The female was covered in cut marks and scared beyond that of any he had ever seen, a human standing over the cat, a net in hand and a large weapon of some kind. The male couldn't tell if they were trying to catch the female, or what, but whatever it was he didn't like it one bit at all.
``Get away from me you stupid human!!`` the female yowled loudly, trying to back away from the human.
She seemed to be protecting something almost, but he didn't care, all he saw was her being attacked. That's when he made up his mind. He jumped out of the shadows and in front of the female just as the human swung towards her. Catching the blow, his eye was searing in pain, but he growled and lunged towards the human the best he could, his eye keeping him from knowing the true location.
``Hey! You can't hit that bobcat! They are protected to remember? If we can't get the cat so let's just go, we can't get that bobcat to be injured,`` another human yelled from behind the one who had the net.
``Seriously!?! Dang, it!`` The human lowered its weapons and scowled before walking away.

The bobcat wasn't too sure what happened after they had left, all he remembered was passing out from the pain finally getting to him. However, when he woke up, the female was standing over him and sizing him up. He visibly gulped and she let out a heavy sigh.
``Thank you for saving me.``
She padded away from him, just for him to see where they were, a den. The floor covered in leaves, vines hanging over the way out of it, and some herbs stored in the corner. He looked back towards the female, to see her laying over next to him, with...kits?! She was nursing them and they did look a lot like her.
``If it wasn't for you, these little ones wouldn't have their mother.`` she smiled at the bob and then squinted. ``My name is Hera, I'm the healer, my clan have agreed to let you stay till you can be on your own again, and uhh your eye.``
The male tilted his head and then tried to look out of his other eye, just to realize it was burning again, he had lost his eye.
``Oh... At least I didn't lose it stupidly. My name is Orville, haha, creative parents really.`` He sighed.
``Ahh, nice to meet you, I am truly sorry about your eye, I didn't think this would happen.`` She let out a heavy sigh, ``I was just looking for my lost kit when they tried to get me.``
``It's alright.`` Orville said.

That's how it all started. Orville soon learned that Hera's mate had been killed by humans, giving her a deep hatred towards them. It was good for him since she was a healing eye from where he had been hit. The two often told one another stories of their journeys or jokes, as they both had a sense of humor. Orville often acted as a father figured towards Hera's kits as well, seeing that they didn't have a father to teach them certain things. Soon he was accepted into the clan was a member, being he had helped the clan with hunting and teaching them how to fight if it was ever needed. It was uncommon of course to hear of a bobcat being in a clan, however, it was allowed as they were related almost. What they would never see coming was the love in the two cats would have a domino effect on a cat who would soon not let them live their happy lives.

Hera licked the kits head, the tufts on its ears standing on edge. Orville walked into the den and smiled happily, laying beside his mate. They had three little kits of their own, the clan welcomed the kits with open arms, of course, all except one cat.
``What should we name them? I have a few ideas!`` Hera said, looking down at them.
``Hmm, I would like to hear these ideas, before I give any of mine my love.`` Orville cooed at her.
``Well, for the only female in the litter I would like to name her Matilda since she seems like a strong little one. While the smaller of the two boys I would like to name Bay like the reddish wood color. But I don't have a name for the other boy...`` Hera looked at him, his bobbed tail wagging.
``Hmm, How about Leo, his red fur gives me the idea.`` Orville asked, looking at his mate with his yellow eye.
``That's perfect.`` She smiled and nuzzled his neck.

A loud growling of cats scared the couple out of their loving mood.
``Stay here Hera.`` Orville said, standing up and trotting outside.
A cat fell in front of Orville when he walked out, the cats fighting around one another, unknown why it had started. Orville ran to where the leader stayed, just to find a cat he had known to be exiled a few weeks before, standing over their leader's dead body.
``Whoops, seems you don't have a strong leader to help you out here.`` The cat snickered.
``Hades...`` Orville growled deeply.
``At at, I wouldn't if I were you, Orville since you have a lovely family here, don't you?``
Orville's eye widened and he raced out of the den, just for Hades to follow and tackle him to the ground, however, the cat was no match for a wild cat of much larger size. Orville pushed Hades off and ran towards the nursey, watching the cats around him fall. He ran in, finding a scene he never thought he would see. Hera lied dead with their kits by her side. Orville walked over, crying, he laid down and yowled loudly at the site.

The attacked ended just minutes after Orville had found his mate dead, Hades and his group leaving and leaving very few cats left. Orville laid in ruins around his dead family as he cried to himself. What he didn't know was what that was going to happen next.

A small whine came from the corner of the nursery where they left the herbs. Lavender. Orville stood up and walked over to the pile and moved some of it with his nose, amazed to see what he had found. His son. His last son. Leo. The kit had a few small wounds on his face from where it seems he had been tossed or just moved under the lavender. Orville picked him up gently and moved him out of the nursey. He whined loudly and the few cats that were left heard him and came over to Orville, one of the females who had lost her kits said she would nurse him, but only if Orville allowed him, and of course he did. It was his son, and he wasn't going to let Hera watch this kit die from the stars.

``So that's what happened to mama?`` The kit perked up and looked at the male.
Orville looked over at his son. The first time he had said anything about his mother and he seemed to be taking it alright.
``Yes, I am sorry to tell you.`` Orville said.
``It's alright papa, I'm gonna get the cat that killed her.`` Leo said.
Orville looked at his son, hatred showing in his features. Anger. This story would have an end.

[would do word count, but I think it tries to count the quotes as words ;c]

[Neah]

Username;; yuroshi
Cat Name;; Weapon Snarlfang
Gender;; tom
Age;; 24 moons
Clan;; Oddclan
Rank;; Warrior

Prompt;;

What was that, youngling? You wanted to know how I was born? Oh, well, when one cat loves another very much...
Kidding! I know what you meant, of course! You want to know about my parents. How they met, I assume? Well. Settle down, get comfortable. Prepare yourself for the tale of a meeting of two who never should’ve met- a sickly bobcat queen, and a tyrannical Tom-cat leader.

In a land far from here, long past the cold white mountains, there was a land home to a brutal clan where murder was encouraged and torture of enemies condoned. It was led by the most massive cat you could imagine. He sported a thick red coat, only a blaze of white on his mane, face, and stomach. His pelt was littered with scars, one particularly nasty one all the way around his head, where he was caught by a dog before- he loved to tell the tale of how he escaped, and always encouraged targeting an enemy’s eyes. He was cruel, cold, and would not take no for an answer, a leader who ruled by fear. On that day, he went to help patrol his kingdom, and kill any who dared to trespass.
A day’s journey away, an aging, sickly bobcat was finding it harder and harder to hunt on her land. No-fur kittens had begun to frequent her land, ignoring her scent-warnings and setting up their strange dens made of false-fur, starting little suns and scaring away the prey. On that day, she decided that it was time to move on from her old land.
Neither knew that they were headed directly towards the other. Neither knew that it would be a day they’d come to regret.

Their first meeting went how you might expect it to when one invades another’s territory. For all that the bobcat was larger, more deadly, she was also aging. The tom was ruthless, cunning, and young, boasting a fit body or abnormally large size. There was truly no question of who would win in this battle, though both came from it sporting new scars. The molly was soon pinned under sharp claws, fangs barely a tail-width from her throat, and knew that her end was upon her. The tom as well knew he could end her easily, but for the first time in his life... he hesitated.

Now, many might think this would be a rocky start to a beautiful story of love. But as he pulled back and growled out his interrogation, as he informed her that she would be welcomed into his clan but watched carefully, there was not a speck of awe in his eyes. Never once did he pause to consider her beauty, the way her voice rang with a quiet kindness, or how she only ever “invaded” to keep herself alive. No, he wasn’t the sort of tom to notice kindness, beauty, grace. He may notice mercy, sure, but only saw it as a weakness. To him, the queen walking on giant, silent paws beside him was only good for one reason- her potential. After all, he was never the sort of “king” to let a good weapon pass by unused.

The tom, Bloodstar, was many things. Cruel, certainly, strong, absolutely. But much as he was a brute, he was a fantastic actor, and determined enough to do... well, anything, no matter how different it was to his nature. So when that excuse for a clan welcomed a bobcat into their ranks, as season of unprecedented peace and kindness under their king began. Of course, the tom was still cruel and unrelenting, punishing any who dared to question him, but around the object of his desire, he simply seemed strict, maybe a little quick to action, but not nearly as bloodthirsty as he was. The queen, on the other hand, never changed. She remained mostly quiet, peaceful as much as she was able... she grew to admire the tom she believed Bloodstar was. He was quite talented in his winning of her affections, and it wasn’t long until she was happily pregnant with what would be her last litter, old as she was. It wasn’t until she was maybe a moon from giving birth where things began to change... or maybe revert, would be the correct word. Suddenly, Bloodstar was punishing dissenters with permanent scars rather than a slap on the nose. No one could eat until after he did, not kits or elders— in fact, elders were chased out of the clan. Yet she was still mostly blind to it, not wanting to see that she’d fallen for a man who wasn’t truly there. It wasn’t until the day I was born that she finally saw it. As the large red king sauntered into the birthing den, looking at the one large kitten lying next to the lynx, she saw no love in his eyes, only a certain cold ambition.

“My newest weapon,” he purred out coldly. “Oh, how I will enjoy having a tool like you.”

As the tired bobcat looked up into the eyes of the king, seeing nothing of the warmth and protective glean a parent should have, the false image she had of him shattered. And that was the day that my mother and father truly met.

We loved the subversive nature of this one and the interesting take on the prompt. It was very close but in the end, everyone favored this one just a bit more.

I'll also be giving out hms to Yellow, dewly-noted, Ravendarus and EchoIre.

Also giving out an hm to hawkfire102 for assisting in judging for this comp. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.

[Ravendarus]

Ahhh thank you for the HM!

Congrats to the winner I absolutely loved your writing!

[Yuroshi]

Oh my goodness, I just saw this- thank you so much! I absolutely adore this beautiful cat and I’m so glad he can be a part of Oddclan!

Congrats to all the rest of you on the HMs- this must’ve been a nightmare to judge, I adored all of the writing and art I saw for this, so many of the stories were so creative and emotional!

Thank you!!! <3