Username: xem
Cat Name: Cedarflame
Gender: she-cat
Rank: Guardian
Clan: Cats of the High MountainsAge: 50 moons
Eyelashes?: Yes
Prompt:Cedarflame rose from her sleeping position in the warmth of the cozy den. Her paws ached, and her limbs were sore from the hunting she had partook in earlier that day. She could see cats huddled around the den entrance, watching the snow fall heavily from the sky. A growl rose in her throat as she pushed her way through the cats, watching the heavy flakes hit the ground. “Were anymore hunting parties sent out?” She asked gruffly, looking around for an answer. Most of the cats silently shook their heads, while another spoke up. “There hasn’t been any parties sent out since the one you took this morning, Cedarflame. There is still no prey in the pile.” A small tom said.
Cedarflame felt the hunger gnawing away at her, flexing her claws as she craved a meal. She was sure she wasn’t the only one. “Surely all the prey are hidden in their trees and bushes, it would certainly make an easy kill. Are the hunters too afraid of a little snow?” She snapped, her hunger getting the best of her. The small tom spoke up again, “Cedarflame, we’re all starving, we know. But we must let the snow let up before we send out another party. You can hardly see a tail length in front of you, and low visibility in the mountains here are dangerous. You wouldn’t see an avalanche coming, even if it approached slowly. You can hardly see where your stepping, and the scents will be drowned in the heavy snowfall. The prey will be well hidden, and the trees will be slippery, as well as any exposed rocks on the mountain side.” He said.
Cedarflames tail twitched in annoyance, “Then I’ll go by myself. I may not be as nimble as a hunter, but I can surely protect myself from the elements. I am a Guardian, after all. I must make an effort to protect my clan from starvation.” She hissed, pushing her way out of the cave, and into the snowy camp. She had difficulty seeing as she made her way to the camps single entrance and exit in the thorn wall. But she paused when she heard a howl behind her.
“Where do you think you’re going, Cedarflame? In this weather? It surely must be an emergency..” Came the annoyed growl from behind her. It was Buckstar. Cedarflame turned around to face the leader, but could only see his silhouette in the distance. She was surprised he even recognized her appearance in the low visibility weather. Cedarflames annoyance only grew. “We are
starving, Buckstar. We haven’t had enough food to go around for days. We need, something. Anything!” She snapped. But Buckstar didn’t let her off the hook so easily. “The snow will surely not last long, and then we can send a proper hunting party out. A cat like you stumbling out in the snow with no vision will not help our cause. You might just scare all the prey away, to make it harder for our hunters to catch it. I’m sure you know how dangerous it is, I don’t need one of our strongest cats dead.” He hissed.
Cedarflame knew she he was trying to compliment her as strong in an attempt to get her to listen. But Cedarflames stubbornness and hunger combined made a very powerful attitude. She only turned her back on Buckstar, and left camp. She could hear an angry howl from the leader behind her, but knew he wouldn’t attempt to follow her. She was on her own now.
Soon the she-cat found herself traversing the mountain, until she found a cluster of trees. Hey, this wasn’t so bad. It was hard to see, yes, but she knew the mountains mostly by memory. This place was popular for birds, and she knew some must surely be hidden in the trees, to protect themselves from the heavy snow. As she slipped underneath the tree, she found the visibility was even better as she turned her head upwards. Excitement pulsed through her as she spotted two clumps of birds nestled in the branches. She wasn’t a hunter, but often assisted them as a leader. She could be a bit clumsy, but had often keyed in on the hunters techniques. She slowly began climbing the tree, keeping her movements slow and quiet. The birds didn’t seem to notice her yet. The branches became thinner mas she was close enough to strike one of the birds, and she readied herself. She threw herself upwards in a pounce of desperation, but realized she had misjudged the distance. She easily missed the bird, and quickly tried to grab onto a branch to break her fall. But the branch, heavy with snow, easily slipped from her paws as her body was dropped helplessly to a branch below. She felt an immense pain in her leg as it crunched against a lower branch, before she was dropped to the ground.
It took the she-cat a bit of a moment to regain her self awareness, realizing what had happened. The impact of her fall had been mostly taken out on the leg that had hit the branch, leaving the rest of her body mostly unscathed. But as she tried to sit up and walk, a crying pain of agony left her jaws. Cedarflame looked down at her leg, seeing it in an awkward and painful position. There was no use calling for help, no one would hear her. So the she-cat used every last ounce of strength she had to drag herself back up the mountain, towards camp.
Once she reached camp, the she-cat was rippled with exhaustion, and pain. The visibility had improved a bit in the weather, and she was seen by many cats as she collapsed in the clearing. She was quickly taken to the healers den, her leg put back into place and densely wrapped by the healer. By the time Cedarflame became conscious again, she could see Buckstar sitting before her.
“I’m sorry, Buckstar.. I should’ve listened.” She mumbled, extremely embarrassed. Buckstar only chuckled slightly.. “I think you’ve earned your punishment with that broken leg. And hopefully, a lesson was learned through this experience.” He said calmly. Cedarflame was more than relieved Buckstar was so forgiving, but knew it would be a while before she could return to her Guardian duties with this leg in bad shape. Buckstar rose to his paws, “Rest well, I’ll make sure the hunting parties are sent out as soon as it’s safe.” He said softly, before leaving Cedarflame in silence.
