Username: Baobabel
Cat Name: Canidclaw
Gender: female
Rank: tbd
Clan: SecludedGladeAge: 1yr2mo
Prompt: Canidclaw grew up in a twoleg home. Well loved by the humans and the other animals in the house, she thinks back fondly on that time. She had food and love and family and yet she always felt she was missing something more.
Her mom had been an owner-less outside cat who died shortly after giving birth to her only kitten under a house porch. The twolegs who lived there saw the kitten and took her in to bottle raise. These twolegs already had a house of dogs and never planned on having a kitten so they didn't really know how to treat one or how they were supposed to behave. So, they treated her like a dog. And so Canidclaws first memories were of the dogs in her family, wrestling and playing tug, chasing after toys and returning them to the twolegs to be thrown again, curling up in a big dog pile to sleep at night. At the time, she didn't think she was anything different from her canine family, other than her small size. The one thing she wasn't allowed to do with her packmates was go outside. She would sit at the window and pine whenever they went out without her. She felt she was missing out and something about the outdoors called to her. One day, one of them gently told her she wouldn't last long out there anyway, a small tender thing like her. She promptly puffed up and pounced on his face and they all devolved into a friendly mock fight.
Then one day, she slipped out! In the chaos of the pack running out the door, she slipped out with them. She was promptly overwhelmed. The sights! The smells! The wind tugging her fur! The loud sounds! Her senses felt blasted by all the information. She started to panic and took off to escape. She ran between two of the houses and came face to face with a neighboring dog. "well, well, what do we have here? Looks like a tasty snack to me" he said as his eyes lit up in anticipation. Canidclaw sunk low, panicked, scared, and not feeling any of her usual confidence or spunk. Luckily, just then, her packmates came racing around the corner and promptly chased the other dog off. "Sorry Canidclaw, but we tried to warn you" spoke one friend as they escorted her back inside.
Canidclaw moped and sulked for the next few days. Mostly she was just so disappointed in herself and how she reacted to the outside world. She didn't realize how intimidating and scary it could be. Plus, those trees and things suddenly seemed a lot bigger when you actually stood next to them. And yet...she still felt the pull. The call inside her to go out and explore and find her own way in life. Was she truly contend to stay in a small house the rest of her life? And while she loved her packmates, her friends, her family, was she truly happy letting them guard her all the time? Defending her without ever standing up for herself? As the days continued and she felt the shock of the outside world wear off, the ever-present lure continued to build as did her resolve to stand up for herself.
So, she did it again. Though nervous and scared, she pushed herself to run out the door again. While still a lot to deal with, the outdoor sights and smell weren't quite as overwhelming this time. She actually enjoyed some of the scents and the feel of grass tickling her paws. So captivated, she didn't even notice as she wandered between the houses. But there once again was the neighbor dog. He seemed more angry than taunting this time. "So, you snuck out again. This time I'm not waiting for your friends to help you, I'm getting you now!" Canidclaw's body flooded with fear. However, as he prepared to attack, resolve and courage filled her heart. She puffed up, growled low, and sprung to attack first! She swiped at his eyes and nose before springing away to prepare for her next attack. The dog, so caught off balance though, turned tail and ran. Her pack came around the corner just in time to see him scramble around the corner as Candiclaw spit after him. As she turned around, she could see new respect in their eyes. For her bravery and tenacity, from that point on, she was invited on the pack runs.
As she spent more and more time outside, the pull to go farther only increased. She thought going outside and later, facing down that dog, were the scariest and hardest things she had ever done. She didn't know, her biggest time of courage and strength was yet to come. Because someday soon, she would realize it was time for her to find her own life. She'd have to leave her pack, her family, and find her own place in the world. That would take more bravery than she could currently imagine, to leave them all behind.