- Aug 26, 2022
- 294
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In leaf-bare grieving was as rare as the prey-they couldn't allow it for long. To fall into despair was death, to linger too long on one's sorrow meant other things were neglected. Food, warmth, other companionship but mostly food. Always food. Their clan was struggling with an excess of cats taken in from kindness and he could not even blame anyone because would he not also open his arms the same as Emberstar? It would be hypocritical of him, especially given he and Rabbitnote were once two of those same cats seeking sanctuary.
Sunfreckle wants to both return to the nursery and to never look at it again because its so empty it would break his heart, he considered staying in bed once they had returned to camp. He considered just curling up into a ball and stopping. Cease. What was the purpose of moving forward when the claws continued to drag one back with a vehemence.
The thoughts settled on him briefly, but he shook them off, had to power through it. What life had taken had also given him, he had a loving mate and a clan he adored, several other children he wanted to see grow and become warriors, good friends, a bright future still despite the dreary weather clouding the sky. Sunfreckle was not a tom to give so deeply into despair he lost himself, he was stalward enough and by StarClan he would keep trying.
After reporting the trap to Emberstar he had only one thought on his mind and that was to make sure there was no others, hunting in the process, but keeping his eyes narrowed and watchful for the first sign of the glinting silver maw of the cage welcoming naive cats into it without mercy. Perhaps he was too focused on the trap that he didn't see the squirrel that perched so still to his side as it noted the predatory creeping along the crunching snow. When it burst from its place to dart away he only barely managed to block its path with a stomped paw, but its twisting around sent it breaking through a thick bramble bush and out of his sight where he heard a shrill cry from it shortly after and the sound of jangling metal that made his stomach lurch in familiarity.
It reminded him of the great silver teeth the two-legs wore at their hips back in the shelter place; the sound they made when jostled was like chimes and signified a cage opening.
In this instance, it was instead a cage closing. Sunfreckle stepped around the bush to see the squirrel darting back and forth in a panic inside the very same contraption that had captured his daughter and had her taken from him; this one seemed much smaller though he wondered if it was just because a squirrel was inside it and not a mostly grown kitten.
The red tabby slowly stepped around it in circles, examining it as the squirrel continued its erratic panic. He had to get rid of this...
There was a knocked over container inside the squirrel had probably upset that smelt of fish and kittypet food, it also had the squirrel. Both of these things would feed his clan and he needed to get them out first. Then he was going to drag this to the thunderpath and let the monsters deal with it.
