my feet knew the path - briar

[moth ★]

Silently, the tabby wove her way between her groupmates, orange eyes searching the crowd for their leader. It was past time they had a talk.

The prey drying up had been one thing. Between the arrival of the pine group and the growth of their own ranks, it had been a long time coming. With so many hungry mouths in one spot, this result was only natural. That alone had been enough to cause an itch in her paws, one that told her it was time for her to get moving again. However, for two reasons she resisted the urge. The first was that despite the drought in food, this group still offered a protection she could not be afforded anywhere else. The second, and more sentimental reason, was that she stayed in this camp so long she had begun to consider it home.

There were solutions to the prey problem, and surely a peaceful one could be found. So she had hoped.

Now, though, there was an anger in the air. Whispers on the wind of taking back their territory. There was violence on the horizon. She saw no reason to stay should that come to pass, if it did this camp wouldn't be able to even give her safety anymore. It would be sentimentality alone then, that stayed her paws.

For now, that could yet all be avoided, and she still dared to hope. Still, she thought it best to warn Briar far in advance, as the absence of one of her best hunters - as Moth thought herself to be - would be felt acutely in such a barren season. Finally, her gaze fell upon the molly in question. "Briar!" she called out as she made her way over. "I had hoped to have a word." She glanced to the other cats in earshot. "Privately."

@BRIAR ​

[ BORE THE SHADOWS THAT YOU MADE ]​

 

[BRIARSTAR]

The dwindling prey population had been a concern for moons now, but recently, things were starting to escalate beyond Briar's control. She thought that the kittypets would get bored of playing wild cat and would return to their twoleg dens where they had a warm place to sleep and a full belly every night. With a good portion of their numbers gone, she thought that the rogues and loners of the pine group would be quick to follow, either move on to another forest or retreat within the concrete walls of the Twolegplace with their kittypet companions. Neither of those things had happened. It had been a solid year without any change, save for the cats of the marshes going hungrier and hungrier with each passing day. As bellies remained empty, tempers rose. Her groupmates became increasingly frustrated and aggressive towards the pine group. Briar could not quell those feelings, not when she felt very passionate about it too. She did not want a war, but she couldn't sit back and let those she loved suffer.

She was pulled from her thoughts when the familiar figure of Moth approached, begging her for a word in private. Briar rose to her paws and padded over. She opened her mouth to speak before Moth uttered that she would like a word privately, so she nodded and began to lead the way to her den. It was a little concerning that Moth didn't want to speak out in the open. She hoped what she had to say was nothing serious. "I hope everything is alright," she said as she led the way out of camp so they could speak within the silence of the shadows.​

 

[moth ★]

Her tail lashed behind her as she followed her leader out of camp. The words she had to say running though her mind again and again. It took her a moment to realize Briar had spoken, and another to realize her reply. "For the moment." She stated heavily, after far too much consideration.

A sigh fell from her. Nothing to be done but spit it out, she supposed. "With the way things are headed, however, I fear it won't be for long. Which is why I think it might be time for me to leave for greener pastures." Her gaze sought that of the other molly, attempting to gauge her reaction. Her ear flicked. Moth wasn't certain how this would go over.

"I haven't made any decisions yet." She clarified quickly, lest it come off as though she was setting off this very moment. "And believe me when I say I'd rather have it any other way. At the end of the day though, I stayed here because it guaranteed I would be well-fed and safe. Soon I won't be able to justify that choice anymore."

It felt rude to tell Briar this, as though she was laying the blame for all the recent misfortunes squarely at her paws. She wasn't, of course. She found it hard to lay the blame on anyone in particular. To her it seemed like a simple streak of uniquely bad luck. Still, what she had said was the truth about how she felt, and her leader deserved at least that much. "I thought it best to let you know now. Before I make any decisions. You have enough on your paws already, and I'd hate to add to that anymore than I have to."​

[ BORE THE SHADOWS THAT YOU MADE ]​

 

[BRIARSTAR]

Briar was quiet while Moth spoke, although the sadness in her eyes and the slight flattening of her ears betrayed her feelings long before the other molly had finished speaking. How many more would turn tail in the face of war? She didn't blame them. War was a scary thought; she herself had never fought a battle. Moth was right, their home did no longer feel safe. With prey dwindling and tensions on the horizon, it was becoming more and more apparent that there was only one outcome to this conflict. She wasn't sure if she was relieved or frightened that someone else saw things the same way.

"Thank you for telling me, Moth," she said, her voice a lot quieter than normal. "It's becoming more and more apparent to me that we all know how this is going to end. And while I hoped words would be enough to send Rain's group scurrying back to the Twolegplace or whatever holes they crawled out of... they're just that: words. Empty words. Hungry bellies make us grow desperate and you're right to assume that soon our home will not be safe anymore." She sighed. It was clear this entire situation was weighing heavily on her. It was times like these that she wished Hare Whiskers were here. He would know what to do. Stars, he was so similar to Rain that perhaps they could have even been friends if it weren't for the way their massive groups depleted the forest.

After a moment of silence, she looked up at the other molly. "I want you to stay, but I can't force you to, especially in the face of war. Do what you must. I will hold no grudges against you for it." She imagined that by the time this was over, she would have to say goodbye to many she considered friends. Perhaps others would abandon the group and go rogue. It was better... better than the alternative she imagined. Lives lost to the fighting. She hoped it never came to that.​

 

[moth ★]

The sigh of relief she let out at Briar's reply was heavy, and tinged with resignation. "Thank you." She whispered, simply glad that the leader had taken it so well. This conversation could have been a lot harder, and a lot more painful. Still, she hated to hear the other molly affirming all her fear and pessimism. Especially when she knew that everyone she left behind would be walking headlong into it.

Her ear flicked.

"Now that that's out of the way," Moth began slowly, not yet entirely sure where she was going with this. "I guess I should warn you that if I do leave I'm going to persuade Flicker to come with me?" A laugh tore through her, bitterly cold. "Not because I actually expect it to work, just as a courtesy. No, I fully expect it'll be an exercise in futility." Her tail lashed behind her. This was the problem, she should be halfway out of here already but she'd gotten too attached. The idea of leaving Flicker behind, of her body broken to this stupid scuffle, it hurt.​

[ BORE THE SHADOWS THAT YOU MADE ]​