[Thistledawn]

Originally Posted by Raindancer

As they walked back, Silence began to feel uneasy. It was more than the coming storm pricking under her pelt. Her orange eyes scanned the foliage around them restlessly, checking back to make sure Hoot was behind her several times. When they got close to her hollow, she stopped, and scented the air. Silence froze like she'd just tasted lighting.

Silence felt the world spin for a moment, her paws rooted to the ground. Her black fur puffed up, making her look like a spooked shadow. Her heart sped up, jittery like a mouse, her breath uneven. In her broken, raspy voice, she choked out "Hoot. Hide. Now." Her throat burned, but she didn't take time to swallow, just looked back at him, trying to smother the fear she felt. "P-please." She forced herself to move, fighting the urge to run. She motioned left There's an entrance to the den around the back. Be quiet.

Silence had known he would come for her. She had nightmares about it. Of course he would come with a storm on his heels. But looking back at Hoot, she wouldn't run. This was her home. Hoot was her friend. She would protect him, and everything she'd worked so hard to build. Uprooting again wasn't an option.

Hoot was surprised by Silence's sudden change. The she-cat seemed fine only moments ago, but her uneasiness was contagious. Hoot felt his own fur begin to stand up and his heart began to race. The Abyssinian wasn't sure exactly what this sudden danger was, but he trusted that it was bad as soon as he heard Silence speak. The panic in the other cat's voice made Hoot nervous. There was a context to Silence's fear of whatever was lurking about, but Hoot had no idea what it was.

The young tom wanted to run. His paws were ready to turn and run until he couldn't anymore. All of the tiredness and exhaustion that Hoot had felt before dissipated in a heartbeat. His body had initiated the fight or flight response and there wasn't any going back. Hoot had to fight his urge to run. It took all of his strength to do what Silence had told him. He followed her instruction, keeping his ears and eyes open for any sign of danger.