Roosterflame
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The bell tied around Roosterflame’s throat tinkled softly in the breeze as Roosterflame sat in the bough of the maple tree, his eyes half-closed, his claws digging into the soft, dew-sprinkled bark.
He hummed softly as he sat in the tree, in all appearances waiting for something, though from an outsider’s perspective, he didn’t seem to be paying much attention.
Soon, there was a rustle in the undergrowth, and the tom’s eyes snapped open, and he sat up, rigidly. Below, a young, black rabbit lopped between a pair of blackberry bushes, sniffling at and nibbling the deep blue berries, unaware of the danger that threatened it at that very moment.
The collar rubbed uncomfortably at Roosterflame’s neck, but he ignored the discomfort, the collar would be off soon, anyways. He kept a laser-focus on the rabbit, everything about him entirely still, the bell had even ceased its soft ringing as if it too was aware of the hunt.
Then, like a flash, Roosterflame dropped from the tree and directly onto the rabbit. The rabbit bucked beneath Roosterflame’s sudden weight upon it’s back, but it failed to dislodge him, and he quickly seized it around the throat and snapped its neck in one clean motion. It hadn’t even realized he’d done it.
Roosterflame licked the scarlet blood from his lips, tasting the irony flavor as he dropped the rabbit on the ground and bowed his head in reverence for the life that he’d taken. Roosterflame didn’t believe in StarClan, to be completely honest, but he always made sure to thank them, lest they actually exist and be upset that he didn’t acknowledge their existence.
It had been almost a full moon since he’d been catnapped and forced to live as a plaything for a twoleg family, but he’d escaped with only a few scrapes and cuts from the hole in the wooden fence, and now he was home free. Well, he wasn’t yet home, but he would be. Soon. Hopefully.
The collar jingled softly as he turned his head, a painful reminder of the past moon. He grimaced. Of course, the twolegs had chosen the gaudy color of pink for his collar during his imprisonment, and he had often been teased by the other cat living in the prison, a chubby tomcat named Turpentine.
Soon, the collar would be off, that he had promised himself. As soon as he found ThunderClan again, he’d rip the collar off. Until then, the collar would stay on, as it was his disguise for when he entered any Twolegplaces, as the twolegs assumed he belonged. The collar, however restraining, was currently his ticket to freedom.
He breathed in deeply, inhaling the familiar scent of a forest. He was close. He could smell it. Also, he could smell a drizzle on its way. The rain wouldn’t be good, it might was out the ThunderClan scent markers, if he were to come across them, and that would hinder his search for sure.
Roosterflame sat down, tail curled around him as he began to eat. He imagined that he was sharing the rabbit with a clanmate.
Oh, how he missed his clan.
…
It had been days since Roosterflame had caught and eaten that rabbit, and now he was standing at the ThunderClan border for the first time in what felt like forever to the fluffy tom.
He didn’t even hesitate as he bounded over the border, scattering dead leaves in his wake. He was home! Home! Joy pulsed beneath his pelt as he dashed through the forest, feeling freer than he’d felt in a long time.
He paused at a tree midway through the territory. Hooking his paw under the collar to make some room between it and his throat, Roosterflame tugged and tugged at it until a faint tearing sound split the air. He then paused, looking around for a rock. The ripping had been the elastic inside the collar tearing in half, so now the collar only needed to be cut off. When Roosterflame found a sharp enough rock, he put it in between his throat and the collar, and pushed. The collar broke with a satisfactory ripping noise and dropped to the ground. Roosterflame observed it with a look of contempt before collecting the bell from it and burying the ugly pink collar beneath the dirt for good. He also stashed the tiny bell in his neck fluff to put in his slowly growing collection of neat things beside his nest when he got back to camp.
Taking a deep breath without the collar was bliss.
Roosterflame looked around the territory, trying to judge how far he was from camp. He seemed to be close, thank goodness.
As he wandered the forest, he couldn’t help but be reminded of when he first was trying to join ThunderClan. He’d been wandering the forest similarly to today, and he’d felt the same intense feeling of homecoming as soon as he crossed the scent markings. Even though he had been born on a farm, ThunderClan had always been his home.
Soon, he smelled the familiar scent wafting through the air, and he once more broke into a run, excitement flooding his weary mind,
“Sparrowflight!” He cried, breathless,
“I’m back! I’m home!”
( @
Jayvines )