Zapping Embers

[ophelia]

@Sum
Location: Ember's territory on the edge of the forest
Time: Late morning

Starter Post:
Ember stretched from her den under the oak tree. She had dug a shallow hole and lined in with leaves between the roots of the big tree. She sighed and got up, sitting a little further out to start grooming her fur. She surveyed the landscape. The grass was starting to turn yellow and the trees were red. She loved the colors of leaf-fall, but even she couldn't ignore the threat of the cold winter with all her optimism.
Ember finished grooming herself and went out for her regular rounds. She half-heartedly chased a bird, but it was too small to be of much use. Then she spotted a rabbit. Perfect, she thought and began stalking it.

[Sum]

Zap scampered his way through the forest, taking note of all the different kinds of creatures he spotted. Sadly, there were no turtles. Probably because it was getting too cold for them. And I don't blame them, he thought, shivering involuntarily as a chilly breeze ruffled his fur. Some might call him a mousebrain for acting so carefree after leaving his twoleg home to see "what was out there", but he personally felt invigorated. Excited, for once, to see what would happen next.

Oh! A rabbit! He stopped suddenly, his wide yellow eyes taking in the bunny with interest. He'd added it to his mental list before he spotted the cat stalking it. He blinked, surprised, then a joyous smile stretched across his face. Oh, thank the stars, someone else is out here! Impulsively, he started toward the other feline. "Hey!" he called-- right before he remembered why the cat was there. His eyes flicked from the fleeing rabbit to the stranger. "Sorry.." he muttered, with a small, sheepish grin.

@mareenakit

[ophelia]

@Sum

Ember popped up as the rabbit dashed off. But she had been so careful... She realized there was another cat. "Mouse-brain! You scared my prey!" But Ember could never stay mad long. Besides, it was a new cat! The tom looked apologetic, so she forgave him, although she probably would've either way.

She bounded up. "You smell odd." She tilted her head and asked, "What are you doing in my territory?" She wasn't super aggressive about cats in her territory, as long as they didn't hunt or scare away all the prey, or try and fight her. But he looked harmless.

[Sum]

Zap's sheepish expression melted into a frown. He didn't appreciate name-calling. "Oh, you were.. hunting? I hadn't realized," he lied, shrugging with mock-innocence. She probably knew he was lying, but he had to defend himself somehow. He'd rather lie than feel like a fool.

But Zap wasn't one to stay angry long either. "I smell odd?" What kind of thing was that to say? He chuckled nervously, standing self-consciously straighter. "You don't smell so great yourself!" Which was another lie. She smelled like something wild, like the forest.

"Your territory? You live here?" he asked incredulously. A cat living in the forest? That sounded like a wonderful life! Think of all the things she'd seen out here! His tail gave an excited twitch. He thought all cats lived with, or around, twolegs.
@mareenakit

[ophelia]

@Sum
Ember, being the innocent cat she was, didn't recognize the lie, and instead simply shrugged. "That's okay. There's plenty more." She flicked her tail as a moth landed on it and blinked, momentarily distracted by the fluttering wings.

When she looked back at him, he seemed bigger. She tilted her head at his question and nodded, "Mhm hm. I don't?" She tried to remember what she'd done that day. "Hmm, maybe it was the Shadowclan territory I accidentally stepped in." She didn't really mind that much though.

Ember perked up, "Yep! Well, I'm either here or in the alleys in the neighborhood." She laughed in surprise, "You didn't know that was possible, did you? Where do you live then?" she asked him.

[Sum]

ShadowClan territory? What did that mean? Were there more cats out here? This was more interesting an adventure than Zap thought it would be. He let himself relax when it was clear she wasn't angry, slumping back to his normal stature. He subconsciously noticed she was rather small-- did she eat enough? A small wave of guilt washed over him, but he quickly pushed it away.

"Whoa, that must be exciting! Living in the forest, like this!" His eyes sparkled excitedly at the prospect. "What's it like? Do you get lonely?" He blurted out the questions impulsively, biting his lip when he realized they might be personal. He cleared his throat, grinning sheepishly again. "I live with my twolegs," he replied easily, waving his paw. "Well, I lived, I should say-- I left today." He had no reason to hide that. Or anything about himself, really. Why should he?

@mareenakit

[ Sorry if my replies are a little scattered! They'll get better once I develop Zap more. (; ]

[ophelia]

Ember straightened, with pride, "It's great! You get to catch your own prey and meet so many people!" Her shoulders slumped a little. "Yeah, sometimes it's lonely. That's why I go down to the alley wheree there's other cats. I have some friends down there."

Her eyes widened as he said he lived with Twolegs, "Oh! That's what I smelled." She tilted her head et again in curiousity and asked, "Why'd you leave? I mean I know why I would leave but weren't you used to it?"
@Sum - it's cool!

[ophelia]

Bump! @Sum

[ophelia]

Boop@ @Sum