[Taxx]

Teller of the Mountain Sky

The cave was nearly empty. Aside from a few cave-guards who had remained to protect those who couldn't go out, most of the Tribe had turned out as soon as the sun had risen enough to cast light over the slopes. Skyteller gazed out at the entrance, catching the sight of Roar sitting at watch and fidgeting a bit- possibly wishing he were out there, rather than having been picked to guard the cave. Skyteller could understand his desire, but Storm had made his choice and he wouldn't interfere with the Lead.

Instead he turned as the scrabble of paws announced the appearance of their youngest kits, the three found by Snow and Dusk: Pebble's kits. The three had just reached their fourth moon and they were strong kits. Splash of Leaping Trout, who scampered into sight, was a sturdy kit; Skyteller felt sure that by the time she reached apprentice age she'd be stout enough to train as a cave-guard. Stone might be with her, but he wasn't as sure about Dawn. Time would tell, and there was no reason to rush any of them.

"Good morning, Splash," Skyteller greeted the young she-cat, as he rose and padded toward her. "Did you sleep well with your brother and sister? If you're hungry," he added, and turned to glance at the young hawk and the rabbit that was left over from the day before, "there's plenty to eat. Just be sure you save some for your littermates and Snow, of course."

♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 | table by amber

Tribe of Forgotten Waters

[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

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[attr="class","nuggetsubtitle"]Splash of Leaping Trout
Tribe of Forgotten Waters

[attr="class","nuggetwords"]The sound of rushing water had at first been frightening in her memory. She remembered flattening her ears against the roar, crying for the familiarity of the scoop of earth her mother had called a den with petulant mewls. But now that roar of water had become as familiar as her mother's purr. More familiar, in fact. She had been so young when her mother died that already her memories of her were becoming hazy and distant. Like a stream flowing down a mountain, gradually meandering into a powerful river, Splash had long begun considering this cave her home. And of course, of Dusk and Snow as her parents.

The smell of stone and water was what she now breathed into her small lungs, her ears perked to catch the echoing murmur of voices. Not many cats remained in the cave at this time of day, most had headed out into the harsh mountain landscape to gather food for the Tribe. Splash heaved herself into a luxurious stretch, casting a glance back towards where her littermates slept in the unusual arrangements that the Tribe considered to be nests. Not seeing any point in waking them or in rejoining them, Splash strolled aimlessly down to the centre of the cave. Here, she looked up at the high ceilings with thoughtful, perplexed eyes. Despite having not made a sound, her littermates were quickly awake and moving. Splash glanced back towards them as they toddled sleepily into the open, a purr rising up from her throat.

The sudden sound of pawsteps behind her threw the young she-kit into a defensive bristle, her tiny claws unsheathing in alarm. Her eyes flicked upwards and met the familiar gaze of Skyteller, and she relaxed as his soothing voice drove away all memories of scrabbling, feathers and cawing. She puffed herself up, as if indignant that anyone should frighten her, but instead of making her look tough it just made her look like a round fluffball. "Good morning, Splash," He meowed politely, though his voice didn't seem to catch the attention of Dawn and Stone. They were content to play together behind Splash, who was more interested in the important tom that had greeted them.

She dipped her head in a bow, a respectful gesture she had picked up from observing the older cats in the Tribe. "Morning." She replied, eyes widening as she looked up at Skyteller. "Did you sleep well with your brother and sister?" She cast a somewhat annoyed glance at Dawn and Stone. "Kinda." She muttered. "Hard to sleep when Dawn keeps kicking at night." Splash was a fairly light sleeper, so the slightest flap of a bat or clack of a pebble could cause her to stir at unlikely hours. "If you're hungry, there's plenty to eat. Just be sure you save some for your littermates and Snow, of course." Skyteller went on, and at the mention of food Splash glanced over at the two remaining pieces of prey that lay only a few tail-lengths from where she stood. Normally, she would share food with her littermates, taking turns snatching bites from the juicy flesh. However, she was just hungry enough that she might nip over there and grab a few extra mouthfuls while nobody was looking.

She paused, a question that had been plaguing her for a moon surging back. She hesitated. She wasn't usually the kit who thought before she spoke, but Skyteller was unintentionally intimidating to her. He was a figure of utmost authority, and even she couldn't help but have a flicker of respect for him. Finally, she worked up the courage to speak. "Skyteller... I wanted to ask... Hail told me that you weren't always called Skyteller." She blurted out, interested eyes still focused on his. "What was your name before?"

[attr="class","nuggetnotes"]TAG: Taxx / WORDCOUNT: 624

♕

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[Taxx]

Teller of the Mountain Sky

The young kit's jump made Skyteller freeze for a moment, but the brief panic he saw in her eyes faded quickly and she blinked back at him as he settled in front of her, her fur still fluffed from her scare. She greeted him in return and then glanced back at her siblings at his question, a hint of annoyance on her face now. "Perhaps she has bad dreams. Next time, why don't you try calming her? It might help you both sleep easier," Skyteller suggested, glancing over at the ginger-and-white she-cat. If she were having nightmares, poppy seeds might help... but he couldn't dose her every night for the rest of her life. Maybe a talk with Snow would be a better option.

Splash's gaze had moved to the prey, and Skyteller started to rise, to walk with her, but she didn't move to head toward it. Instead her golden eyes found his and she piped up with another question. Amusement flickered within him. Hail was surprisingly invested in the kits- maybe she hoped to get one of them as a to-be. And kits were always eager for stories, of which the prey-hunters and the cave-guards would have plenty. It was too bad there were no elders, but given River's age she might soon choose to pass on her rank to another, younger cat and settle down to enjoy the rest she was deserving of.

"Hail is right. When I was a cave-guard I had a different name, but I gave it up when I was called by our ancestors to be the Tribe's Healer." He glanced around, making it as subtle as possible before leaning down to Splash. "But since you asked, I will tell you, and it can be just between you and me. My name was Rumble of Distant Thunder." Then he straightened, flashing a glance toward Dawn and Stone, who were still tumbling about; he spotted Snow just beyond them, washing her ears while keeping an eye on the rowdy two.

He gently brushed the tip of his tail against Splash's muzzle, warning her to be quiet, and then nodded toward the prey once more. "Would you like to eat? You and I could share-that rabbit looks just right for us, don't you think?"

♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 | table by amber

Tribe of Forgotten Waters

[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

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[attr="class","nuggetsubtitle"]Splash of Leaping Trout
Tribe of Forgotten Waters

[attr="class","nuggetwords"]
Splash was not afraid of Skyteller specifically. What she was afraid of were more like phantoms than actual living, breathing things. The crows that came to mind were frightening, but though that experience had terrified her and her siblings, it wasn’t the crows she was afraid of. She was afraid of Snow disappearing as Pebble had. She was afraid of Dusk leaving the cave and never coming back. Which was why each morning when they left, even though she would never admit it to anyone, she came out here to wait and to watch carefully for his return. As if maybe if she hoped enough, nothing bad would happen and Dusk would come back just fine. “Perhaps she has bad dreams. Next time, why don’t you try calming her? It might help you both sleep easier,” Skyteller meowed, his voice level. Splash turned her eyes back towards him, feeling a prickle of surprise. She hadn’t really considered that they might have nightmares too, but now that Skyteller had said so, it seemed stupid of her to have not considered it. She nodded slightly, pleased that Skyteller had given her something to do. It was like a mission… sort of.

The rumble of hunger was not enough to suppress her curiosity. She noticed the hint of amusement in Skyteller’s eyes, which at least told her he wasn’t unhappy with the question. She relaxed. It would have been much worse to be scolded for being disrespectful than for him to find her question amusing. Hail had not told her what Skyteller’s old name had been, despite her being the one to admit that their healer had not been named Skyteller as a kit. So ever since she’d found out this little snippet of knowledge, she’d been exploding with the desire to know what it was. So now she was finally on the verge of finding out, and Skyteller didn’t seem to mind… she felt a bit stupid for having held back.

When Skyteller finally spoke, Splash perked up her tufted ears. “Hail is right. When I was a cave-guard I had a different name, but I gave it up when I was called by our ancestors to be the Tribe’s Healer.” He explained, then glanced about him as if what he was saying was against some sort of ancient law. Splash leaned forward, her eyes wide. He had given up his name? She imagined his name as something that could be given or shared, like a piece of prey. What would the Tribe of Endless Hunting do with it,? Would they take it away, and give it to some other cat? Or would it be lost forever, and then Skyteller had to spend the rest of his moons with his new name? “But since you asked, I will tell you, and it can be just between you and me. My name was Rumble of Distant Thunder.” He told her, and the name spun around Splash’s head like birdsong. She nodded softly, a silent promise that she wouldn’t tell her littermates, delighted that she was sharing a secret with someone. And a secret with the Tribe healer, too!

She could hear her littermates playing behind her, but she didn’t feel like playing. She was too worried about Dusk. Her green-gold eyes swivelled up towards the exit to the cave. She could only think of it as the exit, because the only time she had ever entered the cave had been when she was carried here as a tiny kit. She was pulled away from her focused waiting by Skyteller, who spoke again. “Would you like to eat? You and I could share- that rabbit looks just right for us, don’t you think?” She purred, looking towards the rabbit he mentioned. It did look delicious. She nodded, and followed him towards the pile of prey. The rabbit had the heady scent of the moments, and it’s hind legs were strong and tough from seasons of running and climbing on difficult terrain. She waited for Stoneteller to drag it free from the other prey. “I’m worried about Dusk.” She confessed as they both settled down to eat the rabbit. She was surprised by her own admission, she hadn’t really meant to tell Skyteller what was on her mind. But if he was willing to tell her his old name, then…

[attr="class","nuggetnotes"]TAG: Taxx / WORDCOUNT: 725

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[Taxx]

Teller of the Mountain Sky

Splash's green eyes shone as he told her his name, seeming all too delighted at the idea of knowing something her brother and sister didn't. She nodded, promising that she wouldn't tell any cat, and he straightened with a purr. Skyteller noticed her eyes flicker toward the cave entrance again, but at his offer of sharing prey she followed agreeably. He plucked it from the pile and laid it in front of the young kit, crouching down but waiting for Splash to take the first bite.

"I'm worried about Dusk." The quiet admission caught Skyteller's attention and he turned to Splash, tail flicking to curl around her smaller body. Dusk had gone out with the first patrol to hunt, and he was sure to be back any minute- he knew the kits, though they had a nest in the nursery, often preferred to sleep out with Dusk in his nest, with the other prey-hunters. Splash had probably woken to find her father gone.

"What has you worried?" the ginger tom asked, amber eyes gazing down at Splash. "He's with Tribemates, and he should be back soon." Part of him wondered if she was just... worried because of her past. Did she have memories of her mother- had she wondered, as a kit too young to ask questions, why she simply hadn't returned? They knew the truth now, understood that an eagle had killed her and the Tribe had rescued them, but she might still have those concerns in her mind- only now it was Dusk and Snow she worried for.

♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 | table by amber

Tribe of Forgotten Waters

[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

Splash of Leaping Trout

tribe of forgotten waters

Her ears flattened to her head as the scents of the mountains rose from the dead rabbit. Everywhere this long-eared creature had been, danger lurked. And if this rabbit, which she had been told by the speediest prey-hunters was a swift and quick-turning animal, could be caught by the Tribe's hunters... Couldn't there be hunters just as swift or sly, waiting out there to make Dusk or Snow into its own prey? The little tortoiseshell kitten took a harsh bite from the flesh of the rabbit, the meaty flavour momentarily distracting her from her own racing thoughts. She shuffled her paws, trying hard to focus instead on Skyteller's old name, the secret he had entrusted her with. She sat back to let Skyteller take his own share of the rabbit, a single bite. Everyone got their fair share of food, down to every mouthful. It was the way things were supposed to be, and being raised as a Tribe kit, was something that Splash took to very quickly. This was nearly all she knew, and her memories of being a loner living in that small, cold little hole in the ground were swiftly fading.

She felt Skyteller's tail flick around her shoulders, and raised her eyes to his gentle face, for once not flinching at the unexpected touch. She wiped the blood from her muzzle with a delicate white paw, the comforting gesture didn't do much to calm her nerves. Her golden green eyes drifted back towards the exit, glistening with worry. "What has you worried?" The ginger tom asked, his voice understanding, but with a quizzical note. "He's with Tribemates, and he should be back soon." She shook her head, looking down at her paws. "But... what if he isn't?" She whispered, guilty that she was doubting the cave-guards, doubting that they could protect their own tribemate. "What if someday, he tells me he'll be back, but then he won't? What if an eagle catches him?" Her eyes were round. "They can fly!" She took another fierce bite of the rabbit, chewing absentmindedly. 

I got spirit I got wings
I got fire in my lungs

344 Taxx Notes

[Taxx]

Teller of the Mountain Sky

Splash's concerns were very real, even if she didn't have a sense of the truth of her worries. Perhaps, in echoes of her dreams, she remembered Pebble's own death and the attack the crows had made on her and her siblings. She might be even more worried at the possibility of the family that had taken the three being torn from her as her mother had been. Quietly, Skyteller watched her rip a bite from the rabbit and chew fiercely, letting her finish before reaching out a paw to tap her gingerly on the shoulder. "Come with me," he urged, and headed for the cave entrance, to where the light had been growing brighter.

He didn't venture far past the opening, settling on the ledge close to the path that led down to the hunting grounds. "Look," he told the kit, and gestured out at the expanse of rock and stunted trees, a few patches of scrubby grass poking up here and there. "It looks like there's no place for a cat to hide, doesn't it? But there are. Part of what a cat learns, when they become a to-be, is to always take care to know their surroundings. Like a rabbit's hole, there are always places a cat can run to, to hide in, if danger threatens."

Glancing down at Splash, he carried on, giving her a comforting smile. "But the most important thing to know is to always trust your Tribemate. The cave-guards have keen eyes, and they've been known to spot an eagle so far in the distance that it looks no bigger than a speck of dust. They give a prey-hunter plenty of warning, and they know exactly how to fight off anything that might try to hurt any cat. Even Demon would think twice before taking on a patrol of cave-guards." Settling into a crouch, Skyteller gazed back over the slopes and took in a breath of air.

"I won't lie- sometimes accidents happen." His ears flicked as he thought back to the avalanche, to Moon's injury and Mink and Light's death. "But I also know that we are always careful. And your father would fight anything as hard as he could, to come back to you, Dawn and Stone."

♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 | table by amber

Tribe of Forgotten Waters

[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

Splash of Leaping Trout

tribe of forgotten waters

The gentle brush of a white paw pulled Splash from her worries. "Come with me." Skyteller murmured, his voice as soft and comforting as the sigh of the waterfall. The kit gave the rabbit they had shared one glance before rising to her paws to trot in his wake. "Where are we going?" She asked him, a touch of bewilderment in her voice. But the larger cat did not answer. She scrambled up the uneven slope leading towards the cave exit, and blinked the brightness from her eyes as she joined him at its summit.

A ledge jutted out from the rocks there, and that is where Skyteller chose to settle, his great main of fur spreading out around him like a cloak. "Look," He meowed, raising a paw to point out at the vast mountainside. Light was gently unpeeling from behind the tallest peaks, and Splash was dazzled by the beautiful and extensive landscape she and her family were lucky enough to call home. She held her breath as she gazed out across the rolling valleys and hills, trees growing up from precarious slopes. "It looks like there's no place for a cat to hide, doesn't it?" He pointed out. She glanced at the view again, noticing how barren and sparse the cover was. She nodded. "But there are. Part of what a cat learns, when they become a to-be, is to always take care to know their surroundings. Like a rabbit's hole, there are always places a cat can run to, to hide in, if danger threatens." The Tribe kit was nodding slowly, her eyes wide as she tried to find these hidden places that Skyteller spoke of. But then, she supposed, they wouldn't really be that well hidden. She met his gaze when he lowered it once more to her, her ears perked attentively. "But the most important thing to know is to always trust your Tribemate. The cave-guards have keen eyes, and they've been known to spot an eagle so far in the distance that looks no bigger than a speck of dust. They give a prey-hunter plenty of warning, and they know exactly how to fight off anything that might try to hurt any cat."

Splash felt a tingle of admiration for the cave-guards. Her uncle Dark was one, and she had never realised the amount of skill and courage it would take to become one. She had always assumed, without malice, that cave-guards simply existed so those unable to hunt had an important job, too. Skyteller continued. "Even Demon would think twice before taking on a patrol of cave-guards." Splash was awed. "Really?" She meowed, her jaw dropping open. She had no idea that cave-guards were so cool! "I won't lie- sometimes accidents happen." Skyteller sighed. "But I also know that we are always careful. And your father would fight anything as hard as he could, to come back to you, Dawn and Stone." Splash relaxed, knowing that was true. She knew it was also true of their mother, Snow. "Thanks, Skyteller." She purred, relieved. "I feel a lot better."

I got spirit I got wings
I got fire in my lungs

516 Taxx Notes

[Taxx]

Teller of the Mountain Sky

As he'd hoped, his words brought comfort to the kit, and relief warmed him. He hadn't wanted to make light of her concerns, to brush them aside as the groundless worries of a kit. They had been based on truth and he wanted Splash to understand that, while their world was dangerous, they weren't clueless and vulnerable. Nor did he want her to have an inflated sense of safety: caution was a cat's best skill to keep them safe and allow them to hunt, or guard, and survive each day.

"Really," he purred. "He's big, but he knows better than to tangle with cats who are on guard and willing to fight." Tail flicking, he turned to gaze out over the mountains again, and then, his gaze caught by a flicker of motion, turned to see Leaf heading toward them with a rabbit in her jaws. "There, Splash." He nodded toward the small group on their way back to the cave, but rested a paw on her side in gentle restraint. "Stay here until they're closer, okay? Then you can go welcome Dusk back."

♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 | table by amber

Tribe of Forgotten Waters