[Aqua]

The early eves of the morning were clouded by darkness, a storm threatening to hit the lands at any moment. The rolling of thunder in the distance was a audible warning for critters to be wary and potentially take shelter soon. But a large cream colored feline paid the looming weather no mind as he found his way to the Elder's Wood. This part of Gorgeclan's forest was a very unique place to find yourself. The ground as well as a lot of the trees were blanketed by an overgrowth of moss here. The moss mixed with the typical green foliage caused the whole wood to be a mass of green. In this place, anything that was not the same color stood out like a sore thumb. The creamy tom was no exception to this, his bright coat the polar opposite of the deep green moss that coated the forest floor. Anyone with a decent set of eyes in their head would be able to spot him from many fox-lengths away here. Which was just fine, he was not here to hide. This was a wonderful place to just stop and listen to the world around you.

The large tom sauntered into the wall of green, coming to a stop on an open piece of moss towards the center of the wood. He glanced around at the trees overhead, admiring their strength and the protective way their branches weaved amongst each other. After the earthquake, nature had taken it upon itself to grow strong trees and plants to play the foundation of this wood. Showing that the disaster it caused had not totally ruined their territory for the worse. In fact, it was as if this was nature's way of making a comeback for redemption. It's way of saying, "hey, I'm still here and I'm still strong!" Lionheart smiled to himself as he sat down on the comfortable bed of moss under paw. Nature was truly an amazing force to be reckoned with.

Letting those thoughts pass, Lion closes his eyes. He allows all the muscles in his body to slowly relax as he takes in some deep breaths. For a few passing moments, the whole world seems to go quiet. The sounds and movement of everything around him seeming frozen in time as his body adjusts to the stillness. Then just as quickly as it stopped, he began to make out the sounds of movement around him. The clack of branches hitting against one another in the breeze. The leaves as the wind blows to and fro through the tresses. He could make out a faint scuffling noise as if a mouse or maybe a vole was digging around the wood for it's next meal. The powerful rumbling of thunder sounding even closer as his hearing heightened. He felt a feeling of peace wash over his body as he just listened to the sounds of the nature around him. Allowing the earth to speak to him in it's own way and calm his mind. Very few cats took the time to enjoy the world like he was right now. And it was a pity in the tom's eyes.

Made by Aqua || Tagged: OPEN || Words: #529

[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

[googlefont=Cairo]

[attr="class","robin-content"]<sub>Robinflight always found the sounds of a distant storm to be comforting. When the lightning was distant enough to be barely perceptable rumblings on the wind, the minutes stretched between each faraway flicker of electricity and its ensuing growl. It felt so small and harmless from this distance, like a kitten mewling for a playfight. It was hard to believe that were the storm instead crouching on top of the valley, fears of forest fires from the crackling firebolts would be running through her mind. Still, even though the threat felt barely real, there was a sense of anticipation among GorgeClan. Like they were waiting for the winds to change and the storm to come rolling over their heads. Hunting had been slow. It seemed most prey animals had the common sense to be wary of the sound of even a distant storm, and many of their usual targets kept out of view in burrows or under tangles of roots. As the sounds of the storm faded away and the evening settled into a cosy lull, Robinflight still found no luck. It seemed there were few creatures that felt brave enough to venture out to feed just yet. And so, she found herself strolling towards an area of the territory that lay away from her usual haunts.

Elder’s Wood, a beautiful place that held an almost eerie quality. Here lay the oldest trees in the forest, trees that perhaps existed when their ancestors first arrived in this valley seeking shelter. Their gnarled branches arched overhead, a blatant mockery of the earthquake that had laid waste to so many of the surrounding forest. Of course, this section of forest hadn’t been untouched by the disaster. The new growth sprouting from the ground, the damaged logs that lay in her path, all of these were the scars left behind by the past. But some of these great oaks truly were the elders of the wood. There was an almost reverant quality to them, like they were as divine as StarClan’s crystals. These trees existed as a reminder of the strength and resillience of nature, and Robinflight tended to avoid them because it felt almost intrusive to enter this quiet, sacred place. Her white paws made little to no sound as she pushed through the ferns and leaves, trotting over the twisted roots that sprawled lazily along the forest floor.

Right away, she caught the scent of a rabbit. Licking her lips, she dropped low to the ground and attempted to identify its direction. She followed the trail carefully, each pawstep soundlessly flattening grasses and ferns. Slowly, the creature came into her view, distracted and nibbling upon a small patch of clover. Its beady eyes had a wide field of view and its large ears had sensitive hearing. They were a difficult creature to take down with stealth, speedy as they were. She wondered why there was a rabbit so deep in their territory, but then realised it must have hopped over from GaleClan’s moors to avoid the wrath of the potential storm. Miraculously, she drew within pouncing range of the small animal. Launching herself from her position with a wriggle of her hind-quarters, she landed short and stumbled from the momentum. The rabbit let out a high pitched squeal of terror and took off, Robinflight cursing under her breath. She attempted to take off after it, but it was in vain. The rabbit outran her easily and disappeared into the undergrowth.

Tail-tip twitching with obvious frustration, Robinflight let out a heavy sigh. Now that every prey animal in the area had been alerted to her presence, she would have to look for something to catch elsewhere. Suddenly, another scent reached her on the breeze, causing her ears to perk with surprise. Someone else was here. She trotted in the direction of the scent and came to a peaceful clearing, light slanting through the branches and falling upon a very conspicuous cream coat sprawled out across the grass. She shook a scrap of leaf from her head, calico fur dappled even further by the sunlight falling down from the gaps in the trees. “Lionheart?” She asked, surprise in her tone. “What are you doing all the way out here?” And napping, no less. She added silently.</sub>

Wordcount: 713
Tags: Aqua

[newclass=".robin-content b"]color:#cf8500;[/newclass]

[Aqua]

The world seemed to just slow to a crawl as Lionheart tuned into all the noises of nature. He could hear the faint noises of a prey animal. The gentle breeze blowing through the thick ceiling of leaves in this part of the woods. He allowed these noises to take over his thoughts, allowing any stress from the day to day responsibilities start to fade to the deep recesses of his mind. He wanted to relax for what little time he could manage today. He didn't want to worry if there was enough prey on the pile or if the borders had been patrolled. He wanted to take a moment to himself for once. He was always bending over backwards to keep his clan standing strong. So some time to himself to strengthen his overall mental health was well overdue.

A sudden high pitched squeal came to the tom's attention, alerting him to the fact that the prey he could hear was a rabbit. Judging from the noises in the distance, something had spooked the animal, sending it flying away in fear. While the tom was curious as to what had frightened it, he did not budge from where he sat in the clearing. Rabbits were known for their big ears and the increased hearing abilities they possessed. So even the smallest of noises like a stick falling off a tree could cause a rabbit to spook. He was hoping that was the case but he made sure to keep an ear out for any other ruckus from another animal. He didn't need a potential predator making an appearance while he was distracted.

The creamy tom tried to relax again, still a little unsure about the noises he had just heard. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, adjusting his body into a chill posture again. His body moving in this adjustment to make how he was sitting a little more comfortable. He couldn't let a little rabbit ruin this brief self healing he was trying to accomplish here.

“Lionheart? What are you doing all the way out here?”

The tom suddenly froze in place as he heard a female voice speak up from his left side. If he had his eyelids open, the other cat would very clearly see an eyeroll from the big tom. 'So much for some relaxation now.' He grumbled in his thoughts. The tom turned his head, opening his yellow optics to observe the she-cat that had joined him. The other warrior was a torbie she-cat with green eyes that stared at him in surprised. Robinflight. The she-cat was quite a bit younger than himself but she was one to work her butt off too. He had taken notice of how she was always on the go, doing tasks for the clan whenever she could. Much like himself, really.

"I came out to attempt to relax." He replied simply, staying in his seated position at the center of the clearing. It took a moment for him to conjure up more things to say for the she-cat, not use to socializing very often. "Have you never sat and listened to the sounds of the forest before?" Yellow eyes studied the she-cat's facial expressions, wondering if she had ever just stopped herself. Not in the same fashion as he was doing here but like just put aside all responsibilities for even a second. To take that second to even breath. Some cats took things a little too far so he was curious if she fell into that particular grouping of cats.

Made by Aqua || Tagged: ♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 || Words: #598