[xvinn]

shadow of soaring (eagle) (she/her) | tribe of forgotten waters

Wind buffeted the edge around the top, through each indivdual fur of the brown tabby she-cat who looked over the valley below. From up here, they seemed like tiny ants, easily crushed by even the single pawstep of a kit. Everything felt clear up here, as wind passed not just along her flank, but through her lungs as well. Every breath was crisp and cold, but fresh and powerful too. Raising her gaze by only a mouse-length, she was able to gaze upon the horizon, looking out for birds that might want to make a snack out of her.

Let them try, she thought, a purr rumbling in her throat.

Though she had lived many seasons, everything around her made her feel as though she had the ambition of a young cat who had just graduated their assessment of the tribe. The she-cat felt that even if a falcon came swooping down, that she could take the creature down and drag it back to camp to make a meal out of it. She relished the thought, closing her eyes as the breeze whistled through her whiskers. She'd heard tales of Tribe cats of old who would bring down hawks from the sky, battling against them, predator versus predator until the cats emerged victorious - and why wouldn't they? The Tribe had always been the superior, lasting long before the Clans ever did, and the tabby felt deep within herself that they would last long after.

Eagle's green eyes opened once more as she looked down upon the valley, placing one paw gingerly on the edge of the mountaintop. She had ambitions, she had a future, a destiny. She had known since she was but a small kit that she would do something great. She could remember feeling her dreams dashed as a to-be when she had failed the cave-guard assessment three times, more than any to-be was often offered. But becoming a prey-hunter came naturally to her, it turned out.

Her claws unsheathed, reaching over the edge of the cliff.

It was the exact drive that made her wish to be a cave-guard that had helped her excel as becoming a prey-hunter. It was the ability to track down a living creature that dared step foot near her kin. It was the desire to taste blood between her teeth. It was the drive of feeling a life flood away under her own claws. Eagle had learned that as a prey-hunter, she would get to feel all those things far more than any cave-guard got to feel.

But it wasn't enough. It was never enough. She hungered for more. And standing up here, on the perch of her destiny, she knew it would come. The purr erupted once more in her throat as she finally stepped back from the ledge, preparing to climb down from her perch. Eagle knew she could only allow herself to daydream for so long. It was good to have her dreams, to feed into her ambition further, but she also needed to prove herself. If she were to head back to camp, she knew she would need to catch a piece of caught-prey or two to feed her tribemates.

Abyss / flicker ● the newsies quote popped into my head and i had to write ● 552 words

[Abyss]

[googlefont=Amatic SC]

Flicker of Dying Flame

Vexation clung to her charcoal pelt, a scowl crossing her rounded face. Something that didn't happen quite as often as she wished, pleasant dreams had found her in the darkness, a deep purr rumbling through her curvy torso in her nest. Dreams of a particular brown feline with swirls of raven black decorating her pelt. Dreams of, strangely enough, young kittens standing on her paws and climbing over her back, ones who held a satisfying resemblance to herself and the prior creature.

Where most dreams to find her mind brought with them feelings of victory and indulgence, visions of clumps of fur stuck in her claws and blood staining her teeth, this was not the same. This one brought a strange tingling in her stomach, and while it did cause a spark of pride, it was different than the sort that accompanied other dreams. Dreaming of being with another, having a family, becoming a mother, these were things that she never truly saw for herself. At least not in the usual sense. But this dream? Her approval was resounding.

Or, at least it would have been, had the dream not caused what she felt now after she awoke from it. Sure, the dream was desirable and sent warm chills down her spine. But it also brought annoyance and pining irritation. Where the hell had she been?! She up and leaves to be with her new brainless brethren and suddenly it's as though her darling in the mountains does not exist. Leader or otherwise, what right did she have to abandon someone who openly displayed favor for her?

A sharp breath escaped Flicker's nostrils, large paws quietly thudding against the rocky path she walked. While she did have a desire to pad down into that valley, stroll right into their home, and swipe her cherished away, she opted away from that decision. No, she would not lower herself that far for any cat. Once that she-cat realizes what she's missing, she'll come crawling back. She knew she would.

Just as she crested the path and began to turn, orange eyes of flames peered upwards to find that she was no longer alone. Rather than finding the ledge she often frequented to be empty as normal, instead she was faced with another feline, one she immediately recognized.

Like a well-practiced flick of a switch, her scowl shifted into more of an elegant smile and a watchful eye as she approached the light brown tabby. Her eyes only scanned over the other for a moment. While the other molly's physique wasn't much to boast over, there had always admittedly been a small gleam in the other's emerald hues that Flicker found rather intriguing. Though she made no effort to show this.

"Ah, greetings Eagle. How fare the sights of the land beyond?" Her voice carried a formal tone, her sleek black tail curling in the air behind her. Though she had not personally spoken to Eagle much, more so by choice than necessity, she nearly always held some form of assumption of another's persona on her back. And this she-cat was one who gave Flicker a feeling of familiarity. Perhaps she was correct, perhaps not. There was only one way to test.

"Casting an attentive eye down on our poor commoners below is a hobby I too often indulge myself in. I pity them, truly. All of their nonsensical egos and desire for greatness they cannot achieve. It's rather shameful that more of them chose to return to their sorry old lives rather than remain where the light fairly shines." Her paws had brought her just passed the other femme, stopping at the ledge the other had just stood upon moments before. With a flick of her ears, her head just barely turned, peering at the prey-hunter with a single narrowed and expectant fiery eye. "Wouldn't you agree?"

And when my fantasies become my legacy
Promise me a place in your house of memories.

Words: 645 | xvinn