[Fae Magic]

The water soaked her short but thick fur as she padded through the rushing water that fell from the water fall above. She looked so small and dainty; almost fragile as the water soaked through her fur making it lay flat and pinned to her small frame. But the dark molly did not care. She never cared for appearances anyways. Dark amber eyes blinked the water droplets off of he long lashes and peered straight ahead; giving her eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness behind the sheet of sparkling clear water. Pendulum could feel the cool dampness of the interior of the cave she resided in seep into her fur and to her skin beneath making her shiver a little. But it was a good kind of shiver. Refreshing almost even with the contrasting weather that was warm outside the haven that shielded her. 

The brown molly's tired paws thanked her for the coolness that the hard cold stone provided as she made her way deeper into the cave behind the water. Oh she was so tired already of the long and lonely road she took. She missed her brother...she missed the chance of becoming a mother. She didn't miss her ex-mate who pretended to love her and put her through so much heat ache and pain. She wished her life had been normal...she wished she'd listened to her brother and not gotten herself into such a state to begin with. But, wishing meant nothing anymore; she couldn't get it back and she knew she never would. Wishful thinking was just that; she would never physically get what she had lost back.

Lying herself down the loner stared at the sparkling water ahead of her from where she lay in the back in the darkness. The flickering reflection of the pale blue watery surface bounced off the cave walls making it look so beautiful and peaceful. The faint flapping of bat wings could be heard occasionally above her making their presence known. That was okay, a good lunch for later when Pendulum was actually in the mood to hunt. Dark amber eyes gleamed in the darkness as they stared at the water blocking the entrance of the cave. 

Her throat closed up a moment whenever she swore she saw a dark shadow cross the bright light of the water in front of the cave entrance and her heart made a sharp leap in her throat when her mind automatically clicked to her brother. Zoom wouldn't have been here would he? After so much searching it couldn't have been him; her hard road couldn't have ended like this with such a lucky find after so many moons of looking for her brother and he'd suddenly just pop up out of the blue with no word or hint to his location?

She didn't realize she had been on her paws heading for the water's door until her head pushed through the sheet of cold wetness and with her eyes closed she didn't realize her mistake until her nose touched something warm and moist. Her eyes blinked open from the water that clung to her dark lashes and she found herself staring at another cat that she had bumped into that stood right on the other side of the shield of water. Her dark eyes widened slightly and she didn't move for a good minute as she stared at the figure in front of her. Nope, not her brother. Definitely not her brother! Shoot! thinking quickly she jerked herself back into the water and into the cave behind it. Not that it would hide her. There was nowhere to go and no where to hide of course. So if the cat outside wanted in. Well, she's just have to face them.

[Phoenix]

I'VE BEEN RUNNING SO LONG
THESE SHADOWS START TO FEEL LIKE HOME

<sub>Spring was upon them, and with the passing of the seasons came the temperamental changes of the weather. Rainy one moment, sunny the next, but despite the scattered showers that had haunted him the entire day, Finch had abandoned the dry warmth of his den for the soggy mountainsides. An empty stomach was a cruel master, and the memories of long cold nights with only its hollow ache for company were too fresh in his mind for him to ignore it. To not take advantage of the growing abundance of prey was a fool’s mistake. And he was no fool. Seasons of doggedly defying the mountains’ best attempts at killing him had honed his instincts to sharpened steel and hardened his heart to stone.

If one was not the hunter, they were the hunted. It was a lesson he had learned all too well.

Today, his had been a successful hunt. His path had led him along the river and up the stream toward a pool of water that he knew attracted predator and prey alike. The mouse had barely had time to take a final breath before its neck was snapped, and hunger satiated, the loner had decided to wash down his meal with a drink of water. With some trepidation, he had approached the area, pale green eyes following the stream of water upward as it tumbled down from above and crashed into the small pool below. The deafening sounds of its descent echoed around the area, successfully obscuring any sounds of his own approach – which meant that it could just as easily hide the presence of other predators. Finch knew all too well the importance of utilizing all of his senses to remain alert, and to lose one so soundly set him on edge. He would be fast.

Ears flicking, the brown-furred tom noted the relatively fresh scent of a strange she-cat lingering beside the water. A keen gaze traced the trail as it disappeared behind the waterfall and into the cave that he knew was hidden there. Curiosity had driven him into its recesses once before, but while he had found it too damp and cold for his liking, others, he knew, found a comforting and well-protected shelter. He had no desire to investigate further; cats could become monsters when they were cornered. That he was likely not alone – that she was likely somewhere out of sight behind the curtain of water – was enough to convince him to pause only long enough to lap at the water before ducking away. He would be sneaky. He would be fast. And, as always, he would be ready for an attack. Just in case.

A tentative nudge at his shoulder immediately had the fur along his spine standing upright and claws sliding from their sheathes as he lashed out, on instinct, toward the dark shape he saw in his peripherals. Whipping around to face the offending she-cat, he caught only a glimpse of wide amber eyes before she retreated back behind the curtain of falling water. Pulse racing, he tried to settle himself with a few deep breaths. Adrenaline-fueled alarm gave way to something like regret as the look of startled fear in the she-cat’s gaze hovered in his mind’s eye again. Frustration – she ought to know better than to sneak up on an unfamiliar – coiled in his gut, tempered only by an old, familiar weariness that settled once more deep within his bones.

When had he become the cat who struck first and asked questions later?

When strangers became potential enemies rather than friends, His mind supplied. In his defense, it was not often that he met other cats who had a particularly friendly disposition, so any interest or expectation for finding companions had long since died. Plus loners had a tendency to come and go, to meander into and around and out of the valley and the surrounding mountains; he did not often stumble across an individual more than once. But that is not always true… His thoughts strayed to a polite tortoiseshell tom, who he had rescued and, much to his pleasant surprise, since encountered many times. Despite his best efforts, Finch found himself growing begrudgingly fond of Oleander.

Taking another deep breath, he sighed. The she-cat had clearly not been hostile. At the very least, he could apologize and then be on his way. “My apologies,” He called out, wondering if his voice would even carry over the roar of the waterfall beside him. But he had no intention of crossing the watery barrier and entering the cave, so it would have to do. “I have no desire to fight. If you wanted to pass by me, then you may.” Finch stepped to the side. “And in the future, you would do well to refrain from sneaking up on someone. There are many others who would not stop to trade claws for words.”</sub>

I feel like I'm

fading

818 words / Fae Magic ♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 (oleander mention)

[Fae Magic]

The darkness of the cave made it easy to hide but she swore her heart could be heard echoing within its cold stone walls. It sounded just as loud if not louder then the waterfall she hid behind. Nope, definitely not her brother. Although the tom outside of the shield she hid behind seemed almost to resemble him at first glance. At second glance Pendulum kicked herself for thinking of such a thing. The tom outside was smaller then her brother, slenderer, and had shorter fur then Zoom. While Zoom borderlined black because of how dark his brown fur was. The unknown tom outside seemed on the lighter side with shades of lighter brown to cream in his fur. She willed herself to push back the disappointment that sank to the bottom of her heart like a rock in a river. She knew it was too good to be true. When it came to her brother she was the weakest link there was. She'd built herself up to be a strong and imposing young molly who did not need anyone to stand by her side but was willing to stand by there's if they proved to her that they were worth it. But, when it came to Zoom...she was...lost. Lost in the sea of memories, lost in the overwhelming tide of guilt that consumed her that made her that much more desperate to find her brother. He was her everything and she did not feel complete without him. 

Shaking her head to get rid of such ideals her ears perked up when she heard the voice of the tom outside. Faint but still able to hear him over the sound of the water. Heh, shouldn't he be the one to be warned? He was the one who nearly took a swipe out of her. Granted, when he saw the fear and surprise in her eyes when they bumped into each other. She knew he was just as surprised and on edge in their encounter as she was. The feelings were rather mutual. But, she was not weak and did not scuttle away like a scared kit just because someone happened to stumble upon her. Composing herself and straightening her shoulders she forced her paws to push herself through the water fall once more towards the dark figure she could see the shadow of on the other side. Careful not to bump into him again with her eyes closed by turning her head away and turning to the side so not to directly collide with him she shook her wet fur and blinked the water away. Climbing herself onto a rock that supported the mouth of the waterfall she took a moment to lap at her chest fur a few times before finally raising her head to meet the stranger's gaze head on. 

No more was there the surprise in them or the fear and instead her dark orange pools met his gaze with a calm composed look. Her body was rather relaxed but she was on high alert and wary; she wouldn't be surprise by an another if her calculating and searching gaze had anything to say on the matter as she stood tall and proud in a relaxed pose. She looked like a queen ready to face an on-coming enemy to negotiate or something as she looked down at the tom with a searching gaze before she finally spoke. 

Tipping her head down in a small bow and finally spoke up. "That's alright, I should be the one to apologize. I charged out blindly without calling out first or warning you that I was approaching. I did not mean to frighten you either...I just had a lapsed moment of judgement." she spoke quietly before looking back up the path he must have taken to get here.

"I do not see many loners in these parts. I haven't crossed many in all honesty. Are you from here? I hope I'm not encroaching on your territory. If I am I was just passing through no worries." Passing through yes after a short rest. But if this tom wanted her gone then she would not overstay her intrusion.

She could find another place to rest and hunt if her presence would cause trouble. He did not smell like the odd scents of the clans that she had heard about that took claim over certain parts of the forest but since she had not met a clan cat thus far on her journey she didn't know enough to judge from their scents alone. For all she knew this cat could be hostile; warn her once and act later if she refused to leave maybe? She wasn't sure but from the looks of the tom he probably was a loner. She could tell by his aura. Not just the fact that he was just so ready to take her head off when she bumped into him but because the look in his eyes and the aura he produced just spoke of a kindred feeling of loneliness and hardship. Thus the curse of being a loner. You weren't called a loner for no reason after all. 

Words: 864
Tag: Phoenix, open