[Fae Magic]

The sound of the gentle howling wind could be heard echoing within the darkness of the cave. The wind was a bit stronger up here on the mountain then down in the valley below but he didn't mind it. He lived here all his life and could handle the strength of Mother Nature. Amber eyes peered from the depths of the cave a long moment before the sound of paw steps and some sort of dragging shuffle sounded from the darkness as a form slowly made it's way into the light. 

His back leg dragged across the ground a little from where it had been partly bound to keep it in place just so he would't skin his leg or fur off with it dragging so much on the ground. He was used to he crippled back leg and didn't mind it as he used his many moons of honed strength and resilience to make his way to the cave entrance. Jagged Rock Under Tree Root stared down below as he got to the edge and used his sharp eye sight to peer down at the rocks and boulders that made up the mountain he called home. 

The wind blew through his short thick dark tabby fur as he stood at the ledge and peered down. His nose twitching a little as it's fresh scent filled his senses. He could tell by the light in the sky that the Prey Hunters should be coming home any minute now from their hunt to bring back prey for the Tribe. Rock's job was to keep his Tribe safe from any intruders or animals that may think it was a good idea to stop by. Granted, with his birth defect he wasn't much good for anything else except to keep this place safe. But Rock didn't mind it too much as he peered down. 

A part of him wished he could go romp around with his siblings or hunt down some prey with his siblings but he knew that his place was here; it was his destiny from the moment he came from his mother. Still, a part of him longed to be out there with his fellow Tribe. Not that he didn't have friends around here and fellow Cave Guards to speak with but a tom could only wonder. 

His keen ears picked up the sound of paw steps over the sound of the howling wind in his ears making the dark tabby turn his attention downwards once more to find figures making their way up the hill towards the Cave Guard. He couldn't make out the figures until they got closer and he recognized.

"Greetings guys! How's the valley below?" he asked in a calming greeting

[Fawn]

Strut of Ring-Necked

ROOSTER

27 Moons Cave-Guard Tribe of Forgotten Waters

"Louder than a bear with a stomachache!" Rooster retorted, his green eyes narrowed against the wind that whipped through his pelt. He heard a snicker behind him as their sister, Shadow of Soaring Eagle, passed her catch to another Tribemate and mewed at him. "Rooster, do you even know what a bear looks like?"

"Of course I do," he bluffed, trying to ignore the challenging look in her eyes. Rooster 'cleverly' deflected onto Rock. "You remember the stories, right Rock? About a bear. A big bear. With fur and teeth and stuff."

Eagle giggled, throwing her head back as her voice bounced off the returning hunting party. "With fur and teeth and stuff! Do you hear him, Rock?"

Rooster scoffed, and tried to talk himself out of the hole he found himself in. "That's all that matters! If it has teeth and stuff! I'm a Cave-Guard not a... an... animal expert."

His sister's voice was singsong in his ear as she brushed past him. "You're not an expert in anything, Rooster. Except keeping Song busy."

Hey! He was great at a lot of things, like being a Cave-Guard. Who was she to criticize him? The bulky tom's brow scrunched in obvious irritation, and he all but huffed his way over to his brother's side. "She should be grateful, she's still got the fur on her back thanks to me!" Prey-Hunters. Sure they did all of the hunting, but that didn't make them the most important cats in the whole oasis.

Step back I'm goin' in
I'm crankin' up on the throttle
This is how legends are made

251 words & Fae Magic BlooRey DVD (Song mention!)

_{Art by Syman Kaye}

[Fae Magic]

Beauty is a joy that forever increases
It will never pass into nothingness

Rock heard the voices of his siblings and felt the twitch of a smile tugging at his face as he peered down with expertly honed eyes. He might be crippled and not worth much for hunting or battling but he had strength in the eye sight department; he should if all he did was sit at the entrance to the cave peering down to catch signs of any predators or trespassers although he actually never got to meet a stranger yet. Cocking his head his amber eyes grinned back down along with his mouth as he listened to his brother and sister bicker and jest with each other; hiding a snort of laughter with a cough as if the wind got stuck in his throat Rock merely looked between the two with a fond look in his gaze.

"Yeah...bears with teeth and fur and claws and stuff..." he agreed with a playful roll of his eyes as he tipped his head over his shoulder. "How's the valley below? Any news needing to be reported? And where are the prey-hunters I'm starving...sitting here bored does that to a cave guard." he gave a grumpy huff as he could feel his stomach clench at the mention of prey. He was kind of hungry...He turned his attention to Eagle as she came up to his level and brushed a his tail along her shoulder in a warm greeting before turning to look towards Rooster and cocked his head with a small smile. "So, got anymore tales to tell me on you're adventure out there? What are you talking about there being a bear anyways? Do bears roam this close to the tunnels." he asked conversationally as he turned to limp back off the edge of the cave to sit inside it's enclosure without worry of the wind to steal the breath from his lungs.

"It's been pretty silent up here and boring. You're the first that I've seen this morning." he kind of pouted looking between his siblings.

335 word count Fawn
Silverburr Russet-Tail Ivoryrose poppypaw Tigerpaw Smudgenose PRIMROSEPETAL mousepaw rock pendulum

template by punki of adoxography

[Hellion]

Smiling to himself, Stag hurried his stride returning from his personal patrol down to the valley and where the Clan cats lived. Despite not visiting Cinderfur anymore, Stag knew the path well. He didn't admit it to himself that he was looking for another tom, one with a notch in his ear. Instead, he lied to himself and others that he was just getting a better understanding of their neighbors.

The past of Cinderfur, far behind him, Stag still bore the scar Cinderfur's sister had gifted him. At first, he hated it, the constant reminder of losing the first cat he ever loved, Stag refused to groom that side of his body. Until in the quiet of the night, his father talked with him about his birth mother. The she-cat who died so soon after his birth. It helped, started his own healing enough to the point he fought fondly over his time with Cinderfur and focused fully on his future.

The distraction of his thoughts made it easy to past the time, he rounded the corner into the cave. Without pause, he headed right for Rock, Song, and Rooster. Greeting them with a chirp. "Bet you can't guess what I saw when I went down to the valley" His tail flicked, excited to be back home.

Fae Magic Fawn | #words | background | lyrics | table by Amber

[Fawn]

Strut of Ring-Necked

ROOSTER

27 Moons Cave-Guard Tribe of Forgotten Waters

Rooster dismissively flicked his tail towards the entrance to camp. "Storm, Leaf, Night and Roar should be here soon. Eagle and I were allowed to go ahead because she DIDN'T CATCH ANYTHING!" Rooster raised his voice so loud that not just Eagle heard him (as intended) but a few of the elders did as well. He grinned at his sister, who gave him a look of venom and stuck her tongue out at him.

Ha! Don't suck at hunting and I won't say anything about it! He was her brother. It was his right to tease her. Otherwise what was the point of having siblings? Feeling as if vengeance was properly enacted, Rooster looked back at Rock with a fluffed up sense of satisfaction. "Any news? Uh--"

"Bet you can't guess what I saw when I went down to the valley," said Stag as he arrived.

Rooster blurted the first thing that came to mind. "A bear! Wait... you were out by yourself?" At once his protective streak reared its ugly head, and Rooster openly huffed. "It's a billion fox-lengths from Skyteller's den to the valley below. What were you gonna do if something happened? Mom told me to look out for you. Both of you! Next time you go, tell me."

The chiding was out of his mouth before he could think to take it back. Would he take it back, if he gave some thought to his words before he spoke them? Nah. Rooster's feathers were ruffled, but the only comfort he took from the exchange was that Stag was obviously fine if he was standing right here in front of him. Some of that protective caution faded from Rooster's bright green eyes, replaced by the faint notion that he should maybe say 'sorry' or something for jumping down Stag's throat.

But he couldn't muster the words. Pride was like a rock in his chest. All it ever did was get in the way.

Step back I'm goin' in
I'm crankin' up on the throttle
This is how legends are made

326 words & Fae Magic Hellion

_{Art by Syman Kaye}

[Fae Magic]

Beauty is a joy that forever increases
It will never pass into nothingness

Rock sighed looking back at his siblings and shook his head giving them a look that clearly stated he thought they were all mad. But, he still loved them regardless that was for certain. Eagle's fun side that just caused trouble but entertainment, Rooster's overbearing side that just drove the other crazy but he knew deep down it was something that meant to him, and of course Stag's inquisitive and excitable self that gave Rock a sense of adventure to live outside of his post. Rock never really had much time to go out of the territory or away from the cave; his back leg wouldn't allow him to go far if anywhere. Rooster was always worried his brother would trip or fall. Get hurt even worse because of his crippled appendage. That was okay though, Rock was very much used to the stares and whispers, and used to the overwhelming coddling Rooster did. He took it in stride, it was okay. He had his place. 

Coming back to the present he settled himself down and watched his siblings speak. His curiousness of the outside world bubbling inside of him. What had Stag seen when he was out there? What was Rooster and Eagle up to down in the valley. He envied them for the freedom he could not have sometimes. But, at least he got stories to hear from them about their adventures; that was always better than nothing. Clearing his throat he shot Rooster a look stating

"If Stag had seen a bear I'm sure he wouldn't be strutting up here so casually. He'd be in a panic screaming 'bear bear I saw a bear!'." he snorted nudging his fore-mention brother with a playful smirk. 

"But do tell us what did you happen to see down there? You know, I can't go down there myself so I have to live the big wild world through the eyes of others." he said in a pretend act of woe for his circumstances that he in fact had come to terms with awhile back. He was just joking around keeping the mood light. 

352 word count Hellion Fawn
Silverburr Russet-Tail Ivoryrose poppypaw Tigerpaw Smudgenose PRIMROSEPETAL mousepaw rock pendulum

template by punki of adoxography

[Hellion]

Stag only rolled his eyes at Rooster's protective huffing. It was humorous to see him in such a state. "I'm every bit a cave-guard as you, brother. I can handle my own," He answered, but dipped his head all the same. "I'll try and remember next time," His words empty and said only to calm his tribemate. The time spent in the valley was his alone. He saw no reason to include his tribemate or even siblings in every thing he did. Solitude equal parts comforting as when nestled beside a sibling.

Glad that Rock seemed to be in good spirits. Despite his condition, he elected to tell his story. "I saw the plumpest rabbit in my entire life! There were some of those moorland cats chasing after it. I pet we could do better. Our prey-hunters do better working together," He explained what he saw with an almost dazed look, tongue lolling out as he imagined the sweet prey. "I bet if we go down today, we could find some on the territory edge. The Clans are so strange with their borders." Perhaps a bit unlike his siblings and most of the tribe, Stag made frequents trips to the valley. Which often led to him knowing several clan-cats. One of which he had romantic feelings for. The thoughts of Cinderfur resurfaced. It took a moment to push it back down. Refusing to let the memories taint his time with his siblings.

"What do you think Rooster? Bet we could convince we few prey-hunters to join us. Moon might be fast enough," The mention of the pretty she-cat was no accident. Watching his brother for any shift in his expression.


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@tags | #words | background | lyrics | table by Amber