Post by Match Box on Aug 19, 2019 1:10:36 GMT
You don't notice time until it's passed you by. That was the lesson which had been dropped onto a young cat as they weaved between tree trunks and crept around the fallen leaves of drowsy trees. Their dark grey fur was ill suited to the reds and browns of the current season, but it was impossible to tell if the small creature even noticed how poorly colored they were for the environment at hand.
They had taken too long and wasted too much time. Only as the sun had begun to disappear behind the peaks of the mountains did the realization pass that too much time had been wasted trying to hunt. It wasn't that opportunity was impossible to find, in fact the amount of do-overs that had been handed to them that evening had been more numerous than what was probably fair. Was the world itself trying to give them a chance? But time and again, they had managed to fumble in their ploy for a meal. Changing winds blowing their scent toward their supper or fallen leaves seeming to phase into existence at just the wrong time. Now it was dark and any nearby mouse was either tucked away in their shelter or long gone after being spooked off. It seemed like the trees themselves took pity on the inexperienced hunter as well as a leaf would occasionally fall onto the grey cat's back, like it were a reassuring gesture that tomorrow would be different.
Though the prospect of a filling meal had long since past, the chance of sustenance was yet to be completely gone. It wasn't the cat's nose, but their ears that guided them now. No longer was it the scent of mice and instead the songs of crickets. The happy songs of bugs that had fueled their survival up to this point had been a bitter sweet sound. Assurance that all was not lost, but a reminder of the day's failures.
The cat had fallen to a hunter's crouch as they move far slower as the cricket sounded close. With deliberate care, small paws wove around leaves and branches as they carried the predator to their mark. The small cat was no apex hunter yet, as the mistake of letting their tail trail across the forest floor was still a notable issue. But too focused were they in catching a late snack to notice, thankfully the cricket didn't notice either.
A pounce, then a bite and it was over just as quickly as it had began. The grey cat picked their head up, the cricket clamped securely in their maw as they looked around. Amber eyes peered with a profound attention to detail. But one's effort could not amount to much if they didn't know what to look for. All the same, however, the cricket poacher felt something deep in their core that felt... wrong. Had they heard something and didn't realize it? Or was it a smell that had spooked them? Regardless of how they had come to the hypothesis, the gripping notion of being stalked lingered heavily in the young trespasser's mind. It felt like they were the one being hunted now and the feeling of fear was powerful enough to leave the small cat shivering.
It was almost without thought or notion that the dark grey cat's paws begun to carry the rest of him of their own accord. The instinct to flee had foregone any pretense of stealth or caution, but they weren't so blind in their reaction to a perceived notion as to exhaust themselves in a lengthy pursuit. Instead, the little hunger scaled up a tree until they were maybe four fox lengths up in the air.
From their new position of height, the small interloper glanced about and tried to recollect themselves. Was what had scared them gone away? Where were they, even? That last question left a renewed sense of dread in the cat's stomach. Great, now they had failed to catch a good meal. Got spooked, then ran up a tree. All of t hat could have been manageable. But to be lost? Maybe they should've just headed for home and risked being run down.
(( Hello! Apologies for the odd introduction. I felt like I might want to test the waters first before I potentially jump in. I suppose this thread is open for any and all who have an interest in interacting with this lil' munchkin. I left the territory vague so to leave it up to the first responder where the scene takes place in the world. Also sorry about potentially confusing anyone about the lack of a name or gendered pronouns. I don't have a super-decided character idea right now and I'm just making this one up as I go along.
Also the site looks neato and I'm eager to see how this goes))