SPLASH'S CAMP
MOON 4
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☼ GREENLEAF ☼
Twig padded through the undergrowth, his short tabby fur catching on thorns and bits of branch that stuck out in every direction. He was careful not to step on the brambles that littered the ground beneath his paws, watching to make sure every step landed in the leaf litter below. A small, scrawny mouse dangled silently from his jaws. As the sun filtered through the trees, dappling his coat, Twig happened upon a small clearing in the trees.
He placed the mouse upon the ground and stared at it, whiskers twitching. "Just one, thin, underfed mouse." He sighed, prodding at the skinny fresh-kill. "It's better than nothing, I guess." He scooped the mouse back up into his maw and continued towards camp.
Upon entering camp, his eyes wandered to the fresh-kill pile. Only a few robins were left; catches from the previous day that had gone uneaten. Twig left his mouse in the pile and stared uneasily.
"Good job, Twig." Splash's voice caught Twig's attention. He turned back to her and tilted his head.
"'Good job'?" He replied in a confused tone. "All I caught today was a little mouse. It's not even enough for all of us to have a nibble." Twig's shoulder's drooped, but Splash put her tail across his back and smiled.
"You only just started your training about a moon ago, Twig. Nobody becomes a master prey-hunter overnight." Splash meowed. "I was about to head out on my own for a hunt, but if you're not too tired yet, you can come along with me. I can teach you some moves."
Twig gave another look at the prey-pile. "That sounds great." Twig smiled back. "Let's go." He got to his paws and followed Splash out of camp again. The duo traveled in the opposite way that Twig had been hunting earlier, heading in the direction that the setting sun took every evening.
"We're here." Splash said, sitting and curling her tail around her paws. "This is a good spot to do some hunting training. Are you ready?" Twig nodded. "Good. Now, open your maw and take in the scents of the air. Do you smell anything?"
Twig's opened his jaws wide, drawing in a breath. "It just tastes like forest air to me." He meowed, dejected.
"Try again, but not so wide this time. Focus on the smells and tastes instead of just taking a big breath."
Try again... He thought, opening his maw once again. Suddenly, cardinal-scent washed over his tongue. "I did it!" Twig meowed excitedly, his tail flicking at the tip. "I can smell a cardinal. That way." He motioned a paw in the direction of a group of trees.
"Now get down close to the ground, creep forward, and pounce!" Splash said, mimicking the actions one would take if they were hunting. Twig dropped to the ground, barely letting his belly caress the dirt and leaf litter. He crept forward, his muscles bunched beneath his pelt. As soon as he could see the flash of red feathers between the leaves, his kicked off from the ground and leapt towards the cardinal. It barely had any time to react, letting out an alarmed chirp before falling silent as Twig nipped the back of its neck. He sat on top of it for a brief moment, panting, before grabbing it in his teeth and padding back to meet Splash.
"Now that was a catch!" Splash purred happily. "Let's see if we can catch more!"
Over the next several hours, hunting was hit-and-miss. By the time the two decided to call it a day and head back to camp, the sun was beginning to set behind them. Splash laid out their catches, purring. "This should be enough to hold us over." She said. Two cardinals, a fat squirrel, and a couple voles lay at Splash and Twig's paws. "C'mon, let's get this back to camp."
When the two returned home, Flame was giving Turkey a bath. The little brown kitten had recovered nicely since Fizzle's visit, though he preferred to stay in Splash's nest when she wasn't there. Flame gave one last lick to Turkey before standing up and padding over. "Wow, look at all that prey!" Flame purred.
"Twig caught most of it." Splash admitted as the tabby puffed his chest out. "He's a great hunter."
"Is that so?" Flame smiled at Twig. "Well, we should celebrate, then. Find yourself a juicy piece of prey and meet me by the stream." Flame grabbed the fat squirrel and padded off, waiting for Twig to follow. Twig dipped his head in thanks towards Splash, grabbed a cardinal, and padded after Flame.
"I'm proud of you, Twig." Flame said as he dug into his prey. "It seems like just yesterday I found you, and here you are, helping to feed our little group."
"It means a lot to hear you say that." Twig replied, a feather sticking to his nose. "Without you and Splash, I don't know what would've happened to me."
"I can think of a few things." Flame meowed, looking up at the darkening sky. "But that's all in the past. I'm glad to have you here with us, Twig."
2025
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