I was looking through my stuff and I found this:

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The full moon glided lazily across the starry, indigo sky without a care in the world; its lustrous rays stained the newly frost-covered plants silver. A small, lithe shape made its way carefully around each plant, not the slightest bit eager to get more soaked that it already was. The creature had fallen into a nearby pond; it had attempted to leap onto a branch tail-lengths away from the tree it was already crouching in, aiming for a squirrel on the other side. However, the fresh frost had made the jump just the tiniest bit more slippery, causing the animal to plunge into the deepest part of the ice-cold rippling water. It had struggled to keep its head above water, wearily churning its paws at an effort toward shore as the water numbed all of its limbs. Every time it paused to take a breath of air, the black water filled its mouth and nostrils, causing its lungs to burn as if on fire. It was only a whisker-length from the ground below it when all of its muscles began to give up with fatigue. With a final, desperate push of its hind legs, the animal’s paws touched ground beneath the surface. Its drenched head was outlined in the light of the moon, revealing a very, very exhausted cat.

Thin, wispy clouds started to drift over the moon as the first signs of dawn appeared on the milky horizon. The cat turned its ears around at the faint sound of a small creature scrabbling over a tree root. Turning around curiously, the cat’s pale green eyes gleamed with delight at the sight of a mouse. Although new growth had turned up late in the season, this mouse was unusually plump; it was the perfect meal for a starving cat.

Hoping that the small, precious creature did not hear the loud growling coming from the cat’s belly, the wet cat crouched down and snuck up behind the mouse. The furry rodent was gnawing at a fallen nut, distracted from the light pawsteps of the cat creeping up behind it. Warm rays of the rising sun hit the cat, revealing her elegant tortoiseshell coat. She wiggled her hindquarters, and sprang at the gray mouse, taking it by surprise. Her claws extended, she seized a tight grip on her prey, finishing her kill with a quick nip to its neck. Purring, the cat picked up the mouse in her jaws, forcing herself to resist scarfing it all down at once.

Padding over to a patch of moss sheltered by some ferns, she tucked her paws under her chest and began devouring her catch in a few rapid bites. Licking her lips after she finished her first meal since the previous afternoon’s pitiful shrew, she ventured out into a denser part of the forest.

Morning mist covered this part of the woods in a blanket of dew; the tortoiseshell cat stopped for a quick drink of clean water in a leaf, still well aware of her earlier adventure. The frosty water around her clung to her fur and sent icy chills up her spine. Although mist and fog usually cover up scents, she sniffed out a crow in the bare branches above her, but she decided she was still pretty full and could do without food for a while. Not to mention there was a chilly breeze that had begun to pick up; she would come back later.

She headed back to her sheltered mossy spot to clean her fur, for she could still feel those same chills she had in the mist. The wandering cat settled down and began grooming herself, drying out her wet fur with smooth, gentle strokes of her tongue. Feeling warmer, she sprawled out on the mossy ground, dozing off. Then the icy sensation returned, clearly not finished with her. Irritated and confused, she rolled on her back and saw two gleaming eyes peering at her from the thick branch of a tree. Alarmed, the tortoiseshell cat scrambled to her paws, but before she had the chance to dash away, the other cat pounced on top of her, pinning her to the ground. She wriggled helplessly beneath the cat’s weight; this stranger was just too strong.

The cat’s amber eyes glared at her as it hissed, “You don’t belong here! What did you think you were doing, stealing my prey? I was on to that mouse!”

A growl rose in her throat. “Your prey?” she snarled. “What right do you have to claim any living prey you want? Hey, since you like trees so much, why don’t you catch that crow I saw over there?”

The cat seemed to search her for a moment, and she felt a sense of satisfaction as he warily let her go. She immediately stood up, not wanting to take any chances in case the dark red tabby changed his mind.

“So… see you around I guess,” she meowed.

“Yeah.” He shuffled his paws. “Sorry I attacked you. You’re right.”

The tortoiseshell tipped her head in bewilderment. “You just blamed me by hissing in my face and not letting me move, and you’re apologizing for it?”

The tom stared at his russet paws, which he held still now. “It was an honest mistake. I was driven by hunger, that’s all.”

This cat wasn’t so bad. “My name is Shadowed Hazel,” she introduced.

The other cat turned his head away. “I’m Sparrow.”

Shadowed Hazel nudged Sparrow with her paw. “Well, nice to meet you anyway. I appreciated your amazing entrance earlier. I’m heading out now. Maybe I’ll see ya around.” She turned tail and padded away at a brisk pace. She looked behind her just in time to see Sparrow’s bulky frame disappearing in the growing underbrush.

She turned her attention back to guiding her ginger-and-black paws. They led her past the forest and into clearing covered in peaty soil. The air was thick and mucky here; Shadowed Hazel let out a cough. This place is impossible to live in, she thought as she wrinkled her nose is disgust. She began to pad away from the place when she spotted a scrawny thrush that looked half-drowned near the edge of the clearing. She could tell it was already dead, but who would leave prey just lying around like that?

The bushed rustled across the opposite side of the clearing, making Shadowed Hazel jump. She stiffened as she saw a moving red shape trying to push its way through the bushes. Oh, please don’t let it be a fox! She cried. Foxes were known to attack cats when prey was scarce, and even a cub meant danger to a cat.

She began to back away slowly, being extremely careful not to step on any dry or brittle twigs. Her heart stopped when she saw the fox poke his nose out. Wait, that wasn’t a fox’s muzzle, it was a cat’s!

Shadowed Hazel relaxed her muscles. Thank goodness it’s only a cat, she thanked silently. The moment was short-lived when a fat-looking white cat with black patches burst through the bush, raising its head to sniff the air. The ginger shape was still crouching in that same bush…

Oh, great! she thought crossly. Does every cat live around here?

As Shadowed Hazel struggled to come up with a plan to leave this place in secret, the black-and-white cat crawled back into the bush where the other cat still hid. She heard faint meows coming from them, and she strained her ears to listen, just in case they were friendly.

“Where were you?” she heard one of the voices snap.

There was a pause, then another voice replied, “Out. Is that a problem?”

A low growl rose from one of the original cat’s throat. “Yes, it’s a problem! Sparrow, if you don’t stay here where it’s safe, who knows what would happen to you? Our kittens could be fatherless!”

Sparrow? So that’s who the dark ginger cat was. The other cat must be his mate; no wonder she appeared so full fed.

“I can go wherever I please!” Sparrow retorted. “I can’t hunt in a place where there’s no prey, so what do you want me to do, let us starve?”

“You’re doing that already!” his mate screeched. “You said you were going out to hunt at sunrise today, and the sun is high in the sky right now. And surprise, surprise, there’s no prey!” She yowled the last words, sending flocks of birds fleeing from their trees.

At this rate we’ll all starve! Shadowed Hazel remarked. Those two had to stop bickering!

She crept out from under her hiding spot and, slow but steady, made her way toward the two cats’ bush. She flattened her ears as she neared, trying to block out the sound. Sparrow and his argumentative mate gave no sign that they knew Shadowed Hazel was there as she neared the entrance.

“Just because you—” Sparrow stopped abruptly and turned his head to where Shadowed Hazel stood. Both his fur and his mate’s were bristling in anger at each other.

The black-and-white cat followed Sparrow’s gaze. She flinched as she saw the tortoiseshell cat. “Who are you?” she spat.

Shadowed Hazel forced herself to stay calm and not say something she’d regret. She opened her mouth to speak when Sparrow interrupted her.

“Her name’s Shadowed Hazel,” he replied coolly, facing the other cat. “I met her when I was out hunting; she’s no threat.” Turning back to Shadowed Hazel, he introduced, “Shadowed Hazel, this is my mate, Frostbite. Her tongue is sharper than her claws.” The last sentence was clearly aimed at his mate.

Frostbite leaned past Sparrow and sniffed Shadowed Hazel. “She smells like mouse,” the black-patched cat commented. The fur on her neck rose instantly. “If you met this cat while you were hunting, then how come she smells like she had a good meal?” she shrieked furiously. “If I didn’t know any better, I bet you let her eat your catch instead of me!”

“It’s not like that! I was stalking it, but—”

“You allowed her to catch it instead of you!” Frostbite turned her back to Sparrow. “I want you out, now!”

Sparrow let out an enraged hiss and stalked out of the bush and raced away into the forest. Shadowed Hazel glared at Frostbite. No cat should be treated that way!

“He was only trying to—”

“You too, pretty-paws!” Frostbite growled. “You go tell my ex-mate that his kits deserve a better father than he could ever be!” Her tail fiercely lashed side to side; Shadowed Hazel took it as a sign that she was dismissed.

She spun around and followed Sparrow’s scent trail. After all that he just went through, he could use some comforting.

His scent veered away from the forest and into more of a flat, grassy plain. The smell of rabbits hung strongly in the air, making Shadowed Hazel’s mouth water. She stopped, scanning the area to see if Sparrow was here. After all, he had tried to catch something earlier this morning and was unsuccessful; maybe he was hungry. But even though she took in all the scents around her, Sparrow’s trail carried on forward.

After the tortoiseshell had pursued Sparrow a bit longer, she stiffened in dread. She knew where he was heading to: the cliffs!

Shadowed Hazel sprinted as fast as she possibly could, blinded by the wind flattening her fur to her skin as she rushed by. The soft grass soon gave way to hard, brown and gray rocks. She skidded to a halt, her paws barely slipping over the edge of about three tree-heights of a cliff. Madly swinging her delicate multi-colored head side to side, she caught a glimpse of dark red. Turning her whole body, she saw where Sparrow was; the muscles in his hind legs rippled under his skin as he prepared to jump off the edge.

“Sparrow, wait!” Shadowed Hazel yowled. Frightened, Sparrow fell off the edge, his claws scraping the rock under him trying to find a paw-hold.

“No!”

Shadowed Hazel raced toward Sparrow, her paws sore from the hard rocks that scraped at her pads. As she stood where Sparrow used to be, tears welled behind her eyes. Then, all of the sudden, a terrified high-pitched squeal came from below Shadowed Hazel’s paws. Looking down, she saw long, curved claws clinging onto a thin branch.

“Help!”

Shadowed Hazel franticly looked around for something Sparrow could hold on to. Maybe if she could find a sturdy branch, but it was getting dark and the moon was rising…

“I’m slipping! I can’t hold on much longer!” Sparrow cried.

“Don’t worry, I’m coming!” There was no time: Shadowed Hazel had to haul the dark red tabby up herself.

Facing away from Sparrow, she carefully lowered her tail down the ledge, her hind legs following it in order to reach the innocent cat. Her front claws snagged into little cracks in the surface of the rock, keeping her steady; for now, at least. She felt the rough bark of the branch hit her tail.

“Grab on to my tail!” Shadowed Hazel called through gritted teeth. “I’ll pull you up!”

A cold silence made her heart stop. He couldn’t have plummeted down the cliff, he… he just couldn’t!

After waiting a while longer, sharp teeth grasped her tail, surprising the cat. She swung her hind paws onto the edge of the cliff face, her claws helping pull both Sparrow and herself up. As Shadowed Hazel climbed to safety, the tightening on tail loosened. Spinning around in fear for the tabby, she relaxed as Sparrow’s muscular shape scrambled up beside her.

“You didn’t have to do that, you know,” he panted. “I was fine by myself.”

“No, you were not fine!” Shadowed Hazel’s voice grew softer as she added, “Frostbite had no right to treat you that way. Besides, that’s no reason to end your life by jumping into sharp rocks.”

Sparrow bent his head in embarrassment. “I know,” he whispered. More seriously, he added, “Do you think Frostbite will let me come back?”

Shadowed Hazel didn’t know how to break the news to him. Should she even tell him? No, she thought determinedly. He’s been through enough for one day. More bad news will only lead him down the cliffs for sure.

Instead, she twined her tail with his. “Don’t worry,” she reassured Sparrow. “I’ll take care of you. Maybe we’ll have kits of our own one day.”

Sparrow’s warm, amber eyes locked with Shadowed Hazel’s pale green ones. A warm feeling spread from her ears to tail-tip as he smiled at her.

“I’d like that,” Sparrow purred. “Frostbite was kind of bossy anyway. It was impossible to please her, even if you gave her the fattest, juiciest mouse in the world. Her name speaks for herself.” He laughed, half-forced.

Shadowed Hazel leaned over to groom Sparrow’s ruffled pelt. “I love you,” she meowed affectionately.

“You too.”

Sparrow began to lick Shadowed Hazel’s fur in strokes in rhythm to hers. The moon rose high it the sky, covering the rocks and grass in a shimmering silver. As it continued to scale the star-illuminated night sky, the two cats were outlined in a luminescent white. Their silhouettes appeared to merge together, forming a heart.


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(c) Ivypelt. Made for extra credit in English Class~

Awesome! x3

Thanks!

You're welcome. :)

Maybe I should make a sequel... but then again the sequels are rarely as good as the originals (I speak from personal experience as well).

Anywho, Ivy being Ivy, I gave them kits:

Frostbite X Sparrow: Bracken, Moss

Bracken: Russet tom
Moss: Tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

Shadowed Hazel X Sparrow: Luna, Starlight, Rock
Luna: Golden-cream she-cat
Starlight: Light brown tabby she-cat
Rock: Dark grey tom

This post serves no purpose whatsoever, but oh well.

Whenever I see this topic in latest topics, I think Moonlgiht returned. xD

xD