Ginfur's Story

Ginfur balanced on wide steady paws. Ears flat, moss green eyes narrowed in to fierce moon-like slits. In a small sunlit clearing stood her feathered target. A light-shrouded warbler scratches and pecks apace for seeds and such, it's twitchy movements nothing more than exiting to the stout huntress disguised by shrubbery. She crouched and leapt into the sun-warmed air, claws unsheathed. A glint of pearl teeth and glossy claws landed square on the unsuspecting bird's back, ending it's fragile life in an instant. The off-white cat muffled a triumphant laugh through a tuft of feathers clenched in her mouth.

"Hmph! Gotcha!"

Ginfur bounded off with her prize, intertwining through low growing shrubs and brilliant pink sakura blossoms dappled with sun-beams. Her mind buzzed with her own voice.

'I should be getting back soon I suppose. Wait, won't the new deputy be picked today? Or was that yesterday?! I hope I didn't miss it!'

The past few days Ginfur had spent on a self-ordered hunting mission outside of camp. Her whole conception of reality had been muddled. She slept in trees at night and tracked prey during the day, and being her forgetful self, she had completely lost track of time. Slowing her bound to a paced trot, Ginfur rounded familiar land marks and crossed a wide cobblestone Twoleg path. Her home wasn't far, and she couldn't feel rushed on such a sunny day.

The warbler uncomfortably smothered her nose, and the downy feathers blew into her face and made her sneeze. Ahead Ginfur noticed a tall cherry tree peeking over shrubs. With no regard for who or what lay on the other side, the greyish blur burst through the bushes, snagging her fur and even dragging a sharp thorn across her ear.

"I made it! Who's deputy? Am I late?!"

The overexcited she-cat yelped louder than was she originally intended. Ginfur's entrance was met with different expressions ranging from amusement to downright annoyance. Her ears immediately flattened in embarrassment as she picked the now dusty bird into her mouth and walked it to the fresh-kill pile. Her eyes apologized as several cats re-curled into new sleeping positions. A painful sensation swept across her ear and she trotted to the medicine den between two tall willow trees.

'maybe I could get something for my ear, I've officially got nothing else to do'

Her head brushed it's way through the entrance to see Rikaistar himself, speaking with the medicine apprentice Mochi. She didn't want to disturb them, but her ear began to feel hot with pain.

"He-hello, sorry to disturb you, but m-my ear it's"

The small cream cat looked thoughtfully at her leader and turned to the shelf of herbs, grabbing a wad of cobwebs and dandelion-leaf poultice.

"Hello Ginfur, I can't say I've seen you for a while. Where have you been off to?" Rikaistar's voice maintained it's usual coolness.

"Oh, around. Hunting mostly." Ginfur heard her own guilt in her voice. She didn't acknowledge her absence the day prior.

While waiting, the injured cat examined the small hollow. Long willow branches draped from a sky-light that illuminated various beds of cherry blossoms and a winding stone pattern. A trickling pool made her thirsty, but she didn't move. Her leader sat in a sunbeam gingerly licking an ebony paw. Though he had his general relaxed demeanor, something about his bright emerald eyes were unsettled. Mochi turned and gently pressed a wad of cobwebs to Ginfur's ear. It absorbed scarlet fluid from her cut. Before thinking, the young warrior spoke, if any more thought was given she would have known it was out of turn.

"Where's the healer?" She said in an innocent voice.

Rikaistar froze, and Mochi's paw hesitated with dandelion leaves, which resumed and were stuffed into Ginfur's mouth. She chewed, swallowed and shuttered at the bitterness.

"Out"