A bright new world [Alehue and Hazelstar]

[nightrider]

The first thing that stuck Elena about the living world was the light: so glaring, so sudden! It made her blue eyes water and squint into tiny slits. She mewed, disgruntled, and rose lithely to her feet for the first time.

She took a tentative step forward, then another...then had to stop. It was a shock on her body, this sudden movement and use of muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints. After a few minutes of guarded movement, Elena found she rather liked this whole walking thing. In fact, she loved it. She broke into a little run weaving through the trees and pouncing occasionally on small creatures.

One such pounce landed her a furry little brown creature—a mouse, Elena realized, not quite knowing how she knew the name….or for that matter, how to pounce.

She pondered this innate knowledge for a minute, forgetting about the terrified, squeaking little creature under her paw. Finally she remembered it and was about to gulp it down when the expression on the little creature’s face made her pause: bright eyes looking up at her imploringly, mouth strained open with gasping squeaks. Elena promptly lifted her paw and let the mouse go: how could she kill and eat something so CUTE?

[Hazelstar]

Kayalee had been lying in a crouched position watching Elena through her sparkling blue eyes. She saw Elena catch a mouse and then let it go. Let. It. Go. Kayalee felt like growling, but her shy nature kept her in the shadows. Why did she just release something that could have kept her full. Mice are delicious! Kayalee thought crossly. She rose to her paws, her silky, silvery fur on her belly was covered in dirt. She sat back to groom herself, as she leaned back she rested her paw on a thin branch. CRACK! The cracking of the branch shattered the almost silence of the breezy orchard. Kayalee felt as though the trees were staring at her with disgusted expressions.

[alehue]

it was very unlike the canine to be patrolling through the shadows of the orchard - though she had spent much time here since she and nerah had slept under a tree - she was just waiting for her child to hatch. as she stalked through the grove, slipping through many trees, with whimsical colors and odd shapes, arya could not help but hear a few frightened squeaks. her head cocked to the left as she wondered if a new feline came into existence (for she did not believe that canines had a taste for mouse), and as curiosity took a hold of her, the femme padded over to where she heard the noise come from. quite a short distance, she noticed; though after a few moments of thinking, she realized that her sense of hearing was not finely enough tuned to hear such a minuscule noise from far away.

as the mouse that seemed to be uttering the squeaks skittered past her, arya brought her paw flying down instinctively, catching it by the tail. taking it up in her jaws, she bit down hard, breaking the animals spine, and killing it almost instantly. padding over to the cream-colored feline, who was supposedly the newborn she suspected, arya threw the mouse down. "if you wanna stay alive, kid, you cant be so soft. you'll want to eat that before some other cat comes around here and takes it from you."

[nightrider]

Elena gaped, horrified, at the now very much dead mouse. A glassy tear brimmed in her eye and fell down her cheek. "I...but..." she spluttered, then burst out, "It's so cute! And it has intelligent little eyes! It's like us, in miniature!" She was silent for a moment, making distressed little mewing sounds, then added accusingly, "How could you?"

She prodded the mouse with a creamy-white paw, as if making sure it really was dead. "Besides," she said loftily, a bit more composed now, "There's plenty of other things to eat around here: snakes, bugs, toads...you watch, I'll be able to catch something different in five minutes!" She wheeled around and stalked off into the emerald grasses, looking for her non-rodent prey.

[Hazelstar]

Kayalee sniffed when Elena padded off. Well I won't let that mouse go to waste. Kayalee thought and padded up towards the mouse, paying no mind to the canine who was standing near the mouse. She gulped it up quickly and glanced up quickly at the canine. She backed up a few paces, whirled, and ran off helter-skelter into the part of the orchard where the trees grew thicker and closer together. She slowed to a trot when she felt safe in the dark, lonely forest.

"The forest is beautiful...."

Kayalee breathed, glancing this way and that at the tall trees with thick branches that cast shadows that looked like deformed paws. The leaves grasped at the air and waved greetings towards her as she silently conversed with the only friend she had, the forest.

[alehue]

"got a bit of a stutter, don'tcha, newborn?" arya said, her spitfire personality glowing through her normally polite facade when she met new felines and canines - especially ones that were just born. "food isn't cute, newborn. ya know what's cute? newborns who will actually learn to eat what they've been able to catch. it is not like us! those things don't sleep under these trees to make their kids. they're dirty, dirty creatures, newborn! they may look smart, but their brain isn't bigger then my littlest claw." it was the harsh reality that someone had to tell this newborn cat, and since no one else was around to do the job, arya felt obligated to be that mentor of sorts.

"wow. bugs. really filling," the canine muttered under her breath after the cream-shaded feline had left in search of her other food sources. she'd be sorry when she stumbled across a poisonous snake or toad, or when she had to find a hundred or so bugs to keep her belly full. a shape suddenly emerged from the shadows, another feline. honestly, how many felines were there in this wretched world!? still, arya let her have the mouse - barely a bite for a canine like her - and didn't bother pursuing the cat through the forest - she didn't need the mouse, and she had no other reason to pick a fight with the flighty feline. but now, she was alone. wasn't that the way she liked it?

[nightrider]

Elena stalked along the forest's edges, muttering about "the canine superiority complex" and other such self-developed theories. Presently, she caught the scent of something that was like the unpleasant version of mouse scent. "Hm, what's this then?" she muttered to herself. "Perhaps something that is not too cute to eat?"

She followed the scent, cloud like tail erect and flicking. Finally, she saw it...whatever 'it' was. It looked rather like a mouse, except it was bigger and scruffier, with a cruel looking face and buck-teeth that stuck out like little needles. As she stared, the name occurred to her: RAT.

She certainly would have no qualms about eating this ugly thing. She gathered her power beneath her, and sprung from her haunches, landing square on the rat.

Of course, things didn't go quite as smoothly as Elena had hoped: the rat fought. Fought quite hard, in fact. But after attaining some dastardly puncture wounds on her face, she figured out how to break the rat's neck: grab, jerk, twist, and there you go.

Elena trotted back to where the dog had been last, a considerable bounce in her step. She spat the rat carcass onto the ground and, glancing around pointedly, began to tear strips of flesh from it. It didn't taste the greatest (Elena grudgingly admitted that mouse would taste better) but it would do.

[Hazelstar]

Kayalee continued ghosting through the shadows of the forest, the trees became thinner and thinner until she came to a clearing. She paused, slightly alarmed. Have I been walking in circles, I am pretty sure I was walking straight. Ahead of her she saw the feline called Elena and the canine. Ewwww! Does Elena have a rat? She watched as Elena ate some of the meat off of the rat. Ugh... I bet she wishes she ate that mouse. A squirrel scampered up a tree and Kayalee immediately dropped into a crouch. She padded towards the tree slowly, putting her paws one in front of the other. Left. Right. Left. Right. She pounced at the squirrel which had paused to listen for it's last sound. She dropped from the tree and ate the squirrel, it had a different taste then the mouse it was richer but it was a bit chewy.

[alehue]

"i see you found something more appealing than that mouse you had," arya said sarcastically, noting the rat bites that were spotted on her cheeks. that would teach the newborn to give up a small, docile mouse with sweet meat for the large, feral rats with tough, bland meat. the female was ready to serve up another snarky comment, when she smelled something, rather bland, with a tinge of sourness to it. instead of using the stalking/pouncing method that the cats used (after all, they were weak enough to need surprise on their side) arya simply walked up to the source of the scent, somewhere in the grass in the clearing. arya slammed her paw down on the patch of grass (it seemed to work well enough), and picked up the snapped body of a snake. she padded over to the other two cats (for the running one seemed to have returned), and set it on the ground. snake meat, arya had learned, was flaky and melted in your mouth, with a slightly sour aftertaste - but a good sort of sour. she pushed it towards the brave creme cat, who was still trying to summon the courage to eat the rat. "you can eat this instead." she said, nudging the blue-scaled creature towards the newborn.

[nightrider]

Elena looked up at Arya, eyes going from hard to soft in mere seconds. They shimmered with gratitude, like little twin oceans as she began to purr.

Pushing the rat aside, Elena took a tentative bite of the snake and immediately the decibel of her purrs increased. Swallowing, she cast her admiring gaze back up at Arya. "Thank you ever so much," she purred. "I think we should be friends now, don't you?" This proposition stated, Elena began to wind her way around Arya's legs, purring and mewing all the while. Resentment over the little mouse's death was now forgotten, and it looked like Arya now had a new admirer...whether she wanted one or not.

[Hazelstar]

Kayalee knitted her claws into the soft grass and stretched out in the grass, the sun shone down on her silvery pelt casting reflections on the nearby tree. She sighed softly and stared at the remaining carcass of the now dead squirrel. She picked up the body and dug a small hole, she placed the squirrel in the hole and covered it back up. She looked towards Elena, who was winding around Arya's paws. Kayalee felt a strange feeling rising in her belly, it was a yearn for friendship and acceptance. Kayalee took a hesitant step forward, then paused. I... I can't risk getting near that dog. She decided, she turned and once again padded towards the forest.

[alehue]

it was with great satisfaction that arya saw that the little feline - once rebellious against her decision to kill the mouse - had now warmed up to the idea of someone older, wiser, and more experienced (even if by a day or so) was helping her. but a day in this world, where the first week or so was a developmental powerhouse, was a lot. at least for someone who was similar to arya and this newborn in age - once you hit about a month or so, things began to slow down, the stream of words that flew into your head ceased (instead, you had to learn from the others who had learned those different words) and your growth was stunted into near nothingness.

"you're very welcome," arya said with a smile, looking down at this young feline with new eyes, affectionate eyes, caring eyes. she wished she was older than her, and the same species, so that they could be like mother and daughter, but the idea of being friends, as the newborn suggested now seemed to be more apt. "i would very much like to be your friend, and even your mentor, if you'd let me." arya's smile widened as the feline began to wind her way around arya's feet - it was only then that the canine realized she did not know the newborn's name. "what is your name, friend?" she asked with a smile, savoring the feel of the word on her lips. with a pang of regret, she thought of the other feline, the one that had run from her... would they ever be friends?

as soon as she thought about the other feline, arya seemed to become more aware of her, the gray pelt moving in front of her eyes - first starting towards the two, who were now intermingled, and then pivoting, turning around. "wait!" arya called hopefully.

[nightrider]

"Indeed, cease, fellow feline!" Elena called after Kayalee, her formal type of speech quickly becoming the norm as she grew. Turning back to Arya, eyes like big saucers full of love soup, she said "Anyhow, as we were saying...my name is Elena, and I would be overjoyed if you would be my friend and mentor." She rose onto her hind legs and gave Arya a little *boop* on the nose with her own muzzle. "There, now it's official."

And so begins the tale of how Elena would come to find the cult. By latching onto Arya (and later following her scent) she would later find the female ruled Cult...

(ooc: Got the liquid time thing goin' on here... xD)

[nightrider]

[ooc: Mind if I lock this now?]

[Hazelstar]

Kayalee paused when she heard the two calling for her, she turned slowly and her eyed the pair nervously. She could never imagine having the strength to lead a full tribe like she would with her quest for peace. She started towards them, one paw in front of the other. When she was about a cat length from where the pair was standing she stuttered softly. "H...Hello my name..... my name is Kayalee." She looked up at the canine more nervously then the other feline, Kayalee had never had any experiences with a canine, good or bad, so she was nervous because she didn't know what would happen.