[Battle of the Tribes] Daily Drabbles

[fluorescein]

1/5: Glossbones- Tickle

Sleep was a welcome friend that became a field who ushered in the sun to cast shadows. And the little brown mouse scampered awake on cold clear dew. Its whiskers twitched until he grew larger. Soon he dwarfed even the sun that it basked in. The more it grew, the harder its whiskers would vibrate and twitch. One small dot of red grew in each eye until it consumed the entire iris. The eyes glowed and ballooned until they popped out of the socket and festooned into a garish scene. And then-

Glossbones jolted awake, eyes glazing over not sure what he was seeing. Why was her tail in his face?

"About time you woke up. I've been trying to wake you for a while now. We have company" River-Swollen snatched back her tail and beckoned the newcomers forward.
 

[phoenix kiss]

s t a r s
wintershadow | 1 of 5 | 146 words

He'd been taught their names long ago -- an elder buck, all dark and black and rugged, had lain with him in a clearing and patiently explained all the names. Now he thinks, as he goes about his night time duties of pruning the night-flowering vines, that he's forgotten half of them. The moonflowers nod their white heads at him as he makes his way through the bramble, themselves like stars fallen to earth. He stops with a cluster of them in his mouth, grinds his teeth down, and relishes their sour taste.

People often claim that Wintershadow has no mean thoughts in his head, that he is so mild-mannered he doesn't experience anger, or resentment, or irritation. They are wrong. Maybe it is the flower's taste, or the late night, but he thinks again, maybe there was a reason he's forgotten all of those names...  

[Tiarana]

6/23 - Smile - Murkcrow IV - 128 words (Wasp II, Hollyhock I, Dogrot I)

"Stalker," Murkcrow grunted. "Do you have to bring that thing here?" He was looking down at her pet caiman. The caiman was looking up at him, and smiling its wide and uncannily skeletal caiman smile.

"No," she said, "but I know you love it."

Murkcrow frowned and backed away from Worm-Eaten Corpse carefully. He would never understand why anyone kept the things as pets, but Stalker and the caiman were undeniably a match made in...some murky woe-begotten corner of the swamp. He knew if he showed too much discomfort, the caiman would be back. Every day, probably. Even so, his instincts were screaming at him to run away.

At least it wasn't a full-grown crocodile. Murkcrow was convinced that Stalker lived in a nest filled with them.  

[Chrystali]

Forgiveness
Sacred Grove | 4 of 5 | 158 words

Righteous, open-minded, courageous; perhaps she was all of these things, but she did not know if she possessed it within her heart to share forgiveness.

Were those that slighted her and her beloved worthy of such a boon? Ascent thought of her mother, the racist old creature that she was, and felt that even if some semblance of 'sorry' fell from the elder's maw, forgiveness would not be easy nor immediately forthcoming. Forgive and never forget? Forget, but never forgive?

No. Ascent supposed if she wanted to be a role model to the family she so desired, she'd have to set a good example, and not be a victim of ill feelings. If her mother were to be forgiven, it would be for Ascent to not be bound by the darkness of the situation and was by no means leniency for her mother's transgressions.

Yes, she thought inwardly, musing during that sleepless night. I could live with that.

 

[Amorpheous]

Rush of Wind: 2/5

12. Smile

Smiling wasn’t always easy. Smiling wasn’t always difficult. It was simply an expression that found itself on his face at times.

Most of the time he knew why: Omen was resting by his side, his children had come to visit, Chases the Wind licked his ankle and let him chase her, simple things. He was, at his core, a simple kin. He wanted very little in life other than to hunt.

He had no grand dreams of greatness or fame. He had a singular dream that he could not shed of red and death.

So he smiled at simple things that brought him his simple pleasures.

He never smiled when he hunted because while his dream was simple and the problem equally simple, the roiling emotions that came with the hunt were not.

But he smiled, sometimes, and it was those times that mattered.

144 words  

[Minsuil]

29. Food | 6/5

They chased a rabbit through the underbush until it finally was cornered between her and Comes Again's claws. The lion pounced forward and snapped the little thing's neck in two. Truth be told, Lightbringer had wanted some violet tubbers that she'd seen growing nearby. They were startchy, but not as much as the mushy taro roots she so hated. They had a crisp bite to them that she liked. The lingonberries were also in season and a combination of lingonberries and violet tubers was enough to make her mouth water. But Comes Again would not appreciate the plant matter, so they'd set off to hunt. Red meat for him and plants for her.

"What shall we do next?" Her companion looked at her with dark glimmering eyes and she felt at peace.
 

[Ruriska]

Silk
2 of 5

Her fur reminded him of silk.

It was so soft to touch, so gentle against his cheek where it was resting against her side. Sometimes he thought he could stay here forever and then the day would begin and they would both be pulled away.

Sometimes she wouldn’t let him near her at all.

Or was that most of the time?

He’d stopped telling her that she was lovely because she didn’t listen to him anymore. In fact, she never had. Even that first time…

But on those times when he could touch her, when she let him, he enjoyed her silken fur and her soft breathes and when she slept it was magic because it was the only time she smiled.  

[Tiarana]

6/24 - Working - Wasp III - 158 words (Hollyhock I, Dogrot I, Murkcrow IV)

Heave, ho. Wasp was gathering firewood for the family bonfire yet again. Today he was accompanied by Dear Sweet Turtle, for whom he had somehow managed to fashion a sledge to transport things. All he needed to keep the little monster focused was a piece of fruit affixed to the end of a stick; the damn thing would spend the whole day trying to get at it. The hard part was keeping it walking in the right direction.

Wasp heaved another load of wood onto the sledge. The turtle wouldn't be able to haul much more, though Wasp was always amazed by its apparent tirelessness. It would take some time to walk back to the bonfire clearing - the turtle could move a good deal faster than it let on, but not when someone else wanted it to go somewhere, fruit or no fruit. Time to head home, then. Wasp hoped he'd run into some friends on the way.  

[Amizade]

Sunshine
Expecting to Fly | 9 of 10 | 126 words

Sunlight filtered through the trees, dancing across the water. It skipped across the rippling water, and leaped from reed to reed. It was as if the sun was laughing, and if the sun was having fun, so would she. With a cry, Fly jumped into the river. She let herself sink before kicking upwards, breaking the surface with a gasp. She forgot that she was no good at swimming. She paddled around, trying to get used to it, and even dived towards the bottom.

Before long, the doe dragged herself out, shaking the water out of her fur. Swimming was hard work, definitely not what kin were built for, she thought glumly. But the sun just laughed, twinkling upon the water, and dried up her fur.  

[Nuclearity]

Rising Sun; 3/5: "Candy" [xxx]


 

[fluorescein]

2/5: Glossbones- Rain

He hated the rain and it hainted him back. The sky's tears forced his hair back flat against his spine and flank. He was miserable, cold and oh so very hungry. It stopped being all fun and games when reality set in and they were too old to depend on mother Spiral: River-Swollen and him were awful hunters. He closed his eyes just in time before a dragonfly smashed none too gently onto his nose. Pity he was a picky eater. The thing barely had any substance on itsself but he wanted meat. He poked around morsely under the broadleafs. He could still smell the salted octopus leftover stench. His stomach grumbled at the remembrance. He loathed the rain.
 

[Chrystali]

Kiss
Sacred Grove | 5 of 5 | 120 words


She traveled a lot. Ascent prided herself in feeling in sync with the natural world, but she was not as well associated as she would have liked. No, she had heard rumblings of ram-horned brethren of snow and mountains and the re-emergence of the first born, two races she'd never even seen. The lack of knowledge and experience felt like a weight upon her, a test of her resolve. Being short-sighted was not something she'd suffer, not when it had made her suffer so much at the hooves of her own family.

She wanted to know more. She was hungry for it. And so, bidding her mate a goodbye kiss, Ascent took to the sands and began a new adventure.

 

[Ruriska]

31 Flavors
3 of 5

They all have a different flavour.

Some are sweet, some are a bit sour, some slightly bitter, some fiery, others so moreish it makes you drool. Some he’s tasted more than others, but he does try to get a little bit of each of them.

Thirty-one flavours and counting, he likes to brag. Soon that number will get higher, as soon as he spots another that he simply has to try. Sometimes only a sniff will do, a lick or the touch of his nose; just enough to sample.

Others he must dive into and never wants to return from.

Oh yes, his Acha are all different and all so delicious.