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 Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 10:13 am
Welcome to Bramble's Journal
(fancy-schmancy banner goes here eventually)
A few rules to observe:
-- Please only post here if you have a cat and want to RP. Any OOC text should be distinguished as such, by using (( )) or something similar.
-- Be nice and respectful!
-- Of course, the KittysMoon staff may post whenever they want.
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 10:14 am
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 10:15 am
Things Past...
(The story submitted for Bramble's flatsale)
Prompt: You are a small, stray kitten, the only one left of a litter of five, whom all perished in the harsh Winter. The snow is thickening, and prey is scarce, so your mother is forced to leave you in the open and go hunt for food. While she is gone, two stray rebels come across you, and they look incredibly dangerous. There is no way to hide, since snow seems to seep on for miles, all of the undergrowth has died in the snow storm, and your mother, and nearly any other cat, is long gone. What do you do?
Answer:
"Stay down, stay down, mum told me to stay down!"
It was not the deep snow which caused Bramble to shiver, but the sight of the two rogue felines who had come into view. They were rough-looking Toms, scraggle-furred and notch-eared, and they looked hungry. It was all tiny Bramble could do not to whimper in fear as they approached her.
"Ey, look what we got 'ere!" one of them chortled. "It's a kit! Hardly be a mouthful fer a dog, wouldn't she?"
"Nah," the other responded, his ears flattening as he eyed the terrified Bramble. "But I'm telling you Scrape, I haven't eaten in days. She looks pretty tasty to me."
Scrape raised his head and peered around, obviously checking for any sign of larger cats in the area. His whiskers twitched as he checked the air. "Looks clear," Scrape decided, then he grinned at his companion. "I get th' rump, you get th' head, Dust!"
Dust growled, taking his eyes away from the tiny kitten and glaring at Scrape. "Why do I have to eat the head? That part's all chewy --"
"Nuuuh, I had to eat th' head off th' last stupid mouse we found, and it was barely eatable at all!" whined Scrape.
"Too bad!" growled Dust. "I'm bigger, so I get the rump!"
"Bah!" Scrape's fur was beginning to arch along his back. "I'll fight ya for it!"
"You wouldn't last ten seconds!"
"Just try me!"
The snow around Bramble suddenly erupted as the two cats dove at each other, clawing and hissing, tufts of scraggly fur flying in the air. With a squeal of fear, the calico kitten darted away from the two rogues and ran blindly through the snow. Her mind was clouded with panic. "Mother, mother!" she squealed.
After several minutes of running, Bramble collapsed in a snow drift. Her heart was pounding. Any moment now -- she was sure of this -- those two Toms would come charging over the snowbank and tear her to ribbons! Bramble felt close to tears. As she crouched in the snow, she once again heard her mother's words in her mind -- "Stay down, Bramble, stay down and be as quiet as a mouse..."
"But mother, if I stay down they may find me and kill me," she murmured. "If I stay here alone, I may never see you again. If I stay down in the snow I may stay down forever, just as my brothers and sisters have..."
They would not have wanted her to die, too... none of them would have.
"One of us has to live!"
With new determination, Bramble clawed her way out of the snow, ignoring her freezing paws and sore muscles. She followed her pawprints close to where she had been left by her mother, and then --
As she came over the snowbank, she saw the two Toms. They had stopped their fighting, but they were obviously looking for their runaway meal. Neither one of them had been intelligent enough to follow her tracks.
And there, in the snow -- her mother's tracks leading away from the area, not quite covered by fresh snow yet. Taking a deep breath, Bramble dove down the hillside and tumbled toward her mother's prints, springing to her paws and running as fast as her legs could carry her along the path.
"THERE SHE GOES!" snarled one of the Toms, and now Bramble didn't have to use her imagination -- she was sure they were after her! Fear welled in her stomach, and a horrible taste crawled up her throat and onto her tongue. Her heart beat like a bird's wings. What if this was the wrong thing? What if her mother couldn't save her?
"Stay down, Bramble, stay down!"
"I WON'T STAY DOWN!" Bramble shrieked, kicking snow up behind her and into the rogues' faces. "MOTHER! MOOTHERRR!!"
"We are gonna EAT you, tiny --"
Bramble felt her legs giving way. Blood thrummed in her ears and she crashed down into the snow, the world fading in and out of her vision. As she watched the two rogues approach her, she knew that she was done for...
But who was the third figure, the one behind them?
"LEAVE MY KIT ALONE!!"
The Toms were caught off-guard by the she-cat on their tails, and her claws and teeth were not used sparingly. Though they tried to fight her off, hell hath no fury like a she-cat who's only remaining kitten is threatened. Scrape lost part of his ear and Dust lost an eye to her angry rampage, and both rogue cats darted away to lick their wounds and find a meal elsewhere.
"M-mother..."
The she-cat turned, panting, her mouth and paws stained with the males' blood. But her eyes softened when she saw Bramble in the snow, panting and terrified... but still very much alive.
"I tried to stay down, mother. Just as you said. But I had to run..."
"It's alright, little one. You did the right thing." The she-cat laid down next to the little calico, sharing her warmth. "Sometimes you have to run... if you want to live. And live, we shall!"
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 10:16 am
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 10:17 am
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 10:30 am
A new day...
Bramble opened her eyes with a blink-blink-blink, and peered out into the alley. The sun was out, already warming the earth, and insects were buzzing here and there among the tall grass.
The home her mother had chosen for them was an old roadway, no longer used, that sprawled behind a row of houses. The area was thick with plants and bushes, and made the perfect place for a young kitten to explore.
Without thinking about possible dangers, Bramble hopped out of the cardboard box that served as shelter and began to amble along in the grass, stopping here and there to swat at a bug or roll in the dust, making happy mewing sounds as she went.
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 10:53 am
It was a fairly odd thing to see the gold tabby meandering so close to human homes, but boredom had set in and that didn't mix well with a kitten's mind. Orange wings were pressed over the chocolate dappled back while ears layed to the sides of the older kitten's head. Body was crouched low, nose out front to part the tall blades of fo-wheat and weeds. Small paws picked themselves up high, each dupe touching her chest fur before being lowered again. Amber lanterns weren't looking for anything in particular. It just seemed that practice stalking was the only real thing on the agenda until, that is, her ears picked up some high pitched sound.
Perhaps it was a mouse? Yes, a mouse makes high sounds. The kitten declared to herself. Never once did she actually stop to think it could be anything else for the thought of getting a mouse already had adrenaline pumping.
Slowly, slowly....Almost there. The sounds were louder now and she had to be practically upon the prey. Body poised like a copiled spring, the kitten leaped out of her grassy spot and collided with what she thought was a mouse.
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 11:00 am
The little calico, as young and inexperienced as she was, didn't even see the slightest hint of trouble coming. She was too busy chasing a mayfly who refused to be taken down by her clumsy paws. There was a rustling in the brush, and all of a sudden--
-- WHAM!! --
Bramble squealed in alarm as she went rolling through the dust of the alleyway, her paws splayed in every direction, her small tail poofing out to bristle-brush size. "Aaaaaaah!! Please don't eat me, don't eat me!"
She mewled in confusion when she realized it was another cat who was now laying on top of her. "Who... who are you?" Her claws were out and she tried her best to look threatening, but she would hardly have scared a mouse.
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 11:11 am
The other was just as suprised and freaked out as the little one beneath her. Small wings were buzzing and two toned tassle had transformed itself into boa. Without a real word or too much hesitation, the tabby jumped back off what ever she had landed on. "What-oh!" she stated as amber lanterns finally got a good look at her "prey" and as the kitten's words finally started making sense, "eat you? Eww!"
Tail finally had started flattening as well as the fur along her spine. Ears were now perked forward and curiosity was setting in. Thin frame, small but still larger than the other's, started to move back towards the kitten. A chuckle was muffled from the splayed claws. Another cat, but this time it's closer to my size! This excited the cat so much so that she hadn't even heard the question.
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 11:18 am
Bramble hopped up to all four paws again... her fur, too, was beginning to smooth out, and she leaned closer to the other cat curiously. Her nose twitched as she sniffed. Curiosity seemed to have engulfed them both! "I'm Bramble," she said with a bob of her head as emphasis. "Who're you?" she asked again, patiently.
It was rare for the little calico to have much interaction with other cats, as her mother tended to be so overprotective. This was a treat! Bramble's eyes glowed and she bounced from side to side in excitement, having too much kittenish energy to contain.
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 11:29 am
"I'm Avani," the tabby stated proudly. She seemed to mimick the calico's movements and found herself almost nose to nose with the other. This was for sure an exciting moment. This was the second cat she's actually interacted with and the best part was that she was a stray as well, not some housekitty.
"Do you live here?" came another question as eyes slid from watching the bouncy kitten to inspecting the abandoned tracks that lay just a little ways beyond.
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 11:43 am
"Avani," Bramble repeated, trying out the word to see how it sounded when she said it. She'd never heard such a lovely, exotic name before!
It took her a moment to register the question. "Oh... yup!" She bobbed her head, small tail swishing. "I live in this alley with my mum. It's pretty quiet back here, not a lotta big mean rogues around." She tilted her head for a moment, a worried look crossing her face, her ears folding back. "You won't tell anyone 'bout us, will you? Mum's worried someone might hurt us..."
Bramble glanced back into the weedy causeway, expecting to see her mum appear at any moment and cuff her solidly for talking to another cat. But for the time being, the two kittens were alone.
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 11:50 am
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 11:55 am
Any possible trouble was quickly forgotten as Bramble's mind shifted to games. "We could play tag! Or hide-and-seek! Or catch-the-mayfly..." The calico gave one of the insects a clever swat as it flew too close to her head, sending it reeling through the air. Bramble giggled.
"Ohhhh wait, I know...!" She was up on her paws again, dancing through the grass, and turning around every few steps to make sure Avani was following. "I have somethin' real neat to show you! I just found it yesterday... come and see!"
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Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 12:02 pm
Kitty flicked her tail in rejoice when she saw Avani's orange pelt dancing around in the undergrowth. "Finally", she muttered under her breath through a full mouth. She slipped through the undergrowth towards the orange kitten, her slender body dodging rough brambles and roots. Behind her, a body shuffled around uneasily, yelping every moment her paw touched the uneven floor. Kitty set down her load; a plasic bag full of the stinky food pellets Housekitty's pets offered them to eat, and spun around to confront the other cat. "Jasmine!", she scoffed, "Come on!" The white Ocicat behind her blushed and spoke bashfully, "I've never been away from the front yard before." Kitty huffed and picked the plastic bag up again between her teeth and headed towards Avani. As her slender body broke through the tall grass, she gasped in surprise to see another kitten. "Hello there", she spoke nervously, her eyes glancing from Avani to the other kitten. Jasmine remained silent, watching the kittens with wide, curious orange eyes.
Kitty shuffled to Avani and dropped the bag before her paws. "I'm sorry. I just thought you could use some food. I hope I'm not acting as if I'm degrading you, it's just that I have so much of it", Kitty said, gulping down each word in fear that it would upset Avani that she had brought her food. Jasmine put in, "It's really very hard for Kitty to give up food so easily. She's a pellet hoarder", the beautiful white spotted cat said between giggles. "This is Jasmine", Kitty put in bleaky, "she's another cat that lives with my pets. And who is your little friend, there?", Kitty asked, with large, curious eyes. She glanced nervously at Jasmine, wondering if their Housekitty collars would upset this kitten as it had Avani when Kitty had met her.
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