-A new life, but at such a cost- (Any)

[fae]

"2 AM and she calls me 'cause I'm still awake...
Can you help me unravel my latest mistake..."

Gingko blinked as she realized it was raining. "Huh...wet stuff." She winced as a happy memory of her and Moss batting at the rain from inside their glass door crossed her mind. How many days had it been? She blinked again, another drop landing on her nose. She was sitting at the side of the Old Road, having not moved an inch since she had been dumped.

Her limbs stiff, she stood up and trotted to the edge of the forest, taking shelter under a tree. She curled up into a wet ball of fur, her scruffy fur giving her the look of one who had been outside one too many times. In truth, this was her first time outside without being in a cage. Ever. Period.

But she wasn't thinking about that right now. Her midn kept moving back to the look on Moss' face when she had to look him in the face and mentally say goodbye. When she realized he would never see him again, and her shock was echoes in his face. He pulled it together. She didn't.

With an effort, she pulled herself off the now damp ground and gave a feeble attempt at a shake that would shake off the droplets that had gathered on her coat. With a rattling cough, she zig zagged dizzily on the edge of the forest, looking for food. Moss wouldn't have wanted her to die, too. She had to believe in that, if nothing else.

"Yeah we walked through the doors, so accusing their eyes,
like they had any right at all to criticize,
hypocrites they're all, if for the very same...reason...."

[coon]

Coon padded along the road. He had been walking for hours now, and his paws were sore. He didn't know what else to do, though. Not knowing where this road would end, he continued on, humming. He had no particular emotions at the moment. Regret, maybe, or resentment. He wasn't sure. With a sigh, he sat down. It was raining, again, and when he lifted up a paw to look at his paws they were red and cracking. Blood oozed out at the edges, and when he set it back down on the ground he winced; I hurt more than he though it would. Ignoring it, he kept walking, wavering a little. His white tail dragged on the ground, he coughed. And then something caught his eye.

He almost didn't see her. The black fur camouflages with the dusk, and if not for her ungraceful paw steps as she stumbled over the grass, he noticed her eyes.
They were beautiful, really, violet but dull. The white were red; she hadn't had it easy in the last few hours. She was obviously new to the surroundings, he winced when she stepped right on a raspberry. It squashed uselessly under her dark paw. Coon moaned, walking over to the she-cat and pressing up close in case she needed to lean on his shoulder. He stifled a laugh when he heard her belly rumble. She was hungry.
He looked at her, this time a closer look; her fur was tangled, her ears were down, her tail dropped. She was tired, he knew how she felt. His first day as a stray hadn't gone well, and he hadn't been thrilled after that, either. He wasn't even sure if he would ever be as happy as he was in that house in his new home- the forest.

The good news was, he could hunt. The bad news was, he wasn't very good. fifty percent of the time he missed, but nevertheless the food was good. Carrion wasn't great, but some of it was edible and he had been forced to depend largely on that, and it was tough.

Then he remembered his surroundings. The she-cat was probably freaking out that some random cat had walked up to her and lightly leaned against her, offering her to do the same. He hadn't even said anything yet, and yet he was already fur-to-fur. He almost laughed; he wasn't in a great mood right now though, so that stopped him. I mean he had simply walked up, and then zoned out for maybe two minutes without realizing it. She probably thought he was some kind of weirdo.
Really, he partially wanted to help her. She looked wobbly and exhausted, and if their roles were switched he would probably have appreciated a shoulder to lean against. But also, his paws were hurting, and he was leaving behind bloody paw prints; it was sort of disturbing. Finally he sighed, and opened his mouth to speak.
'Sorry, I hadn't even realized I was still here. Lost in my own mind, huh? Anyway, I'm Coon.'
Smooth, he praised himself sarcastically.
'So how did you end up here, anyways? No offense, but you don't look like you were born here. You're too...' He struggled for a word,
'...Delicate.'
He immediately cursed himself. Delicate?! He screamed at himself silently. You might as well of just called her a baby! I bet she's really insulted now.
He looked back at those purple eyes, smiling in spite of himself. He didn't fell like smiling right now. He closed his eyes, knowing that his smile hadn't reached them anyways.

[fae]

Gingko stared at...a leaf. A leaf. She had no idea why a leaf was so interesting, but it was. Her dull eyes fixated on them until she remembered what was interesting about it. There was a paw-shaped splotch of bright red on it that was dripping. But her mind couldn't fathom why such a leaf could exist. Paw shaped....paw shaped... With a flick of her ear, she shifted her body, and felt a wetness cling to her paw. She stared back at the leaf and finally got it. The knowledge didn't excite her, though, she was just...blah. There was no other word for how she felt.

She gave a slow blink in the rain, water dripping into her eyes and pouring down her face. She knew she probably didn't look very nice right about now. Her eyes were sore and puffy, Her fur was a mess and wet, to boot, and she hadn't eaten in days. And to top it all off, she didn't know whether she was standing or sitting or laying or jumping. Or dying. Dying is kinda important.

She closed her eyes for a slow second, and was taken back in a memory where Moss and her would lean on each other as they started to fall asleep, his rumbling purr sending her to sleep. She flung open her eyes to make the memory go away, but it didn't. She could still feel his warm body...

...what the?!? No wonder I was thinking about that...wait, this guy is another cat...guess I should say something... She opened her mouth to try, but she couldn't get the words to come out. She opened her mouth a couple more times, feeling like an idiot, before she gave up and decided that this cat would probably want to say something first, after all. With a slow gradualness, she leaned on him slightly, thanking the sky cat's general intuition on what other cats needed.

Finally, he started talking. He...it's a he. Hello, "he." She forced back a shudder that threatened to rock her body, as well as his, as she listened to him talk. Had it really been that long? She couldn't tell. She stored his name away in her memory. She thought it was a nice name.

'So how did you end up here, anyways? No offense, but you don't look like you were born here. You're too...delicate.' His words rang around her head and echoed like she was hollow. "Really?!? You think so?!?" Her voice was cracked, a mockery of her usual tone, but the fact that it worked at all surprised her. Not as much as his comment, though. Memories of being thrown out of the breeders because she was too scruffy, apparently holding none of the qualities they wanted. If she had been delicate, she would've been kept. "Delicate" was a compliment to the point of insanity for her. Her voice had a wondering and hopeful quality as she stated her disbelief, her wish for it to be true making her sound like she was desperate. Idiot...

She lowered her head to compose herself, noticing his grin. Why are you looking down?!? Stupid... When she finally looked up, tail flicking down in an embarrassed way, she started to introduce herself. "My...my name's Gingko. I've never been on the streets before, actually. We got sent to the pound, but the one that kills us let me out because...well, I really don't know, but I think she liked my eyes..." She looked down again as she realized how stupid and not so modest that sounded.

"You paws...they're leaking!" She stared down at them in amazement, wondering of she had leaked stuff, too. Her mind slowly woke up and she realized he was bleeding and she was more than in idiot. "Umm...I mean...they're bleeding. Let's get you out of the rain." Faking confidence, she turned her body, leading him so they were facing the forward and walked a couple steps until she was out of the rain, hoping he would follow. Taking care of her own and other cat's injuries (from when she could first walk) taught her that bleeding was bad, and that they needed to fix it somehow. Somehow...

[coon]

'My...my name's Gingko. I've never been on the streets before, actually.'
Coon listened as she spoke.
'I think she liked my eyes.'
He grinned, remembering how much he loved Bell's blue ones. He thought about how they would sometimes just lie down in the sun for hours, occasionally peeking out from their squints to see if the other was asleep yet. His eyes were just a dull brown, nothing special really, and hers were a deep violet. They seemed to have picked up with a new energy now though. Not a lot, but somewhat. Coon laughed.
'I like your eyes too.' He told her with a grin. When she mentioned his paws, he looked down. It was true, technically his paws were leaking, and walking some more wasn't really helping them stop bleeding, so she suggested they get out of the rain and he quickly agreed. The rain wasn't helping anything, either.
He spotted a willow in the direction she was headed and followed. Just about to sit down, he pulled his head up, spitting. He had just walked face-first into a cobweb!
Coon lifted a gray paw up to wipe the sticky white strands off his fur and out of his eyes, scowling.
'Stupid spiders...' he began to complain, then he remembered something he had seen on a nature show Ryan had left playing on their TV before. He had liked the talking box.
'Wait, I bet we could use this stuff to pad my paws. They're a bit sore.' he added with a laugh. Usually he wasn't so upbeat. Maybe it was because he had finally met another cat after such a long time living alone in this forest. It was very tiring.
Sitting down, he collected the thick string into a ball on his red paw, carefully distributing it to each paw and patting it down hard. It felt like he was wearing boots.
Lying down, he yawned widely, pawing at his silver fish necklace. It seemed to glow from the light of the sunset. it was dark in the sky, but the huge star still peeked out from between the far-off mountains. Then he let his head fall to his paws and began to purr.

It was cold, but Coon felt warm. Even with his aching paws, his mood had lifted quickly upon helping Gingko. Really, she had helped him, too, so in no way was he any kind of hero. Peering behind him through one open eye, he spotted her without turning around. Even she was looking a little better, her black fur looking glossier and he eyes brighter, although she was probably awfully homesick. He had been, too. In fact, he still was. That brought back thoughts of Bell, which led to Ryan, and eventually to the horrible Eliza, and that mad him angry, so he bit down hard on the silver pendant, though it didn't even dent it.
Turning back to the sky, Coon mumbled a quick thanks to whoever was up there. His belly rumbled crossly, and he lifted his head, peeved. He had completely forgotten about dinner? Now that was unusual. He would sleep here for the night, and then head down to the river to do some fishing. He had an easier time with that than stalking prey, so he thought about the stream that ran through the forest daintily. It supplied fish, right? And that left him with one question:
What would Gingko do when he left? She was new here.
He sighed heavily, and then turned towards the black she-cat. Biting his tongue, he awkwardly offered an invitation.
'Hey, I'm half-starved, and I bet you are, too. There's a stream that runs through here, tomorrow to you maybe want to head down there with me? It's not too far from here...' he trailed off, waiting for her answer.

[fae]

Gingko looked up at Coon's face, and he grinned. She stepped back, unhappiness washing over her. Great, I'm just that much of an idiot, I sound so stupid he's laughing at me... But he started speaking and her self-loathing vanished, replaced with confusion. Another cat liked my eyes? Her eyes flickered again as Moss crossed her mind. A warm sickly feeling spread in her stomach, and she tried to pin down the emotion. Homesickness? No, why would she miss home? Home was a bad place. No, she just missed Moss. And now...he was dead.

She moved out of the way to make room for him, carefully avoiding a pretty looking spider web with an ordinary brown spider in it. She turned to check on Coon, when he walked...straight into the web. She felt horrible for not mentioning it. Her ears perked however, remembering using webs as a bandage for a wound Moss had sustained trying to spring them from their prison. She opened her mouth to mention it, but Coon beat her to it. She gave a half-smile, feeling stupid again. He's a street cat, of course he knew that. I bet everybody knows loads more than me.

With a sigh, she settled on her haunches, watchful eyes scanning the street in the distance and the forest around them for danger. Moss had always told her she was being silly and she stopped, but there was nobody to do that now. Stop it! she ordered herself. Thinking about him is not going to make it better. In spite of herself, she had begun crying a little bit. She knew that Coon probably wasn't paying attention to her, so she let the tears fall on their own, sparkling in the rising moon. Tearfall, she thought as she remembered Moss' old last name. Even though he was the happiest, sweetest cat ever, he had had such a sorrowful last name.

"Don't forget me, okay?" he had asked. "I won't..." she murmured, so soft the only ones who could make out what she was said were the stars. She had no last name, and made a decision. "...because Gingko Tearfall never forgets..."

She sat there quietly, letting the tears dry, and not long after she had composed herself, Coon spoke up, startling her. 'Hey, I'm half-starved, and I bet you are, too. There's a stream that runs through here, tomorrow to you maybe want to head down there with me? It's not too far from here...'

Her stomach rumbled quietly. She really didn't want to intrude but....she hadn't eaten in days. "If you really want me there..." She bit her tongue and cursed inwardly, realizing how utterly horrible that sounded. There was no way he's not going to be offended by that... "Actually, I'd really like to go. Maybe you can teach me how to get food?" Great, Gingko, insult him than ask him a favor, why don't you?

"If it's not too much to ask...I'm sorry, but I need to find out about food somehow. I know which plants to eat, though," she offered, trying to save herself. She then realized she was babbling, and shut up before she could embarrass herself further.

[coon]

Coon grinned at her. I know which plants to eat, though... He just about laughed out loud.
'Plants? Really? I prefer meat. But I guess plants could be good too.' He joked, walking over to a pile of leaves under the willow. He stepped, heard a squeak, and nearly flew out of his skin. Leapiong up into the tree, he hissed in surprise and embarrassment. His fur grew hot when he saw the little mouse scurry away into the tree, squeaking the whole way. Coons whiskers twitched.
'Damn mice. Just appearing out of nowhere like that...' He mumbled in his own defense. Another part of him laughed mockingly.
'You call that a hunting lesson? Loser.'
'Shut up. It just surprised me, thats all.'
'Uh-huh. Face it, you're pathetically useless. Getting scared of a mouse like that, you could be one yourself if not for you're overly fluffy tail of yours.
'I wasn't scared, damn it! And my tail isn't overly fluffy! It's perfect the way it is! He wrapped his tail around himself defensively, not quite knowing who he was arguing with.
It was dark now, and he leaped down from his perch, curling up in a pile of leaves. He was tired, and despite the make-shift bandage they still hurt. He looked out of one eye again to see what Ginko was doing. He shivered, even with his long coat, and thought about Ginko's own shorter black one. Coon got to his paws, and walked over to where she was sitting, curling up beside her. Coon hoped he wouldn't offend her, but he was cold and she was warm. So he slipped his tail over top of his nose and dozed off, dreaming about fish.

---

When Coon woke, it was beautiful. The sun shone high in the sky and had warmed up his pelt, and he was grateful for the extra heat that the bright star gave. Stretching, he realized that it was already noon. He had slept in. Him, a morning person. Wow, he must have been tired.
Coon stretched, and winced when his paws protested, sending little zaps of pain up his legs. Still, they felt better than yesterday and he lifted a big bandaged paw, prodding a dozing Gingko.
'Come on, lets get a head start on the day and zip over to the river.' He said sarcastically. 'Sleep certainly didn't help repress my appetite. I'm about ready to drink down that entire river at this point.'
He turned around, gesturing with his tail.
'C'mon, the river's this way. I'll tell you what I know on the way.' He began to walk forward, assuming she would follow.

'First lesson: Stealth. You gotta be quiet and quick. If you make a single bit of sound, it's all over, but if you step too hard it'll leave vibrations in the ground, and even that can scare off you're target.' He told her matter-of-factly.
'When you see your target, you have to get your stance ready. If you're right on par, your paws in all the right places, the perfect amount of space between and your crouched low enough, I'm not really sure how to explain it, but you just know that you're doing it right. You can feel it. I don't know how, but you just know.'
Yeah, you're so helpful. I'll bet that shes just confused now. You're not even making sense! So you've scared her off, now she thinks you're weird. WEI-RDO!
Ugh, you again. Just go away.' He was talking to himself. Well, thinking to himself. Coon gave an inner-sigh. He was actually having a conversation with himself. That's how pathetic he was.
'Go away, you say? Stu-pid, don't you know who you're talking to?' His inner-voice stretched the word out with apparent disdain.
'Yeah, myself.' He mumbled, and turning red when he realized he had answered out loud. Good thing his gray fur covered up his embarrassment.
'u-uhm, next lesson!' He announced a little too loudly, causing a bird to go flying off, cooing an alarm call.
Soem teacher I am, he thought cynically.

---

ooc:: Hey, how do you get your post in the middle like that? I mean, with space at the sides and stuff... -pathetic at html-

[fae]

"I used to rule the world,
Seas would rise when I gave the word,
Now in the morning I sweep alone,
Sweep the streets I used to own ...."

Gingko blushed as Coon expressed his preference for meat. In truth..she had never eaten meat. Her food fluctuated, starting with gourmet wet food and changing to the cheapest kibble about 3 months ago. Even the wet food, which proclaimed, "Bits of real meat!" just tasted like wet, blended kibble. That's how she knew what plants to eat...through trial and error with their large collection of plants. Many a time had she gotten sick from specific plants she now gave a wide berth.

The memory made her give a small smile, like a candle in the dark, before it was extinguished and she was Gingko once again. Then, a mouse popped out of the darkness, and she jumped, moving to almost hide behind Coon. He was obviously startled too, but he didn't hide behind her. She slowly moved from behind Coon as he cursed the mice. Oh! It was a mouse! No wonder it was frightened... "Poor thing..." she muttered in empathy. She felt like she should try and chase it somehow, but she was too tired.

It was cold outside, she fluffed her coat a little. She looked over to Coon, he must be freezing! To her happiness, (That makes me happy?) he moved closer to her. She wasn't going to be shy if someone was suffering. Fiercely loyal, if someone she knew was hurting, she would try and make it better -- even if they didn't say anything, she could tell. She stretched out next to him, her colder body slowly warming and in turn warming his. Better... she thought, before she, too, drifted off...except her dreams were not so sweet.
_______________________________________________________

"Wha..." She blinked, jerked out of her dreams. She had been twitching oddly, and she hoped she hadn't waken Coon up. He looked like he needed the rest. "You look much better..." she mused. She decided sleep must be a good thing. Except...she wasn't supposed to sleep. She was supposed to keep watch! Cursing her inability to be smart, she turned and followed Coon.

I can't believe I'm going to have to kill things to eat... she thought glumly. Better them than me, though. She listened, enraptured, as he explained about the magic of hunting. There was one bit he didn't say anything about, though, and she was being shy again, so she waited in an awkward silence as he apparently tried to figure out what magic to tell her about next.

He muttered something she didn't quite catch, but she was too afraid to ask what he had said. Say something?!?!? How come you can be so brave if someone's getting hurt, but you can't even ask someone to -- She was cut off as Coon shouted loudly about the next lesson. She gave a half smile, maybe he was trying to cheer her up? She shook her head to clear the thought and gathered her courage.

"Umm...what do you do once you have it? I mean..you kill it...but...I've never killed anything before." She blushed under her dark quote and her violet eyes dropped to look at the forest floor. That was eloquent.

"I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing:
"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"

[coon]

I watch you
fast a s l e e p

'...I've never killed anything before.'
Coon stopped walking, peering at her out of the corner of her eye. When he first moved in with Ryan, he had caught all sorts of bugs, killing them and sometimes even eating them. He would also sneak out of the backyard sometimes, heading over to the neighbors yard and catching the goldfish, straight from the pond. Thus his fish hunting skills. With other types of hunting, like mice and squirrels, he was okay, but mostly self-taught and therefor not great.
'I'm not surprised. You seems sort of... desolate... drawn-back... but
I guess I can relate. A little. Killing isn't fun, but it sure is tasty.' He half-joked, forcing a smile. His usual, cynical self was somewhere else today, and yesterday, too.
When I'm with Gingko. He thought, confused.
'Next lesson, strength. It's important to keep consistent strength during hunting, because one falter can scare off prey. Not to mention, you shouldn't try to hunt mice on an empty stomach or else most likely you'll misstep and it'll be gone faster than you can say damn.'
He noticed movement out of the corner of his eye, spotting a sparrow sifting through leaves for bugs. Spotting a chance, he whispered,
'You also have to have to have a lot of power when making the actual kill, or else you prey will simply run away with a bent up tail.'
He dropped into a powerful hunting crouch, his tail resting silently along his back. Her moved, quickly as to utilize the element of surprise, and was soon quite close to the bird. The only thing between them was a mossy rock, and it was too tall to jump over. At that, he bunched his muscles and sprang, his feet temporarily touching the stone before flipping off of it and landing right in front of the bird. It hadn't even looked up before his paw had come down on its back, snapping it in two. To limit pain, he made sure to bite down hard on its neck, making sure it was completely dead before picking it up and striding back over to Gingko, dropping it at her feet.
'Eat it, you'll need it. Plus, I want to see your face when you first taste it,' He added, thinking she would argue about the fact that he was hungry too. They were heading over to the river, and he much preferred fish, glancing down at his silver fish pendant, he gave an inner-laugh.
What's up with you? You're acting all... cheerful. His usual inner-voice criticized.
Ease up. I'm happy right now. he replied, peeved.
Oh, happy? Why are you happy? You just gave away your meal, you freak. The voice answered. Coon almost moaned out loud, his brown eyes rolling.
Whatever. I'm not going to get into this with you.
With you? You mean yourself? Why are you talking to yourself, anyways? Uh, you're not weird. he concluded, imitating Gingko's voice sarcastically.
Coon shook himself. These conversations seemed to rattle him, and he was annoyed that he could let himself get to him. Was that even possible, or was he really some kind of freak? Maybe he was going crazy.
Yeah, that's it, I'm just going crazy. Coon found himself an explanation. I'm not weird, just crazy, that's all. And then came that usual sarcastic flare.
Remembering his companion, Coon smiled at the black cat. Once again he had found himself entranced by the violet eyes, the unusual color seeming to reflect onto the leaves. The sunlight only seemed to magnetize the glossiness of her fur, and she looked like a different cat than the one from the night before, even if she hadn't even eaten the sparrow yet. Then the gray tom seemed to realize that he was staring and quickly looked away before she assumed the worst. The wind picked up, ruffling his gray fur and leaving it blowing in the wind. Brown eyes searched the road.
Well, that's about as good as I come. Compared to her, I look as ordinary as a green leaf.

All I fear
means n o t h i n g

[fae]

"I don't blame you for quitting...
I know that you really tried...
If only you could hang on,
though the night...."

Gingko flicked an ear back, thinking. Was that an insult? A joke? 'Desolate'? What does that mean? Drawn-back..is that the same as withdrawn? Wait--that's not good, either. Okay..try and be more...more happy. You're already happier than you've been in days around him, pumping it up shouldn't be that difficult. She shook out her fur and tried to force a smile, but failed miserably, and he was talking again.

Again, she hung on his words, eyes staring into his. They're really pretty... she thought in passing. Like that little band of fur on Moss's tail..he was always so pround of it... She jerked her head away, feeling stupid. But when he mentioned the bent tail, she couldn't help but give a small smile. The image of a critter running away with a bent tail was just too silly for her.

She stopped, as he bent down, eyes becoming feral and concentrated. She watched his steps closely, not sure what he was doing but she figured it was important. She made no sound, her breathing becoming shallow and almost silent. Her leapt...right for a rock. She frowned, not sure what he was doing, but with a powerful push of his legs, he had flipped off the rock and on an unsuspecting sparrow. She winced as her sensitive ears heard the crack of it's bones breaking, and watched as he ...bit it's neck?... to finish it off.

He trotted over and dropped it at her feet. She was rather awed. He told her to eat it, and she opened her mouth to argue but he cut her off with another reason. Feeling like she was stealing, she picked it up with her mouth and took a bite. Feathers stuck out of her mouth and she felt ridiculous, but her eyes widened. She quickly finished chewing and swalling before saying, "It's really good! You're a great hunter!" She quickly tore off another piece and ignored her gut feeling that said she should share. A few quick bites later, and her hunger was sated enough for the moment.

She noticed with a lurch in her stomach that he was staring at her, and wondered why. Do I have stuff all over me? She took a quick check and there was nothing there, but when she looked back he had looked away. Must've imagined it... But the funny drop in her stomach said that he was staring at her the way Moss had. And she wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. But the food distracted her her again, and she hastened to offer him the rest.

"Do you want the rest? I'm sure you're really hungry, and if I'm lucky, I'll get something of my own soon. Plus, it's really, really good. Is this what it all tastes like?" She nudged the rest if it towards him, a genuine smile on her face now. Her eyes were shining, and she was wondering if she could really hunt like her friend someday. She jerked her head back, startled. I...have a friend... Nudging the food towards him a bit more, she let out a soft purr, just for a moment, but enough to make her eyes sparkle and dance in the sunlight...I have a friend!

" 'Cause I don't wanna be lonely...
I don't wanna be scared...
And after all... I won't let go....
until you're safe and sound..."

[coon]

And as the summer's ending,
The cool air will put your hard heart a w a y.

ooc: Is it just me, or is there a little spark between Coon and Gingko? XDD Also, should we continue this thread by the stream? And maybe we should add some bad dogs to the mix... What do you think, Fae?

"It's really good! You're a great hunter!"
Coon almost laughed out loud. Him, a great hunter? He was just glad he had caught the thing at all without being called something like that.
'Thanks, but I'm not all that good. I don't usually catch them. But I'm glad you like it since from now on it's either that or garbage.' He told her with a grin. 'Me, I prefer fish over rodents or birds. Those things really know how to put the taste in tasty.'
He kept one eye out for other prey, hoping that they might see one before they got to the river so he could let her try herself. Then she spoke,
"Do you want the rest? I'm sure you're really hungry, and if I'm lucky, I'll get something of my own soon. Plus, it's really, really good. Is this what it all tastes like?" And he smiled.
'I'm sure you will find something of your own, in fact I think I smell something now. I don't really have much love for sparrows, so I think I'm going to hold out until we get to the river. And not all prey tastes like that; most of it tastes better. Apparently that thing hasn't found a lot of bugs lately, it's stringy as mouse in winter. Coon replied with a twitch of his whiskers.
His ears pricked for more sounds of the animal he had smelt earlier. It was a young squirrel, fat by the looks of it. He saw it scurrying along the roots of another tree, right in the open. Too easy... he began to crouch before remembering that it was Gingko's turn. He pointed it the squirrel with his thick white tail.
'There, see that? That's a squirrel, a really fat one, and he looks like he could be relatively easy to catch. If you can catch him, we'll share it and call it even since I like squirrels a whole lot better than sparrows. He whispered to her. This makes up the third lesson; speed. Keep low to the ground, but always keep moving. And when you drop into that crouch, adjust your legs so that you're comfortable. You hunt best when you're relaxed. Remember, keep it quiet, consistent strength and quick paws makes for a great catch. Now go for it.

You were so condescending..
And this is all that's l e f t

[fae]

ooc: Go right ahead with whatever you want...but bad dogs would be fun because Gingko would go badass on them XD I think there's a spark but Gingko's still getting over Moss...(read her history if ya want.) So either you'll end up fixing her or breaking her again XD be careful!

"My heart can't possibly break..."

Gingko listened to him speak while savoring the aftertaste of the sparrow. Her ears twitched and she caught the sound of a squirrel rooting around for nuts nearby, and the corners of her motuh twisted up. So cute....bet it's got a mate and a family. Wonder what it's little ones would look like... She was snapped out of her dreamy reverie as Coon adressed her again. "I...I've got to kill it?" She blinked, startled that not moments before she was thinking of it as a fellow creature, one with a family and kits.

Buck up, Gingko. It's not a cat, it's a squirrel, and it's food. I know that you know that you could catch the thing easily, but killing it...you'll have to try. Don't think about it...just...land on it's back so you break it's spine, like Coon did, and it'll be over quick. She nodded to herself, then dropped itno a hunting crouch, eyes becoming feral and agressive. It's just food... She crept up toward the rodent, the muscles bunching, she leapt at it, landing on top of it and breaking it's neck. She was a little off, but it worked. Crouching down, she bit it's head, making sure it was dead like she had seen Coon doing before. Looking down at it, with a start, she was Gingko again. "I..I killed it! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please forgive me! I'm sorry!" She knew she probably looked like an idiot, but she had still killed the creature. Inwardly tutting at her own denseness, she shut herself up. "Well...you're dead now. I'm going to have to eat you." It's dead, so stop talking to it!

She picked it up in her mouth and trotted over with it to Coon. Putting it down carefuly, she started talking to Coon. "I killed it..." Her tone was now more interested than scared. "Wow..I killed it! Thank you, Coon!" Now that she was over the shock a little bit, she was sorta proud of herself. She needed alot more practice, but she had gained a meal. "I'll take it to the river so you can catch a fish and we can eat together." Her voice had a ring of finality to it. Gingko...you did it! Her face lit up for a brief moment, but then it was gone again, and she wondered why she was so happy. She shouldn't be happy...should she?

"...when it wasn't even whole to start with..."

[Moon Coldbite]

ooc: After my post I'll make a new thread in the river and we can continue this there, 'kay? Oh, and sorry about the wrong account, I didn't even realize it. But I only got a few more minutes to post in the stream then I gotta go.

I know he knocks you off your f e e t,
You’re so bitter; you think he’s s w e e t.

Coon stifled a laugh at her hunting style as he watched her tear at the mouse. He was proud that she had caught, but the means of doing it could have used some work. But at her outbreak, he felt an unsuspected stab of sympathy. She seemed really upset.
'It's okay, Gingko, you did great! Calm down, you don't have to apologize, that was a great catch, especially for you're first time... You did everything perfect, really, you did...' Coon found himself making up praises to calm her down. Did killing something as small as a mouse mean so much to her? But despite his hasty promises of greatness, he was really happy that she had a natural talent for hunting. In fact, her crouch had been near flawless.
He watched as her black face changed and wonder crossed those unusual purple eyes. They even began to shine, and he couldn't help but purr at her thanks. Closing his eyes, He smiled wholefully.
'No problem at all. It was pretty easy teaching you, I still can't get over the fact that you got it on your first try, especially for someone who seemed so timid when it came to the subject. He turned back to the blue sky. It was mid-afternoon now, and they would be able to get over to the river in a good twenty minutes if they were vigilant, so he spun around and grinned at the black she-cat once more. About to speak, she voiced his thoughts as if she had just read his mind.
'I'll take it to the river so you can catch a fish and we can eat together. So he turned back over to the woods. It wouldn't be long before he could finally fill his own belly. Coon's long gray legs suddenly broke out into a run, and he leaped over logs and roots with ease.
This is my new life... And I'm okay with that. He thought gleefully.
Especially with Gingko, Something added in the back of his mind, and his skin turned hot before he shook it off.
Yeah, and I just ran off without saying anything. Smart. He thought, but then he realized that when he had taken off, he hadn't been worrying that his companion might lose him in the trees. Knowing her, she was probably about to do the same thing.

Well he’s wrong for you, I s w e a r...