Step by s t e p [o p e n]

[Moon Coldbite]

--Moon looked around. She was panting, and her white fur was streaked with dust. After all that running her soft pads were sore, and she wasn't sure where to go from here. She didn't even know anyone. Sighing, she padded along the road, easygoing now that she had lost the Humans. The breeze picked up, carrying the scent of rain to her nose. She decided it was probably coming around tomorrow and thought about food. She had caught a few mice around the Old Lady's house, but if she was going to stay here like like this, living off of whatever nature decided to grant her, she was going to need some practice.
--Concentrating, she scented the air for prey. Trees, leaves, rain, dirt... Moon sneezed. How am I supposed to scent anything through all these clouds of dust- She began to complain to herself when something caught her senses. Squirrel.
She crept silently along the side of the road, shielded by the tall grass. Not yet too old too be exposed even behind the tall blades, she remained unseen. Close enough to reach her future meal, she sprang- and randed face first into dust. Spitting, Moon watched in embarrassment as the squirrel darted away from her hot glare.
--Moon sighed, and started to continue her sluggish pace through the twilight air, but suddenly stiffened; she caught another scent, one that she couldn't forget after living among so many of them for so long.
--Cat.

ooc:: Yup, it's short, but I knew it had to be written so there ya go.

[Ash Firestar]

I tried so h a r d
and got so f a r

++ Ash padded along the edge of the path, still in the undergrowth. Keeping his body hidden he caught a scent. He followed the scent skillfully, and careful to stay silent. He crouched under a low bush, his blue eyes peering from it and staring down a small white kit. He smiled, she was adorable. He couldn't help himself from thinking that. He watched her trying to catch a squirrel, fall and land in the dirt of the path. He chuckled lightly. It was horrible to learn to hunt by yourself, and he knew that. He saw the squirrel bouncing off, he decided to follow it to catch it for the kit. It was the least he could do. Squirrels definately not the easiest thing to catch. They were so quick and easy to miss, you couldn't catch them.

++ Of course, he was still very upset. He had tried his best to hide his tears. He had tried his best to ignore it, but it was tearing at his chest. He couldn't let it out now, not here. He was hunting for that poor kit. Lost in his thoughts, the trail he was following disapeared. "Aw crap!" he said in anguish as he found it again and continued to follow it. With his keen night eyesight he found the light brown squirrel nibbling on an acorn. Silently creeping up to it, hidden by the night and the brush, he leaped up and snagged its bushy tail, dragging it to the ground. It screamed, but, it wasn't very loud. As soon as it hit the gound its head snapped and cracked. The helpless squirrel died almost instantly from shock and the violent head-banging. Ash picked up the dead squirrel around its stomache and carried it off towards the path.

++ He found the kit wondering, now she looked starved, he decided to make a 'grande entrance'. He climbed silently up the tree just pawsteps in front of her and scrambled across an outstreched branch. Ash waited for her to walk just behind it and he dropped the squirrel, it landed just before her mouth. "Squirrels aren't the best thing to practice hunting on, are they?" he shouted from the limb. He leaped down, facing the kitten. "Ash Firestar at your service." he said softly, bowing slightly at the youngser. (haha, 'youngster')

But in the e n d,
it doesn't even m a t t e r.

It's kinda short...oh well...

[Moon Coldbite]

--After identifying the scent, Moon had looked around suspiciously, not knowing from which direction the newcomer would appear out of. She nearly jumped five feet in the air when the very squirrel she had been stalking fell right in front of her, and he astonishment increased when a voice called out to her from above.
--"Squirrels aren't the best thing to practice hunting on, are they?"
--She stumbled and looked up. Sure enough, above her sat a smoky gray he-cat looking down at her, amusement in his eyes. She huffed, embarrassed. No doubt he had seen her miss that bitty piece of prey back there. Deciding that there was no obvious threat, she calmed down as the male leaped down from his perch to stand in front of her.
"Ash Firestar at your service."
--At his bow, Moon couldn't help it; she laughed, happy at an easy-going voice.
--'Hi,' She greeted the stranger warmly, glad to meet another cat, 'I'm Moon. Coldbite. Moon Coldbite.' She stuttered uselessly. Turning pink and knowing herself, she was simply happy to see that she hadn't spontaneously fallen down on her face.
--Moon looked down at the squirrel, wondering if he had given it to her or if he had simply been showing off. When she looked up, there was only playfulness and a gentle friendliness showing in his eyes, so she took her chances and gulped down a bite, finally relieving her growling belly. After a few more quick mouthfulls, she looked up at the gray cat, finishing with a magnificent,
--'Thanks.' She flashed him one of her kitten smiles, but shivered in the cold. It was dark out, and she hadn't even thought about where she was going to stay the night. Although Moon was clumsy, she wasn't one to be overwhelmed and panicked, but a little forgetful.
--Her first night in the wild and she was on the side of the road eating a squirrel that she didn't even catch.

[Ash Firestar]

++ Ash smiled at her childish laugh. He couldn't help it, but all of his terrible feelings and sadness melted away, this was a good moment, and he was meant to enjoy it, obviously, so he let out his inner happiness. He wanted to feel more child-ish too, more like a kid again, he wasn't elderly or anything, just an adult. But then she spoke, introducing herself. "Pleasure to meet you, Moon." He said again in a kitten-like way, playful and happy. "Yes, it is your squirrel, isn't it? So, it was meant for you to eat it. Besides, you look thinner than a stick." He said humorously.

++ He smiled as she thanked him. It looked like she hadn't been out on the streets long, noticing her poor choice in prey (though it was a good attempt!). Still, it was nice. Maybe this kit needs his help? Maybe a hunting tip or two? Ha, and he needed to find her a decent den. It was bloody cold out here, especially for a starved kitten. "Tip for hunting," he said, "you catch the best prey when it's day-light, or, when you find one that's sleeping." He thought, after he had said that, that he sounded kind of know-it-all-ish. He did not really care. He looked at a low shrub, it was in a umbrella-like shape that maybe two full sized cats could fit under and hunters or humans wouldn't expect.

++ "I hope that I didn't ruin your spirit by catching your prey," he said, "but you did look starved and it's the least I could do." He smiled again, she still had that kitten smile on her face and it was simply adorable. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her. "See that bush?" he said in a mentor voice, "That would make a pretty nice den, don'tcha think? I think it fits about two grown-up cats." He wanted to teach her to hunt, it would prove useful for survival. "After you're done eating that squirrel, would you think it smart to rest for now, and try to catch maybe a mouse in the morning? I can teach you, if you like." He suggested, wondering how the kit would say to that.

[Moon Coldbite]

--Moon couldn't believe her luck. Her first few hours on the street, and she hadn't had to do a single thing before suddenly she had a full belly, a place to stay the night, and a friend. It shocked her after a life used to expecting disappointment. Everywhere she went there was always someone who didn't like her. And now here she was.
--"Yes, it is your squirrel, isn't it? So, it was meant for you to eat it. Besides, you look thinner than a stick."
--Ash had practically read her mind and she was finished the squirrel so quickly she almost didn't taste the small morsel. Moon heard him give her a quick tip about hunting and she smiled up at him gratefully. No doubt she needed all the help she could get. So soon enough he had pointed out a practical sleeping space that had the perfect amount of space to fit them both and keep them warm. She nodded quickly, agreeing instantly as if he would take back the offer, and after hearing his offer of help in hunting, he favorite pass-time, she almost choked on the last bit of meat. What had she done right?
--Walking over to the little den, they got comfortable in the soft dirt, and Moon ventured the question,
--'So how did you end up around this area? I mean, by the road, or in the tree...' She rambled tiredly, hardly even hearing herself as she began to doze off. Hoping she wouldn't talk in her sleep again, she put her head down on her paws and looked up at his furry gray face, patiently waiting for an answer.

[Ash Firestar]

++ Oh god. Ash is becoming a softy. He smiled and layed opisite of her, looking into her little and still baby-like violet eyes, "So, I met this cat, and..." he thought a moment, trying not to lie (referring to his talk with Indigo) and also trying not to tell her about how he really felt about Indigo. "Umm...I guess you could say we're not really friends anymore..." Ash frowned for just a moment then smiled brightly, trying to keep the happy mood up, "...But, I saw you hunting, and you looked like you needed a little help, so, I snatched the squirrel and decided to make a dramatic entrance. Was it dramatic enough, dear Moon?" He said happily again, smiling. He put his head on his paws, "That's enough talk now, Ms. Coldbite. Get some sleep!" He closed his eyes, sighed a moment and went into a deep thought.

++ Indigo. That was all he could think about. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get that bloody she-cat out of his mind. She just kept coming back, like...like...well, he didn't have a cood simile, but you get the point. Her pretty orange-striped coat, and her amber eyes that were always shining. Her sweet laugh, her warmth. All of those things kept reminding him of how great she really is. He'd taught her something, he'd taught her to tell the truth. That if you tell a lie, you don't have to remember what you said. He guessed she'd said it enough that it was really her hidden past. She was beautiful, and had a good view of things. He really did love her. But she had sold her life away to that stupid cat, he didn't know what he was getting into. That Indigo had a lot of things to tell the ugly tom, he didn't really know Indigo. Ash didn't really, either. But, Ash did know her well enough to say he loved her. But, he couldn't. A wall was standing in his way and he couldn't find the door. He couldn't walk up to her now and say 'Oh, and hate to break it to you, Indigo, but I think I love you.' Besides, he'd already said he didn't love her. Dude, that was a stupid thing to say. Now he was the one lying.

++ He finally cleared his mind of all thought and drifted off into a sleep.

Dude, Ash has some serious problems.

[Moon Coldbite]

--Moon fell asleep, smiling. She only remembered seeing the confusion on Ash's pale features, and deep down in his dark blue eyes, the hidden hurt. He reminded her of someone, but she just couldn't place it.
He began to speak, softly and still a secret note in his voice.
--"So, I met this cat..."
--She listened silently to his short summary, realizing it a more sensitive topic than he let on.
--"That's enough talk now, Ms. Coldbite. Get some sleep!"
--She yawned, only proving his point further as her eyelids fell down over her tired violet eyes.
--'Sorry for bringing it up, I didn't meeeeaan to..'[/i]
She mumbled a soft apology to the gray he-cat, yawning on the word mean. Realizing that Fon, her old best friend and adopted older brother was who Ash had reminded her of, she slipped her paws over her eyes in a silent giggle. And with the soft sounds of the forest and the sound of Ash's steady heartbeat as her lullaby, she fell asleep.

--The sun had risen considerably high in the sky when she woke up, opening her eyes half-way and squinting to keep the light out of her eyes. Where in the world has Fon gone of to...? She began to ask herself until she realized her surrounds. The events off the night before came rushing back to her in a rush and she practically jumped out of her fur, thoughts buzzing through her head a mile a minute.
--'...Had I spoken in my sleep again?' 'Had I accidentally kicked Ash while dozing without realizing it?' and even 'Had Ash gone back to find his friend?'
--She quickly cleaned up her soft kitten fur before lifting her head up and looking around for the gray he-cat.


ooc:: longer post than usual 0_o Wow, thats sad...

[Ash Firestar]

++ Ash had awoken earlier that morning, when the sun breaks over the horizon. The colors were so beautiful, he loved just just watch the huge orb lift itself into the sky. That orb, our sun, was the thing that brought heat to us, brought light so we can see, and it is wonderful. Ash loved to just stare at it, it gave him time to think about things. He had placed himself on a branch over the shrub that had so skillfully protected them the night before. Just so he could wait until Moon woke up and they could start their first hunting lesson.

++ What was he thinking about? What he had been thinking about that night. Indigo. Love. Stuff like that. He loved Indigo, it was final. He was too late...way too late. He sighed.

++ His ears pricked, he heard stirring under the shelter. I think Moon has awoken... He thought with a grin. He leaped down and poked his head under the bush, her violet eyes wide open. "G'd morning sunshine!" He said with a slight british accent, meant to be funny. He went back to a normal voice, "Would you like me to help teach you to hunt before breakfast?" Meantioning breakfast made him realize that he had not eaten anything since yesterday morning. He was absolutely starving. He decided that his practice dummy was destined to be his food. He smiled.

[Moon Coldbite]

--Moon smiled when Ash entered, laughing at his fake accent. She had begun to feel more comfortable in her new surroundings, here by the Old Road. It struck her that she had not really been this happy for a while now, definitely not since the Old Lady had died. She listened carefully at what Ash said.
--"Would you like me to help teach you to hunt before breakfast?"
--Moon jumped up, eager as usual. She loved to hunt, and even though she wasn't great, she took up the opportunity to learn something new so quickly she almost fell down. Again.
--'YES!' She cried happily, her eyes dancing. She tapped her toes in excitement. And she was hungry.
--Moon raced into the woods top-speed, jumping and flying the whole way. No doubt she probably had scared away all the prey from here to the c-box, but she didn't care. It first struck her this morning; she was, for the first time in her short life, free.
--Spotting a fat mole nosing some dirt beside a hole, he flew at it in overdone haste and it was back in its hold before she could even get half to it. Hissing, she turned around, but her excitement was not dampened for long as she spotted a butterfly to same color as her eyes fluttering low to the ground. She followed the bug over and along the side of the Road, enjoying the colors and the warm air. Flicking up her long, thick white tail, she knocked the butterfly gently sideways, and it fought for composure just above the ground. Watching it with playful eyes, she licked her lips and pounced, catching it in a cage-like formation of her paws. It fluttered its pretty wings, looking for a way out, and Moon released the thin little insect before turning back towards the now small looking den, waiting for Ash to follow.
--'Come on, you're too slow!' She called teasingly at the gray he-cat, pawing the ground in anticipation. Her normal, jumpy self was back to normal with a good nights rest, and she watched the clouds while Ash caught up.

[Ash Firestar]

++ Ash simply laughed at her excitement. Yes. His highly trained ears picked up the sound of scampering paws running away. He sighed and glanced up, she was still prancing around like a kit.
"C'mon, you're too slow!"
Echoed her voice in his head. He shrugged and padded over. "OK, there are a few things you need to keep in mind when you hunt:
-->Be as quiet as a mouse
-->Be as clever as a fox
-->Be as quick as a car
-->Aaaand, be as strong as a dog (sometimes)" He said, he thought that those were pretty good rules. He shrugged to himself, "You just scared off three quarters of the prey here. Just, be more aware!" He advised.

++ His calm blue eyes became alert and his senses sharper as he looked around for food. A scent surrounded his nose. Mouse. That's a great thing to start off with! They're easy. "I smell a mouse, now, what I'm going to try and do is find it with my eyes..." He whispered, trying not to scare anything else away. He crouched, looking for the mouse. He asumed that it might be under a bush or in the brush, "Mice," he said, just a bit louder than a whisper, "tend to hide under things like bushes and roots and maybe even houses." He spotted it. Under a bush, about five feet from their little den. "There!" he said in a soft whisper, "Do you see it? Under that log." He pointed at it with his tail, "Now, I'm going to show you how to catch the mouse..." He started off, stalking it, and hiding low in the grass. He leaped at the log and shot his front paws under the log. He was lucky this time, he caught the tail of the mouse just as it was scampering away. He brought it back to Moon, it was wrigling it his mouth until it finally gave up, it layed still, knowing it was literally dead meat.

++ "Now, the best way to kill an animal is to just bite down hard on the skull, it dies almost instantly from impact. If it doesn't die, it will certainly be paralyzed." He paused, and bit down hard, hearing the skull crack he knew it was safe to put it down without it running off. "Just crush the skull, that's all it takes. Oh, and tip, always be a suprize to the prey." He said with a slight grin. "Now, you try." He commanded, "Remember the rules I told you at the beginning of the lesson." He sat down to watch the youngser practice hunting.

Words: 436

[Moon Coldbite]

--Moon watched in fascination as Ash quickly dispatched the small mouse easily, simply biting down on its head before a barely audible crack sounded. He put it down lightly, then looked at her expectantly. She gulped.
--Be as quiet as a mouse
--Scented for prey, and caught the exact same scent of prey running through the leaves of the forest behind them. Mouse was somewhere in these trees, and as if nature itself were guiding her she began to stalk towards it. Ash had been right; although she could smell the small mammal simply, it didn't make a sound.
--Be as clever as a fox.
--The cunning purple eyes watched the unknowing prey, inspecting it and taking it all in at a formal rate. She thought about the day before, when she had looked around, scenting her silver friend, and completely forgetting to look above her. Why should she? Only someone very clever would think to attack from above anyways. And besides that, she had been tired and hungry, and even lonely. Of course she missed the fact at that point.
--Slowly, silently, Moon dug her black claws into the side of the wide tree that's roots housed the mouse. She made no sound, and silently cursed the missing claw in her front paw. It sure didn't make setting her trap any easier. Being in the roots, it was aware of the movement around her, and even safe from most angles. Moon thought that if she would be able to make a sound on the small, cave-like rooted area, she might scare it out of the roots in time to catch it between her paws. Tensing, she jumped off the side of the trunk.
--Be as quick as a car.
--Landing on the root lightly but loudly, she heard a shocked squeal as the rodent darted out from underneath the safe cover and towards the thick grass. It would be much harder to catch there, and even its nutshell brain seemed to know that as its thin legs went flailing out and over the leaves that littered the forest floor. Moon's dusty white paws were out in a flash, and withing a moment she had the mouse caged.
--Be as strong as a dog.
--It squeaked in terror and froze, and, quick as a rabbit, lifted her paws to catch the shocked mouse in her jaws. She shut hard and heard a crunch as the mouse went limp and its eyes glazed over. Carrying her prize back over to Ash, she lay ti down beside the other mouse he had caught and sat in front of him, proud and triumphant over her catch.

ooc:: Cute new sig! ;]

[Ash Firestar]

++ Ash watched silently, sitting as still as a statue and looking like one too. He smiled as he watched Moon attempt to catch the mouse. She was certainly an extrodinary hunter. She was clever and sharp, quick minded too. He was glad to be teaching her. He laughed as she pranced back over to him and placed the mouse next to his. "Wonderful. Now, that's a wrap, let's dig in!" He said. Without hesitation he lowered his head and chomped down on his prey. It tasted so good to have still some-what warm food in his mouth. You couldn't get any better than a meal. And you felt so proud of yourself in the end.

++ It was so strange, here all alone and he finally found somebody that he could teach, it was nice. It made him happy. "What would you like to do now, Ms. Coldbite?" He questioned excitedly.

waaaaaayyy short. I just got no muse...

[Moon Coldbite]

-- "What would you like to do now, Ms. Coldbite?"
--Moon sat down by the old road, licking her lips. The usually snow-white fur was stained red around the mouth, making her look menacing, but the way she looked around with wide, playful violet eyes ruined the effect. she thought about it for a moment; what did she want to do now? She thought about what she would normally be doing at a time like this; probably sleeping. So now that she was wild, what should she do? Certainly not laze about all day. Not when there was so much more to do!
--Leaping up, she danced over to where Ash had sat down after finished. She had just got an idea. A possibly fun idea, and certainly an adventurous idea.
--'Lets go into the town!' She exclaimed gleefully, leaping around him in wide jumps. She was full of energy after her good sleep and warm meal, and now all she wanted to do was cause some trouble. And where was the first place she and Fon would go to do that? The Town!
--Her white feet bounced up and she raced in a random direction, head shaking as it looked for the wide buildings, not even beginning to t=pause and think about where it was. Turning around, she waiting for Ash to catch up, her tail swaying back and forth in excitement.

[ooc:: Moon has gone all hyper on poor Ash xD]

---

Thread ended by Ash and Moon on June 27th.

Ash and Moon went into town for the day. Ash tought Moon how to steal food from stands and things like that and they came back here to sleep for the night. Ash got up early and woke Moon up to watch the sunrise. Ash wanted to go elsewhere to clear his mind so he told moon bye and they went their seprate ways. But both gaining a friend in the process.