Ｔｕｎｄｒａ Ｃｌａｎ ＲＰ--

Sable, a golden colored tom struck out into the sun and purred as the dawn began to rise. His ears pircked at the sound of scruffling in the leaves. Now looking in that direction he saw his sister, Tormanta, looking for basil. His green eyes now calm he walked over to her.

Tormanta, a grey, silver tabby smiled as her brother came snooping over, "Come to help?" she asked. Her blue/green eyes chirped a song as her paws dug in the red and orange pile.

The golden tabby smiled and helped her out. Finding a sprout, he plucked it and tapped her back with his forpaw, "Found one."

"Thank you! I almost ran out." She gently took the sprout from his mouth and ran back to the medicine den and set it with the pile of Basil.

Sable smiled as he saw Saffrina walk out of the den, "Morning." he smiled a sweet smile and sent off a small dust devil bouncing along the camp to get him excited for the day.

Tormanta sat in her den and set a paw along the patch of herbs she had. Digging holes in the mossy wet ground, paws gettign dirty, she loved that.
Raising her paw along the side of the stalk made the patch grow high. The stems were now sprouting and her fir was prickling with intent to get this job done.

Hoenir was up and about long before the sun, which now greeted his green eyes with thin filaments of light. His large ears were perked, betraying how alert he was, even though his sluggish trot would suggest otherwise. He noticed large stocks of yarrow budding from the ground, and as a kindness decided the clan could never have too much supplies, gripping some of the sour growth between his neat pointed teeth. He was finally nearing his destination, and sped up to a large outgrowth of rocks, the opening high up top covered in vines. He set down his bundle, and focused intently on two rocks in front of him. He hardly paid attention to the glow of a portion of fur as the rocks slid aside to reveal a gaping hole in the ground.

"Eros?" He called tentatively into the dimly lit hole. Two eerily bright turquoise eyes peered from the dark. She moved into a small tendril of light that slipped between the topmost part of her cage, her nearly blinding white fur glowing from the sun's reflection off it.

"Hoenir!" She meowed with a bit of relief, but worry edged in her voice.

"Any news on my release?" Eros meowed, tone thick with anxiety. Hoenir used the rocky outcrop to climb down, closing the stone wall behind him. He shook his head.

"The Gods have yet to send a reply to our elders." He said sadly. Eros felt annoyance bubble under her skin. It had been five moons since the beginning of her imprisonment, more than half of her life. She wanted out. She had been waiting for out. Why should she expect any different today though?

As though sensing her frustration, Hoenir gently placed his tail on her shoulder in comfort.

"I'm sorry. If it were up to me, I would have let you out long ago. I know you aren't doing any harm to us..." He said in a heart achingly sympathetic tone. Eros shrugged off his tail, and sat down sullenly facing a wall, green with moss.

"Then why don't you?" She sulked. Hoenir let out a heavy sigh.

"They would kill me. You know this. I've told you." He replied. Eros did not look away from the wall, but her eyes slited. No one but him ever visited her living tomb. He could let her go, and no one would ever know.

"These all just sound like excuses!" She swung around on him, her small pearl-white teeth now on display. Hoenir did not flinch, but merely laid his ears back for a moment. He looked at her sadly, and hung his head low.

"I'm sorry Eros. I'm so sorry..." His sincerity hit her like a strong wave, and she felt guilty for lashing out. Instantly she felt the need to make amends.

"Oh...I'm just being a bit melodramatic is all..." She sat close to Hoenir, who was still prostrate with grief.

"No, it's horrible down here." He muttered. Eros shook her soft white head.

"No! It's really neat! This may be a prison, but at least it's a nice big one!" In emphasis, she ran the entire circumference of the cavern, which was about eight fox lengths across. She was panting from that small exertion.

"Plus there are always all kinds of birds that visit! I wouldn't have my feather collection if it wasn't for this cave." She stated proudly. She loved her huge collection of bird feathers. She had collected all kinds of different shapes, sizes, and colors.

"Are you really okay?" Hoenir asked, lifting his head up slightly to meet her eyes. She nodded, her turquoise eyes shining. Hoenir instantly brightened up, and leapt to his feet.

"So, shall I go get you the usual?" He inquired.

"Oh, how about a jay today? I love the blue feathers!" She chimed. Hoenir flicked his tail in recognition as he leapt up the rocks. His fur glowed in a strange pattern, and two large stones slid away to form the opening. He quickly slid out, and the opening closed. Eros slid to the ground, and laid her head on her paws.

Hoenir walked off into the woods smiling, feeling sickly satisfied.

Tormanta purred and came out of her den, "Let me help." She swiftly jumped up in the air and turned to find herself standing on roots. every step she took a root sprouted. When she walked by each den, plants pushed the sleeping cats out.

sable smiled and as his sister did this, he spun a dust devil on everyone's fur, "Wake up you lazy lumps!" he shouted playfully.

The sky was no grey and wet with rain, but laughter made Hoenir's green eyes gleam as he trotted into camp. In his mouth he carried his tokens of yarrow, burdock, and a corpulent young rabbit by the ears, setting them down by the medic den. "Hey Tormenta! I brought you some supplies! You may be pleased to know that some of us are actually diurnal." He lightly teased. He picked up the rabbit and laid it down in the fresh-kill pile. "Course, not much to show for it. Has a hunting party left yet?" He inquired shaking his head to shake off some of the water. He didn't mind the wet as much as others.

The feather quivered in the air, but only for a moment before being brought to the ground by quick, neat, white paws. Sliding like a snake on the sandy floor, Eros quickly popped it back into the air, watching as the bright red color whirled to the ground. She aimed directly for the black stripe near the tip. Quick as lightening, she batted it high into the air, only to have it float out of her reach onto a small overhanging stone just a rabbit's-length too high. She huffed, and a droplet hit her nose. I don't have any other red feathers! That was my favorite! She thought angrily. She knew something would happen if she kept playing with her feathers.

She became aware of the rain on the second drop, which hit her ear. She looked up to the topmost part of her cage, a small opening about one and a half fox-lengths across, four fox-lengths above her. Ivy and creeper tendrils had interwoven and laced across the opening, where her precious avian companions would often come to rest on sunny days. Their songs always made her feel a bit less lonely, but with the rain, there was no chance they would come today. Yet another deep sigh escaped her, and she collapsed onto the sandy floor. She was so tired of being trapped. She wanted to be free. Eros gazed longingly at the feather just out of her reach. That was why she loved birds so much. They never had to stay anywhere. Without notice, they could take to the sky, and travel as far, and as high as they wanted to, with no one to keep them otherwise.

She had tried many times to escape. Not a day had gone by since she was first trapped here at four moons old where she hadn't looked for some way to escape. She had tried climbing, but the walls were too smooth everywhere except the path Hoenir used to climb in and out, and she couldn't move the rocks that blocked her way. She remembered her first day, when she had pushed and scraped against those rocks until her claws were sore and bloody, to the point where she couldn't even walk back down. So she had waited right there, until Hoenir had returned. The minute the rocks moved out of the way, she tried to make a run for it, only to be easily chased down, and put back in her cell. She had despised Hoenir. He came back later that day though with an ointment that soothed her paws. Hoenir had done it even though she was a prisoner tresspassing on his clan's territory, and he had done it against his leader's wishes. He explained, that even though he was loyal to his clan, he would not stand for such cruel and unusual treatment. Ever since then, Eros knew she could trust him, but he was not her friend. As long as she was kept prisoner, he never would be. No matter how nauseatingly sweet he was, or how charmingly kind and caring Hoenir acted towards her, there would always be a part of Eros that was angry at him for keeping her in a hole for more than half her life.

She looked up to the cracks of sky she saw through the laces and leaves, and dreamed of being out there to feel the rain and wind fresh on her fur.

"Thanks!" Tormanta smiled and as she lept from the roots, she was gently settled down by flower pettles. She picked up the herbs with a gentle touch and set them in the herb bed to grow.

Sable smiled as the rain dribbled on his skin, but it made his fur all damp and thick. Reaching a step into a den to stay dry, he purred. He made gusts of durst and wind come to him to dry his fur, also giving it a sandy touch.

Tormanta bounced out of her den and smiled at the sky.

Hoenir noticed all the cats were just now beginning to rise for the day, but wanted to get a move on. He still had to get the jay for Eros on top of filling up the meager pile of food, not to mention he had a bad feeling about leaving her too long. Not that he ever felt good about leaving her too long. He thought about her every second of the day when he wasn't with her -- her silken white fur, which reminded him of milk, her ethereal moon eyes, the color of winter meeting spring and full of a chaste beauty. His fur prickled, and a chill went down his spine. Her small paws, her delicate frame, even her quirky obsession with birds made Hoenir's heart skip a beat. Which was why he kept her all to himself. He knew other toms would pursue her, or worse yet, she would pursue other toms if she were allowed to run free. He wanted her to be his. Only his. Hoenir unintentionally glowered, but he caught himself, and shook his head. It wont happen... He thought. He put on a smile, and called to Misao.

"Who should I take with me?" He believed that she was leaving it to him to decide, but thought it respectful to ask just in case. He said good morning to Nightshade as he passed by her, clearly unhappy as the rest of the cats about their sandy awakening. The smell of the Earth was enhanced, rich from the rain.

"Hey, don't think you could turn off the rain while we hunt could you? As much as I love the smell of dirt, I like the smell of prey more," He said jokingly.

"Grah!" Eros yelled in frustration. She had been trying to jump high enough to knock her favorite red feather from the small ledge she had gotten it stuck on, but to no avail. She was never one to give up easily though. She backed a few steps before launching at the wall again. Her paws were painfully close, missing the bottom of the ledge by only a hair, only to watch as it once again receded as she fell to floor of her chamber. Anger pulsated each time she hit the ground, and without pause she jumped back up again. Then again. Then continuously, until her jumps were clumsy, and her paws tingling to the point of pain from hitting the ground so many times. She incessantly leapt, with anger, and frustration, rage, and sorrow, all balled up in her stomach, freezing into what felt like ice. She crashed awkwardly to the floor, hurting her back leg. She wailed, not not from the pain in her paw, but the pain in her heart.

"I can't get out of here! I'll never be free! He'll never let me out, they won't let him, and he won't..." She wailed, her sentence trailing off as she paused to gasp for breath. A beautiful bird she had never seen before perched on the top of her cage. It quirked its head, gazing from beady, intelligent eyes.

"I want to be free like you!" She cried out, using a great amount of effort it felt to push herself up from the dust on the ground. The black eyes revealed nothing as they watched her.

A determination over came her, fierce and commanding. She backed up, as far as she could. Her blood was hot and sharp, but her mind was cool and focused as a reflection in a frozen pool. She lifted a paw, as though she had carefully calculated to do so, and as if everything weighted on her doing so just right. Her face remained stoic and unyielding. Suddenly, quick as lightening, she shot forward, her teeth bared in anger out of frustration and desperation. The bird's feathers lifted slowly to keep out the cold.

She couldn't recall what happened next, it all went too quickly to process. She had jumped from the ground. Her front paws lifted first, then, bunching up her haunches, she pushed off the ground, with as much power as she could. She felt as though the ground pushed against her paws the exact same time her paws pushed off the ground the force was so unbelievable. She realized that it was the wind that was pushing her though, the wind itself which whirred around in her cage, lifting her higher than she could have ever hoped to be. Before she could think, she realized that she had far overtook the ledge she had aimed for.

The bird shrieked and took off as the cat below clumsily hit the perch of creeper and ivy it had been resting on, sheltering from the rain pattering on branches above.

"What are the plans for the day Saffrina?" Sable asked. His white eyes peirced into the sky as he asked. The sandy color on his fur brightened up in the sun and he smiled, feeling the blazes upon his chest. Seeing his sister grow the herbs mad him feel happy inside, knowing that the clan would be safe.

Tormanta smiled and ran to Misao, "When and where?" she asked for the herb patrol. Her silver pelt shone thru the leafs and she looked like a star in the night sky.

low muse... sorry