[rubinaito]

From my private roleplay with Sasukewolf (madness).

A quiet breeze rustled the leaves in the trees above, shaking loose a few; the green foliage twirled and danced as it drifted to the ground, swept from side to side by the playful wind. The branches shook against each other gently, creating a soft scratching noise; shhshshhh, shhshshhh. The gurgling of a river nearby filled the air, splashing playfully and running down the hill in a smooth, fluid motion. Birds twittered happily from the trees, adding to the song that was nature. The soft scratching of a mouse burrowing deeper into the ground echoed faintly from the forest floor; higher up, the skidding of claws against wood announced that a squirrel was moving into the next tree. Once more, the wind swept through the forest, drifting playfully past the falling leaves, sweeping up small specks of dirt and collecting pollen from the flowers. The bees hummed in annoyance as they were swept away from their jobs, sent tumbling through the air and crashing against the stems and petals of other flowers. The sounds collected together in a harmonious melody bringing the seemingly still forest to life.

However, it all went silent as soon as a small mound stirred slightly. This 'mound' was an animal of some sort, it's features masked by the shade. Shadows fell over a golden pelt, giving it a darker, almost wooden look; darker spots ran up and down it's fur, helping add to the wooden nature of the creature. However, once they blinked open their eyes it was clear that this was not some wooden sprite of the forest; the reflective yellow eyes with a claw-like slit in the center of them called attention to what species this creature was. The mice hurried away, the birds fluttered towards safer branches, the scratching from the squirrels ceased, for a feline was in their midst. A rumbling yawn echoed from the cat's maw, their claws flicking out and working themselves into the ground. Their glowing yellow eyes focused on a foolish rodent who hadn't noticed the cat; the poor mouse was likely deaf. Hunger gleamed in the hunter's eyes as it stood up, slow and careful so not to disturb the deafened mouse. The cry of a raven from above echoed throughout the silent clearing, announcing the rodent's fate; death would soon arrive to claim the animal's soul, while the cat feasted on it's flesh. A purr rumbled from deep within the cat's throat, and before the mouse could even blink... their neck had been cleanly snapped, the small click echoing through the clearing. The feminine feline smiled to herself, picking the small mammal up with her jaws and returning back to her spot in order to begin her small and short feast.

The cat flicked her tongue over her jaws casually, cleaning the fur around it a little before sinking her fangs into the still-warm corpse of her current meal. A salty taste filled her mouth, the blood gushing into her throat as she swallowed the bite. A content purr rumbled from the feline's throat, and she stole another bite from the mouse. A few clumps of fur drifted off of the cat's maw, pieces of the deceased rodent's pelt falling to the floor like the discarded remains of whatever a twoleg ate. The cat paused, looking down at the ground with a little bit of disgust. Standing up, and swallowing the rest of the mouse, she swept her tail across the dusty ground, sending a cloud of dirt up into the air and sending the scraps of mouse away from her and her small clearing. She flicked her ear with a snort, before inspecting the rest of her small corner of the world. Spotting a small spot of blood that would help bring predators to her place and divert prey, the cat frowned before swiping her paw over it, picking up the piece of dirt and flinging it away. This routine continued for a good minute or so before the finicky feline finally had everything just in place. She smiled happily, before turning and heading into her den; a hollow carved out from beneath a tree, the roots creating a thick roof and a door-like structure on the entrance. Large predators couldn't fit through, which made it the perfect place for the small cat. Along the wall was a small collection of herbs for emergencies, and a small nest was nestled in the corner. There was a small tunnel leading into another chamber, which the cat began walking into. She gazed sorrowfully at four mounds; one was larger than the others, while the smaller ones were closer together. Laying down between the small mounds and the large one, it almost looked like she was resting between three kits and a larger cat... which she technically was. For below the earth was her mate and kittens, whom all tragically lost their lives after catching a horrid sickness known to the clan cats as 'Greencough'. She had been the only one who survived the outbreak among the small group they had lived in... and she would continue to be alone for a long time. Letting out a miserable sigh, the female stood up and set her jaw. She needed to get out of the den and explore the territory. Perhaps a cat had moved into the hollow a few tails away, or recently moved into the cave just upstream. Determined to go back outside, the feline stood up and marched out, ready to explore.