[meraki]

From childhood's hour I have not been. As others were, I have not seen. As others saw, I could not awaken. My heart to joy at the same tone. And all I loved, I loved alone.

~'Alone' Edgar Allan Poe

Paws the colour of freshly fallen snowflakes gently padded upon the dying grasses at a steady pace that was neither in a hurry nor sluggish. The young calico's eyes searched the dying landscape that surrounded her, the scene so intensely coloured with shades of amber and vermillion. A crisp Leaf-fall breeze ruffled the multicolored cat's coat as her nose was raised in hope of catching any scents. Maple continued on her way, stopping occasionally at various sounds, only to find that the sources were simply the tossing of loose leaves that had fallen from their homes. With eyes the colour of a warm flame, Maple glanced down at her paws only to spot a familiarly shaped leaf; quite ironically her namesake. The molly lowered her head to get a better look at the dead thing, it's colour similar to that of the corrosive rust that formed on abandoned twoleg monsters. The thing smelled somewhat burnt, and Maple turned up her nose in disgust, stepping on the leaf as she continued on her way to nowhere in particular. The she-cat's cranium lifted upward as she watched the barren, lifeless trees pass by.
A gust of wind ruffled her pelt once more, this time sending a shiver down her spine; though it only lasted a mere second or two, and the air became still- just like the lifeless form of the maple leaf. The greying sky signaled the coming of leaf-bare, as did the rapidly dropping temperatures. Maple figured she had much less than a moon left to find a temporary shelter before the freezing blizzards would come; killing anything in it's stormy path. And one thing was for sure; Maple would not be around when that happened. Though one thing stuck her as odd; the lack of prey. She knew the prey would go into hiding when the cold moons drew close, but there was so little prey. The calico had certainly lost a few pounds since the Dusk Syndicate had dispatched, her spine and ribs could be seen through her thin pelt. Though she wasn't worried about her well-being in the slightest; she was far more worried about being jumped by a rogue than anything. That explained why the cat was on high alert- ears perked and nose up, hoping to catch the scent of a threat before the threat caught her scent. Thankfully the wind wasn't too strong, so she didn't have to worry too much about being downwind from an enemy. Nevertheless, Maple's eyes remained focused and her attention never wavered.
@Duskflight