its all fun and games til blood is shed [p]

**iliri** · #1 Today, 04:55 PM

soot
short-furred, dark, charcoal-gray tabby tom with white markings, and sharp amber-copper eyes.
active purrks: n/a
he/him | outsider | 12 moons

The forest was quiet, almost unnervingly so, as Soot made his way through the undergrowth. The early morning light filtered through the dense canopy of leaves overhead, casting dappled shadows on the forest floor. Each step he took was deliberate and cautious, his senses tuned to the slightest rustle or movement in the underbrush. It was a habit born out of necessity, one that had become second nature to him over the past few moons of living alone. The world around him seemed to breathe in time with his movements, the silence only broken by the occasional distant call of a bird or the soft whisper of wind through the trees. Soot was on the hunt, though it felt more like a distraction than a necessity at this moment. His thoughts were elsewhere, tangled in memories he had tried to leave behind. He had chosen this solitary life deliberately, walking away from the only home he had ever known after Heron gave him to his father, ShadowClan. The memories of his former clan were like shadows themselves, always lurking at the edges of his mind, refusing to be fully banished no matter how far he roamed. He had left ShadowClan behind to find something—freedom, perhaps, or maybe just a place where he could breathe without the weight of expectations pressing down on his shoulders. Without Darkfall to be around. But the truth was, he could never fully escape. Even now, as he crept through the secluded clearing, his mind was back there, in the thick of the pine forests and marshlands that had once been his world.

He thought of the nights spent in the shadow of those towering trees, the way the scent of pine and damp earth had clung to his fur, a constant reminder of where he used to be. ShadowClan had shaped him, molded him into the cat he was today, but it had also stifled him, trapping him in a role he had never wanted. His mind drifted to the conversations he had overheard, the way his former clan-mates had spoken of duty and loyalty as if they were the only things that mattered. But Soot had seen the other side of it—the unspoken tension, the fear of failure that lingered in every cat’s eyes. He had grown tired of the constant pressure to prove himself, to live up to a standard that seemed impossible to reach. It had been suffocating, and so he had made the decision to leave it all behind. But even as he had walked away, there had been doubts. Doubts about whether he was making the right choice, whether he was truly capable of surviving on his own. There were moments when the loneliness pressed in on him, threatening to overwhelm the sense of freedom he had sought so desperately. He wondered if he had traded one form of captivity for another, exchanging the chains of clan life for the isolation of a loner. Soot shook his head, trying to dispel the thoughts that clung to him like a second pelt. He needed to focus, to concentrate on the task at hand. The scent of prey was faint but present, a tantalizing reminder of the immediate needs that still drove him. His stomach growled quietly, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten since the previous evening. Hunting was necessary, a way to keep himself grounded in the present, away from the memories that threatened to drag him down.

He paused, his ears pricking up as he caught the faint sound of movement nearby. His amber eyes narrowed as he scanned the underbrush, searching for the source of the noise. It was subtle, the rustling of leaves, the faintest hint of a small creature moving through the forest floor. Soot dropped into a crouch, his muscles tensing as he prepared to strike. This was something he could control, something tangible that required his full attention. But even as he crept closer, his thoughts wouldn’t fully quiet. ShadowClan was still there, lingering in the back of his mind, a reminder of the life he had abandoned. He thought of his clan-mates, of the way they had potentially spoken of him after he left. He could almost hear the whispers, the way they could dismiss him as a coward, a failure who couldn’t handle the demands of clan life. It almost stung, more than he cared to admit, but he had forced himself to ignore it, to press on and prove them wrong. Yet here he was, alone in a forest clearing, chasing after a scrap of prey that might not even be there. Was this really what he had left ShadowClan for? To live a life of constant hunger and uncertainty, with no one to rely on but himself? He had thought that leaving would give him a sense of freedom, a chance to live on his own terms, but more often than not, it felt like he was just running in circles, never quite finding what he was looking for. Soot’s ears twitched as the rustling grew louder, his focus sharpening once more. He couldn’t afford to let his thoughts distract him any longer. The mouse was close, so close he could practically taste it. He moved forward with a hunter’s grace, each step measured and silent as he closed in on his target.

The thrill of the hunt was something he could still appreciate, a reminder that he was alive, that he was capable of providing for himself, no matter how much he might doubt it at times. He pounced, his claws sinking into the soft earth as he landed where the mouse had been just moments before. But the creature was quick, darting away at the last second, disappearing into the underbrush with a speed that left Soot empty-pawed and frustrated. He let out a low growl, more at himself than at the lost prey, cursing his lack of focus. This was the life he had chosen, he reminded himself. A life of solitude, of hunting and surviving on his own terms. It wasn’t easy, but it was his. He had made his decision, and there was no turning back now. ShadowClan was in the past, a chapter he had closed, even if it continued to haunt him in ways he hadn’t expected. Soot straightened up, his gaze sweeping the clearing as he tried to push the lingering doubts from his mind. He had survived this long, and he would continue to do so. The forest was his home now, for better or worse, and he would make the most of it, no matter how hard it got. With a determined shake of his head, he turned away from the empty spot where the mouse had been and resumed his search, his mind already starting to drift back into the murky depths of memory, even as his body moved forward into the uncertain future of where he may meet someone who he may despise every fiber of his being for.

@plum ( woah two posts from me in one day thats crazy )