Leaps and Bounds [Closed]

Everything was just so miserable here.

No trees, no grass, barely a scraggly shrub took root to these barren hills. Nothing like the forest. One lanky-legged SkyClan cat flitted across the mounds of boulders stacked in the rocky fields surrounding Highstones, pale fur stark against dark stone. Her paws made sure steps on even the most precarious of edges. No ThunderClan cat was she; these were not things to use for stealth, but for great leaps. Her mouth wide for any sort of scent, something piqued her interest up ahead. Though she couldn't hear as other cats did, Firflower relied heavily on sight, as well as her well-trained nose to find what she needed. She flattened herself against the rock when that smell grew stronger, and with no death-scent to it either! This had to be something alive. She snuck closer to the source, until something moving just past the visible edge of her platform made her halt. Ever so carefully she peered closer.

A rock dove! Not only did she find food, there would be bedding, too! Stifling an excited wiggle she gathered herself, bright blue eyes intensely focused on her target. Paws together, claws sheathed, tail still... and the bird turned away, just as she'd hoped. With a jolt of energy she launched forward, aimed to land directly on the soon-to-be freshkill, but something must have startled it. It began taking to the air. She landed right where it had pecked at the ground a heartbeat before. 'There's another chance!' With the same momentum that sank her paws into the gravel bed, Firflower pushed herself high into the air, claws outstretched as she reached for the pigeon's leg. Contact! In mid-air she snatched it off its course, bringing it straight to her sharp-toothed maw before landing practically on top of it. A little ungracefully she wrestled with the creature before she could give the finishing blow. She did it!

Hard-eyes concentration gone, she let herself grin at her prize; it certainly had enough on it for more than one cat, maybe even for three. Eight if they were kits! She moved to grab it, but more movement farther away caught her attention. Was that ginger fur? Or was she imagining it? 'Oh StarClan, please let it not be a fox.' Her tail lashed as she stared ahead, waiting for any more motion. She wasn't about to give this up. Everyone was hungry back at the refuge.

Immense emotional exhaustion wracked the orange-patched tom's frame. Between the confrontation with Jaystar, learning of his daughter's death, the idea that the rest of his offspring were also likely no longer among the living, he found himself incapable of doing much other than slumping his shoulders forward in defeat. Gold had been the one spark of joy in this unexplainably bleak time. Conflicting feelings over his best friend, his true love, Riverclan's former medicine cat, overwhelmed him. All he wanted to do was lose himself in the warm embrace of her scarred, albeit soft, flowing coat. Breathing in her scent was the only thing that had brought him back from his pain-crazed state. But she was not here. No matter how much he longed to share life with her, the duty to her clan always tore them apart. It wasn't that the she-cat had simply abandoned immediately after their reunion, rather Goldeneye had returned to her usual state of busying herself into a position that she no longer even held.

Starlord couldn't bring himself to hang about the gathering of other clan cats. They were in just as dismal shape, and it made him feel all the more miserable. As he stared down at the dull and endless stone, all the normally jovial loner could do was let out a depressed sigh. His bright blue gaze was nearly lifeless as he padded along with his head down. The one solace was the silence that came over this place, away from the clans, away from everything. And yet it was still close enough to know that Gold was near. Even if she was not with him, she was near. Disillusioned dreams of a life with his beloved were squashed down once more as reality set in. One claws sliced at a pebble as he rose over the top of the rocky slope. There was a flurry of movement and barely audible footfalls, all of which surprised the loner. After a moment, he realized it was a cat. A beautiful she-cat at that. Unlike the last few she-cats he had kept in his company, her features were soft and sweet. As a pleasant smile crossed her maw, he too found himself caught in an unexpected smile.

"Oh no, sweetheart, I don't mean you any trouble." Realizing her defensiveness, likely the worry of an unexpected approach, the tom quickly called out to her, "The name's Starlord. I'm not a clan cat, but I'm friendly I swear. Who are you?" Starlord drank in her features, all of which were a welcome combatant to the unpleasantries that plagued him. He grinned out of the corners of his maw. Something about her warmed the cold ice that had clawed its way into his heart. And to think she hadn't even said a word yet. Almost urging her on, in a quest to hear what voice belonged to this angelic creature, the tom piped up once more, "That's an impressive catch. With so little prey right now, I'm sure you could feed several cats." His head lowered and his whiskers twitched. Without realizing it, Starlord held his breath in anticipation. He needed a moment like this, something pure that could draw out the poison that had seeped into his existence. It appeared there was some magic to these rocks.

Unblinking eyes watched an unfamiliar cat step into view, saying something she couldn't make out. She moved slightly over her kill to ensure that this cat knew it was hers. Well, hers to distribute as she saw fit. Not knowing he'd asked her a question, nor revealed his name, Firflower stuck her head out a bit to catch his scent. He wasn't from the clans. 'He is... cute though, I suppose.' A twinge of guilt at that thought appeared. It felt wrong to think such a thing, even so long after Cloudroar's disappearance, especially towards a non-SkyClan cat. After taking a moment to analyze him, and seeing as he hadn't made a move to attack her yet, it came to her that he had probably said something. 'Does he think I'm being rude?' A bit of an anxious spark appeared in her mind and she shifted uncomfortably. All she could do was pass a confused look to him along with a slight, involuntary head tilt. Maybe he would think she didn't hear him right? 'Oh StarClan, what did he even say?' Little did she know that he was waiting for her voice instead.