[closed Tribe RP] They Grow So Fast

A golden sunrise cast its heavenly light over the mottled stone of the mountains, swallowing the shadows of the night and setting the world to life. The thin air was warm now that the time of freed water had passed and even the rushing waters that ran timeless courses over the mountain no longer chilled a cat to the bone upon drinking from them. It promised to be a fair, beautiful day, and there was no doubt that the Tribe would take advantage of it, too, once they awoke to see the sun through the veil of water at the entrance of their cave. There were many mouths to feed and kits to entertain, but prey was as plentiful as it could be; all the hawks and eagles had roosted and the fledglings had all begun to leave their nests, while the rabbits and hares and rock-chucks had raised their litters earlier in the season. The day was a good day for many reasons, but for Shimmer on Silver Pool, the most important reason was that it was her first time hunting since she had learned she was with kits.

Shimmer on Silver Pool:

Shimmer thought fondly on the day that her four kits came into the Tribe: Deer, Wing, Star, and Petal. She'd been growing restless in the nursery, but seeing them at her belly after they were born gave her a new appreciation for the solitude she had. She had endured that isolation for the first four moons, but once they had reached five Shimmer was over it again. Her legs had ached for the hunt, to bring down a young eagle with her brothers and sisters of the Tribe. She managed to keep herself within the Cave of Endless Skies for another moon, but now her litter was 7 moons and always busy running about the cave. Soon they would be to-bes, and surely that meant she could go somewhere without them, right?

The brown-and-white tabby didn't bother trying to get permission or advice on the matter; Frost on Cracked Stone, Shimmer's mate, was still sleeping peacefully beside their kits who were almost old enough to become to-bes. Shimmer smiled a mother's smile down at them before exiting the den, still rationalizing her choice. Stoneteller would be asleep, too, or doing whatever it was that the Teller of Pointed Stones did before they walked among the Tribe each day. As she came into the open cave, suddenly she realized that she didn't know who she would hunt with if she didn't talk to anyone. Shimmer was a true Tribe cat; she knew by heart and instinct the dangers of hunting alone and of sneaking out. She paused at the entrance of the nursery and looked around. Was anyone else awake yet?

Many moons had passed since the Clan cats had arrived in the mountains, seeking shelter and safety. They had left suddenly, Sharptooth not allowing them the chance for proper farewells. Echo of Shattered Ice had raced through the dark tunnels of the mountain alongside Finchstar, and occasionally wondered if he had found his love, the spark that had kept him lit from within even in such strange and foreign territory, racing from gnashing jaws that would certainly be their deaths if caught. As she rose from her nest at the side of Moth on Moonlit Stone, she caught the sight of the kit-mother standing at the entrance of the nursery, looking around as if searching for something. Echo padded over, her paws silently placing themselves on the stone underpaw as she purred quietly. "You look like you're searching for something, Shimmer. Good morning, I hope the sunrise finds you and your kits well?" She glanced past the kit-mother to her kits, smiling softly as she found them still nuzzled by their father, sleeping peacefully. "Here, let us go out together. I remember being in the nursery, I'm sure you would love the chance to stretch your legs." She turned, heading towards the entrance of the cave where the rising sun cast sparkling rainbows off of the misting droplets of the waterfall.