The Newest Right to Life [c]

The night was unusually dark on this night, which Frostednight didn't really mind. It allowed her pelt to blend in with her surroundings with ease, which would only allow for an advantage with her task at hand. In the morning time, a trail of a badger had been scented and she was the first to volunteer to track it down for her rite of passage pelt. She slunk out of camp with her trail of watchers behind her, eager to have such a dangerous and prominent pelt to display her power and strength. She was hunting it now; its track getting stronger and stronger with each step. Any moment now, she would catch sight of the black and white body through the trees.

The warrior was just silencing the whispers running through her head to focus when the blocky, large body of her opponent finally came into view. Slowing down, Frostednight paused to decide her actions and what to do. Plan her attack. Stalking forward, she observed the badger looking for food. It was a young adult, probably a newborn at the start of green leaf. Still, it was way bigger than her - almost double - and she was a large cat in her own right. The whispers seemed to align and give her a clear message - strike now.

She didn't hesitate after that and instead, cleared the distance in a flash and leapt at the badger with a silent strike. Latching onto it's back, the warrior dug her teeth into its neck. The beast began threshing around madly, bucking and trying to throw Frostednight off her back. It was a struggle to hang on and soon, she found herself flung off and flying through the air into the mud with a sucking, thud sound. Dazed, she blinked her multi-colored eyes and tried to stand up. Her attempt wasn't fast enough; the badger was on her and swinging its claws and teeth at her. Slipping and sliding in the mud, Frostednight managed to dodge most of the blows but an uncharacteristic yowl erupted from her lips when a claw caught the side of her face, slicing from an inch below one ear to the other side. Somehow, by a miracle, her eyes were not affected by this slash. Maybe it was because she winced, but the claw mark formed a straight line connecting her eyes. Blood welled up from the deep gash and almost blinded her. She swiped her claws out blindly, trying to get an open window to strike. Her claws did connect with fur, but not for long. Her shoulder caught claws; her face got raked diagonally by three claws from her left ear to her right chin. But as she was shaking the blood away, her claw managed to land in the badger's eye. Taking her open shot, Frostednight launched herself into its throat, grabbing its jugular, and using her body momentum to tear it out. The badger came crashing down on top of her, bellowing for the last time.

Breathing heavy, Frostednight rolled out from under the badger. She stood there, blood gushing out of her wounds, never feeling more alive.