The dark bark of trees stood in contrast to the pale snow around them. One large truck lay amiss in a clearing of gently falling white. It's bark fragile from age, rotting at the edges and splitting inside from the assaults of bugs, birds and the claws of a young she-cat who peered into the darkness from on top of it. Her pale head tilting to and fro as she sniffed and looked carefully through the dark tunnel to the other side.
It seemed safe enough. She scented a recent patrol carried on the breeze, but it smelled like they were there in the morning. Perfect time to figure out what was inside. Oh she itched to know. Her little mind spun with thoughts as she finally jumped down and crawled on her belly into the depths of the log. Bits of dust crawled up her nose, making her sneeze as she twisted and turned within the confines of her discovery.
Her hazel eyes fell upon a scurrying dark form. Then another. Her head tilted in perplexed confusion as the bugs paused, as if to stare in surprise at the she-cat in their midst. It's little legs clung onto the wood as it lifted a couple of them, then decided it wasn't even worth it. Eight eyes turned to the freezing cold, then burrowed back in to the warm decomposing wood. The she-cat in question sniffed at it as a flash of white raced through her vision. A yowl tore from her throat at an unseen assailant that had bit her from behind.
Claws scrabbled into rotting wood as she tried to leap forward and get away from the attack, but they sank in deep. The little spider who had just refound a settling spot brushed into her pelt as she tried to pull herself free. Sharp little fangs digging into her shoulder now as she yowled again.
"ow, ow, OW! STOP! I'LL GO!" Ridgepaw's voice echoed in the silent clearing as she scrabbled to the entrance of the rotting log, relieved at the cold air until she realised she couldn't pull forwards anymore. With a confused expression, she pulled back and winced as part of an old branch prodded and poked into her pelt. Her heart pounded with embarrassement as she realised her inevitable fate.
She was stuck.
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Kestrelpaw ♀ Marshkit ♂
