A Spider's Web
Feb 2, 2019 12:30:58 GMT -5
Post by Fernclaw on Feb 2, 2019 12:30:58 GMT -5
A Spider's Web
A young cat sat quietly amidst grass. The moor wind fluffed up her fur as she gazed into the distance.
Behind her echoed the happy shouts and pawsteps of her siblings. Mouse and Berry were chasing each other in circles, playing some sort of game. After a while she heard the voice of her third sibling. The billowing wind covered Ripple’s exact words and the response he received, but then a sharp cry from Ripple rose above the wind. A moment later the happy shouts resumed, signifying the continuation of the game. Mouse’s and Berry’s voices could again be heard. Yet not Ripple’s. As per usual, he had been excluded.
Spider considered joining in on the game, if only to see Ripple’s reaction after his recent exclusion. But at that moment she heard her mother calling them. Her parents had returned from the hunt.
Spider pushed through the tall grass and sprinted towards the den. Despite being furthest away, her long legs carried her past her brothers, to their dismay. She arrived first. After a quick glance at the catch her parents had laid down in front of the den, she grabbed a squirrel and carried it a short distance away. As her brothers arrived in turn they each made a grab at the next tastiest piece of prey. After her claimed squirrel, what remained was a thrush and two fairly scrawny mice. Ripple, the second fastest, claimed the thrush. Berry and Mouse were left with the mice.
Berry and Mouse jealously eyed Spider’s squirrel as she took a bite.
“You’re not going to eat all of that, are you?” Mouse asked.
Spider ignored him and kept eating. His and Berry’s mice wouldn’t be enough to satisfy their hunger. Her brothers would have to go hungry tonight. True, her plump squirrel was a little too plump. As she neared the end of her meal, she struggled to swallow bite after bite. Yet she forced herself to down the entire thing. This was how they always ate. No sharing. According to their parents it prepared them for what they might face after leaving. You had to take care of your own interests first. Spider may not be banned from sharing the excess food, but having been brought the way she had, it felt plain wrong to do so. Anyway, her parents would disapprove.
“Experience is the best teacher,” they always said.
It was true. Her brothers’ hungry stomachs would push them to be even quicker next time. She herself would have to adapt to their competition and be ever faster and stronger herself. When it finally came time to leave, well, she was sure she could manage.
Will update the story soon
Then you'll find out exactly what she means when referring to "leaving" and what's up with poor Ripple.
A young cat sat quietly amidst grass. The moor wind fluffed up her fur as she gazed into the distance.
Behind her echoed the happy shouts and pawsteps of her siblings. Mouse and Berry were chasing each other in circles, playing some sort of game. After a while she heard the voice of her third sibling. The billowing wind covered Ripple’s exact words and the response he received, but then a sharp cry from Ripple rose above the wind. A moment later the happy shouts resumed, signifying the continuation of the game. Mouse’s and Berry’s voices could again be heard. Yet not Ripple’s. As per usual, he had been excluded.
Spider considered joining in on the game, if only to see Ripple’s reaction after his recent exclusion. But at that moment she heard her mother calling them. Her parents had returned from the hunt.
Spider pushed through the tall grass and sprinted towards the den. Despite being furthest away, her long legs carried her past her brothers, to their dismay. She arrived first. After a quick glance at the catch her parents had laid down in front of the den, she grabbed a squirrel and carried it a short distance away. As her brothers arrived in turn they each made a grab at the next tastiest piece of prey. After her claimed squirrel, what remained was a thrush and two fairly scrawny mice. Ripple, the second fastest, claimed the thrush. Berry and Mouse were left with the mice.
Berry and Mouse jealously eyed Spider’s squirrel as she took a bite.
“You’re not going to eat all of that, are you?” Mouse asked.
Spider ignored him and kept eating. His and Berry’s mice wouldn’t be enough to satisfy their hunger. Her brothers would have to go hungry tonight. True, her plump squirrel was a little too plump. As she neared the end of her meal, she struggled to swallow bite after bite. Yet she forced herself to down the entire thing. This was how they always ate. No sharing. According to their parents it prepared them for what they might face after leaving. You had to take care of your own interests first. Spider may not be banned from sharing the excess food, but having been brought the way she had, it felt plain wrong to do so. Anyway, her parents would disapprove.
“Experience is the best teacher,” they always said.
It was true. Her brothers’ hungry stomachs would push them to be even quicker next time. She herself would have to adapt to their competition and be ever faster and stronger herself. When it finally came time to leave, well, she was sure she could manage.
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Will update the story soon
Then you'll find out exactly what she means when referring to "leaving" and what's up with poor Ripple.