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KARAKUM
The sand was still damp beneath her paws. Karakum crouched at the edge of the oasis, where thornbrush gave way to cracked stone and sparse grass. The sun hadn’t yet burned away the dew clinging to her whiskers, and the breeze tugged at the ruff of fur along her neck, carrying the faint scent of something distant—dust, feathers, maybe blood. Maybe nothing. She exhaled through her nose, low and slow. No prey yet. Just the restless stir of wind over the land. Behind her, she could hear the rest of the pride waking. Pawsteps shuffling through gravel. Low voices rising, some already planning the morning hunt. But Karakum hadn’t moved to join them. Not yet. She never liked starting her day in a group, not when the quiet still wrapped around her like a second skin. Instead, she scanned the horizon, her amber-green eyes sharp beneath half-lowered lids. The desert felt different today—shifting, unsettled. It wasn’t a threat exactly… just a feeling in her bones. The kind of silence that came before something broke. Her claws flexed once in the earth. Soon, she’d head out. With the others. The prey would be moving early, and she intended to move faster. But for now, Karakum remained still, a shadow crouched between stone and wind, waiting for the sun to rise just a little higher—just enough to throw her scent the other way. And when it did… she’d vanish into the wild like she was never there. |
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────୨ৎ──── Polaris ؛ ଓ ────୨ৎ──── The serenity that came with basking in the sun`s rays was uncomparable to anything else, even when accompanied by fellow Pride members; it certainly made it more entertaining.. for Polaris, at the very least. Her head lifted when she heard voices ringing out within the camp itself, tilting at an askew angle so she could peer below the minuscule ledge to pinpoint where everyone was. She found it a little comical that the camp almost worked like clockwork; Sadka was almost always the first to wake, shortly followed by herself and one of the campkeepers, and then Jasper. The sleek, black tom`s gaze did not go unnoticed by her, but she dismissed it as him merely being observant as he always was. However, she did notice the injury he sported, recollecting what had happened regarding the lurking coyotes. Polaris was relieved that he had not been seriously injured, along with the others. Her ears flicked in response to the insects that had also awoken, keen on bothering her until she decided to stand up and move. Of course, she was stubborn enough to remain where she was, but only until she saw Jasper heading over to her. Polaris hoisted herself to her paws and stretched, listening carefully to the words that left him and taking mental notes of all the intricate details. ``No need to apologize, Jasper,`` her voice was as kind and soft as ever, the piercing amber of her eyes almost appearing more gentle and muted as she leapt down from the sunning rocks. She briefly looked him over, admiration briefly appearing in her gaze; Polaris understood how important his duty was as the sole Herbalist of the Pride and she would always do whatever he asked as long as it was within reason. ``If it`s a pot you ask for, it is a pot you shall receive. I should return by dusk, if all goes well.`` Polaris bowed her head in a respectful manner towards Jasper before she decided to head out and accomplish her task as soon as possible. She preferred to do things when the sun was still up, even if it did increase her chances of being seen and captured; the night was simply too eerie and cold for her liking, a time she would prefer to be surrounded by comrades and friends. Her tail whipped behind her as she padded past him and towards the camp`s exit, ears perked upwards as she silently plotted the routes she would take to get to the Eastern Forts. Humans inhabited the forts more than any other type of region, which meant there was certainly a high chance she would run into one or two of them. The possibility didn`t really bother her since she was naturally quick on her paws and had trustworthy instincts. ────୨ৎ──── |
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Kinna and Kati went back to their mother's den after Jasper had helped them. Kinna's allergies were pretty much gone, and Kati's bruises and sprains didn't hurt so much. They were thankful they had Celia and Jasper to look after them and the rest of the group, as many cats and kits would have been dead without them. |
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Sheba
. The padding of pawsteps and distant chatter of pride mates stirred the curled form of the Chieftess. Her ears swivled in a way that caught the sounds perfectly and she could tell nearly how many cats were awake and moving before her head lifted. The morning sun blinded Sheba momentarily, causing her to blink repeatedly before shaking her head. The females eyes lingered on the sudden stirring movements inside of her rounded belly, she had apparently awoken the kits... Their kicks and the rumble in her stomach made it clear that breakfast was to come soon enough. Her amber eyes then lifted to focus, she could just make out the forms of a few kits and what looked to be several others outside of her stone structured den. From the look of the flaming ball of heat in the sky, it was later in the morning which meant the female had slept in. Wonderful. It amazed her how the pride continued to put up with this from their Chieftess, how complaints weren't filing in one top of eachother... She let out a quiet sigh before rising to stretch. Well, she was thankful for their patience with her anyways. She wouldn't be in this position if it wasn't for them, after all... After several moments of grooming and gathering herself to appear presentable, the she-cat's long legs carried her out into the warm, breezy day. From the looks of it, the Rustlers were gathering to leave for their group hunts and the few Bandits were out collecting herbs- as she assumed Jasper had ordered them to do so. That was good for her then, she'd just make her rounds with the Campkeepers and kits to see to it that they were doing alright. Another grumble from her stomach made it to her ears, "Okay, okay... Be patient little ones." She purred softly as her eyes found the form of her right hand. Her gaze immediately softened as she took the toms form in- serious and alert as ever... She'd have to make sure to check in with the Sheriff after she got a bite to eat. And from the growing prey pile, that wouldn't be too far from now. Sheba took her time treading down the dusty path that led from the higher up, rocky dens to the clearing down below. The tip of her tail flicked softly as it stood in the air, a confident yet relaxed sign to her mood this morning. Her affectionate gaze followed the tumbling bodies of the Prides kits as they weaved through the grasses and bushes. The queen eventually found herself at the prey pile, head lowering to pick up one of the juicy looking rabbits that had been caught just this morning. Sheba straighted, rabbit in her maw as she looked for her favorite morning sunning spot, a flat rock with the view of the camp. Perfect. That should work perfectly. |
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~𝓚𝓪𝓼𝓴𝓲~ ||~. She clawed the rouges cheek, making him off balance and darted for dear life, hoping he wouldn't follow. She looked over her shoulder at him, he was watching her run, not following behind. She sighed in relief and slowed her pace as she walked over to Jasper, a small scratch on her thigh .~|| . . +|/_נιηχ_|+ _+/ɧɛ ɠཞơῳƖɛɖ ąʂ ʂɧɛ ɖąཞɬɛɖ ąῳąყ, ơŋƈɛ ʂɧɛ ῳąʂ ơųɬ ơʄ ʂıɠɧɬ ıʂ ῳɧɛŋ ɧɛ ɖɛƈıɖɛɖ ɬơ ʄơƖƖơῳ ɧɛཞ. ɧɛ ƙɛ℘ɬ Ɩơῳ ɬơ ɬɧɛ ɠཞơųŋɖ, ɧıɖıŋɠ ıŋ ɬɧɛ ųŋɖɛཞცཞųʂɧ ąʂ ɬɧɛ ʂɧɛ-ƈąɬ ῳąƖƙɛɖ ơ۷ɛཞ ɬơ ɬɧɛ ɬơɱ. ɧɛ ῳąɬƈɧɛɖ ɬɧɛıཞ ɱơ۷ɛɱɛŋɬʂ ąŋɖ ɠཞơῳƖɛɖ ƖơῳƖყ, ɬɧɛ ʂɧɛ-ƈąɬʂ ɛąཞ ʄƖıƈƙɛཞɛɖ ąŋɖ ʂɧɛ ʂąῳ ɧıɱ ąŋɖ ıŋʂɬąŋɬƖყ ცɛɠąŋ ɠཞơῳƖıŋɠ ąɬ ɧıɱ, ɖཞơ℘℘ıŋɠ ɬɧɛ ɧɛཞცʂ/+_ |
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Celia sat calmly at the foot of her den, watching Joy and Kinna tumble around playfully. Joy tumbled and giggled a little cat mew, and Kinna tried to growl. Joy mewed again, then rolled over-onto a bee! "Ouch!" she cried! "Ouch! Mommy!" Lili Ann quickly padded out of her den to her kit. "Joy! What happened?" "Oh mommy! I got stung or bit by something!" The little kit had tears in her eyes. Celia quickly padded over to the little kit, and Lili Ann said, "Oh, Celia! Thank goodness you're here! I'm guessing little Joy tumbled onto a bee!" Joy knodded and said, "Maybe it wasn't a bee, but it sure hurts, and my throat feels funny!" Celia looked in worry at Lili Ann and said in a low voice, "It may be aniflactic shock from the bee!" Lili Ann was stunned. Celia looked Joy over, and made a small paste for the sting. But Joy had bigger problems than the sting-her throat was beginning to close so she couldn't breathe! Celia looked at Lili Ann and said, "Stay here. Give her some water, and put ice packs on her neck. It will help the swelling to slow down. I'm going to get the Koilas herb from Jasper; I hope he has some in stock! It will save Joy's life- if he does." She quickly padded to Jasper's den, hoping he was home and had some of the lifesaving herb. - * * * * * * * * ************************************************************
Lili Ann looked at little Joy, laying weakly on her bed. She was beginning to struggle breathing, and would die if Jasper didn't have the herb. Lili Ann followed Celia's instructions, running to the small creek waterfall where the ice was behind. Ice was rare in the desert; and the cats only had enough that they made themselves; using the behind-waterfalls as freezers. She took out the one chunk of ice that was wrapped in a leaf and streaked back to Joy, laying the cold pack on her neck. She then gave her small sips of water. |
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Luna~~~ Luna was still having to walk around making sure everyone was ok, she thought that she might as well make herself useful so she started to clean up the bushes around the camp moving them to a pile outside of camp, she would grab the bush by its roots and pull, once she got half way done she walked to the river to get a drink and get back to work |
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Addax Tags: Sheba He had seen her wake. Not with his eyes—he hadn’t been watching the den—but with the subtle shift in the air around the pride. A certain stillness breaking. The rhythm of movement had changed. Quieter, somehow more purposeful. Like even the kits knew to keep their tumbling away from the den's entrance. Addax remained where he was, sitting near the far side of the clearing, positioned half in shadow, half in morning sun. He was still, back straight, tail curled precisely around his forepaws. To any passing glance, he looked carved from stone—part of the landscape, solid and unmoving. But he saw everything. His golden eyes followed the Chieftess as she descended the worn, dusty path, tail lifted, steps unhurried. Her frame, though softened with the weight of her unborn, still carried the authority of her title. Confidence bloomed with each quiet breath she took, though he could tell by the slight hesitance in her gait that the morning had not started the way she preferred. He said nothing. There was no need to. Instead, he watched. Watched as she paused to study the kits, as her expression warmed—not just as a leader, but as a mother. Watched as she inspected the camp from her gaze alone, absorbing the pulse of the morning without uttering a command. He respected that. When she made her way to the prey pile and claimed the rabbit, Addax’s gaze shifted—not down to the food, but to her paws. She moved with purpose again. Intent. Good. Still, he didn’t rise. He didn’t call to her, didn’t break the silence with a report or reminder. Not yet. He would wait until she was settled, her hunger quieted, her mind clear. Then he would approach. Quietly. As he always did. With facts, with updates, with the steadiness that had become expected of him. And when she was ready to hear him… he’d already be there. |
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Celia rushed to Jasper's den, hoping and praying that he was home and would have the herb. But to her dismay, Jasper wasn't home, most likely gathering herbs. Celia had to think fast; Joy's life depended on it! Celia knew what the herb looked like; and she also knew that it was a rare plant; only found in desert oasis'. She decided to do what she had to; and began out into the greenery to look for the herb. She hoped she could find it. She knew that Koilas usually grew near trees or water, so she looked by the creek first. She had no luck, and so went to look by the trees where they had found the herb at first. Nothing. Poor Joy's time was runninng out, and Celia had no idea where the herb was. But something made her look down. She didn't know what, maybe a rustle in the bush. But right below her feet, almost to be stepped on, was the precious lifesaving herb! She picked as much of it as she could carry and rushed back to Lili Ann's den, hoping it wasn't too late. Lili Ann didn't know where Celia was. She had been gone so long, so Lili Ann could only assume the worst: Jasper either wasn't home, or he didn't have the herb. So Celia had gone out to look for it and gotten hurt or killed. Poor Joy couldn't hardly breathe any more, and Lili Ann began to cry. Little tears, but tears all the same. She thought that her baby was just going to die, because she knew that that precious herb was rare! Just then, Celia burst through the entrance to the den. "Jasper wasn't home so I went looking for the herb." she explained. "And that herb is very rare, so I almost couldn't find it. But I looked at the ground, and I found it." she said. "Put more ice on Joy's neck; I'll prepare the herb." Celia put the herb in cold water to bring out a sweet taste into the water. She let it soak as long as she dared, then dumped the sweet water into a glass and had Joy drink it. She let more herbs soak. Joy drank it, then began breathing easier. She gave her more sweet medicine, and the more she drank, the better she got. Soon, her throat wasn't swollen any more. She was better! The lifesaving herb had worked! Lili Ann cried tears of joy. Even though Jasper wasn't home, she was glad that they had found the herb. |
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Soon, Lili Ann began to wonder where the rest of the pride was. Most likely taking naps, but she hadn't heard anything since hours ago. She began to get worried and wished they would awaken soon. |
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Moderate Temperatures and Overcast
