;dEw.

[Zathar]

A black and white cat slowly crept along the brushes, mouth hanging to catch a scent. His long fur shed only lightly, leaving a trail of lightly-tramped undergrowth behind it. A nose twitched, and the cat's jaw snapped, closed. Speeding lightly and quietly around the bushes, the flurry of black and white leaped over a shrub. Speeding down heavily, obeying gravity, Skye pounced upon a young mouse, sinking his fangs into its neck. In less than a second was a life destroyed. Letting the sweet blood sink into his mouth, the earthquake of a rumble in his stomach shouted. Ignoring it, he padded back the direction he came, head held high. Whiskers twitched as he caught other scents, but he ignored them and carried on. Skye couldn't bear to bury his food.... Just the thought of mud and dirt getting on to it was disgusting. No wonder Tyson always was in confusion when the fresh kill Skye brought was so clean.
'This will do it for this morning....' Skye thought.
He had caught a mole and a squirrel, his favorite, early today before dawn had cracked. Tyson was getting his sleep, as usual. Skye gave a small chuckle and loped ahead, going at a faster pace. Tyson was his best friend, companion, brother, and savior. Everything. In all his memories, Tyson had defended him whenever something bullied him, whether it was a badger, sibling, or human. Taking his mind off brothers and social communication, he looked out to nature. A nearby bird called, and a frog croaked. Skye let the sounds sink into his memories. These were days he would never forget, and hopefully he'd never change them.
The cat approached a large, bulky tree and slipped into a hole under a marked area on the trunk. After a second or two, he sprung up into a warm but not too stuffy den. Tyson was snoring in the corner, on a combination of feathers and leaves. The space next to him was empty. Skye dropped the mouse on top of the mole and the squirrel, then fetched a leaf next to the kill.
"Time to wake up, Tyson. I've got the dew and the fresh kill right here." Skye calmly and patiently meowed.
Making sure the kill was on the cleaner wood of the hollow, he meowed while not looking at Tyson, "Tyson! Hurry up, I was able to get a whiter rat than usual. You know you love those. Fresh scent of badger, too today."

Word Count: 406

[`s y nt h et i c !?]

Tyson’s boisterous snoring echoed throughout the hollowed out tree. The soft bedding beneath his fur was quite soothing; it was hard to believe that such comfort was possible outside the clans. Of course, Tyson had only experienced these thoughts before he had fallen into a deep slumber. Skye knew that once these eyelids were shut, they were not likely to snap back open any time soon. His tail flicked back and forth unconsciously with content, his whiskers twitching in correlation. Other than the monotonous snore of Tyson, all was quiet and tranquil within the tree-hollow. Just how he liked it. Sadly, he was conscience of the cold, empty space known as his brother’s nest beside him. Skye had left to go hunting again, so Tyson was not left with much else to do. This was basically what he did whenever he did not have his companion around to entertain him, or seize his attention. Nap. It may not appear very lively to some cats, but he had to rest up so that he could keep up the night shift of patrolling. Tyson and Skye were not the only animals in the forest aware of how roomy and pleasant the tree-hollow was. There were others, particularly badgers and foxes, aiming to rest their heads within their home. Ha, over Tyson’s dead body! Incoherently, the large tom understood that it was morning. Due to the fact that sharp sunshine dazzled inside and the warmth of its rays warmed his pelt.

Come back another time, sun. I’m trying to get some rest.

Tyson routinely buried his muzzle deeper into his tail, which had wrapped around his body. He was not ready to get up, not just yet. Skye wasn’t home yet, and it would not hurt to get a few more moons of sleep. Of course, as soon as he thinks of Skye. Just then, Skye’s bouncy mew reverberated within the walls of the tree-hollow. Even with this initiation, Tyson continued to sleep, his tail tucked neatly above his closed eyes. He had heard Skye’s words, but he was too tired to actually focus and understand what they meant. Habitually, his ears perked up to give the idea he was listening, not completely capable of replying at the moment. His snore was still clearly continuing its onslaught upon ears that were able to catch it. Once again, his dear brother spoke. A word sent a wave of alarm to wash over Tyson’s conscience, gradually pulling him out of his incoherent state. Three natural statements were echoing in his mind. Badger. Danger. Protect Skye. Aroused, Tyson finally lifted his still-heavy eyelids and blankly gazed at his brother, who was not looking back.

Badger. I must have missed it yesterday…or it had just come recently.

All this was too much for Tyson’s mind to consume, much less so early in the morning. His gaze unwavering, Tyson stretched and let out a noisy – maybe louder than necessary – yawn, a clue leading to the fact that he was now awake. “Good morning, Skye." Tyson blinked kindly to his brother. “Badger? I think you should hunt closer to the hollow-tree so that I can keep an eye on you.” Suddenly realizing why Skye had left in the first place, Tyson blinked away the sleep that lingered at the corners of his eyes and peered around Skye to see what his brother had caught. In the makeshift pile, Tyson could see a squirrel, a mole, and a freshly-caught mouse. His favorite, to be precise! Tyson slowly heaved himself to his paws and noisily shuffled over to Skye’s side.

“Prey running nicely, this morning?” inquired Tyson, bending his head down to snag up the small mouse. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until his teeth tore into the mouse’s flesh. It tasted delicious. He loved the taste of fresh prey in the morning. It dispatched the disgusting taste of sleep that lingered in his mouth for hours if he didn’t eat or drink anything. He hesitantly looked up from his meal and looked at Skye, his deep azure gaze purely warm upon his best friend’s pelt. “Thank you, Skye. It’s great. How are you this morning?” Tyson’s words had unintentionally come out as a yawn, but he did not seem to mind. The sun that was blaring from the entrance was less annoying, and he loudly purred with pleasure at his brother’s company. He welcomed the senses that shook the slumber and – by degrees –sharpened. He once again tore into his meal, intently awaiting his brother’s smooth mew. Inside his conscience, he attempted to shove the badger-induced anxiety for his brother’s safety to the back of his head, but it still seeped through and pestered him.

[Zathar]

Skye purred quietly in contentment. Hearing his brother's words of safety, he grunted thoughtfully, and made sure the leaf had enough dew on it to supply both his brother and himself. Tyson's tired voice echoed through the walls, commenting on the prey. Skye nodded. The prey was running nicely. It always did. This place was perfect. Bringing the mouse to a now-awake Tyson, Skye put the mole in the corner to save for his lunch, as Tyson had the noon patrol. He chuckled as he realized he forgot that Tyson recently was having trouble finding lunch.
A question of his feelings perked up the conversation, and Skye meowed, "Fine, just fine."
Skye was fine. Perfectly fine. There wasn't a better state he could be at. New leaf had started, and Skye was already putting on weight from the prey he'd been getting. Tyson, of course, wasn't changing at all, his body frame still as muscular and healthy as possible. Not that Skye had been sick. Almost always in perfectly good health.
"You know, badger tracks are getting more recent. But foxes are more scarce." Skye meowed, dazing off. "What do you know."
Nodding off, Skye felt his eyes glaze over slowly. Waking up earlier than dawn was a hard job. Tyson would often stay up at night, watching the outdoors, keeping guard, but Skye had to go to sleep early, to make sure he'd get up on his own without a taunting scent of food or a voice waking him. A second after dawn, the more plump prey was gone, and the less Skye and Tyson would have to eat.
"So, what's going on in your dreams, Tyson? Rats, lined up for you to eat?" Skye meowed, taunting Tyson about his love for food.

[`s y nt h et i c !?]

As Tyson ravenously tore into his meal, he could hear the soft, monotonous rumble tumbling from Skye’s chest. He thoughtfully let his own purr pour from his jaws, reverberating and keeping pace with Skye’s. Tyson enjoyed this, it felt as if he and Skye were one; conjoined. In a way, they already were merged at the hip. They had managed to transform themselves into a well-oiled machine, and survive the wilderness, with a rather pleasurable home and lifestyle. Aside from the badger breathing down his back, Tyson felt as if he were the luckiest cat living. He was with his closest and only friend, not to mention brother. As of now, bareleaf has ended and the prey is beginning to flourish once again. What more could he ask for? At this notion, Tyson purred louder, almost drowning out his brother’s. As Skye nodded to his question on whether the prey was running well, Tyson felt a wave of pleasure envelope him. “Good.” His simple remark lingered in the thick air around them.

Skye’s reply to his formal question made Tyson a bit uncertain. Maybe it was unnecessary, but he felt a bit worried about Skye. Perhaps he was imagining things, but Skye seemed a bit more confused or distant lately. It was not like Tyson to trouble his simple mind, but in Skye’s case, it was worth the effort. Of course, Skye was always distracted somehow, so he usually just brushed it off. Skye had not mentioned that anything was bothering him, so who was Tyson to jump to conclusions? Tyson quickly snapped back into focus as Skye spoke up once more, breaking his incoherent stupor. Tyson tore another large chunk from his food and chuckled. “You don’t have to worry about any badgers while I’m around,” was Tyson’s simple mew, “I wouldn’t let a single one touch you. As for foxes, I couldn’t care less.” Foxes had never been a big problem with Tyson. They were so soft, and not as territorial as badgers. The only one that seemed to have frightened Tyson was the one that had attacked Skye. He was scared for his brother’s life, unwilling to accept the fact that a fox was going to claim his dear brother’s life. He recalled denying the fact that he might be too late, that he might be racing towards the scene in vein.

Luckily, I was there in time. But what about next time…?

Tyson was unable to hold this train of thought. He would not allow depression or apprehension to ruin this morning. His brother was alive, well, and healthy, and so was he. He was not going to spend his time dwelling upon the negatives. He just knew that he needed to get up and get out; the fresh air would clear up his conflicted mind. Tyson inspected Skye’s expression closely; curious at why he had paused. He noticed that his eyes were glazed over, a yawn stifling from him. The large tom could not blame Skye, he had left pretty early to go hunt. He knew this when he had made such a reckless attempt to leave the den stealthily earlier today. Amusement grabbed at Tyson as he recalled the memory, though he stopped himself from releasing a loud chuckle. Skye quickly composed himself and asked a question. This time, the chuckle did escape from Tyson’s parted jaws. It was loud and boisterous, and rather husky, almost rough like a wolf.

“Not exactly. Actually, I’ve been dreaming about all the piles of prey I’ve eaten in the past moon. It seems like so much; I’m beginning to think that we’re being spoiled.” Amusement soaked Tyson’s words. It was hilarious whenever Skye attempted to poke fun at him about his food addiction. He flicked his tail dismissively, then yawned, “Ugh, I’ve got to get out of here. I feel so lazy. Even though I enjoy all this free-time to nap and eat, I feel so neglectful. Like there is something else I can do…I don’t know….” Tyson trailed off, unable to come up with any ideas. He smoothly dipped his head to lap up some of the dew upon the leaf. It trickled down his dry throat, soothing its arid flesh and cooling his pelt. He sighed with relief and noisily got to his paws. He flicked his tail over Skye’s spine and nodded toward the clearing. “I’m going exploring. I’ll be back later.” Tyson was unsure whether Skye would take the bait or not. He probably would, fully coherent of the little game he was playing. It wasn’t easy to pull a fast one with Skye’s knowledge.

[Zathar]

Finishing his squirrel, Skye drank in Tyson's husky, soothing voice. Comforting, almost. That was the truth though... Tyson was to only comforting thing Skye ever had in his whole life. Eternity. And that was the way it would stay. At least it should stay that way. Skye could feel the remorse in Tyson's feelings as he remembered the day that a fox almost murdered him. It wasn't just going to be painful to Tyson if Skye left the world. What was he going to do... Float into nothingness? He had nowhere to go. No friends to see in death. All he'd do is stand by his stony grave and wait for Tyson... Not with eagerness, of course. Life was so wonderful. Tyson should enjoy as much of it as possible. Skye was the more defeatable of the two. If they were on their own, Tyson would find a home and shelter, easily removing any foxes or badgers that lived in it. Skye, however, would freeze to death on the first night, or become the supper of a hungry badger or fox. Depending on Tyson was definately not opposable, but as much as Tyson could survive on his own, Skye could hunt better than him. Tyson would often come back from his noon patrol without a meal. Usually, though, he'd find a mole or mouse. Not once did he ever catch a squirrel. Well, once, when they first got out here. Skye had gotten sick, and Tyson went out hunting. Deciding to get Skye's favorite meal, he had nearly died, panting and all. Skye released a chuckle.
Tyson began rambling about how helpless he was, and that he should help some. Skye merely gave a small shrug.
"It's really just your own decision, Tyson." Skye offered, looking up from his meal. His eyes gave a glint of contentment, and then he confessed, "That really was filling. I guess I should stop letting myself take a break and getting the fatter squirrels.... Long and lean is what I need."
Skye stretched, his tail curling in exhaustion, and eyes shutting tight. A triangle formed from his body, then shrank again to a huddled ball. Skye yawned, his gleaming fangs shining. He stumbled over to his sleeping spot, took a few turns and slumped down. Skye sighed, and his muzzle twitched as he meowed ironically, "Good night."