Autumn Chill [Open]

[(§)Silvey(§)]

Summer was coming to an end. That much was certain as the warm, humid air changed into a nice, cool bluster that could cause a cat to shiver. It would not be long before the birds flew south, the skies clouded with large flocks of different colored birds. Soon, the frost would come, and greencough along with it. Soon the rabbits would hide in their burrows, the squirrels would gather nuts and disappear into their nests.

Paws that stood somewhere between those of kittens and those of a warrior made barely a sound as they moved over the slowly cooling ground. Night would set in soon, and already the sun sank behind the faraway hills. The sky was gorgeous, the setting sun's last rays dying the sky navy, purple, red, pink and orange. This of course, was reflected in the water that churned beside the paws, it's usual white and clear waters instead echoing those above it.

Gray paws came together as the small rump of a cat that had yet to reach its full size settled on the ground, the fluffy gray tail coming to curl around the aforementioned paws. Eyes the color of arctic glaciers stared coldly at the fire-colored waters as if willing them to freeze over. But he was not gifted with such powers. He had heard of them, those who had escaped from a twoleg nest and who had unusual... powers, mutations. From what he'd heard, a pair in ColdClan had mated and the she-cat was due soon. It'd be interesting to see how that turned out. Would their kits be just as unusual, or would they be like your average cat. Would one of the kits have wings? Would the kits even live? These questions, though they swarmed his mind, did nothing to worry him, and he did not dwell on them.

He leaned forward slightly; with the sun setting, there was no need to worry about his shadow falling on the water. After a moment or two, a nice-sized trout began its journey towards death. It swam closer, unaware of the danger. Then, with a flash of silver claws, it flew up, over the head of the young cat sitting beside the water, and landed with a solid smack on the ground. The apprentice whirled and pinned the flopping fish the ground before finishing it neatly with a single bite to the back of the fish's head. Slowly, the life faded from the creature's eyes. It had been a messy kill, but there would be time to improve on that later. He turned back to the rapids and stared intently at the water, the dead fish laying behind him as he did so.

Finally, the sun diappeared from view, and instead, a glowing silver moon cast light on the cat. Glacierpaw shivered, suddenly aware of the autumn chill, now that night had set in at last.

[LJ Black]

Leaf fall was almost upon them. The nights were getting colder and although the leaves were still grean, it wouldn't be long before they fell off. Leaf fall was not the favorite season of the four Clans. It meant that leaf-bare was coming soon after. Leaf-bare was when the prey was scarce and the lake froze over. Would this year's leaf-bare be better of worse than most? No one knew but StarClan.

A mottled white form lurked in the oncoming darkness. Cloverpaw had scented another cat while on her way to Camp with moss for the dens. She recognized the scent as Glacierpaw's. It was one of the only individual cats she recognized by scent since they knew each other from kithood. She followed his scent. She knew that Roseguppy would punish her for it later. She was supposed to come straight back.

She realized that Glacierpaw's scent was leading towards the river. Maybe Roseguppy wouldn't punish her if they came back with some fresh-kill. She watched from the reeds as he caught a trout. The trout would easily feed two Clan members. She padded out quickly to greet and congradulate him. "Hi Glacierpaw. I saw you catch that trout. Good job! It's huge!" There was awe in her eyes as she said this.

[Xx;;Cedar]

Dewstream slowly weaved in and out of the nearby reeds and cattails among the lakes shore. He loved the way the water felt on his pads. Leaf-fall was coming, and coming quickly. The leaves were falling, the air was crisp, although the sun warmed his pelt through to the bone. He felt his white paws pick up pace, and he was soon darting swiftly in between anything in his path. His heart was pounding, his eyes shining. He skidded to a halt, and stopped where a small stream slipped into the lake. The water glinted the lightly flowing water, the sound of the bubbling stream thick in his head. He positioned his lean body, so that the shadow wasn't overlooking the frigid water, and he curled his paw, so he could get a good grip on a fish.

The tom sat eerily still, waiting for the right fish to swim by. He saw a flash in the water, and his reflexes allowed his paw to swiftly flash into the frigid water, and brought the fish up to the surface, and down on to the slightly cool grass on the bank of the stream, with a soft thud. He bent his head down, his claws digging neatly into the fish, biting into the scaly skin of the back of the fish's neck, killing it, its silvery body becoming motionless, the shiny eyes dulling. The tom smiled, satisfied, burying the fish under some dry grass, leaves, and twigs. His ears then picked up the delicate sounds of distant mews. He picked up his head, shaking the water dripped silently off his paw, got up, and slowly moved toward the sounds, ready to investigate, his curiosity getting the better of him.

He soon then caught the scent of two apprentices, in the clan. Glacierpaw, and Cloverpaw. The tom smiled, and stalked almost silently toward the two apprentices, then picked up speed, weaving expertly beneath the slightly dew encrusted undergrowth, his paws glinting with dew off the grass. His green-gray eyes sparkled, as his paws touched the clearing in which the two were in. "Good evening, you two!" the tom purred, completely aware of his quiet tone. He didn't want to be scaring away any of the last prey, scuffling on the ground, gathering some sort of meal, before the snow began to fall, and before the air was set down with such a chill, it seemed to make your bones quake. The tom shuddered at the thought.

He gazed at the two apprentices, smiling warmly, wondering what they were up to. He then saw a trout sitting at Glacierpaw's paws, and his eyes grew even more brighter. "Did you catch that, Glacierpaw?" the tom asked, his whiskers twitching. It was a slightly large trout, by the look of it. "Well done!" he exclaimed quietly. "And Cloverpaw, what are you up to on this leaf-fall evening?" he asked curiously, smiling warmly. He sat down, curling his tail over his white paws, the stripes on his pelt beginning to blend, one with the other, as the sun began its descent, toward the horizon.