[p] caterwaul
#1
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Most sane wolves would not venture outside during the storm, but Shiloh was not quite sane—not after cowering in the boarded-up building for hours, the reek of fear and close-pressed bodies and the sound of whispers and whimpers too much for her to bear. The situation had quickly become claustrophobic, and she had to step outside for just a moment, even if the wrath of the gods was outside. She’d waited for a lull in the hurricane, though, for the sound of the wind to die down and the trees to stop rattling near the sheltered house. The rain no longer blew sideways, but it was still heavy as it pelted her, and her normally pristine fur was soaked with mud after only a few minutes walking through the village.

She wanted to cry; that was the end of it. The female liked to think of herself as strong, and she’d put on a brave face when with the puppies and her family, but now that she was outside she sobbed and hiccuped and looked up into the rain, which streamed down her cheeks like tears. Vinátta was a disarranged mess, and it would take weeks to recover from the torrential downpour, let alone the forceful winds that wrecked the weaker structures in the territory. So shortly after settling down in her home, this had happened, and she didn’t know if she could last the rest of the storm.

Shiloh spent a few minutes walking in the sheltered sections of Jordheim, crying and feeling sorry for herself and for Saul and for the rest of her pack. She wouldn’t dare do something like this if there were other eyes on her, but for now she simply walked and wallowed, trembling and wrapping her arms tightly around herself as the rain poured down. She went from too-hot from staying in the house to freezing, and she decided that it was probably time to get back inside—at least once she regained her composure. She could be weak in private, but not in front of the others.

As she walked back along the way she’d come, perhaps lingering a little too close to the edge of the forest that encroached on Jordheim, sheltered as it was. The volume of the rain fluctuated around her, and she had to shield her eyes as it was driven to the side by a strong wind; the storm was starting up again, and she didn’t have long to seek shelter. She heard sections of branches crashing through the undergrowth in the woods and started to run—but then there was a larger crash and she froze, pricking her ears as strands of hair whipped at her face.

Later, Shiloh Dawnbringer could not say what made her walk toward the trees and the furiously waving branches. It seemed counterintuitive to her survival, and there was nothing to beckon her—not a yowl, she realized later, not even a pathetic mewl. But suddenly she was staring at a little shape pressed close against a tree trunk, barely visible for the leafy bunch of thin branches caging it. She didn’t know what she was even looking at before a pair of very rich yellow eyes opened and locked on her, and suddenly the woman dove down and began to tear the twigs away.

“Come here, baby, I’ve got you,” Shiloh cooed, her voice trembling, and the dark cat immediately pressed into her arms. It was shaking and completely covered in mud and debris, but she clutched it close before darting away from the trees, heading to the more sheltered areas in the middle of the village. She needed to get back to Saul and Lilin’s house where the weak were staying, but she didn’t want to risk the feline going mad once inside, and she didn’t know who to—

“Hold on, sweetie,” the woman whispered to the cat, and covered her ears with a paw before throwing her head back and howling to the one wolf who might know what to do.


Word Count → 674

Sorry for the major tl;dr. D: All but last bit skippable.

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#2
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WC:: 532 - Have and Nier and Ciaran.


Niernan relished the hard labour involved in boarding and shoring up the stables, preventing flooding and wind damage as much as they could, The camaraderie between him and the others had developed nicely, he and his brother working brilliantly together, the usual jokes flowing between them. Finally, as the last board was nailed in place he staggered back, wiping his forehead with the back of his paw, gently clunking himself on the head with his mallet. Bran's mahogany eyes caught this and he immediately burst into loud laughter, Nier himself joining in after a beat.

Bran's loud laughter had spooked some of the horses, sending them into squealing panic, the caramel man looked sheepish and hurried over to one of the stalls to try and calm down its occupant. Nier dashed to Darcy's stall, dropping the mallet on top of his bag as he went, leaping the door and smiling as he noticed his large cat already working to calm the colt. Nier laid a steady hand on Darcy's nose, shushing and murmuring to the foal to soothe him. The colt calmed quickly once Nier and Ciaran were there, quieting enough that Nier could hear the howl laced with his name on the wind. His ears shot upright and he tensed, recognising the feminine voice of his milk and honey cousin. "Bran, could you stay with Darcy?" He called, already opening the stall door for his brother as he scanned the stable for a way out that they hadn't boarded up.

His cerulean eyes found one window, higher up than the others that they hadn't bothered with, he scrambled to the ledge, Ciaran making it look easy with one graceful leap. He turned to look back at the group, "I'll be back soon to help out again." He turned back to the gloomy outside world, the rain sheeting down harder now, the wind turning deadly. He dropped down to the muddy ground and immediately slipped over landing on his arse in the mud. Ciaran lumped down onto Niernan, gaining a winded gasp from the wolf as the large cat thumped into his stomach, Ciaran sniggered at his friend, not moving until the wolf was able to. Nier scooped the cat into his arms, raising him to his shoulders so he could drape himself around Nier's neck in his usual spot. Once settled the pair set off at an easy lope, Nier's long stride eating up the distance between him and Shiloh, he let out a short howl announcing that he was on his way.

Shiloh's mud streaked, but still strikingly white fur, stood out in the grey rain and Nier skidded to a stop in front of her, quickly noticing the wetness in her eyes and the kitten in her handpaws. He decided he wouldn't say anything about the tears, not wanting to call attention to her despair, deciding to note down the wetness to the rain. He focussed on the cat, Ciarans own attention fixed on the little feline, a mewl escaping his mouth. "Shiloh! We need to get in cover and get this little fella warm and dry." He waited for Shiloh to acknowledge him and Ciaran, his cerulean eyes searching her face.



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#3
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Shiloh was not used to letting her weaknesses slip free as they had; she desperately wanted to create a powerful image for herself, and it was hard to abandon it. This being the case, it wasn’t difficult to put the mask back on and coo calmly to the skinny, mud-covered creature to keep it calm. Whether due to her efforts or because it was in shock or for some other reason, though, the feline remained silent and only pressed itself against her fur, trembling and staring at their shaky surroundings with wide yellow eyes.

The wolf wanted to let herself sob again in relief when she heard Niernan’s return howl, and she found the strength to keep standing where she was, unpinning her ears to listen for his approach. When his dark form finally materialized from the blowing rain, she adjusted the cat in her grip and ran toward him, stopping just short of collision and resisting the urge to throw herself at him. Her fingers curled through the muck and into the shaking cat’s fur as he gave his orders, and she nodded; the feline, meanwhile, leaned its head out to stare back at Ciaran intently though it didn’t return the mew.

“My place is close,” Shiloh managed, and for once managed to overlook the thought that they’d be tracking all kinds of mud and debris into the house. She nodded her head afterward, as if to reaffirm her understanding of the plan, and then looked around before heading briskly toward her home. She held the cat tight with one hand and tried to wrench open the door, jerking back on it desperately and baring her teeth before managing to squeeze inside, where she exhaled loudly and plopped on the floor, rubbing at the skinny stray and wiping away the excess muck.

“You poor thing, you’re so muddy,” she murmured over and over. She flicked her hand to get some of the mud off it, biting her lip, then went back to rubbing, though it seemed that she was only unveiling more mud and a weird blackish mottled color. It took her a few more rubs to realize that it was only the tortoiseshell coloration of the feline’s coat, a black speckled and patched with ginger, at which point she smiled and shook her head, continuing her work.


Word Count → 389

Advancing this a bit! Hope it's okay. Smile

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#4
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WC:: 511. 5 pts - Sorry for the wait!


Shiloh had been eager to see him emerge from the sheeting grey rain, her body flying towards him as he flew towards her, he put out his arms and his large handpaws lightly touched against her arms as they both came to a stop. This halted the forward movement and prevented Niernan from slipping over again. He looked down at the little bundle of fur and mud in his cousins arms, not mentioning how the mud was rubbing off against her white fur. The cat turned its head to look at Ciaran, it didn't return the mewl, but it's shocking yellow eyes told Nier all he needed to know; the cat seemed to be in shock. Warmth was definitely needed, and a bath.

He nodded as Shiloh said about her house. It would be the first time he would see his Dawnbringer cousins house, it was odd the thoughts that ran through your head in a panic. The relevance of seeing Shiloh's house was negligible in this situation, but for some reason his mind wouldn't let it go. He let go of Shiloh's arms and followed her as she picked her way back to her hill house, joining her as she struggled to pull the door open, the wind acting against them. He watched as she squeezed through the gap they had made, she just barely fit through as he held the door as open as he could. He knew that he didn't have a chance of fitting so he doubled his efforts in opening the door, pulling with all of his might. He managed to throw himself into the house, the door slamming shut behind him as he collapsed on the floor, physically exhausted. Ciaran had jumped ship as soon as he had seen the open door, skidding on the floor, his fluffy paws not providing any traction. The cat had more energy than Niernan and took it upon himself to help Shiloh with cleaning the other feline.

All Nier could do for a moment was lie panting on the floor. His chest heaved and he squeezed his eyes shut, his heart racing in the cage of his ribs. It was scary out there and he hated to think that Shiloh and the cat had been out in that. He rolled his head over to look at the milk and honey woman. His blue eyes softened for a minute, glad to see that she was alright and she was busy clearing mud from the cats fur. "What the hell were you doing out there Shi? It's dangerous, with the wind and the rain the way they are. You could've been killed." He pushed himself up into a seated position, scooting over to look at the cat. He reached out a handpaw and smoothed the fur on the top of its head, the mottled fur clammy and damp. He sighed and shrugged, "Let's get this one cleaned up and then I'll have a proper look at it, find out if it's a lad or a lass, check it for fleas and all that."



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#5
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Shiloh flattened her ears when she heard the struggle of Niernan getting through the door after she’d slipped through, and she regretted not standing back to help him. She stepped toward her cousin, the cat in her arms, to make sure that he wasn’t hurt, and was distracted by his own feline skidding across the floor. Deciding that the other Stormbringer wasn’t injured, just tired, she sank down onto the floor and worked on cleaning the cat; Ciaran came to assist her, and the muddy creature brushed its muzzle gladly alongside the Maine Coon’s in a gesture of gratefulness.

The white she-wolf worked on the cat, who worked on rubbing its head against anything it came in contact with, the vibration of a purr strangely absent from its body. Remembering how quiet it had been out in the storm, Shiloh had to wonder if it was mute, still in shock, or if it simply wasn’t vocal.

Niernan scolded her for being out in the hurricane, and the female glared over in his direction, carefully schooling her expression to keep her despair from showing through. She partially succeeded, at least, and ended up just looking down into the mottled patterns under the cat’s cold coat of mud. “I couldn’t stand it inside, just waiting,” she answered honestly, her voice edged. “I had to get out, I had to breathe, I had to do something. And I’m glad I did, anyway.” She rubbed behind the cat’s ears.

When the black and tan wolf scooted closer, Shiloh finished wiping the last of the excessive mud away and leaned forward to offer him the cat. She scooted even closer, almost pressed against him, under the pretense of just watching him look the feline over; she was freezing cold, and she wanted to sort of apologize for snapping at him though she was too proud to say it out loud.

“I want to name it Muddy,” Shiloh announced, and the sheer ridiculousness of that combined with the stress and her shivering produced a bout of giggles that were near hysterics, but quickly quieted as she looked down at her once-white fur. Now that they were out of mortal danger, she let disgust wrinkle her muzzle and began to wipe at herself without regard for the others.


Word Count → 381

I'm more sorry. :/ Shiloh is a dork, too. Anyway, here is info on the kittycat. Smile

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#6
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WC:: 649. 5 pts - Have a post


The tortoiseshell cat butted her head against Ciarans, running her face along the larger cats. He purred at her, his thunderous rumble vibrating through his body and most likely through the other cat as well. He licked at her fur, his rough tongue scraping away the encrusted mud, and mewled to her in their own feline language. From what Nier could understand his companion was admonishing the other cat for being out in this weather and telling her he was glad she was ok. He also caught something about Shiloh being very nice and that she was lucky. He smiled as he straightened, looking towards his cousin. He gently tickled Ciaran behind his fluffy ears and allowed his affection to shine through his cerulean eyes.

The Stormbringers ears pinned back against his skull when Shiloh's sharp voice hurled its words in his direction. He didn't want to even look at her after that little outburst, but he did anyway, his soft eyes hiding the hurt he felt as he sought only to comfort her and look after the cat. He could nurse his bruised ego later in the comfort of his own home. That was if he ever got to get back to his own home, with the amount of things he had to look after in this storm he doubted he'd get the chance to curl up in his house and relax.

Now that he was closer to his white furred cousin she passed the cat over, but only after she had and Ciaran had managed to get the majority of the mud off the poor little cat. He took the little body gently in his large handpaws, holding her up to his face. He looked deep into her eyes, the shocking yellow of the irises shining out of the dark fur. He could see no obstructions in her eyes, or cloudiness, there was no gunk in the corners and he was happy that her eyes were fine. His eyes darted all over her head area, noting that her nose was clear, if a little muddy, her ears were pointed and clear of wax build up, and her mouth seemed fine. He would really like to lift her lips to check her teeth but he didn't know what she would be like. He flicked his eyes to Ciaran, and smiled softly, eyes going back to the cat. He mewled himself, the Low Speech coming easy to him, "Can you open your mouth for me? He asked, waiting for the cat to do something, petting her when she seemed to understand and showed him her teeth. All present and correct, only the normal amount of yellowing around the roots showing on the pointed fangs. He purred a thank you to her and placed her on the floor in front of him, testing her ability to stand. She stood fine, a little shaky from the cold and the stress, but otherwise fine. He then ran his handpaws down her back and sides, feeling her condition.

He scooped the cat back into his arms and turned slightly to Shiloh, only now noticing that she was practically glued to his side. He gave the cat a small wolf kiss, his tongue flicking across the top of her tortie head before holding her out to his cousin. He smiled comfortingly, leaning into her as well, the combined warmth of their bodies pooling around them. "Muddy is a very... Apt name." He chuckled. He noticed that Shiloh's laugh was a little hysterical and she seemed to be shivering, but it was cut off suddenly and she looked down at her muddy chest. He tried to distract her from the mess by talking about the cat, "You've got yourself one beautiful little girl Shi. She's healthy and good tempered." He moved his nose forward, aiming to press the leather against her cheek in a friendly and kind gesture.



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