Chapter Text
A rough tongue tickled at tiny ears, pushing them back into a brown mane as she was cleaned by her mother. She purred and giggled as her father prowled the mouth of their cave; watching, always watching for anything that could harm his cub. It didn’t matter to him that his cub was still small after so many turns of the seasons, or that she would walk on her hind legs as often as on all four. She was their offspring and he would protect her.
As strange as the cub was, she was an excellent little hunter and could catch even the swiftest of small prey. She could navigate the trees more like the ape creatures than the cats, leaping from branch to branch, at times losing her parents as they sought to hunt her out. Honing her skills to hunt, and to hide. Her parents were proud. The rest of the pride had cast them out when they had seen the cub, thinking she would damage the bloodline.
They had left and made their lair where their cub had been born, at the base of the monstrous blue mountain that rose out of the woods and shone ghostly in the night. It was covered in lines and groves that the cub would use as handholds and scale the otherwise smooth surface to the top. It was a good training ground. It would make her strong. The mountain would hum, day and night, a low frequency that only animals like them could perceive; the lullaby that the cub lived and slept to.
Padding back into the cave, he curled around his offspring and his mate, sheltering them with his powerful body. He rested his head on a large paw and relaxed to sleep. His daughter squealed in delight, tumbling away from her mother to pounce onto her father’s broad head and chew at his ears. He chuffed indulgently at her, flicking his ears. After long minutes, he tired of the game, swiping a long tongue across her face and nudging her back into the warm nest of their bodies. She curled into a purring ball and easily gave into slumber. He nuzzled his head with his mate and settled down to sleep.
The cub woke first at dawn. The shy tendrils of hazy light sifting through the mouth of the cave and mixing with the feint blue glow of the mountain wall that made up one side of their cave. Her mismatched eyes took in the sleeping faces of her parents an her heart made her purr with contentment. Usually her father woke first and hunted, bringing them breakfast before the trio would stalk the woods hunting and being together. This morning the cub would hunt. She would bring back the small tasty things that climbed the trees. Using all her not inconsiderable stealth she leap out from her parents, careful not to disturb them and scurried for the entrance.
Once outside she sped to the tree-line and scampered up the nearest tree on tiny silent paws. The Whispering Woods came to life around her.
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Dashing back through the foliage, barely a leaf moving in her wake, she swung back into the clearing. Limbs gone gangly from growth she stumbled a little as she came to a stop close to the mouth of the cave. Darkness surrounded here, night having beaten her back to her home. Releasing her kill from her mouth into her clawed hand she, she clasped it tightly and walked into the hazy blue glow that came from the cave. The cave was warm and the blue glow was dull enough to allow sleep but also to feel like company.
She stretched languorously and collapsed in a boneless heap at the back of the cave, still small enough to tuck into a small pocket between the wall of stone and the gently humming mountainside. The warmth of the building and the gentle sound soothed her and made her feel less alone. She wiggled to get comfortable, realising that soon her expanding body would not fit here, and felt a weight press on her. Bringing the plump tree creature to her mouth she tore through its fur and flesh, feeling the still warm blood fill her mouth, before taking a generous bite. As she ate she purred to herself, bringing further comfort, missing the feel of her parents around her. She had been alone for a full turn of the seasons now but still had not grown accustomed to being alone.
Finally exhausted, hunger sated and claws and paws licked clean, she curled her tail around her body and made herself a small ball. She would sleep with one eye slitted open and ears alert to the smallest sound, just as her father had taught her. She was small, but she was still alive and if she wanted to stay that way she had to be the best hunter.
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Speeding across the way on the back of a skiff was the most exciting thing that had happened to the four young cadets in ever. Three of the children, Lonnie, Rogelio and Kyle, sat huddled behind the pilot, sheltered from the rushing wind by the bulk of the vehicle. The fourth child, a blond girl with a gap toothed grin, stood fearlessly at the front of the skiff, delighted by the speed and the wind that whipped her ponytail away from her face. Adora was going to see the Whispering Woods for the first time.
The Horde feared and coveted the Whispering Woods in equal measure. No matter how many times they had tried to break their way through it to attack the kingdoms that lay beyond, the woods would hold them back. Or would writhe and change almost before their eyes, throwing obstacles in their paths. Many had lost their lives careening into trees that had not been there a moment before or pounded to dust beneath the jaws of the large beasts that hid in the trees. And yet. The allure of the land, the territory, was worth the loss of life for the greater glory of The Horde.
That meant that once a rotation a group of junior cadets would find themselves flown to the edge of the woods and set down to camp as close to the woods as possible. They would set up tents and spend three days happy the very outskirts of the place, looking for possible pathways. As children they were more agile and could fit in crooks and crannies that adults could not see, and if one of them failed to return it was an acceptable loss of a soldier as yet untrained. Mostly they did come back - less afraid and full of excitement about their next trip and how they would be the ones to conquer the dreaded Whispering woods!
This was to Adora’s teams first expedition to the woods - their first time outside of the Fright Zone. Adora felt exhilaration in every fibre of her eight year old self. Turning from the wind she flashed a huge grin at her friends, and got a weak, queasy smile in return from Kyle and a thumbs up for Lonnie. Rogelio, arm around Kyle to keep him secure, was staring out at the horizon much like the blond. Turning back, blue eyes zeroed in on the trees that were rapidly getting closer and closer. Shades of green, yellow and blue everywhere. She couldn’t hear much over the sounds of the skiff’s engines, but she was sure that as well as the riot of colour that there would be a cacophony of sound.
Shadow Weaver had told her to take in everything she could, to remember to make maps and keep her squad under control. She had to remember that this was just one more step on her path to greatness in The Horde and that she must always remember that everything was for the greater glory. Shadow Weaver would be so proud of her if she could go back and tell her that she had found a path. She WOULD find a path!
Soon the skiff came to a halt on a strip of short grass that surrounded the edge of the woods. The children spilled out followed by their trainer. His voice barked out ordered as he instructed the children to take the tents and set them up in a rough semi-circle and set up a fire pit. With the practiced ease of a team that had been together for as long as they could remember the 4 children had the tents prepared and the fire pit arranged. Adora volunteered, eagerly, to fetch wood from the perimeter of the wood. With a column nod the trainer agreed - emphasising that at no point should she attempt to enter the tree-line. With a swift salute she dashed away.
Even the edge of the woods felt creepy, charged with a strange kind of menace, something that Adora couldn’t quite put her finger on but that danced up her spine like spiders. Grabbing every loose twig and branch she could carry, she could barely see over the pile in her arms as she turned to head back to the landing site. Taking more tentative steps now that her vision was somewhat obscured, she felt a pricking sensation on the back of her neck. All the hairs standing up below her swaying ponytail. She continued to move, trying to move faster while still looking calm but she was certain of one thing - something was stalking her from the trees.
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Mismatched eyes looked down at the golden head below her. The cat-girl had seen these creatures come and go, day-in day-out. Sometimes she would watch them from the trees when she had found a kill close to the edge of the forest, devouring the flesh as she took in the strange coverings of their bodies or the odd sounds that they made to each other. Some of them looked like the cub below her, hairless save for their head, while others looked like lizards or sometimes a scorpion. Nobody ever looked like her. The thought always made her ears lay flat and her tail thrash as thoughts of her parents, large feline bodies so different from her own filled her mind. Their images had faded in the seasons since their passing but she still knew them.
Today’s group was small; one larger creature - blocky and blue - noisily directing the smaller ones. This set of cubs were the youngest she had seen, probably no bigger than herself. The lizard was larger. She licked her lips, it would probably taste good; the small ones she managed to catch in the trees were some of the most delicious in the woods. Though the thought of hunting one of them had crossed her mind, she knew when she was outnumbered. Then one of them walked away, so she followed.
Leaping from tree-to-tree, landing silently among the leaves, she followed the golden haired one walking the edge. Watched as it crouched and collected fallen wood, piling it so high on their chest that there was no way that they would be able to safely see. This could be entertaining. She continued to slink through the underbrush, eyes fixed on the child. She found that she liked the way that the fading light glinted off of her hair. Was almost transfixed by it. She noticed when the creature shifted nervously and started to furtively glance to the side. Not wanting to be spotted she tore her eyes away and disappeared back into the safety of her home.