The search for a home begins

[SGA]

The tavern seems to be getting more and more crowded, with such an influx of new cats and people, lots of people, big feet walking to and fro.  Heading out to hunt, Schwartzkoff jumps a full foot into the air at the sudden loud screech of his mate beside him.  Coming back to ground he quickly turns to her, only to find her limping away to a corner.  Hurrying after her he sniffs and nuzzles her, then gently cleans her paw she holds out to him.  One of the humans, not watching where they were going, trod upon her foot!  After tending carefully to her, he leads her outside, keeping himself between her and any more clumsy humans.  Once outside and into the wood-line Oksana turns and glares back at the busy tavern.  Hissing her disgust she looks at her mate, eyes slitted.  A soft "Mrowf?" from Schwartzkoff and then a resigned sigh.  Looking back at the tavern he says goodbye to his home, then turns and leads his Lady away to find a new home.  A home not quite so crowded, a home with less humans for sure.  Oksana is right after all, how can they start their family in a place already over running people.. cats and humans both?  If they can trod upon his mate so carelessly.. what would they do to rambunctious kittens?  No, she's right, they need to find someplace more suitable to raising a family.  Slinking slowly off through the trees, watchful for any dangers to his Lady, he never the less fails to notice the orange and black striped queen silently slinking through the shadows in their wake.

Tyger, is ever an inquisitive cat.  She is often bored around the tavern, and spends her days stalking through the woods, hunting for food (because what self respecting cat would eat the food the humans put out?!) and generally exploring.  She often finds amusement, simply in watching, and even stalking, the other cats.  Oh not that she attacks them or anything, no no, just honing her skills.  One must always be ever vigilant and at the top of heir game.  And what better way to keep her skills honed sharp, then to practice on her unsuspecting brethren?  It hurts no one, and it amuses her so very much that they never catch her out.  Gone to soft they have, from being fawned over by the humans.  So when she spies the pair slinking off into the night, she naturally follows them.  A two for one deal!  Things have been getting too easy for her, now here is an increased challenge.  Slinking quietly through the shadows, she follows the pair through the night.  Finally after several hours have past, and the pair shows no signs of hunting, or playing, or well.. anything really, she realizes that they have gotten quite far from the tavern.  Even with the other Queen limping, they still traveled quite far.  Tyger can no longer hear the tavern sounds from behind her.  The pair pauses to drink from a small puddle, at the base of a tree and Tyger sits down in the bushes, swiveling her ears, and trying to figure things out.  What could they be doing so far?  It would be one thing if they were on a hunt, but they clearly aren't.  And with the Queen injured, she can;t believe they would stray so far from home.  As the pair begins to move off again, Tyger quickly makes up her mind.  She will follow them, wherever they are going.  There is nothing at the tavern to keep her here, and with the Queen injured, they may need her help.  And if they don't?  Well, they she still gets to practice her skills, and go on an adventure.  At least she won;t be bored any more!


Several days pass by, with Schwartzkoff faithfully tending to his Queen.  Her paw still pains her, this troubles him, and he is eager for their journey to come to an end so she can rest.  They have past a few human dwellings already, but his Lady deemed them all unsuitable.  They are near another dwelling now, he can hear human laughter off in the distance.  Finding a hollow for his Lady to rest in, he sets off to find her dinner.  He's just pounced on and killed a shrew, when a loud clatter and screeching fills the night.  A dog begins barking furiously, and a human male is yelling angry words.  grabbing up the dead shrew he quickly turns and runs back toward his mate, only to collide with another cat running through the brush.  They both go tumbling, before finally coming to a rest in a pile of pine needles.  Jumping up Schwartzkoff flattens his ears and hisses a warning, backstopping his way to his mates meal.  but the other cat pays him little mind, sitting up and licking it's paw, it eyes him with sparkling eyes then sneezes at him.  Why, it's a Queen!  A young Queen.. not much better then a half grown kitten, but a Queen never the less.  Pricking his ears back up he watches her warily, resting one paw on top the dead shrew.  Queen or no, that is his mates dinner, not hers. 

Padding over to the big lumoxing Tom that got in her way, Trouble circles him sniffing the air around him.  He has a distinct lack of human scent about him.  How interesting!  And she can smell a Queen on him, but where is she then?  Looking around and spying no one else, she leans in and head buts him playfully, then bounds off, grabbing her fish she just pilfered from the hapless human Tom.  Turning with the fish dangling from her jaws she looks at him and chuffs around it.

Blinking at the odd Queen Schwartzkoff sighs inwardly.  She seems quite young.. and energetic.. and entirely too much trouble.  Looking back towards the commotion at the human dwelling, he once again resigns himself, he can't very well leave her here.  Grabbing up the shrew he darts past her, leading the way back to his mate.  Once back at the hollow, he lays the shrew down beside Oksana and gently licks her ears to wake her.

Upon waking, she spies the young Queen.  Sitting up she watches her as she tears into the meal her Tom has provided for her.  The young Queen lays off to the side, eating her own meal, and eying them both.  Meals eaten, the two Queens slowly approach each other and sniff noses in greeting.  The youngling is called trouble, which Schwartzkoff  feels is going to prove to be extremely suitable to her.  Watching the two Queens become acquainted, and knowing his mate as he does, he settles to the idea he will now be traveling with two Queens, instead of one.

Perched on a branch high above, Tyger watches the trio with amusement, as she absentmindedly brushes a feather from her whiskers, then cleans up the remaining tiny blood droplets from her fur.  It seems she will now be "guardian" to three.  And still, none have a clue she is there.  Baring her teeth in a feline grin she then settles her head to her paws, preparing to rest a bit before the tom decides to move again.

[SGA]

Countless days pass, running one into another for the travelers.    As they head further south, the temperature has grown steadily warmer.  The landscape too, has changed.  Where once there was rich earth beneath the forest bed, now there is more clay and sand.  They began a course change a few nights ago, when they had to flee from some wild cats that trouble managed to anger.  She was only playing, but really, he wishes she would settle down.  At least until they find a new home, and relative safety.  So now they are heading eastward, and poor Oksana's paw is aching from the need to run hard on it.  The ground has become softer at least, over the past day.  But now it also becomes wet.  They have had to detour twice already, when it became too deep with water for them to walk.  He could swim if he has to of course, but what self respecting cat would want to?  And it certainly wouldn't do Oksana any good.  On the plus side, they probably have long lost the wild cat pack.

Schwartzkoff continues leading his Queens deeper into the swampy fen.  He'll find a place to bed them down for the day, and do some hunting while they rest.  Hopefully Trouble will stay put this time..  Rounding the edge of the latest water "hole" he comes to a stop and gazes at the tree before him.  He has seen more like it, ever since they entered this region, but they were all small.  This one is much larger.  It stands tall and proud, the other vegetation well clear of it, as if afraid to grow too near.  The leaves, tiny, elongated soft leaves, covered in an almost hair like substance, hang down in long strands.  The way the leaves hang down on those vines.. when the breeze blows them gently just so.. reminds him of the waterfall back home.  A very colorful waterfall.. Brown, gold, rust, and cream colors all blend together as the vines dance and shimmy on the breeze.  The tree bark is of some sort of soft wood, shades of white, grey, and black all blending together. 

Padding forward slowly, Schwartzkoff stretches his nose out and pokes his head through the vines.  Inside the "curtain" of color, the area is nicely shaded, a bit cooler then the moist heat they have been suffering through since coming here, and the ground is.. well not dry, but not soaked either.  Padding farther inside, he finds that the tree's roots have grown up above the ground near the trunk, and decides that this then will do nicely.  The roots are actually dry, and will provide his Queens with a suitable place to rest, while the screen of leaves will protect them from the worst of the outer heat.

Heaving a weary sigh Oksana settles down on the roots, they really are quite comfortable.  Her Schwartzkoff is so good about taking care of her.  Watching his tail disappear back out "there" to go hunting, she turns and eyes Trouble.  The youngling is so full of energy!  Even after all their travel, she is running around the "room" created by the tree's canopy, pouncing and clawing at invisible prey.  Resting her head on her uninjured paw, she watches the young Queen play until sleep claims her.

Tyger, having watched the Tom head off on his morning hunt, waits a bit to ensure the Queen's are both going to stay put.  That young one!  She left to go get her dinner the other day, and that was all the time she needed to find trouble.  Well, at least it gave some excitement!  But still.. it took all of her skills to leave a false trail for that pack, and lead them away form her group.  Rotating her ears she listens, and at the silence decides the little troublemaker must have finally wore herself out.  perfect, she can now go find her own dinner, probably be back before the Tom is even.  With a self satisfied twitch of her tail, she turns and slinks off through the underbrush.

Schwartzkoff upon returning, lays a dead bird down before his Queen.  She's resting, and he decides not to wake her just yet.  Looking around he spots trouble, curled on the ground between some roots.  Slipping over he nudges her gently to wake her.  She rolls over and mewls softly, blinking sleep glazed eyes at him.  Giving a soft fishy smelling burp, she falls back asleep almost immediately.  Wait, fish??  Where did she find fish?  Sniffing and nosing around Schwartzkoff spots some milky white drops of fluid clinging to a scratch in one of the roots.  This fluid leaking from this odd tree.. this is where the fish smell is coming from!  Turning back to look at the young Queen he realizes she must have gorged herself.  She shouldn't have done that, wasn't he providing for her?  But then, fish is her biggest weakness..  curious about the fluid, he laps tentatively at it.  It tastes like fish too!  Hmm if he also fills himself with this, then Oksana can have the whole bird for herself.. she needs all the extra strength she can get.  Decision made he settles in to drink his fill.  Slowly his hunger pains subside, but a new feeling is growing.  Backing away from the root he looks at Trouble sleeping so deeply, then over to his Mate.  He has the sudden urge to wake her, and begin creating their family now.  The sudden urge to mate is so strong!  But his Queen is still hurt, and so very tired..  It's that fluid!  it has to be.. but why is Trouble sleeping then?  Maybe because she is still a kitten, it affects her differently?  Sighing in frustration he turns and quickly leaves the canopy, he must get some distance between his Queen and himself, until this affect wears off.

Coming back form her own hunt, Tyger pauses and watched a very irate Schwartzkoff bound quickly away.  Oh no, has the little Queen wandered off again?  Venturing closer she pokes her head through the tree's leafy vines.  Spotting both Queens sleeping peacefully, she backs quietly away again.  Well.. how curious!  Making her way to a low lieing bush she stretches out beneath it, keeping one eye on the Queen's "nest" and the other on the spot the Tom vanished into.  Why, oh why couldn't the interesting stuff wait until she had returned?  Twitching her tail once in irritation, she settles down to continue her vigil.