A Hunter's Vigil. [ Open! ]

[lunar]

The wind softly whispered her woes. Her kisses caressed through the grass. Parting with her seduction, the blades curled in her influence. The breeze was so fair and appealing it rebelled against the harsher winds of leafbare. She was the concubine that bloomed last, the angel of newleaf, the messenger of life... Though she would be consumed by a much fiercer gust, the wind traveled innocently along the open space of the fields. She had a lulling trance, as if her arms would embrace the creatures should she have the being to walk amongst them. Her soft song carried her sorrow. For though she knew she would die away soon, she craved to join the living. For now, no stronger gust would overtake her innocence. The maiden of the wind would remain virgin; pureness untainted. For now.

The sun caressed the land in its large solar breath. The warmth of it struck along the flesh of the soil. Exposed, the grasses swayed again as if to cover the nakedness of the earth. They were browned, left in emerald attire only in their memories of the warmth of greenleaf. But in their skeleton-like existence, they tried to cover up the bosom of the earth. Forever faithful to their mistress, they were bound to her flesh. They provided the peltage to the weakened being they were so firmly drawn to. But despite all their effort, the sun still romanced the earth, warming her with his touch.

A white figure parted the coat. It moved like a tick through the fur of the earth. Though it held no parasitic desires to feast upon her blood, he was merely a tourist upon her holy flesh. It was a lean creature, birthed from the beasts far before its time. The ancestors in the stars gifted to it this grace. The paws, ghosting the earth like some rogue spirit, made no noise but held the musical melody of the ballet. The ivory fur proved him to be a phantom. To the unwary eye, this creature would fool you as being a pallid specter. But he was nothing of the sort.

The soil beneath his paws carried the promise of newleaf. It was warm under his pads, traveling up his leg as he stepped gently upon it. His limbs welcomed this warmth. The prior unyielding of the frozen earth was recalled in his memories. But here he held no stress of the hardened loam. Stalking along it, he felt the kiss of that breeze. Her lips caressed through the sallow strands of his fur. She parted through it as she had done to the grass. He welcomed her touch. With her, the sun's encirclement warmed him. It was all too perfect.

For once, his eyes seemed to betray his emotions. He was utterly content in this kiss from the wind and stroke of the sun. Even as he checked the border of CelestialClan, he found himself unable to suppress a soft purr from rising into his throat. Very rarely did he purr. Though, in the safety of his lone condition he allowed it to slip away from him. Oh how he longed to stretch out in the sun and sleep. But there was still work to do.

The purring stopped as he parted his jaws. Tasting the air, he let the scents stroke the roof of his mouth. The scent of CelestialClan comforted him. There was a very faint trace of fox but it had long gone. It was the overpowering smell of rabbit that left him feeling betrayed as his stomach gurgled greedily. The grass beside him moved. He didn't have time to hunt. There was still so much to do. The gurgle came again.

Finally, giving into his ravishing desires, he dropped into a hunter's crouch. The rabbit nibbled on the grass. It stood no chance. Like the phantom he had been taken for, he claimed the life of the smaller creature. His bite to its neck ended its shrill scream of terror. He'd take it back to camp. Perhaps one of the elders would like it? He dug his teeth into its limp scruff, looking back at the border for a moment. He slowly dropped the prey, turning to stare at the nothingness of the plains.

Zealheart couldn't tell you for sure what troubled him. But as he looked at the lands, feeling the wind wrap around him. What tugged so strongly at his heart? What made him weep inside? What brought unseen tears to his eyes but struck his heart with grief? It was there, upon that hill, that he suddenly knew what hurt him so. Bowing his head, he curled his tail over his paws, lost in his thoughts as he silently mourned the decay of his heart.

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