Puffs squirmed in his leaf laden nest next to his slightly smaller sister. Piper, the small smokey black she-cat groomed her white tipped paws, staring out the hole of the burrow he and his family had taken refuge in. He and Piper had been ordered to rest and wait for their parents to return while they went out to hunt. It was now sunhigh, and the thick beams of light sliced through the heavy fog that rest in the leaf-fall forest.

He heard the shuffling of paws outside the den, and popped his head up to look. His whiskers twitched with amusement as he watched his parents carry back today's catch; a fatty rabbit, a squirrel with a ratty tail, and a mouse. This would be the best food they had in a while! His once muscular parents, were now almost skin dry. His mother was a big cat like his father, yet slightly shorter in the legs. Their muscle hung from their bodies, and their eyes glowed with pride although they were dry and wary.

"Here kits," Spoon, his mother called, her white chin stained red from blood. Puffs' entire family had black pelts, with his father having a unique black tabby pattern, which he too, inherited. His sister followed quickly behind, a trill of happiness leaving her.
"Finally something good! I call the rabbit!" The small she-cat pounced on it, digging her razor sharp teeth into the rabbit's carcass. Blood still welled from its neck, seeping into the leaf littered ground.

Puffs gazed on at his sister, puffing out his chest. She was such a fragile little sprout. He had made a vow, a promise, that he'd keep her safe their entire life. He was only three moons, but that didn't mean he couldn't protect her. He turned to the rabbit and eagerly began to dig away at it, the taste of its warm, bloodied meat, tingling his tongue.
"Spike," His mother called, addressing his father, who was nibbling at the mouse.
"Spike you were out hunting when they came by, correct?" Spoon meowed smoothly, yet she still looked distraught. Spike glanced at her from the corner of his amber eyes, scrutinizing her.

"Who is they, Spoon?" Spike asked coolly, his eyes flashing in worry. Spoon glanced at her kits, who seemed busy eating. But Puffs' ears were perked, curious on his parents conversation. Spoon guided Spike to a gnarly rotting oak, and began to speak in hushed murmurs.
There was a they indeed, he didn't understand who, but he remembered three moonrises ago strange cats had stopped by his family's hollow while his father was out. He was supposed to be sleeping, but a gruff voice had been very unsettling. It felt like beetles were crawling beneath his skin when he heard the cat speak. He couldn't distinctly remember the cat's exact words; but he did remember that he said this territory they were settled on was his home, and he'd drive the family out and make it look like an accident.

When his mother had reappeared from her encounter with the stranger she had hushed and lulled Puffs back to sleep, making his fur lie flat. But something still didn't feel right. Paranoia tugged at his bones, feeling a face was watching him from everywhere. He turned to stare at Piper who was tugging at the rabbit's ear, attempting to rip it off.
"Why don't we go play moss ball, Piper? I bet I can find more moss before you can!" Dark dropped into a playful crouch, his hindquarters waggling. Piper squealed and ran off, Puffs in close pursuit.

Piper disappeared into some ferns, stirring the plants and shaking dew from their soft, waxy leaves. He heard the she-cat pawing at the trunk of a tree and he disappeared further away, finding his own moss. It was a bit damp, but it'd do for a game of mossball. A heavy ball would prove challenging, and maybe it would help his sister grow muscle? She was an energetic little thing, more so than Puffs, but she struggled to do somethings at times. Regular games of mossball would prove challenging to her, and he'd have to lose and slow down on purpose to give Piper a chance.

Puffs would have rather hang back, and maybe clean himself a bit, but he didn't mind play-fighting with Piper. Piper reappeared with a bundle of moss twice her size, moisture seeping from the moss. He caught sight of a thorn twisted in her short furred shoulder, yet it didn't seem to be poking her.
"Well done Piper!" He chirped, resting his dark chin on her head. He tugged the thorn out of her shoulder fur, kicking dirt over it before going to collect his moss.

"Ay foun' a laydbuf," She mewed through the moss, padding back with him at his shoulder.
"Where's it now?" Puffs inquired, his amber eyes twinkling with mischief. Perhaps she ate it. Last time they had hunted beetles, she devoured every last one.
"I sneezed an' scared it oth." Piper pouted, stopping in the family's clearing. She dropped her moss with Puffs', and they began to construct the ball.

"This time don't hold back on me!" Piper warned, her tail curling in anger. Her dark blue eyes locked with Puffs', taking him aback by the blaze in her eyes.
"Alright, alright. Fine! But if I win you owe me your prey for the next quarter moon." He chuckled playfully, cuffing her over the ear. His sister nipped his paw with unpredictable agility, catching him off guard.
"I've been practicing my speed and reaction time while you sleep, because that's all you do now. This time I'm going to win and you'll be cleaning my ticks!" She slapped the last pawful of moss onto the ball and got into a crouch, her right forepaw extended to swipe it.

Puffs was aware his parents were lazing next to each other on the marshy ground, watching them both with curiosity. Puffs turned toward Piper and nodded. She then swiped it into the air and went to slap it to the left, but Puffs' much longer legs took hold of the ball and he rolled it out of her line of fire. Piper squealed gleefully and chased after him, catching his tail in her mouth and managing to make him slip.

The mud squelched as he fell, covering his carefully groomed chest. He hissed at the inconvenience, and chased after his sister. She swatted it to the left and dived after it, holding it under her stomach like a she-cat would do to protect her kits.
"Get back, you fox!" She scoffed, backing up ever-so-slowly with the ball. If she managed to knock it down their den hole she would win. Puffs growled in response and plowed into his sister, knocking her over and squishing the ball.

"H-hey!" She yelped, squirming under her brother's paws.
"I win," Puffs announced, another well-claimed victory for a powerful predator.
"Foxes always win." He added, pawing at her nose before stepping off of his sister, blinking his eyes innocently.

Night began to creep its way into the burning sky. Puffs trotted tiredly back to the den, lying down and stretching his legs. Piper followed and plopped down next to him, her fur knotted with sand and mud. Spoon and Spike followed behind the tired kits, before receding into the corners of the small den. Piper squirmed underneath Spike's forepaws, before falling asleep. Spoon pulled Puffs closer to her who only mewled in protest. His mother's warm embrace and the soft tongue lapping his head and ears lulled Puffs into a deep sleep.

-/\-

The morning after, Piper had woke Puffs up. Puffs blinked at her with glowing amber eyes, trying to adjust to the shaft of sunlight that cut through the dank musk of the mud burrow. He at up, twitching his flattened whiskers.
"Spoon and Spike are gone again." Piper murmured, prodding his side.
"They're probably just trying to hunt. I hope we get to learn soon, I feel like we'd be a big help." Puffs lowered his head, trying to lick and clean his tail.

He looked back at his sister, who seemed a little on edge.
"Easy Pipe, they're fine. Now help me clean myself! I can't reach everywhere." Puffs affectionately headbutted his sister, who sighed and began slowly cleaning his shoulders. Puffs exhaled sharply. Piper didn't need to cover him in so much mud! He liked a clean pelt, it really showed what type of cat you were. A messy unkempt one like Piper's showed how reckless and carefree she was. He'd change that, because he needed to showcase the utmost brilliance and so did his messy sister.

It was sunhigh by the time the two emerged from the burrow, and had decided to collect fresh moss for their nests. He had been reluctant at first, assuming that it had rained the previous night. But the ground was cracked and dry, and ants scuttled across the surface in search of food. He warned Piper not to stray too far from the clearing, as he turned north in search of his own moss.
When he had located a dry patch he began working his claws into it. His thoughts strayed and he spaced out, mindlessly clawing and collecting the moss, careful to avoid debris and thorns.

His ears swiveled toward the call of a robin, who perched a little ways above him. A thought came to him. What if he were to catch prey? He climbed up the tree slowly, before swatting at the robin and attempting to bring it down. But the little creature was fast and flew away, shedding some feathers in the process. Frustration stirred within him as he watched the feathers fall to the ground.

He made his way slowly down the tree, picking up his moss and carrying it back to the clearing. It was a bit damp at the moment, so he slid the soft material into a patch of sunlight, before padding away to find his sister.
"Piper!" He called, rushing forward. "Piper where are you?" He stopped instantly, dead in his tracks when he heard distant barking.

Twoleg dogs? They usually aren't this close. Spike mentioned they live far away. Anxiety wormed through his body and he turned, looking for his sister. His heart soared when he saw her cowering under some ferns, her eyes wide with fear. "I thought I saw one!" She squeaked, her tail twitching.
"There's no dogs around here. Don't worry. Come, we can just go hide in the burrow. They can't get us there." Puffs flicked his tail and the she-cat followed closely behind him. One question was all that was left.
Where are Spike and Spoon?

Hello everybody! Thanks for dropping by. This story is about Puffs, one of my OCs, and the stories and trouble he endures throughout his entire life. I hope you enjoy this! Please leave feedback so I can further improve my writing and overall storytelling.
Thank you!

-widenum