figured i could get another chapter up so there's a little more content to work off of in terms of what the story is going to be like. c':

maybe i could get at least one review before i write another chapter? i'm having a lot of fun writing this story so far, but knowing that there are people who are interested in it makes it even more fun for me. ;u;

thank you to everyone that's read this so far!


"Dusk! Dusk!"

Startled by the sharp sound of the yowls carrying through the trees, a flock of birds fluttered into the open sky, chirping and squawking the whole way. Mice on the forest floor scurried away at the approaching sound of pawsteps. Even a tiny spider crawling through the leaf litter quickened its pace to avoid being crushed under a heavy step. The undergrowth shuddered and rustled for a moment before a striped golden head burst through the ferns, normally clear blue eyes narrowed and full of annoyance.

Shoving his way into the open beneath a large, ancient oak tree, the tom paused and leaned against the trunk. Lifting a paw to wash his face of the leaf dust, he tried scenting the air for what must have been the tenth time. Nothing but brambles and stale prey scents. I must have chased away everything from here to the cliffs. Prey that would have made excellent meals for him and his sister, he thought bitterly, if she hadn't decided to show just how childish and naïve she still was by running off and hiding from him like a kit.

"Dusk, if you don't come out here right now…" He growled loudly, his aching paws quickly making his anger spike. "I'm not going to catch food for you tonight! I mean it this time!"

He waited, listening for sounds of movement around him. Still nothing. Tail lashing like an adder ready to strike, the tom called out one last time to the sky above. "Dusk! Come out here right n-"

He found himself cut off as a happy, eager meow echoed from above him to where he stood. "Alright, Dawn! Here – I – come!"

There was the rapid sound of something high up falling through the browning leaves of the oak tree the tom still leaned against, and then he found himself crushed underneath the warm, furry weight of another animal. The breath crushed from his lungs in a shocked, surprised gasp, and as soon as it had happened the weight was gone. And then his sister stood in front of him, her face lowered to where he now lay on the ground, wide yellow eyes gazing into his. "Uh, Dawn? Are you okay?" She cocked her head, a light of laughter dancing in her gaze. "I should've jumped onto you from a lower branch, huh? You didn't break any bones, did you? C'mon big guy, up an at 'em!"

As she nudged his shoulder, Dawn shook her off and got to his paws with a grunt, his chest still aching from impact. "D… Dusk!" When he had regained enough breath to speak, he immediately turned on his sister, baring his teeth at her. "Why did you do that?! You could have killed me – you could have killed yourself from the fall!"

Dusk scoffed at him, rolling her eyes with a smirk. "Aw, you know I've jumped from higher places before. Don't you remember that one time you panicked because I jumped from the tallest of the cliffs but when you met me at the bottom I landed on my feet without a scratch?"

"That's not the point, and don't bring that up!" Being reminded of his sister's unbelievable amount of luck just served to irritate him even more. Dawn sighed, closing his eyes for a moment to calm himself before continuing. "Dusk. We're more than a year old now. I know I said that I would go and live with you when Father wanted to chase you away-"

In the middle of his reprimand, Dusk darted forward and nuzzled her brother with a warm, affectionate purr. "And that's why you're the best brother any cat could ever hope for!"

"-but how can we prove to Father that we can make it on our own if you keep doing things like this?" Dawn urged her to understand, hoping vainly just as he did every lecture before now that it would help stop her kit-like tendencies.

Falling quiet for a moment, Dusk took a step back and glanced up into the trees, watching a bird as it fluttered from branch to branch over their heads. Dawn searched her expression, confused when he found himself unable to read it. "Haven't we made it this far?" The question caught Dawn off-guard, and she turned to him when he remained silent. "We've never gone to sleep hungry. We have friends who would help us out if times get tough – even if I tease them and ask them to play games with me all of the time."

Dawn tried to speak, a small pebble of guilt starting to grow in his belly. "Dusk…"

"Dad lost what I still have: the desire to make other cats smile and stop worrying about everything all the time. He didn't care about anyone else. He didn't even care about us, and I know that you know it too." He opened his mouth again, but the golden tabby found that he couldn't argue against that. "All he cared about was being able to stand on his own. Not relying on anyone else for support. But I don't want to be like that, Dawn. And I don't want you to end up that way either."

The pebble of guilt Dawn felt turned to a heavy stone when he saw the sadness in Dusk's eyes. "You know I'd never want to end up like Father, Dusk." He padded forward, rasping his tongue over her ear apologetically. "You're my best friend. If anything ever happened to you, I don't know what I'd do with myself. And that's why I worry about you. I just… I don't want you to get hurt."

Dusk purred back at him. "I know, Brother. But believe me, I'm not going to go just throwing myself off of trees and rocks trying to break my neck. Like you said, we're not kits anymore. You can trust me to be serious when it calls for it, y'know?"

Dawn nodded, pride blossoming in his chest at how much his sister had grown. "I know, Dusk."

A sudden, mischievous look crossed the brown tabby's face. "But for now, I think this moment calls for a little race to lighten up all this mushy stuff!" Turning so fast her tail whipped against her brother's muzzle, Dusk glanced at him over her shoulder before charging off further into the woods. "Last one to Claw's den is a one-legged badger!"

Dawn wondered if maybe he should be annoyed again at how quickly her seriousness had faded away, but he could only feel happiness and affection for his sister in his heart. Purring at her challenge, the golden tabby rushed after her, sunlight making his fur shimmer in the shadows. "We'll see about that!"