[»] chasa bada boom
[»] hid den clan
[»] on a rain y day
[»] some time be fore dawn
[»] open to: one, two at most

Today, Chasmfur decided, was not a pretty day. There was a steady drizzle pouring from the still dark blue sky, and the drip-drip-drip of raindrops falling from the leaves of the trees above. It was one of those awkward times, the sort of time when Chasmfur felt raw and pure. She felt like the world was there, yet she couldn't disturb it. The forest was oddly quiet. There was hardly even the shuffle and chitterings of prey in the bushes and trees. Although the forest was dead silent, Chasmfur felt like it was louder than it had ever been before. During the day, there was meowing, squeaking, thumping, running, and all the other noises that filled the noisy air. At night, there was the bright moon, glittering stars, and those who could not fall asleep pacing the dens and clearings. Dusk was the busiest time of all, with the evening meal, sharing tongues, and the whole camp settling into their dens for a long night's sleep. But now, in this time that had no definition, there was just that loud silence. The world felt clouded yet clear to Chasmfur.

The feeling welling up deep inside of her was unable to be but into words. She felt the need to sleep, the need to stay awake. She wanted to stay in this peace forever, she wanted to crash thought the undergrowth like a kit with no wits. Her head was pounding with the feeling. She was here, alone with herself. There was no one to hide behind, no one to focus on instead of herself. Now that the world was gone, long gone, Chasmfur was left alone with herself, and that, was a truly awkward feeling. She wasn't sure how to feel about the situation. The true her was a scary thing. Chasmfur didn't want to examine her own mind. She was afraid of realizing something else about herself that could change her life. There was that odd feeling deep in her stomach. Not only was it hunger, it was that nervous, anxious feeling that made her feel the need to move. Staying still would only lead to the loss of her sanity.

In the steady rain, the gray she-cat padded away from her lurking spot just outside the camp, and out into the territory itself. She milled about, sniffing the still air. There was nothing to smell, aside from dampness and sleepiness. Chasmfur moved about, with no aim or purpose. She could sit down somewhere soft and comfortable and reflect on her life, but that was the one thing she was determined not to do. Thinking about the past would lead to thinking about past mistakes, something that Chasmfur did not want. She couldn't even linger on the thought of her kithood for a single moment before her mind scrambled desperately to find something else to thing about. Her disastrous apprenticeship was yet another thing not to think about- she screwed up so many times, it was a wonder she was still alive today. Her whole life had been an endless cycle of messing up and getting lost.

Chasmfur shook her head. This was not what she needed to think about. She needed to focus on now- how to be the best warrior that she could be, and more importantly, shake the creepy feeling that she was all alone, alone with nothing but her own mind.