Imperfect

Chapter 10

Wildflower couldn't remember the wild and rambunctious night as well she as hoped. Something told her that she ate too much prey than her stomach could hold and possibly, that was the reason for her slight amnesia. Her first instinct was to attack and scream but after looking at her paws, flashes of last night rushed back in leaps and bounds. She kept her scrambled thoughts inside her head, worried that might spill out.

     "Dreams get way too complicated," she sighed, getting up on her paws in her nest. Around her, the rest scouters were asleep or getting up. While the den wasn't big or fancy, she felt safe knowing she was surrounded by cats like her.

     She wasn't used to not having Lark and Cherry wake her up by clawing her in the pelt, something she had trained herself to be ready for as she slept. Going one night without a rude awakening felt nice and strange at the same time.

      Outside of the den, the sun peeked through the entrance. The familiar yellow streaked the ground, reflecting onto the stone ground like a reflection of water. Wildflower purred, stepping outside of the den, tasting the rays. 

     Some cats were already up and raring to go, waiting for a beta to give them orders. Blaze was by a group of cats, hunters, Wildflower guessed since a hunter's job was to get up early in the morning, catching enough food to feed the Alpha, betas, and the senior members, if possible. Being new, she stood no chance of eating first. If she ever hoped to eat first, she'd have to move up in ranks, but at least she wasn't in the same boat as the rest of the hunters, forced to wait until everyone ate before they could eat.

     How Lark wanted to eat last and wake up in the morning was beyond her understanding. Wildflower took a look at the healers' den and saw a small line of cats waiting outside. Her mouth dropped into a frown and then a sigh of annoyance escaped two seconds later.

     The part I don't get about this tribe. Why do I need to go to a healers' den every single day before I do anything? Nevertheless, Wildflower trotted over to the end of the line. 

     In front of her was a spotted white cat. She was grooming herself using her right paw and brushing it over her right ear first. Wildflower quietly approached her from behind and sat down, staring off into the camp as she waited. Blaze nodded at the group and the cats set off outside, marching in sync. 

     Then the energetic bunny arrived. Origanum bounced off of the ledge where her den rested. Wildflower expected the Alpha to crash. Instead, she landed on her paws lightly, acting as if it were nothing. Then she marched off toward the line and sat behind her, offering a sleepy yawn before she shook her head, shaking her drowsiness away. 

     "Good morning, Wildflower! How did you sleep last night?" She chirped like a little kit. Not knowing what to say, Origanum's attention drifted elsewhere, finding her next victim. "Morning, Thunder! Have you met Wildflower yet? She's a new scouter like you!"

     "Yes, I believe we shared a moment with one another last night at the ceremony." Wildflower turned around to see a taller tom than her, his dull, orange pelt contrasting her golden one. He looked fierce, but Wildflower wasn't scared of him. Even though the tom meant no harm, she didn't feel comfortable around him, especially since he was a Senior Member, finding herself constantly worry if he was judging her. 

     "You can skip ahead of the line, Alpha," the she-cat in front of Wildflower spoke, almost afraid to raise her voice. 

     "Yeah, I know," Origanum answered. Still, the Alpha made no direct move or desire that she wanted to go up in front of every cat. The silence in the air was long and seemed to drag itself to every cat in the line. Wildflower felt an awkward silence pass through the cats, nobody speaking up, only sharing confused glances.