Numb [kitten]

[♥Picasso]

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[atrb=background,http://i41.tinypic.com/30iyl1z.jpg,true] "Speech" It was on the verge of December and Denim was finding hunting extremely difficult. Deer were nowhere to be find and many animals had begun their hibernation weeks ago. As Denim scoured his surroundings, his stomach rumbled loudly. Frustration was building up in the lion as yet another set of hoof tracks let to nothing. He was hungry and was well aware that he had Natiri and Take to feed for as well. Denim had insisted on a hunt today whilst Iri stayed with Take and found a good shelter for the night. He would easily be able to track their scent to the shelter they would find. Huffing, Denim glared down at the frosty ground. His paws were beginning to numb from the cold and he was no closer to finding something decent. Even a rabbit would be better than this. Although he wouldn't feel satisfied with a rabbit, Take certainly would, and that was his main priority right now. Letting out a little shiver, he gazed up at the clear blue sky. The pine trees shrouded most of the sunlight, making it even more difficult to see prey. Denim was glad he was a feline with night vision and could spot movement even in the darkest nights. It would be another few hours before night fell, but Denim was at a loose end. It would take at least an hour to trace Natiri and get the carcass back to their den. He didn't want to be wandering around at night with some corpse of an animal. He could get ambushed! Letting out a small sigh, Denim began to follow a new scent, hoping this time he would be more lucky. Licking his lips, he stealthily zig-zagged his way through the thick trees. The scent was clearly a deer, possibly alone and injured, and this time Denim would not fail. It took another half hour to come across the young doe. Her hind leg had a nasty looking wound. She was drinking from a small stream with her back to Denim. Slowly but surely, carefully not letting his paws snap any twigs, Denim stalked his prey. His eyes were fixated on the deer. If she ran now, Denim would probably be able to catch her, but he wanted to be definite. His heart pounded in his chest as Denim got nearer and nearer, until he leapt. The doe bolted, but the wound on her leg prevented her from getting very far before Denim's claws teared into her flank and she stumbled to the ground. A snarl ripped through Denim's mouth as he sank his teeth into her neck. Metallic blood filled Denims mouth and he groaned with pleasure as he kept a tight grip on the floundering doe. It took a minute before she finally gave up the fight. Denim released the doe and stood up, licking his bloody paws clean. It had taken several hours, but he finally had his kill. Gazing down at the deer, Denim sighed. The problem was that it was going to take a long time to drag the carcass out of the forest. He was exhausted from the chase and needed a rest first. Taking a bite from the deer's flank, Denim chewed on the meat as he finally lay down to rest. Closing his eyes, Denim let the cold air wash over him. Only a few minutes, then he'd get up and take the deer back to Iri and Take.

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[kitten]

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[atrb=background,http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx34/Kitten_Lovour/1middle.png] Actions. "Speech." 'Thoughts.' It was cold, far too cold to be out and moving around for as long as he had been. He had left his den early that morning in hopes of catching a squirrel or something that came out early, but he hadn't had much luck so far. The small coyote stopped in his tracks and lifted his head, taking in a deep breath and exhaling slowly. He watched the fading cloud he cause for a moment then looked at his surroundings. Still nothing but trees and small plants as far as he could see. With a silent sigh, he began weaving quietly through the trees once again. Now that Dawn was gone and Lee could hunt for himself, Autumn only need to hunt for one. He honestly enjoyed it more when he had a family to help care for, even if it could be a challenge at times. Dawn would always have her own meal, while Autumn shared his with Lee once he was old enough. Now Autumn usually ate alone, most of the time right where he caught his meal. And that's what he was planning to do this time as well. The canine lifted his as he caught on to the fresh scent of a deer. Hopefully it would be small enough for him to catch by himself. Slowing his pace, he crept along the deer's path and was careful not to make a sound. Soon enough, the doe was in sight. He paused within striking distance, hesitating due the deer's size. It was a little larger than he would like, but this might be his only chance at getting some food. He exhaled quietly through his nose, steadied himself, and lunged. He clamped his jaws onto one of her hind legs, being careful to stay clear of the hooves to avoid being kicked. He wasn't able to hold on for very long, the deer tripped and he lost his grip. He was quick to pick himself back up, but the deer was already out of sight. A small growl formed in his throat and he began tracking the scent once again. He had thought of going back home hungry several times, but each time the scent of food urged him on. Soon, the sound of a stream found the coyote's ear and he decided to pause his hunt for a drink. He padded up to the water and began lapping up the cool liquid, only getting a few drink before he froze in place. There was a lion nearby. Something in the back of his mind told him to get out of there, out of the forest, to run, but the deer's scent was strong and he might have a chance since it was wounded now. Autumn stood straight up, keeping his head low, and followed the stream. It only took a moment before he found what he was looking for and was he didn't want to find, at the same time. The lion had caught the deer and was laying beside it, only a small area telling the canine he had eaten anything. Autumn squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his jaws. The voice telling him to run was still there, stronger than ever and now it was beginning to sound a lot like Dawn. Instead of listening to it, he laid down as well, putting both of his front paws over his muzzle. Maybe the lion would leave and not notice him, until then he was staying right where he was. word count;579/ it's kind of long but also just as crappy as i was expecting from myself

[♥Picasso]

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[atrb=background,http://i41.tinypic.com/30iyl1z.jpg,true] Denim didn't notice someone approach at first. He was too busy getting his breath and energy back. It took several minutes for his eyes to flutter open and notice a small form laying on the ground a little way away. Narrowing his eyes, Denim wondered whether it was a wolf. It certainly looked like one, but perhaps a little too small for that. He gazed over at the cooling carcass. Did he want some food? As generous as Denim was, the lion was worried the meat wouldn't go around them all if he shared with this stranger. As Denim looked closer, he noticed that the canine looked like he was in some kind of distress. His paws were wrapped around his muzzle as though he was trying to escape something. Worried, Denim stood up and began to approach the poor thing. He stopped a little way away so not to startle him and cleared his throat. "Is something wrong? Can I help in some way?" Denim asked, breathing in his scent. Loner. There was a hint of something else, but it was long gone by now. Lowering to his haunches, Denim continued to watch the canine. He looked a little hungry, but still fairly well fed. He was far smaller than Denim, meaning he didn't need half as much as the tawny lion needed to survive. Denim glanced over his shoulder at the deer carcass. Perhaps he could spare a little for this one. Denim was sure Natiri wouldn't mind. Denim just wouldn't eat as much tonight, and find something for himself tomorrow. Standing, Denim walked back to the deer and began to tear at a hind leg. The juicy flesh made Denim's mouth water, but he prevented from biting down and eating. He had to save it. It took some time, but the leg eventually ripped off. Stumbling a little after putting so much strength into the leg, Denim dragged the hind leg to the coyote. He dropped it before him and flashed him a small smile. It had occurred to Denim that he was scared of Denim. It was no surprise really. Denim could look like a large, scary creature, when in fact he was nothing more than a pussycat. "You can have it if you like. I have more than enough." It was technically a lie but Denim didn't want to make the stranger feel bad by taking some of his meal. Take would only have a few mouthfuls anyway. Denim sat down again and continued to gaze at this peculiar stranger. There was something about him that made Denim curious. The way he acted. The way he looked so scared. It was almost an irrational fear. Denim wondered whether the stranger had met lions before. Perhaps he had had a bad experience with them. He shuddered. Lions could be ruthless if they wanted to be. He hoped this coyote hadn't suffered at the paws of one. "My name is Denim," The lion said after a long silence, "What about you?" Denim used to proudly state his parents, but those days were over. He was not proud of who is mother was or what rank he once had in the Iris Pride. Denim was nobody now but just another cat trying to live through a war. He offered a kind smile to the coyote as he waited for a reply.

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[kitten]

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[atrb=background,http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx34/Kitten_Lovour/1middle.png] Actions. "Speech." 'Thoughts.' Autumn stayed as still as he possibly could in hope he wouldn't be noticed. He tensed when he heard something move and held his breath. A moment later, a sudden noise made him jump and a shard yelp forced it's way out of his throat. He wrapped his paws tighter around his muzzle and squeezed his eyes as shut as much as he could. He did listen, however, when the lion began speaking to him. Help? Autumn could hardly believe what he was hearing. It was as if the lion cared whether he was okay or not, and was offering his help. He sounded friendly, but the coyote couldn't bring himself to relax and remove his paws from his face. If he opened his eyes, he was sure he would see the lion that took the lives of Arabella and Vagabond, and almost took his as well. Just the slight thought of that fight made the images flash through his mind, making him even more tense, if at all possible. He didn't even know what the giant feline was doing now, probably sizing him up for a meal despite already having an entire deer, or maybe just thinking over killing him for fun. He jumped again when he heard some movement, though not as bad as the first time. He jumped and gave a barely audible yelp when the lion began doing something a little further away. It sounded like the feline was eating, making Autumn's mouth water a little. He inhaled and exhaled slowly through his nose, then moved one his his paws just enough for him to see. The lion wasn't eating, it was just chewing at the deer's leg. A look of confusion crossed the canine's face as he watched the lion work. He couldn't think of a single reason why anyone would just want to chew on their prey, especially during this time of the year. When the deer's leg finally came off, Autumn's paw shot right back up to cover his face. There was a thud somewhere in front of him, curiosity making him move his paws down his muzzle so he could see. The lion had dropped the leg in front of him and when Autumn looked up at the lion and he... smiled? A lion was offering him food. A lion was sharing his food with him. A lion that looked terrifyingly like the one he fought was being kind to him. Autumn watched the lion with wide eyes as he sat down. Autumn spent a solid minute looking back and forth between the leg and the lion, still too scared to actually move. He jumped, once again, when the lion spoke, making Autumn's brown eyes shoot up to look at the lion. Denim. That didn't sound like a dangerous name. Autumn could feel himself relaxing a little, but not very much. Slowly, he moved his paws away from his muzzle and resting then on the ground, keeping his head low and his ears flattened. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to tell Denim his name as well, there's nothing he could do knowing his name that he couldn't already do. He glanced down at the ground for a moment, then back to the lion. "Autumn," He answered at last, attempting to keep his voice from shaking and failing. word count;551

[♥Picasso]

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[atrb=background,http://i41.tinypic.com/30iyl1z.jpg,true] Denim was sure the coyote was afraid of him by the time he had dropped the deer leg in front of him. He was practically shaking from fear! The lion had never experienced such crippling fear, and he almost felt sorry for this poor kid. He was obviously traumatised by something and he had no idea what to say to make him feel better. Denim just hoped his act of kindness would show to the coyote that not all lions were terrible beasts. Just many of them. Kind lions were few and far between. They all seemed corrupted and insane from power and strength. He couldn't fathom it. Denim hoped, if he ever had his own children, none would end up like his siblings or parents. They would learn to love canines just as much as they loved felines. They treated each other equal. On second thought, Denim already knew it would be unlikely to ever find a decent lioness to mate with. Besides, he had Natiri and couldn't ever think of anyone more suited for motherhood. The coyote finally squeaked out his name. Autumn. Denim nodded and passed another smile to him. "You have no need to be afraid, Autumn. I'm not going to hurt you." His eyes were sympathetic as Denim lay down nearby. He didn't want to get too close just in case it would frighten Autumn off. He rested his head against his two front paws and kept his eyes fixed on the coyote. He hoped Autumn wouldn't up and run because he seemed like an interesting character. Those eyes contained so much grief and sadness and fear behind them. He must have an interesting story to tell. Denim wondered whether the coyote could smell Natiri on him. He nearly chuckled at the thought of telling him of his best friend and adopted son. He wouldn't believe his ears at the thought of Denim befriending a canine and adopting a puppy! He would need proof. Cocking his head, Denim decided to question the coyote, "What is it you are so afraid of? Who did you lose?" He asked, suddenly feeling very intrusive. It was rude to ask such things to a stranger, especially a fragile one. Unfortunately, the question was out there and he couldn't take it back now. He quickly added, "Don't feel you need to answer because I am a lion. If you believe it's none of my business, then tell me to shut my mouth and piss off." He grinned at him, before standing and going back to the deer. He ripped off some of the flesh and began to chew on it. Hunger was getting the better of him now. Denim wished he had had more of the deer when it was still hot and fresh from the kill, but he wasn't expecting to meet this novel little stranger. He was aware that he needed to get back to his family, but that could wait.

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[kitten]

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[atrb=background,http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx34/Kitten_Lovour/1middle.png] Actions. "Speech." 'Thoughts.' After quietly chirping out his name, Autumn continued to look at the lion and how different he was from the other lions he had seen. He had only seen two before now, but still! The other two didn't have near as much fur as this one did, perhaps the ladies weren't as flashy? It hurt how little he knew about lions, and now was as good a time as any to learn. That is, if he could build up the courage to ask anything. He really wanted to ask about the scent of dog on the lion but he decided to save that for later, or never. The lion's words were actually pretty reassuring to the small canine. It wasn't helping him be any less afraid of being around a lion and he wasn't planning on getting up any time soon, but he wasn't shaking much anymore and his breathing had slowed down quite a bit. When the lion moved away, Autumn fixed his eyes on the leg in front of him. As much as he wanted to eat it, he didn't think he could move. It could wait. After a small stretch of silence, Denim spoke. Autumn lifted his head and turned to the feline, ears up, and stared at the lion with wide eyes. How did he know that he lost someone? He couldn't have been at the battle, Autumn hadn't seen any lions with that much hair. The coyote relaxed a little when he was told he didn't have to answer, his ears lying back once again. He turned back to the deer leg, putting his head down over one of his paws. He nearly smiled at the last bit of Denim's sentence, but held back. Autumn waited a little while, tossing around the idea of telling Denim something, it would help him get some things off of his chest since he really couldn't talk to any of the other Scavengers - he was the last one after all, at least in Hexasol. He sighed, picking up his head and turning back to the lion. He really wasn't trusting his voice to behave, but he spoke anyway. "There was a fight, I lost two friends to a lion. She would have killed me if it weren't for them." Autumn's eyes turned to the ground as he spoke, not really wanting to look at a lion while thinking about that moment. "All but a few of my group got away, the rest died at the paws of Iris. I'm the last of us now." He hoped that wasn't too much information. Then again, the lion didn't really smell like an Iris cat, so maybe he was safe? He had more dog scent than anything else, excluding his own. word count;458

[♥Picasso]

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[atrb=background,http://i41.tinypic.com/30iyl1z.jpg,true] Denim saw Autumn eye the deer leg hungrily, but he seemed to choose against eating. There was still fear in those eyes and Denim longed to make it go away. There was nothing to be afraid of here. As much as Denim knew fear right down to its crippling core, too much could lead to mistakes, carelessness. He could see it in two extreme cases. When he had first met Take, he had been afraid of nothing. He didn't realise the dangers in such a harsh world and he and Natiri had to teach him that not everything was fun and games. They still let Take play, however, because where was the fun in thinking everything was dangerous? It was difficult not to be overprotective of such a small little puppy, but he and Natiri had both agreed not to smother him. On the other hand, this coyote was too scared to even move from his spot. That was dangerous in another sense. What if Denim had been a predator and wanted to kill Autumn? He would have had no chance just cowering on the floor. Pricking his ears, Denim listened intently to Autumn as he spoke of a fight with Iris. His blood ran cold as he tried to think of the lions that were involved with that Pride. Although there were many... Panja, Kira, Apollo, and many more, he distinctly heard Autumn refer to the killer as a female. He twitched from fear. What if it had been his own mother to slaughter those that Autumn held dear to him? There was too much blood on that bitch's paws. What females were there? It could easily have been Kira, but a cold, dreading feeling was making Denim believe it was all his mother's fault. Guilt surged through him and the lion closed his eyes sadly. He shouldn't feel guilt for his mother's actions, but he couldn't help it. He vaguely wondered what fight this had been with. Iris encountered all kinds of battles, some large with the Tempest, and others were small and the group soon got decimated. "I am so sorry Autumn." Denim uttered out, eyes full of sorrow, "I was born inside the Iris Pride. It was full of hate and anger. It was hell." A shudder ascended up his spine and he looked away from the stranger. How would Autumn feel, knowing that Denim had Iris blood running through his veins? Would he run? Would he understand that Denim wanted nothing to do with the pack? He let out a long sigh and gazed up at the sky. The sun was gradually getting lower and he knew Iri would be wondering where he had got to. It wouldn't be long before he would have to leave, but he longed to talk to Autumn more. He seemed like an interesting kind of character. He wished he knew what battle he had been involved with. He wondered whether he had even been born at the time. "You should be rightfully scared of lions," Denim said slowly, "Many of them are fierce and extremely strong. But laying frozen on the ground will get you nowhere, Autumn. You need to learn to run when you see danger." Denim cocked his head at the coyote. He didn't seem that old either. Older than Denim, but not by much. He wondered where his mother was, whether she had taught him these things. They were vital words that Autumn needed to heed, "I am just glad you didn't turn to Tempest out of rage. You did a wise thing, Autumn." He smiled at the coyote, "Some would want revenge. But revenge gets you nowhere. You can't bring them back, and killing a cat will just make another family want revenge. Do you see this vicious circle?"

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[kitten]

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[atrb=background,http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx34/Kitten_Lovour/1middle.png] Actions. "Speech." 'Thoughts.' The young coyote turned his eyes back to the large feline when he apologized. He was confused at first, what did this lion have to apologize for? Autumn's entire body stiffened when Denim mentioned he was an Iris-born cat. His ears flattened themselves once again and he stared at the cat with wide eyes. He stayed frozen until the lion finished what he was saying, which made Autumn's ears shoot back up. So there were even some cats, lions, that thought Iris was evil. It wasn't just the canines after all. He tilted his head as he watched the lion turn away, then look up at the sky. He turned back to the deer leg, appetite slowly fading at the memory of the battle. After staring at it for a moment, he decided he would take it back home and eat it when he felt like it. Maybe he could share it with Lee, if he hadn't found anything himself. Autumn was shaken from his thoughts when Denim began speaking again, making his head jerk upwards to look at the feline. Rightfully scared of lions. It was hard for Autumn to believe this was coming from a lion. He managed to keep his eyes on the lion as he spoke, but when he began speaking of his survival skills, the canine's eyes slowly turned towards the ground. He was right, of course. Dawn wouldn't be happy at all with what he had done, she would have wanted him to run. Autumn nodded slowly, keeping his eyes locked on the ground. "I know," He whispered when Denim paused. He turned his eyes back to the lion to listen to what else he had to say. His eyes shot back the the ground at the mention of revenge. That was the whole reason he had joined the Scavengers, was to get revenge for the cats killing his birth mother. He had never even stopped to think about the felines and their families, all he cared about was making the pay for what they did to his. Denim's smile made Autumn feel even worse. "I see," He choked out. "I was apart of that circle." His legs were beginning to get stiff, so Autumn stood and re-positioned himself, laying back down with a better view of Denim. He kept his eyes on the ground, however, and his ear back. "I never got to know my birth mother because of the cats. I thought fighting them would help, but it didn't. I just ended up getting close to the rest of the Scavengers, knowing most of them were going to die." The images of Arabella and Vagabond flashed through his mind once again. Autumn sighed and continued. "Looking back, I don't even remember what we were trying to do. We fought, a lot of animals died, someone blew something up... then we ran." word count;476

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[atrb=background,http://i41.tinypic.com/30iyl1z.jpg,true] Denim watched at the words sank into Autumn. He almost looked annoyed at himself that he hadn't done the wise thing of running when he had seen Denim. It was all part of learning from experiences, however. He didn't want Autumn to be hard on himself. That would just cause more mistakes in the future. Denim suddenly caught himself, and had to stop a chuckle. Looking after Take really had changed him! He was actually mentoring others! He took great pleasure in teaching Take all the things he knew, however Denim was still so young. He didn't know all the things an old lion had. He still had many years before he became wise with knowledge. What gave Denim the right to tell Autumn what to do or not to do? He was barely out of cubhood! Still an adolescence! This coyote was older than him. That was hard to remember when he was so much larger than Autumn. He watched Autumn's expression change as fear overcame him again. Denim couldn't believe how open his emotions were, and he almost felt guilty for telling the coyote of his heritage. However, it would be a valuable lesson for him. He would realise that, even though you are born into a pack, it doesn't mean you are stuck with it for life. Yes, Denim will always be stuck with the blood that runs through his veins, however people will forget that. No one has to know he is the son of Florence. No one has to know he is the brother of the current leader, Alex. He has no contacts or links with them anymore. He is his own lion, and always will be. The people that make him are two dogs that are currently waiting for him to come home with prey. Autumn then began to explain what had happened to him. It felt strange, having such an unknown canine opening up to Denim like this. He felt privileged to listen to his story. It was a sad story when canines and felines never knew their real parents. However much Denim hated his mother, he was glad he had known her. He had learnt to never become like her due to that. If Denim had never met her, he would've spent half his life wondering what she was like. No matter how many stories people would have told him, Denim would have longed to have met her. Nodding his head, Denim sighed. It was the harsh reality in this world. So many individuals never got to meet their true parents. Autumn was lucky to have had someone look after him when his mother had died. When Autumn mentioned the Scavengers, Denim's blood went cold. He remembered that fateful night well. Closing his eyes, he bowed his head in sadness. Many canines and felines had died that night. There was no true winner to that battle. Not really. The hospital had been blown up before Denim's eyes. Had he got out a few minutes later, he would have been caught up in the blast and he wouldn't be here today. His three siblings... they had been kidnapped. Shuddering, Denim met Autumn's gaze, "I was just a cub," He explained mournfully, "That was the night the Tempest Pack stole my siblings. Hurt them. Changed them forever." He shuffled uncomfortably, "My younger brother, Orbit. He died during their captivity. I often blame myself for not raising the alarm." But there had been no one to call, He reminded himself. Everyone was too busy fighting off the barrage of canines that had flocked into Straight Bit and the hospital. It was impossible. "I learnt of the Scavengers after the battle," Denim continued, "I understand why they did it, but God it caused so much havoc." It had eventually brought about the death of both Gravity and Florence. Denim didn't know whether the battle had been a good or a bad thing. There hasn't been a battle quite like that since. Perhaps the packs have understood now. No one can win.

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[kitten]

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[atrb=background,http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx34/Kitten_Lovour/1middle.png] Actions. "Speech." 'Thoughts.' It was strange, Autumn thought, to be telling a stranger, a lion, about his past. He hadn't even told Lee some of the things Denim now knew of him. He still would never tell Lee, of course. His brother knew of the Scavengers and whatnot, but not everything. Autumn didn't want to give the wolf a reason to leave him and join Tempest. He needed Lee, Tempest could do without. Autumn tried his best to keep his eyes on Denim's, but it was hard. Staring into the eyes of the same kind of animal that killed his friends, and nearly him as well, was quite challenging. He instead focused on the canine scent Denim carried to take his mind off of his other features. The more he payed attention to the scent, the more he learned. He could distinguish two dogs mingling with the lion's own scent, which really caught Autumn's attention. He smelled so strongly of these two, he must spend a lot of his time with them. Autumn was ripped from his thoughts when Denim spoke. Just a cub. The coyote locked his brown eyes onto the lion, staring in disbelief. After the battle, he had heard about the Tempest stealing some cubs, not just any cubs, but Florence's cubs. The leader of the Iris Pride, the lion that- ...The lion that almost killed him. Dawn had told him who exactly the lion he fought was after the battle, while they were cuddled up in their den watching the small black bundle of Lee, as he had been born not too long after. Was he really speaking to the son of Florence? Autumn let him continue, his wide gaze still locked in place. The coyote shook his head slowly, with barely any movement. His stayed silent, letting Denim's words sink in as he pieced things together. "Then you..." He whispered. After a moment, Autumn opened his mouth to speak again, but he couldn't force any words to come out. Autumn stood up, not really feeling safe laying on the ground anymore, but other than that he stayed where he was. "You were one of the cubs," He paused, trying to think of a way to speak his thoughts without sounding like he had gone mad. "That means that you're," Another pause. "You're related to her, aren't you?" Autumn inwardly cursed himself. He wasn't trying to sound mean or accusing, and the bitter tone in his own voice made him hang his head. He looked back up at Denim, thinking over a way to say what he wanted to say without dragging it on or sounding like he was holding a grudge - which, now that he thought about it, might be the case? He sighed. "Are you Florence's son?" word count;460

[♥Picasso]

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[atrb=background,http://i41.tinypic.com/30iyl1z.jpg,true] Denim could see how uncomfortable Autumn was at looking at him. They would only meet eye contact for a split second, before the coyote was forced to look away. It must be strange. Although Denim could easily differentiate between lions, he probably looked like every other lion in Autumn's eyes. He probably looked like the lions that had attacked and killed canines before Autumn. He wished he could somehow look different. Denim didn't want to be associated with such monsters, but he knew that he would always have to carry that on his shoulders. He was always going to be a lion, and for that, canines will always judge him. It was a rare occurrence that a canine or feline approached him. They were often too cautious and wary to speak to a lion, even if his scent reeked of canines. Admittedly, Denim knew he wouldn't approach a large cat that could be twice his size. He was a coward at heart. After Denim finished he tale of that fateful night, he suddenly realised what he had let out. His heart sank as he saw the shocked look on Autumn's face. There was more fear. Damnit. As soon as he had begun to open up, and now he knew that he was directly related to Florence. He almost wanted to take back the words, tell him that it had happened to another family, but the story would clearly be a lie. Besides, Autumn deserved to know. Even the child of Florence was not evil. It was not inherent like many thought. Denim watched sadly as Autumn struggled for words. It must be so difficult for him. He tried to think of someone who would scare Denim as much as he scared the coyote. He was not scared of Brooke, even though she had murdered his mother in cold blood. He holds more of a grudge against Brooke than fear. He can barely look at her. However, Florence deserved everything she got. Finally, Autumn managed to utter out his mother's name. Denim slowly bobbed his head, keeping his body completely still, in case he scared Autumn away. "It's not something I'm proud of," He admitted with a small shrug, "It's not something I usually tell people. They judge me. Think I'm just like her." He glanced at Autumn before quickly looking away. Awkwardness settled over the two of them as Denim desperately searched for something to say. Anything. Autumn has to understand that he could never have stopped Florence. He will never become like her, and wished she had never existed in the first place. "She was insane. Evil. I don't know what I would have done if she was still alive now." Denim would like to say that he would have killed her, but he knew that wasn't the truth. He was too much of a coward to kill his own mother. Besides, she was a strong and skillful fighter. He would stand no chance. It dawned on Denim that the one individual that Denim had been truly frightened of was Florence. It was almost sad that he had never felt comfortable with his own mother. No, she had never lashed out at Denim. She had loved him with all her heart, but that didn't stop Denim from knowing what she got up to when she hadn't been caring for the cubs. After a suckling, she had stood up and walked to the prison cells, and had tortured dozens of canines. They had stood no chance. They were not prisoners of war. They were playthings. Shuddering, Denim had to swallow thickly. He thought back to Ryu, the canine he had rescued in the Slaughterhouse a few months back. He was glad to have saved someone, even if there were dogs still suffering in there. Denim finally looked back at Autumn. "Florence is gone, but now we will have to look out for Alex." His brother's name made Denim's skin crawl. He had once loved Alex dearly, but now he meant nothing to him. Alexander was now the leader of the Iris, and he was just following in his mother's footsteps.

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