Prompt #1: Luca (Pt. 5)

Luca woke early the next morning to Ash calling through the den. He shook himself and went over to her. “What are you doing?” He asked her, grumpy from the sudden awakening.

“I can’t find Sula!” Ash exclaimed. Her eyes were wide and scared. She looked like a lost kit. “She left last night like she always does, and didn’t come back!”

Luca narrowed his eyes. “Well, maybe she just ran late."

"But she always comes home before sunrise. Luca, I think she's hurt."

"Okay, we can look for her. Just let me wake up and we'll go."

"But we have to go now!" Ash whined, looking at Luca with pleading eyes. 
Luca sighed. "Alright, let's go." He stood up and stretched. He looked up to see Ash already running out of the door. He ran to catch her.

"We have to smell for scent trails. They can lead us to Sula!" Ash meowed as the stepped out into a cold drizzle. Mist swirled across the river and around the cats' paws. Luca glanced at Ash. Her grey eyes were openly worried. 
He pressed closer to her. "It will be okay," he promised. "We'll find Sula."

The two cats padded through the misty jungle, scenting the air every now and then. Ash was in the front, padding forward without pause. Luca trailed a bit behind, tired but determined to continue. All of a sudden, Ash stopped and looked around. She had heard something. It was a sort of wailing noise. "Wait," she whispered to her mate, pricking her ears. She followed the sound through the tall trees and dark bushes. She stepped into a clearing and saw a fluffy white kitten sitting on the ground. It looked up at Ash, it's hazel eyes bright.
"What?" Ash was astonished. This was exactly like when her mother had found Luca falling from the sky. Except this kitten was already on the ground. 

"Hello," Luca said calmly to the kitten. "I'm Luca. What's your name?" His mind was racing, but he had to stay calm.
"Um..." The tiny kitten, obviously a she-kit from her voice, mewed. "I'm not sure..."
"It's okay, we will take care of you." Luca purred and pressed up against the small kitten.
"Luca, we have to keep going!" Ash meowed, flicking her tail angrily. "We can't stop looking for Sula."
"We can find her later. Right now we have to care for this kitten." Luca replied.
"But we can't leave my sister!" Ash was angry now, Luca could tell. The fur on her back was pricking up and her eyes narrowed.
"This kitten needs help!" Luca exclaimed. "For all I know, this kitten could know about my past. From her looks, she could even be my sister!"
"Fine!" Ash growled. "I thought I meant more to you than that. I guess I'll just go find Sula on my own."
"Oh, calm down!" Luca meowed exasperatedly. "You're being dramatic! There's no need for this!"
Ash straightened up, her eyes ablaze. "How dare you! You sick jerk! I'll never share tongues with you again!" And with that, she turned around and stalked away.
The little white kitten looked up at Luca. "Why is she so mad? Does she not like me?"
"No, of course not." Luca meowed quietly. "She's just frustrated and confused. Now come, we need to go home."

Prompt #1- Luca (Pt. 4)

Part Four

The morning was bright and beautiful. Luca stepped out into the light and yawned. The waterfall sprayed mist onto him, and he shivered. Despite the warm weather, the mornings were still cold.

It was six months after he and Ash became mates. They were happy together, but they didn’t want kittens. Not yet.

Bella had grown a lot. She was very beautiful, with midnight colored fur and amber eyes. She was almost ready to go out into the jungle and learn to hunt and fight.

Two months ago, Garrett had died. He had dies bravely. He fought off a crocodile, killing it to save his family. But his wounds were too deep to heal. Even Jade couldn’t save him, and he died a few days after the fight. It still sent a shot of pain through Luca every time he thought of it. He had never thought of Garrett as his father, but he was a good friend, and he felt deep compassion for Ash, Raja, Sula, and Kasha.

Sula still hadn’t found a mate, though she had started going out late at night and not coming home for hours. Everyone thought she was seeing someone in secret.

“It’s freezing out!” Ash exclaimed, coming up behind him and pressing up close to him.

“I know,” Luca agreed, nuzzling Ash’s cheek. They sat beside each other in silence for a few moments, and then broke apart. “I should probably hunt.” Luca meowed. “We have cats to feed.”

“Alright,” Ash said, still sitting. “I’m going to stay here for a while.”

“Alright, goodbye then.” Luca licked her head and padded into the jungle.

The hunting was average that day, and he came back with a good pile of kill.

“Amazing!” Kasha praised him. “Very well done!”

Luca shrugged. “It wasn’t that much.”

“Yes it was!” Sula smiled. “Look at all of it!” She gestured to the prey. Luca blushed, embarrassed.

“Thanks, Sula.” Luca meowed.

“Anytime!” Sula purred and curled her tail happily.

Luca grabbed three small birds and brought them to where Raja, Jade, and Bella slept. He dropped the birds next to them. “Freshly caught,” he said, nudging a bird toward Bella.

“Thank you, Luca.” Jade smiled, pulling a bird toward her. “Bella, say thank you.”

“Thanks, Luca!” Bella said sweetly, looking up at him. Then she dug into her bird.

Raja took a bird for himself. “Thank you,” he purred. He bit into his bird.

Luca decided to eat with them. He grabbed a mouse and sat down with the small family.

“So,” Jade said, looking up from her meal. “When is Ash going to have kittens?”

Luca shrugged. “I’m not sure if I want kittens yet.” He took a bite of his mouse, and swallowed. “And I don’t believe that she wants to, either.”

“Well, I’m sure the time will come very soon for you to want to be a father.” Jade meowed calmly, watching Bella finish off her bird.

“I guess…” Luca sighed. “But, I don’t know, the thought of being a father is kind of scary.”

“It’s not so bad.” Raja meowed. “In fact, it’s amazing.” He looked at Bella lovingly.

Luca smiled. “Well, thank you for letting me eat with you.”

“Thank you for the meal!” Jade replied, purring. “Goodbye!”

Prompt #1- Luca (Pt. 3)

Part Three

Luca walked out of the cave and along the wall behind the waterfall. He kicked a stone into the water and started padding down the river. As he walked, the roaring sound of the waterfall faded to a distant rumble. He knew that he shouldn’t go out into the jungle on his own, but he didn’t care right now. He just wanted to walk and think.

He thought about Ash. Why doesn’t she ever notice me? He wondered angrily. It’s not fair! He raked her claws along the ground, growling. His claw caught a root in the ground and Luca winced, hissing. He sat down and examined his paw. It seemed like his claw was ripped.

Jade will be able to fix this, he thought before remembering that Jade had kits now and probably didn’t have the time to heal anyone. But he had to go back anyway. His small injury had snapped him back to reality and it was getting dark. He had to get back before anyone started worrying. He limped back the way he came and made it to the cave just as the sun disappeared below the trees.

As soon as he entered the cave, Ash basically ran into him. “Luca!” she exclaimed, nuzzling his cheek. “You scared me! Don’t do that again, got it?” She looked up at him, her pale grey eyes serious and full of affection.

Luca blushed. “I won’t, I promise.” He licked Ash’s cheek, and she ducked her head in embarrassment.

Luca looked up at the others. They were all staring, but they quickly looked away when he raised his head. He quickly stepped away from Ash.

“What is it?” Ash asked. She was slightly smaller than Luca, so she had to look up at him when she spoke to him.

“Nothing, it’s just…” Luca tailed off.

“There’s no need to be embarrassed.” Ash meowed, stepping closer to Luca. “No one will care about it.”

Luca stared down at her surprised. “About…what?”

Ash looked uncertain. “About, well, about us.”

Luca purred. “Do you really feel that way about me?”

“Of course I do!” Ash exclaimed, her eyes bright. “I’ve felt that way about you since that day I met you!”

“Really?” Luca’s eyes widened. “Me too! But I never thought that you liked me!”

“Me either! But I’m so glad that I was wrong.” Ash meowed quietly.

The two cats padded toward the others, tails intertwined.

Prompt #1- Luca (Pt. 2)

Part Two

Luca padded back to the waterfall clearing. The cats had moved their location a while after they had welcomed him into the family. With him and the triplets full grown, and Raja’s mate, Jade, expecting kits, all of them weren’t able to fit into the one tiny cave. So they searched for a new place to live.

It was Luca who had found the secret cave behind the waterfall. When hunting with Ash, he decided to hide from her. He was going to try to press against the rock behind the waterfall, but instead found a cave large enough for all of them. As soon as possible, they moved their location to the new den.

Ash ran up to meet Luca as he stepped into the cave. He had gotten used to the splash of mist that he felt when going through the entrance. In fact, he quite liked it, considering that he got so hot in the jungle with his long white pelt.

“Jade had her kits!” Ash exclaimed happily.

“Really? That’s great!” Luca had been out hunting since sunrise; he wasn’t surprised that he had missed the entire kitting. “How many?” he asked.

“Just one, a she-cat.” Ash replied. “Jade named her Bella. Wonderful, isn’t it? Raja is so proud; he hasn’t left Jade’s side all day. Come, let me take you to them.”

Luca followed Ash into the cave. As they walked, he admired her dusty brown fur and grey eyes. She had the eyes of her grandmother, and the pelt of her father. Raja had a similar pelt, though it was darker colored. He had amber eyes, like his father. Sula was different. Her sandy colored fur was nothing like her sibling’s. And with her mother’s green eyes, she was very attractive.

But Luca was only interested in Ash. They had turned into best friends, but Ash had no clue that Luca had real feelings for her. Luca had tried lots of times to hint that he liked her, but Ash either ignored or didn't notice the gestures.

The two padded over to Jade and Raja. Luca looked down on the little black kitten. She looked exactly like her mother in fur color.

 “Has she opened her eyes?” Luca asked Raja.

“Not yet, but she probably will soon.” It was Jade who replied. “She will be up and about in no time.”

“We’ve just stopped for a quick visit.” Ash meowed. “We’ll leave you in peace now.” She turned away, and gestured for Luca to follow her.

Raja held his tail up before Luca could walk away. “Any luck?” He asked.

“No.” Luca sighed. “She doesn’t even realize that I like her.”

Raja looked at him sympathetically. “Keep trying. She’ll need a mate sometime, and you have to step in before someone else gets her!”

Luca nodded, then ran to catch up with Ash.

“What was that all about?” Ash asked curiously.

“Oh, nothing.” Luca replied. “Raja was just telling me something.”

“And what was that something?” Ash persisted.

“Nothing, ok?” Luca sighed and padded away quickly.

Ash watched Luca go. She cursed under her breath. For the billionth time in a row, she blew it. Ever since she met Luca, she had tried to tell him that she liked him. But every time she tried, it’s ended up sounding strange or not flirty at all. Basically, Ash was a failure at romance.

She padded over to her sister sadly.

“Any luck?” Sula asked.

“No, I keep screwing it up!” Ash growled angrily as she sat down next to her sister. “I try, but I keep messing up. And even when I say something right, he doesn’t notice it.”

“Don’t worry; he’ll come around sometime.” Sula comforted her. “He’ll have to get a mate at some point, and when he starts to wish for one, you’ll be there. Right?”

Ash sighed. “Right…”

Prompt #1- Luca (Pt. 1)

Part One
The ball of fluff seemed to fall out of the jungle sky. It was as if one of the clouds lost its momentum and fell to the ground. Kasha stared down at the white fur ball. It was like no cat she had ever seen before. With long, white, fluffy fur and brilliant blue eyes, the young tom was like a cat from one of her mother’s tales.

The tom looked up at Kasha. He purred and stood up, seemingly unhurt. Then he started toward her.

Kasha let him come to her. Normally, she would confront an intruder angrily, but this one was barely old enough to catch prey. It could do no harm to her, could it? She mewed to the tom, “Who are you, and where are you from?”

The young cat smiled up at Kasha and said, “I am Luca, and I am from the forest.”

“The forest?” Kasha narrowed her eyes for a moment. Her mother had told her about the forest once, but she had thought that it was just part of the fairy tale. “Well then, Luca, follow me.” She led the little tom into the trees.

Ash watched her prey closely. She had to perfectly plan her attack, so that her unsuspecting meal wouldn’t notice her until it was too late. She kept herself flat to the ground as she slithered toward it. Then, as quick and smooth as a serpent, she leaped onto her father’s tail. Her brother, Raja, and sister, Sula, attacked from either side.

Garrett exclaimed in surprise. He twisted his head around to see his three kits attacking his body. He jumped up, sending Sula flying. She hit the floor with a thud, but was back up in an instant. Garrett spun around a few times, but Sula jumping back onto him stopped him.

He writhed about, and then dramatically dropped to the ground. The young cats cheered happily and stood on his back. But they fell quiet when there was a rustling in the bushes.

Garrett shook his children off of him. “Get in the den,” he meowed quietly. The three siblings exchanged glances and ran into the den, which was basically a small cave. Garrett faced the trembling bushes; his back arched and claws out. He let out a furious hiss. Then Kasha came into the open.

Her eyes widened for a second. But she recognized her mate, and relaxed. “Stop scaring me like that!” She meowed exasperatedly. “Someday you are going to actually attack me by accident.”

“Better safe then sorry.” Garrett pointed out. Then he noticed the little white tom standing beside Kasha. “Who is that?” he asked.

“This is Luca.” Kasha meowed. “He fell from the sky. He claims that he is from the forest.”

“The forest?” Raja exclaimed. He and his sisters pelted out of the den to stand in front of Luca. They were about the same size as the tom, but Luca’s white fur stood out against the dusty colors of the other cats.

“What is the forest like?” Sula asked eagerly.

“I heard that there are humans there. With dogs!” Ash mewed, her eyes wide.

“Well, sometimes there are.” Luca said to Ash. Turning to the others, he tried to explain it.

“How did you get here?” Garrett asked Luca.

Luca squinted his eyes, as if it were hard to grasp the memory. “I’m not sure.” He admitted. “All I remember is falling asleep, then ending up falling out of the sky here. I don’t know how I could have gotten here from there, especially by air.”

“Well, I think we should bring him into our family.” Kasha meowed to Garrett. “He can’t live in the jungle all alone, it’s dangerous. Besides, the kits will enjoy a new play mate.”

Garrett looked over to Luca, who was now receiving introductions from Raja, Ash, and Sula. He turned back to his mate and nodded. “Alright.”