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Description
"August moon, laid just for you
Steady, ready, smile like his
Until it’s out of sight"
-August Moon, Gregory and the Hawk-

—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-

The cages weren't fun.

The longing she felt for the city, breeze in her pelt as she shopped about for trinkets and treasures among the streets, accompanied by her warden friend Marlow, it was all a dream.

It was so dreary down here. At the very least, couldn't she be put outside? The transition between day and night was so melancholic, and the ever persistent torchlight was boring.

The only thing the cats down here used in order to tell time would be the warden patrols. Like clockwork, they would come, stride down the hallway, cause whatever chaos they wanted, occasionally drop by a snack or two, and leave.

Pellie had grown used to it. So much so that when the entrance door creaked open with the sound akin to wailing warblers, her half-slumber wasn't even disturbed.

Without Lumin to talk to, there was only so much she could do here. She had counted the bricks a hundred times over, sang songs to herself, attempted to chat with other captured cats, etc. She'd done these so often that they didn't feel like options anymore, and sleeping was becoming a more favorable option to pass time.

As the cats down here said, she needed her strength.

And yet. Pellie's ear twitched.

Though the sound of the crying door hardly roused her, the feeling of the air surrounding her and her cage growing heavy with gazes of others made her stir.

And that was when she noticed… The sound of pawsteps wasn't echoing.

Before she could process what that meant, the voice of a cat she was waiting on sounded. “Pellie?” It was Marlow. And the gentle echo of his voice against the stone walls surrounding her proved it wasn't just her imagination.

Even still. She had to double check. Rising from her resting position, the pampas cat whipped her head around to look at the other apprentice, excitement beginning to rise up into her paws like she was a sunflower being exposed to sun for the first time in weeks.

“Pellie…”

She didn't give him a chance to add anything more to his sentence like he seemed to want, quickly rushing towards him and shooting him a big, toothy grin. “Marlow!” She cooed, though as she looked at his face, she remembered the fact that he had left her here. Alone.

Subsidized anger rose through her paws, entering her throat and escaping with a growl before she even could think twice about what she was saying. “Where were you?!”

“Pellie, I-” As soon as Marlow opened his mouth, she quickly realized that she did not want to hear his excuse. Whatever he had to say, she wouldn't listen to it.

“DON'T!” Pellie shouted, her ears unconsciously folding against the back of her head as frustration built within her tiny body. She wanted to stamp her paws and yell, but there was no point. Instead, she rose her head and lifted her chin to meet his gaze, hers blazing in the dark. “I don't appreciate being treated this way! You put me here, didn't visit though you promised you would, and apparently, I'm not even allowed to leave!” Exasperated, Pellie shot him a glare.

“It's not FAIR, Marlow! You know it's not! I know that you feel that way, too!” She knew, just looking at him, and the way he actively avoided her gaze right now, it all meant he thought it wasn't fair treatment, too… Right?

No. She was positive of it.

Though after she had yelled at him, he seemed frozen in time. As though she had shouted his soul from his body. Perhaps it served him right. Pellinore narrowed her gaze. If her sisters had done anything similar to what he had, she would've been happy to see them reflect on their actions.

So why did it hurt so much to see him look so shell shocked?

Pellie tried not to think too hard about it, for as soon as the thought came to mind, she saw Marlow's gaze turn, coming back to reality.

She may as well prompt him. “Well?” What was he thinking so intensely about? And how much did he learn? Would he do the right thing now? Show her around the city?

However, it didn't end up being anything she wanted to hear. The words came out slowly, methodically, as though rehearsed over and over again in a mirror. “Pellie… I'm a warden.” Pellinore's entire face twitched as he closed his eyes and ignored her. She didn't even have to hear the rest of his words. She wanted to pull him from his daydream with her own claws before she heard whatever excuse he was about to lay on the floor.

“As wardens, especially hunters… We will lie…” Pellie didn't want to hear this. Excuses, she thought. He wasn't really lying.

“Marlow-” She desperately tried to break through his words.

“We will cheat. We will do anything in our power-” No. No, no, no, no. But YOU wouldn't.

“Marlow–” Pellie tried again, her voice cracking with desperation.

“-in order to capture cats like you.”

“Marlow!”

She managed to break through to him. It took her a moment to gather what she was thinking, but the words spilled before she could rephrase anything consciously. “You say that, but you're different!”

But… was he though?

Yes.. Yes he was. Pellie didn't want to doubt it. She didn't want to doubt the cat she believed had such a pure heart. He was so kind and gentle with her on their way back to the city from Shadow Empire… She liked to think that he wouldn't have put her in the cages if he had a choice in the matter.

“H-How so? I lied to you, after all. I said you'd be able to visit the city. How am I different?” Pellie's gaze remained unwavered, unaffected, despite the flabbergasted and guilty look reflected in Marlow's.

It made her want to soften her gaze a little. But he was being stupid right now. How could she not be upset when he's asking the difference between him, who was simply doing his job, and the other hunters, who maim, murder, and rip apart other outside cats?

She shook her head, puffing out her cheeks with frustration. “You came back to me, idiot! You're not like any of the other cats I've heard about in stories from others. You didn't hurt me! You didn't try to catch me like a wild goose! You didn't threaten me! It was me who came to you!” Words and tales had made rounds inside the long hallway, lit only by torchlight. She heard words like blood, chase, fear, agony.

Words she would never want to think about.

She shook her head, opening her mouth to respond again, but instead Marlow's voice rose in a growl.

“And I took advantage of you!!”

But she could see so clearly, the teardrops dripping down his face, illuminated by the flickering flames nearby. She didn't have to retort anymore. Pellie knew that it tore Marlow apart to say the things he had said. Even a cub could recognize the expression full of regret.

Maybe spending her birthday here wasn't… all for nothing…

Though once the tears fell from his chin he snapped back to reality once again, and Pellie saw him turn his head. She didn't have to see his expression to know he was embarrassed. She felt the urge to smile, but instead pity seemed to weigh down her chest like a stone.

“Don't expect to see me here again, Pellie… I.. I have to go.”

But she had a feeling they were going to cross paths again. Regardless, it was only polite to respond.

Despite his hurried paws and the sense of urgency in the cheetah's movements, she leaned her head between the bars best she could, and called out to him.

“Goodbye, Marlow.”

We will see each other again.

—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—.—.—.—.—-

WRITTEN WORDS FOR THIS SECTION — 1,322 words

Check the comments for a link to Elliot’s post!

Sketch, Colors, Shading, the entire Written, and Marlow are all atlasliqhts
Lines, Background, spell checking in the Written, and Pellie are Mine

EP to Marlow and Pellie!!

Description
"August moon, laid just for you
Steady, ready, smile like his
Until it’s out of sight"
-August Moon, Gregory and the Hawk-

—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-

The cages weren't fun.

The longing she felt for the city, breeze in her pelt as she shopped about for trinkets and treasures among the streets, accompanied by her warden friend Marlow, it was all a dream.

It was so dreary down here. At the very least, couldn't she be put outside? The transition between day and night was so melancholic, and the ever persistent torchlight was boring.

The only thing the cats down here used in order to tell time would be the warden patrols. Like clockwork, they would come, stride down the hallway, cause whatever chaos they wanted, occasionally drop by a snack or two, and leave.

Pellie had grown used to it. So much so that when the entrance door creaked open with the sound akin to wailing warblers, her half-slumber wasn't even disturbed.

Without Lumin to talk to, there was only so much she could do here. She had counted the bricks a hundred times over, sang songs to herself, attempted to chat with other captured cats, etc. She'd done these so often that they didn't feel like options anymore, and sleeping was becoming a more favorable option to pass time.

As the cats down here said, she needed her strength.

And yet. Pellie's ear twitched.

Though the sound of the crying door hardly roused her, the feeling of the air surrounding her and her cage growing heavy with gazes of others made her stir.

And that was when she noticed… The sound of pawsteps wasn't echoing.

Before she could process what that meant, the voice of a cat she was waiting on sounded. “Pellie?” It was Marlow. And the gentle echo of his voice against the stone walls surrounding her proved it wasn't just her imagination.

Even still. She had to double check. Rising from her resting position, the pampas cat whipped her head around to look at the other apprentice, excitement beginning to rise up into her paws like she was a sunflower being exposed to sun for the first time in weeks.

“Pellie…”

She didn't give him a chance to add anything more to his sentence like he seemed to want, quickly rushing towards him and shooting him a big, toothy grin. “Marlow!” She cooed, though as she looked at his face, she remembered the fact that he had left her here. Alone.

Subsidized anger rose through her paws, entering her throat and escaping with a growl before she even could think twice about what she was saying. “Where were you?!”

“Pellie, I-” As soon as Marlow opened his mouth, she quickly realized that she did not want to hear his excuse. Whatever he had to say, she wouldn't listen to it.

“DON'T!” Pellie shouted, her ears unconsciously folding against the back of her head as frustration built within her tiny body. She wanted to stamp her paws and yell, but there was no point. Instead, she rose her head and lifted her chin to meet his gaze, hers blazing in the dark. “I don't appreciate being treated this way! You put me here, didn't visit though you promised you would, and apparently, I'm not even allowed to leave!” Exasperated, Pellie shot him a glare.

“It's not FAIR, Marlow! You know it's not! I know that you feel that way, too!” She knew, just looking at him, and the way he actively avoided her gaze right now, it all meant he thought it wasn't fair treatment, too… Right?

No. She was positive of it.

Though after she had yelled at him, he seemed frozen in time. As though she had shouted his soul from his body. Perhaps it served him right. Pellinore narrowed her gaze. If her sisters had done anything similar to what he had, she would've been happy to see them reflect on their actions.

So why did it hurt so much to see him look so shell shocked?

Pellie tried not to think too hard about it, for as soon as the thought came to mind, she saw Marlow's gaze turn, coming back to reality.

She may as well prompt him. “Well?” What was he thinking so intensely about? And how much did he learn? Would he do the right thing now? Show her around the city?

However, it didn't end up being anything she wanted to hear. The words came out slowly, methodically, as though rehearsed over and over again in a mirror. “Pellie… I'm a warden.” Pellinore's entire face twitched as he closed his eyes and ignored her. She didn't even have to hear the rest of his words. She wanted to pull him from his daydream with her own claws before she heard whatever excuse he was about to lay on the floor.

“As wardens, especially hunters… We will lie…” Pellie didn't want to hear this. Excuses, she thought. He wasn't really lying.

“Marlow-” She desperately tried to break through his words.

“We will cheat. We will do anything in our power-” No. No, no, no, no. But YOU wouldn't.

“Marlow–” Pellie tried again, her voice cracking with desperation.

“-in order to capture cats like you.”

“Marlow!”

She managed to break through to him. It took her a moment to gather what she was thinking, but the words spilled before she could rephrase anything consciously. “You say that, but you're different!”

But… was he though?

Yes.. Yes he was. Pellie didn't want to doubt it. She didn't want to doubt the cat she believed had such a pure heart. He was so kind and gentle with her on their way back to the city from Shadow Empire… She liked to think that he wouldn't have put her in the cages if he had a choice in the matter.

“H-How so? I lied to you, after all. I said you'd be able to visit the city. How am I different?” Pellie's gaze remained unwavered, unaffected, despite the flabbergasted and guilty look reflected in Marlow's.

It made her want to soften her gaze a little. But he was being stupid right now. How could she not be upset when he's asking the difference between him, who was simply doing his job, and the other hunters, who maim, murder, and rip apart other outside cats?

She shook her head, puffing out her cheeks with frustration. “You came back to me, idiot! You're not like any of the other cats I've heard about in stories from others. You didn't hurt me! You didn't try to catch me like a wild goose! You didn't threaten me! It was me who came to you!” Words and tales had made rounds inside the long hallway, lit only by torchlight. She heard words like blood, chase, fear, agony.

Words she would never want to think about.

She shook her head, opening her mouth to respond again, but instead Marlow's voice rose in a growl.

“And I took advantage of you!!”

But she could see so clearly, the teardrops dripping down his face, illuminated by the flickering flames nearby. She didn't have to retort anymore. Pellie knew that it tore Marlow apart to say the things he had said. Even a cub could recognize the expression full of regret.

Maybe spending her birthday here wasn't… all for nothing…

Though once the tears fell from his chin he snapped back to reality once again, and Pellie saw him turn his head. She didn't have to see his expression to know he was embarrassed. She felt the urge to smile, but instead pity seemed to weigh down her chest like a stone.

“Don't expect to see me here again, Pellie… I.. I have to go.”

But she had a feeling they were going to cross paths again. Regardless, it was only polite to respond.

Despite his hurried paws and the sense of urgency in the cheetah's movements, she leaned her head between the bars best she could, and called out to him.

“Goodbye, Marlow.”

We will see each other again.

—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—-.—.—.—.—.—-

WRITTEN WORDS FOR THIS SECTION — 1,322 words

Check the comments for a link to Elliot’s post!

Sketch, Colors, Shading, the entire Written, and Marlow are all atlasliqhts
Lines, Background, spell checking in the Written, and Pellie are Mine

EP to Marlow and Pellie!!