the afternoon light pouring down through the canopy left cinnamonstep's deep brown fur dappled with bright golden patches, which swirled over her muscular frame as she prowled through the jungle's undergrowth. pale yellow eyes flashed as she searched for signs of prey somewhat unsuccessfully. no surprise, since the day was a scorcher as expected. it was still so frustrating to come crawling back to camp with empty paws. but she wasn't worried yet. the day was young, she'd make herself useful somehow surely.

the warrior absently supposed she ought to have found herself a hunting patrol to link up with, but the thought was repulsive. more pawsteps would only scare what little prey there was off into the undergrowth- she really couldn't fathom the point of a whole group of cats of trampling through the forest on a hunting mission. patrols as a concept did tend to baffle or irritate her depending on the day- though she would never say as much aloud. she had enough of a time trying to feel like she was in good standing with her clanmates without purposely ruffling feathers, like some of my family likes to do.. she thought, wondering not for the first time how she ended up being the only one who seemed to care how others thought of her. her father was blunt to the detriment of his relationship to others and her sister? a whole different story to herself.

cinnamonstep shook her head with a scowl and chased these thoughts away. focus. the lake water was usually a bit cooler and more refreshing. perhaps some prey was running there. if not, she wouldn't mind a dip in the water herself...

big paws carrying her, the warrior made her way to the body of water quickly. once the thought of dipping herself into the cool(ish) turquoise water entered her mind, it was so tempting she couldn't possibly resist. in fact, as soon as she pushed through the remaining undergrowth around the lake and made it to the shore, she forgot entirely about her hunting mission.

"ahh," she murmured audibly as her feet, as if acting of their own accord, wandered slowly into the swirling pool. ripples lapped at her short pelt, soaking her skin so refreshingly. with only her spine and head exposed to the humid air, cinnamonstep began to listlessly paddle about, kicking at the sand and gravel below to propel herself through the little waves.


Jinn