The tribe of Tooth and Claw

[Stranger]

(This is a playthrough of @AndromedaTheGalaxyCat's tooth and claw challenge. Also I only remembered like halfway through that I wasn't allowed to dig up roots, I'm sORRY I FORGOT PLEASE FORGIVE ME. Also this playthrough won't have a main goal, I'll just be seeing how long can I survive. But anyway :))

Wiisp was the last to reach the island. He heard the rocks behind him crumbling into the sea, and the chatter of his friends in front of him. Their old island was a savanna, but it had burned all summer long. His old tribe was stubborn, and they wouldn't leave, so Wiisp and his friends decided to find a better, colder island than the sweltering heat they grew up in. 

'Whoaa..' Firecracker whispered, shivering slightly from the cold. 'There's still some white stuff left on the snow!' she marveled. 

'Its called frost! Grandma used to tell me stories of the colder lands' Nasif explained. 'Dunno why it's so cold though'. 

'We need to find somewhere to get out of this wind.' Tristi decided and led the others forward. 

'I'll find a den! I'm better at it than you!' Nasif called behind him, as he bounded forward. 

'Ugh' Tristi complained, but she was hiding a smile as the brown cat ran ahead. 

Nasif pushed through the undergrowth, but instead of finding a den, a huge boulder of ice greeted him. He thought he saw something inside, and pressed himself closer to the freezing ice. Apparently, the boulder was a lot less solid than it appeared to be. It fell apart, and left a kit curled up in the rubble. 

'Is it dead?...' Nasif asked himself, approaching it tentatively. But the kit shivered and opened its eyes. 

'Are you hurt?' he asked it, concern in his voice, as he curled his tail around the poor thing. 

'I-I don't t-think so..' she whispered back. 'M-my tribe, w-where are they?' 

'Uh, they're not here right now, but I'm sure we'll find them' Nasif tried to give a comforting smile. 

The kit only shivered and curled further into him. 

The small tribe pushed forward through the snows, and slowly Tilt formed a friendship with Arjuna. 

 

[Andromeda_]

:0 thanks for doing my challenge!!!

[Stranger]

They had been on the island for a few moons now and everyone except Arjuna and Tilt had grown into adults. 

'Just ask him about it' Firecracker smiled. 'The worst that can happen is he'll say no' 

'I know Firecracker, it's just... I'm really nervous that's all' Tristi said softly. 

'You got this, go ask him' Firecracker replied gently but firmly, giving her a small shove in Nasifs direction. 

'Uh, Nasif?' 

'Yeah Tristi?' Nasif smiled in her direction. 

'I, I was wondering if... Could you be my mate? I care about you so much Nasif' 

Nasif looked surprised, but a broad grin spread across his face. 

'Of course Tristi' 

[Andromeda_]

(Also you're so lucky everytime I play on a snow biome my ice block creatures are trash)

[Stranger]

3 minutes ago, AndromedaTheGalaxyCat said:

:0 thanks for doing my challenge!!!

Np! It's going pretty good so far

[Stranger]

Just now, AndromedaTheGalaxyCat said:

(Also you're so lucky everytime I play on a snow biome my ice block creatures are trash)

Oop rip 💀

[Stranger]

Firecracker and Wiisp had been hunting ahead of the tribe for a few days. Firecracker leapt on an unsuspecting rabbit and bit into it until it died. 

'You're a very talented hunter' Wiisp smiled shyly. 

Firecracker didn't reply, she only smiled back. 

(Ok I don't want to write another romantic confession, so basically they became mates) 

 

Meanwhile, Tristi was settled in her nest, a small kit curled up beside her. 

'He's beatiful' smiled Nasif, looking down at his son. 

'We should call him Asti' Tristi thought out loud. 

'Asti it is then!' 

[Stranger]

Arjuna and Tilt padded through the long grasses, rain wetting their fur. Suddenly, through the grass another iceblock loomed. 

'There could be another cat trapped inside it!' Arjuna explained, rushing over to try and tip the block over, so it would shatter. 

'It could be someone from my old tribe!' Tilt said excitedly, running over to help her friend. 

With a large crash the boulder tipped over, and a dark furred kit lay there, unconscious. 

Tilt immediately ran to it, but before she could reach it, something threw itself at her, sinking its claws into her. She screamed in pain, and immediately Arjuna threw himself at the bearyena, knocking it to the ground. The two of them made short work of it, and as Tilt lay panting for a moment, she remembered. THE KIT. But it was too late, a cry of fear came from the sky as an eagle carried it off. Tilt strained her eyes and tried to run after the eagle, but she couldn't see anything through the lashing rain. 

Arjuna caught up with her and put his tail around her cold body. 

'I'm so sorry...' He said softly. 

'I should have been more careful.' Tilt cried, staring up at the sky 'I'm sorry!' she called out to the sky, knowing that the kit was already dead. 

[Stranger]

(also, she's pregnant because a rogue male got to her :/) 

[Stranger]

A bit further away, the sounds of two newborn kits chased the rain away. 

Two happy mothers sat in their nests, gazing down at their little bundles of fur. 

'He' ll be called Denpi. ' Firecracker smiled.' He'll grow to be a fine hunter. '

'This little one will be called Talos, after our god of bravery. Asti, come meet your little brother!' Tristi called to her son. 

Asti plodded over and looked down at his little brother. He leaned in and sniffed Talos, before looking up at his mother. 

'Mum, he smells' Asti wrinkled his snout. 'Is he really my little brother?' 

'Yes he is. And you must promise me to always look after him, do you understand?' Tristi smiled. 

'Alright mum.' Asti gazed dejectedly down at the small pile of fur. 

[Stranger]

'Come on, hurry up! Ugh, you're so slow' Asti complained as his little brother struggled to keep up behind him. 

Talos gave out a small mew as he caught up with Asti, but didn't say a thing. 

'You can't even talk! You're literally 7 moons old and yet you still can't talk. I was able to speak when I was half your age.' Asti grumbled. 

'Give him time, I'm sure he' ll be able to talk soon. He's my age, and I can talk. Besides he understands every word your saying, don't you Talos? ' Denpi asked as he leaped down from a large rock. 

Talos nodded and ran up to his friend, mewing happily. 

' Whatever.' Asti rolled his eyes, but he was secretly glad that Denpi was here. Sure, he was really quiet, almost exactly like aunt Firecracker, but Talos liked him and as much as Asti didn't like to admit it, he was fond of Denpi too. 

'Come on you two, let's go explore ahead, maybe we'll find something cool' Asti grinned. 

The other two teens followed closely behind him. 

[Stranger]

Tilt looked unhappily down at the kit in front of her. It had frog legs, sickly yellow fur, and a horribly crooked paw. 

'Wait here for a moment' she said awkwardly. The kit mewed and tried to snuggle up to her, but she got stiffly out of the nest and looked up at the skies. No birds. For now. 

'Wait here' she repeated, before leaving to find a rabbit. What would she do? The kit was so horribly weak, it was against tribe law to keep it. She was pretty sure the tribe would banish the kit the moment it grew into an adult. 

As she pondered, she stayed out for longer than she thought she would. The sun was setting when she returned, anxiously calling out for her child. 

'Where are you? Please come out!' she cried, but no answer came.

A sharp cry came from above her, an eagle circling overhead. There was blood dripping from its beak. 

'NO!' Tilt cried, rage suddenly filling her. She tried to scramble up onto a high rock and launch herself at the bird, but it wheeled away before she could hit it. 

She gazed angrily up at the sky, when a sudden emptiness filled her. She lay down and curled herself up into a ball, sobbing quietly. Arjuna only found her a day later. 

 

 

Wiisp launched himself at the walrus deer, clawing across its side. Firecracker leapt in front of it blocking its path. 

'Attack it from behind!' Arjuna yelled, and Tilt leaped forward, clawing it from behind, jumping back as it tried to kick her. 

They fought as a team, until the great beast stumbled, and fell. 

'We'll have enough food for many moons to come!' Wiisp declared happily. He called the rest of the tribe over, and that night they all ate until their stomachs were almost bursting. 

[Stranger]

'A tree stump!' Denpi called through the grass, as he jumped on top of it, the wind ruffling his fur. 

Talos was right behind him, and scrambled up on top of the stump. 

'AND, we found it ourselves! It's the tallest one out of all the ones our tribe found so far!' Asti said triumphantly. 

Denpi was about to reply, when suddenly a bearyena crashed through the bushes, roaring loudly, and it clawed Talos and threw him of the stump. 

Talos lay motionless in the grass, the only sign he was still alive was his shaky breathing. 

'No!' Asti yelled, and threw himself at the bearyena. Denpi ran over to Talos, trying to get him to stay awake. Rage fueled Asti, and in two hits the bearyena was down. 

'Talos!' he cried, running over to his brother. Talos was barely awake, his breathing ragged. 

'The healing plant we found earlier! Get him to that, quickly!' Denpi reminded. 

Asti picked up his little brother onto his back, and ran in the direction of the plant, but he heard something following them. It wasn't Denpi, it sounded too large. His mind came to the horrifying realization that there were two bearyenas.

He found the healing plant and dropped Talos in front of it. 

'Eat it Talos, quickly!' 

Asti whipped around to face the bearyena and started to battle with it. He felt the bearyenas claws rake against him but he didn't care. 

Talos limped over to the plant and took a small bite. A strange sensation came over him, almost like he was floating for a second. Then he passed out. 

'Are you two alright?!' Denpi panted as he finally caught up. 

'We're fine' Asti smiled as he hugged his little brother. 

Talos was grinning as well, the bearyena dead at their paws. He mewed happily and ran up to Denpi, giving him a hug. 

[Stranger]

Arjuna had been out hunting with his friend, Tilt, when a bearyena attacked them. They took care of it swiftly, but Tilts leg was slightly injured. 

'I'll go get a healing plant, you wait here, alright?' Arjuna said. 

'Yeah okay, but hurry up, I think it'll start snowing soon.' Tilt muttered. 

'Snow. I'll never get used to it' Arjuna chuckled as he went off into the grasses. 

Tilt didn't know that this would be the last time she ever saw her friend. The rain started falling. 

Arjuna hadn't come back. The rain came down harder, freezing her thin fur. She shivered and tried to drag herself forward, but she was too cold to move. She didn't know that Arjuna had frozen on the way back to the tribe. She didn't know that no one was coming for her. The last thing she saw was brilliant white snow, falling from the sky. 

 

'Oh...' Wiisp said softly, sadness emanating from his voice. He looked down at the bodies of his two friends and gave a small bow, to show respect. Nasif had found them, and brought them together, so that they could be close even after their deaths. 

[Stranger]

Earlier... 

'I think this will be my last kit. Sarif, I'll call her.' Tristi smiled. The truth was, she was getting old, and so was Firecracker. 

'I'll call mine Milshi' Firecracker looked down at her kit. Then she looked up at the sky. It would be snowing soon. 

Edited October 24, 2022 by YourLocalStranger
I got Milshi's name wrong

[Stranger]

(guys once I started writing I just couldn't stop and now it's been like an hour help meee) 

[Andromeda_]

Noooo tilt died I liked her 😧

[Andromeda_]

also its weird you haven't found any wanderers yet 

you can breed with wanderers who have less than 2 strength without inviting them but only if they are male 

you can try to trap wanderer females on nests but that's kinda hard

[Stranger]

22 minutes ago, AndromedaTheGalaxyCat said:

Noooo tilt died I liked her 😧

I'M SORRY I LEFT HER AND ARJUNA IN THE COLD AND COMPLETELY FROGOT AND THEN THEY FROZE (but I also liked Tilt lol) 

[Stranger]

20 minutes ago, AndromedaTheGalaxyCat said:

you can breed with wanderers who have less than 2 strength without inviting them but only if they are male 

Wait really!? I'll keep that in mind

[Stranger]

And yeah I think it's kinda wierd I haven't seen any wanderers yet

[Stranger]

Denpi eyed the strange cub. It had dark fur, black eyes and large teeth. A bearyena cub. 

'Should we.... kill it?' he asked, unsure of himself. Denpi had always been gentle at heart, and he didn't feel great killing a defenceless cub. 

Thankfully, Talos shook his head and started walking up to it. 

'Hey it could hurt you! You should stay back' Denpi immediately stood up and followed his friend. 

Talos gave the cub a piece of meat and smiled warmly. The cub yelped and bounded of into the grass, dragging the meat behind it. 

'You could have gotten hurt' huffed Denpi. 

Talos only smiled, in a way that probably meant 'are you serious? It was only a cub' 

[Stranger]

Tristi was curled up beside Nasifs body. He was an old cat, so she wasn't surprised that he left. In fact, she was old too. She'd be joining him soon. She stirred, pulling herself up onto her feet. 

'Everyone, can you come over here!?' she yelled at the top of her voice. She and her friends, they were all getting old, and in truth, she wasn't ready to leave her kids alone on this island. 

Asti herded his two younger siblings over to his mother, wondering what all the fuss was about. 

'Yeah, and then me and Milshi went ALL the way down to the beach and we saw a HUGE red fish, I mean it, it was at least the size of a tree and-' Sarif was excitedly talking about her day, but Asti wasn't really paying attention. He hadn't seen his father in a little while. Were his parents okay? 

' Asti! You're not listening! 'Sarif huffed, clearly mad at him. 

' Sorry Sarif, I was just thinking about our parents' Asti admitted. 

'Thank you for coming everyone' Tristi smiled. Asti realized that he had never noticed how grey her fur was, or how soft her voice had become. Tristi glanced at Firecracker, and then at Wiisp. 

'Nasif, isn't with us anymore' Firecracker sighed. 'And sooner rather than later, me, Tristi and Wiisp will be joining him' 

There was a shocked silence. Milshi was the youngest of them all, she had had barely any time with her parents. And Firecracker was right. The next night, Tristi died in her sleep. Firecracker and Wiisp were very old now, and there was an air of sadness around the whole tribe. 

[Stranger]

Milshi lay down right beside her parents. She decided she was going to stay with them until the very end, no matter what. Denpi was comforting Talos on the death of his parents. 

Suddenly, a blur of yellow flashed down the hill. A cheeky grin peeked at her from the bottom of the hill. At first, Milshi only saw a new friend, someone to invite to the tribe. Until she saw the strangers paw. It was crooked, exactly like the ones of the monsters in her mother's stories. 

'A crooked paw is the sign of a monster. If any one of them even comes near the tribe, it will be cursed with illness, deformities, and death. Never allow one in the tribe Milshi'. Milshi could hear her mothers voice in her head, and she knew what she had to do. 

Milshi launched herself at the stranger. 

'Get out!' she barked. 'Go away, or I will fight you!' Milshi could feel her paws trembling, so she steadied them. She heard the pad of Asti's pawsteps as he ran over. 

'What's your problem?' the stranger scowled. 'I'm not doing anything, am I?' the stranger tried to step forward. 

'I warned you!' Milshi growled and launched herself forward at the yellow cat. The cat dodged just in time, and broke into a run. Milshi followed. 

 

It was sunset by the time Milshi got back to camp. 

'Where were you!?' Asti yelled. 

'I-I was just... Wait, Where's dad?' And mom? ' Milshi whined. She leaped over to the place her parents where last. Her dad wasn't breathing, and her mom barely was. She curled up next to her mother. 

' I did the right thing mom. I... I protected our tribe' She said quietly. Her mother didn't reply. 

[Stranger]

The next few days were sad. There was only five of them, and they didn't know what to do. So when a new cat came over, they were glad for the distraction, until they saw his hind paws. They were floppy and webbed, like a fishes. Like a monsters. 

'We should move, to a different island' Asti muttered. 

'What!' 

'B-but we can't leave!' 

'I think he's right...' 

'Calm down!' Asti yelled. 'I think so because Milshi has already seen one do the cursed ones, and now we see another. What if this is a sign? Or a curse? I say we should move' 

Talos slowly nodded and stepped up beside his brother, closely followed by Denpi. Milshi quickly bounded up, glad to be away from the island where her parents died. Only Safir remained. 

'I'm not going. I grew up here!' she said stubbornly. 

'So you'd rather we leave you behind?' Milshi retorted. Sadir paused for a second, then sadly looked back on the island she called home for all her life. 

Denpi shot Milshi a look, then went up to his Safir 

'Sometimes there are things we have to leave behind.' He said softly. 'You can stay here, you're old enough for that, but we'd rather if you come with us. It's your choice however' 

'I... I'm coming with you' Safir decided. Then the tribe started the long journey to the Stones. 

They met another cursed cat along the way, which made them hurry even more. 

 

A few moons later, they finally reached the Stones. They could feel the ice coming from that direction. They looked to each other for reassurance, nodded, and one by one, stepped onto the stones.