Silence settled on the shady section of wood Oceanstorm was hunting in. Further muffled by the wooden walls of the hollowed log that curved overhead and pulled on her white belly fur when she shimmied forward. In the damn gloom, her eyes adjusted to find all manner of colorful lichen and fungi. She could not see to the end, though she knew that the latter half of the log was caved in, so the prey she had chased in here would only be able to run into her claws.
Or so she hoped.
The sound of crackling reached her ears and she stopped, holding absolutely still. But the noise pressed on. Dirt fell onto her face, making her sneeze. She blinked her eyes rapidly but the onslaught of debris was picking up as was the sound of breaking wood. Oh crap! Too late she realized what was going on as she made to back out with all the grace of a day-old hare. But she’d hardly made it a few paces back before something large came down on her skull. Her jaws snapped shut, cutting her tongue, before it all went dark. But just before she fully succumbed, she felt something pulling her, and tasted what she swore was fresh air….
A cat awoke in a strange herb-scented den. Wh…where am I? She lifted her head slightly, but stilled when a shot of pain ran down her temple. She groaned, turning to see the face of a worried russet-furred tomcat gazing down at her with rounded eyes. Of course! He must have been the one to save her, he was…Who was he? More importantly, who was she?
Her heart glowed warmly. She wasn’t as worried about it as she ought to be, strangely enough. His presence was a balm to her worries. Which could only mean….
“Oh, my love, there you are.” She purred sweetly. “Do you…what happened to me? I can’t remember anything, where we are, my name…” She shook her head.
“But I know you’re my mate. I feel safe around you, and you saved me.”
Briarstep
"I'm incredibly angry," he mewed in acknowledgement. "But, that doesn't change the fact they're my family. Hollystar is my mother, even if she didn't really 'parent' me. I suppose I have a sister out there somewhere as well, if she survived." He felt lighter after sharing the truth. Oceanstorm was so easy to trust in this state, but he felt guilty for spending such intimate moments with her when she wasn't truly herself. He looked at her, cracking a nervous smile. "You're awfully optimistic about me. I appreciate it, but I promise I'm not the 'radiant light' you believe I am. I have my own sins, my own apathetic inaction that has left me just as guilty as the others." He turned about, looking towards camp. "We should head home, I imagine your father has arrived by now." He chuckled wrly, "In contrast to Hollystar, he probably parents a little too much. Your father is great, I admire him, though we could never be alike. Perhaps he'll be able to jog your memories and clear this amnesia." He walked beside her, gently guiding her back towards camp. "You know, when you are yourself, you're actually a bit like your dad. You have incredible resolve, talent, and your temper is just as fiery, " he chortled.