Post by Maple on Jun 19, 2018 21:07:39 GMT
(This thread is open to all cats. There is no posting order. You may also make your own festival mini threads in the coast board, just put [FOL1] in the title somewhere)
It was that time of year again. Warm air and even warmer feelings. Summer was upon the colonies and that meant that it was time for the Festival of Love. The Patrians had been up since dawn picking flowers and scattering their petals across the beach. By the time noon had come they had finally finished. It was a long task, but one that most Patrians enjoyed. After all, this festival celebrated their heritage. While toms were not allowed in Patria save for those raised there or neutered, their cats were encouraged to take mates outside of the colony. It kept the gene pool clean and promoted friendship between colonies. Strong bonds and even stronger alliances as Seraph would say.
Sophie loved this festival. It only lasted one day, but that was more than enough time for budding courtship. She remembered dashing down to the beach as a kit, running far ahead of her mother with bundles of flowers in her mouth and her colonymates all around her. Watching the sun rise over the sea had been her favorite part of sprinkling the petals. This event held many fond memories for the leader of Patria, and so it was with a smile that she now waited for Soror and Viridity's cats to arrive. They traveled hard and far for this event and Sophie would make sure personally that every cat had a good time. The petals looked more beautiful than ever before. The sandy beach was coated in a rainbow of petals and seashells. A massive prey pile that the Patrians had been building on for two days now lay surrounded by a ring of shells. All cats were welcome to feast and find love today, even those outside of the colonies. It was a time of peace and friendship. Bonding and affection.
Optimistic about this year, Sophie had groomed her fur to perfection and a small white flower rested above each of her brown ears. She would have to walk carefully and gracefully to keep them falling, but that was part of courting. She was finally ready to put herself out on the market again. Many Patrians had decorated themselves similarly. From where she sat on a large boulder overlooking the land for any danger or approaching cats, Sophie could spot many of her cats preparing themselves for the festival now that the land had been finished.
Fir, Raccoon, and Milkweed all sat together. Three of the colony's very few toms. Milkweed was pruning his fur, licking and pulling it out in places where it was too long. She'd noticed that he did this very often, but today he was looking particularly happy and well-groomed. His fur was all even in length and shone pink in the sunlight. Fir, the oldest of the trio, was rolling in a pile of flowers that hadn't yet had their petals removed. Most likely to make himself smell as attractive as possible to any potential mollies. Sophie was happy for him- she knew that he'd taken Lightning's leaving Patria very personally. And Raccoon... Well, Raccoon looked like an absolute ball of panic. She could smell his anxiety scent from where she sat. He seemed to be rambling on to Milkweed about something, but Sohpie wasn't close enough to catch what he was saying. Well enough she supposed- she didn't want to eavesdrop.
Her daughters, Shiloh and Sylvia, both lay at the base of the rock where Sophie sat grooming themselves. Her little girls would look absolutely perfect on this day. They were young, but perhaps they could find sweethearts of their own. Oh, but the idea of her daughters having kits before she'd even chosen an heir scared the living daylights out of Sophie. Abruptly Shiloh dashed off, Running through the petals towards the prey pile. Sophie smiled. She'd never been the picture of grace, but Sophie loved her all the more for that.
Amber, Sophie's younger sister, sat relaxing with Jackal near the water. They both gazed out into the endless sea and murmured amongst themselves. What were they talking about, Sophie wondered? She hoped that they were having a good time. The colony's Physicians had a mandatory presence at the Festival in case anyone got hurt somehow. Still, they were just as allowed to court as any other cat.
Rain sunbathed on another rock alone, eyes closed and fur immaculately clean. He was resting until the others got there. Many cats were after a long morning of petal scattering and hunting. Sophie didn't blame them. She herself was a bit tired, but she wouldn't let it show. She had to be a pillar of strength and grace for her colony. Setting a good example was important to Sophie. She'd made some bad decisions in the past, but she was a strong and independant molly now. She had to show it.Now all that was left to do was wait.
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