It started like any other day, Silver went outside to play and help anyone who needed it. He ran excitedly through the streets lined with stalls, asking if he could help. Sometimes they’d accept and other times they’d tell him to run along somewhere else; Silver didn't mind, at least he offered. The cold breeze rustled his fur as his paws stomped on the cobbled stone roads. He did that for most of the day, only taking a break for lunch and then racing right back out. His curfew was sundown and he intended to make the most of his time until then; and eventually, it did.
Silver saw the sun start to dip behind the horizon, painting the skies in beautiful pinks and purples. There were few places to see the sunset with the village being surrounded by dense forest but there was one secret spot Silver found; It was a small cliff face, open and spacious with no trees crowding the view. You had to go through the forest to get to it but it was such a short trip no danger ever showed up. Tonight however, danger did find the little snow leopard though, it wasn't the kind he was expecting. As Silver bathed in the sight of the setting sun, his feet dangling off the edge and arms propping him up, he heard the snap of a branch and whipped around. He sees 3 figures, all taller and bigger than him; an imposing lynx, an angry-looking Pallas cat, and a sleek white arctic fox. Silver got up and shook himself off, ‘Oh it's nothing dangerous thank Tyr’.
The four stand there in a slight staring contest before Silver speaks up “Uhhh… hey? Um, what brings you guys around here? I didn't know anyone knew this spot. If it's yours I'm happy to le-”
“Gods, would you shut the hell up? I see how you got your reputation.” The Pallas cat sneers.
“Reputation?” Silver mutters softly.
This time the lynx chimes in, “Yeah, heard a lot about some little freakshow running around and bothering people. We figured we’d do them the honorable service of taking care of it” She grins.
“Bothering… take… care... what? I’m helping them, what do you mean bother?” Silver asks, wrapping his tail around his waist for comfort, his gray cracks glowing faintly.
“Awww is the little freak upset? You sad about how no one loves you? Should've stayed lost. You know, when you went missing no one looked for you, it would've been a waste.” the fox taunts.
Silver puffs up his chest, trying to calm the panic that's slowly rising “T-Thats not t-true. P-People l-looked for m-me”.
The three start to move closer to him, causing him to back up to the very edge of the cliff, “Wow are you going to start crying? You're even more pathetic than we thought, and you wanted to be a paladin of Tyr? Fat chance someone like you could ever accomplish something like that, just look at how much of a screw up your mom is, a family of failures if you ask me.” the lynx jeers.
Silver feels his breaths start to come out in harsh pants, his mind going a little fuzzy with the feeling of being cornered. He tries his best to rein it in but his instincts prevent any real progress from being made ‘danger danger danger, trapped, get free, run, attack, don't give in, hunt’. His tail uncurls from his waist and starts lashing behind him, fluffing up a bit to make himself look bigger. The cracks etched into his skin begin to glow brighter, reverting from gray back to black but now it's tinged with a burning red.
By now, the three have cornered him till he's just barely keeping his footing on the frosted ground “Oh did that hit a nerve? Does the innocent little kit have some fire in him? You think you can take us on?” The lynx grabs Silver’s collar and drags him closer before saying her next words “If only you weren't such a lost clause, maybe you'd be able to do something about it.”
Something in Silver’s mind snaps at that last statement, he’s dedicated his whole life to being strong, able to help people and lead them down the right path. It wasn't for nothing, the days, the months, the years of practice. Silver refuses to believe that, he can and will do something about it. His instincts praised his resolve; ‘hurt, hunt, kill, protect, live’. The words sang in his head and his body fell unusually calm; his tail came to a halt, his shoulders untensed, and his breathing evened. His pupils narrowed into slits, showing off more of that brilliant green tinged with something eerie and unsettling, and his cracks brightened even more.
“Did I strike a ner-” The lynx went to say but was cut off by a sharp stabbing pain in her hand, making her let go of her hold on Silver. “Ow shit you fucking-” But she was once again cut off by Silver lunging at her. The lynx barely dodged it and started to make a run for it into the forest, Silver following right behind. With the fading sunlight and dense thicket, it was harder to see so Silver relied on his hearing to keep track. The only sounds in the forest were that of snapping twigs and rustling winds, gently swaying the pine trees. The lynx might've known about that spot but she didn't know these woods well enough to traverse it easily, giving Silver the upper hand.
Silver's mind was long gone by now, too absorbed in the adrenaline, running purely on instinct now. The burn in his legs from running, wind whipping past him, and the satisfying crack of sticks and snow accompanying each stride he took; it made him feel… alive.
His instincts sang as they notice the lynx showing signs of exhaustion but Silver feels nothing but hunger burning through his veins. She starts to trip and stumble over the undergrowth and Silver finds his opening.
He lunges, the lynx lets out a cut-off yowl as they're sent sprawling to the ground with Silver pinning her in place, just as he was taught. The forest goes quiet save for their harsh pants. The lynx tries to squirm out of Silver’s grasp but eventually slumps from exhaustion. ‘Prey gave in, caught prey, yes yes, successful hunt, good provider and protector’ his instincts whispered and Silver relished in the praise. The lynx noticed Silver’s eyes glazed over a bit, only an eerie swirl and slit-thin iris remained. She thought this was the time she could make her escape. The lynx tried the same thing he did to her and dug her claws into his wrist, although this time, his grip only got tighter.
Silver’s musings were interrupted by sharp pinpricks in his wrist, he focuses a bit more and sees blood-matted fur and the lynx trying her best to escape. Silver chuckles at the attempt, watching in fascination as his blood stains the pure snow. He can't feel the pain, can't feel the exhaustion setting in, only the thrilling adrenaline rushing through him.
He gets ahold of himself enough to say one final statement to the lynx “Don't fucking ever come back here” he growls out.
She rapidly nods and Silver’s grip on her loosens, letting her run off to wherever she came from. It's dark now, the sun finally completely disappeared, letting a beautiful splatter of stars decorate the sky. It was way past curfew and his mother was definitely going to freak out. Silver chuckled at his thought process, finally giving in and lying on the snow-covered ground. Adrenaline drained from his body, making him feel tired and sore but it still thrummed with a sense of accomplishment. As Silver kept replaying what happened, his instinct-driven mind receding, his world came crashing down.
‘I… I actually did that… and it felt good. That’s- no that's wrong. I’m the worst person in the world. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME! WHY WOULD I HURT SOMEONE I'M SUPPOSED TO PROTECT, TO HELP? TYR PLEASE FORGIVE ME I'M SORRY TRULY AND DEEPLY! I'LL MAKE IT UP TO YOU I PROMISE! I'LL WORK EVEN HARDER! ...please forgive my sins.’
Silver stayed like that for a while. He couldn't tell you if it was 5 minutes or 5 hours but eventually, he yearned for the comfort of the family nest and his mother so he dragged himself up and made his way there. No one was out this late at night so he didn't have to deal with explaining why he was out right now and eventually made it home. Opening the door, he heard a voice call his name.
Wheeling out to the front room, was Love with a grief-stricken face. “Cub! Oh heavens where have you been? I was so worried about you, you can't do that. We have curfew rules for a reason” she says in a chiding tone.
Silver curls in on himself and looks at the floor, refusing to let his mom see the tears that start to form in his eyes. As Love approaches, she notices his ragged look, his fur messy, some stained fur from various cuts and scrapes, and the most notable one being five bleeding marks marring his wrist.
“Baby what happened…” she says, looking worriedly at the wound and gently rubbing her thumb near it.
“I-” Silver starts but trails off into silence, having no explanation or words to describe what transpired.
Love notices her kit struggling to keep his composure and decides it's best to leave the explanation for another day. “It's okay cub, let's just get you cleaned up and ready for bed, it's very much past your bedtime mister.” she says, trying to add a light-hearted chuckle at the end.
Silver gives his own small smile at it and nods “Yeah… tomorrow.”
The two then head to the bathroom where Love helps Silver wash his wound and take care of the various scraps littering his body. Silver watches hypnotically as the pink-tinged water swirls around the drain before disappearing, getting lost in thought and replaying everything in his head. He's broken out of his thoughts when Love pulls his wrist away from the water and starts to tend to it. Eventually, she deems him patched up and ready for bed and the two head to the family nest. It's empty of course; Brash choosing to sleep by himself, Light still being away for work, and Summer now having started following in his footsteps for an apprenticeship. It hurts a bit to crawl into the cold blankets and pillows but Love wraps around Silver protectively and he thinks maybe it's not too bad. He tries to fight sleep for as long as he can to soak in the feeling but eventually, he can't help but give in to the blissful call of sleep.