Hunter's Woods Writing Prompts

   The cats of The Wayfarers have any number of reasons to join the group. For some, it's something akin to a parental instinct; an older cat sees a young one, inexperienced, scared, and unsure of what to do, but with a mission, and join out of a resolve to protect them, teach them, and help them to see their quest through to its end. After all, what kind of cat would they be if they were to leave the poor kitten alone to fend for themselves, to try to figure out a path in life without any sort of guidance?

   For others, it's a simple matter of survival; there is power in numbers, and it's safer to live in a group than to live alone. For every new mouth there is to feed, there are still four more claws to fight, hunt, and protect them - More eyes to watch for danger, more ears to listen for prey, more shoulders to lean on when their paws grow tired.

   Others follow the group simply for the thrill of adventure, the experience of seeing new people, places, and things; a stagnate, safe life might be easy, but where is the joy in never leaving the comfort of one's home? Curiosity killed the cat, they say, but satisfaction brought it back. And for some, nothing is more satisfying than sating that curiosity itself.

   And still others find themselves dragged into the gang through loyalty to friends who, in a way, made the choice for them. The sort of pairs that, no matter how unorthodox, you would never see apart; where one goes, the other follows, and if that one happens to find their way into the group, you can be certain their companion isn't far behind (even if they spend their time amid the other cats dragging their paws and hissing complaints the whole way).

   But for all their stories and their reasons to join, there is a single common thread that pushes them on; their little leader, Beatrix, and her desperate wish to find her owner, and her home, again. Her unbending will (or perhaps, some might suggest, her overbearing stubbornness) that they'll be reunited one day, whether she knows the way or not, and no matter where she must go or how far she must travel, presses them onward. And although not all of the group may agree with her quest, they continue by her side. Because, even when they may not see eye to eye, there are bonds that tie their ragtag little band together, be it to their companions, to the spirit of adventure, to survival, or to something they can't quite name - Ones which drag them ever forward, whether they will it or not.