The Hunters Journey - Part 1: Meeting Junelight - A World of Warcraft Fanfiction

Not far from my home there is a springpaw and her cubs. The mother is pretty docile, except when her cubs are in danger. From the first time I saw her and her cubs, I knew I wanted to make friends with them. I started leaving meat for them daily. They stayed at distance but knew the meat was for them. After months of doing this, the mother came closer to me. Inch by inch she got closer every day. Until finally, she sat purring in the spot I left the meat. I slowly extended my hand to her. She smelled it and butted her head against it. She had accepted me and I was overjoyed. I had always loved animals and easily made friends with many of the smaller animals but never the springpaws, until now.

I named her Junelight, because the first time I saw her was in June, and seeing her and her cubs brought so much light to my life. Nearly every day she started sitting in the spot waiting for me. I would slowly extend my hand and she would happily purr and head-butt it. She even started letting me pet her head and scratch her ears.

I started bringing a book and sitting next to a nearby tree so I could spend more time with her. One day she even plopped down next to me and rested her head on my lap.

A month went by and her cubs stayed in the safety of their den while I was there. Once I started to leave I'd see them trot over to the food, but they always seemed wary of me. Then one day the most hyper one decided he didn't want to wait anymore and ran over to the food before I had left.

I quietly sat next to the tree watching him, with Junelight cuddled up next to me. Once she saw him, she got up and went into protect mode, making sure there were no dangers lurking nearby.

By this point, the cubs were pretty big but not fully filled out, and despite that she still doted on them like they were tiny babies. Cleaning them, was on guard while they ate, played with them, and disciplined them when she needed to.

Each day they became increasingly more curious about me, then I had the idea to bring a spool of yarn with me. I decided I would try to play with the hyper one, that I named Wildpaw. He played with the yarn right away, chasing it, catching it, biting, and attacking it. He loved it. We played and played and only stopped when I got tired. Wildpaw would have played for much longer than that, I am sure of it.

His brother and sister sat at a distance hunting it with their eyes but they waited patiently to make sure I was a friend. I played with Wildpaw for days. He was sitting with his mother every time I showed up now. And by the fifth day, he was attacking my boots strings because he was so excited.

After watching his brother play, for so many days the timid boy, that I named Rogue couldn't wait any longer. The yarn whizzed past the den and with a flying leap he caught it on the first try. He was a skilled hunter, beating out his brother Wildpaw quite often. He played much more stealthily than Wildpaw. Lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike, then pouncing. He caught it almost every time he went for it.

There was only one cub left to meet, but I didn't know how to convince her. She seemed to be more distrusting than the others. Her gaze was always focused, and she knew exactly what was going on around her at all times. It seemed like she knew everything and was wise beyond her years.

I wracked my brain for ways to convince her to come out. I placed some of the meat closer to the den but the boys just ate it up. I threw the yarn into the den. I spoke softly to her. I could not figure out how to convince her, until one day when I had an idea...