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I'LL BE RIGHT BESIDE YOU
Bright had hoped that straying a little farther from twolegplace would help him out a bit. He knew he wasn't doing himself any favors by straying out into unfamiliar territory, but he could feel his luck slowly running out. The early frost had sent many of the birds south for the winter and just as many critters running for their burrows, and while the green-eyed tom had gotten used to tipping trashcans to look for a meal, every other desperate loner and rogue in the areas was doing the same thing. It'd gotten to the point where you more almost guaranteed to illicit a fight with someone as soon as the sound of the can lid rolling across the ground filled the air, and unfortunately, Bright wasn't built as a brawler.
He wasn't even really a streetcat.
Granted, it'd been a long time since his twolegs had thrown him out, and he'd learned a lot about having to take care of himself in this new environment, but it was clear he wasn't properly trained for this. His hunting skills often fell short and his fighting was laughable, and the only thing he really had going for him was his speed and climbing.
That, and the fact that he was a quick learner in theory.
That was probably the most frustrating part of all of it. Bright was a quick study, able to file away information and recall it with relative ease. He could stand there and give you a complete and accurate rundown on the proper form needed to hunt a squirrel, or the best way to launch yourself at an enemy– but the second he tried to physically do those things himself? It was like opening pandoras box. The small scars and more recent scrapes and bruises weren't just a result of having to compete with cats in twoleg place, but because he was so darn clumsy when trying to do even the most basic things.
Case in point.
"Oof!"
The small, dark tabby went tumbling as he completely missed his mark on the pounce, rolling right across the ground and landing in an ungraceful heap among the roots of a nearby tree on the edge of the gorge.
"I-I guess I zigged when I should have zagged…" he groaned as he rolled onto his paws, though to be fair he'd never tried to hunt a rabbit before. Pausing to rub at a tender spot on his head as he realized how close to the edge he'd gotten. "N-Note to self; no hunting this close to the edge."

loner/future skyclanner - male - a lean, dark tabby with asymmetrical white and bright green eyes