|
|
Post by Moonblazer on Oct 26, 2024 13:07:24 GMT -5
"You're impossible, did you know that?" Patrick huffed, as they approached the outskirts of the forest. He scented the air with a wrinkle of his nose. "There is a much stronger scent of cat here than there usually is. Whatever the clan cats are doing here, it wasn't the first time." "It's my most desirable quality." Dragonfly teased, before he seemed to digest Patrick's words and give a long sigh, lifting his paw to inspect his claws. "Clan cats are... interesting. Their way of life is admirable from afar, all that strength and beautiful territory to run free in, but the second that they need something, the come strolling in and taking what's not theirs. Yet they call us the rouges and savages and scorn on the cats that choose housefolk to keep them safe and fed." He scoffed, before shaking his head. "They should probably stick to their homes, without a know how of our home, they're the ones in danger the most." |
|
|
|
Post by thistle on Oct 27, 2024 22:44:33 GMT -5
Warblerwind glanced awkwardly to the side as he padded after Nettle. He actually had snagged a mouthful of kittypet food, a few days ago, when he was sure it was the only way he'd survive. It wasn't that he couldn't hunt here, it was that he'd been so focused on his revenge he'd simply...forgotten everything else. Now, as they passed a sleeping monster, he caught his reflection. His frame was bonier than it should be, his pelt dull and unclean. He was limping slightly, swaying with hunger and exhaustion, even if he spent most of his time asleep. He expected his eyes to look as they always did, sharp and bright. But they werent. They were hollow. And on each shoulder he bore four deep claw marks - a matching set. He could smell, now, the slight tang of infection, meaning they would scar very obviously. He didn't recognize the cat staring back at him. "Thank you," he said to Nettle, because he knew he should. "Really. You don't have to do this, I mean, you left the Clan, and here I am causing trouble..." he trailed off with a self-deprecating chuckle. For a moment, Nettle grew serious, glancing over at Warblerwind as a surprising amount of empathy. “One of the reasons I wanted to leave was because of the kind of shame attributed to not being clan-borne. The way we judged kittypets and loners simply for living different lives than us. Now I’m free to help any cat, no matter where they were born, and to learn about their lives rather than judge them.” He flicked his tail, his determination softening into a relaxed sort of humor. “So don’t thank me. No cat deserves to go hungry. After all you’ve been through recently, I think you need it more than me.” He slipped into a nearby bush and began to stalk towards the bird feeder. “Stay put, this won’t take long at all.” Warblerwind listened to Nettle speak, silently agreeing with his opinions. Though, for him, he knew he'd need to return to SkyClan one day...it was his home. He sat beneath the branches of the bush Nettle disappeared into and set about trying to clean the wounds on his shoulders, his nose wrinkling at his foul pelt. He really was a wreck! |
|
|
|
Post by Willow on Oct 28, 2024 10:16:40 GMT -5
Patrick hurried for his horsetail plant that was tucked away near a hollow tree stump, he sighed with relief to see the plant mostly intact save for a few chewed leaves. "Well I guess they weren't looking for herbs at least. Do you think there's something wrong with their territories?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Moonblazer on Oct 28, 2024 11:13:16 GMT -5
For a moment, Nettle grew serious, glancing over at Warblerwind as a surprising amount of empathy. “One of the reasons I wanted to leave was because of the kind of shame attributed to not being clan-borne. The way we judged kittypets and loners simply for living different lives than us. Now I’m free to help any cat, no matter where they were born, and to learn about their lives rather than judge them.” He flicked his tail, his determination softening into a relaxed sort of humor. “So don’t thank me. No cat deserves to go hungry. After all you’ve been through recently, I think you need it more than me.” He slipped into a nearby bush and began to stalk towards the bird feeder. “Stay put, this won’t take long at all.” Warblerwind listened to Nettle speak, silently agreeing with his opinions. Though, for him, he knew he'd need to return to SkyClan one day...it was his home. He sat beneath the branches of the bush Nettle disappeared into and set about trying to clean the wounds on his shoulders, his nose wrinkling at his foul pelt. He really was a wreck! After a good few minutes and the sound of fluttering wings, Nettle returned through the bushes with a large pigeon in his jaws. He placed it before Warblerwind before he scoffed lightly. “Looking at you again, you really do look like a mess. Have you groomed yourself even once in the past few days?” |
|
|
|
Post by Moonblazer on Oct 28, 2024 11:14:52 GMT -5
Patrick hurried for his horsetail plant that was tucked away near a hollow tree stump, he sighed with relief to see the plant mostly intact save for a few chewed leaves. "Well I guess they weren't looking for herbs at least. Do you think there's something wrong with their territories?" “After that horrible fire? I’d be shocked if there was nothing wrong on their territory. The whole area was blazing, all the twolegs managed to put the fire out before it reached us, but I could see how bad the trees looked out in the wild.” Dragonfly sighed. He did feel sympathy for their plight. A fire like that had been all the gossip when it happened. |
|
|
|
Post by Willow on Oct 28, 2024 13:24:56 GMT -5
Patrick hummed, "I suppose but it's been several moons now. It seems like them coming over into our territory is rather new. The scents are so fresh." The tom carefully crouched next to the herb plant and broke the stems with his teeth, laying them in a pile at his paws.
|
|
|
|
Post by Icefire15 on Oct 30, 2024 18:57:52 GMT -5
Whitesun slowly blinked open his eyes and looked around himself in slight confusion, momentarily forgetting where he was. Moving to try and sit up, he winced at the sharp pain that he felt in his shoulder and was suddenly reminded about everything that had taken place yesterday. Whitesun’s ears flattened against his head as he tried to force himself up and looked to his side to see if Jadefeather was still close by, gritting his teeth as his shoulder seemed to protest against the movement.
Arcticbreeze sat not far from Whitesun and Jadefeather, having woken up not that long ago herself. She gave her disheveled fur a few licks, trying to get rid of any blood that was leftover from yesterday’s battle. While grooming her fur, the ThunderClan warrior kept a sharp eye on the group of cats that went about their business. Even though the leader of these cats had decided to keep them alive for now, Arcticbreeze wasn’t about to let her guard down around them just yet.
|
|
|
|
Post by Moonblazer on Oct 30, 2024 19:03:14 GMT -5
Patrick hummed, "I suppose but it's been several moons now. It seems like them coming over into our territory is rather new. The scents are so fresh." The tom carefully crouched next to the herb plant and broke the stems with his teeth, laying them in a pile at his paws. “Well, Revy was trying to intercept an ambush on some Clan cats. I still don’t understand why, seeing how much Axel seems to despise Clan cats. He wanted something, I just don’t know what.” Dragonfly shook his head, recalling Revy’s praise after Dragonfly had given him all the information he knew about Jaguar meeting Greaser’s group. |
|
|
|
Post by Moonblazer on Oct 30, 2024 19:07:50 GMT -5
Whitesun slowly blinked open his eyes and looked around himself in slight confusion, momentarily forgetting where he was. Moving to try and sit up, he winced at the sharp pain that he felt in his shoulder and was suddenly reminded about everything that had taken place yesterday. Whitesun’s ears flattened against his head as he tried to force himself up and looked to his side to see if Jadefeather was still close by, gritting his teeth as his shoulder seemed to protest against the movement. Arcticbreeze sat not far from Whitesun and Jadefeather, having woken up not that long ago herself. She gave her disheveled fur a few licks, trying to get rid of any blood that was leftover from yesterday’s battle. While grooming her fur, the ThunderClan warrior kept a sharp eye on the group of cats that went about their business. Even though the leader of these cats had decided to keep them alive for now, Arcticbreeze wasn’t about to let her guard down around them just yet. Rocco poked his head around a pile of pipes, eyeing the Clan cats with wide and curious eyes. His fur was scuffled from training with Azalea and Lance. Axel had taken Lance on a patrol earlier, so Rocco was guarding the factory and the Queens today. He was incredibly curious though. Toeing towards the Clan cats, he tossed the squirrel in his jaws towards them. “Uh. You like squirrel, right? Clan cats eat prey like we do, right?” He asked, clearly interested in hearing them talk. Jadefeather watched Whitesun with worried eyes, gently soothing him as he clearly felt the ache of his wound. She looked quickly at Rocco, eyeing the squirrel with bright interest as she mewed. “Thank you… Whitesun, eat first. You need your strength.” |
|
|
|
Post by Icefire15 on Oct 30, 2024 20:34:23 GMT -5
Whitesun relaxed slightly when he spotted Jadefeather next to him, glad for her comforting presence. “You need your strength just as much as I do, Jadefeather.” He mewed, once again wishing that he had known that his mate was with kits before they had left the camp.
Arcticbreeze eyed the squirrel briefly before she returned to grooming her fur, giving a flick of her ear. “You two go ahead and share that. I’m not all that hungry right now.” She said.
——————
Asha looked between the two cats, taking in how relaxed they both looked. If they had wanted to attack her, they probably would have by now and taken her prey. Either way, she didn’t want to let her guard down just yet. Asha took a couple steps forward, her icy blue eyes narrowed as she watched them, “You barely know me, and you want me to join you? That doesn’t make any sense. What if I was an enemy of yours?” She pointed out, finding it a bit suspicious they would be going around and inviting random cats to join them.
Skyla stiffened a bit when she finally got a closer look at the she-cat, finally realizing why she looked so familiar. She leaned close to Jax and hissed quietly to him, her eyes never leaving Asha, “Jax, doesn’t she look just like…” Skyla trailed off, wondering if this she-cat was actually another kit of Axel’s.
|
|
|
|
Post by Moonblazer on Oct 30, 2024 20:51:47 GMT -5
“Are you sure?” Jadefeather asked the Thunderclan Warrior, still shocked at the prospect of her being her sister. She couldn’t help but want to protect her now, perhaps it was the motherly instincts, or just the desire of an older sister. Even so, she offered. “We can save you a piece.” She looked warmly at Whitesun, though her heart ached fiercely seeing his awful injury.
“No need!” Rocco interrupted, the friendly young tom padding a bit closer as he promised. “I’ll just bring you your own… uhm… Arcticbreeze, right? You all have long names, but they’re kind of cool! My name’s Rocco.” He introduced. He looked at Arcticbreeze for a long moment before he perked up. “Did ya sleep okay? I can get more nice stuff for you. We keep a bunch of pelts in a pile for sleeping.” He offered.
—-
“She does.” Jax mewed back simply to Skyla, having already noticed the resemblance. This would be perfect, if they could get one of Axel’s kits on their side. He looked at Asha again and chuckled once. “Yeah, you might be. But you also might not be. Out here, you need every friend you can get. If we’re going to get good pickings of where to roam in this city, we need cats like you at our side.” He explained.
|
|
|
|
Post by thistle on Oct 30, 2024 20:59:32 GMT -5
Magnolia emerged from the overturned oil drum that served as her den, stretching each delicate paw in turn. Spotting Rocco and her waking patients, she hurried closer.
"Oh, Rocco, thank you darlin'!" she chirped. "How sweet you are, bringin' our guests some food."
|
|
|
|
Post by thistle on Oct 30, 2024 21:01:31 GMT -5
Warblerwind listened to Nettle speak, silently agreeing with his opinions. Though, for him, he knew he'd need to return to SkyClan one day...it was his home. He sat beneath the branches of the bush Nettle disappeared into and set about trying to clean the wounds on his shoulders, his nose wrinkling at his foul pelt. He really was a wreck! After a good few minutes and the sound of fluttering wings, Nettle returned through the bushes with a large pigeon in his jaws. He placed it before Warblerwind before he scoffed lightly. “Looking at you again, you really do look like a mess. Have you groomed yourself even once in the past few days?” Warblerwind's ears grew hot with shame and he looked to the side awkwardly, clearing his throat. "Ah, well, see," he floundered for a moment. "I've been pretty caught up with the whole 'on-the-run' thing, I guess?" he chuckled, but it sounded hollow and wrong. "Yeah, I'm in pretty rough shape, huh?" |
|
|
|
Post by Icefire15 on Oct 30, 2024 22:13:01 GMT -5
Whitesun pulled the squirrel closer to him and Jadefeather, taking a small bite of it and passing it over to his mate. Truthfully, he wasn’t all that hungry himself either, having been feeling a bit nauseous since he had woken up.
Arcticbreeze eyed Rocco warily as he approached, “I’m fine.” She said simply, turning back to grooming her fur. Her ear twitched in frustration, wanting more than anything to find a way out of this place and to get back to her Clan, but it didn’t feel right to just leave Whitesun here while he was unable to move around on his injured shoulder.
——————
Skyla frowned but stayed silent, hoping that Jax knew what he was doing. Perhaps this was one of the many kits of Axel’s that didn’t belong to his gang.
Asha frowned when she saw the two whispering to each other, her curled ear twitching slightly. “Cats like me, huh?” She mewed, sitting down and pulling her rat closer to her. “I’ve been doing just fine on my own so far. How can I be so sure that this group of yours will be just as safe as when I’m on my own? I quite like the freedom I have now, so I’m not sure if I’m ready to give that up just yet.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Moonblazer on Oct 31, 2024 8:51:10 GMT -5
After a good few minutes and the sound of fluttering wings, Nettle returned through the bushes with a large pigeon in his jaws. He placed it before Warblerwind before he scoffed lightly. “Looking at you again, you really do look like a mess. Have you groomed yourself even once in the past few days?” Warblerwind's ears grew hot with shame and he looked to the side awkwardly, clearing his throat. "Ah, well, see," he floundered for a moment. "I've been pretty caught up with the whole 'on-the-run' thing, I guess?" he chuckled, but it sounded hollow and wrong. "Yeah, I'm in pretty rough shape, huh?" “Ah, yeah. That does make sense.” Nettle relaxed, letting the grimace fade from his face. It wasn’t fair to judge Warblerwind after going through such an awful thing. Instead, he offered. “There’s a twolegnest around here that has it’s own pond! Crazy, right? Twolegs apparently can just make their own ponds. But, it seems very clean. I bet we can get you looking much better there.” He offered. “I won’t judge. It’s not my style.” |
|
|
|
Post by Moonblazer on Oct 31, 2024 8:58:36 GMT -5
Rocco purred at Magnolia’s compliment, always weak to the she-cat’s kindness. They really were lucky to have her here. He chuckled. “Just doing my job! Revy was really clear that we make sure they eat well.”
Jadefeather’s stiff weariness seemed to lessen as Magnolia approached. She gave the gang’s equivalent of a medicine cat an imploring look. “Whitesun’s shoulder is giving him alot of pain. Is there anything you have that can help? Poppy seeds, or maybe some more of the polituce you used yesterday?” She kept her voice civil and relaxed, not seeing any reason to be guarded with Magnolia.
Axel slipped smoothly back into the factory from a high window, silent like a shadow as he made his way along one of the factory catwalks above. He eyed the Clan cats down below with piercing blue eyes, listening in on what Magnolia was saying to them. If any of them tried anything with his healer, he would leap down there in a heartbeat. Even so, he did eye Arcticbreeze and Jadefeather with a heavy weight in his gaze. That the Clans had taken two of his daughters from him made him seethe with anger, and rumble with loss.
—-
“No restrictions, at least not like you’re thinking. I get it, because I used to think the same way you did. Then I realized, that in numbers, I wouldn’t have to face every threat alone. I don’t have to toe along borders that aren’t my own, and the scrapyard we stay in never runs out of prey. We can go off on our own, explore, all the same stuff you do now. The only rule, is have Greaser’s back.” Jax offered, swishing his tail around his paws.
|
|
|
|
Post by Willow on Oct 31, 2024 15:14:36 GMT -5
Patrick hummed, "I suppose but it's been several moons now. It seems like them coming over into our territory is rather new. The scents are so fresh." The tom carefully crouched next to the herb plant and broke the stems with his teeth, laying them in a pile at his paws. “Well, Revy was trying to intercept an ambush on some Clan cats. I still don’t understand why, seeing how much Axel seems to despise Clan cats. He wanted something, I just don’t know what.” Dragonfly shook his head, recalling Revy’s praise after Dragonfly had given him all the information he knew about Jaguar meeting Greaser’s group. Patrick tucked the herbs under a bush for safe-keeping before moving onto a marigold plant. "Let's just say, I'm glad you handle all the of deals and gossip with the leaders. I can barely tell them apart. They all look the same to me, ragged and rough." |
|
|
|
Post by Icefire15 on Oct 31, 2024 19:54:39 GMT -5
Whitesun ate a couple more small bites of the squirrel before he pushed the rest over to his mate, “You go ahead and have the rest, Jadefeather. You need to eat and keep your strength up too.” He rasped, layjng back down and resting his head on his paws.
Arcticbreeze stayed quiet as the others spoke, having finished grooming her fur. Her ear twitched when she felt someone’s gaze on them and she lifted her head to look up into the rafters, barely managing to make out Axel’s figure in the shadows and catching a glint of his eyes. Huffing, Arcticbreeze turned away from him and looked back at the others. She had tossed and turned most of the night, struggling to come to terms with the possibility of her having found not only her father, but the identity of biological mother as well. Arcticbreeze lashed her tail, not wanting to just believe what she had been told. She was going to need a lot more evidence and proof before she could even get to that point.
——————
Asha slowly started to relax, deciding that these cats didn’t pose too much of a threat just yet. “And this Greaser… Will he have my back as well, or am I only there as an expendable pawn for him to use as he pleases?” She asked.
|
|
|
|
Post by Moonblazer on Oct 31, 2024 20:13:29 GMT -5
“Well, Revy was trying to intercept an ambush on some Clan cats. I still don’t understand why, seeing how much Axel seems to despise Clan cats. He wanted something, I just don’t know what.” Dragonfly shook his head, recalling Revy’s praise after Dragonfly had given him all the information he knew about Jaguar meeting Greaser’s group. Patrick tucked the herbs under a bush for safe-keeping before moving onto a marigold plant. "Let's just say, I'm glad you handle all the of deals and gossip with the leaders. I can barely tell them apart. They all look the same to me, ragged and rough." “Greaser’s the large and gruff handsome tom. Axel is the strong and sly handsome tom. Not too hard to know the difference, though Revy is the pretty one.” Dragonfly swooned dramatically, before he admitted. “But… well, them all being prone to murder takes some points off. Not really my kind of idea for a night out.” |
|
|
|
Post by Moonblazer on Oct 31, 2024 20:18:27 GMT -5
Whitesun ate a couple more small bites of the squirrel before he pushed the rest over to his mate, “You go ahead and have the rest, Jadefeather. You need to eat and keep your strength up too.” He rasped, layjng back down and resting his head on his paws. Arcticbreeze stayed quiet as the others spoke, having finished grooming her fur. Her ear twitched when she felt someone’s gaze on them and she lifted her head to look up into the rafters, barely managing to make out Axel’s figure in the shadows and catching a glint of his eyes. Huffing, Arcticbreeze turned away from him and looked back at the others. She had tossed and turned most of the night, struggling to come to terms with the possibility of her having found not only her father, but the identity of biological mother as well. Arcticbreeze lashed her tail, not wanting to just believe what she had been told. She was going to need a lot more evidence and proof before she could even get to that point. —————— Asha slowly started to relax, deciding that these cats didn’t pose too much of a threat just yet. “And this Greaser… Will he have my back as well, or am I only there as an expendable pawn for him to use as he pleases?” She asked. Jadefeather relented to her mate’s imploring voice, taking her bites of the squirrel. She glanced up at her father, trying to tuck herself closer to Whitesun to silently signal that she had no intention of letting anything happen to him. She looked right at him defiantly, completely at ease amongst her old life, yet bristling with stubbornness. She looked away as soon as his eyes trained on Arcticbreeze next. Axel finally moved again, leaping down from the catwalk from pipe to pipe until he could land near the Clan cats with a silent breath. He stood tall, imposing yet completely flat in the fur. Rather, he rumbled to Arcticbreeze. “Did you rest well?” —- “Smart one.” Jax praised with a simple grin, before the tom gave a rumble of laughter. “Yeah. Greaser’s one of the good ones, who’ll back his cats up as much as we back him up. He’s the reason we have any chance of thriving here with Axel’s Night Strikers stalking every corner of the city.” He tested, wondering if Asha had heard of the other tom. If she truly was one of his kits, did she know she was? |
|
|
|
Post by thistle on Oct 31, 2024 21:14:31 GMT -5
Magnolia nodded, her eyes rounding in sympathy as Jadefeather relayed Whitesun's status to her. She noticed the tom not eating much, either. She flicked an ear, holding her tongue as Axel approached. She respected him as their leader, but much preferred dealing with Revy; besides, Axel had a higher chance of riling up her patients!
"'Course, just a moment there," she said. She slipped away into her den once more, shuffling about before returning to the open, pushing the jar of ointment from before ahead of her as she tottered along on three paws. In her mouth she held a few herbs. She set her things down, giving Whitesun a tiny dip of her head and setting to work as Axel spoke.
She peeled back the old dressing on Whitesun's shoulder, giving his wound a good sniff, touching with her nose around the edges to feel for heat. "Ain't infected," she said, mostly to herself. "I'll clean it up and re-dress it."
|
|
|
|
Post by thistle on Oct 31, 2024 21:16:33 GMT -5
Warblerwind's ears grew hot with shame and he looked to the side awkwardly, clearing his throat. "Ah, well, see," he floundered for a moment. "I've been pretty caught up with the whole 'on-the-run' thing, I guess?" he chuckled, but it sounded hollow and wrong. "Yeah, I'm in pretty rough shape, huh?" “Ah, yeah. That does make sense.” Nettle relaxed, letting the grimace fade from his face. It wasn’t fair to judge Warblerwind after going through such an awful thing. Instead, he offered. “There’s a twolegnest around here that has it’s own pond! Crazy, right? Twolegs apparently can just make their own ponds. But, it seems very clean. I bet we can get you looking much better there.” He offered. “I won’t judge. It’s not my style.” Warblerwind grimaced at the idea, but could admit that he needed it. "All right, show me the way," he said, half-bowing in an echo of his usual humor and dramatic style. "I've gotta say, I didn't expect to find you here, but when I think about it, I suppose you'd be the most likely, right?" he said as they began to walk. "What made you pick Twolegplace?" |
|
|
|
Post by Icefire15 on Oct 31, 2024 21:35:16 GMT -5
“I rested just fine.” Arcticbreeze answered bluntly, glancing at Axel briefly before looking away again with a flick of her ear. Despite his imposing figure, Arcticbreeze refused to let herself tremble before him like a scared little kit and chose to follow Jadefeather’s example of defiance.
Whitesun opened his eyes again at the sound of Axel’s voice, but didn’t have the energy to lift his head anymore. He kept his eyes open though, watching the tom warily as Magnolia set to work on cleaning and redressing his wound.
——————
Asha’s ear flicked, the name of the other gang sounding a bit familiar to her, “Not sure who exactly those other guys are, but I think I recall hearing whispers here and there with those names in them.” She said, giving a small shrug of indifference. When she had left her home and made her way deeper into the city, Asha had heard a few stories of two different groups of cats being at odds with each other, but hadn’t paid close enough attention to what the names of each group was. “So what’s the deal then? Does this Axel cat not like the fact that there’s another group here in the city then?”
|
|
|
|
Post by Moonblazer on Nov 1, 2024 8:03:30 GMT -5
“Ah, yeah. That does make sense.” Nettle relaxed, letting the grimace fade from his face. It wasn’t fair to judge Warblerwind after going through such an awful thing. Instead, he offered. “There’s a twolegnest around here that has it’s own pond! Crazy, right? Twolegs apparently can just make their own ponds. But, it seems very clean. I bet we can get you looking much better there.” He offered. “I won’t judge. It’s not my style.” Warblerwind grimaced at the idea, but could admit that he needed it. "All right, show me the way," he said, half-bowing in an echo of his usual humor and dramatic style. "I've gotta say, I didn't expect to find you here, but when I think about it, I suppose you'd be the most likely, right?" he said as they began to walk. "What made you pick Twolegplace?" Nettle was silent for a moment, padding along the way back towards the Twolegnest with the pond. He finally spoke, shrugging softly. “Plenty of prey, plenty of places to hide, new faces to meet… and, well. I’m looking for my father.” He finally said it, before he scoffed bitterly. “Clearly my mother was so embarrassed that she couldn’t even name my father as another Clan cat. Obviously, it was worse than that. Enough to be so embarrassing that she’d never admit it. So, I can only think it’s some violent rouge or more likely a kittypet. Not that I care. Unlike the Clans and my mother, I don’t judge a cat based on where they were born and their circumstances to survive.” He lashed his tail. |
|
|
|
Post by Moonblazer on Nov 1, 2024 8:22:20 GMT -5
“I rested just fine.” Arcticbreeze answered bluntly, glancing at Axel briefly before looking away again with a flick of her ear. Despite his imposing figure, Arcticbreeze refused to let herself tremble before him like a scared little kit and chose to follow Jadefeather’s example of defiance. Whitesun opened his eyes again at the sound of Axel’s voice, but didn’t have the energy to lift his head anymore. He kept his eyes open though, watching the tom warily as Magnolia set to work on cleaning and redressing his wound. —————— Asha’s ear flicked, the name of the other gang sounding a bit familiar to her, “Not sure who exactly those other guys are, but I think I recall hearing whispers here and there with those names in them.” She said, giving a small shrug of indifference. When she had left her home and made her way deeper into the city, Asha had heard a few stories of two different groups of cats being at odds with each other, but hadn’t paid close enough attention to what the names of each group was. “So what’s the deal then? Does this Axel cat not like the fact that there’s another group here in the city then?” Axel watched Arcticbreeze for a moment, before his voice grew cold and firm as he spoke. “I would think Clan cats at least have the manners to show gratitude to the she-cat treating the injury that should have killed you.” His voice was low with warning as he eyed Whitesun in particular, no love in his eyes for the tom’s anguish. “Thank you, Magnolia.” Jadefeather responded quickly, her voice edging with the same powerful tone as her father’s as she stood right to her paws. She hovered right at Whitesun’s side, as though daring him to attack her, his daughter, and pregnant one at that. The staredown was intense for a moment, before Axel gave a deep grunt and seemed to relent. He gave one last piercing glance at Whitesun, before he turned to Arcticbreeze. “Jade already knows this place. But you’re new here. If you want any chance of leaving here in the agreed time, then you’ll need to know how to get around this factory. Get up, come with me.” He ordered. —- Grinning at the realization that Asha had no knowledge of her possible legacy, Jax played right into her assumptions as he nudged Skyla gently. “See, Axel is the son of the housecat who turned the City from a free-for-all into a powerful, unified group. No group existed as powerful as her Night Strikers. But once Alice died, her son was left in charge. But by that time, many cats felt ready to lead their own groups and break away from Alice’s gang. Axel found it affronting, and has since done all he could to dismantle every group that even slightly rises into power.” Jax snorted. “And he’s succeeded, until now. Greaser’s group collected cats from broken groups that failed to get vengeance against one of the Clans of the Wild. Once he realized he could unite us, he turned also to staking claim of our own territory here in the City. And so far, it’s the most any group has had in a long while.” |
|
|
|
Post by thistle on Nov 1, 2024 12:51:31 GMT -5
Warblerwind grimaced at the idea, but could admit that he needed it. "All right, show me the way," he said, half-bowing in an echo of his usual humor and dramatic style. "I've gotta say, I didn't expect to find you here, but when I think about it, I suppose you'd be the most likely, right?" he said as they began to walk. "What made you pick Twolegplace?" Nettle was silent for a moment, padding along the way back towards the Twolegnest with the pond. He finally spoke, shrugging softly. “Plenty of prey, plenty of places to hide, new faces to meet… and, well. I’m looking for my father.” He finally said it, before he scoffed bitterly. “Clearly my mother was so embarrassed that she couldn’t even name my father as another Clan cat. Obviously, it was worse than that. Enough to be so embarrassing that she’d never admit it. So, I can only think it’s some violent rouge or more likely a kittypet. Not that I care. Unlike the Clans and my mother, I don’t judge a cat based on where they were born and their circumstances to survive.” He lashed his tail. Warblerwind was quiet, padding along after Nettle on unsteady paws. At the mention of his father, he thought of his own. What would Slateheart be doing now? What would he think of him? He shook the thoughts away. "I think there's lots of ways for a cat to live. If this is yours, then even better for you to chase it," he meowed. After a moment, he continued. "I'll...I'll probably be here for a while, too. If you'll let me, I could try to help you out, as thanks." |
|
|
|
Post by thistle on Nov 1, 2024 12:52:51 GMT -5
“I rested just fine.” Arcticbreeze answered bluntly, glancing at Axel briefly before looking away again with a flick of her ear. Despite his imposing figure, Arcticbreeze refused to let herself tremble before him like a scared little kit and chose to follow Jadefeather’s example of defiance. Whitesun opened his eyes again at the sound of Axel’s voice, but didn’t have the energy to lift his head anymore. He kept his eyes open though, watching the tom warily as Magnolia set to work on cleaning and redressing his wound. —————— Asha’s ear flicked, the name of the other gang sounding a bit familiar to her, “Not sure who exactly those other guys are, but I think I recall hearing whispers here and there with those names in them.” She said, giving a small shrug of indifference. When she had left her home and made her way deeper into the city, Asha had heard a few stories of two different groups of cats being at odds with each other, but hadn’t paid close enough attention to what the names of each group was. “So what’s the deal then? Does this Axel cat not like the fact that there’s another group here in the city then?” Axel watched Arcticbreeze for a moment, before his voice grew cold and firm as he spoke. “I would think Clan cats at least have the manners to show gratitude to the she-cat treating the injury that should have killed you.” His voice was low with warning as he eyed Whitesun in particular, no love in his eyes for the tom’s anguish. “Thank you, Magnolia.” Jadefeather responded quickly, her voice edging with the same powerful tone as her father’s as she stood right to her paws. She hovered right at Whitesun’s side, as though daring him to attack her, his daughter, and pregnant one at that. The staredown was intense for a moment, before Axel gave a deep grunt and seemed to relent. He gave one last piercing glance at Whitesun, before he turned to Arcticbreeze. “Jade already knows this place. But you’re new here. If you want any chance of leaving here in the agreed time, then you’ll need to know how to get around this factory. Get up, come with me.” He ordered. —- Grinning at the realization that Asha had no knowledge of her possible legacy, Jax played right into her assumptions as he nudged Skyla gently. “See, Axel is the son of the housecat who turned the City from a free-for-all into a powerful, unified group. No group existed as powerful as her Night Strikers. But once Alice died, her son was left in charge. But by that time, many cats felt ready to lead their own groups and break away from Alice’s gang. Axel found it affronting, and has since done all he could to dismantle every group that even slightly rises into power.” Jax snorted. “And he’s succeeded, until now. Greaser’s group collected cats from broken groups that failed to get vengeance against one of the Clans of the Wild. Once he realized he could unite us, he turned also to staking claim of our own territory here in the City. And so far, it’s the most any group has had in a long while.” Magnolia frowned, but knew better than to say anything to Axel directly. "Of course, hon," she said softly, getting to work with lapping the ointment into the now-clean wound on Whitesun. "It's what my paws walk this earth t' do." |
|
|
|
Post by Moonblazer on Nov 1, 2024 13:14:09 GMT -5
Nettle was silent for a moment, padding along the way back towards the Twolegnest with the pond. He finally spoke, shrugging softly. “Plenty of prey, plenty of places to hide, new faces to meet… and, well. I’m looking for my father.” He finally said it, before he scoffed bitterly. “Clearly my mother was so embarrassed that she couldn’t even name my father as another Clan cat. Obviously, it was worse than that. Enough to be so embarrassing that she’d never admit it. So, I can only think it’s some violent rouge or more likely a kittypet. Not that I care. Unlike the Clans and my mother, I don’t judge a cat based on where they were born and their circumstances to survive.” He lashed his tail. Warblerwind was quiet, padding along after Nettle on unsteady paws. At the mention of his father, he thought of his own. What would Slateheart be doing now? What would he think of him? He shook the thoughts away. "I think there's lots of ways for a cat to live. If this is yours, then even better for you to chase it," he meowed. After a moment, he continued. "I'll...I'll probably be here for a while, too. If you'll let me, I could try to help you out, as thanks." Nettle blinked in surprise at Warblerwind’s offer as he bunched his legs to leap up the fence. He crouched down low, ready to help Warblerwind leap up if he needed it. His voice was light with respect as he mewed. “That… really means alot. But. Don’t feel like you’re obligated to do that just because I wanted to help you out. What you’ve gone through is leagues worse than my personal gripes. So. If you want to help, I won’t say no, but…” He trailed off, before he gave a knowing look. “You’re a real Skyclan cat, Warblerwind. That scent I don’t think could ever wash out of you like it’ll wash out of me. I get a feeling that you’ll be back before you know it.” |
|
|
|
Post by thistle on Nov 2, 2024 11:35:08 GMT -5
Warblerwind was quiet, padding along after Nettle on unsteady paws. At the mention of his father, he thought of his own. What would Slateheart be doing now? What would he think of him? He shook the thoughts away. "I think there's lots of ways for a cat to live. If this is yours, then even better for you to chase it," he meowed. After a moment, he continued. "I'll...I'll probably be here for a while, too. If you'll let me, I could try to help you out, as thanks." Nettle blinked in surprise at Warblerwind’s offer as he bunched his legs to leap up the fence. He crouched down low, ready to help Warblerwind leap up if he needed it. His voice was light with respect as he mewed. “That… really means alot. But. Don’t feel like you’re obligated to do that just because I wanted to help you out. What you’ve gone through is leagues worse than my personal gripes. So. If you want to help, I won’t say no, but…” He trailed off, before he gave a knowing look. “You’re a real Skyclan cat, Warblerwind. That scent I don’t think could ever wash out of you like it’ll wash out of me. I get a feeling that you’ll be back before you know it.” Warblerwind had to swallow past the sudden lump in his throat at Nettle's assurances. Since when was he so emotional? It was strange to feel something other than rage, numbness, or grief. He braced himself to leap, having to claw his way to the top of the fence before responding. "I hate to sound like a mockingbird and keep repeating myself like this, but," he tried with humor, but his voice wobbled slightly. "Thank you. You're a good cat, Nettle, even if you and I don't share the same trees anymore." He half-jumped, half-fell down into the yard Nettle had led them into. He spotted the little pond, strange in the way it had no runoff or spring feeding it. "Is this it?" |
|
|
|
Post by Moonblazer on Nov 2, 2024 13:36:01 GMT -5
Nettle blinked in surprise at Warblerwind’s offer as he bunched his legs to leap up the fence. He crouched down low, ready to help Warblerwind leap up if he needed it. His voice was light with respect as he mewed. “That… really means alot. But. Don’t feel like you’re obligated to do that just because I wanted to help you out. What you’ve gone through is leagues worse than my personal gripes. So. If you want to help, I won’t say no, but…” He trailed off, before he gave a knowing look. “You’re a real Skyclan cat, Warblerwind. That scent I don’t think could ever wash out of you like it’ll wash out of me. I get a feeling that you’ll be back before you know it.” Warblerwind had to swallow past the sudden lump in his throat at Nettle's assurances. Since when was he so emotional? It was strange to feel something other than rage, numbness, or grief. He braced himself to leap, having to claw his way to the top of the fence before responding. "I hate to sound like a mockingbird and keep repeating myself like this, but," he tried with humor, but his voice wobbled slightly. "Thank you. You're a good cat, Nettle, even if you and I don't share the same trees anymore." He half-jumped, half-fell down into the yard Nettle had led them into. He spotted the little pond, strange in the way it had no runoff or spring feeding it. "Is this it?" "Yeah, this is it. You'll have some scaled guests in there with you, and they're the brightest fish you'll ever see! But, they'll leave you alone." Nettle nodded, having tried out the pond himself yesterday. He leaped down, looking to make sure the twolegs were not outside, before he admitted. "These twolegs seem to go on adventures in their monsters most of the day. I've only ever seen them out really early and really late. Then again, I've only been here a few days." The tom padded towards the pond, watching Warblerwind for a moment as he digested the tom's kind words. He offered a small smile, neither guilty nor unapologetic as he sighed. "You know, I didn't leave because I hated anyone. I know I may have seemed aloof, but I do love my sisters, my old Clanmates. I didn't leave because of any of you. Well. Besides my mother, but..." He huffed, trying not to get into the complex emotions there as he continued. "I felt awful mentoring Twigpaw. He deserved so much better, but I was too scared to tell Spiritstar that I felt nothing for mentoring. If anything, I felt so restricted, that an apprentice's entire training depended on me. He probably hates me, for giving him up. I don't blame him. But... I did care about him alot. I just couldn't teach him. But you! Hah! Plumwillow did such a good job with you. I was jealous, how easy she made it seem." He moved to lazily wade his paws into the pond, looking at the koi fish with light wonder. "I guess I just wanted to be free. And as great as some parts of Clan life is, I loved pure freedom more than I loved that Code." |
|
