Creeping disturbance, (open).

[Deleted]

20th of the Sturgeon moon, 2016, (August 20th) | After-noon | open to anyone.

Clouds painted the sky in a cluster of distinctive shades, concealing the sun and washing the forest in a blanket of shadows. It was eerily quiet, save for a soft breeze - the wind whistling through the woods, stirring the leaves and ruffling the fur of a short, black cat. Nyx, sighing with displeasure, eyed the clouded sky. The air felt heavy, noticeably humid as she padded along. A sense of curiosity washed over her. The forest was relatively new to her, the scent of foliage a fresh contrast to the crowded two-leg place. Food was scarce on the streets - more than once did she have to nose her way through the canisters of rotting food in hopes for something salvageable.

However, she knew the forest held mysteries, stories from the past.

From loners, to rogues, and the occasional kittypet; even her own mother spoke once of the rumours. 'Clans', an elderly tale of an old community of cats who settled these lands. They were divided, but relatively the same. She hardly knew much, but the idea seemed silly at first. She couldn't quite understand why there was more than one clan; why not live as one? The whole thing seemed pretentious.

Or maybe she just didn't get it.

"Whatever," she said aloud, her tail sightly twitching. These 'clans' were gone and there wasn't much that could be done about it. The forest was free for her to roam; she would benefit from the lack of a territorial group of cats.

[Danielle]

Baron || Tom || 30 moons || Kittypet

    The air was far too warm and seemed to almost weigh down his fur as Baron made his way through the forest. The shade from the trees and the clouds offered little relief, but at least there was a breeze. It was far better than being stuck in his housefolks' stuffy home, in any case. The humming box that usually kept the entire place a comfortable temperature had gone silent earlier that morning, and the heat quickly grew unbearable. Rather than waiting for his housefolk to figure out how to get it working again, the tom had quietly slipped through one of the many open windows and made his way to the forest. He had explored there often when he was younger, and still ventured there from time to time. There was a river a ways into the woods, and on days like today he enjoyed cooling his paws in the shallow water. Occasionally he would even swim to the other side to explore, but he hadn't found anything worth noting. 

    Just as he began to hear the quiet rushing of the water, he realized he wasn't the only cat at the river today. A slender, black she-cat was walking slightly ahead of him, and seemed to be rather focused on something. Perhaps this was one of those cats that were said to live in the woods, hunting live prey and sleeping on leaves. It was an odd lifestyle for him to imagine, but he supposed it held some merit to the cats living by it. He didn't really know much about forest cats, so he couldn't judge. He padded down to the river, dipping his head to her as he passed. 

    "Good afternoon," he greeted her. Whether he knew this cat or not, Baron had been raised to be polite by saying hello.

[Zesha]

Sarai | Queen | 23 Moons | Loner

Sarai walked beneath the trees, letting the dappled sunlight on the grass warm her back as she passed underneath the leafy canopy. It was warm, especially for a cat with solid black fur, but so far it wasn’t too horribly unbearable. But perhaps she was just used to the heat after traveling on this level for so long. It had been at least 12 moons since she had last seen her parents, since she had been banished from the Tribe of Cricket Chirps. Yet aside from missing her brother and mother, she felt no desire to leave the area below the trees, as it seemed pleasant.

She came to a river, and her bright eyes scanned over it. It wasn’t a very strong river, and it looked far cooler than the ground she walked on. Smiling slightly, she slipped gracefully into the water and sighed as a cool, wet feeling penetrated her fur. She stretched out a paw, then pulled it in and switched, paddling with confidence down stream. It wasn’t long before the sound of a cat’s voice—a tom, it sounded like—caught her attention, and she veered back towards the bank to meet the cat. It had been so long since she had last seen anyone!

Upon arriving, she saw a tabby tom with long fur. “Hello!” she greeted, shaking out her fur and trotting closer until she saw a black she-cat that looked… well, just like her. She paused for a moment, trying to figure out if she were looking into a vertical pond. When she was sure she wasn’t, she put her tail up in greeting and purred, “Greetings, both of you.”

aeron at thq

[Deleted]

Nyx | Queen | 13 moons | Loner

Having been caught in thought, Nyx, padding absently along, froze with fright at the sudden appearance of a cat. She went on the defensive, her fur noticeably prickling as she unsheathed her claws. She glared, eyeing him up and down; he was a white tom, distinct patches of orange on his head and tail with bright, blue eyes. He didn't look familiar. Though he didn't seem too threatening, you could never be too sure - life on the streets had left her suspicious. She acknowledged his greeting with a twitch of her ears, slightly nodding his way. The tom had a strong scent that reeked of the two-leg place.


"Hi." She hissed out, her tail twitching with irritation. Though the tom seemed polite, Nyx wasn't generally in the mood. Maybe she'd humour him. "You need something?" She added with a glare, eyeing him warily. The hot air did nothing to lighten her mood.


As though the appearance of one cat wasn't enough, the short, enthusiastic voice of another caught the attention of Nyx. Turning, the young queen eyed the newcomer with frustration. Maybe she was a friend of the tom-cat? She sighed heavily, a sense of discomfort overcoming her. They're only trying to be polite, she thought.


"...Hey." She deadpanned.

[Danielle]

Baron || Tom || 30 moons || Kittypet

    The acid in the dark queen's voice caught Baron by surprise, and he stopped walking to look at her in confusion. Had he done something to offend her? As far as he was aware this area didn't belong to any cat in particular, but perhaps that had changed. Maybe it would be best to leave and avoid a fight, though he really would have liked to wade in the river just a bit before going back to his housefolk. She seemed to thaw just a tiny bit as she asked him a question, but she was still glaring daggers at him.

    "I just came to cool myself off in the river, I apologize if I've trespassed on your territory." Forest cats were strangely possessive of their land. He didn't understand it in the slightest. "I wasn't aware there was a cat living here, I assure you I mean no harm. My name is Baron, I live near the edge of the forest with my housefolk."

    A light splashing drew his attention back to the river, where he saw another black she-cat, almost identical to the one he was talking to. Perhaps they were family? But the second queen seemed rather confused after she had reached them, looking at the grumpy she-cat skeptically as if she might be an illusion. She was the complete opposite of her mirror, trotting up to them both happily with bright eyes and purring a greeting. Baron smiled at her friendliness.

    "Greetings to you as well," he replied. The large tom decided to introduce himself again, just for good measure. "My name is Baron, it's nice to meet you."

[Zesha]

Sarai | Queen | 23 Moons | Loner

Sarai seemed completely oblivious to the other black she-cat’s deadpan voice, or the fact that she seemed to possibly want to rip her throat out at any second. Perhaps the former Tribe cat was simply used to it. Her father had that look in his eyes all the time, so it was probably just natural for some cats. Suddenly she realized her head was tilted to one side where she had been in thought, an old and annoying habit she had when she got stuck in her own head.

Completely unconcerned as to whether these cats were dangerous—her twin over there almost certainly was—she made herself at home by getting a little closer to the tom. Baron, he said his name was. Of the two, he seemed more like her brother, willing to talk to anyone that came up to him even if he had never laid eyes on them before. That instantly made her feel drawn to him. It had been quite a long time since she had last seen Gabriel.

“My name is Sarai,” she said, her accent sounding thicker now that she was more relaxed. It was quite obvious she wasn’t from anywhere near the forest territories. “I am a newcomer to these lands. You are the first cats I’ve seen so far.”

aeron at thq

[Deleted]

Nyx | Queen | 13 moons | Loner

The tom's confused stare left Nyx glaring back, the young queen grimacing at the surprise in his eyes. Okay, maybe she came off a bit strong - he'd approached her with nothing but a kind greeting, which was undeniably kind. The harsh tone of her voice was a step in the wrong direction, she thought; even though she didn’t feel particularly guilty about it. Should she apologise? Reflecting, the black she-cat continued to eye the tom with speculation. Maybe - but it was mundane, silly even. She was overthinking things.

"It's not my territory," The young queen snorted, turning to eye the forest canopy with indifference. "I haven't really lived here that long." Nyx added. She glanced occasionally between the tom and the queen, noticing the resemblance between herself and Sarai - however, she was undeniably more cheery. It was clear that the she-cat wasn't a friend of the tom-cat. I guess we're all strangers to each other, then, she thought. Eyeing the two awkwardly, the young queen sighed with a frown. "It's Nyx," She simply said.

She felt a little out of place. Despite her better judgement, the dark queen remained - continuing to eye the two warily.

(OOC - this feel kinda' short, I'm sorry.)

[Danielle]

Baron || Tom || 30 moons || Kittypet 

    It was nice to have names to put to their faces, to distinguish them from each other a bit more. Baron was surprised at Sarai's accent, prominent now that she had spoken more than just a few words. Perhaps she was a traveller? She had said she was new to the area. The ginger-and-white tom had heard there were some cats that travelled much farther than the usual stray did in their whole life, but he had never met such a cat. He mainly stayed within the same small area near his home, only occasionally venturing a bit farther into the woods, and as such his social circle was limited. Not that he minded. Still, meeting two cats he had never seen before was certainly not something that happened every day. Especially when they were both such unusual individuals, he couldn't help but be curious.

    "Where do you come from?" He wasn't sure which of the queens his question was directed at, and decided he didn't particularly care which of them answered; he was curious about both. Though Nyx's voice lacked the same foreign cadence as her look-alike, she had mentioned not having been here long either. Despite his usual lack of interest in other cats, he wondered what her background might be like. She was certainly an intriguing individual. Her eyes darted about as if in search of an escape, and Baron half-expected her to disappear into the trees without so much as a good-bye. Sarai seemed as comfortable as ever by his side, as if they had known each other for seasons. A strange pair of cats, indeed.

[Zesha]

Sarai | Queen | 23 Moons | Loner

“A pleasure, Nyx,” she said, grinning now that she knew both cat’s names. It was still a bit strange to her to see a cat that looked so much alike outside of her former Tribe, but she supposed there were still cats out there that looked like them. There had been some outsiders that joined. She doubted Nyx would have fit in well, though, since Jehiel was a demanding father and even more demanding Priest. His word was the word of their ancestors, the Tribe of Stars. If she was honest with herself, Baron didn’t look like the kind of cat that would put up with that, either.

A new question came up, and she tilted her head to the side a bit as she answered, “I come from forests far away, where the Tribe of Cricket Chirps lives. It has been many moons travel. Five I think. There was a, how you say, altercation. I had to leave my former home. And now, I here.” Her words were sometimes elegant and flowing, but other times it sounded like it was broken, as if cat weren’t her first language. She believed she managed to get her point across clearly enough, however, and left it at that.

aeron at thq

[Deleted]

Nyx | Queen | 13 moons | Loner 

"A real pleasure," Nyx said, her tone flat. The streets were a harsh place; many cats either lived separately, or grouped together to form gangs. It was a ruthless environment with few favourable encounters. Baron and Sarai were a welcoming change, however. Even though she didn't look too thrilled, she could appreciate the friendly exchange. She usually came off too strong, unapproachable, which she intended to do with the white-and-orange tom. Something of a reflex she instinctively adopted. Yet she relented - although, Nyx quickly realised how reclusive she was to the conversation. She couldn't help but feel a little envious of the other two; they clearly looked comfortable.

Despite her mood, the young queen turned to Sarai as she quickly answered the tom's question. Nyx was curious of the black feline, as she herself rarely moved. It was a rare experience, as she generally preferred to stay in one place. A clear understanding of her surroundings was a comfortable thought, yet the choice for her to leave the streets was voluntarily - unlike Sarai, from the sounds of this 'altercation'.

"That sucks," Nyx said, a little too apathetically. Her tail twitched at the tone of her own voice as she sneered awkwardly. She really didn't know how to talk to others without sounding harsh. "Leaving your home," She said, quickly adding: "It must of been hard." Nyx felt uncomfortable, more-so than before. She knew what it was like to leave something behind.

[Danielle]

Baron || Tom || 30 moons || Kittypet

  Baron's eyes widened as Sarai answered his question. Five moons of travel? Could he have heard that correctly? Her pelt was well-groomed, and she showed no sign of fatigue or unhappiness. The tom guessed he himself would probably last no more than a quarter moon if he had to travel that far on his own. But then, why would he need to? He had his housefolk to feed him and take care of him. It had never occurred to him just how hard living without that comfort might be, and the thought surprised him. This little cat was far stronger than he had originally assumed.

    Nyx gave the other queen a few words of sympathy, though they were quick and didn't have quite the right emotions behind them. It didn't escape his notice that she had avoided his question altogether,instead opting to divert attention to the others. Despite her almost uncaring tone, there was an undercurrent of genuine sadness. It made him wonder what her story might be, and if it was anything similar to Sarai's. He felt it would be rude to ask again, however, and settled for agreeing with her.

    "It is very unfortunate that you had to leave your home," he said, wondering again at how she had fared so well during five moons of travel. "I could not begin to imagine what it must be like to leave behind everything you know to live somewhere else. I admire your strength."

_{(( Sorry I took so long getting around to this! The time managed to get away from me and suddenly it's almost a week later >< ))}

[Zesha]

Sarai | Queen | 23 Moons | Loner

Sarai did not seem to mind Nyx’s tone. It was one she was familiar with from her own tribe, as one cat had a very monotonous voice that never sounded like he could feel emotion, whether good or bad. It did not help that he was a tranquil cat, slow to anger, so his speech would creep by when you wanted it to rush ahead. Most in the tribe would avoid him just so they didn’t have to try to understand his words. Sarai, on the other paw, had done her best to talk to him at least once a day, trying to make him feel like he was a welcome member of the tribe.

These two cats before her hadn’t told her much about themselves, but for now, she was content just being around them. It had been too long on her own after Rafe left. Sarai got into a comfortable position on the ground, tucking her paws under her for the story she was about to tell. She figured they deserved to know her story.

“Yes, it is difficult for me. I had known nothing else all my life. But my story is a bit… odd. I must ask you to trust that I am telling the truth, as since I have left my home, I realize that it is not as most other cats would form a tribe.” The black she-cat looked between Nyx and Baron, then bowed her head, lifting it once she was mentally prepared to tell her story.

“In the Tribe of Cricket Chirp, there are only black cats. Only cats that are solid black live there. My brother, Gabriel—he met a she-cat that was not black. He had kits with her, and our father was very angry. Our father and leader had worked very hard to keep the lines pure, so he said. I could see the love Gabriel and this she-cat had, and it was true, far purer than anything our father could create through an all-black line. But he banished my brother, stripped him of his birth name, labeled him “Rafe.” I spoke out against this, and was banished too. But my father, he saw me as his precious one. So I have kept my name, and allowed to return. But I will not. I miss my mother, and the rest of my family and friends, but I will not go back to what I now know is imprisonment. There is so much out here… so much to see, so many places to go. And so many interesting cats!” She gave a smile to both of them. “So is not a completely bad thing. I find happiness wherever I go.”

aeron at thq

[Deleted]

Nyx | Queen | 13 moons | Loner 

The story that left Sarai was an intriguing one. Nyx listened, perplexed but also interested - particularly at the mention of this tribe being made up of black cats; one's much like herself. She thought it was a ridiculous idea, a childish interest that only baffled Nyx. She could hardly see herself in the same position as Sarai, a member of something that sounded so pointless and demanding of one's pelt colour. She was sympathetic to the dark queens banishment, but envious of her optimism.  

"Your tribe sounds pretty unique. I've never heard of a group of cats that merely stuck together on the colour of their pelts alone." Nyx said, almost condescendingly. "It sounds like a strict lifestyle."  

Initially, Nyx had deliberately failed to answer the tom's question, hesitant to answer. The past was a heavy topic, one that plagued her thoughts like a continuous flame - the same haunting blaze that shook her to the very core of her being. The furious heat that singed her fur with a terrifying chill that preyed upon her fears of that day; she didn't feel the courtesy to talk about those events, not yet. She didn't feel like talking at all. She merely stared absently ahead, tail twitching frantically as her eyes flickered with fear. Two moons ago. That was how long she had gone without the familiar presence of her family.  

These two moons were unforgivable. Lonely.  

"I've only been on the streets," She said, her voice without emotion. The lingering fear in her eyes betrayed her detached tone, however. "I've been on my own for some time." She added, her voice breaking off with a sigh.  

[Danielle]

Baron || Tom || 30 moons || Kittypet

    In a way, Baron could understand why a group of cats might be restricted to those solely with black fur. It was similar to how his original housefolk --the ones who still took care of his mother, not the ones that kept him now -- had treated all of their cats, taking care to keep bloodlines clean and ensure that any kittens born would have beautiful coats appropriate for showing. However, they had never been so angry with a breeding gone awry as to actually punish a cat, let alone banish them from their home. The tom wondered what could possibly make a cat react so negatively, suddenly hating his own children for what seemed to him like a very minor thing. But perhaps there was some reasoning that Baron couldn't begin to make sense of hiding behind Sarai's story. They were wild cats after all, and he was entirely unfamiliar with their ways, instead used to his comfortable house cat life.

    "That is rather... extreme," Baron agreed, before adding, "Though I can somewhat see the logic behind it. When an unknown cat enters into the bloodline it is difficult to know how the kittens will turn out. That is not to say I agree with your father's methods, of course." He wondered if his words might somehow offend the black she-cat, but she seemed rather resilient. Despite being turned away from her home, she was still so optimistic about the wonders the wild had to offer. It was a direct contrast to the other queen with them, and he found himself watching Nyx as she stared uneasily at nothing in particular before speaking quietly again.

    "You don't enjoy being on your own," he said, phrasing it more as a statement than a question. To any cat with eyes it was clear that, while she was uncomfortable talking to strangers, it was much preferable to being alone. An interesting contradiction.