[ti]Private[/ti]Mistakes Were Made

[silverfang218]

Starling spends vast majority of her days doing a bit of hunting, and today is no exception. Having grown tired and cautious of IvyClan and MistClan territory, Starling has ventured into MothClan territory. While Starling understands why IvyClan and MistClan have taken vast majority of the good hunting grounds in the area, it’s still frustrating to be a loner with nowhere to go except areas that might end with a whole patrol of cats trying to kill you. MothClan’s territory is terrible compared to the other clans, but it’s still better than a lot of the surrounding unclaimed land.

As she creeps across the MothClan border, her nose wrinkles and her ears flatten. While Starling admits that her scent isn’t necessarily the same as IvyClan’s, Starling still finds MistClan and MothClan’s scents to be almost nauseating, MothClan’s scent being the worst. Perhaps it’s the fact that it takes the more familiar IvyClan scent and twists it around by adding a bit of MistClan along with grass, stone, and smoke from the thunderpaths. Either way, it’s overwhelming.

That being said, it’s Starling’s ears that manage to locate prey first. Creeping towards the soft rustle of grass, Starling’s eyes find the tawny brown fur and ears of a small hare. Perfect. Using all the techniques that he beloved mentor had taught her back before she left IvyClan, she starts to silently slink towards the hare. She pauses only a couple tail lengths away, shifting her weight as the young loner prepares to pounce.

[Ervo]

Oakcloud

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Stay virtuous and fair dear one.

silverfang218

Oakcloud had been finding herself in the training fields more often than not. It was fine by her, away from crowds and a place where she could train without interference. It was around midday, the sun shining and the birds song now turned into a mess of chirps and squawks. The faint scent of smoke and stone from the thunderpaths bringing her comfort. It was home, a safe place for all Mothclan members. Even if the thunderpaths could prove dangerous to those who didn't take care. She could have considered it a nice day, but the birds were not something she found pleasant.

However she got some excitement when she caught the scent of a newcomer. An unknown cat had trailed through the territory. It turned her radars on full blast, gait turning into a light stalk and a frown set in her face. She caught a glimpse of the tawny cat. A hunter of some sort, a loner or a rouge depending on their intention. It didn't matter to her, someone was on Mothclan land without permission. Not to mention a hunter in her home, an invasive chill settled over her coat. She was going to end this right now.

She rounded her way to the side, body low to the ground her her tail flat. Her ears pinned and she was primed for action. She jumped from the right side, aiming to land right in front of what she guessed to be another she-cat. The rabbit not even given a second thought. Once landed on the ground she would stand tall, tucking her chin against her neck to protect her throat. She peered down at the other with an eyebrow cocked.

"I hope you were not about to try and hunt on foreign lands." She looked down her nose at the other cat, a hint of snobbishness coming from her eloquent voice. She wasn't a monster who attacked first before giving the target a chance to run, that is unless they were her prey. If this she-cat however, had intentions other than leaving she wasn't going to let her go unscathed.

[silverfang218]

Just as Starling’s haunches lower in order to spring, a cat lands between her and her prey. The smoky huntress hops backward in surprise before her ears flatten and she lowers her head into a defensive decision. So this she-cat wants to be a snob, hm? “No lands are foreign to a cat who wanders. Besides, if cats who don’t want to be in a clan wish to live, then they must hunt on clan territory. Look, I’m not looking for a fight. I was only looking for enough to fill my belly, but if you MothClan warriors can’t stomach the thought of another cat hunting on your nearly worthless hunting grounds, then I suppose I will have to leave. Perhaps go to one of the clans that actually has good hunting grounds.” While her words are meant to infuriate her foe, she’s not actually wrong. MothClan truly got the short end of the stick when it came to territory, hince the numerous attempts to take more territory from IvyClan. Starling just so happens to remember that fact from listening to Barkfur more often than she should of.

Starling straightens herself, standing up as if they were having a normal conversation though her muscles are tense and she’s ready to flee should the other warrior spring at her. “I suppose it would make sense why MothClan just can’t have hunters on their territory; they are such poor hunters that they scare away most of few prey animals on their territory. They need every scrawny rabbit they can get.”

If Oakcloud leaps at Starling, Starling is going to turn and flee towards IvyClan territory in hopes of luring the MothClan cat over the border to prove a point.

[Ervo]

Oakcloud

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Stay virtuous and fair dear one.

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Oakcloud blinked at the newcomer, a slight quirk to her lips surfacing for but a moment. The newcomers words starting off as amusing but turned more rage inducing. She allowed a sour snarl to overtake her face, no sound coming from her throat. Perhaps this newcomer needed to be taught a lesson in manners? She entertained the thought for the moment, finding this cat to be more interesting then threatening. Oakcloud relaxed her stance a bit, still ready to attack if need be but not quite as instigating before. A small puff of air escaped her nose in a huffed laugh. Although her mouth didn't quite get on board with the idea of smiling.

"If you find our hunting lands so displeasing why come here in the first place wanderer." She cocked her head to the side a bit, allowing her curiosity to get the better of her. "Certainly it would be easier for someone of your status to go beg for scraps from one of the twolegs." She allowed a small smirk to form on her face, head straightening out and tail flaring out behind her. Her arrogance was showing in full view, but she wanted to sate her curiosity about the newcomer. After all it wasn't every day she got to meet a completely new face.

"What's your name she-cat? And why is a loner like you doing here? In a clan's territory that values strength." Oakcloud couldn't fathom it. No loyalty to a clan? No duties to fulfill? Not to mention what seemed like a suicidal tendency. It seemed like a miserable existence, although she wanted to know what would drive a cat to do that in the first place. Besides, at the very least it would help her know what buttons to try and push for the next loner. Or any rouge that decided to make their way into her home.

[silverfang218]

“I come because I don’t want my scent to appear too often or be too strong in IvyClan or MistClan territory, and because I have not hunting in MothClan before. I didn’t know you had so few hunting grounds compared to the other clans.” Starling responds truthfully to the question of why she’s here. She has some concern for how often her scent appears just in case the other clans decide to hunt her down just in case their warriors decide to hunt her down. She hadn’t ventured onto MothClan territory before now mostly because of their reputation, though she’s beginning to question that reputation now. While Starling herself is a poor fighter and likely wouldn’t win, this arrogant she-cat also couldn’t beat a lot of cats Starling knew back in IvyClan.
As for the comment about someone of her station begging? Starling shakes her head, raising her nose to look at the other cat as an equal and nothing less, though Starling stays tense just in case her words end up starting a fight. “I was born a clan cat, friend, I don’t beg from twolegs. Unless you meant that MothClan warriors begged food? I’m sorry, but in my old clan, that’s just not how we did things.”

“As for my name, you may continue to call me ‘Wanderer.’. I quite like that name, actually. My Clan prefix was Starling, so you may also call me by the name Starling if you wish.” the loner’s voice is smooth and confident, as if she is gracing this strange warrior and honoring her by giving out a name. While Oakcloud seemed to be seeping with overconfidence, Starling’s expression stays serene. Her tone of voice is reminiscent of a leader or senior warrior chastising an unruly apprentice, as is the look in her eyes.

Ervo

[Ervo]

Oakcloud

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Oakcloud watched the loner with interest, her tawny eyes glittering with entertainment. This she-cat certainly was a strange one but she couldn't bring herself to mind too much. She didn't find them posing to much of a threat. She felt it was more of a banter than anything, if it wasn't for the difference in clans perhaps they could have been friendly acquaintances.

"A Mothclan member would never beg from a twoleg, I just figured you came from kittypet backgrounds from your hunting skills mousebrain." The statement was teasing, no real force behind the words spoken. Starling was a new name to learn, one she found interesting and strange. She was full on smirking now, a playful glint to her eyes when it came to this newcomer. Of course she knew they couldn't stay, after all they were a loner. That didn't mean they couldn't have a bit of fun while their paths were crossed, did it?

"My name is Oakcloud, a pleasure to make your acquaintance Starling." Her tail flicked and a low sigh escaped her lips. "Unfortunately I'm going to have to escort you back to the border, although you have been interesting to talk too." She took a step forward, hackles raising slightly and her ears pointed forwards. "Perhaps you could entertain the notion of telling me more about yourself as we walk?" Her right paw was up in the air, ready to lead the way and a smirk dancing across her lips.

[silverfang218]

As the MothClan warrior’s tone becomes teasing, Starling finds herself relax ever so slightly. Not fully, but just a bit. Her eyes become less guarded and the hostility fades away. While she is still ready to run at any moment, she at the very least no longer looks or sounds like she’s confronting an enemy. It’s true that Starling herself is far from a threat. As young as she is with her slender build, few older or larger warriors would consider her very dangerous at all though should any cat actually watch her fight… well no cat would be very impressed.

An equally playful glint replaces the hostility in her eyes. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Oakcloud.” Starling replies politely before making a teasing remark, “I get my own escort? My, I must be quite special.” She makes no move to resist, instead turning to fall in beside Oak as they walked back towards the edge of MothClan territory. While this encounter seems like it stay peaceful, Starling still makes a mental note to stay off of MothClan territory unless she has an emergency. Their hunting grounds really are quite terrible compared to that of the other clans.

As for talking more about herself, why not. “Tell you about myself, hm? Well let’s see… I was born in IvyClan, decided to leave not too long after becoming an apprentice because being a loner suits me much better, and now I live somewhere outside of Clan territory.” The smoky young she-cat tilts her head to one side. “Is there anything in particular you would like to know?”

[Ervo]

Oakcloud

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Oakcloud smirked at the others words, swishing her tail behind her. This Starling certainly was someone worth talking to rather than chasing off at first sight. Now that she was looking at the she-cat with the view of an acquaintance rather than an enemy, she realized that Starling was pleasing to the eye. The soft smokey tones to her coat were a nice change to the harsh blue sky and vibrant grass of the fields.

"Oh yes, quite special indeed, its not everyday I meet a wanderer." She let out her version of a soft laugh escape her lips. It wasn't quite vocalized and more of a harsh breath of air more than anything. Her tail twitched behind her as she listened to the others story, understanding the desire to leave a clan like Ivyclan. After all, Mothclan was far superior despite it being a younger clan than the one Starling had come from.

"Family? Brothers or sisters? Your parents? Were they upset with your choice?" Her head tilted to the side, not losing her stride despite the conversation. Her smirk had faded back into a stone expression, although her eyes were soft. She wondered how well this she-cat would survive without any assistance. She couldn't imagine being so alone. She didn't like many, that much was for sure, but she had the few exceptions she spoke with frequently enough. To be truly alone?  Without a clan? That she still couldn't make sense of.

[silverfang218]

“Well then, I’m glad that I can make your day a bit more interesting then.” Starling chuckles softly, her tail swishing as she falls in beside Oakcloud. The tenseness in her limbs fades away; it would be quite silly for her warrior escort to attack her now, so Starling figures it is safe to put down her guard.

“Some of my family ended up following me. One brother left IvyClan to join MothClan, or so I hear. A couple brothers remained in IvyClan, as did my mother. She ah… she was less than happy.” While Starling hadn’t seen her mother’s reaction, Shadowgaze had told her about it. She hadn’t been particularly close to any of her siblings prior to leaving, and now she’s only really close to Shadow and Scorchpaw. And Wildwing… if he counted as a sibling, anyways. From all that information, it likely wouldn’t be too difficult to guess that Starling was Owlstar’s daughter; the way she carries herself is reminiscent of IvyClan’s leader and her long smoky fur is a giveaway. That and the brother that lives in MothClan, Scorchpaw. Not that Starling is going to come right out and say that Owlstar is her mother, as she has no idea how her warrior escort will react to that information.

Despite her grumpiness about MothClan’s hunting area and her frustration at not being able to hunt here today, Starling looks like she’s doing quite well for herself. While she is thinner than many clan cats, she is far from starving. Her pelt hides several scars, none of them from serious wounds, from unsuccessful hunting trips into Clan territory and there’s a couple notches on her ears, but she carries herself proudly. As if she is as proud of her role as a loner as any warrior of any clan.

[Ervo]

Oakcloud

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Stay virtuous and fair dear one.

TAGS HERE

Oakcloud gave a simple nod at the others explanation. She didn't try to guess who the she-cat was related to nor did she really want to know. The basic information was all that was needed, after all she was fairly certain she would run into Starling's sibling at some point. It wasn't like the Mothclan was overly large anyways. As for her mothers reaction, well she couldn't say she was surprised. A daughter leaving the clan and her family behind? Oakcloud figured she would be mad at her any kits of her own if they tried that. She wasn't sure if she would stop them however, and hoped she wouldn't have to find that out.

"It's understandable from her point of view, at least she didn't try to stop you." She was looking at Starling as she spoke, her paws moving of their own accord. "Although I still don't understand why any cat would want to be a loner, after all we are in Mothclan territory, one of the greates-!" Her voice cut off as she slipped, her right paw getting caught in a mouse hole. She fell like a sack of bricks, luckily not managing to hurt herself terribly. She was sure there would be a few bruises, but her paw didn't seem sprained.

"-test clans and home to the strongest warriors." Her voice was monotone as she laid there, her face looking as if she were trying to kill the grass ahead of her with her mind. She stood slowly, giving her pelt a rough shake to free any grass or dirt that might have gotten caught in her fall. She cleared her throat, her expression having not changed. "As I was saying, we are one of the strongest clans warrior wise." Her tail flicked behind her as she continued walking, this time paying attention to where her paws were landing. "Despite our occasional mishap." She huffed, working her way towards the border just a few foxlengths away.