Land of the Misfit Clan [Mira and devyn-in-the-dark]

Status
Not open for further replies.
"Six?" Tallmountain and Whitefoot both blurted out this word at the same time. The brother and sister looked rather shocked. "Mm..." Orchid squinted her bright yellow eyes. "I can't even imagine having to contend with other Tribes for food. Prey must be truly plentiful here if so many large groups of cats can occupy the same general area at once." She shifted where she lay, resting her head on her paws. "We were never well-fed in the Tribe. Food was incredibly scarce. Oftentimes we would have to use one of our own as falsely dead bait to make fresh-kill out of eagles and owls. Sometimes that plan would fail, and the poor cat chosen to act as bait would be whisked away and promptly eaten."

The red twins said nothing on the subject. Something about that last bit of information apparently disturbed them. They huddled together for warmth. One was barely distinguishable from the other--Whitefoot's single white foot aside, they had the same exact pelt pattern and seemed to blend into each other when they were so close like that. Orchid's stark white pelt, marred by thick black stripes, stood out like a beacon. That pelt would be fantastic camouflage during the colder months when snow blanketed the earth.

Orchid shuffled farther away from the hole in the ceiling. Water was beginning to drip down into the cavern, but only in that one spot. The damp earth would make burying the owl's light bones even easier once the storm passed. "Sleep well." Tallmountain was already dead asleep by the time she said that, with Whitefoot not far behind him. It took Orchid much longer to give in to her weariness. It was outweighed by her wariness--she wanted to keep an eye on things in this unfamiliar territory. But eventually, her tired body caught up to her and she nodded off, tail curled around her body.

Tallmountain was the first cat to stir later on. The sun had set and it was pitch black outside, but the big tom's eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness. He was accustomed to it, after all, having lived in a dank, musty system of caves all his life. Slowly, he rolled over onto his feet. He spent a few moments stretching himself out and yawning, exposing his large teeth. Whitefoot woke soon after him. She, too, got to stretching. Her brother moved on to the remains of the owl. Quietly, he dug a hole in the damp section of earth, right where Orchid figured one of them would end up burying it. Noiselessly, he pushed it into the hole and covered it up, flicking his tail about.

With that business finished, he stalked over to Orchid and prodded at her, jarring her from her sleep. "I'm awake, I'm awake!" she hissed, swatting at him with unsheathed claws. Tallmountain must have anticipated this reaction--he avoided a rake down the face by quickly back-stepping before the white she-cat even spoke. "We should go." His muscles twitched anxiously. He was especially eager to find a home for himself, his sister, and his very good friend, and he just didn't want to spend time idling around when he felt he should be on the move. "We haven't found a place to call home yet."
 
Swift stirred from his curled position, stretching out along the ground. He watched as Tallmountain jabbed Orchid awake, yawning several times while the taller tom spoke. Finally, he sat up and shook his head.

Gray and Amber were stirring at the entrance. Both cats looked first to the outside, scanning the darkness before turning their attention to the others. "If you were trying to keep quiet, you didn't succeed," the she-cat me owed in amusement.

Her eyes sough out Swift. The small tom was already making his way towards them, brushing past Tallmountain with a flick of his tail. He stepped out into the night, nearly disappearing in the darkness. His companions were quiet as he looked carefully around, ears pricked and mouth open to catch any scent other than wet earth.

"We're clear," he announced, voice scratchy with sleep.

Amber purred in happiness. "Good." She looked back at their new companions. "Would you like to come with us? We're going to head back to the river where we fished yesterday, then continue on. Perhaps there will be a better place to sleep tonight."

"It'd be really awesome if you could join!" the blue tom added, tail flicking excitedly. "We could talk more, maybe get to know each other better!" His eyes lingered on Whitefoot as he said this.

His companions shared a knowing look behind his back. Seems like Gray had a crush, and it probably would not end well. The Tribe cats were on edge already in a new place, and Amber had a feeling Gray's affection would never be returned.
 
"I do not care much if you heard my words." Tallmountain held his head high and proud. "We've already explained that we are searching for a new place to call home. We're quite used to mountain life..." He averted his gaze at this point in favor of sweeping his verdant eyes over a still-drowsy Orchid as she shook herself off. "But the prey is plentiful here. If we can find the right location..." He met Amber's gaze, "...we may be willing to linger."

It was an unspoken offer. The hefty tom still didn't trust them completely...but he was willing to join forces for the greater good if that would make things easier for the three of them. They were outcasts in a foreign land. They really had nowhere to go, and no one else to turn to.

Whitefoot moved to stand beside her brother, affectionately brushing pelts with him. The differences between the two red cats were subtle, but easy to point out when they stood side-by-side like this. Of course, Whitefoot had a white foot. Her legs and face were also much darker than Tallmountain's. The she-cat's ears were also lined with velvety black fur, unlike her brother's, and her white chin was much more pronounced, the white fur visible even at the top of her neck. "Not living on a mountain would be strange..." she murmured, ears drooping somewhat. "Where would we sleep? There aren't nearly as many caves around here."

She seemed completely oblivious to Gray's unspoken affections. Tallmountain and Orchid, on the other hand, instantly took note of it. Just like Swift and Amber, the two of them shared a glance. Tallmountain looked a bit irritated...but mostly, the tom and the she-cat seemed to be stifling laughter--especially Orchid. Poor, poor Gray. If he was hoping for a truly substantial relationship, and maybe even a mate, then he was looking for it in the absolute wrong place. Maybe they would have to tell these three cats why they were banished from their Tribe after all, to avoid future heartbreak.

"I am not good at catching fish." Tallmountain bowed his head as he said this, as if he was ashamed of that fact. Orchid sighed and strode right past him, joining the other three cats. "We'll go with you. You know this area much better than we do. We don't want any surprises." "Any more surprises," Whitefoot corrected, also joining the rest of the group--Tallmountain trailed after her, his limbs still stiff from sleep. "We ran into a large beast a couple of days ago. It looked like a coyote." "It was a dog," Orchid clarified, ears pulling back at the memory. "We have never seen a dog before. Only coyotes, a wild relative of the dog, and foxes."
 
She inclined her head in acknowledgement to the tom's words. It would be useful to have more cats around, especially ones who knew different hunting techniques. It would be a unique learning experience for all involved. All three cats shivered at the mention of a dog.

"Dogs are beasts, no sense of finesse and the art of hunting," the black tom sniffed, returning to hover in the entrance. "Foxes are more of a threat because they know how to hunt silently."

Amber shoved past him, knocking Swift off balance with an indignant yowl. "I haven't quite gotten the hang of it myself, to be honest," she tossed over her shoulder to Tallmountain. "Gray knows how to do it best. I just make sure the fish won't flop away when he scoops them out." She shrugged, eyes flashing briefly in the darkness. "It's a good system."

The tom in question lingered behind a bit, eager to walk with Whitefoot. "We're still pretty new to the area," he told the others. "Haven't gone much farther than from the forest than the river. Yesterday we were going to continue, but Tallmountain had scared so many birds we got curious and turned around."

"There's likely to be an ocean nearby," Swift interjected, padding along at the back of the group. "I've seen several sea birds flying around. They've mostly been coming from the direction of sunset."
 
"Foxes are sneaky creatures. Coyotes are not nearly as sneaky." Tallmountain quickly caught up with Amber. He kept his distance--evidently, he wasn't ready to get too close to any of these strange cats just yet--but he wanted to be in the lead as well. "Coyotes are pack hunters. They hunt in a large group and physically overpower their prey. I've seen them take down even elk this way. Oh, ah..." He squinted. "An elk is like a large deer. Twice as large as a deer, if you want to get technical about it."

"I'd like to learn how to fish," Whitefoot quipped, sounding excited about the prospect. "I was never allowed to hunt back home in the Tribe. I was a cave guard, after all. My job was to protect elders, as well as kit-mothers and their broods." Orchid kept herself near the rear of the group. Perhaps it was because she wanted to be able to see every other cat in the group and keep tabs on them...or maybe she was actually keeping a wary eye on Swift. "I myself was a prey-hunter before I left the Tribe," the white she-cat revealed, keeping a steady pace. "Fishing was my specialty. I was never any good at taking down owls or eagles, but smaller birds I'll have a go at."

Both she-cats chuckled heartily when Tallmountain's inability to keep birds from startling was brought up. The big tom scowled in response. "I was not expecting so many birds to scatter. Back home, only owls nested so high in the treetops. I was using a technique my father taught me to acquire an owlet. Owls nest in only the tallest trees. It is impossible to carry the body of an owlet back down such a tree once it has been killed. So...before climbing the tree, you must gather much moss and other soft objects and pile them a short distance from the base of the tree. Then you find a sturdy branch, aim, and simply drop the owlet so that it lands on the pile."

These were outlandish hunting techniques, especially here where prey wasn't as scarce as it was in the mountains...but when prey did become scarce, these techniques would certainly come in handy!

All three mountain cats stared profusely at Swift when he spoke. "...What is this 'ocean' you speak of?" Tallmountain demanded, brow furrowed somewhat. "We have never heard of such a thing."
 
"Coyotes sound terrifying." Gray shuddered, his fur fluffing in alarm before he managed to calm himself. "But I can teach you how to fish! Unless Orchid wants to," he shot a wary look back at the small she-cat. "It's hard at first, but once you get the hang of it it's rather easy."

"It's an interesting technique, to be sure," Amber commented. She took no offense to the distance he kept between them. It was natural, after all. She had to stifle her laughter when all three cats turned to give Swift an odd look.

The tom merely sighed, rolling his eyes. "An ocean is like a giant lake, except it seems to never end. The water isn't good to drink. It makes you thirstier, instead of quen ching the thirst." His tail swished in consideration for a moment. "There are strange animals that live in it. Different kinds of fish, giant fish that can rip you apart in seconds."

Swift glanced back at Orchid behind him, then sped up slightly until he was on the other side of Tallmountain. He knew more of what to expect from the other tom than the she-cat.

"I used to live by one, in one of my first groups. They taught me how to swim, but I didn't learn how to fish before I left." The last part of the sentence was aimed back at Gray, who had started to look interested. "I much prefer huning with dry paws, but I wouldn't mind being abe to swim whenever I wanted again."

The sky was slowly starting to lighten at this point. The birds were slowly awakening. Day sounds filtered in as they began to sing.
 
"Oh my, no." Orchid's tail swished briefly with amusement. "I am a terrible teacher. I have very little patience, especially when mistakes are made." Whitefoot shuddered, apparently recalling a past incident with the wily white she-cat. "No, no. I'd rather learn from anyone but Orchid!" The red she-cat squinted in her direction. "She can be scary sometimes." Orchid openly laughed. "Thank you, thank you!" Smug as ever! "I do try my best."

Once again, the three mountain cats fixed Swift with perplexed stares. "What kind of lake would have water that can't be drunk?" Orchid huffed, sounding disbelieving. "That's ridiculous!" "Are there really fish that can rip you apart?" Tallmountain sounded intrigued. "I've never seen fish that large before. The largest fish I have ever seen was a salmon. They're bright red and have sharp teeth. And they taste delicious." Whitefoot hummed, turning her gaze skyward as a pretty green bird flew overhead. She seemed to be interested in it--she watched it until it flew out of sight. "I wouldn't mind getting to see some new animals," she admitted, minty green eyes wide with wonder.

Tallmountain barely acknowledged Swift's presence when the other tom began walking by his side. Strangely enough, despite the hostility that erupted between them the previous day, he didn't put nearly as much distance between Swift and himself like he did with Amber. Was he perhaps more comfortable being around toms than she-cats?

"We were all taught to swim," Orchid informed them, warier now that the sun was beginning to rise. "A waterfall ran through our caves. We all learned to swim when we were still kits to avoid drowning in the pools of water in the caves." Swimming was a useful skill for a cat to have no matter where they lived!

"Ah..." The white-she cat picked up the pace to avoid being left behind, now that Swift had decided to move forward. "There is something I've been meaning to ask. You are used to territory such as this, yes? Sprawling flat forests and such..."

Both of the red cats perked up as well, listening in closely. "Legends among our tribe speak of huge hairless beasts that walk on two legs. Some in the Tribe have claimed to see them...but if they do exist, they must be very rare in the mountains, because such a sighting isn't common. Are they...common here?" She squinted those yellow orbs. "They are rumored to be dangerous and intelligent creatures."
 
"I'll be happy to teach you, then!" the blue tom meowed happily. His tail swished slightly.

Swift's voice was sharp when he responded. "I've seen them with my own eyes. It's not a pretty sight. The blood makes them gather in even greater numbers, too, so if you missed the first one, you'd be caught in the frenzy that came after."

Amber attempted to smooth over any potential fights by answering Orchid's question. "Well, they aren't legends. They must not be common in the mountains. The Twolegs cause trouble during Greenleaf for the Clans by scaring away potential prey in some areas."

"There's also the kittypets," Swift added, voice dripping in disdain.

"Cats who are kept as pets by the Twolegs. They are usually kept inside, pampered, and fat. They have absolutely no hunting instinct and are fed disgusting pellets." Amber made a face, ear flicking when a songbird started to sing nearby.

Gray jumped in. "And they are extremely intelligent. Not only do they have kittypets, but they also keep dogs to protect their territory."
 
Tallmountain instantly scoffed, raising his tail high into the air. "I will learn to fish if it means I can vanquish such powerful beasts," he declared proudly. "I appreciate a challenge to my hunting abilities. A fish large enough to tear a cat into mincemeat certainly meets that challenge." Tallmountain was a competitive tom when it came to feats of hunting and strength. He loved a good challenge!

"So you call them Twolegs?" Orchid sounded intrigued. "I have heard much about them. I was not aware that they kept dogs to guard their territories. That is not such a bad idea...if we could learn to tame dogs, we could do the same thing." Tallmountain scoffed again. The very idea of depending on dogs to defend their home from hostile outsiders was an insult to his pride. Whitefoot just seemed unnerved by the idea of being so close to a dog again. The dog they met on their travels zeroed in on her, so it was no wonder that she was so wary.

"Kittypets?" The red twins echoed each other again, and all three mountain cats seemed to be bamboozled by the unusual term. "You mean there are cats who stay with these Twolegs?" Tallmountain sounded downright disgusted. "Do they do it willingly? Or are they kept prisoner?" "Dear Mountain..." Orchid had a mischevious aura about her. "Some cats would very much appreciate being catered to and pampered in a place that is safe and kept out of the elements. Not all cats are built for a life in the wild." "I don't think I'd enjoy that..." Whitefoot bristled. "I want to eat meat. I want to run free among the trees."

Orchid let the subject drop, but she still seemed interested in the topic of Twolegs and their ways. Perhaps she would have to do some scouting and find out even more about them...

"Hm..." Tallmountain came to a halt a few moments later, peering out over the edge of a slight cliff. "...I can see water in the distance. A lot of water. Could that be the ocean you spoke of?" "And what's that?" Whitefoot angled her tail toward a splash of white and other abnormal colors at the far edge of the forest. Strange structures rose from the ground. Some of them were lit up in places. These mountain cats had never seen Twoleg nests before...
 
Swift bristled at Tallmpuntain's boasting, but kept his mouth shut. If this idiot wanted to be eaten by the sharpteeth, then he could go with the black tom's full blessing.

He was entertained by their reactions to kittypets, however. "Most are born in their care and grow up depending on them," he said, peering over the edge of the cliff with the cinnamon colored tom. "Some are rogues and loners who decided that the comfort was better than the elements."

He tilted his head, staring at the twinkling water in the distance. Yellow-green eyes could barely make out the shape of sea birds in the distance. It was a comforting sight, even after all these years.

He absently listened as Amber began to explain the Twolegplace. "It's their nests, to put it simply. They create the nests in a big group. It allows them to be near to others, but still have privacy." The tabby pointed her tail at one house that seemed set apart farther from the others. It was much larger and elaborate. "That probably belongs to two Twolegs and a kittypet, at the very least."

She shook her head, though, tapping Gray on the shoulder with her tail. "Come this way, though. The river isn't far. It seems like it might even spit out into the ocean."

Swift was reluctant to move from where he could see the ocean, but he finally sighed and turned to trail after the others. His tail was low in disappointment.
 
"Well..." Whitefoot shuffled her feet against the rock underfoot. "If that is the life they were born into...then you shouldn't judge them for wanting to stay, or not wanting to deviate from it. That's all they've ever known. Right?" Tallmountain made a disparaging noise. He was happy to move on when Amber and Gray did, and he quickly moved to catch up. Orchid, who privately agreed with Whitefoot, tagged along at the back of the pack.

"Their nests, huh?" The striped she-cat spared a glance in the general direction of the Twoleg nests, even though they were no longer visible. "How do they make such structures? They resemble rock caves a bit...but even us Tribe cats were never able to make caves of our own." "Mm..." Tallmountain squinted, pricking his ears farther upward. He could hear water rushing and crashing not far ahead. Maybe there was a waterfall? A waterfall would be a familiar and comforting sight this far from home. "I wonder if that large Twoleg nest belongs to their leader."

It would make sense, after all. The head Twoleg would have to have the largest and grandest nest. Back home in the Tribe, Stoneteller had the most luxurious lodgings as well.

Orchid suddenly lifted her head higher into the air, sniffing loudly. "I smell...something. A scent I have never smelled before. Would that be the ocean?" "It smells strange," Whitefoot agreed softly, craning her neck in an attempt to see the huge body of water before anyone else did (though with Tallmountain's great height it was likely a futile effort). "No wonder the water is undrinkable," Tallmountain remarked, wrinkling his nose up. "If it tastes anything like it smells, I can completely understand why one cannot drink from it."

As they were walking, Orchid abruptly paused. Her gaze lingered on a spot in the near distance and her ears pulled back. After a moment, however, she kept on moving...but she glanced backward a couple of times. "I thought I saw another cat in the bushes," she muttered under her breath. "I didn't smell anything, though. Perhaps I was mistaken."
 
Scoffing, the black tom replied, "It's not the ones born into it I look down upon, although they could leave whenever they want. It's the ones who go crawling to the Twolegs for help because they don't want the freedom they have out here."

He didn't bother answering their questions about the ocean he could now smell, merely sped up to walk with Amber as the she-cat veered away from the cliffs and back towards the river. They were farther down it than yesterday; the water had picked up speed, but not enough that Gray wouldn't be able to fish in it.

Amber glanced back at Orchid's words. She didn't see anything. However, she also didn't discount the other she-cat's observation. She would need to keep an eye out while her companions were more vulnerable.

"We can go exploring after eating," she said, stopping just shy of the river's edge. Her head lowered go drink for a second before she motioned Gray forward to start. Swift entered the river a bit upstream, wading in deep enough that it just barely reached over his belly.

Gray carefully angled himself in the shallows so that his shadow wouldn't scare any fish away. Once he was settled, he kept his entire body completely still. A blue paw flashed out suddenly. The fish left his claws and soared to land near Tallmountain. "Kill it before it can flop back in the river," he told the other tom.

With his tail, he motioned Whitefoot forward. "With fishing," he began, "you have to make sure your shadow isn't disrupting the water in front of you. The fish won't swim into it."
 
"Maybe they go crawling to Twolegs for a reason." Orchid lashed her tail back and forth. "Perhaps they suffered a terrible injury that prevents them from getting around on their own or being able to survive. Perhaps other cats refused to help them, so they had to turn to other creatures for help." She kept her distance from the river for now. She would allow Gray to teach her two companions how to properly fish. Whitefoot wouldn't have too much trouble with it, she believed...but Tallmountain might find it difficult.

"Such a thing happened to my mother," Orchid admitted, settling down underneath a shady maple tree. "A boulder fell on her and crushed her hind legs. She was unable to walk. She became a burden to the Tribe. And so, when the colder seasons came and food became even more scarce, they banished her...because she was of no use to them any longer."

The red twins watched with obvious interest as Gray displayed his perfected fishing technique. Tallmountain didn't even hesitate when the fish flopped onto the ground in front of him. He leaped onto it, killing it with one powerful bite. Politely, he set the fish aside. He wasn't hungry at the moment. Whitefoot shuffled forward next, at first peering curiously into the clear water to get a better look at the fish swimming around within. Once she got a good look she leaned backward, doing as Gray said.

Tallmountain also began trying his hand at fishing...but just as Orchid silently predicted, he was having trouble. He was a tall and gangling cat, and it was difficult for him to fish properly without casting a shadow on the surface of the water. Whitefoot fumbled a few times...but after a while, she managed to rapidly swipe a fish out of the water and into her brother's eager claws. "I got it!" She sounded awfully proud of herself. It was a small fish, but a fish nonetheless!

"Perhaps we should split up?" Orchid was the one to suggest this. "One group can explore and the other group can look for a safe place to stay. Myself, I would like to explore." "I would like to find a place to stay," Tallmountain admitted, adding Whitefoot's small fish to the pile. "Um..." Whitefoot tilted her head to the side. "I...think I'd prefer to find a place to stay."
 
Gray watched the two as they attempted to fish, giving a few helpful hints here and there. He managed to catch two more before Whitefoot caught her first. "Good job!" he exclaimed, eyes bright.

Amber gave the suggestion serious thought, nodding her head in agreement. "It sounds like a good idea." The tabby motioned Swift over and quickly explained what was going on.

He curled his lip, but eventually said, "I will help find a safe place to stay." Even if he wouldn't get a chance to swim more. The black tom shook his pelt out before padding over to join Tallmountain and Whitefoot. He sniffed the fish curiously before grabbing one.

Moving out of thewater himself, Gray joined them. "Swift has the right idea," he said, nodding to the small pipe. "Even if we aren't hungry now, it would be good to take it with us. We'd be able to start a fresh-kill pile wherever we find a safe place." That said, he grabbed one of the larger fish and slowly padded down the side of the river.

"Looks like we're going exploring," Amber told Orchid with a wry grin. "We could start upstream, see if there's any predators we should worry about."
 
"I would prefer a location that is high above the ground." Evidently, Tallmountain was still yearning for the mountainous feel of the home he left behind. "A higher spot would be preferable, I agree!" Whitefoot chimed in, walking directly beside her brother. "That way there's less of a chance of flooding if a lot of rain pours down. With the ocean and the river close by, the idea of the whole area flooding isn't so far-fetched." "Mm." Tallmountain agreed with her completely. "The caves flooded often back home...but they bordered the river. I would rather not have to deal with flooding again."

Farther along the river, Tallmountain unexpectedly paused, raising his tail into the air. "...There is something over there." Through the trees, he could clearly see some rock piles. And where there were lots of rocks, there was probably shelter too.

"Indeed." Orchid was happy to walk side by side with Amber. She didn't know this area all that well, true...but then again, that was what exploring was meant to rectify! "And there are no toms to slow us down. Shall we?" She strode forward, swishing her tail about confidently. "We should probably check the border between the forest and the Twoleg nests. It would be nice to know if we're going to run into any more dogs while we're here."

The white she-cat was extremely curious about everything she came across as she wandered along. There wasn't a crevice or unfamiliar creature that she didn't check out along the way. She was so curious about her surroundings, in fact, that she paid very little attention to any dangers that could be lurking just around the corner.

But...this sort of behavior was to be expected. This place was like an entirely different world for the mountain cats.
 
Gray perked up, bounding forward to inspect the rock piles. They seemed to have fallen from the cliff, but there was no recent disturbance from the cliff face. Curious now, he hopped down to the lower level. The blue tom dropped the fish, calling out, "There's a cave down here!"

Looking around, he could see it was still fairly high up. It was also a fair distance from the river and the waterfall it turned into. Not enough to make getting water to drink too difficult, but it seemed to keep the cave he had found from being flooded. To his untrained eye, at least. Swift soon joined him, dropping his own fish on top of Gray's. The black tom padded cautiously just inside of the cave, giving his eyes time to adjust to the odd lighting inside.

Amber nodded. "It's a decent place to start. The dogs also have a chance of getting loose sometimes, so it would be best to know which ones we need to watch out for the most. The tabby made sure to keep a careful eye on their surroundings since Orchid seemed more absorbed in inspecting new things. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, just not a smart one when they didn't know the area well.

The first Twoleg nest they came upon was the one they thought had to house the leaders. It was situated fairly close to the edge of the forest, with one of the shortest fences Amber has seen. It wouldn't do much if a dog tried to get in, or any kind of creature that could jump high enough or bulldoze its way through. "Want to check there before we move on?" she asked. They had already determined there were no dogs on the outskirts of the Twolegplace, but a strange scent was coming from this fenced in territory.

Without waiting for an answer, she hopped up onto the fence, balancing carefully.
 
Both of the mountain cats perked up instantly when Gray blurted out the word 'cave.' A cave meant familiar comforts, which was what both of them were looking for. Tallmountain bounded forward, with Whitefoot loping along not far behind him. Unlike Swift, the larger tom immediately padded his way into the cave, whipping his tail around excitedly. "...I am willing to bet that this is not the only cave." He turned to crane his neck out of the cave's entrance, leering suspiciously at the various rock piles, some above and some below. "There may be more."

"I like this one!" Whitefoot chirped happily. "There's lots of room in here! More than enough for all of us!" She, too, entered the cave with no fear, and now she was prowling along the walls and carefully judging the amount of space. There was plenty of room, that was for sure. This single cave could accommodate many cats than their group boasted. "This place is safe from flooding, as well..." Tallmountain stepped farther out of the cave, scrutinizing the immediate area. "We are not far from water, either. We could easily build sleeping nests here."

By this time, Whitefoot had left the large cave and was exploring the other rock piles farther up, nosing along them curiously. "There's a small cave here. It dips into the ground a bit more than the others. It's nice and cool."

Orchid watched Amber leap up onto the fence, interest sparkling in her golden gaze. She peeked around for a bit to make absolutely sure that nothing was going to swoop in and grab them while they were vulnerable, but once she was certain she also leaped up onto the fence. She landed on the soft plushy grass within. She cooed, lifting her paw up. "Why is this grass so nice and soft and green?" It looked like perfect grass. It even smelled fantastic, too. Did the Twolegs make this grass?

Just as she was about to take a step forward, however, Orchid stopped in her tracks. The fur along her back bristled in alarm. "...I think...I smell a cat. I'm pretty sure it's a cat. But..." She sniffed the air cautiously. "...Something smells off about it. Exotic, almost. Like an unusual flower. Could it be one of those kittypets?"
 
The two toms waited patiently outside while the twins explored the cave. They were more than willing to let then give their opinion on it since they had the most experience. Swift took the time to press the fish they had brought into the shade and out of easy sight from above. It wouldn't do if the fresh-kill became crow-food too fast, or if a sea bird managed to take it away.

Whitefoot found another cave, smaller, that wasn't too far away. Gray padded towards her. He entered the cave, looking around curiously. It was wider than it was deeper, unlike the other one. The entrance was small compared to the width of the inside, which intrigued the blue tom. He hadn't seen anything like the before.

Meanwhile, Swift had made his way past Whitefoot and Gray. He approached the waterfall, the deafening boom translating into the ground shuddering very slightly under his feet. Not too far away, he found yet another cave, slightly lower than the others.

When he poked his head in, he saw it was oddly shaped. It had something like a front area where the entrance was. Off to one side, there were two more entrance-type tunnels. "I found an interesting one," he called back to the others.

Amber joined the smaller she-cat on the ground, absently kneading her paws in the grass. Say what you will about Twolegs, but they had some of the most amazing grass in their nests.

She, too, smelled the odd scent though. It made her paw at her nose because it settled so heavily. A careful green gaze searched the grass until landing on the glass in one of the holes in the nest.

There, a kittypet sat, watching the two she-cats. Amber hissed, back arching and claws coming unsheathed. Her ears pinned back to her skull as she glared at the kittypet.
 
"Where? Where is it?" Whitefoot sounded awfully excited about all of this. While these caves reminded her of the caves back home, they were more open and exposed, rather than having been carved out by nature into the face of a mountain. She trotted out of the wide cave, making a beeline for the area Swift's voice originated from. Tallmountain was right behind her, and with the long strides he took it didn't take him all that long to overtake her. The red twins both stuck their heads into the cave at the same time, ears perked upward and wearing identical expressions of intrigue.

"...This looks a lot like the personal den Stoneteller had back on the mountain," Tallmountain remarked, eyes darting around curiously. "He would often use the extra nooks and crannies to store healing herbs, and to accommodate cats who fell ill." Obviously, the large tom was speaking of their old Stoneteller, a tom, and not the Stoneteller who banished them, a she-cat. If the new Stoneteller hadn't come into power...they would probably still be living up in the mountains peacefully.

"If we are planning on making this a more permanent partnership..." Tallmountain carefully backed out of the cave, turning his gaze toward the waterfall nearby. "Perhaps we should begin to figure out which den should belong to which rank of cat? Kit-mothers would need a separate den. Preferably a large one with a small entrance, and perhaps a single hidden emergency escape route, that maintains a constant temperature regardless of the water. What we would call prey-hunters and cave guards...you call them Warriors? They all nested in the same den. To-bes nested in a different den, close by the kit-mothers' den so that they would have protection during the nighttime hours. The Teller of Pointed Stones always had a separate den to himself. In a perfect world, it would be one that overlooks a great portion of the territory, or all of the dens."

Orchid didn't have the same hostile reaction as Amber. Instead she sat down in the soft grass, fur bristling with unbridled suspicion but expression forcibly blank, and gave the kittypet a once-over. For its part, the kittypet perked up where it sat on a soft-looking purple item. Definitely a tom by build and facial structure alone. And a handsome tom, at that. He was covered from head to foot in long luxurious red hair, though he had a white chin and his legs and tail were a slightly darker shade of red. And speaking of his tail...it was a huge poof of fur, almost as long as he was! He also boasted large ears and expressive emerald green eyes. Wound around his neck was a strange black item with the most beautiful shiny rocks Orchid had ever seen--bright and sparkling magenta rocks.

For a long time, neither Orchid nor the kittypet moved. Then, at last, the kittypet rose from his comfortable spot. He was of a medium height, and for a kittypet he was in surprisingly good shape. Not fat in the slightest! He jumped out of sight, but mere moments later, a strange panel on a tall part of the Twoleg nest began to tremble. The kittypet pushed his way through this panel in all his glory. He had a sort of confident strut to his walk that unnerved Orchid, especially as he drew closer. He seemed to know better than to get too close, though, because he stopped a short distance away and sat down, his huge bushy tail curling around his front paws.

"Hello there." Like the mountain cats, this kittypet's voice bore an unusual accent...though it was much different from theirs and sounded somehow...fancy. "You lovely ladies must be new around here. I haven't seen you around before." He bowed his head and the upper part of his body in their direction, though he kept his eyes trained on them. "I am the famous and glamorous Prince Ali! And who do I have the honor of addressing on this fine morning?"
 
Swift tilted his head, listening to Tallmountain's proposal. Gray was nodding along with his words. "In my Clan, the medicine cat had a den similar to this, to use like how your Stoneteller would. The Warriors had their own den, on one side of the Elders' den. The apprentices were between the Elders and Queens, and the Queens had the den closest to the medicine cat, except for the leader. His den was above the medicine cat's, next to where he would call a Clan meeting."

The blue tom's head craned to look up. He jumped to the level just above. There was a small cave entrance, just to the right of the den Swift had found, but it was wide enough for maybe two cats inside. He popped his head back over the edge, tail swishing happily. "Like this one up here!"

Swift left the others, instead returning to the cave Whitefoot had found. "Maybe for the Elders," he murmured to himself. His head turned to look at the very first cave. "And that one definitely for the Warriors." His tail flicked in thought as he scanned his surroundings, trying to see if there was another cave that could be used for mothers and their kits.

Amber maintained a hostile posture as the tom joined the she-cats outside. The panel he had come through flapped slightly before settling down, and green eyes warily watched the nest to make sure that there weren't any Twolegs about to come out. The tabby hissed again when the kittypet spoke. She didn't like how he self-centered he sounded when introducing himself, and his flattery made her even more on edge.

"You are not so famous, if I have never heard of you before," she meowed sharply, front paw lifting to show her claws. "We only wanted to make sure there were no dogs here. Nothing but a kittypet, however." She retracted her claws and forced her fur to settle. Her ears stayed pinned, however. "But at least you have manners. You can call me Amber. My friend here," she tipped her head towards her fellow she-cat, "is Orchid. Are there any dogs in this Twolegplace? It would save us time if we didn't have to explore every part."
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom
Back