[FIN] Lost & Found (Dusk/Skysong)

[belloblossom]

Dusk had been having a tricky time trying to fit in with his siblings. Of course, this was something that could be said for his entire life. He was always following his siblings around - Thorn, especially. His brother had needed a lackey and Dusk had been there to fill that role, willing or not. Nettle and Briar had no problem standing up for themselves and Shadow kept to herself, obviously preferring the company of their father, Hunter. As a kit, Dusk had felt bullied, but as he grew into adolescence and adulthood himself, he began to take on more of a caretaker role. Sometimes, he wondered what it might be like if he were to approach the Twolegs in the barn and become a kittypet proper, but no... he couldn't ever see himself doing something like that, not truly. Comfort was not an equal exchange for confinement, as far as Dusk was concerned. Still... he didn't feel right staying with his family either.

He wanted to find somewhere else to fit in, maybe somewhere he would be able to make a difference in someone's life, or even a place where he could get rewarded for thinking on his own, rather than having a mentality that focused on putting his siblings before himself. He desired to be looked at as someone special, someone who provided for others and was admired for such feats, rather than just being expected to go along with what his kin wanted from him.

It took him a couple of moons to actually leave the barn and his family behind. He said goodbye to his parents, promising them that he would do what he could to live a good life and then off he went. He didn't feel the need to explain why he was venturing away from the barn to his siblings. They would either get it, or they wouldn't, but he owed them nothing. Not after a life of being made to feel like less - even if it was, in hindsight, feelings he'd kept to himself.

He stayed away from the Twolegplace and started to venture towards the woodsier areas instead. He'd heard in passing of cat colonies: groups that held no alleigiance to anyone, but themselves and what they believed in. He wasn't sure how he might come across one such colony nor did he know how he was meant to act when he came across one.

"I should keep my head down and be polite." He reasoned softly to himself, trailing alongside of a river he'd found a few nights back. He'd been rotten at catching anything out of it and after one nasty fall into it on his first encounter with the rushing river he was NOT inclined to push his luck. Still, many animals came to drink at the riverside and, well, Dusk's dad had certainly passed on his 'Hunter' traits to his kits alright. This was to say, that travelling along the river, Dusk had managed to keep his belly full. What he didn't know, of course, for he had never needed to worry about scent borders at home, was that he'd been crossing through TreeClan and well into StoneClan's territory hunting their prey. As far as the loner was aware, aside from travelling cat colonies, the forest was home to any and every - and by extension - no particular cat. Surely that naivety wouldn't come back to bite him in the rear, right? @Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By Silence]

Skysong was also struggling to fit in. These new woods were not the best place for a white-furred cat. Between the woody greens and earth browns, she stood out easily. A bright, white target. That is, except for here, along the river, where she prowled among the grey-washed stones that shared the name of her clan. Her new clan. How often had she heard other cats misspeak, label themselves Mountainclan before correcting themselves? Never her, not out loud.

She was the Deputy of Stoneclan. And like the stone that remembers the mountain from which it fell, so too did she. Such heavy memories. Perhaps that was the thing that had been bugging her about the influx of loners. No, not loners anymore. They were her clan now. She must remember that. Even if they were so... Light.

And so she sat, convincing herself that she had done the right thing in leaving the Red Mountains for some foolish prey to come to the river and drink, waiting amongst the stones. Her cool grey eyes blinked as movement caught her attention.

Ah. Not prey, but foolish indeed.

She watched the mottled grey cat pick his way over the stony shore, swallowing the impulse to curl her lip and growl. If it were up to her, these borders would be more heavily protected, they strays chased off. They had enough mouths to feed now. Grey eyes closed, a long, slow blink. And when they opened, she had arranged her features into something calm and immovable. Her ears flicked at his muttering.

"A good approach as any, I suppose, for a cat wandering in lands that don't belong to him," Her tail tip flicks evenly, "What brings you to Stoneclan, stray?"

@belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

Dusk looked up at the sound of a voice and perked his ears, though they did little more than flop about, rather than stand up straight. Ah, as was the way of it. He inclined his head politely to the she-cat he spotted. She was the only cat nearby, so it wasn't too hard to track the movement of her or where the sound had come from.

He raised a paw, unsure if he wanted to continue forward, or try to move around her or just turn around and go home. No, the latter definitely wasn't an option. So, instead, he, too, spoke.

"StoneClan? Is that what colony cats are called these days?" Was his information out of date? How embarrassing for him. Besides, what a weird name anyway, but he certainly wasn't going to say that out loud. "I didn't realize that these lands belonged to anyone; we're all just cats walking through our lives, aren't we?" He asked, inclining his head politely to her and offering her a smile. "To answer your question properly, though... I'm looking for community, I suppose. I was told that I could find cat groups out here, though truly, you're the only cat I've seen since I left... the fields." He wasn't sure how this she-cat felt about twolegs. His mother's hatred of them certainly had taught him to keep his mouth shut about them from a young age and likely, he suspected, his mother wasn't unique in her dislike of twolegs or their kittypets. How Barb and Hunter ever became a mated pair was as great a mystery as why shadows walked alongside cats, connected to his paws. Or why the sun set and the moon rose.

"My name is Dusk. I don't mean you any offense or threat. I'm not a fighter." He confided in the she-cat. "Who are you? Do all these lands belong to you alone, or do you come from a colony?" Surely asking questions couldn't hurt, right? He didn't think he was being rude, he just wanted to know if he was going in the right way. @Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By Silence]

Skysong unending stare was the only acknowledgment she gave the grey stray. Those eyes of hers, as cold and unimpressed as the stones she lay on, took the tom apart piece by piece. The hesitancy in his steps, his innocuous behavior, the naivety of his words. Three strikes against him in half as many breaths. This cat would not have survived in the Mountains. But she let him speak. Sunseer expected that much of her.

There was a flicker in her eyes, a spark of anger amongst the ice. A colony? They were so much more than a gathering of cats, living together with their loose alliances and lack of discipline and order. She took in a slow, even breath. Now, now. No need to let her pride run away with her. She blinked and retracted her claws.

On he went, and patiently she listened. It was so strange to her, how much these loners talked, as if they didn't understand how much they gave away with their words. The fields, hm. Yes, she remembered the lowlands beyond the hills. They had scouted the area as they had traveled downriver. He still carried the smell of the stone-footed creatures that had wandered there.

She almost snorted when he mentioned he hadn't seen any other cats, "Of course you haven't. You came from the north and passed through TreeClan's territory, I imagine." They never touched the forest floor if they could help it. "Scent the air, stray. The river is more than my own. I have warriors patrolling nearby. Not that I need them. I agree, you certainly are not a fighter."

At last, the she-cat stands, her head raised to the tom, tall and proud despite her small size. "My name is Skysong, and I am from a clan, not some colony. Second in command, Deputy of StoneClan. Now, tell me, Dusk, what a self-proclaimed not-fighter such as yourself expects to contribute to a community or else be on your way." Of course, there were many roles within a clan, and fighting only made up a small part of it all. But she didn't want to waste the time taking him back to camp if he didn't have the self-worth to defend himself.

@belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

To say that Dusk was caught off-kilter by the she-cat's not too subtle hostility was an understatement. He tried to recover quickly, but this was his first interaction with a wild cat outside of his family unit and plainly? He wasn't too pleased with how it was going so far. It was reminding him far too much of his dynamic as the soft-heart within his family. He was trying to be polite; respectful. His father had always impressed upon him to respect others (notably Hunter and Barb in particular) but this elderly, pale she-cat was not inspiring such values within him at the moment.

A prickle somewhere in the back of his mind made him think about how his mother, Barb, would've reacted. Even with his eyes open and staring at Skysong, Deputy of SnobClan, he could see her in front of him clear as day.

Ha! She didn't become second in command for her personality I bet! He heard her scoff and watched his mother turning her blazing pink eyes upon him, her lip curled. Are you going to let her talk to you like that? You don't have to be a fighter to have a spine, boy!

Dusk took a deep breath in, refocused his attention onto the silver she-cat and released it. He had been sneered at by his mother, bullied by his brother and the memory of Shadow looking his way with pity in her eyes made his claws itch in their sheaths. Dusk would keep his temper, but he would NOT allow himself to be spoken to in this way. He was done being treated like a no-brained, soft-heart just because his adventure into the wilderness was his first.

"Skysong," He acknowledged only her name. "I've never heard of Clan cats; StoneClan must be a very small group. Saying there are 'many' of you is such a vague term, after all. Do you outnumber all the cats in the Twolegplace? You mentioned TreeClan - do they add to your numbers? Or are they your challengers, since they aren't apart of your Clan, but apart of another. " His whiskers twitched as he continued. "You're quick to tell me your long-winded title, but I can't help notice that you're alone. If you're so important, why isn't anyone around to keep your company?"

Flicking his ears in dismissal, though it was hard to say if it was of the conversation or his rising irritation, it was impossible to tell.
"I'm an expert hunter, Skysong. And I can hold my own in a fight, but I do not choose to use my claws to win a battle unless I must in order to survive. I'm fast on my paws and," He approached closer, stopping half a tail length away from Skysong's muzzle. "I know when to speak up against haughty, judgmental she-cats. If all of StoneClan is like you, Skysong, I don't think it's the sort of community I'm searching for. I would hope for a Clan who is welcoming to newcomers, diplomatic and fair-minded to those who are naïve to the ways of Clan cats, instead of ones who reek of the same indignation I'd find from a kittypet protecting its fence." He raised his head and let his fur bristle slightly, puffing out his size. "Perhaps you will tell me now, Skysong, second in command of StoneClan, why your Clan is so worth my time for me to join, over any others. If not, I shall be on my way." @Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By Silence]

Dusk's mother would be right, Skysong was not chosen to be the next leader of her clan by way of her personality. Many had worried that her harsh attitude and sharp tongue would make her a terrible leader. But Sunseer had seen differently. Her leader had chosen the white she-cat for other reasons. Insurmountable patience, unending loyalty, her ability to stay calm and quiet, to respond to a situation rather than react to it. These were the traits he valued in her, that her clan needed her for.

Dusk was testing all of those traits. Good thing for him her resolve was as solid as the stones beneath her paws. Were she not a patient cat, she'd have cut him off. Had Sunseer not expressed his desire to welcome any who wished to learn the Mountain's ways, she'd have chased him away. A reactive cat would have proven the difference between a well-trained warrior and a stray, swiftly and firmly, for how he spoke to her.

Instead, the she-cat sat as he fluffed himself up, holding his stare firmly with her tail resting neatly over her paws, its tip curling leisurely. Her fur lay flat. Once again, she waited for the stray to finish, a ghost of a smile playing at her lips.

"Fair enough," She said simply with a small nod, "I deserved that, I suppose. Perhaps I was unjustified in my judgment of you. You show more spine than I expected from a farm cat and, for that, I'll answer your questions."

"TreeClan, StoneClan, and LostClan were once one great clan, far up in the Red Mountains to the west," She explains, gesturing to the direction where the tall rocky peaks hid behind the tree line, "Now we live here. We are not enemies, but each of us understands the importance of protecting our land and the prey that lives there. Most of the cats we've met here haven't known true hunger, enforcing our borders allows me to ensure that my clan stays fullfed. That's why I am here, I was hunting before you arrived." Skysong gestures again, this time to a small pile of fresh kill buried under leaves beneath a bush a few fox lengths away.

"Now," She stands, "It is my responsibility to feed and to lead my clan. It is not my job, however, to prove its worth to you. You can decide that for yourself, I think. I can escort you to see my clan for yourself, or I can take you to the border. The choice is yours, Dusk."

@belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

Dusk listened to what the she-cat had to say about her Clan, StoneClan and about the other Clans in the area, the ones he hadn't seen or been aware of. Were all Clan cats so skittish and secretive? His eyes slid to the fresh kill pile and his nose twitched with interest and understanding. He waited until she'd said her piece on the matter and after a moment, he approached her.

"I should like to see your Clan for myself, I think. Thank you, Skysong, I will take you up on your offer as an escort." He mewed his reply, coming up to stand beside her. "Lead the way." @Blinded By Silence (Sorry for the short reply, I just wanted to make sure this got wrapped up in a timely way on my end!)