[PRP] I Found Him First!

[NatiStorm]

[Private Role Play for Yarrow, Split, and Smoke]

Oh, he was never going to hear the end of this. Lost, again. His mother was going to claw his tail off for sure after this once she found him again... If she found him again. What had it been now, two days? Three? Looking around, the young tom couldn't find a single bush he recognized. With a yowl of frustration, he sat down and curled his tail around him.

How had he managed to get so lost this time? It was all that darn chipmunks fault! Yarrow was going to catch it and bring it home to his mother to surprise her with. But alas, the speedy little thing got away from him, though not before he had stalked it far from his home. By the time he lost the chipmunk, Yarrow had become thoroughly lost himself. The woods around him were full of prey, yet his belly growled in hunger. He had not yet learned the finer points of hunting and was still very reckless and loud. So loud in fact, that he had caught the attention of other cats.

As the sun rose high in the sky, Split dozed under the shade of a big long leafed bush. Occasionally his ears would flick towards a sound in the forest, the only real indication that he wasn't fully asleep. Normally, he didn't stay in one spot for to long, preferring a more nomadic lifestyle, but as Greenleaf reached it's peak and the days grew long and hot, Split had settled down near the pond. Though he absolutely hated getting wet, it was nice to cool down and catch a minnow or tadpole in the small body of water. Today the weather was nice enough that just napping in the shade was enough to keep the dark tom comfortable.

The yowl of a cat nearby caught his attention and his head snapped up, mismatched eyes scanning the forest for any threats. Slowly and cautiously, he got to his paws and slinked through the forest towards the sound.

@belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

Frosty grey-blue eyes scanned the trees and the lithe grey she-cat stepped around leaves and roots that threatened to give away her position to any predators nearby. Stealth had always been a bit of a challenge for her - something she had to train her paws and eyes to maneuver around what she would otherwise have sped across. However, when a yowl came to her ears, all thoughts of stealth were left behind in an effort to get to the source of the young cry sooner than any other.

Smoke never assumed that she knew everyone in the forest or the surrounding areas, but she wasn't going to abandon someone in such obvious destress. Besides, she DID know that there were more than a few tomcats in this area and she had yet to discern if they were safe to kits who were not sired by them. It was always better to be safe than sorry. Not to mention any foxes or weasels that would love to get in a tussle with a young, unprotected kitten.

Leaves brushed past her paws, announcing her presence until she stopped abruptly, momentarily confused as to where the yowl had sounded from, before she heard a growl - she tensed, looking around, before realizing it was the sound of a hungry belly nearby, not an unseen foe. With a sigh of relief, she started towards the sound, poking her head around the corner to spy a young cat - not a kitten, but of an age that she wouldn't expect him to be able to himself just yet.

"Greetings, stranger." She mewed as she approached. "I suspect half the pond heard your yowling, what is the cause of your distress?" @NatiStorm

 

[NatiStorm]

What he wouldn't give for a mouse to just run into his open paws. Yarrow sighed as he lifted his head towards the high sun. He was used to hunger but this was getting unbearable. So focused on his own hunger, he didn't hear the approach of she-cat until she spoke.

With a mighty hiss, well, as mighty as he could manage, he jumped back and bristled out his fur. "Ah! Stay back!" Yarrow spat at the grey she-cat before him as he gave a high, almost kitten like growl. If he hadn't been so startled, he would have heard her words, her tone, but panic over took him and all he heard was his own hiss and yowl. He was out here alone, how was he going to fight off a grown loner if she wasn't friendly?

Taking his time to stealthily approach the source of the yowl, Split crept out of the underbrush just in time to see a grey she-cat approach a young grey striped tom. At first, he thought they must be kin as their coats seemed so similar but as the young cat jumped back and fluffed up, Split decided he was in trouble. He wasn't sure what exactly was going on but there was no way he was going to sit idly by and let a young loner get bullied.

"Hey! Back off!" He called to the she-cat as he closed the distance between them in a quick dash.

*

As another cat came running towards him, Yarrow jumped straight up in the air. Oh, he had messed up big time. There was not one but two cats after him now.

"No! Don't eat me!" The young tom shrieked as he lashed out wildly, clawing blindly at both cats.

@belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

Oh, the poor thing, to be so scared. Smoke sighed and was opening her mouth to try again, when a tomcat appeared out of no where. Now she found herself frightened and she pinned her ears.
"You are not going to hurt this kitten." She growled at the cat, noting his unusual coloring and mismatched ears with a look of distrust. Turning back to the yowling youngster, she perked her ears, her fierce resting expression forcing itself into one of gentle concern.

She approached slowly, a purr rising in her throat.
"Hush now, I'm not going to hurt you-" She mewed, only for her to be caught by one of the flailing paws of the young cat. Stinging pain sliced through her as thin streaks of red blood welled up along her chest. She hissed, backing away and sitting down promptly. It wasn't a deep wound, it wuld heal with a few licks and some time in the open, provided it wasn't messed with before then.

When she heard the plea come from the youngster next, she let out a short laugh.
"Cats don't eat other cats. At least, I don't." She replied. "Now, if you carry on yowling, you may attract a fox or some other beast that do eat cats. If you don't want that to happen, quiet down and tell me in a reasonable way what all your fussing is about." She bent her head to lick at her chest, just unable to reach it. Just her luck.

Raising her head, she fixed a look on the tomcat.
"I've known tomcats to kill kits that aren't there own - if you take one more step towards that cat, stranger, I'll claw your whole pelt off, maybe then you'll finally be a solid color." @NatiStorm

 

[NatiStorm]

Split stopped short when his yell at the she-cat to back off was met with accusations of him going after the young tom. Before he could open his mouth to clarify, one of Yarrow's claws found his shoulder and Split jumped back, a loud hiss escaping him. Luckily, his fur was thick and the swat didn't reach skin.

"Quiet down, boy!" Split growled rather loudly at the young cat as his irritation became to much. He was surprised when the other tom flinched back and started to settle. Turning his attention back to the she-cat, Split was just about to clarify his intentions when his vision went red.

"I am not like other tomcats." He said with a hiss through gritted teeth. "I don't kill kittens and I don't kill loners. However, say one more thing about my pelt and I'll make an exception for you." His posture was tense, ready to lunge at this horrible new she-cat. "I've known desperate she-cats who will take kits that aren't theirs. From where I'm standing, you got the boy screaming first, and I'm not about to let you run off with him."

With his ears a flat as they would go and his fur bristled out, the small loner continued to spit and claw until the larger tom's voice silenced him. The pause in his growling allowed him to hear the she-cat laughing... at him? Wait what? He wasn't under attack? As the reality of what had just transpired set in, his fur slowly started to settle and be grew a bit embarrased. The moment his fur laid down fully it began to bristle back up again.

These two cats weren't going to fight him, but they looked very close to fighting each other and it seemed it was his fault.

"Whoa, uh, hey... Sorry about all this.. uh.. I think I hear my mom calling so I should just..." Yarrow's eyes shifted from the she-cat to the tom and back again as he took a few tentative backwards steps. But where would he run to? Both of these cats came running when he yowled, maybe they could help... Nervous eyes shifted back and forth once more.

"Look, I'm a tad lost and very hungry. If neither of you plan to eat me, could you help me find something to eat?"

@belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

Despite the fact that Smoke herself was hurt, with the rolling of her eyes at the tomcat, it became evident that her attitude hadn't been damaged one bit.
"Oh, sure." She replied with a roll of her eyes at the oddly patterned tomcat. "I've heard that one before. 'Please, babe, I'm not like other tomcats, I'm mysterious and attractive and totally not a heap of bird dung.'" The urge to slide her claws out and into the ground beneath was sorely tempting, but tomcats were all the same, regardless of what they claimed. If she showed any more aggression now, she might be the one walking away with red on her pelt.

"Does it look like I'm equipped to take care of another cat?" She replied hotly, gesturing to the injury on her pelt. "I'm not trying to steal away any cat - but with his yowling, any number of predator could be attracted to this edge and I do not need some belligerent fox eating all the prey in the area."

She turned her gaze to the young cat, her warm concern falling away to irritation with this youngster, too.
"Pretty entitled of you to ask us to feed you after you just attacked us." She said, her tail twitching in displeasure. "How about you tell us how you got lost and we can try to help you find your... who did you say, your mother? Then she can do her job and feed you." She slid her gaze back to the tomcat with narrowed eyes. "Is that acceptable? You can come so I don't sneak off with the kit and I'll be there to ensure you don't kill him." @NatiStorm

 

[NatiStorm]

For a moment, all he could do was stare. What was this deranged she-cat going on about? He had said nothing about being mysterious or attractive and was pretty sure she just called him a pile of bird dung. As he listened to the she-cat go on, Split stayed in a tense near crouch with his fur trying now to bristle.

"You're right, you startle a kitten and get hurt, you don't look capable of even caring for yourself." Split stated as he looked at Smoke through narrowed eyes. Hearing the voice of the younger tom, he turned his head to glare at the small cat, cutting him off mid-sentence. Turning back to the she-cat before him, Split continued. "I don't care how he got lost and being that thin, his mother probably wasn't doing her job to begin with." The tom said, throwing accusations around. "Since neither of you can take care of yourselves properly, why don't you sit here and talk and I'll go find something to eat. And don't worry, *babe*, I'll stay where you can see me."

Taking a few steps away from the two new cats, Split glanced around the surrounding underbrush and up the nearby trees. Unfortunately, he had already hunted here earlier and didn't see anything around that he could feed to the hungry young tom.

Being the center of so much irritation, Yarrow's ears fell back. The young tom sat and lowered his head, flinching back slightly from the scolding. Trying to keep the two older cats from fighting, started to answer the she-cat's question.

"Well, you see, it all started when I spotted this fat ch-" The sudden stare from the older male sent a chill down his spine. That cat looked *mad*. Yarrow flinched down into a crouch, hoping that if he made himself really small, the big tom wouldn't attack him. As the tom with the split pelt turned to move away from them, Yarrow dared to look at the grey she-cat.

"I'm sorry for attacking you, I was just so scared." He gave her a sheepish smile. "My name is Yarrow. I got separated from my mom while I was chasing a chipmunk." As if on cue, when he said the word chipmunk, Yarrow's stomach growled loudly. Hoping to change the subject, Yarrow quickly added, "Do you need me to clean your wound for you?"

@belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

Smoke was practically seething at the replies of the snarky tomcat, but she found herself calming as he padded further away. She knew perfectly well how to take care of herself thank you very much! But... admittedly, she had been hasty in seeing this young cat and had gotten over-eager, which led her to get the injury she now sported. With a sigh, she had to admit her own silent reflections on this kit's mother, who could just lose one of their kittens so abruptly?

"Do you have siblings?" She asked the kit, who introduced himself as Yarrow shortly thereafter. Maybe if he had a surplus of siblings, it might be a little more easy for her to sympathize. "Do you... have a father in your life?" She suspected the answer was no - when did tomcats ever take responsibility in the litters they helped create? She turned her gaze from the kit to the unusually patterned tomcat. She could certainly imagine that handsome pelt winning over the hearts of many she-cats - wait, handsome? What was she thinking?! She turned her gaze back to Yarrow, refocusing her energy on him as she waited for the tomcat to fetch them some prey.

'Watch as he talks big but doesn't come up with anything. I suppose it would be up to me to find something in that case. Though, better for Yarrow to learn how to hunt himself...' She blinked, had Yarrow asked her something? He was staring at her open wound. Oh!

"That would be very helpful, thank you." She mewed to the kitten. "You're kind to offer." She shifted so that there might be an easier access point for Yarrow to lap at her wound. "I understand being scared and honestly, you're smart to react that way. Not every cat - in fact, rarely any cat - has good intentions out in these wilderness." She reflected. "Now, once that tom comes back and we've seen your stomach to be full, I'll help you find your mother. Do you know where she tends to linger?" Instincts help them if his mother was a frequent wanderer.

 

[NatiStorm]

Yarrow gently licked at the shallow wound he had inflicted on the monochromatic she-cat. Now that the older tom had left, she seemed more relaxed and even kind. "No, not that I'm aware of." the young cat said between licks. "Pretty sure it's just me. And also no. Never met my father, so far it's just Mom." He gave a slight shrug and stepped back to admire his handy work. The wound he created looked clean.

"Still, I'm sorry I hurt you." Yarrow slow blinked his sincerity to the she-cat before perking up. "Really? You'll help me find her? Uhh..." He looked down at the ground in thought. "Well, we're currently sleeping under a bush with really dark green leaves. It's next to a really tall tree! Does that help?"

Oh how luck hated him. Of course he would hunt this area clean just before a kitten shows up needing to be fed. With a sigh and a roll of his eyes, Split returned to his napping bush and picked up the remains of his last kill. It wasn't much but it was more than nothing. This lost kit would just have to deal with it until he found something better.

Returning to lost kitten and crazy she-cat, Split dropped the remains in front of Yarrow and flattened his good ear. "How do you expect me to catch anything with the two of you over here mewing at each other?" Though his words were harsh, his tone has lost it's edge. He refused to meet the she-cat's eyes for surely she was judging him. Embarrassment flooded his cheeks. Whatever, she could think what she wanted, he knew he was a great hunter. "You can have the rest of that until we move on and find something else."

@belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

Smoke listened to the young tomcat speak and nodded her head along to what he was saying.
"It was just me and my mother too, when I still traveled with her." She told Yarrow. She hadn't thought of her mother in moons and she wasn't keen to now. Luckily, Yarrow had provided her with information that would help serve her in finding his mother... sort of. It wasn't the best description, admittedly, but something was better than nothing.

"Yes, that helps. Can you think of anything else? What you smell upon coming out of your nest, or what sounds you hear?" Maybe there was a thunderpath nearby, or a trail that deer walked nearby? "What does your mother look like? Does she have a preferred type of prey she likes to hunt for - oh! What's her name?" She asked Yarrow. "It's important that we have any information about her, or about your home that you can think of, even if you don't think it's important in this moment. Anything could help us in finding her again."

And when they found her, Smoke was going to have a word with her about keeping an eye on her only kitten. Who knows what could have happened if Split had been the only one to find the young tomcat? Smoke shuddered at the thought.

Think of the rogue, Split appeared with scolding words.
"If you were truly a great hunter, you'd be able to tune out our mews and catch something fresh." She quipped back at him, before her voice softened and she blinked up at him. Food was not something to turn her nose up at, ever. "Thank you, all the same, for the food." She nudged it over to Yarrow. "Eat up, dear." She said and got to her paws. She wasn't keen to leave the youngster alone with Split while she went to hunt, but she was determined to get more in the kit's stomach than leftovers of what Split tossed at them. Besides, the sooner she got a meal in her belly, she sooner she might be able to heal from her injury.

An injured loner was bad, but an injured loner she-cat was worse. She glanced wearily at Split - would he turn on her, the moment after she was left alone with him? Maybe she wouldn't chew out Yarrow's mother for her negligence and instead ask to spend some time with the mother and son, at least until her injury - which Yarrow had inflicted upon her to begin with - healed. Yes, that was a worthwhile endeavor, surely.

"Yarrow, dear, I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere without me, please." She mewed, casting another look of threatening intentions towards Split. "I'm going to get us something more substantial to eat. Do not leave without me. I mean it." Turning her attention to the pond, she held up her tail proudly and then slipped through the tall reeds that surrounded the pond. Shrouded from sight with the aid of the reeds, she let out a small sigh as muddy, marshy soil squelched underfoot.

Smoke skirted carefully around the edge's of the pond, deeply distrustful of the water, before she found a mossy green, wet rock on the edge of the pond. Wrinkling her nose in displeasure, she lunged forward quickly, her teeth biting into the soft, spongey flesh of what was NOT a rock, but a fat toad, which wriggled in an unsightly manner in her mouth before falling still.

Smoke's fur bristled, her claws dug into the dirt and her tail lashed in displeasure as she fought the urge to scream. She hated catching toads, but food was food and toads, despite their slime, had always provided good nourishment in the past when her mother used to catch them. Fighting to get her emotions under control, so she didn't look like a frazzled mess when she came out of the reeds to her company, she felt her fur lay flat. With a sigh through her nose, she emerged from the reeds, her paws sticky with mud as she dropped the toad in front of Yarrow and Split and put on her best attempt of a voice that oozed triumph.

"There, how's that for fresh kill? It's practically the size of a squirrel." She declared. @NatiStorm