{i've been WAITING for you..WILDTALON}

[[tobias]]

The oriental tom waited, heart pounding inside his thin chest painfully, for one of the two loners to reply; flinching slightly at Wildtalon’s amused purrs. He watched despairingly as they swapped a brief but meaningful glance, and swallowed when Scorn turned to look at him, her green eyes patient. “Well,” she began simply, her tone kind. “We’re just fine with wandering around, seeing sights.” Tobias nodded as enthusiastically as he could, happy that there was at least one thing he could relate to with these cats: wandering. He’d been to far away towns and back again; from the ocean to small, rocky canyons at the river’s end. Travelling for him was a way to keep out of trouble, to keep his scent stale and avoid being followed. His very trip to the barn this evening would also be brief. He was simply too paranoid to call one place home for too long, even a single day. Living without fear was simply not an option for him. Not anymore.

He’d always be looking over his shoulder. Always. He’d caused enough trouble in the forest as it is.

He looked at Scorn again to see her send another glance in Wildtalon’s direction, though this time her eyes were warm with the bright glow of love. Tobias knew what love was, sure, every cat that has ever lived had experienced it. As for getting it in return? Well, that had yet to be seen. He wasn’t exactly an ideal companion, much less a mate. The very thought seemed foreign, even alien to his fleeting mind.

“What about you?” Scorn then asked, turning her attention back to the rogue as he she wrapped her tail neatly around her paws. Besides her, Wildtalon shifted a little closer to his calico lover, his very demeanor exuding happiness and contentment. Tobias couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. How could he relax in a world like this?

What about you?

“Me?” he blurted almost stupidly, blinking at the she-cat like she had grown a second head right there and then. What the hell could he possibly say? He resorted to a simple shrug of his thin shoulders, not used to being questioned, not used to people even being interested in his life at all. “I’ve just been…around,” he began vaguely, his tail tip flicking nervously as he bore the weight of both their gazes. It felt like a physical presence around him, pushing lightly at his throat, slowly choking...

He hated it.

He knew he had to at least give them something, rather than just continuing on, blathering like an idiot. Kneading at the wood beneath his silver paws, anxious as ever, he forced himself to meet their gazes; forced himself to acknowledge that these weren’t the cruel cats who tormented him every time he went in to town to get an easy meal for himself (due to his near lack of hunting ability), nor were they the eyes of those who glared at him when he breezed through some shifty neighborhood miles from where they know sat. No, Scorn and Wildtalon were good cats. Good cats, good cats, friendly. Not mean. Don’t bite or claw or hiss or spit on me or uri-

“I went down to where the river ends again,” he offered them hopefully. Then he began to ramble, green eyes wide. “Have you ever been there? I-It’s nice. There are high walls of stone and large rocks at the bottom where the river begins to thin out… Then there are caves up on the walls, strange little claw marks all around, which I always found, um, interesting; and ferns and lookout points and a huge log... There are a lot of cats around, but they tend to ignore each other. Then there’s this huge, decrepit barn… I never go in there though, it’s, ah, too…” he grappled for a word. “Scary,” he finished lamely. He looked at their faces. I shouldn’t bore them with where I’ve been, he thought towards himself almost hatefully. A moment later he stood, tail raised and eyes alert. He looked from Scorn to Wildtalon, back again, then towards the barn door.

“I’ll come back…later,” he said, obscure as always. He meant it however, having decided in a split second to spend the night out of the rain. It would nice to have a dry nest for once. “I need to go hunt, and it’s hot in here.” It wasn’t so much the temperature as it was the stuffiness. The last thing he needed was to risk another violent coughing fit while looking for mice among the hay bales, much less in front of Scorn and Wildtalon. “Sorry,” he mewed quickly as he back away towards the door, though he wasn’t entirely sure of why he was apologizing. To avoid a possible question as to why, he turned, and in one surprisingly graceful leap, launched himself outside again and into the rain. He’d venture far, but he would be back by sundown.

Hopefully, at least.

[! S C O R N]

" went down to where the river ends again. have you ever been there? i - it’s nice. there are high walls of stone and large rocks at the bottom where the river begins to thin out… then there are caves up on the walls, strange little claw marks all around, which i always found, um, interesting. and ferns and lookout points and a huge log . . . there are a lot of cats around, but they tend to ignore each other. then there’s this huge, decrepit barn … i never go in there though, it’s, ah, too … scary," The tom rambled, and Scorn found herself nodding in awe and surprise at all the tom had seen. It was amazing that he had been all of these places, some of them she knew, and some of them she had never heard of. She loved to listen to tales of faraway places, places she could go and places she would never see. The world was hers to explore, and she loved the feeling.

"that sounds amazing,"

[/b][/font] she meowed truthfully, gazing in earnest at the nervous tom. He was looking around every few seconds as though something was going to jump out and attack him, and the queen couldn't help but feel a bit sad for him. What was it like to be afraid of the world around you?

Meanwhile, Tobias was backing away, his eyes clouded with confusion and stress from their meeting. He was clearly uncomfortable, and Scorn's heart went out to the skinny tom. i’ll come back … later. i need to go hunt, and it’s hot in here." That was true, at least. Scorn could feel the heat prickling her skin under her calico fur, and she smiled at the rogue before he backed away.

"you're welcome here any time, Tobias,"[/b][/font] she meowed. "i hope you know that."[/b][/font] Her emerald gaze was fixed on the tom as he leaped away into the rain, his ears flat against his head to protect them from the raindrops. She remained silent and thoughtful as she looked out at the field that surounded the barn, covered with gray clouds and falling water. Something about the tom made her forget how to be mean, how to be sarcastic, how to be Scorn. He made her feel friendly and warm.

Shaking herself, the loner turned to Wildtalon. "well, these mice won't catch themselves."[/b][/font] With that, she disappeared into the shadows, maybe to hunt, maybe to sneak off into the rain herself. She had always loved storms, watching them light up the skies and turn them dark again. Maybe she could watch it for a while ...


Tags: Wildtalon, Tobias
Charrie: Scorn
Words: five forty one
Color: greenyellow[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/font]

[smallpaw]

He didn't pay attention to what the rogue said; the loner found himself gazing fondly at the entrance to the barn. Looking past it, the sky was a teal, and the grass was green despite the hammering shouder of rain. Sounds of life rustled in the tall wheat field; sprinkles of the storm, and perhaps a mice managed to scurry past... when he sighed, his soft blue eyes flickered back to Tobias and Scorn, only realizing then that he missed entirely what he'd said. I’ll come back…later, I need to hunt and it's hot in here. Gangly limbs slunk off towards the barn door, and Wildtalon shook himself, startled by Tobias' sudden leave. He wondered if he was okay... the feeling of being so frightened and skittish about the world all around you must have been a terrible way to see everything. Did he imagine pawsteps of his enemies tracking him down ? Dipping his head at the rogue's apology, Tobias disappeared just like that. And would he really come back? His scent was the only thing confirming that he had even been here at all.

well, these mice won't catch themselves. her mew made him droop his tail. She followed Tobias out into the rain, leaving the chocolate tom to sit in the barn clearing all alone. He couldn't help but feel thoughtful about todays encounter. (Even though he found them both leaving at the same time as a negative) Had Tobias noticed the odd number of rogues in the area? Or had he ignored them, running straight to the comforting barn? Frowning, he glided soundlessly towards the door. It hung tilted on one hinge, and the bellowing gust of wind rocked it. Smelling the rain was nice, it was musty but also fresh... he didn't blame Scorn for wanting to get out. Even though they'd just come back in for the night. She was a wily temptress, always leaping through the free land with her beautiful calico coat. She was his, and he was hers. Nothing would ever change that.

Not even if he wanted to find the origins of his birth. His father was said to have been a WindClan cat, one of the four forest Clans. If so, then that made him a HalfClan cat, it made the wind run through his veins, and it meant, ultimately, he had the instincts of one of them. Was there a chance his father still lived? And had Lion found the Clans as he had hoped for? These questions were without answers; but he had to know. If there was a chance.

Slipping around the side of the barn, he was a coffee streak through the meadow. He would get his answers.

To: who knows? 495