1x1 - baby blue & The Neko Pirate

[baby blue]

─── [♢] ─── 𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚢𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚔
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♢ medicine cat ♢ twenty-eight moons ♢ location: four trees ♢ tags: scorchfang ♢

a soft snort escaped her. seems her estimation of him being from either shadowclan or thunderclan proved correct. he seemed as blunt as her with his words, giving her pause. she was beginning to think he also wasn't a fan of coming to gatherings, but she knew it might come across wrong if he requested to avoid them. some might get the idea that he harbored wrongful intentions if he never joined the fellow clans in the gathering. her on the other hand, she had to be here as the medicine cat representative of riverclan.

she shrugged at his question. "curiousity i guess," she said softly. she herself wasn't quite sure of the answer. she knew something drew her gaze to him and maybe it was just that she saw herself in him. "and what about you, hmm? what sparked you coming over to talk to me? surely a wandering gaze wouldn't be enough to get a warrior such as yourself worked up?" she knew her words could be provoking, but she couldn't find herself caring. it was a gathering and despite knowing skirmishes weren't uncommon, she held a false sense of confidence that one wouldn't break out between a warrior and medicine cat. well, there's a first time for everything...

it was soon after that a yowl from great rock signaled the start of the gathering. giving the tom one last glance, she shuffled back towards the other medicine cats and took her position on the end of the line-up. she craned her neck back so far she felt her ears brushing her back, but it was necessary to see the leaders. each presented news from their clans and she could feel a sense of boredom set in. she found her eyes back on the black tom, a strange sense of foreboding filling her. she had a feeling that this wouldn't be the last time she spoke with him.

[The Neko Pirate]

𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐠

The snort she gave off had him wondering what she was thinking. He couldn't tell just from looking at her, but it had him curious. There was something about her he liked, even though he didn't expect to have much in common with a medicine cat. But he too could see the similarities in their personalities. And that was probably the reason he had actually taken a chance in approaching her. He could actually find himself wanting to know more about her, which was a first. There weren't many cats he tried to get to know.

At her response, he simply nodded his head. Her next words, however, almost sounded like she was trying to provoke him. It almost brought a smile to his face. Almost. He gave out a light sound of laughter and shrugged. "It didn't get me worked up. Just interested." He didn't know what more to say than that, and then the gathering was actually starting. So there was nothing else he could say. He gave her one last look before turning to move away and sit off by himself again. Now he just had to wait for this meeting to be over with.

He tried to listen in but the news wasn't all that interesting. And he could feel her eyes lingering on him again. He glanced back over at Tinycreek and smiled briefly at her before it faded again. He didn't want other cats to see him smiling like that at another clan cat, then others would probably be talking about that. And that wasn't something he wanted to hear going around ShadowClan camp.

[baby blue]

─── [♢] ─── 𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚢𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚔
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♢ medicine cat ♢ twenty-eight moons ♢ location: four trees ♢ tags: scorchfang ♢

she hummed lightly in response. maybe the tom cat didn't have the typical warrior personality, which was a shock to her. her mind continued to wander throughout the announcements during the gathering, most of them focusing towards the tom. it was a rattling revelation to her as usually her mind was on those back at camp that she would rather be attending to. having a tom from another clan holding her attention, she could feel concern rising. as intrigued as she was to know more about him, she knew she would need to limit herself. the warrior code made it clear about the role of a medicine cat and while she didn't intend on mating the tom, she felt like getting to know him would open some dangerous doors.

she met his eyes as he gave her a brief smile. her lips twitched slightly, but she released a brief cough to cover it up. letting out
a deep sigh as the leaders finally called an ending to the gathering, she rose to her paws. giving brief goodbyes to her fellow medicine cats, she weaved her way towards hailstar and lightfang, the leader and deputy of riverclan. they seemed to be trying to gather the clan together for the journey back to camp, but were being unsuccessful in the chaos of the gathering ending. as she stood near them, she found her eyes wandering again.

she picked him out easily. his sleek coat combined with his size made him hard to miss. she dipped her head to him in what she figured was a farewell, enough to indicate that she didn't intend to see him again. despite this, her ear flicked in discomfort. something tugged at her from the inside, but she couldn't decipher the feeling. all she knew was that something big was about to happen, but she wasn't ready for it all.

[The Neko Pirate]

𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐠

As he looked over at her, he couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking, unaware that she was actually thinking about him. He didn't focus his attention on her the whole time, in case for some reason anyone was actually watching him. How would he even explain having an interest in another cat from another clan? And a medicine cat, at that. But for some reason she was the only thing at this whole entire gathering that was interesting to him. He was sure it would probably be forgotten once they got back home, it wasn't like he'd keep thinking about her back in camp or anything.

It almost looked like she wanted to smile back at him, but if she did she managed to cover it up. The gathering had seemed somehow both long and short at the same time. He hadn't wanted to be here, and was thinking about getting back home. But some of his thoughts now lingered on the other cat, too. He could see her gathering with her clan, preparing to leave. And he walked over to where the ShadowClan cats were gathering, stopping to stand beside Duskstar. She was busy trying to make sure everyone from their clan was there and didn't seem to notice him. It took him a moment to see the gray RiverClan cat looking at him.

Watching her dip her head in his direction in a farewell gesture, he did the same to her. He didn't really expect he'd have any other interactions with her after this, not only did they have different clans but different jobs too. And even if they did live together in the same place, he wasn't allowed to grow any feelings for her. The distance just meant he wasn't allowed to even like her as a friend.

[baby blue]

─── [♢] ─── 𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚢𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚔
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♢ medicine cat ♢ twenty-eight moons ♢ location: four trees ♢ tags: ♢

two days had passed since the gathering and still, tinycreek couldn't seem to get the tom off her mind. she did her best to avoid her thoughts about him, becoming even more overbearing than usual with the queens, kits, and elders (much to their displeasure). yet, there was something about him that had her curious for more. as much as she tried to suppress that curiosity, it always seemed to wiggle its way out.

looking through her stores, her ears flattened in displeasure. she was low on some coltsfoot and comfrey leaves, both necessary for the nursing kits and aching elders of the camp. she would need to go out today to gather some, preferably without a patrol of cats with her. she knew that if lightfang or even hailstar saw her leaving on her own, she would get a thorough lecture. not only was she not a warrior, but her size made it dangerous for her to even attempt to defend herself. yet the dangers did not sway her opinion. she would much rather be left to her own thoughts and gathering that to be accompanied by a bunch of talkative cats.

she slipped out of her den quietly, scanning the clearing. several cats were milling about, some of the kits scampering around and playing games with the elders. she stalked towards the clan entrance before pausing. there were likely to be two warriors out there guarding the camp entrance that would question her leaving. she furtively glanced near the entrance, spying a small opening near the bottom of the willow reed walls. she looked down at herself, then back at the hole, judging if she would fit. after another round of debate, she figured it was worth the try.

thankfully she fit and she knew it would be useful for any future excursions. she skirted quietly past the guards and made her way towards the stepping stones, skipping across them and towards the forested boundary between riverclan and shadowclan. a small patch of coltsfoot grew on their territory and, unfortunately, it was close to the territory line. she just needed to be quick and avoid a shadowclan patrol. an unwelcome meeting was not on her agenda for the day.

[The Neko Pirate]

𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐠

Scorchfang had busied himself with his usual warrior duties and keeping an eye on the borders as he did. Plus the more patrols he took, he might actually just run into her again along the RiverClan border.. But no, that wasn't why he did it, he shouldn't still be thinking about the grey she-cat. He shook his head as he looked around the camp, seeing no one that needed his help or anything like that. Maybe he needed a walk to clear his mind. He didn't bother to tell anyone he was leaving, he was usually known to go out on patrols by himself.

He didn't expect to see anyone out here, most often when he came out this way he didn't tend to see much action. And if he did see any cats, he just kept an eye on them to make sure there was no crossing of the border. He walked along near the edge of the border between ShadowClan and RiverClan and tried not to let his mind wander too much as he looked out over into their territory. There was a slightly familiar scent on the wind as he went. But there was no way it could be her again, right? He didn't see anyone around just yet, there was just the scent.

Just in case anyone did show up, though.. He moved himself away from the border line as he waited there crouched in some grass just to see if any cats actually were coming. It might not have even been her, or she might not be alone if she did show up. He couldn't be sure. His dark fur helped him to not be seen easily as he waited there. As much as he hated to admit it, he actually wanted to see her again. Admitting to it would just end up badly somehow. However, he didn't actually feel all that close to anyone in his own clan outside of his family. He possibly could have felt close to Tinycreek, had that been allowed.

[baby blue]

─── [♢] ─── 𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚢𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚔
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♢ medicine cat ♢ twenty-eight moons ♢ location: riverclan/shadowclan border ♢ tags: scorchfang ♢

the clearing came into sight all too quickly. she hesitated in the tree line, knowing that just on the other side of the clearing was shadowclan territory. there had been one too many issues surrounding this clearing and its growth of coltsfoot, but it was the only place near riverclan that grew the herb, thus resulting in it belonging to her clan. she inhaled deeply, but nothing noticeable came to her senses other than the scent of the boundary lines. it didn't entirely help that the wind was blowing against her rather than towards her, carrying any possible scent of another cat away.

she crouched low and made a shimmying motion towards the patch of coltsfoot. she carefully uprooted each flowering plant, being mindful to leave some to continue their growth. the coltsfoot were most abundant in newleaf and seeing as it was leaf-fall, the cold was limiting the supply. she would need to make another trip soon to collect the rest of them before leaf-bare, reducing them to useless when they frosted over and died.

she lowered her head to gather the herbs in her mouth when a new scent invaded her senses, one that was vaguely familiar. her head shot up and she scanned the clearing, but the shadows casted from the trees limited her ability to spot the tom. that is, if he even was out here and her mind wasn't playing tricks. "are you playing the games of kits, too scared to be spotted by a medicine cat of a rival clan?" she drawled softly, continuing to try and spot the black tom. she hoped she wasn't just talking into thin air and hoped he would reveal himself if he was here.

[The Neko Pirate]

𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐠

He waited there as he observed her picking the herbs, but didn't stop her, surprised to see her alone. He didn't think medicine cats typically tried going out alone. But she wasn't really a threat, though he probably should have stopped her from taking the herbs that grew so close to his territory. If he could avoid it, he didn't like getting into border fights. In this situation, he felt he really didn't need to show himself or anything. She was just doing her job, after all. Which even as a warrior, he could understand that.

But then she smelled him, and actually accused him of being scared. "I'm not scared, just didn't know if you were alone out here or not." He said as he stepped out into view, looking over at her. He stared at her for a few moments in silence before speaking again. "You always sound like you're trying to provoke me with your words." Yet still, they didn't seem to bother him, even though a lot of warriors probably would have gotten angry at what she had said. He knew his words could be bothering to some cats with the things he said, but he wasn't as easily offended like them.

Scorchfang just sat there as he still didn't bother to try and stop her taking the herbs. If anyone else had been here, they probably would have gotten a bit angry at her for this. And they would get angry at him too if they knew he did nothing. But he wasn't too worried. Maybe he was just glad to have been able to meet with her again.

[baby blue]

─── [♢] ─── 𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚢𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚔
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♢ medicine cat ♢ twenty-eight moons ♢ location: riverclan/shadowclan border ♢ tags: scorchfang ♢

she blinked in surprise when he stepped out into the clearing. she wasn't sure if she had expected him to look different, but the appearance of him made her a little nervous. she tucked the coltsfoot between her paws. she didn't think he would steal it from her, but a rival clan cat (and a warrior at that) was something to be wary about. she glanced across his coat, noting that his spots seemed to stand out more in the sun. it wasn't a color she was familiar with being that most riverclan cats seemed to have a silver or white color.

she tilted her head to the side slightly at his words. her words had definitely been provoking, but she couldn't quite place why. she didn't feel threatened by the tom, he hadn't given her reason to, yet she supposed she did come across as such. "sorry", she muttered. "i guess i was getting a bit defensive, especially over the coltsfoot. now tell me," she said with a slight purr, "why are you out here alone? i didn't realize shadowclan let their warriors perform individual patrols now."

she coughed slightly at the purr. she hadn't meant to phrase her words in that manner. again, she felt as if her body betrayed her mind. her tail twitched in mild agitation, claws flexing in the ground. if she could get back control over her emotions, she would likely understand why she felt so different around this tom, but it seemed her mind had a different agenda.

[The Neko Pirate]

𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐠

He just seemed to smile over at her as he noticed her tucking the coltsfoot away between her paws, not saying anything about that. He couldn't blame her for being a little wary of him though. She seemed to be looking him over again, but the first time they had seen each other was in the dark moonlit night. His eyes scanned over her for a moment as well. As she apologized for what she had said, he just shrugged. She did have a reason for being defensive, he didn't let it bother him. "Don't worry about it."

The purr he could hear in her words was interesting and unexpected. Scorchfang didn't really know how to explain why they let him out alone. Well, he did, but she clearly didn't know him or that he was the offspring of ShadowClan's leader. It wasn't like that was some big secret that he was trying to keep from her though. And there was a sort of resemblance between himself and his mother. "I guess it's because I'm Duskstar's son." He just shrugged it off as he said it, wondering what she'd think about that.

As he stared over at her, he watched her tail twitching and her flexing her claws, wondering what was going through her mind in that moment. He was most definitely too curious about her for his own good, and he knew that. But it would most likely be fine. Or so he hoped anyway.