human to be wanted | ashen

[moon]

It's a dreary day as she trudges though the twoleg place, the clouds hang low and are a dark gray. The scent of rain is heavy in the air and Moon's not quite sure if she'll get back to her temporary nest in time... Theres a small scowl that crosses her face as she skillfully leaps a fence, blue-gray eyes squinting in frustration as they stare up towards the sky. Terrible the winter harvest had been lately, ribs jut out in places they shouldn't and she feels the familiar pang of hunger that ignites in her stomach like a fire.

She leaps again, perches on top of the next fence, surveys the area and to her dismay its just as empty as the last. Scavenging wasn't the best decision shes ever had, but with those stupid forest clans moving in to her old stomping grounds she lacks the land she once used to fill her stomach. And... the place beyond the twoleg dens was unkind, never would she be caught in the city or beyond. A huff falls from her lips as she walks to the edge of the fence, sitting down and letting her tail dangle. Theres a glare at the edge of the trees where obvious scent markings had been set. Oh, how they must be eating good. Her stomach growls, she has to look away.

She wouldn't try, no matter how hungry she was. Not after the last scar she had obtained, not after the nicked ear from a rogue. She wouldn't willingly let herself be killed for some scraps.

// @Ashenclaw ​

"speech"​

 

[Ashenclaw]

"You'll Never Be Unloved By Me"​

The day had been wet with a saddening tone etched into the low hanging grey sky. Yet there was a tinge of optimism as the large tomcat moved through the underbrush nearby the twolegplace. The trip was suppose to be nostlagic, something to look upon as he moved forward in his life. Visit it one last time before never returning again unless for patrol or something of an emergency came up. Though hopefully it wouldn't come to that and he hoped that his twolegs understood why he disappeared. That he loved them unconditionally no matter what would happen, but this was his life. He needed to take things by the reign and stop hiding in the shadows of the concrete buildings. He was a warrior of Skyclan. His heart laid there now even if they would never be far behind.

Ashenclaw looked up at the fences as he walked past them and the roofs peaked out from the tops of the wooden spokes. Things seemed silent here and still now unlike the forest that always seemed to be alive no matter how much snow was foced upon it. The blue tabby cat gave a small swish of his tail as he looked forward once more and then slowed his pace as a scent brushed his nose. Fur on his shoulders bristled harshly as it was an unfamiliar scent. Even if part of him had hoped it was the woodly scent of a certain orange and white cat who had followed him.

There was a shake of his head at the idea and then moved back from the fence to look to the tops of it. He didn't see anything right away but as his paws continued onwards towards the scent he blinked a few times. They where too close too Skyclan for his liking and he lifted his head a bit to get a better view of this cat. Though they were too far up on the fence for a real look. He marched over to the fence and lifted his voice up, "Can I help you with anything?" He asked from below.

Ashenclaw had learned that Skyclan wasn't one for hostility when it came for loners or rogues, other clan cats where another thing. Still, he didn't want a fight regardless and wanted to be able to see if this cat was lost or something.
Speech
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[moon]

Can I help you with anything? Great.... Just what Moon ordered, one of those pretentious forest cats who think they're so much better just because of their... gifted Stars or whatever. The look on her face is beyond annoyed as she scoffs, rolling her eyes as if this were the biggest inconvenience in the world. And to her, maybe it was.

Until she finally looked down with a cold expression, ready to give this damn cat a piece of her mind. And suddenly she was thrown back to her childhood, where things had been much simpler and the only fights she had was with her mother. She swallows hard. A striking image of their father, both being blue tabbies. If she did not know better, with as many fuzzy memories she had with the man, she would have sworn Cobalt had risen from the dead to haunt her. "Hail?" its murmured, rigid in a manner thats testing the waters. It can't be him, her mind insists, they were dead. All of them. She saw her own mother be taken by those twolegs. She could have only assumed similar fates fell upon her siblings, whether it be in a cushy home or dead under a monster like their father.

And yet, so fiercely he smells like the forest cats and a sense of dread washes over her. "What are you doing with them? The cats in the forest." her voice cracks but she does not allow herself to mourn. Despite the sick feeling in her stomach, she remains on top of the fence. "What happened to the others? Do you know? Is- Is Spice okay? Squid?" she purposefully does not ask for their mother. Never had Moon gotten along with her, their personalities clashed too much. Or perhaps it was because Moon reminded Pinata of her youth, not that Moon knew this.

"Where have you been?" she'd demand, too many questions flooding her brain. For months and months on end had she been apart from them, once prominent faces fading in to a blur in her mind. The calico leaps from the fence and stands in a way that demands answers. Relieved is she to see him okay, but turmoil wracks her skinny frame and makes it shake. Moon has never cried before, especially in front of others, but finally does she allow tears to slip from their clutches. At least one of them is okay.​

"speech"​

 

[Ashenclaw]

"You'll Never Be Unloved By Me"​

These eyes stare down at him distainfully as if he was the biggest bother on the planet right now. A twitch of a feathery tail followed shortly after and he gave a small huff in response before going to state something snarky. Rogues where always troublesome. They always seemed to dislike anyone they met or be so feral they couldn't tell trash from a real piece of food. Though the name that slips past a calico maw made the fur along his spine bristle in response. While the name was still rather new, surely no one would know that? Was it someone friends with Pinata? The snarky comment fades from his lips and he flicked back an ear in response.

Ashenclaw was then bombarded by hundreds of questions from above and he flinched a bit at the force of it all. What? Who was this cat? He couldn't right see her from where he stood until she leapt down from the fence and stared at him. That mouth opened and closed like a fish for a moment in complete awe. That blurry image that had always been at the back of his mind that seemed to solidify in his mind. That familiar gaze, the rather brash behavior and the calico fur.

Green hues blinked a few times before he took a tentative step forward, "Moon?" He questioned, voice barely above a whisper. It had been how long? Years, it had to have been at least a year now. Ashenclaw perked forward his ears and his tail perked up slightly. He didn't think- he assumed they would all be too far apart to run into each other like this. The blue tabby then seemed to register her questions and he shook his head a bit as the overwhelming feeling in his chest grew.

"Moon is that you?" He questioned once more taking another step towards the she-cat, her questions long forgotten before he watched as tears dripped from her gaze. Moon never cried, even when she got hurt, and the sight softened his deep green gaze. Ashenclaw then took the last few steps towards his sister and instantly rubbed his muzzle along her cheek softly. She was so skinny, so frail looking, and she demanded to know where he had been. Where had she been? Didn't they all go to homes?

Ashenclaw had to sniffle back his own tears as he pulled away to look at her, "I was- I was taken in by a pair of humans," He responded back to her question finally, "They took care of me and raised me since I was taken," He swallowed a bit harshly and looked down at the ground for a moment, "Then about six moons ago I joined Skyclan. I found mom," He knew she wouldn't want to hear about Pinataflurry. They never got along even when they where little and Ashenclaw never understood why. He had and is close to his mother, she the most important person in his life.

"I don't know where Squid or Spice are- I know one of them was taken in by humans but thats as far as it goes," Ashenclaw responded back softly and wished he had a different outcome. He wanted all of his siblings together but there seemed to be no chance of ever seeing them. The blue tabby then burrowed his face into his sisters shoulder softly, "I"m just go glad you're okay,"

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[moon]

Moon? Oh, it had been so soft, uttered so sweetly in a way that she had never deserved. Never would she had expected someone to say her name again, not after the spats with other cats, not after her claws had bled others dry and in turn nearly got her killed. Moon. It's her name. It's her name, for the moon-like marking on her. It's her name and never had she thought she would be this desperate to hear it again. Moon, is that you? Yes, she wants to say, I'm okay. Nothing comes from her mouth but a small whimper as he brushes his muzzle against her cheek. She is undeserving of all of this.

How long had it been since she had seen him? Since she had seen Squid, Spice? His look seems to question her.

He was taken in by humans. Raised him, cherished him. And taken in to the forest cats and then he... Her lip curls but the disgust immediately dissipates. He found mom. "She must have been happy to see you." she speaks stiffly, looking away. She cannot stomach it, the love that their mother would have shown him. He had always been one of her favorites. The jealousy disappears on the tip of her tongue as she swallows hard once more, trying to fight the incoming sobs that threatened to choke her.

"Neither of them...?" truly a shame, her hope died with the very words he spoke. But two of them, two out of four were still alive. She shuffles her paws. "Neither of them..." she repeats and finally does she let the grief come slowly, lowering her head and just letting the tears fall to the ground. She hoped Squid was the one that had been taken at the very least, he.... Was a scatter-brained fool, but she loved him. Always wandering off and getting himself in to trouble, she hopes his humans were kind to him. And Spice... Oh, poor Spice, her only other sister.

I'm just so glad you're okay. She raises her head slightly as he buries his face in her shoulder, she looks and feels tired. If it were any other time, both of them knew she would have thrown a fit, would have jokingly pushed him off. She cannot bring herself to do so. "I'm... doing my best. I couldn't live like that, so I ran when I had the chance. I've been on the streets since you guys..." were cat-napped, she wants to finish, but its fine now. Everything is fine now, Hail is okay. "I missed you guys. I'm glad at least you're okay, too." barely above a whisper he would have to listen carefully, she does not get sentimental often. But today, today is a day she can spare to relive their past.​

"speech"​

 

[Ashenclaw]

"You'll Never Be Unloved By Me"​

There was a wish for a different answer. For something better than that there hadn't been any contact with the other two of the four littermates. He did miss them, greatly, and hoped their lives where full and wonderful. There was flattening of ears against a large, angular skull and he gave a small breath through his nose. Spice was always going to be the eldest sibling, bossy and sweet and Squid- the little weirdo. Not a day goes by that he doesn't think about them at least once and now he found Moon. She was okay at least, skinny and probably starved but she was alive!

Ashenclaw gave a soft look at his sister as she got all sentimental on him and he couldn't help but light tease her with, "Are you getting soft on me, Moon?" He gave her a gentle nudge with his head and then sniffled slightly, dont cry he thought to himself. The young warrior twitched his tail slightly, "You've been living as a rogue?" He assumed the life of a house cat hadn't been for his sister, it wasn't something for just any old cat.

The blue tabby looked back behind him towards the forest and then towards her for a moment, "You know- I have a mate now and I-," Was that what he was going to call Orangeblossom? A mate? It was just a white lie after all so it would be fine right? Ashenclaw swallowed a bit harshly and kicked at the ground with a front paw, "And Skyclan is very open and accepting to any cat," He bit at the inside of his cheek as he knew this idea would probably be shot down. There was no way she would want to join the clans- why did he even suggest it?

Maybe it was the fact that he hadn't seen her in so long, he missed her and would want her around- but that wasn't realistic. The blue tabby licked at his white chest fur quietly for a few heartbeats, "I'd love for any future kits I have to know how cool their aunt is," Ashenclaw bit the bullet of what he wanted to say. It was more so blurted out than actually suggested and he took a sharp inhale of breath. That was the first time he had openly talked about having kits, and specifically with Orangeblossom.

Maybe he liked her more than just as a friend.

Speech
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[moon]

Are you getting soft on me, Moon? It's spoken in the teasing, sibling-manner she had grown so very accustom to and she can't help but bark out a laugh. "Me, soft? No... No, theres just... Something in my eye! Thats all." she hiccups, a fresh wave pouring down her cheeks as if it were trying to punctuate the sentence. But... She cannot help the grin that ghosts her face, tugs at her lips. He asks, or states her life as a rogue. "Unfortunately. It's... rough out there. To say the least." a small sigh leaves her as she picks up a paw, gesturing at her nicked ears. "But you know I always won." she attempts to shoot down any worries he may have about her. Most of her spats were over food, and when you get a feral cat in to the ring thats also starving.... Moon shudders.

"You... You what? Theres no way that little ole' Hail has gotten himself a mate." her eyes twinkle with mirth, its the most alive she has felt. "You? Out of all of us?" she tosses her head to the side, a genuine smile painting her face now. And... Then it comes, the invitation to SKyclan. "I can't... I refuse to." she shields her eyes as the tears dry on her cheeks. Her stubbornness would drive both of them apart again, she grits her teeth and flattens her ears to her skull. Those forest cats were tough but living in a group was something that she had never been comfortable with. And especially not after she heard mixed stories about them. "I'll come here every day though, when the sun is the highest in the sky, you can always find me he-"

He says something that makes her veins run with ice. Kittens. He was going to have kittens. Future kittens, he was... How cool their aunt is.... Her stomach churns. "Okay." it's like her brain isn't cooperating with her mouth, shes screaming at herself not to agree. "Okay..." she breathes and her eyes shift to her paws. No... She would be around. She would be an aunt, i'm not ready. She can't help the frown that grows on her lips. Her siblings were split at a young age, she had never known either sets of her grandparents. And maybe... Maybe she can make-up with their mother. In her own time, of course. Moon doesn't... think shes exactly ready for that yet. "Okay. I'll be there tomorrow... Look for me, okay?" and now shes determined as she stares back at him.

She'll have her family back. Even if Squid and Spice were missing from the picture, the most she can do is live on for them. Carry on their memories... Tell stories about them to Hail's kits. Things would be okay again. She turns to hop back on to the fence. "I'll be there. I promise. But you have to let me meet her, okay? I need to know if shes good for my brother." she turns back to speak to him, cranes her neck down with a joking smile. And after that, Moon disappears in to the gardens beyond the fences.​

"speech"​