i walk a lonely road | exploring?

[Dewfrost]

It was strange to imagine herself as a loner now. Dewfrost had lived and breathed ShadowClan. It had been her home before the clans, and when they formed, she was more than happy to stay in the marshy lands she called home (even if she was being tempted to live elsewhere).

Now after more than a year of enduring her own pain and losses in solitude, keeping her head down, getting on with her duties, and doing her best just to live Dewfrost had left that place. Although Dewfrost had chosen to leave ShadowClan as a punishment for what she had done, she found life as a loner to be somewhat freeing. Of course, the guilty conscience still haunted her, but she didn't have to try and hide that here and pretend she was alright. If she wanted to mope and feel sorry for herself she could and she could do it knowing she wasn't expected to go out and hunt or go on patrol. A shameful thought really but it was the truth. Still, despite all that, she did miss the structure and familiarity of clan life. These lands were strange and wild, and from her short time here already she had seen some ruthless things already. StarClan, if you're still watching over me please give me strength.

One thing Dewfrost was trying to do more of was to explore these lands and take in more of the new sights and surroundings. Most of her life had consisted of the lands that ShadowClan called home, everything else was new and unfamiliar to her. And being this close to the twolegplace she couldn't help but feel a little lost and confused.​

 

[Sharpeye]

☁ "I could have sworn that Gale said it was round here somewhere..." Sharpeye mumbled as he skirted the edge of twolegplace where it met the woodland beyond. As determined as he had been earlier it was evident that his will to keep searching for the odd object had firmly waned. No doubt a twoleg or something had already found it and taken it away. A pity really, he would have liked to have seen it given the amount of hype Gale had spouted. Though he was the sort to make rubbish sound marvellous and intriguing. A strange gift.

The tom sighed as he took to traversing along the fence-tops in favour of heading elsewhere, though his eye caught sight of an unfamiliar feline. Sharpeye opted to stop so he could observe her for a time, that was until his curiosity got the better of him. He hopped down and tagged along after her. "Are you alright there? You seem a little lost."
​

 

[Dewfrost]

Lost in her thoughts, Dewfrost does not notice Sharpeye watching her. She is only truly aware when she heard a small thud behind her and turns to see a sandy coloured tom approaching her, having clearly jumped off from one of the nearby fences. "That obvious, hm?" Dewfrost mews, chuckling more at herself than at him. Her green eyes observe him briefly for a moment, noting that he's likely a loner or a rogue rather than a kittypet. "I am a little lost," She admitted after a moment. "I am trying to find somewhere to shelter for a while. I've never left the marshes before so this whole territory is strange and unfamiliar to me."​

 

[Sharpeye]

☁ Sharpeye blinked slowly as he listened to the she-cat, giving her the chance to explain her situation. "The marshes? Guessing you're from ShadowClan's direction, right? It doesn't matter if you happen to be a former clanner, there's a fair few round here. I was once with SkyClan, but these days I run with Gale, a former WindClanner. And speaking of which, if you're needing somewhere to shelter you're welcome to find some refuge with us. We have a habit of taking in strays." A soft chuckle escaped him as he explained things, he didn't see any point in being aggressive or cold. Yeah, Gale was really starting to rub off on him it seemed. "The name's Sharpeye, who might you be?"
​

 

[Dewfrost]

"SkyClan...?" Dewfrost echoes. It is less of a question to him, but a remark of disbelief from her, unable to believe she would have the luck to stumble across a former SkyClan cat. Did you know...? But the question remains in her mind. She returns to the conversation at hand, and starts to nod before speaking again. "Yes, I was from ShadowClan," She confirms. "I lived in the Marsh Group first but I chose to stay there once the clans were formed." When he offers her the chance to take refuge with him, a teary sheen forms over her eyes, not expecting such kindness from a stranger. "That would be very kind, Sharpeye," She mews, careful to speak his name once he had formally introduced himself. "I'm a good hunter so I can earn my keep," She assures him. "My name is Dewfrost, but you can just call me Dew if you'd like. I never did have much attachment to the full name Briarstar bestowed upon me."​

 

[Sharpeye]

☁ So some cats no longer held any attachment to names bestowed by their leaders? It wasn't uncommon, he supposed, though he still found himself unable to abandon the name given to him by Blazestar. He... He still had feelings, something he knew he had to rid himself of if he intended to move on with his life. He still had his former name from his early days prior to arriving to the clan lands.

"Very well Dew. Another hunter is always welcome within our number, even if our group is small." So many came and went, but he tried to avoid letting it dampen the openness and kindness that Gale seemed insistent on instilling within them. His smile is soft as he looks towards the fence line that acted as the gateway to the twolegplace beyond. "I can either show you the way to where we live now, or we could go hunt first so the next meals are sorted. What would you like to do, Dew?"
​

 

[Dewfrost]

He calls her Dew, and she smiles appreciatively at his usage of it. Dewfrost does not hate her warrior name in truth, but always found it was reflective of the cold persona she was forced to adopt when she gave up her kits.

Dewfrost follows his gaze as he looks towards the fence line and then considers his suggestion. "May we hunt first?" Dewfrost asks, a little uncertain whether he would even agree despite giving her the opportunity to choose. "Consider it a peace offering from me to you and your friend...Gale was it?"​

 

[Sharpeye]

☁ "Of course, and that is a splendid idea. With luck we might also see Yew later today, if he is about. He's from WindClan like Gale." Sharpeye agreed with a nod as he thought about the main heart of the crew. He would have liked to add Lavender to the list of cats to meet, but sadly he had not seen the she-cat in some time. He feared that she was gone for good, so he made a mental note to check in with Gale at some point to ensure that the tom was fairing well. He knew that the pair had been close.

"It's usually best to hunt out here, or just within the fences. If you know the right twoleg den to target you can find plenty of birds to catch." There would be time to learn the ropes in the coming days for sure. On this particular day he longed for the forest and already he found himself gazing at the trees with a sense of longing. "Shall we get started?" A glimmer of mischief sparked in his eye as he began to step in the opposite direction of the fences. "How about a spot of friendly competition? Biggest prey wins?"
​

 

[Dewfrost]

Another former clan cat? Dewfrost can't say she's surprised to hear that this Yew was once from WindClan. She had heard plenty of rumours of the infamous WindClan leader, and it did not surprise her that many cats who once called the moors home were out here. "Are there a lot of you out here?" She asks, curious. "Clan cats that is." She supposed it wasn't realistic that he would know every loner out here, but from what little time they had spent together already he seemed fairly well-informed.

She listened intently as he explained how to hunt out here, nodding to show she was following. Whilst she couldn't imagine herself hunting near any twoleg den anytime soon, the information was good to have at hand for the future. Dewfrost blinks in surprise when she sees the mischievous glimmer in his eyes. She was not expecting a competition, but she'll happily take part, even if she doesn't seem particularly enthusiastic at that moment. "Sure," She agrees with a nod. "Just go easy on me, okay?"​

 

[Sharpeye]

☁ "Yes, as a matter of fact. Mainly former WindClanners, though that hardly comes as a surprise." It certainly felt as though WindClan haemorrhaged the greatest number of warriors. Though the ex-clanners hardly outnumbered the level of rogues and loners that inhabited the twolegplace and the wilds beyond. It was enough to keep him on his toes anyway, especially when it came to the other bands and gangs that roamed the place.

"Heh! I make no promises." Sharpeye replied with a low chuckle as he prowled away to make a start on his own hunt. Just what would he find today? Well, as luck would have it it seemed that he was destined for something great. A large rabbit was what he found, hopping about alone and looking quite... odd. Unlike the usual wild rabbits this one sported a white band around its midsection which certainly made it stand out against the forest terrain. It reminded him of the ones he often saw in cages in the twoleg gardens, so it wasn't a farfetched notion to assume that one of the captive bunnies had been set loose and allowed to mingle with the wild populace.

Regardless of its origin it only had one purpose now; to become food for a group of felines. As swift as his legs would allow, he sprinted forth and pounced upon the large rabbit. However, there were disadvantages to being a small cat, and it came in the form of him failing to have the weight to outright pin the rabbit. The hunt rapidly became something more akin to that of a rodeo as the tom was left clinging to the back of the bucking bunny. "Oh sh-! Help!" Would the she-cat even hear him? Or would he be doomed to lose such a valuable catch?
​