twolegplace okay i pull up ↷ [SHADOWCLAN DATE]

[smogstar]

Only on one prior occasion has the tom crossed Twolegplace's threshold; under a name different to his current one, yet for reasons identical. As he wanders down the paved path, part of him wonders if his past encounter or her offspring still linger here. Another part yearns to scrub them from memory altogether.

However, in a departure from the norm, the greater part of Smogmaw's mind does not dwell on past mistakes. The usual theoretical scenarios and hypothetical contingencies are gone from his headspace, cast aside in favour of something - or rather, someone far greater.

Halfshade just has this effect on him. She smooths out all of the irregularities inside his mind. Her presence lifts the weight from his chest, and the burdens which come from living in ShadowClan seem so inconsequential in the long run. If there are words to describe how thankful he was that she returned the affection, it lay beyond Smogmaw's power to land them. She's just so pretty, so worth it. And a fellow like him, who might be best described as a morose pain-in-the-neck, simply doesn't deserve the warmth that Halfshade has to offer.

It had been a combination of their ideas to escape ShadowClan. The molly put it forward as a lighthearted quip, and the tom welcomed the notion with open paws. Their home was depressing. Cats were so weakened by hunger, they were going belly-up over rat bites and minor infections. How, in good conscience, could the two of them kindle an intimacy in such a downtrodden environment? Leaving the clans behind them, even for a brief period of time, would give them some breathing room; an opportunity to bond without their clanmates breathing down their necks, while seeing some unfamiliar sights along the way.

"Sky's so clear tonight," remarks the tom, glancing toward the stars freckling the sky. It isn't their light that illuminates their surroundings, but rather the twoleg-made lanterns looming over the path. "D'you think they're watching us, Halfshade?" he asks. He then looks towards his companion, imparting a wry grin toward her. "I hope they're minding their own business up there. Last thing I want is ghosts gossiping about you 'n me."


[ please wait for @Halfshade to respond! ] ​

 

[Halfshade]

These two-leg paths of stone and sharp metal were unfamiliar to her and yet something she knew all too well, while the location itself was new it had the same ambiance as he old haunts and she found her steps lighter for it; comfortable in her understanding of the place. Her paws are surefooted, carefully strutting along on long strides with her head and tail high alongside the mackerel tom who seemed to be moving with a little more pep to his step than she'd seen before as well. She was a little out of her normal element, frankly. Halfshade was a cat who very much knew her worth and flaunted it, ShadowClan was a cesspit at the best of times and soulsucking at the worst, but she had her reasons for lingering and in time she had fully planned on establishing herself a name and family there; it just was a sudden shift in direction that her normal preferences were either unappealing personality wise or non-existent and then there was Smogmaw. Dreary and dry witted, quiet when he was expected to speak and too outspoken otherwise, a bit of a damper on most moods but terribly amusing in his own way. Not her usual inclination when it came to flirting but a girl needed variety now and then she supposed. Besides, there was a sort of ambition in him that was akin to her own and very admirable. You never wanted to settle for anyone who was content in life when there was more to grasp. It was the losers way out.

"Can't say I believe it too much, but it would be nice granted they kept their nose out of the affairs of others." A smile curled across her maw, whiskers quivering in amusement.
She didn't disbelieve in StarClan, no, she'd seen first hand a leader die and revive as though nothing had happened and it would be foolish to dismiss that as anything but something mystical and otherworldly. Now, the real question was how much power they held over living cats. It couldn't be much, just existing wasn't good enough in her eyes and if they were the so-called overseers of the clans then why had ShadowClan struggled so? Was it actually a curse as her clanmates thought? Were they spurned by the stars and left aimless in darkness? Halfshade didn't know and she had no real guess as to what the circumstances might be but she did know one thing, "It is nice isn't it? The stars are easier to see in the dark marsh but it's harder to appreciate them there."
The souls of dead cats or not, you couldn't deny they added a nice flair to the otherwise black expanse above but in ShadowClan one often didn't have the luxury to pause and look up, to bask in the shine of ethereal spectacle. Prey had to be hunted, borders patrolled, gnawing stomaches distracting and forcing gazes downward as though despondent.
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[ROXIE]

♡ I AM READY TO RUN ♡​

Now that her twolegs were letting her out, Roxie was spending more and more time in the backyard. She really did not understand how her mate could bear being cooped up in the den all day. It made her restless when she couldn't see the sky for too long, it made her feel like she was trapped. Knowing that she could leave, even if she didn't want to, put her heart at ease.

Besides, there were flowers behind her twoleg's den. She was quite fond of flowers.

Which was why it did not surprise her when she awoke lying amongst the flowers. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, it took her a moment to recognize the voices just outside of her garden. Her ears to perk up, and she tilted her head curiously. Pulling herself to paws with a slow stretch, she measured the distance between her and the fence above her. Then, after a moment of carefully preparing herself, she leapt atop it. It took her a few moments, which was less time than usual, to find her balance.

Looking down the other side, she saw them. A grey tom decorated with daring scars and a torbie molly with delightfully curly fur. They made quite a pair. "Mah, what a cute cuouple." Roxie purred, settling down onto the fence and wrapping her tail around herself to make her comfortable. "Y'all ain't from around here, are yah? May ah ask what brings yah here?"

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kittypet ✩ 72 moons ✩ tags​

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[smogstar]

The dark-smirched tabby's penchants are few and far between. For somebody like him, a fellow who has minimal power beyond being able to sit and watch as life passes by, there's not much he can cling to and hold dear. It's a pitiable reality, really. His days tend to be dull and colourless much like the fur bound to his sorry figure. Emotionally, spiritually, and hell, physically, Smogmaw is as deadpan as they come.

Halfshade's sultry voice shifts this dynamic somewhat. Whenever her words hit his black-capped ears, he is overcome with an intensely saccharine compulsion.

An urge... to smile.

And so he does. The bicoloured molly acknowledges his utterances about the stars, and his reserved expression is ruined by a goofy grin. She speaks further on cosmic pleasantries, to which Smogmaw nods along, though he cannot form an intimate bond with the beauty she found in them. They're just specks of light, nothing too special. She's a lot prettier than them, anyhow.

"I suppose," he accedes, defiant of his internal criticisms. That's another aspect of Halfshade he can appreciate: she gives him a reason to have a filter. "Then again, maybe it's better to concentrate on tangible things, in the long run," continues Smogmaw, who would decelerate his gait as they drew near some twoleg nests. "Y'know, like 'real' things. Like you 'n me."

The tom doesn't spare a moment. He moves in to brush a shoulder against her soft pelt, relishing in her touch and relinquishing a lowly purr. He still can't quite get over how awesome her company is.

It isn't only Halfshade's company that he's a part of, he would then find.

Striped brows lurch to the sky when a feline's seated figure enters his peripheral. His head jerks in the stranger's direction, and a scowl befalls his face when she provides her own commentary. Rationally, he shouldn't react in this way, as neither of them are in the forest anymore. Regardless, he beholds the auburn she-cat with a bitter regard, a look complemented by rearward-swivelled ears.

"Smogmaw," imparts the tom, in more of a blurt than a genuine greeting. He's still peeved that their date had been impeded on by a kittypet, and in Twolegplace of all places. Imagine that. "We're spies, from the clans. Tell us everything you know."

And suddenly, this night is no longer about Halfshade. His pathological cock and bull stories have taken the top priority... at least, they have until this stranger beats a hasty retreat. ​

 

[ROXIE]

♡ I AM READY TO RUN ♡​

Roxie's delight only grew as the tom declared himself to be a spy. How exotic!~

"Gladly!" She chirped cheerfully, shooting him a delighted grin. "Mah name's Roxie, pleasure tah meet yah, and inside-" her tail flicked to gesture toward the den behind her. "-is mah mate Hutch. Though, ah doubt the pair of y'all will see a hair on his hide 'less yah decide yah wanna go in. He ain't the sociable type. Why, I think the two of yah might be alike in that way!" A sharp laugh broke from her at her own joke. Thinking of her mate and Smogmag standing side by side, a right mirror of each other's grumpy expressions, made her just giddy. It took her a moment to gather herself again.

"What are these clans and why y'all need to spy on little ol' me? I mean, ah'm flattered and all, but still." Roxie's curiosity was written across her features. With how cross with her the tom seemed, it was doubtful he'd be willing to share that much with her, but she held out hope. Anyplace that needed spies just had to be interesting.

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kittypet ✩ 72 moons ✩ tags​

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[Tickbite]

Tickbite just wasn't one to sit around for long. That's why he was here in this twolegplace, to see what it had to offer. And it sure was a fun place! He had gotten in a few scraps and stolen a few meals, but that's just how it is. Twirling the small bone in his mouth that was trapped between his jaws, he set his course for down the sidewalk, tail raised high and eyes ahead.

Can't say he was expecting to happen upon such a pair as Halfshade and Smogmaw. One was drop dead gorgeous and the other..... Needed some work. He took note of Roxie up on the fence, and that was all who he could see for now.

He could tell from the shadowclanners scents they weren't from around here. Some of those clan cats, he figured.

"Y'all ain't from around here, are ya." He said. Not that he minded, cats go where they want and do what they pleased.

"Welcome to the twolegplace." He said. "Enjoy yer visit 'n all that, but there ain't much to spy on, 'nless yer looking for food."

.......

"And places to hide bodies, if you gotta get rid of someone." He added, chuckling.

He wasn't exactly the best at being welcoming, but he tried!
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[Halfshade]

Tangible, intangible, it was all things in the end, but she didn't so much deny StarClan as she found their entire concept baffling. Nine lives, only to take them all in one sweeping blow? It seemed nonsensical. Then to give a grieving man responsibility to heavy he never quite got over his mourning enough to really live. Pitchstar was a miserable tom and he'd always be such with such a burden upon him. The torbie couldn't say she felt any sense of jealousy to the position, authority was fine and good but this felt more a curse than a blessing divine. The bump to her side had her ears flick upward in surprise and she smiled, returning it with a heavy lean and nose pushing gentle to the side of a tabby striped cheek. It was very fun to see the usually morose and poortempered tom so affectionate, she had not expected him to have it in him at all yet he seemed a new cat in a way; yet still his same dry humored safe. She could compare it to a flower given proper attention, sunlight and water, and it would return the compassion with a brilliant bloom; but she knew he would make a joke about him being more akin to a mushroom than a flower.
The appearance of the loner she-cat had her fur bristle just slightly, enough that Smogmaw in his close proximity might notice but the stranger wouldn't, though she just as quickly settled down at the cheery tone delivered. This wasn't a cat from some group, it was always the ones gathered together with no purpose who were the most dangerous and her belly scar pinched at the memory of it.
The mackerel tom's immediate remark about being spies earned a snort of a laugh from her that she raised a paw to mask, very unladylike but then again why did she care so much right now.
"Oh, you'd be right! Far from sociable but pleasant all the same!" Roxie seemed to understand that a good man wasn't always a friendly face. "The clans are in the forest, there are several of us. Groups of cats all living opposed! This is Smogstar, leader of ShadowClan and I am his deputy~"
As soon as the joke left her mouth she was smiling brightly, genuinely amused by it more than she could explain because she recalled making one such joke before that had been quite the hit with the gray tom. Another cat appeared with a strange lingo and she could hardly understand him worth a lick but she caught that last sentence and flicked her tail in bemusement.
"Oh, always good to know."
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