out of my element [open/hunting]

[Duskfire]

I WANT SOMETHING JUST LIKE THIS​

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It had taken a few days, but finally Dusk was growing familiar with his new life. Soot still hadn't made him a full warrior of the clan yet, but he suspected she wouldn't be doing that for some time still. Many of the cats were still openly suspicious and curt with him, viewing him as an outsider that had yet to earn their trust, but Dusk was patient. It was one of the few skills he'd been forced to learn over the course of his lifetime, and he was able to stomach the scrutinizing looks and the barked orders that came from them. He knew it was just a test, a means of applying pressure in order to expose his true intentions, but since his intentions were nothing more than to join Windclan he figured it wouldnt be long until they others came to see that. All he had to do was not cause any problems while he was here.

And so Dusk kept his head down.He walked the borders without complaint when he was called on and he neer came back from a hunt until he'd managed to find something, even if it was nothing impressive. He didn't fuss when he was sent to do tasks that would have been better suited for children, and tried to listen carefully during the sparring session he was a part of. The fighting and hunting were things he was bad at- while he lacked experience and had to be given a lot of tips, it was notable that he was quick to listen and modify his techniques according to what he was told, proving to be an intelligent and adaptable tomcat who could pick up on things if given the chance.

It was more finding his place in the social world that had Dusk lingering on the sidelines. He'd spent his entire life either in a cage or locked in a room where half the other cats had been driven to madness through neglect, and it wasn't easy for him to mesh with these windclanners in that sense. It looked easy: he spent his days watching as cats of the clan would get together to share meals and exchange words, grooming each others pelts and inviting each other out on patrols and hunts. All it ever took was one cat going up to another and talking to them, and yet Dusk fellt as if there were some invisible barrier in place that kept him from ever trying it himself. Maybe he should, but who would he even speak to? Inky was the only cat who'd given him an ounce of kindness. ​

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windclan warrior - male - 17 months - homosexual - polyamorous - single - bengal

 

[honey]

Though Honey could not read thoughts, she was practically in the same boat as Dusk was. An outsider, the looks were pointed from some, though soft from others. It all made her sick to her stomach regardless, the way her head pounded at the thought of being alone, the way there were claws against her throat when she tried to speak in a kind manner. It wasn't the same, not without Tugger, not without him.

Her eyes turn to spot Dusk, a cat whom seemed just as out of place as her and her paws are carrying herself over; misfits stay together, yes? "Bonjour, hope i'm not interrupting something." it was a mixture between a soft tone and a strained whisper, her head tilting. "What are you doing just standing there, ma chérie?" most of the cats of Windclan were all about business and hunting and fighting, it made her head spin as she tried to keep up with them. So... Dusk being here, looking all awkward, was probably the way she could finally adjust to talking to people again. New friends, a new beginning. She just had to keep reminding herself of it.
​

"speech"​

 

[WEASELCLAW]

Weasel has met more cats than he can keep track of since he'd been allowed access to the moor. Growing up on the farm had left him practically face-blind; the cats who stayed long enough to catch a mouse and leave, the cats who'd wandered off to die from illness or injury, the cats who'd kept to themselves, as he had--they had all just been a featureless mass in his mind.

Now, he finds he actually somewhat wants to get to know his Clanmates. Not because he's interested in their lives or what they have to say, necessarily, but because they will be responsible for one another's well-being going forward. Something about that is attractive to him, despite the dreadful pit in his stomach telling him he'll have to get to know kittypets.

He sees the soft-voiced newcomer approach Dusk, who is standing off by himself, looking out of place. Weasel's left ear twitches as he catches her greeting. Polite, well-meaning. He's been curious about her since Sootstar brought her home, but he still doesn't know her or really what her purpose is. The idea of a cat knowing how to fix things and getting visions from the dead is absolutely baffling to him.

Still, she's a WindClanner now, as is Dusk, and he forces himself to approach the two of them. The look on his face can hardly be called 'friendly,' but he dips his head slightly to them both. "Waiting for someone to tell you what to do?" He ribs Dusk, but flicks his tail to show he doesn't mean it harshly. He isn't Hyacinth, after all, bossing cats around like she's Sootstar the Second. "Don't worry. If Sootstar wants you to do something, I'm sure she'll tell you. In the meantime..." He slides a glance to the cinnamon and white femme, mouth creasing in a bewildered frown. "Erm... what's your name again?" Slightly rude, but for the life of him, he can't recall. Something sweet to go along with that trilling bird call voice.
​

PENNED BY MARQUETTE​

 

[hyacinthbreath]

Hyacinth was charged with watching Dusk to make sure he wasn't up to no good, but she had slowly come to find that the male was.. Oddly boring to watch over. He followed commands well, he did whatever she asked of him, and never once complained. If anything, he seemed lost without someone to tell him what to do. Something she was oddly.. put off by. She was used to people arguing and complaining about her attitude and bossiness, but Dusk just.. didn't seem to care. He just wanted to prove himself.

This one's genuine.

The thought passes her mind, and Hyacinth blinks in thought as she walks through the fields, spotting the brown tabby in the distance. Her stoic expression hardens on instinct, and as she happens upon Honey as well, she tenses. So many strangers, one destined to be something close to a prophet and a stranger their Leader is strangely trusting of. And then there was Dusk, who looked clueless standing there. As if waiting for someone to tell him what to do.

"You're useless if you just stand there. Do you know how to hunt, Dusk?" She speaks up from behind the cats gathered, stiff posture giving away her discomfort with the situation she has put herself in. But, as a paw idly scrapes against the ground, she found herself hesitant to say something cruel to Weasel and Honey. They were useful, in one way or another. And if they weren't going to leave, she had to be more welcoming to them. Much to her own displeasure.

"Shall.. We all hunt together, then?" It's a grunted question, hard for someone like Hyacinth to just up and ask- but she did it, and she idly wondered how Lavender would be looking at her right now. She looked away from the group, shuffling awkwardly in place.​

 

[Duskfire]

I WANT SOMETHING JUST LIKE THIS​

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Honeytwists voice was quick to pull him from his thoughts, a momentary look of surprise flickering through green eyes as they settled on her. Dusk had only ever interacted with the shecat once before, and it had been during the confrontation of a stranger where the newly made medicine cat had scolded him for being rude. The interaction hadn't caused him to dislike her in anyway- quite the opposite, really. As far as first impressions went, Honey seemed like a kind shecat, and he hadn't exactly disagreed with the fact that he'd been acting unfriendly toward the stranger. Unfortunately what he felt and what was expected of him were two very different things, and if Soot wanted strangers met in that way, he'd continue with it.

Her words -some of them at least- were strange to him, their meaning lost, but the rest were asily recognizable and it was those he chose to focus on.

"Oh, no, your good." he assured her, since it was pretty obvious to both of them he hadn't been doing much of anything at all and she certainly wasn't interupting him. " I was just.." Observing? Waiting? Zoning out because that was the only way he knew how to kill time? He couldn't say any of that without sounding crazy. "..just thinking."

It wasn't a lie, so it was a fair enough compromise of an answer.

Unfortunately though, it wasn't just Honey who noticced him standing around.

Weasel was a tom he'd seen enough of to recognize easily by now, but had never actually spoken to. Which really was the description he had for most of the Windclanners at this point. For some reason, Soostar seemed to favor the tom, and Dusk often wondered just what he'd done to skip all the suspicion the shecat normally shouldered on outsiders to the main group, something driven more by curiosity than envy. Understading how cats worked was something he was still very much trying tog et a grasp on, so it was a curious thing to see Sootstar but so much trust in a barn cat.

But Weasel didn't seem immediately unlikeable, and Dusk would even chuckle at the older toms jest. "I guess you could say that. I'm still not entirely sure what I'm allowed to do since I'm technically on probation, so.." he shrugged.

While Dusk was always easy to go along with something when he was tasked with it, he wasn't all that confident in what he was allowed to do of his own volition. Would it be considered 'suspicious' if he left camp to explore? Did he have the authority to call a hunting party or border patrol together? He really had no idea.

A third voice, one he recognized well, and green eyes would shift past the pair to rest on the shecat standing behind them. Hyacinths arrival was a double-edged sword for Dusk. On one hand he knew she was watching him like a hawk, but on the other she almost always gave Dusk something to do, which he was usually greatful for. He didn't really enjoy standing around or looking awkward, and the work kept both his paws and his mind busy, which was always good.

At her question the tom would nod, tail twitching lightly behind him. "I'm probably not at the same level as the rest of you, but I was able to keep myself fed before joining." he explained, not wanting them to get the impression he was overly good. While he certainly had a talent for snatching birds out of the air, he had only just begun hunting in the last few moons and there was still a lot left to be desired in his technique.

At her question his gaze would shift toward Honey and Weasel to gauge if they were interested, but he already made up his own mind on the matter regardless of their decisions. "Sure." he agreed, gaze heading back to Hyacinth.

​

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windclan warrior - male - 17 months - homosexual - polyamorous - single - bengal