private the stranger // jitterbug

[cottonsprig]

Cottonsprig does not often grace the Clan borders alone. Especially with the threats given to them, it'd be smarter not to. However the young she-cat finds thrill in her newfound freedom and whatever Sunstar doesn't know won't hurt him… Hopefully. Plus ShadowClanners have to thrum their paws on the black stone of the thunderpath should they want to catch her, and though they are stealthy, they aren't that stealthy.

The she-cat noses through some tall weeds, ears perked to listen to any sort of rustling to be had. While most of the moorlands have begun to grow back, plenty of it is still weak and dead underpaw. Most of their herbs have been sourced from the edges of their lands, like by the ShadowClan border, and yet today Cottonsprig finds very little success in her lonesome endeavor.

“StarClan, please - just one stem is all I ask for…” The idea of returning home empty pawed so soon after her naming makes her stomach flip. She looks out over the thunderpath on whim and watches as the shadows shake, a cat bleeding between the stretches. Her ears twitch as she follows the movement, and then it stills - only then does she call out. “Hello? Are you just marking the border, or are you watching me?” Her brows pinch in the center of her forehead, though her limbs itch for her to run instead.

@JITTERBUG ​

 

[JITTERBUG]

After their last time venturing out into the territory alone, perhaps Jitterbug should know better--should have taken someone with them in case there was a repeat of the attack that had left them with the scar across their face. And yet, they can't help it. Going out into the territory, spending time alone, it's comforting. It gives them somewhere where they don't have to worry about who is around, what they think of them, whether they're being judged. A short temper can only chase others off for so long, after all, before it becomes more bark than bite. They're approaching the Thunderpath when they hear a voice calling out from the other side, and they still, remaining in the shadows for a moment as they assess the situation, biting back the tic that wants to spill out and give them away.

This doesn't seem like someone dangerous, though. She calls out rather than threatens, seems to be searching the ground for something--might she be WindClan's medicine cat? It puts them at ease a bit, so they step forward, clicking their teeth a couple times as they come to the edge of the Thunderpath, not crossing but instead simply getting close enough to comfortably be able to respond. They do keep a keen eye out for monsters, though, just in case.

"Just marking the border," they echo, but follow it up with a shake of their head. It had slipped out without a thought, though it isn't the truth. "I'm just out on a walk. Spending some time away from the camp so I don't need to deal with kittens underfoot," they say. There's no harm in being honest here, and besides, maybe they'll learn something interesting if they spend some time here, conversing with the blue smoke across the path. "Yourself?' they ask, curious what could have brought her this close to ShadowClan.​

 

[cottonsprig]

Oddly kind, for a ShadowClanner. Not that long ago was her brother accosted by those across the thunderpath, and yet this one here wants to make small talk with her. Cottonsprig watches them warily, eyebrows furrowing with meager confusion and frustration. She supposes that not every cat is like Chilledstar or his clawed accomplice... just as not every WindClanner obeyed Sootstar's tooth-filled demands. Her tail twitches and she follows them down the thunderpath, step for step, yet never crossing the way.

"Kittens underfoot isn't so bad," she says, pausing to sniff at another wayward stalk. She frowns as she looks towards them once more. "I'm trying to find some herbs - the fires this way have -" Cottonsprig cuts herself off, the kindness of the interaction almost lulling her into a secure position. They would be smart to assume what she was going to say, that their herb supply suffered with the poor earth quality. But the words don't escape her maw, for fear of instigating something worse.

"No luck," she says simply after, tail twitching.​