hidden eyes // p; shadepaw

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    DARKNESS BETRAYED YOU

    for a long time since his self-exile, foreststrike had not returned anywhere near the thunderclan territories. he was a cat who dared to hunt on the territories of other clans, kittypets, loners, and two-legs. he dared to go near thunderpaths if it meant he got to eat another meal. fearless and perhaps ridiculously bold was the name of the game out there, after losing everything he had - his friends, his lover, his position at home. home.


    perhaps it was the very idea of home that had driven him to come back to the edge of thunderclan. something that felt comfortable and familiar to him, even though the clan would probably no longer recognise nor welcome him back. he had taken the warrior code and thrown it away for selfish reasons, and his reputation among the clan was something they wouldn't welcome. the brown tabby believed too much in the power of violence, that borders had to be protected with claws and bloodshed. life as a loner had made him see that, but he clung to the idea as it was all that had protected him out there in the unfamiliar lands.


    none of this mattered in the end, if he would die hungry. he had hunted too much on loner lands and stepped too far into the territories of otherclans. the only place he hadn't gone to hunt yet was thunderclan.


    home.

    I'M THE JUNGLE THAT MOVES

    I'm an angel with a shotgun

    fighting til' the war's won — tags

    Shadepaw wasn't too surprised to see another cat hanging around close to the border. It was a pretty common situation - a cat showed up, generally either wanting to join or just chat. The young tom didn't expect this time to go down any differently.


    The black pelted cat padded closer to the border, bright eyes fixed on the strange cat. He appeared to be a lot older than Shadepaw, and didn't seem to smell of any Clan. Perhaps he was a joiner? There was only one way to find out.


    "Hey," the small tom halted by the border, waving his tail at the unfamiliar cat. He certainly hadn't seen him before, and his scent wasn't at all familiar, either. "What's up?" His greeting was casual, lacking any hint of a threat. Shadepaw doubted that this cat intended on causing trouble - though he could be wrong, of course.


    "that's just what gangsters do."

    DARKNESS BETRAYED YOU

    the appearance of another cat was not surprising as foreststrike was on thunderclan's territory, but the sudden appearance of a clan cat was not a welcome gesture either. the bulky tom backed up initially upon the black cat's arrival, but he felt no need to retreat further. this cat was barely an adult, and while foreststrike had no intention of starting a fight, he could probably take on the thunderclan cat if needed.


    kindness was something foreststrike had not been shown while he was living alone, so the cat's lack of hostility to him came as a bit of a surprise. the brown tom was guarded, though he still had every intent of hunting. "who are you?" foreststrike asked. at least he would have a name, if things were to go wrong. not that names were super helpful, but good to know anyway.

    I'M THE JUNGLE THAT MOVES

    I'm an angel with a shotgun

    fighting til' the war's won — tags

    If Shadepaw had been aware that Foreststrike had been hunting, he would have been a lot more hostile right off the bat. But he didn't know. Maybe this cat was just nose-blind and had failed to notice the scent markers.


    "I'm Shadepaw," the apprentice answered. He saw no harm in sharing his name with the stranger - he couldn't hurt him, not with that information alone. "And who are you?" the small cat inquired, assuming that the cat would likely put forward a non-clan name considering that he didn't smell of any Clan. Shadepaw was prepared for a fight. This cat didn't seem flat out hostile, but there was no telling this soon on whether he was friendly or not. His bright green eyes, a noticeable and powerful feature thanks to their contrast with his black pelt, were fixed on the older cat, watching his every movement. "And what are you doing on ThunderClan territory?" There was no need to fight - not yet.


    "that's just what gangsters do."

    DARKNESS BETRAYED YOU

    At the request for his name, Foreststrike glanced around, deciding to avoid answering that question as long as he could. The brown tom no longer knew who remembered his name and who would simply go, oh, well that's nice. He backed up a little bit, turning away with a bit of a snort. "Just existing here for now," He grumbled, idly turning away. The young cat didn't look like the kind who might suddenly lunge at him, so Foreststrike felt no concern that turning his back. For someone trespassing on clan territory, he was awfully aloof and casual about it.

    I'M THE JUNGLE THAT MOVES

    I'm an angel with a shotgun

    fighting til' the war's won — tags

    If this guy thought that Shadepaw was going to leave him alone that easily, he was mistaken. The black apprentice padded after the strange cat, looking up at him with bright green eyes. "Do you usually wander around existing in Clan territories?" there was no hostility in his voice - not yet. He hadn't realised this tom was hunting, after all. Shadepaw was certainly suspicious though, and he didn't intend on leaving this cat alone until he told Shadepaw what he was doing. While Shadepaw wasn't incredibly territorial, not compared to a lot of his Clanmates anyway, he was protective over his loved ones in ThunderClan as well as the important resources in ThunderClan's territory, for example. "And I didn't hear you giving me a name," he nudged the other cat with a small paw. "You don't smell like a Clan cat." He observed, wondering whether the intruder would take offence to that. He didn't really care to be honest. Shadepaw didn't mean anything bad by it though - he respected those who lived their lives outside of the Clans. Just because their way of living was different didn't mean that it was wrong.


    "that's just what gangsters do."

    DARKNESS BETRAYED YOU

    "What can I say, it's a nice territory." The brown tom grumbled as he felt a paw nudge him, moving a few steps away. Normally when he was touched like that, claws would be out, but attacking a clan cat on their own territory spelled nothing but needless trouble. It wasn't worth it if he wanted to be able to continue to hunt where the prey was good. "Maybe I'm not a clan cat," Foreststrike muttered, even though he knew full well of his origins. The young cat sure wasn't giving up on the whole name bit. "Guess you can call me Foreststrike if you really want." He had in mind the fact that he was going to get pestered for his name, so perhaps just giving it would let them both move on from the topic.

    I'M THE JUNGLE THAT MOVES

    I'm an angel with a shotgun

    fighting til' the war's won — tags

    This guy... didn't seem too interested in talking. Shadepaw got that - but he couldn't help but be suspicious about this intruder. Sure, maybe he was just wandering, but what if he wasn't? I'll shred his pelt off if it turns out he's stealing prey! Shadepaw hated prey stealers - they were stealing from his family, his friends, from elders, kits, queens and himself. He especially hated prey stealers considering that he had nearly been murdered by one as a kit. That memory still stuck firmly in his mind - and he feared that it would never go away.


    "Well yeah, it is a nice territory. That's why I live here," the apprentice snorted. Well, it was more because he was born here and because everyone he loved was here, but he thought that his answer was good enough. He wasn't surprised when the tom suggested that he wasn't a Clan cat - Shadepaw had made that assumption himself. "Thought so." The young male answered, unable to resist becoming slightly smug from his correct guess.


    What did surprise him however was the name the mysterious intruder decided to give him. "Foreststrike? Cool name," it really was. 'Strike' made this cat sound powerful and impressive, that was for sure. "But... that's a Clan name. Were you a Clan cat in the past?" He knew that some cats chose to leave the Clans of their own accord, to live lives they would rather live - which Shadepaw respected. Or alternatively... what if this guy had been exiled? At the thought, Shadepaw found himself both frightened and exhilarated. He'd never met an exile before! At least... not to his knowledge.


    "that's just what gangsters do."

    DARKNESS BETRAYED YOU

    While he could have easily just walked away and returned later to hunt when the black apprentice was no longer around, something compelled Foreststrike to stay and talk. Certainly unusual, for few captured his attention. Out there in the loner lands, stopping to talk was high risk and often resulted in something trying to attack him for some reason.


    At Shadepaw's compliment regarding the brown tom's name, he muttered a thanks, though the next question was what he dreaded so much. Were you a Clan cat in the past? Foreststrike huffed, glancing around briefly to make sure no one else was going to show up out of nowhere. Talking with an apprentice was one thing - they could be silly and naive, but if a Warrior showed up it would be time to leave.


    Once again, he half expected Shadepaw to pester him if an answer wasn't given. "Was I a Clan cat? Well, what do you think when you look at someone like me?"


    I'M THE JUNGLE THAT MOVES

    I'm an angel with a shotgun

    fighting til' the war's won — tags

    Foreststrike clearly didn't like giving straight answers, but Shadepaw was fine with that - if anything, it livened up the conversation for him, pushed him to speak more, to press further. Cats who gave too much away about themselves too willingly were weak, the way Shadepaw saw it. He liked that Foreststrike was forcing him to search deeper for information - it amused him a little.


    "I mean, it's hard to judge a Clan cat by looks," the obsidian pelted male responded, his tone thoughtful. "Like, a Clan cat could have tons of scars from all the times they have defended their borders - but rogues fight too, they need to survive, just like everybody else, and sometimes may have to resort to violent extremes to do so, meaning they could also have scars," Shadepaw couldn't imagine being a rogue, constantly having to fend for himself. While the small tom liked to act tough, he was soft deep down, and the thought of being alone, without the companionship of the cats that he held dear, terrified him. "But like I said, you have a Clan name, so I'd think you were a Clan cat in the past," he let out a slight laugh as he joked. "Y'know, unless you're such a huge fan of the Clans that you chose to give yourself a Clan name without ever being in a Clan," he shrugged, amusement glinting in his emerald eyes. "And you don't strike me as that sort of guy."


    Shadepaw wasn't always the most intelligent cat, but he hadn't really needed to descend into some deep analysis of the older tom to figure out that he had likely been a Clan cat in the past. He could only hope that he was right, and hadn't just embarrassed himself. Foreststrike seemed cool and calm, which just made the young cat even more curious about him.


    "that's just what gangsters do."