My life as a wanderer.... [p Purplejewel] [[Advanced]]

Pine wandered slowly through thick forest trees, his eyes drooping and paws dragging. He let out a long sigh. "Stupid rabbits." He muttered. "Too fast, those things." He was just grumpy because he was hungry. At least it distracted him from the constant guilt in his heart. Traveling constantly helped a little, but stopping anywhere just reminded him of what he had done. His siblings would be with him, even if they were orphans, but he made the choice that killed them in the end. Stupid foxes. "Ow!" He hissed as his clawed pierced the skin on his other fore-leg. "You have to stop doing that, Pine." He mewed to himself. "One of these days it's going to be your neck--" He cut off with a gasp. There before him, the trees ended, and a huge moor began. He grinned, leaping out of the forest and jumping happily through the tall grasses. Most cats would think this was childish, but, then again, Pine was a child. Only at the age of six moons, and he had already been through and bared through so much hardship. He let out a joyful laugh as he sprang through the air, finally coming to a halt and landing on his back. The tall grass surrounded him, sheltering him from the outside world and perhaps even his own guilt. For a moment, anyway.

Pine, who hadn't seen the tom walk up, jumped up from his position on the ground. He looked up at Cleverpaw who was standing on a boulder nearby. "Um-- I was just-- Uh--" He didn't know what to say. He had been playing, really, but this tom didn't look like he was playing. He looked like one of those warriors that prowled around the forest. He wasn't one, was he? He just looked up at the tom, his heart pounding as he prepared to be leaped upon. That's exactly what the warriors in the forest did-- And because of them he had a scar on his ear. He was lucky to get away with just a scratch, though...

Pine stumbled back slightly as the other cat advanced on him. "I-I wasn't doing anything! I was just..." He scuffled his paws as he searched for the words to say. "Checking this place out. Nothing wrong with that, right?" He flattened his ears as he looked at the tom, who seemed a bit stronger than he was. Natural, of course. If he was a 'warrior', He lived in a group. Pine, on the other hand, lived alone, having to hunt and fend for himself in the large world around him. Well, the way he did it, he could barely call it hunting. It was just leaping at the prey hoping he'd grab it. Because of that, he was slightly weak, and very thin. If this cat attacked him, which Pine was still hoping wouldn't happen, there was no way he could defend himself.

Pine took another step back. "How was I supposed to know? I'm obviously not a stupid clan cat!" He hissed, instantly regretting his words. This cat wasn't going to take kindly to that remark... Trying to seem more confident, he quickly meowed. "Besides, even if this is Windclan territory, who are you to tell me what to do? I can roam wherever I want to!" He hoped he sounded more confident than he felt. But he was in for it, either way.

Pine swallowed uneasily. Yep, he had really done it this time. He could feel the anger waves coming off the 'apprentice' as he crept closer. He growled softly, his eyes narrowing. Though his fear drowned out his anger, he could still feel in pulsing beneath his pelt. He was just called scum by this cat! That wasn't fair-- He hadn't gone through half the stuff Pine had to deal with! Losing both of his parents, having to watch his sister die, and waking up to a dead brother and blood everywhere. This cat was living a soft life with cats around him to protect him! His claws dug into the ground as his sisters scream raced through his head. Though his chances of winning were slim if they fought, he'd still give this snob something to remember him by.

Pine braced himself, knowing this cat would rather attack than let him off easy. Instinctively, he crouched too, his claws digging into the ground and his teeth clenched. At this point, he thought his anger would be enough to drive him. A million insults he wanted to hurl at the tom raced through his head- But he ignored it. There was no use in angering this cat anymore than he already was. A thought bounced up through the others, giving him a sense of confidence. He had been fighting since he was three moons! After his family was gone, he had wandered through many territories, each holding their own predators. He had to defend himself from them, didn't he? And he already had a tangle with a fox-- He didn't win, though, but he survived. And at the age he was when it occurred, that was quite difficult. His eyes narrowed at the tom as he remembered his past battles. He was ready for this one. Hopefully, anyway.....