{Thank you so much, Washington! I was going insane thinking about this thread yesterday. I'm on vacation at the moment, and I didn't have a chance to respond. My thoughts were centered on this post all day. A huge relief. And thank you for agreeing to stop swearing, at least on here. Some people get really offended when I point it out, and then I have to make the decision between staying with them or dropping the thread. I always end up dropping the thread. I'm so glad that I get to continue to RP with you, because you are truly a delight to play with! I don't know how you put up with me. =)}
Cinder chuckled lightly as she saw the black tom flinch, showing her teeth. It had been so long since she'd talked to another cat--she forgot how amusing it could be. Of course, agitating one of those band cats probably wasn't the brightest of ideas, but she didn't care at the moment. Even if she walked away with a few more scars, she wouldn't mind. Not that she wanted a fight.
For a cat her age, Cinder was somewhat small. About the size of the cat she was talking to, actually, though she hoped the shadowed alleyway concealed her rather small body. When it came down to living in this abandoned twoleg nest, she found that she could squeeze between the tall walls quite well, which she was grateful for. Dogs didn't typically wander by, but when they did, she always had that escape route ready. Nice to have. It didn't help when it came down to fighting. That didn't happen often--thank goodness--but she was poorly outmatched when it did. Yet another reason she stayed away from the group of cats.
She wasn't completely positive this cat was a part of it. He seemed . . . different. Maybe it was the way he looked at her, hesitating. Maybe it was the quiet voice, not made for yelling. Maybe it was his pensive eyes. She shrugged, flicking her tail. Or maybe she was just being a mouse-brain.
When he finally spoke up--so quiet--he sounded confused almost. Cinder blinked her green eyes, the smile slipping off her face for a moment. If he didn't know where he was, maybe he wasn't one of the banded cats. It would certainly explain the wandering around he'd been doing for the entirety of the day. Had she misjudged him?
The sun dipped down lower, lengthening their already-long shadows. It would be moments before the entire alley turned too dark to see anything. But the scent coming off of him reeked of . . . what had he called it? WindClan? It was a smell she wasn't too keen on forgetting.
As she stared at the distrustful expression on his face, she smiled another playful smile, slowly padding out of the shadows and towards him. "Why, yes, I'm afraid you have wandered into my territory," mewed the light gray cat, starting to circle around him, her tail lightly flicking him in the face as she moved. "But don't worry. I don't bite." She paused for a moment. After a brief silence, she continued, eyes sparkling mischievously. "Usually."
Word count: 413
{I know you said length doesn't matter, but I felt bad for making you wait this long. Thus, a longer post! I know, I know, not super long, but it's longer than I've written for a while, so there! =D}