Not Very Relaxing [closed]

The fragrant, brightly colored stalks of Newleaf fresh grasses brushed the underside of Splashwillow's belly, slipping through her meticulously groomed fur to gently graze the sensitive skin below. Resisting the urge to shiver in response, the Queen instead redirected her attention to the sweet breeze that ruffled the fur atop her cheeks and tugged at her whiskers. After moons spent within the confines of camp, she had nearly forgotten just how enticing a fresh breeze could actually be. It almost made her feel like charging off into the grass in pursuit of some unknown critter like a reckless apprentice. Tail swinging slowly in time to her leisurely pace, the little calico's chin tilted skyward in an attempt to welcome the light warmth of the day. Even as the old, poorly maintained Twolegplace Farm came into her line of sight, she did little to curb her slackened behavior.

After spending countless sunrises attending to the various needs of the other Queens and her injured daughter, Splashwillow was intent on enjoying what little uninterrupted free time she by stretching her stiff limbs.

The rogue tom took another lap around the farm, tail raised. He wandered around the farm often when the weather was nice, taking care to stay out of the way when any Clan cats happened to come up here. For now, this farm belonged to him as far as he was concerned. There were nice plump mice running around now that it was spring, perfect for one cat to control. Jack was in no particular hurry to get anywhere, he was just getting a little exercise. That, and patrolling. It made him purr with laughter when he thought about it; those stupid Clan cats were always going on about patrols. So, just to spite them, he was going on his own patrol. Gosh darn it, this was his farm, and he was patrolling his territory. Not that any of them would actually know he was doing it.

The area smelled faintly of fish and wetness, the distinctive smell of the Clan nearby. What was it, WaterClan? Something obnoxious like that. It clung to his fur enough to be unbearable, so he paused in his patrolling and sat down to wash his pelt down with his tongue. Soon, he'd have to haul out of this place before the Twolegs got here, as they often came around the area when the weather got nice. Always on the run, that was his life. It wasn't so bad, he mostly enjoyed the freeing lifestyle that he had. It was way better than living with Twolegs. Jack grumbled at the thought and clawed at the dirt with one paw. The breeze shifted suddenly, carrying with it the fresh scent of one of those water cats. Oh, great. The tom raised his head, catching a glimpse of a calico she-cat coming his way. He stretched leisurely and slunk off out of the path of the wind, approaching her from the side.

"Well, hello there!" he meowed, flashing her a toothy grin. "What brings you here to my domain? Tired of splashing around in the river, yet?" Oh wait, that was it. It was RiverClan, not WaterClan. But WaterClan was pretty funny, so he was going to keep calling it that.

Contended to simply enjoy the late afternoon sunshine upon her back and the fresh grass beneath her paws, she was practically completely unaware of her surroundings. Relief bubbled up within the recesses of her mind as she felt the nagging, lingering stiffness that had once plagued her begin to relent ever so slight. Every gentle step taken forward helped soothe away all of the aches and pains that had stubbornly bit into her over the past few moons. As much as she loved her newfound dedication the Nursery, she couldn't deny how much she had missed the endless freedom that had been bestowed upon her alongside her Warrior name. Allowing another gentle breeze to help wash away any of her lingering worries, the Queen didn't notice the soft sound of pawsteps approaching until it was too late.

Perhaps Splashwillow's time spent fussing over Queen's and newborns had affected her skills.

Nearly jolting out of her fur completely, the little calico swung around to face Jack with a nearly comical look upon her face. Astonishment glowing in the depths of her richly colored gaze, she could feel the thick fur atop her nape bristle slightly. Although he seemed to lack the acrid scent of aggression, the tom's cat-like grin did little to quell the mixture of amazement and embarrassment that wormed beneath her fur. She had faced Clan Leaders in battle before and yet she had been taken by surprise by some Kittypet! A rueful spit was Splashwillow's only immediate response to Jack's words, her ears falling flat against her skull as she ducked down to smooth her ruffled her back into place. Allowing this reprieve to serve as an adequate moment to collect her momentarily scattered thoughts, the Queen's flash of aggression dwindled down to a spark of wariness.

"Your domain?" Splashwillow eventually echoed, a guarded flash of interest haloing her features, ignoring the jibe about her Clan's water-loving tendencies, "How interesting. I didn't know a Kittypet such as yourself managed to fend off an entire Clan for this strip of territory." Although she knew Ivystar and Jaystream would've preferred her to simply drive the tom away with teeth rather than humor him with words, she was a bit too curious to pass up an opportunity to speak to a real life Clanless cat.

Jack was not the kind of cat to face new acquaintances with teeth and claws the first chance he got, preferring instead to bother them with petty comments and smart-aleck jokes. That did not, however, mean he couldn't defend himself if needed. If this she-cat attacked him first he would first be proud of himself for provoking her that much and second, fight back with as much passion as he could. He wasn't a particularly powerful cat but he was light on his paws, able to strike quickly in just the right places.

A purr of laughter bubbled up in his throat at her face when she spun to face him; it seems he had managed to take her by surprise. She was annoyed, he could tell, which only made him look even more gleeful. He was very entertained by pestering others and getting a rise out of them. He wasn't there to fight, obviously, so he circled the Clan cat once and sat down a few pawsteps away, curling his tail around his toes. The comment about him being a Kittypet (he had learned that that was the Clan cats' word for a pet cat) rubbed him the wrong way, the fur rising slightly on the nape of his neck. He kept that silly grin on his face, his eyes narrowing. "Yes, my domain. I'm not a...a Kittypet, sweetcheeks. That's a ridiculous word, by the way, I can't believe you guys actually say that. And for your information, I didn't have to." A blade of long grass swung with the breeze and he swiped at it absently with one paw. "As far as I'm concerned, you waterlogged furballs hardly ever come over here. It's easy to hide from you. I'm honestly surprised that you came all the way over here just to visit little ol' me. Now, with that out of the way...I'm Jack. What's your name?" It was bound to be something stupid. Clan cats all had the weirdest names.

Recoiling as Jack circled her, Splashwillow's features were still drawn in an uncharacteristic expression of wary annoyance.

The tom's laughter did little to soothe her wounded pride, she merely responded with a sharp roll of her narrowed gaze. After spending the majority of her time drifting uselessly after a reclusive and withdrawn Rainstorm, she must've forgotten how truly irritating they could be. Lifting her chin defiantly, a little disbelieving huff escaped her mouth as Jack continued to speak. "It's amazing I didn't hear you earlier, considering that the only thing bigger than you is your ego." She grumbled, although her words lacked the fiery spark of exasperation. A little part of her subconscious still urged her to refrain from running him off and instead use such a rare opportunity to sate her nagging curiosities- after all, she could always just call for one of the many nearby patrols to ward him off if anything went awry.

Jack? What kind of mother would name their son something like that? Twisting about to watch Jack settle down a tail-length or so away from her, Splashwillow made no attempt to follow suit in his movements. Scuffing a ragged line in the soft soil underpaw, she hesitated for a brief moment. There was an obvious chance of her getting her ears chewed off for speaking so freely to a Clanless heathen, but she and her littermates had spent countless nights whispering about how exciting it'd be to actually meet one free of affiliation. "My name is Splashwillow. I suppose it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."