Wandering (again)

OOC: After the sitewide, though Summer won’t really care about that :’)

Emberpaw flicked his tail, noting just how muddy the ground was. Had it been raining recently? With everything going on, he didn’t know. He yawned and scented the air, hoping for some prey. There was, but more so, there was another cat- a cat that sure wasn’t ShadowClan. Emberpaw frowned and started to track the scent., eventually spotting the cat it belonged to- a pretty ginger-pointed cream loner. He was supposed to chase her off, sure, but Emberpaw was never really one for following the rules. “Hi!” he called out cheerfully. ”Who’re you?”

Summer raised her head immediately at the sound of a chipper, friendly hello; she didn't recognize the voice, but the chipperness was impossible to miss, and so the drifter turned with muscles loose, blue eyes bright, and a bright smile on her face. "Oh - hello, darling! My name is Summer!" she called back, raising her ginger plume tail and waving it in clear peace. Her lower legs were drenched with mud and muck, but she didn't mind. She had learned to expect that from this side of the road. Summer watched him approach and asked, "What can I call you?"

This cat didn’t seem hostile, so Emberpaw waved his tail in return and drew closer. “I’m Emberpaw,” he said cheerfully, “and you’re trespassing on ShadowClan territory, but I don’t really care.” He found a less muddy patch and sat down, shaking his pelt off. “Dear StarClan, it’s muddy,” he mumbled.

The tom returned the gesture, and Summer felt entirely at ease at that point with his appearance. Her ears perked with interest at the sound of a familiar style of name - a Clan name, and an apprentice, if memory served correctly. She might've apologized for trespassing on territory that she'd already suspected was ShadowClan's, but the kind patched tabby tom dismissed the notion. Summer smiled brightly and laughed, replying, "Well, fair enough, darling! I'll keep it in mind and try to tread more carefully next time; thank you very much for your understanding." She watched him settle himself and mutter, and she tilted her head, asking, "Oh - I'm new to the forest, is it not always like this?"

The unfamiliar loner seemed pleased not to be attacked (who wouldn't?), and Emberpaw felt confident he wouldn't be harmed either. He licked a paw and swiped it over his left ear as he listened to her. "I think it's been raining recently; I've had a lot of stuff going on, so I'm not sure." Emberpaw shot her reproachful grin, never one to dwell on negativity. "But here in ShadowClan territory, it's a bit more muddy than anywhere else. We're supposed to be able to navigate it. But it's too slimy for me- always sticking to my pelt and trying to pull me into the ground." Emberpaw scowled at his mud-covered paws. Summer didn't seem to be confused about any of the Clan stuff he'd talked about. Maybe she already knew about the Clans. That was possible. Still, Emberpaw didn't care to ask.

Summer nodded in acknowledgement of his words, thinking to the weather she'd been traveling through the past few days. It was the wet season, after all; it made sense for more rain to fall. For the first time since the drifter had found this territory, she had found a cat to explain to her that this side of the road was, indeed, usually muckier than other parts of the forest. She listened with interest as Emberpaw explained how ShadowClan cats were often able to more easily navigate the mud. Hearing the tom's complaint, though, she clucked sympathetically and replied, "Why, that makes perfect sense, darling. Such a shame that having such beautiful fur can be such a burden sometimes!" She smiled as she watched his response.

aguzilbazpf this is late sorry

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Emberpaw grinned, a slight blush on his face, and nodded to her. "Heh, thanks- but you're one to talk! Your pelt is even prettier than mine!" He grinned and glanced at his ringed and speckled pelt, shrugging. He wasn't just flattering her. Summer's pelt was thick, and cream, and gorgeous. He smiled charmingly at her. Maybe in a different world, we could be friends. Actually, why not in this one? She's nice and I don't like rules. He nodded to her. "So, where are you from?"

ooc; It's okay! It can be harder to keep track without live pings

ic;

Summer laughed pleasantly at the ShadowClan tom's fine compliment, happy that her own flattery had sat well with him. "Oh, darling, aren't you sweet as honey?" she purred, tail flicking contentedly. She declared, "Beauty is beauty, whoever beholds it!" Then handsome young tom then asked where she'd come from, and Summer smiled brilliantly. "I'm from far away, darling, although I suppose that's not quite the answer you were hoping for. I was born in a meadow clearing near a little settlement of upwalkers who knows how far from here. For all I know it could be on the other side of those mountains in the distance, or it could be far past the upwalker settlement just down the road from here. This forest seems new to me, but who could say? I come from here and there, and I go... well, everywhere." She smiled, gauging his reaction to her answer.

Emberpaw settled down, relaxing. Summer held an aura around her that made him inherently trust her. Maybe it was a mistake, but that’d be his own fault. He twitched an ear as her tale started, and swept his long tail around his paws. “That’s cool, how you drift around. I’ve never moved anywhere but ShadowClan - and nor would I want to!” His brown tail twitched. “Do you feel like you have - a purpose, kind of? What do you do? Just travel?” I can’t imagine living without the code. But she seems happy.

The kind young tom seemed interested enough in her answer, having settled down comfortably while she spoke, and Summer was pleased that he seemed impressed. She nodded once, smiling pleasantly at his compliment. When Emberpaw assured her that he had no interest in wandering like she did, she chuckled and shook her head faintly. "It's not for everyone," she conceded passively. Certainly not Clan cats. He asked if she had a purpose, and Summer perked up, replying, "Why, yes, darling; I travel. I learn, and I experience! I find cats like you to tell me about their lives, and sometimes I even stick around for a while to see it myself. That's my purpose: to see and enjoy what I find." Her bushy tail flicked happily behind her. "What's your purpose in the Clan, darling?" she asked curiously.