Poisonous, Melodious [closed for Rippy]

Tanglepaw roamed the endless lines of sweet-smelling coniferous trees with very little purpose. The coming of peace, a new dawn for the forest, proved to be little more than a dazzling display of light that would succumb into the plainness of a morning thick with familiar feelings. Nothing had changed for Tanglepaw, who had grown to hate the stagnancy. It felt that her life had gone by in a whisper thus far, whilst war waged on borders, and her apprenticeship was spent in fear of some great and powerful force she could not hope to understand or control. It sickened her, the muggy feeling of being bound. She realized that the pull she felt towards those Righteous Few was not for the silly dastardly reasons she knew from stories, but rather how reality bent to their will. They could force normalcy. She wanted to force it, too.

While her clan was content in accepting that the aftermath was over, there was something gnawing at the grey-furred she-cat's bones. She had gotten a taste of the violence. She knew now that it would never cease, just exist again in new forms. There were cats that she truly cared for in ShadowClan. Her sister, Eveningpaw, was dear to her, though they spent very little time at each other's sides. She was a medicine cat with very little means of defending herself. That softness was deadly. Dogs drool and lick their chops for soft, pudgy things. No different was it in the case of emotional control. That was one thing that kept Tanglepaw grounded. She would not be caught in the jaws of beasts. Her knees did not buckle at a threat. Death did not phase her. Guarded hearts do not break.

She was happy to see the world happy, of course. She took part in the joy when they returned to camp. However, every celebration came to an end. There was hunting to be done.

Her yellow eyes sought out movement in the bleak darkness of that cloudy night. The air, heavy with the weight of earlier rain, proved to be a challenge for her nose. Suddenly, a scuffling. Tanglepaw crouched instinctively, letting her ears and eyes guide her to the source, finding a measly vole at the end of the scent trail. She chuffed, wiggled her haunches, allowed her muscles to spring forth...

A pair of much larger paws slammed the rodent's back, and Tanglepaw screeched in fright. She redirected in midair, stumbling with the unwanted momentum and flopping onto her side, perpendicular to the prey-stealing creature. She was quick to her paws, her coarse and wiry fur standing up along her scruff, as her terrified hiss shifted into a freakish groan of anger and frustration. Before her was a cat, one with foreign scent that was unlike any clan's. He was a long-furred and heavyset calico, and he was standing on her vole. Tanglepaw's ears flipped back as she restrained her claws. "Hey, kibble-mouth!" she huffed. "What, did your collar get caught on a tree? Give that back, and go home!"

It was strange how when passing through the territories, the scenery changed so swiftly. As he continued on in his tour of the lands, Iniko found himself entertaining the idea that perhaps the wind shifted less drastically. His whiskers twitched ever so slightly at his own musing. Chatting with the other loner he encountered at the fringes of what they called Windclan territory had been a welcome encounter. For so long, the tom had sought only the pursuit of travelling here. Yet, he found it within himself to meander along the path here and there. Summer had been a wonderful compaion for the time being and he found himself hoping that perhaps their paths would cross in the future. From what they had discussed, it seemed for now she found her paws drifting near the clan cats, flirting with the idea of some lasting connection. He was interested to see where she would go any what she would do.

However, for now, the calico's gaze was set on the pine forests ahead. While Inik loved to roam, there was something about the shade of trees upon his back that was far more comforting that the heat of sunlight. He thrived by slinking through the shadows and watching from afar. The clan that lived here was one that he could understand. From lurking nearby, he'd discovered their taste for hunting and patrolling a night. It was a unique way of living and he was certain that daylight would be missed. However, he'd spent several starless nights awake for various reasons. With a kick of his powerful hindlegs, the tom cleared a fallen stump. Instinctively, the loner's maw parted to draw in the scents around. Cat scent. One of them was near. A grin crossed his maw as he slid through the foliage.

Up head there was a she-cat, eyes trained and focused on her target. Iniko quickly traced the vole that had been spotted. It wasn't a stealthy creature, ignorant to the perilous position that it was in. Thankfully, both cats happened to be downwind. Another flicker of a smile. Introducing himself was the simplest way to make a new friend. This could be an offering of sorts. Another gathering of muscles and... he sprang, crushing the vole between his paws and killing it off quickly. It's initial predator rolled to the side and was up on her feet in an instance. Guarded, of course, as any cat would be. Green eyes traced the risen fur along her spine. Inik stood straighter, facing this strange clan cat. He was met with venomous words that caused his whiskers to twitch in amusement. In only a moment, Iniko had decided he liked her.

"Kibble-mouth? I can assure you, my dear, that no such thing has ever touched my maw. I'm a cat of refined tastes. Like, this vole," he scooped it up and trapped the still warm body between his claws, "would make a wonderful meal. I'd be more than happy to share my catch." There was a glimmer in his eyes as he faced the gray-pelted she-cat. He was teasing. There was no intent to steal her prey, but with such a prize, perhaps she would now entertain conversation with him for more than a moment. With a flick of his tail, Iniko offered a more direct invitation, "I'm a traveling loner. Conversation over a meal is always a welcome thing, if you'd be so kind as to save your venom for later."

Tanglepaw grimaced as the stranger's litled voice struck a hidden chord in her belly. She hunted in his eyes, scouring every refracted light and different shade of sage green for the conniving plans that she had grown to expect from cats who talked so eloquently and kindly. No cat was so hospitable from the start, unless they were incredibly cowardly, soft, or naive. Tanglepaw looked the muscled creature up and down, and, realizing that he was none of those things, decided he deserved to be treated with caution. He was better assumed to be deceitful, lying, and prey-stealing than assumed to be interested in light conversation.

She leered at him, and yet she found her pawsteps taking her closer. Would he let her take the vole? His guard seemed down. If she was quick, and if she was right, she could take her prey and make a run for it. She'd go to the deep marshes, where he couldn't follow her. Oh, she considered, that would be pretty cowardly of me, wouldn't it?

"I'm not meant to eat before I hunt for the elders," she ventured, studying the freshkill at his paws. "Not to mention the fact that you're on ShadowClan territory, tresspassing and hunting. You're a rogue cat. You aren't welcome here. I'm supposed to chase you away." As her words became more-or-less introspective questions, she had a difficult decision to make. She had never broken the code before. Best not to make it a habit. Though, as the last Gathering had so suggested, StarClan wasn't immune to logic. After all, they were against the Righteous Few punishing deserters of all things. She applied logic to her current predicament. It was Newleaf. Prey was running well. The elders were always fed, whether she hunted for them or not. So, what was the harm? There was still the important matter of the outsider, whose motives were not yet clear.

"You're not going to give me a reason to chase you, right?" she asked coyly, taking the last few steps toward him. There was enough area between them to guarantee her quick escape if the situation began to escalate. Tanglepaw lowered her haunches to the ground tactfully. "I'll entertain whatever you're playing at, as long as you don't force me to gouge your eye out. I'm not scared of you."

Each word that came from her parted maw rang like a melody through the soft fur of his ears. Gripped the vole tighter, claws just barely piercing the delicate surface of skin as he watched her gaze size him up. Despite him being a considerable bit bigger, the clan cat did not seem at all intimidated by his size of the naturally big presence he carried across his shoulders. Something about the natural strength of other cats had always impressed him. There were so many that allowed the world and others to simply crush them without an ounce of defiance or anything beyond the whim of self-preservation. This she-cat didn't seem to hold any of the soft qualities that cropped of measures of disdain in his chest. Even if he naturally sought to find the decent aspects of a cat and squeeze those out of them, Iniko found himself impressed and drawn by a desire to learn more of her, a desire that stretched beyond duty.

As if reading her thoughts, he posed several challenges in an easy breath, "This forest is teeming with prey, your elders won't starve. In terms of welcome... it hasn't been a warm one for sure and yet I don't feel as if you're about to chase me away. I stand before you offering only conversation and a prey that is rightfully yours. I don't think you'll send me away for charges I never even knew would come, would you?" Iniko tilted his head, staring down and meeting her eyes as she took a step closer. He almost wanted her to attack, willed her to fulfill the natural tension that build between the pair of cats whose paws traversed different worlds. To engage in battle with her would be a thrilling feat, he was certain of that. But for now he settled for the tense semblance of acceptance. The loner possessed what she wanted and he was more than willing to offer that to her, only on the promise that she would spare him a moment or two.

To her final question, his whiskers twitched and he shot back, "Only if you want me to."

There was a threat of gouged eyes and something that caused his breath to hitch in his throat for only a moment. I'm not scared of you. Good, he didn't want her to be. With this, he settled back on his haunches and placed the vole between them, not once leaving her gaze as he pushed it forward with once claw, "My name is Iniko. I come from far away, searching for many answers I have yet to find. I present you this vole in hopes we might find some common ground. Tell me, stranger, what answers do you have for me? Perhaps a name to start?" There was an overly formal tone to his speech, and with the glint in his eye, perhaps she would pick up on the fact he was teasing her ever so lightly. Every fur on his pelt was relaxed, calm, and breathing was easy. For as much fear as she lacked towards him, he felt the same in return. Perhaps the ancestors had lead him to the right cat after all.

Tanglepaw's eyes flickered less than subtly down at her stolen kill, her breath catching along with the rumbling and gurgling of her stomach. In a moment, she was stooped down and tearing chunks from the fresh-kill, her wiry, tangled tail sweeping around her front paws. She looked up as she chewed, still somewhat expecting a death grip of teeth to swoop down and take hold of her throat. No such blow came. Tanglepaw smirked. As he spoke, she heard the intonations of playfulness and was taken back to a much less serious time in her life. "Iniko," she said between chews, "What's an 'iniko'? It sounds like a bird... you don't strike me as birdlike!"

The apprentice laughed for the first time in a long time, lifting a paw to her ear and scratching lightly to hide how bashful she really felt. She was suddenly self-conscious of her own upbringing, where they had no 'inikos' and there was no travelling to be done. It must be very boring... though she felt she had to oblige him. His curiosity was intoxicating. The intensity of his gaze was nearly a leer, and Tanglepaw recognized a hunger for something more than the vole they shared. It was ferocious. She gulped, and it felt like she was swallowing burrs. She tore her yellow eyes from his own green ones, composing herself as she watched the night sky. "My name is Tanglepaw," she explained, "For the time being. My name was Tanglekit when I was small, and now it's Tanglepaw because I'm apprentices. I'll get my full name when my training is done... It'll probably be Tanglefur. I used to get teased that they'd change it completely and name me Flatface."

She exhaled, her laugh slight and spiteful. "It doesn't matter, of course. They can name me Dirttail for all I care. Names are meaningless. When the chips are down, we're all wild things." Her heart lurched, and her gaze snapped back to Iniko's. This time, she indulged in his fire, letting it kindle and crackle within her. "There was a war, very recently. Cats were killed, crippled, mauled, and mutilated. The things I saw will never leave me. I can't help but laugh at how we carry on now... some cats think they're so above the violence. I'll tell you what, in that fight, it didn't matter how virtuous and honorable you were. If you're not strong enough, you won't make it. So, to the Dark Forest with names." Leaning down for another nibble, Tanglepaw noted the parting of Iniko's fur across his calico body. Underneath that silk-threaded pelt was a history told in scar tissue. It was a mystery Tanglepaw ached to uncover. "ShadowClan is where I come from. We hunt here, in the marshes and pine trees, and we fight under cover of darkness. Outsiders find us cruel and secretive. I'd like to think that, above all the clans, we've accepted the wildness." Her words were etched in a long, drawling purr. "What do they do where you come from, Iniko?"

As she tore into the prey, the Shadowclan cat seemed to still possess the last shreds of cautiousness. Their tense relationship hung on threads as thin as a cobweb. He liked to think of it as just as beautifully intricate too. The calico tom allowed a smile to peel across his maw and a bought of laughter rumbled in his chest as she compared his name to that of a bird. Perhaps she was right, stepping away from his own knowledge of the given name, maybe it did sound like that of a feathered-creature. There was a soft glint in his eye as he glanced over her. Iniko's voice, while still clinging to the light candor he normally held, seemed to hint at something that could be construed as more sinister, "I don't know of any birds that share the same title. My parents gave it to me, hoping I could bear one with meaning. It means time of trouble, my dear. A warning or a preparation? Well, that's for you to decide."

The slight twitched of his expression remained as he listened to her own tales. It was always intriguing to hear where others came from. Drawing in another breath of air, as Tanglepaw entertained ideas of warrior names, the loner allowed himself another trill of laughter. It was like a breath of fresh air. He had not realized that in those moments prior that his chest had pounded, waiting for her barriers to fall. What hadn't occurred to him was the fact that other cats might find her shortened snout to be strange. In his travels, the tom had seen cats of all different physical appearances. She was unique, the dull gray of her coat even seemed to shimmer in his eyes. Iniko flicked his ear, pushing away thoughts of his own attraction to the strange clan cat before him. Personal feelings and thoughts could only follow the agenda already set before him. However, her next sentiment only drew him in further. At his core, Iniko was drawn in by both knowledge and conversation. But he held his tongue for now, hard as it may have been.

This measure of control paid off as tales of war were spun. It seemed even in claw-tight grip these cats held over the forest, there were still fractured allegiances. He admired how she regarded the actions of her kin so objectively. The past was something to learn from, sit in to some degree, rather than simply crush under one's paws and put away. This was the difference between cats who could be called mediocre and those who were great. A particular cat flashed through his mind, a she-cat whose claws were as sharp as her mind. Tanglepaw was a reminder. If you're not strong enough, you won't make it. What an interesting prospect. Oh, how he wished to speak with her further. Together they could ponder the existence of all things and he could share what shaped him over the moons of life, alongside the many things he had witnessed. To learn and grow was what truly made the best of cats.

As she finished sharing of Shadowclan's life style, the rogue finally nodded. The intensity of his gaze hadn't wavered for even a moment but there was a brief flicker as his companion pried for his own backstory. Iniko ran his tongue along the roof of his mouth before responding, "Where I come from? Well, this wildness you speak of, we seek to overcome it. The cats who raised me taught values of knowledge, learning as much as you can from your experiences and letting them grow and change you. The carnal nature we cats are born with can only hold us back rather than grow us." There was a beat, one one breath of air measured between sentences. Iniko seemed to move in a flash, a mere blur as he darted forward and rounded the she-cat, his teeth stopping just beneath her left ear, "As for the abandonment of names, I find they only further separate us from the savagery and shape who we become. I hope the one who changes your name makes their decision wisely." In such close quarters he could almost hear her pulse. Having previously stated she wasn't afraid, the tom knew that his swift actions couldn't be misconstrued as aggression. This was just the beginning of their path together.

Iniko's low purrs shared the same qualities as a pool on a starless midnight, a reflection of the darkness that sought to fill her lungs as she was tempted farther into its depths. An unnoticeable quiver caused her crooked whiskers to shift. Times of trouble. Poetic, how they followed her pawstep for pawstep. Tanglepaw's face moved with her next breath, mellowing into calm resolution, as if it might offset the begging of her legs to move away. She hadn't lied; she wasn't afraid. If she were, she would've simply stayed silent. If she was anything at all, she was not deceitful. There was no reason to be. She at least had that, over the endless droning voices of clan cats, without a shred of decency as they hid secrets and sins behind their backs. It set her apart. In that case, it may be the hypocrisy of talking to such a restrained, mysterious tom that made her feel so weak inside. If not fear, if not shame, then it must be the way he dug into her, uninhibited, searching for something of value or meaning beyond the savagery. He was searching for something she could not find herself. Not yet. It was a sorrow she wasn't willing to reveal to a stranger... she had trouble reminding herself that Iniko was a stranger.

Having nothing to give him, she remained silent, the wall rising around her again, paws turning in and tail sweeping over them. His description of his homeland was too short. It promised much: safety, growth, knowledge, without worry of prey shortages or war. No feuding clans, no irreversible laws. Ultimately, three sentences delivered very little, and it meant nothing to her, the dealings of societies she would never see. Tanglepaw exhaled, curt laughter, as her lips peeled up in a spite. Such a place could not exist, not with the romance he described. Though it tempted her, Iniko tempted her, like a dream on a hot sunhigh, so close to reality she was able to sense it around her in the moments after she woke. Tanglepaw saved her fantasies for sleep. And yet, Iniko's curious ideals were shrouded in as much enigma as the calico himself. She could savor that fleeting dream, but Tanglepaw knew she couldn't do such a terrible thing. His gemstone eyes, that haunting gaze, was too delightful a present to keep wrapped up. Endure the fire to feel the warmth... that was the price of the dicey gamble she was taking.

As he circled her, she did not so much as flinch, rather taking the opportunity to introduce her teeth to her coy smirk. His words, in every sultry breath, tickling her cheek, were an invitation to more banter. His muzzle still a moment from her ear, she turned to face him head-on, unyielding in her look as she investigated him just as closely as he had. Iniko could keep his secrets, for now. Sooner or later, Tanglepaw felt, they'd expose each other for whatever madness surely bubbled inches from the surface. He was too perfect. "As for savagery," she hummed, pushing her short muzzle closer, threatening the space he tried to command. "I'm in the business of survival first. If a fight will keep me alive, my claws will come out. If a clan offers me safety, food, and shelter, I'll follow their code. It doesn't matter how much I disagree with it, or wish it would change. Everything else comes after my own pelt. If you're lucky, and if you're smart about it, you... your ideas... whatever you're trying to sell me on... maybe they can come second."

Tanglepaw stepped back, satisfied with her own tactics. She lifted a dainty paw to her mouth, lapped at it, and smoothed over the messy tufts on the top of her head. "I wonder why you left that place you came from. Sure hope you stay." The grey molly grinned, the implications of her wish hanging in the air. She prayed that he would accept her invitation, and that their chance encounter would not fade into memory, from a time when she was still young and lovely. If they were fated to meet again, it would be an offer worth taking.

As she turned to him, only a whisker away, the tom could feel the pulse of his pelt. Her eyes were guarded but in those depths he drew many questions, and many answers. The way that Tanglepaw spoke with such regard for survival pestered him and wriggled about like some persistent insect tangled in his long fur. To even imagine the things she had dealt with to bear such a belief, especially among clans that considered themselves to be civilized, was painful. The rogue longed to show her how much more there was to living a full life that was free of fears and wrought with the infestation of carnal nature. Perhaps one day he could show her what it truly meant to be free, to live without reservation, and be a part of the pursuit of certainty. Only few cats were built for such a life.

That being said, she did not speak without thought and decisiveness. Tanglepaw knew what she believed and what she stood for, and held that fast to her pelt above all else. The prospect of growing with her, shaping her, it was enticing. If you're lucky, and if you're smart about it, you... your ideas... whatever you're trying to sell me on... maybe they can come second. A chill went down his spine as the breath of her words stirred his whiskers. She had drawn up into herself and yet, still pushed the boundaries, showing how truly she did not fear him. Iniko didn't move, a satisfied smile crossing his maw. The only motion of the tricolored tom was the rhythmic flickering of his tail. Frail tension was broken as she pulled back, putting more distance between the pair. His intense green stare watched each flicker of a paw as she casually groomed herself in front of a tom she had just met. What a casual and bold gesture, as if he could become more enthralled with her.

"My home is freedom." He finally declared. The implications of her own desires set her teeth on edge. Inik considered for a moment that it was his strain against instinct that would briefly pull him away from her, and a conscious mind would bring him back. The tom shook his coat and drew closer to offer some parting words, "There are many things I set out to accomplish, my dear, and you can be certain I will not leave until everything has been achieved. It seems there is something else to keep me here. I'm sure your clan is missing you. But, we will meet again, Tanglepaw. You can be assured in that. Hold it as close as your truths. I'll find you again." With that, he dipped his head, lingering in the hesitation of an undesirable farewell for a moment before disappearing into the shadows. To ask her to follow him now would be a foolish feat, inappropriate for the time and their first encounter. But as they parted and mulled over their own paths, Iniko was certain these things would draw them together once again.