the verdant view [closed]

Summer nodded gently in acknowledgement of Olivestone's response, feeling mildly disappointed that she'd get no taste of whatever life the she-cat might have lived before. She would have to learn from some other drifter-turned-Clan-cat why they would give up the free-roaming life for the Clans. Regardless, she still learned from Olivestone's lack of memory. She was pleased with the life she had, even if she may have - at one point - had a taste of a different one. Summer's ears flicked and focused intently on the rest of the conversation and the questions that followed. The ginger-cream she-cat laughed delicately and smiled, nodding. "Oh, I have a few, darling," she replied agreeably, already wondering in her head what might be an enjoyable tale to pass on. The place where Summer had met Mareen "the badger" and her "badger-charming" sister, Bailey, was always a popular story... Yes, that would work.

"Well, several moons ago in my travels I found a very beautiful spot. It was in the middle of a forest, near the end of the rainy season. I broke through the brush to see a raised pool encircled in stone; there was water, and it bubbled up out of the center, like a school of fish was splashing under the surface. There wasn't, though. Trust me, I checked," Summer added with an amused purr and a twitch of her whiskers. She continued, "It was cool and clear and always fresh. I imagine the upwalkers must've had something to do with it, since they seemed to come around often, but they never noticed us or at least never acknowledged us. There were two other cats and their kits who lived their and taught me the best places to rest. They'd raised families there their whole lives!" The last she remarked with wonder, but no hint of envy. "They really had an interesting way of life," she added, "and that strange pool made it possible. There was always prey there."