on the verge of reform [closed]

Her paws picked through the lush grass with elegance that could only have been displayed by a cat whose nest lay nestled in the den of an upwalker. Sienna's eyes picked apart the scene before her. Various upwalker kits played in the distance. Several dogs accompanied their masters and barked with glee. The sight was enough to send unaccustomed cats fleeing into the distance. But, instead, she settled down. A break in the bushes offered a beautiful patch of sunlight. Unlike the scorched and deadened greenery of the forest, a feat she knew nothing of, this place was filled with beauty. It flourished under the care of those who maintained it. This had become a usual escape from the confines of her home. Around her throat was a royal, purple collar. The tags jangled slightly with each shift of her head and betrayed her allegiance to the upwalkers that kept her coat sleek and lovely.

Eyes became half-lidded, weary with content and exhaustion after the trek. Perhaps she would spend the day here. It was pleasant enough to do so before retreating back indoors for rest. Her belly was still full from the hearty breakfast provided without a hunt. The she-cat's coat was reflective of the sun's rays; hues of pale orange were accompanied by dark russet markings and highlighted with pale cream. Underneath the light, she was almost golden, a true beauty. The genetics of a bred mother seemed to have been passed down. And unknown father had contributed to the vibrant orange. It made her unique, special, even if she thought little of it. After a few moments of allowing herself to drift into contented peace. A soft rustling sound nearby caused her to leap to her paws. Ears flatted as she backed towards the bush behind her, immediately considering methods of escape.

Upwalkers and dogs were easy to navigate, given their brutish behavoir. But the air told her there was another cat nearby. Mother had always told her the dangers of stray cats. Usually their paws didn't lead them here, given their own reservations of this civilized world. Measures of fear were in her eyes and fur fluffed out, "Who's there?"

Rumor had it SkyClan was making a home in the Old Twolegplace after the fire. Redfall didn't want them to now he was here, so he was heading away from them, hoping his scent was faint enough that they wouldn't notice. Surely Spottedstar would send a patrol to hunt him down, or something dramatic like that. He wasn't willing to risk it. After some time wandering, his paws found the edge of a huge green patch. It was like grass, but also not. Too bright and short to be natural. His eyes strayed towards the middle of the patch, where a few upwalker kits were frolicking, and ew, dogs.

The grass might not have been natural, but it was warm, and it caused his paws to be uncomfortably hot as he prowled around the patch. There was a shady spot sheltered by bushes on the other side, and maybe his new nest could be there. Only as Redfall grew closer did he notice the cat scent. Fur prickling, he hastened his pace. A beautiful sleek she-cat was relaxing, fur bushing out as she noticed him. Too sleek. The purple collar around her neck gave her away. Kittypet. He allowed himself to relax; this wouldn't be a problem. "Me," he said, tone neutral. "I wanted to... relax here." He regarded her carefully. His time at the Twolegplace had taught him to be wary, but not arrogant. He had no claim to this land, couldn't just chase her off for no good reason... Okay, well, he could, and would if she was being difficult.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Her voice betrayed the fear welling in her heart, tail flickering with a matching anxiety. This stranger had every right to place his paws where he please; the land here belonged to no cat and was ruled by upwalker groups. The manner in which he approached was so cool and casual that for a moment Sienna blinked at him. Shaking her fluffed pelt, she locked him with green eyes, backing away ever so slightly till she felt her hindpaws connect with the solid lower branches of the bush, "Are you a wild cat? Your pelt looks like a wild cat. They never come around here. The dogs will eat you after only a glance." Perhaps she could scare him away. Truthfully, the dogs were fluff-headed creatures who usually obeyed the will of their owners. One hiss and a flash of a paw would send even the largest of those beasts cowering away, usually.

She swallowed and considered her options. None of them were great. Toned muscles, the likes of which she'd never seen in any house cat, were evident underneath the ruffled, stunning russet pelt. If she tried to run, all it would take was a spring of those powerful hindlegs. But as the she-cat studied his expression, there were no hints of an untamed and feral creature, just a weary submission. Mother spoke of the wild cats who would tear out your heart, whether in a literal or metaphorical sense Sienna had never decided, especially given Aida's personal history with outdoor cats. Sienna hardly considered her father but found herself reminded given the circumstances. Normally she stuck to herself and avoided foreign cats, only speaking to other house cats. Without dropping her guard, clawless paws dug into the earth and she pressed further with a mild trembling to her vibrato, "If you want to rest for more than a moment, this certainly isn't the place to do it. But... I could make a suggestion." Against her better judgement, there was a consideration to aid the downtrodden stranger. Perhaps, at the very least, it would help her find a way out of this precarious place, no route for escape in sight.

He didn't know the answer to that question anymore: what are you doing here. Or who he was, for that matter. His identity and self-assurance had fallen apart the moment he'd raised his claws against Wrenspring. The kittypet's fear was refreshing but also painful, somehow, something he'd never really seen in others before. It was enough for Redfall to hesitate. He refrained from speaking until her next question. An ear twitched as he glanced towards the dogs. Clumsy brutes. "I... I was a wild cat. And if the dogs were going to eat me, they would've eaten you. I think all cat smells the same to animals as stupid as dogs, kittypet or not... Ah, house cat or not."

Redfall could see her trembling. Were all kittypets soft like this, or was it just her? What had he done this time? He hadn't made an effort to seem threatening and hadn't raised a paw against her. He might have, but Wrenspring... Every time he attacked someone, it was Wrenspring now. His face, green eyes hurt with more shock than pain, eyes glazed over next to his limp body. The russet rogue twitched an ear at her suggestion. This seems like a fine place... eh, dogs, sure... but if she claims to have something better, I'll see it. He nodded and closed the space between them, hoping she didn't shy away. "Let's see it, then." He paused. He hadn't meant to use the word "let's", implying they were together, but... It worked. He kept his thoughts to himself as he waited for her to start walking, as an afterthought adding, "You tell me your name, I'll tell you mine."

The foreigner made no motion towards her, finding hesitation in his weary speech. Sienna shook her shoulders slightly and straightened up. Her frightened gaze became slightly more relaxed, shifting between a slitted gaze and natural curious almond slant. As he rumbled back a response, the sleek-furred she-cat felt the fur on her shoulders rise. This wild cat had figured out her ruse of trying to slant an instinctual fear of dogs. As muscular as this tom was, there was more to brawn underneath his pelt. That factor stuck her with both fear and awe. Her head tilted at word 'kittypet', something as unusual as the glint in his eyes. There was a flicker of her feathery tail; a mixture of continued uncertainty and inquiry. After a long and drawn out moment, the chattering of background noise rumbling through the stretched silence, Sienna turned to guide him away.

She kept a distance between them, keeping pace at his side as she lead the warrior away from the garden and into the endless maze of new town streets. Gray stone was darkened by long noon shadows. Various cracks in perfect stone were split with desperate foliage. Several places reveal potential dens and endless hiding spots. Little did the molly know, seasons prior, it was the exact makeshift den she stopped at was where her mysterious father had aided in the birth of Goldeneye's kits. Faint cat scent, stale and from another time, was drawn into her nostrils. This was the place. A tail beckoned Redfall forward and it was then that she decided to divulge her name to him, "It's Sienna... my name is Sienna." The words were soft still, tentative. Her round eyes met his as if pleading for continued mercy from his feral claws. Instead of settling down, she continued to stand on all four paws. Her gentle gaze asked what things he had been through. Tales of the vicious forest cats ran rampant but there was no fight left in this soul.

"I can bring you softer bedding, if you'd like. I'm sure I can find something of my upwalker's to bring."

She asked no questions, he gave no answers. He liked it that way: direct, blunt, to the point. As she began to glide away, he hesitated. She wasn't going to be happy that he'd wanted her little spot, and this could easily be a trap. Eyes falling half-closed, Redfall resolved to simply stay on his guard. At every nook and cranny, the tabby expected her to stop, but she kept on going. His claws clicked on the stone as they padded forwards, sliding among cracked walls, crawling with vines. They reached another sort of little nook: a large hollow in an old wall. Leaves lay strewn among old grass, and a silken embrace welcomed Redfall as he padded inside, away from the heat.

He turned back, an ear twitching, as she finally gave her name. Sienna. It was so non-Clanlike. No prefix, no suffix, just... a word. If it was a word, because it sounded more like random Twoleg blabber in his ears. But at least it was pretty Twoleg blabber.

Their green eyes met: his, world-weary and tired, hers round, pleading, gentle. When her voice once more met his ears, he glanced at the old grass. It was better than the stuff he'd had recently, and he didn't want any upwalker or twoleg thing to sleep on. Bracken and moss were the only things he'd ever known. "I'll be fine," he said eventually. Sweeping into the den, his tail brushed the ground as he sat, looking back up at Sienna. "...thank you." The words hurt for him to say, but he hated the way she was so intimidated around him. Tail twitching once, he added, "I knew you were a ki- uh, house cat, because of your..." he paused, searching for the word. In the Clans, they were just called twoleg things. "Collar, that's it. My point is, you've probably lived here your whole life. I'm new here, and I was wondering if you would show me around." He didn't want her to say yes because she felt threatened; he wanted her to actually like him. Which was a little bit of a new feeling, but Redfall was trying to make up for what he'd done to Wrenspring. Trying to not be a jerk. It was easier here, because that meant throwing away his pride, but he didn't have to have any here. Things were easier and harder at the same time. His gaze flitted up to Sienna's as he waited for her answer.

The measures that stretched between them drew out more confidence from the house cat, melting away the reservations. This was simply another cat, not some feral and horrible beast like the tales she had grown up hearing. Sienna felt the urge to shake away her own fear, and it came with the flicker of her ear. She felt as concerned for his being, above her own curiosity of the life so vastly otherworldly from her own, and sought to bring about some form of comfort. He rejected the offer and seemed fine with the scattered and well-trodden remains of plant life. The thought of sleeping on the hard stone with little to no plush above it was unappealing. But she had also been spoiled with the most lush of comforts, something not afforded to those whose necks did not bear collars. Perhaps she would bring him something later anyways, to combat the coming cold night air and heatless cavern stone. Here was close enough to home and familiar; fraternizing with the tom began to feel less and less like a violation of the life she had been born into, even if Aida's words nagged at the back of her mind like a pest.

Especially as he drew into the little den, peering up at her. There was no way he would harm her pretty pelt, he couldn't, right? Sienna blinked at the mention of the collar and the way he stumbled around the words. It was another reminder of the separate places they hailed from. She nodded. Out of place without a clue, that was what the russet pelted stranger portrayed, not an ounce of malice or ill-intent, simply exhaustion. It was a feeling that she herself had never felt and pity welled up inside at the thought. House cat life had filled her belly and sleeked her coat. Of course, all silly notions dashed aside, she was more than willing to help him. When she spoke once more, her voice lowered a pitch and dropped the previous fear-laced drawl, "I'd be happy to. It seems like you've been through a lot. There's plenty of food inside my den, I could bring you some of that for as long as you're here." Hunting was not even a thought in her mind. A cat without claws hardly considered those things. But concern twisted her maw after she spoke, as if something had crossed her mind.

"This is no place for wild cats. My upwalkers are kind, but not all of them are. They don't take well to those who walk the alleyways... this is no place to make a home." Sienna considered the temporary shelter but her mind pressed for the future, considered permanance. All thoughts of resting on this pleasant day were abandoned and she found herself consumed with care for this tom she had just met. It was silly, how even with all this running through her mind, there was a moment to acknowledge that despite the unkempt nature of his coat and the many scars... he was handsome. And she had yet to even know his name.

Her voice changed, and he liked it. Lower now that it wasn't interlaced with fear but rather a genuine kindness, willingness to help. Still melodic. Despite himself, at the mention of kittypet food, he lifted his head. Remnants of pride still clung on to his mind. Really, he wasn't going to eat them because of the taste. During one of the worse days, he'd snuck into a house and tried to eat some of the brown pellets. They were tasteless and bland, like swallowing dirt. Unpalatable. Redfall sighed. "I can hunt for myself, it's fine." He avoided the subject of "being through a lot", making it obvious that he had.

No place for wild cats. As if he didn't know that. No place to make a home. "I wouldn't be here if I had another option, you know," he grunted. Redfall shifted and looked up. "You did tell me your name. Mine's Redfall." His green eyes were drawn to Sienna's frame as she stood silhouetted at the entrance. Such a sleek cat, at terms to the rotting buildings around them. All kittypets had a beauty, one carved from their groomed, smooth as silk pelts, and no abnormalities like the ones Clan cats inevitably carried. Sienna's pelt was something special, though. Beautiful green eyes, much like his own, and the light ginger striped pattern. An ear twitched as he tore his gaze away, tail flicking a few times self-consciously. A silence filled the space between them. He wasn't sure if it was awkward or companionable.

Green eyes flashed with concern at the idea that he would hunt for himself. Birds and such had to have been sparse here, compared to whatever lands lay beyond. Most creatures scattered at the sight of upwalkers. Despite her own past and growing up at ease around the big, nearly furless beings, it was understandable why some chose to keep their distance; not all upwalkers were as kind as hers. Regardless of the worries running through her mind which had suddenly become consumed with worry for the strange tom, Sienna shrugged away the urge to argue. If he looked more frail the next time she visited, then perhaps she would drag out one of the shiny round things her upwalkers occasionally left out for her.

Next time.

Sienna swallowed back a lump of emotion that had caught in her throat. She had to cough lightly to dispel it. Moments ago, the molly had been on guard, fur fluffed out in fear, ready to flee from something she had been trained to see as a threat. But it had only taken the brief journey from the garden to back near her nest to become at ease. Maybe what Aida had said was always true about the tricks of loners. Yet, this scarred tom didn't seem to have deceit flashing behind his gaze. Sure, there were many other things, but an exhausted honestly dripped from his tongue with every word. At the grunt, the kittypet's ear flicked slightly and she found herself muttering softly, "I know it's not ideal but I'll do what I can to help make it better while you're here."

There was a flush of warmth that came to her ears as she spoke and Sienna glanced away for a brief moment. It was then that she was finally graced with a name. Redfall. What an unusual sounding name it was but something about it seemed to fit him. A sight twist of her head meant another jingling of the collar to break the silence. She looked at the fading light behind her. How had so much time passed already? Shortly, their shallow food places would be filled and it would be time to settle in for the evening. Aida would question the scent on her pelt; a quick dash through the garden would hopefully dull it enough. Knowing her mother's adamant position on wild cats, Sienna was resigned to keep this a secret for a while, whatever this was. Even if the tom was gone in the morning, one encounter was more than enough for her mother. The ginger loner who had sired her was enough to send the elder she-cat into a life trapped inside forever, something Sienna could hardly bear to imagine.

"I'll be back, Redfall. Sleep well, okay?"