Unpromising Recruitment Drive [closed]

Clementine trotted through the twolegplace, now much stronger and capable than the last time he stepped foot here, as much as his younger self would deny it. Admittedly, he still retained a feeling of anxiety when treading the alleys and alongside Thunderpaths despite being fairly familiar with the territory. He was here as a result of his duties to the order, though. The order needed members now more than ever, even when he first joined he could hardly believe that it was the 'group' Hyacinth had told him about. Still, he had faith in Hyacinth, and she gave him a life he would have never imagined, so he would meet her requests and fulfill his duties- to recruit cats to the order.

The longer he walked, the more dreary and broken the twoleg dens became. It was surreal to see something that was usually bustling with twolegs and monsters so empty and desolate, but it was also a relief. The only thing he had to worry about out here was enemy cats, maybe the occasional dog. Nothing he couldn't handle.

It didn't take long at all for Clementine to pick up a fresh scent of an unfamiliar cat. It caused his body to become tense and still- an instant reaction, a habit he hadn't yet shaken. Slowly, he tiptoed further, hiding himself behind a pile of stones. The cat soon came into view, an older she-cat.

The she-cat looked... experienced, to say the least. Scars covered her from head to tail. It intimidated him, but only slightly. Hopefully, he noticed her before she noticed him. Even if she already knew of his presence, he would be the first to speak. "Hey, you." He mewed, stepping from behind the pile of rocks. He kept his tone even and unwavering, taking this brief moment to find the best course of escape, should he need it.

"You alright? You seem lost. Need any help?" This wasn't true, he didn't think this cat was lost in the slightest. He wanted to show concern, however. Maybe she would end up needing help after all. "I'm Clementine. It's a pleasure."

Beechfang had discarded the remains of a squirrel, and silently prowled the winding paths of the old twolegplace as if she owned it. She'd made her nest among the old twoleg nest that had once sheltered Skyclan, and made it a point to keep her scent fresh along the surrounding areas. It discouraged other rogues from bothering her, just as borders discouraged them from bothering the clans.

Usually.

Her eye narrowed at the scent of an unfamiliar cat, and Beechfang's pace slowed, ears pricked as she turned her head, looking for the offending source of it. The wind blew it toward her, and she seemed to spot the other feline at the same time he had spotted her.

Did she need help? Was she lost? Beechfang snorted, "I? No. You might be, though." Or the tom simply had bees for brains. "Beechfang." She introduced herself rather stiffly, still somewhat put off by his earlier questioning. "What brings you all the way out here?" She'd make the effort to be somewhat friendly, as unnatural as it was. Despite her standoffishness, Beechfang wasn't interested in making enemies in this stars-forsaken scrap of land.

Clementine smiled. "Beechfang. A clan cat?" The tom had never met a clan cat himself, but had heard about them from other members of the order, enough to know the basics about their systems and hierarchy- including their naming system, which Beechfang's name followed. Apparently, the clans were one of their biggest enemies. Beechfang didn't smell much like the clans, though. It was clear to him that if she was a clan cat, she wasn't currently staying with them. But he still couldn't be sure that she wasn't a part of their ranks. He would keep his guard up.

What brought him out here? "I'm just out for a stroll." This wasn't exactly a lie. "Respectfully, though, I could ask you the same. You come from the clans, right? You're pretty far from the forest." He remarked, slowly waving his tail back and forth. "The twolegplace happens to be where I grew up, although if you really are a clan cat, I couldn't say the same about you." He hadn't yet decided if he would tell Beechfang about the Forgotten Order, he needed to learn more about her first.

"Are you out here by yourself?" He questioned. "That's awful dangerous, you know." There wasn't any other unfamiliar cat scents nearby, but he wanted to make sure that Beechfang was by herself. The last thing he wanted was to be ambushed by clan cats.

"A clan cat," She agreed blandly. So the tom wasn't entirely clueless... Interesting. "Clan territory borders twolegplace, you know. It's not that far." She scoffed. There was something about his tone that Beechfang didn't like. Most rogues had no reason to question the comings and goings of others in twolegplace, and fewer still would harp on the assumption of being a clan cat. In Beechfang's experience, they simply attacked. The questioning did little to reassure her however.

Was she out here by herself? Awful dangerous? Beechfang's eye narrowed as she fought to keep her fur smooth. Now that sounded like a threat to her. "My companion is around." As far as Beechfang was concerned, whether she was alone or not wasn't any of this rogue's business. And the rogue certainly didn't need to know that her companion had recently been picked up by twolegs not even a few days before. "Being alone out here is awfully dangerous after all, rogue." There was a bitter emphasis on the word 'rogue' - She'd never looked upon rogues favorably. Not before the Asylum, and not after. Certainly not after what Dawnhawk had done after the Asylum had been defeated. All rogues were trouble, to her, and while this one was only talking, she didn't know or trust him. Getting the line of questioning away from her would be ideal.

"You seem awfully interested in the clans, what are they to you?"

Clementine was right to keep his guard up. Now that he knew Beechfang had a companion with her, he would be extra careful to notice footsteps, noises, scents; everything he should have already been looking out for up to this point. "Sure, I'm alone right now. But I do have cats to look out for me. Kinda like your clan. Besides..." His half lidded gaze met Beechfang's. "I'm capable enough to handle myself. I've lived here far longer than you have." Even if Beechfang did happen to live in the twolegplace longer, it's not like she would know. It was safe to assume not, considering how she kept her clan name.

Now the spotlight was on him- his turn to answer a question. It was only fair for Beechfang to ask a question after answering all of his own, he supposed. "For now, what the clans are to me is nothing. I don't care about them, so long as they leave us alone. But what I think of them doesn't matter." Although the order considered the clans an enemy, Clementine couldn't bring himself to form a solid opinion on something he hadn't experienced. It would be safe to assume that, considering how hostile the clans have been to the order, he wouldn't find himself getting along. He would keep his mind open, though, while still keeping true to the order.

The tom hesitated. "What does matter, though, is what the clans are to you. And your companion. You're not currently staying with them." Slowly pacing, he kept his ears up, listening for the slightest sound. He was depending on the chance that Beechfang was exiled from her clan. If he found out that she was just a normal clan cat, he would run. He was afraid he was pushing his limit, though. This cat's patience would soon be wearing thin. He had to cut to the chase. "I'm sure you've already suspected that I'm not just here to chit-chat. I'm on a mission. I have a preposition for you and your friend. I want you to join me."

"Nothing to you, are you sure?" Beechfang let out a snort. "Most rogues-" The word was bitter against her tongue, and her tail lashed once in frustration, perhaps disgust. That she was supposed to be one of them now rankled, after every stars-forsaken thing. "-I've met are happy to claim that while their actions show just the opposite." She growled. Perhaps it was unfair to lay that upon this tom she'd only just met, but well, life wasn't fair. And Beechfang could not find it within herself to be charitable and give the rogue the benefit of the doubt when he'd questioned her first.

It was obvious she wasn't in a clan. The scent had yet to fade completely from her pelt, but it was faded. Far too faded to avoid notice, it seemed. "I made my nest, and now I must lay in it. Exile was... preferable to the alternative, it turns out." He didn't need to know specifics, he didn't need to know any more than this. Clementine's next words made her eyes narrow as she watched him pace. "Join for what, exactly?" He seemed to be at least somewhat familiar with the clans to only ask that sort of question after he had figured out she wasn't actually with a clan, despite her name. It made her as uneasy as she was curious.

An alternative? That meant that Beechfang could have faced a worse punishment than exile. Clementine wasn't familiar with clan punishments, but it could be implied that the alternative to exile was pretty bad. It could be further implied that Beechfang must have done something terrible to her clan in order to face such harsh punishments. Knowing she had been exiled was enough for him, he didn't really need to know the specifics. He just knew that the order was much more likely to accept exiled cats, and now he knew that Beechfang was just that.

Beechfang's narrowed eyes made Clementine uncertain. He proceeded anyways. "Like I said before, I'm a part of a group of cats- rogues, as you like to say." He emphasized the word rogue just as Beechfang had every time before. "They are family to me. We are unjudgmental and fair, we look out for each other. We are always looking for more cats to join us, and in return for your loyalty you will have prey to eat and a place to sleep, protected and secure." The same offer that had been presented to him moons ago was now being relayed to another. In Clementine's opinion, a cat would have to be crazy to refuse an offer like this. Living with a group like the order was just so much more reassuring and beneficial.

"They can look out for you too, should you accept my offer. If not, I'll happily be on my way."

Beechfang eyed the rogue as he spoke again, tail whisking back and forth across the ground in thought. She had food and shelter. For now, at least. It was the height of greenleaf where prey ran strong and bitter cold was of no concern. What was of concern however, was the prospect of other rogues thata might encroach upon what Beechfang had managed to save for herself. A group would help mitigate that risk, she knew. A group offered protection and the type of security a lone cat would never hope to gain living in twolegplace.

"Who are these rogues of yours, exactly? You seem to be recruiting, so you must have leadership of some sort, yes?" Her tone was guarded and cautious. "Food and shelter are well and good, but I have that here already. What are your goals? What are you really after, Clementine?" She was aware of her suspicious tone and nature. It turned out, a lifetime of dealing with Dawnhawk could do that to a cat. Yet Beechfang didn't think it would ever be irrational, especially now. She was a rogue, her survival came before anything else. Including the vague promises of a stranger she had just met.

"You will forgive my suspicion. The previous two rogue groups I have had the misfortune of dealing with were not friendly nor trustworthy. Especially not to those who carry clan names." She had learned better than to walk blindly into a situation without asking questions. Dawnhawk had taughter her that, so had Shrikestep.

"We are called the Forgotten Order, we're just a group of cats trying to survive comfortably. We have two  leaders, but we're mostly recruiting because of how low our numbers are right now." Clementine felt uncomfortable talking about the order's dwindling numbers in case it made them look weak, but Beechfang seemed genuinely curious. Hopefully she wouldn't use this information against them.

"My goals are the goals of the order, and right now that is to recruit new members. Should the order need a task to be carried out, i will do it." Thinking that he should elaborate on why he specifically was scouting, he gave a short explanation. "and I have a debt to repay." Although Hyacinth probably didn't consider it to be a debt, Clementine felt as if he owed his life to her. If she hadn't offered him a life in the order, who knows what could have happened to him? He'd do whatever she asked.

Refusing to elaborate further, he quickly responded to her explanation. "No need to worry. So long as you're loyal to the order, your entire past is forgiven and forgotten. The order gives a fresh start to cats like rogues and clan exiles. It's a group free of judgement." All were things he had learned himself while staying with the group. "Besides, exiled clan cats are usually accepted into the order- although there aren't any currently with us."

"So, whattaya say? Interested? I could lead you back right now, just say the word"

The Forgotten Order... And they were recruiting. That was all Beechfang needed to hear. She stared the ginger tom down as he continued speaking, expression hard and unimpressed, tail tip slowly twitching back and forth. Her fur lifted, making her already large frame even larger as she stared down at Clementine.

There was a frosty edge to her voice as she spoke. "Tasks like attacking innocents and causing chaos? My littermate-" Even now she spat the word with vehemence, the implication that the littermate in question was no family to her clear, "-led your little group, perhaps you are trying to survive, but I doubt that's all the rest of you have intentions of doing. He might be dead, but I've dealt with your ilk enough. You're all trouble. Trouble I want no part of." Should've known the filth wouldn't just disappear quietly into the night. She wondered if the gray rogue she had fought so long ago was still with them. He'd grieved Dawnhawk's death, she knew. Tornshadow... It had hurt to see her among the rogues Dawnhawk had led to their camp. Beechfang had done what she could to try and prevent her from following in her father's pawsteps. She'd failed. The gold and white she-cat with the tattered ears was no longer family. And the one that Bloodstrike had reluctantly let into the clan, Aether... Crimsonflame.

Had he been sent to Skyclan for a reason, the words he'd spun for her about hating his father, wanting to be different, a lie? Was he working with them still?

"Leave." She growled, "Don't come back, and tell your little friends to keep away. I'll let you go without a fight. This time." She spat, cold green eyes watching Clementine. If he was smart, he would start moving.

Instead of a polite decline, or maybe even his offer being apprehensively accepted, Clementine was met with harsh backlash- directed to not only him, but the order as a whole. Eyes narrowing, a growl rose in his throat. "The Order has done no such thing. I don't give a rats tail about your littermate or what he may have done, but the order saved my life, they'd never attack the innocent." The only cats the order would ever harm were ones deserving, ones who had committed crimes against the order or it's members. "You have no right to say things about a group you clearly know nothing about." He spat.

Claws unsheathing into the dirt below him, his muscles grew taut as quickly as the tension between the two cats had. Although he'd never admit it, the more this cat's fur rose the more Clementine felt intimidated. The scars that covered this cat were indications of  past fights, no doubt, which reflected her experience. It didn't take long at all for him to realize that fighting Beechfang wouldn't end up will for him. It was in his best interest to leave.

Beginning to walk away, he thought he'd leave the she-cat a few words. "You must be truly stupid." He raised his chin, glancing back at Beechfang as the distance between them grew. "The order is a place where you'd be accepted when, clearly, you clan doesn't." He spat, the words rolling off his tongue. "The order would probably be better without you, anyways. Obviously you don't know how to let go of the past, if you believe the order is trouble. So long, Rogue." Turning back around, he quickened his pace. At least he didn't allow his pride to be wounded too heavily.