L'appel du Vide[Open]

He probably shouldn't have crossed the border, but he did anyway. His head had told him not to step past, that if he did he'd invite trouble he couldn't possibly get out of. But when did his paws ever listen to his head when his belly was so much louder? Bird padded on, paws moving silently across the leaf-strewn ground as he headed deeper and deeper into Clan territory. His mother had told him all about the Clans that lived here, though how she knew she never told him. "Copper" was out again, likely hunting for something to feed them both or bringing flowers to his littermate's graves. His mother was always griefing, from the moment he first opened his eyes. At times, when she was sound asleep, he wondered if she had already passed and only a ghost of her former self remained in her body.

Bird shook his head to clear his thoughts, then tasted the air. Rich scents of cats he had never met before flooded his senses, and it took a while before the tom was able to locate a squirrel under the mess. Copper had taught him something about crouching down and approaching his prey slowly, but even she did not use that method. She didn't seem convinced either that it was the best method. With that thought in mind, Bird let go of all caution and crashed through the undergrowth to reach the squirrel. He burst through the ferns, a storm of movements unusual for a cat no older than six moons. Flashes of red fur danced before his vision, as if taunting him, until at last it was lost in the trembling stalks of leaves. Bird skidded to a stop, his heart hammering and a string of curses on his tongue.

Bird froze as he came face-to-face with Copper. No, this wasn't Copper. This cat was much older, with bronze fur and far more scars. Her scent was also slightly different from Copper's, though it was hard to tell the difference. Who is this cat and why does she look so similar to his own mother? Fur bristling, the tom-kit watched the she-cat warily, as if waiting for her to explain herself.

The she-cat looked as wary as he was. Was that a good sign? Or was this a trick? Bird took a step back, fur still bristling. "No, I don't know where I am," He lied, refusing to admit that he had strayed into ThunderClan territory willingly. He pointedly ignored the last question. Was Copper his parent? She had birthed him, yes, but he couldn't feel her love. Copper's heart was broken, any love she had for her kits buried along his littermates. And it wasn't like she was looking for him.

Home to go back to? As in, wherever Copper found suitable enough for them to crash into for the night. The place that always, always had a full view of the stars? Bird had hated the openess, hated how exposed it left him to the world, hated how the stars taunted him every time he opened his eyes. "No, I don't-" no sooner had those words left his moth did he snap his mouth shut so fast he bit his own tongue. Wrong words. Wrong, wrong, wrong- was this cat going to take him away? Back to wherever they kept kits hidden away, under the same awful sky and stars? Bird opened his mouth again, picking his words carefully. "If you can guide me to the bor- edge of your territory, I can find my way back home," He mewed, tripping over his words in the same awful way Copper did.

"Bird," He replied instantly, though the name tasted sour on his tongue. His mother's name for him was also what she grieved the most, it seems. He could do without the reminder of what she had lost and what he could not even have. He shifted his paws, moving so as to allow Blazefang to lead the way. Why did that name sound so familiar to him? He had heard it before, but that was an inkling that it was said with more venom than most names had. Copper had said- Blazefang- he couldn't recall what it was that had been said. "Hey, do you know anyone named Copper?" He decided to follow along his thoughts, and the words slipped out like fish from his claws.