Just waiting (open)

Sitting on a fence post, Kindle stared into the lightly wooded forest that was known as the SkyClan territory. It'd been too many moons to count since she'd been exiled from WindClan and in that time she’d decided to shorten her name down to just Kindle, seeing that her full name wasn’t of any importance to her anymore. While she would never truly get over the waves of emotion that would come when she thought about her friends and family, she couldn't say that she disliked this life. In fact, the loner life was actually treating her pretty well.

Unlike some loners or rogues who despised Twolegs, the dark grey she-cat was becoming quite fond of them and their ignorant ways, so she took no disliking into sitting on top of one of their fences. Besides, she got a better view from up here. The giant Twoleg box that sat behind her was home to an older woman, one of which didn't own any animals. The Twoleg was different than other Twolegs in the sense that she seemed old and frail. A thin patch of curly white fur covered her mostly naked, weird shaped head and her skin was all wrinkled and flabby. Maybe all that extra skin was what made her so much slower than the others?

The grey she-cat wouldn’t have had anything to do with the Twoleg, but apparently the universe had other plans for her.

One day while she was sitting on her usual spot on the fence, Kindle had been startled by a nearby dog and was clumsy enough to fall into the garden. Now down below the tall fence, she began to panic. Flowers and plants surrounded her like a forest and keeping her ears perked, she made sure no dogs were going to pop out and chase her. Unlike the outside of the big wall, there wasn’t anything to easily climb up on to get to the top, but looking down through the seemingly never ending jungle of plants, she spotted a smaller wire fence that would be her escape route.

Begging to race towards it, a strange creaking sound caught her attention and she froze mid stride. Turning her head in the direction of the noise, an old Twoleg was sitting on a creaky rocking chair. Where had she come from? Kindle hadn’t even heard her enter the area. Standing still in hopes of staying hidden in the plants, she watched as the old woman slowly rocked back and forth. The old Twoleg woman had a innocent sort of stature to her and while every muscle told her not to care, something drew her curiosity towards this Twoleg. She hummed something that Kindle wasn’t able to make out and in her hands were two sticks with thread between them. Why in the world did Twolegs do what they did? They were such odd creatures and she wanted to learn more about them.

No, it didn’t matter what the Twoleg wanted or who she was. She was just a Twoleg.

Shaking the thoughts away, the grey she-cat beelined her way to the wire fence. Climbing up it, she jumped up onto the larger fence and ran across it. She needed to get out of here. Running across the fence, Kindle stopped and looked back to see if the Twoleg was following her. Nope, she was still sitting on her chair, humming away. ‘Such weird things.’ she thought to herself and ran to the alley where she’d be safe.

Like every other clan cat, she’d lived to hate Twolegs, but after that encounter, Kindle would learn that they weren’t all half bad. Of course she’d been skeptical of the older woman, but that was moons ago, and this was now.

Every time the old Twoleg would come outside to enjoy the day, Kindle was there, waiting. She’d jump down off the fence and pad over to the old woman, where she’d be given a treat or even some milk. After her usual ritual, she’d gracefully hop up onto the Twolegs’ lap and lay down, as if she was a regular ‘ol Kittypet. Yeah, being so close to a Twoleg had been a bit hard to adjust to, but something about this Twoleg was different. She was so much more gentle than the others and never yelled or spoke loudly. Her touch was like heaven and once Kindle finally decided to trust her, she knew it was the right choice.

Letting out a sigh, Kindle wrapped her tail around her paws as she sat on the old Twolegs’ fence, waiting for her to come out of her box. The weather was significantly colder with gloomy clouds covering the sky, and part of her wondered if she’d even see her Twoleg friend today. ’Well, it’s not like I have anything better to do, so I might as well sit here,’ she thought to herself as a chilly breeze blew by and ruffled her fur.

Annabelle sat on the stone wall that surrounded her twoleg's house, a blank look glazing over her eyes as she stared into SkyClan's forest. Though to someone else it might look like she was just tired, she was actually washed over in grief. That feeling had become usual to her, but that didn't make the pain any more bearable. Her daughter had died. Her son had died. Her other two kits had been stolen by towlegs. Her mate lived in WindClan. Her granddaughter lived in ThunderClan. And soon, she would be moved to far away for even an occasional visit. Her once sassy attitude had given way to the depressed shell of a cat that she now was. Though she still looked like a cute kittypet, she was thoroughly broken.
The wind ruffled her fur and she looked up to the gray and dreary sky, for a moment thinking of how fitting a background it was for her thoughts. She let out a whimper of grief, wishing that she was young again, playing in the garden without a care in the world. It seemed strange that bugs had once been the scariest things in the world to her. But now that she had lived through hell, bugs seemed like nothing in comparison to the death of her kits. Another whimper escaped her throat. The chilling wind and the occasional drop on icy water didn't bother her in the state she was in. If anything, it brought welcome change and numbed the constant pain she was feeling. The only thing that showed any of these thoughts was a whimper every so often, and the depressed look in her glazed over eyes.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sigh from the cat next door. Though it was almost silent compared to the noise of the wind, she had taught herself to scent and hear any sign of a living thing. She scented the air to make sure she was correct, and then something in her mind clicked. Though this cat had been coming over to the house next door daily for the past few moons, just now did the sandy ginger she-cat remember where she had smelled that scent before. Storm... WindClan... A spark of curiosity that had once been common in her ignited, and she had a sudden urge to find out this she-cat's story. Quietly, she stood up and padded towards the fence that the gray cat was sitting on.
"Hello. I'm Annabelle. You've been coming around here for a while, but I don't think we've talked. Who are you, and why did you used to smell like WindClan?" Even though her spunk had died down during her depression, her same ignorance of rudeness stayed.

OOC: Happy Birthday

Having been lost in thought, Kindle jumped at the sound of another cat's voice. Turning towards the voice was a ginger she-cat looking at her with curious eyes. Was she really become that inept to sense when someone was approaching? Great StarClan she needed to made sure to keep her guard up more often.

"I'm Kindle," she started, a bit taken aback by the other cat's sudden urge to figure out who she was. "I used to be a WindClan cat, but that was a while ago," the loner mewed, sitting up a little straighter as she spoke, as she was still somewhat prideful of her origins. It wasn't everyday that a Kittypet got to see a pure-blood clan cat, and while she hadn't really forgiven her friends and family who so easily exiled her yet, she was still proud to say that she'd been a clan cat.

"And who might you be?" Kindle asked, the tip of her grey staying wrapped around her paws but the end of it flicking back and forth

"Hi Kindle," Annabelle replied quickly, wanting to get straight to the point. "I'm Annabelle. And the reason I wanted to see if why you smelled like WindClan is because the love of my life lives in that clan. He seemed so eager to start living there, so why did you leave?
She wanted to know everything she could about this cat. Why she had left WindClan, why she was now living here, if she had know Storm's family. She knew that she definitely would rather live with Twolegs than in the wild with savage clans, but she knew by now that not all cats thought the same way. Kindle was a mystery who was just waiting to be solved. A thought popped into her head. What if this cat was related to her? Her kits were half WindClan, so maybe this cat was their great aunt of something like that.

Glad that the she-cat wasn't resisting in saying who she way, Kindle relaxed a little. Listening to the Kittypet, she wondered who this love of her life might be, but decided to save that question till later, seeing that this was apparently the time for her to explain her life. Great StarClan this cat was curious.

"Why I left?" Kindle looked out onto the vast SkyClan territory and echoed the question softly, wishing that she hadn't been asked that question of all questions. After a few moments of trying to gather her thoughts, the grey loner looked back to Annabelle. "It wasn't my choice to leave," she spoke stoically, trying not to let her emotions take over. "I guess I did something bad enough to be exiled, so here I am," she finished, her voice just above a whisper. Ever since she was exiled, she'd tried to ignore the fact that she was alone and attempted to make the best of her life, but oh how she wished she could be back home with her friends and family.

Exiled. That word meant nothing to Annabelle, but the sad way that Kindle said it made it seem horrible. Suddenly she felt a wave a sympathy towards this cat. They were similar, in a way. They both were separated from their family in a cruel way, forced to live life in a way that didn't seem full. As nice as living here was, she would never forget the joy of having a family, and the thrill of adventure that she felt with Storm. Maybe she could ask this she-cat more to settle her yearning to know more about her mate, or maybe she should try to make this cat feel better. For a few moments the kittypet stayed silent, conflicted between the two answers. Finally she decided to do both.
"I know what its like to be scorned, to be torn away from your family in a horrible way. I wish everyday that I could live with my family, but grieving as served me nothing. But maybe you could help me with something. When you were part of WindClan, did you know a cat named Hollow, uh, I think Hollowfang?" The sandy ginger she-cat asked, voice desperate yet empathetic. She needed answers, but was willing to relate to a fellow she-cat.

Perking her ears, Kindle listened to the she-cat. She had been disowned as well? How and why in StarClan's name were Kittypets exiled? Because they didn't play with their Twolegs enough? She couldn't even fathom the pampered life style, and lost in thought, she barely heard the Kittypet when she asked about Hollowfang. Unlike Kittypets, Clan cats lived their entire lives together, so of course she knew of the tom, thought she hadn't ever interacted with him much, which was a bit surprising. "Yes, I knew a Hollowfang, but we weren't very close," the grey she-cat replied. "Why?" she asked curiously and tilted her head to the side.

OOC: ak, sorry for the late reply

IC: Her mate's brother? So there were cats that had hidden affairs within the clans. She'd always suspected that not all cats were fully loyal to their lives, but she'd never actually known about any forbidden relationships. 'Well, not everyone can be happy living with the same cats all their lives, much less be each other's mates,' the grey she-cat thought to herself.

Watching the Kittypet jump as a dragonfly flew by her nose, Kindle could tell the she-cat was having trouble with her emotions, considering the soft whimper she'd let out just a few moments ago. Well, it wasn't even just that, but also the fact that the Kittypet's pelt was practically releasing heat told Kindle that Anabelle was probably extremely embarrassed.

She didn't exactly know this cat very well, but by the way that she said sorry, it probably wasn't something she said very often, and she didn't understand what there was to be sorry about. Sorry that she'd asked about Hollowfang maybe?

"You're fine," Kindle replied reassuringly with a smile on her muzzle, hoping to help the other she-cat calm down a bit. "Surprisingly enough, a lot of clan cats don't know each other very well, even though we live with each other our whole lives," she chuckled.

"Okay," Annabelle replied, not really knowing what to say. Some of her confidence had been regained, and she didn't sound quite as depressed. It took all her focus to seem that way, and she hoped that it wouldn't shatter when she spoke more than just one word. She thought about Kindle's statement. It seemed weird to live with a cat your whole life and never get to know them. Well she had been living next to this cat for a few moons without talking to her, so it wasn't the weirdest. Trying to seem a little less like she was falling apart, she sat up straighter and tried to reply.
"Well we have been living next to each other for a while now and we haven't gotten to know each other until now. But that's mostly because I-" Her voice cracked with emotion before she could explain. Internally, she yelled at herself for letting her emotions show. She probably would have told her all about the worst parts of her life if she hadn't stopped. Why should this perfectly normal cat have to listen to all her problems?

Glad to see that Annabelle seemed to be a little more stable now, Kindle listed as she began to speak again but then stopped as if she was choking on her own words. Saddened by her new friend's change in mood and curious as to what she had been about to say, the grey she-cat titled her head in a curious sort of way, her whiskers twitching. "Because you...?" she echoed softly, hoping that she wasn't trying to push the Kittypet to say something that she would regret.

OOC: sorry for the short post ;;

Annabelle hesitated. Well, now Kindle seemed to want to know about her problems. But now the kitty pet faced a different internal struggle. Was she ready to tell some stranger about her life? Well, she had so little family left, and she needed to tell someone or else depression would start to kill her. Taking a deep breath, she didn't even try to hide the emotion in her voice. "Because I have been depressed lately. And before that, I was taking care of my kits. Then they died. Before that, I was visiting Storm so frequently to bring him all the bad news. Before that, I was off adventuring with my mate, until he was brutally attacked and we were separated. And before that, I was a stuck up little brat who only cared about myself. So my whole life I have been too busy with things that have left me scarred to pay attention to the cats who lived around me."
It felt surprising good to get all of it off of her chest. Just to be able to tell someone what had happened to her took a weight off of her shoulders. She took a deep breath and looked sadly at the cat next to her. She really hoped that she didn't just make this friendly enough she-cat feel too bad.

Surprised that Annabelle was brave enough to actually finish what she started to say, Kindle listened intently and was even more surprised from what she heard. 'Great StarClan, who knew Kittypets could go through so much even with their luxurious lives,' the she-cat though to herself as the house cat explained herself. Once Annabelle finished, the two of them sat in silence as Kindle thought of what to say, seeing that she didn't want to say the wrong thing to make matters worse.

"Well..." she started, gathering her final thoughts. "Even though you've been through a lot and might not have had the best attitude in the past, those things have helped in preparing you for your future. Yeah, you've been dealing with a lot to not notice who's really around you, but think about what you've been through and how it's making you a better cat now and for your life ahead of you," she mewed softly and looked to the Kittypet with a hopeful smile on her muzzle. "It's difficult to deal with misfortunes in your life, trust me, I know, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and you just need to figure out a way to make those bad things into things that have actually helped and nourished you in your journey through life."

Surprised that she'd said so much, she hoped that it wasn't too much. 'Sheesh, I sound like an elder now,' Kindle thought silently, her smile not leaving her muzzle as she looked to Annabelle.

"Thanks, Kindle. And your pretty much right. I guess I am glad that I'm not a petty little kit anymore." Annabelle sighed, but felt genuinely grateful that Kindle was helping her through this. It felt nice to be cared for. She had never really thought about how her experiences had made her a better cat, just how they had seemed to be constantly ruining her life. Maybe this cat was right though, and it didn't have to be that way. She smiled gratefully at her companion. Suddenly, she realized how much of her own personal problems she had just burdened her with. "And I'm sorry you had to listen to me complain and mope. But it really did feel nice to have someone to talk to. Once again thank you."
It almost felt as if Kindle were part of her family now. Not that she replaced any of her kits or friends, she just had shared personal information and therefor felt closer. But in a few days, it would all be gone. Her eyes drooped as she realized it was only two days until the meeting with her family. Looking up, she made a quick decision to invite her new friend to that. "Oh, and can you meet me at my house in two days? I'm meeting up with my remaining family, and I'd like you to meet them."

Glad that she'd seemed to help the Kittypet, Kindle have a smile and nod. "You're welcome," she mewed. She was about to say something else when Annabelle spoke again. Go to her house to meet her family? It seemed like somewhat of an odd proposition for a cat she'd just met, but thinking about her answer, she didn't have anything else better to do. "Sure, I'd be happy to," Kindle replied with a smile. Standing up, she gave her legs a stretch. "I'll see you then I guess?" she added, her tail swishing back and forth as she stood atop the wood fence when they sat.