[open] Cat Got Your Tongue?

The half-warm breeze of morning air drifted slowly through the Cave of Endless Skies, permeating every cave, tunnel, and crevice over a short time. The sun had recently risen over the mountains outside, but the scent of morning was the only indicator in the cave that day was coming. As a matter of fact, the cave was always mostly dark. Shimmer didn't mind it, but she had gotten tired of it. She missed getting to see the light and watch the sunrise. A moon earlier, the kit-mother had been relieved of her prey-hunting duties and had her nest moved to the nursery. The she-cat had been confined to camp in preparation for her future kits; the tabby she-cat's white belly was quite notably swollen. Her usually springy step had become heavy with the weight of her unborn kits, and while she hated being stuck in the cave, she knew she'd be useless on a hunting party now. When Frost and my kits come, Shimmer thought drowsily and full of hope as she awakened in her nest, I hope there is a little prey-hunter among them to make up for the hunts I've missed. I hope she gets her father's eyes...

As she fully woke in her nest of rabbit fur and feathers, she thought of the strange Clan cats who had come to the Tribe only a few days before. There had simply been too much chaos at first for her to go investigate them for herself, but Frost on Cracked Stone - her mate - had dutifully checked on her and kept her up to date on the news of their arrival and how they had been settling in. He had of course expressed concern about prey with all these extra mouths, and when they had shared a small bird Shimmer knew he was taking smaller bites to let her have more. She wanted to insist otherwise - make sure her love was fed and strong for their children - but the kits had other thoughts, and she was always ravenously hunger and eager to eat whatever she could. Over their past few meals Shimmer on Silver Pool had heard bits and pieces about the Clans from Frost, but she wanted to find out for herself. She felt energetic and eager.

Energetically but awkwardly, the rotund kit-mother-to-be rolled to a standing position and exited the den of the nursery, stepping into the more open, cooler air of the main cave. Immediately her hazel eyes settled with excitement and wonder on a group of cats and she called an airy greeting, "Good morning, cats of Forest Clans! How was your sleeping?"

The leader was recovering slowly the little strength he had. Though his ribs were still visible under his skin, Jaystar was starting to eat better and his wounds were already recovered. He lifted his head a bit from the rocky ground and looked around with tired, yet bright green eyes. He was surprised and frankly, he admired the cats who lived here, in such conditions. They were true survivors. He and his clanmates had a few things to learn about them...

The sudden exclamation of a tribe cat caught him off-guard when he was lost in his own thoughts. The large silver tabby looked at the she-cat a bit confused but finally smiled a bit, laying his tail to one side relaxed. "It had been a good one. Thank you for your hospitality... ehm... How should I call you?" He mewed bashfully for not knowing the she-cat's name. He had to admit that he wasn't used to names as along as tribe cats used so it was harder for him to remember any of them except for Stoneteller.

Swanpetal felt like she should be doing something, and it wasn't socializing. She was a Clan cat, and while she had a certain level of respect for those who lived differently, she had little desire to live as they did or get attached. They would inevitably return to their home, leaving the mountains behind, just as she had once been separated from her Clan and found her way back. But then, a voice called from behind her...

"Good morning, cats of Forest Clans! How was your sleeping?"

The pale gray and white she-cat turned to see who had spoken: a tabby she-cat, quite clearly a soon-to-be mother. Thinking of her own kits - all of them, but mostly Brookpaw and Wasppaw, the two she had last seen alive - Swanpetal's determination to remain mostly separate from the Tribe cats started to slip away, and she found herself responding to the Tribe cat with a tone that wasn't exactly unfriendly. "Pleasant enough, I suppose..." It would have been more so if she knew the fates of the cats she cared about: her mate, her kits, her ShadowClan friend Thornbriar. She hadn't seen any of them since the wave that had swept away so many of their Clanmates. Yes, she would have slept more soundly had she known their fates for certain, but she wasn't going to say anything about that to any of the cats here, let alone a cat whose name she didn't even know. Speaking of which, she should make an effort to do so, she supposed.

The first cat to raise their head was a large silver tom with dark stripes; when he turned to Shimmer and she saw his verdant eyes, she purred. This must be Jay Star, she thought, recalling Frost's description of some of the most notable Clan cats so far. A second cat lifted their head a moment later, however, and Shimmer's hazel eyes found the rather uneasy gaze of another pale gray cat. That she-cat responded, "Pleasant enough, I suppose..." Shimmer purred, and she looked to Jay Star who answered, "It had been a good one. Thank you for your hospitality... ehm..." He trailed off for a moment and Shimmer tipped her head before Jay Star queried, "How should I call you?"

The brown-and-white tabby she-cat lifted her chin, her eyes glimmering with joy. "I am called Shimmer on Silver Pool, but I am often called Shimmer by my friends and family." She looked at him curiously and suggested, "We are family, are we not? By distant kin?"

The hazel cat then looked to the weary and wary gray molly who had murmured a soft response a moment ago. Shimmer purred, "If not family, then we are friends, and that is well enough for me. I am blessed to have come to meet you! What may I call you?" Her dark-ringed tail struck into the air as she said, "This morning I choose to share my prey with you. Will you eat with me?" This she asked to both Jay Star and the yet unnamed she-cat.

The faint gleaming beams of the rising sun fell upon Chirp's messy moss-dotted pelt as she shuffled her way out of the apprentice's sleeping cave, a large, loud yawn escaping her jaws as she blearily tried to clear her fuzzy vision.  She had always been a very restless sleeper, much to the annoyance of her long-time denmate Hawk, and her nights were often broken by vivid dreams and much tossing and turning.  No matter how little sleep she got through, her constant energy endured, and today was no exception.  For as soon as she had entered the clearing and caught sight of the many new nests spread around, she remembered the momentous occasion the past day had been!  Oh, finally!  I can talk to them, it's been sooooo long!  The cave-guards had me making nests all day yesterday, but now, I'm free again!  Her paws shuffling against the smooth stone floor, Chirp's fluffy ears pricked up at the sound of voices, and noticed Shimmer nearby talking to the big gray tom and an unfamiliar silver she-cat, catching the tail-end of their conversation.

Like a tiny tri-colored fish in a stream current, she flashed across the clearing as fast as her paws could take her, skidding to a halt just a mere beetle-length from the clan cat's paws.  "Hi there!  Shimmer can I eat with them too, can I?  Can I?!  Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease~?!"  She was bouncing beside the kit-mother, loud purr echoing off the walls as she barely waited for an answer before launching on, big brown eyes set on one of the leaders of the Clan cats.  "I'm Chirp!  I've been dying to talk to you since yesterday, but everyone ignored me and then I got sent off moss-hunting, then when I came back they sent me out again and again and again...until I was too tired to do anything!  Her bottom lip jutting out, she scr@ped at the ground with her front paws impatiently as she waved her tail, small body almost quivering with anticipation.  "Let me share prey with you too, please!"

Shimmer on Silver Pool? What an odd name. "My name is Swanpetal," she introduced, seeming slightly less uncomfortable. As 'Shimmer' asked them to join her in eating, she was unsure of how she was meant to respond. To refuse such an offer would almost certainly be viewed as incredibly rude... After thinking it over for a few brief moments and weighing her options, the RiverClan warrior finally spoke with a small smile, hoping she'd chosen the right thing to say. "It would be an honor to share prey with you, Shimmer on Silver Pool. ...And you as well, Chirp," she added as the younger cat approached.

It had been far too long since she'd had friendly conversation, after all, and there was little point to staring at the cave's entrance and hoping for her friends and family to make some grand appearance. The simple truth was that they weren't going to appear, at least not any time soon - if they had made it through the flood, only StarClan knew where they had found themselves, or where what remained of the Clans had gone. Besides all that, however: she had spent enough of her life forgetting to live it, and refused to fall into the same downward spiral again.

During the few moments between wakefulness and sleep, Redwing almost thought she was back in her nest in ShadowClan. Nestled in the nursery, kits at her side, the scent of Poppyheart on every piece of moss in her comfortable nest. But, in the half-dream, something was off. Where were her kits? What was that strange, un-forest-like scent? With a gasp, she opened her eyes wide, waking up with slight panic. Where was she?! Then, her memories slowly returned. Everything- the flood, escaping to Highstones, leaving to find shelter, discovering the Tribe... methodically building a nest and collapsing in exhaustion. Had that really all just happened?... She had so many emotions. Confusion, shock, constant worry and concern for her missing kits and Clanmates. Her green eyes glanced around the room, trying to find any familiar faces, and instead landed on a small group of cats congregating with the mention of food. Hearing that word made her stomach give an abnormally loud rumble that reminded her she hadn't eaten in StarClan knew how long. Probably not since before the flood. She'd been too worried to take care of herself, but now the strong hunger in her drove her to get out of her comfortable nest and walk over to the strange cats.

As she got closer, there were only two she didn't recognize, both Tribe cats- a queen, like her, only still pregnant, and a young to-be that bounced around energetically like she had once. Jaystar was with them, and a RiverClan warrior she'd seen at Gatherings before. Usually she'd be a little bit hesitant to speak with such complete strangers, but a buried natural friendliness and her extreme need for food pushed her onwards. "Um- hello there," she found herself saying as she approached the group. "I couldn't help but hear you mentioning prey? If you don't mind, um, could I join you?" A slight bit of nervousness caught up with her, and she found her voice rushing onwards to speak. "I'm Redwing of ShadowClan, sorry to interrupt you. If you want I can eat somewhere else. I just, I don't know hardly anyone here- my kits were swept away, and my mate has been gone for... well, moons now." Concern for her family resurfaced, along with the fluttering in her stomach, but it was too far now. She just had to pretend confidence and continue. The dark red queen looked up, meeting each Tribe cat's eyes in turn. "You said your name was Shimmer, right? And you're... Chirp?" Though she just wanted to eat... having some friends wouldn't be bad, either.

My name is Swanpetal," the Clan she-cat introduced herself. Before she could reply, Shimmer's carefully trained prey-hunter ears heard the sound of eager paws pattering across the cave floor, and she turned her head to see her Tribemate, Chirp of Cricket at Sunset, pelting towards herself and the Clan cats. The kit-mother's tail-tip quivered with joy as the excitable to-be raced up, eyes alight with excitement. "Hi there!" Chirp greeted, and Shimmer immediately interjected, "Hello, Chirp!" As expected, Chirp went on without pause, "Shimmer can I eat with them too? Can I? Can I?!" During her barrage of pleases, Shimmer just enthusiastically nodded her head in time with Chirp's bouncing, the grin not ceasing. If only I weren't expecting kits, Shimmer thought cheerfully, I think Chirp would have been a great to-be for me.

Chirp gave no chance for a real answer before she whirled to the Clan cats, introducing herself and explaining why she had not had the time to do so beforehand. Shimmer attempted to reassuringly pressed her side into Chirp's, though she underestimated the size of her belly and felt as though she bumped the to-be a bit harder than she expected to (even with a soft belly). She giggled slighly and murmured a soft, "Oops - sorry." The queen's kits shifted inside her and she saat awkwardly, replying to Chirp, "Of course you can eat with us, dear, but would you mind fetching the prey - something we can all share, if possible? I think my kits wish for me to sit."

At last the Clan cats got an opportunity to give their input and Swanpetal graciously replied that she would share prey. "You are very kind, Swan Petal." Before she could say anything else, a soft voice interrupted her. "Um - hello there," a voice said, and Shimmer turned to look over her shoulder at a new pretty russet-coated she-cat. Immediately Shimmer beamed and replied, "Hello!"

Slowly the other she-cat began to speak more, introducing herself as Red Wing of something called ShadowClan - one of the Clans, of course. Red Wing went on to express the loss of her kits and mate. "You need not justify your need to eat, Red Wing; we are family so long as you reside in our cave. You are more than welcome to eat with us!" The kit-mother gently swept her tail over the ground beside her, welcoming Red Wing to sit. "I think that Chirp is going to be fetching us something."

The leader remained quiet but with a small, relieved smile on his face as cats started gathering around. This... was a thing he had forgotten with time thanks to his leadership duties. When was the last time he actually enjoyed precious time with other cats? When was the last time he actually tried to bond with his clanmates? Jaystar had to admit that he was caught up in so many things... incapable of even communicating with others because he was afraid. He had lost so many family members: sons, daughters, mates, friends, grandkits... The flood swept away most of the cats he knew and loved, leaving him in despair and sorrow. Though he wanted to come back to the forest... he was scared of what he would find there.

The tom looked at the stocky Shadowclan she-cat, feeling some empathy for her despite their different clans. "You can sit by my side if you wish, Redwing." He mewed understanding her feelings of loss. The leader then turned her face to Chirp, who was about to search for something to eat. "I don't eat much so you can bring more for others instead of wasting larger prey for me." He said with a sad smile. For a leader like him, Jaystar was used to be hungry since it was he who had to eat last in the clan. Swanpetal, Redwing and Shimmer needed more food than him at this moment, even if his belly demanded him for some fresh meat.