New Names and Opportunities [PM to join]

It had been a few days since Amberdawn had found her way into twolegplace and, hopefully, her new home for the rest of her life. She had already learned so much more about the strange creatures that dwelled there. Somehow, though, she suspected she had barely skimmed the surface of what she would discover. It was... overwhelming, but the first thing she had learned about the twolegs in the den was that they always left her alone unless she came to them first. She really appreciated that; she wasn't certain how to read them yet. She did feel cautiously optimistic about what she could tell.

More importantly, they always left food for her in a high place she could easily get to with her powerful SkyClan physique. That was fun. The food wasn't the same as the first morning and night, but it was bizarre yet enticing. The twolegs liked to watch her jump up to her food, and they liked to watch her eat, which she found strange, but it didn't seem... malicious, or jealous. They had their own meals, so varied and so strange. When she was feeling more confident, Amberdawn hoped to investigate their diet more; now, though, it was a daunting thought.

The most important thing that the former Clan cat learned about these twolegs was that they would always provide an access to the outdoor. There was one word that Amberdawn had learned already, and that was "yard": the outside. Her twolegs gave her freedom "to yard".

The vibrant golden tabby she-cat stood "in yard" just outside the gap in the strange clear, thin stone of the twoleg nest that they made for her. Her dark hazel eyes searched her surroundings. "Yard" is a silly name for this clearing, Amberdawn thought with mild amusement as she began to venture further into the grass. The edges were ringed with foliage, and a strange wall of smooth tree branches sat just around the edge of those. There were several gaps in the wall, and through one - Amberdawn was certain - she could scent a cat. A kittypet, hopefully!

With her new, strange neck-garment adorned and jingling uncomfortably - that would take immense getting used to, but the twolegs wore brightly colored pelts over their own skin and so she suspected it was required of her as well - Amberdawn tried to make herself look friendly and presentable and called, "Hello - is someone there? I-I'm new here." She hoped it didn't sound too pathetic; she was taking lots of leaps of faith lately.

A dark brown cat with folded ears suddenly spoke up from on top of the flattened tree branch, slightly shaking from the somewhat clumsy landing onto it.
"If you're new here where did you come from? I didn't expect Sue and Sharon were the kinds of hindwalkers to go out of their bignest these days. I don't even know where they get their food to be honest. And what kind of a weird name is Marmalade? Like what even -is- it?"
The strange brown apprentice-sized cat pondered for a half second before resuming speaking, cutting off any chance for a response.
"What -is- Cocoa?"
She then proceeded to stare into space as though pondering the great mysteries of life.

There was a sudden slight scuffling sound on the other side of the odd wooden wall, and an instant later a dark-furred cat with strangely shaped ears appeared. Amberdawn's face immediately lifted to meet the gaze of the newcomer - although, wasn't she the newcomer, really? A chipper, curious voice sounded from the she-cat as she asked where Amberdawn had come from, if she was new and wasn't from here - the "bignest", as the other cat called it. Okay, bignest made sense; what were hindwalkers, though? The twolegs? "Sue and Sharon" sounded... familiar. Is that what the twolegs are called? Sue and Sharon? Amberdawn wondered, but the new cat was speaking on.

"And what kind of a weird name is Marmalade?" the dark brown she-cat asked, and Amberdawn's ears perked. "Like what even is it?" "I'm sorry, is that my name? Mar...malade?" the golden tabby asked curiously, her amber eyes shining with interest.

The new cat didn't seem to hear her, though, for she went on with a distant expression and soft voice, "What is Cocoa?"

"Co...co-wuh...?" the golden tabby echoed, tilting her head a little as she continued to gaze up at the cat on top of the fence. "I'm not really sure. Is that your name?" Amberdawn asked.

The brown she-cat jumped down from the fence in a not-so-graceful manner, being snapped out of the apparent trance she was in. While approaching the true newcomer she responded:

"Cocoa is definitely what they call me, though saying it's my name might be a bit of stretch. A name has meaning, and if I don't even know what Cocoa would mean how could it be a name? Though I guess we've already determined Marmalade has no meaning so it can't be your name either. But it -is- what your hindwalkers call you so I suppose I'll just follow suit. Though you never answered where you came from, and you're certainly a lot more... lean than anyone else I've seen around here. Are you from beyond the Come Back Here?"

She gestured towards the far edge of the row of smoothed out and seemingly intentionally placed tree limbs as she intoned this last question.

The last time Amberdawn had seen a cat so graceless was.... well, probably Jerry. The former medicine cat resisted the urge to rush up to help the she-cat and check her over, and not a moment later Cocoa was walking towards her and chattering away again. She reminds me of Leaftwirl, before the flood... I hope she and her kits are alright, the golden tabby managed to think in brief passing as the kittypet before her explained the origins of her name - or rather, what she was called, and why she simply settled on it. Cocoa continued to say much the same about "Marmalade", and the words of Patrick rang in the former Amberdawn's head: "The world is very forgiving when it comes to names, especially the farther you run."

If Marmalade was what they called her, then Marmalade was who she'd be. It didn't seem too bad.

Cocoa drew Marmalade's attention back, mentioning again the golden kittypet's origins and physique. She wasn't sure whether she was supposed to be offended about that - she'd always felt rather... full compared to some of her Clanmates - but she didn't have time. The other dark she-cat was already taking a guess. "Are you from beyond the Come Back Here?" Cocoa asked, and Marmalade regarded her quizzically before answering, "Well, um, I'm not really sure what the Come Back Here is. I came from the forest just beyond the... the that -" she gestured vaguely towards the weird wooden barrier, "- where all the trees grow tall, near the river."

"The forest?" A high-pitched, wavering voice cut through the air. Fifty-One leapt onto the wooden fence, his tiny body perched precariously on the thin slab. His light brown fur, though dirty, shone in the light, and his eccentric eyes gazed daggers down at the ginger below. "The forest?" he repeated, "I can't believe it!" the rogue laughed. "You were in squirrel territory, scrawny-cat-with-weird-smell!" the tom leapt down from the fence, not caring that his shabby complection marred the otherwise beautiful garden.

Fifty ran up to the newcomer, though not in an aggressive fashion, and carefully examined the larger she-cat. "You must've gotten really lucky, to escape from them without a scratch. How did you do it? Did you bribe them?" a tiny brown paw came up to jingle the name-tag around her neck. "...Or are you working with them?" The former kittypet's voice gained a hostile tone, but was gone almost as soon as it came. "I'm kidding. Someone working with the squirrels wouldn't dare be living with upwalkers. I wish I had your place." He ambled away and stretched out in the lawn as if he'd been there his whole life. "Name's Fifty-One, by the way."

The young she-cat reacted excitedly to Fifty-One's presence, as though seeing an old friend after a long time.


"Oh hi there Uncle Fifty. I'm happy to report that no squirrels have made it into the yard since the last time you were here!" she mewed proudly. "And this is my new... friend? yard mate? aunty? Marmalade. But that's not her name just what she's called now."

A new voice made Marmalade jump, startled, and her tail threatened to bristle in reflexive response as her gaze immediately swung to the pale brown tom-cat who had suddenly appeared atop the tree-wall. She shifted a little uncomfortably under his gaze, piercing as it was. Cocoa seemed please to see him, at least. Is that a kittypet? she wondered uncertainly, examining his patchy pelt and listening to his high pitched, harsh voice as he laughed and made an... off comment about squirrels and her scent.

"Y-Yes, I was," Marmalade answered slowly. The tom approached with undue swiftness, examining her with an expression that made the golden tabby cat nervous. She froze when he touched her strange neck-binding and the strange tinkling things that hung from it; as soon as he released it, dark words spoken about "working with squirrels", she inched backwards with an awkward smile. Once again, his seemingly aggressive words fell away to instant playfulness. I'm gonna get a headache from these mood swings, Marmalade thought, but she noted that he and Cocoa had both referred to "-walkers" when speaking of the twolegs. After a moment she was... amused. The tom - "Fifty-One", as he introduced himself - sprawled out on the grass, completely at ease "in yard".

Cocoa greeted the tom as Uncle Fifty, and Marmalade tried to take the dark she-cat's words as comfort that Fifty-One was an alright cat. The other kittypet proceeded to introduce Marmalade again. Cocoa dismissed "Marmalade" as the gden cat's name, and Marmalade perked up, informing her companions, "Oh, well, I think I might take it as my name, too."

After a moment of thought, Marmalade nodded, and she explained, "They named me Amberdawn in the forest, but I'm not in the forest anymore. I'm here." She looked at Fifty-One as she added, "I dont work with squirrels; I hunt them. Me and everyone in the... forest. I like to think it was something I'm good at. Well, I guess was? I don't know if I need to anymore."

OOC: Short and late, sorry guys!

Fifty-One chuckled in his own eccentric way as Cocoa reported to him. He had already taken a liking to the various cats of this strange town, and the brown cat was quickly becoming a favorite. "Amberdawn? Funny name, scrawny-cat-with-weird-smell."  He paused to swipe at the grass. "Hunting squirrels?" He frowned slightly at the thought. "That's better than working with them I guess, but... why would you eat them? Aren't you aware of the poisons they hide? What if a dead squirrel were to, say, come alive within your stomach, and eat you from the inside out? Leaving them dead is much better." Under his breath he muttered, "I don't think I'll ever understand you... strange wild cats."