sing no more [open to lost boys]

By the time the barn, so alike and so different from the water-rotted Twoleg nests on the lakeshore, came into view, Raventail’s eyes had dried. His fur was always disheveled; no one, especially a stranger, would notice if it was a little more so. There was nothing to be done for the headache, however, and he winced at the midday sun as he looked toward his destination. No doubt about it. This was the place the rumors from moons ago had spoken of. They’d mentioned a group of cats settling here. A bunch of rogues, most likely, free from the tethers of Clan life, holding plenty of stories beneath their travel-worn pelts—or else they could be former Clan cats like himself.

He wondered how similar their reasons were to his own. If any of them had been strong enough to leave their old lives without regret, or if they, too, had three paws in the past and one in the future. He felt remarkably as if he’d left half of himself at the Gorge. Maybe he had. But he couldn’t go back, not yet. Until he knew what he needed, this would be where he made his nest. These would be the cats for whom he hunted. Barnmates, the dark tom thought, swallowing hard. It wouldn’t be WindClan, but, then, he had left WindClan.

Before that thought could sink in too deeply, Raventail stepped forward and called in a worn-but-loud voice, ”Um, hello? Anyone home?” The fresh scents of strangers told him yes, but he didn’t want to barge in where he might be unwelcome. Whatever the origins of the barn’s current residents, he was sure he’d have to make his intentions clear.

Strom sat in a patch of sun, letting it soak into his fur as he groomed himself. It hadn't been long since they'd actually arrived, and part of him still expected to wake to the sound of the river still haunting his dreams, rather than the soft sound of the wind and distant, slightly muffled calls of birds. This new life was idyllic, free from old memories and full of interesting new things. Not to mention it was ridiculously easy to catch prey with all the mice around.

A sound broke through his thoughts, and he pricked his ears as a voice called through the peaceful quiet. A cat? ”Um, hello? Anyone home?”

Paws tingling, he crept through the grass towards the direction the call had come from. Where's Batbite? The thought of an intruder who might or might not have less than peaceful motives for coming here sent a worm of worry crawling down his spine. But as the other cat came into sight, he relaxed slightly. It was a small black tom with a few points of white, and who, from the smell of it, came from WindClan - though there was an odd tinge to his scent, almost like he'd been hanging around RiverClan before he came here. Nevertheless, he wasn't about to chase away a cat who probably only wanted somewhere to stay.

"Hello there," He meowed, standing up and walking the rest of the way to the tom with a friendly smile, though he stopped a tail-length or so away to make the other feel hopefully more comfortable. "Yes, I'm pretty sure there's someone home, as you can probably see," He added, just a touch dryly. "My name's Strom. Who are you?"

Before long, the first barn cat emerged from the grasses. He was a ginger-and-white tabby tom, nearly as fluffy as Raventail and quite a bit taller, expression friendly despite the distance he’d kept between them. ”That’s what I was hoping,” Raventail said, returning the tom’s smile. Strom. A loner’s name—and a scent held the barest hints of the river, so faint Raventail might have imagined them. He probably had imagined them. Stars knew RiverClan had been on his mind the whole walk here. His heart, as oblivious to logic as ever, stumbled over itself all the same.

For a moment, he was tempted to ask if Strom had webbed paws. The question made it alarmingly close to his tongue before Raventail realized he absolutely could not ask. Where would he go from there? ”Do you know Dappleshine?” ”Do you know me?” No, there was no chance that would end well. Instead, he said, ”Raventail, from the moor. Well—from WindClan.” He fell silent, watching Strom for any signs of recognition. Even loners had to know about the Clans; he could only hope they didn’t know about their higher ranks.

”There was a rumor a few moons ago about some cats living here.” Raventail let his gaze drift downward, something like shame flitting through his eyes. ”I was, uh. Thinking I could be one of them for a while. I know I’m a Clan cat, but I don’t think anyone’ll come looking for me.” He had a terrible thought, then—what if they did? If Finchstar sent out search patrols… If Raventail somehow managed to endanger his Clanmates even now… The dark tom shook his head violently. WindClan wasn’t his to worry about anymore. Besides, a half-trained apprentice could have followed his scent trail at least as far as the Gorge. They had to know he was alive. ”I can hunt and fight, too, so I shouldn’t be too much trouble…?” Again, he looked at Strom. His paws shifted nervously in the grass.

Strom eyed Raventail as he revealed his name, though he kept a friendly expression on his face, dipping his head slightly to the other in acknowledgement. WindClan's deputy? The tom had looked vaguely familiar... what had led him here, away from his Clan and duties? Though his curiosity was piqued, he didn't show any sign of more interest than anyone would have at meeting a strange new cat.

He shook his head slightly at Raventail's last few words. "It's no problem. Believe it or not, I know a few Clan cats." His smile widened, turning slightly lopsided as he stood and turned, beckoning with his tail. "You can stay as long as you want, we've got plenty of room, and more than enough prey."

He led the way to the gap in the barn, reaching out with his senses to catch any hint of Batbite nearby. The she-cat would appear eventually, but the news of another joining them filled him with an odd excitement he wanted to share. Flicking his tail in a shrug, he glanced at the other tom. "So, how did a Clan cat end up here, if you don't mind me asking?"

If there were any signs of recognition in Strom’s face, Raventail missed them. That made it official. Here, he wasn’t a deputy. He wasn’t even a warrior. Beyond not interfering with the peace, there were no real expectations for him. That was a loner’s life, he guessed—responsibility for oneself and little else. To a cat who had never known a life beyond the Clans, the concept couldn’t have been stranger. Even at the lake, they’d all worked together…

Before he could ponder how this made him feel, Strom was giving him permission to stay. ”Thanks,” Raventail said. The nervousness drained away, leaving something vague and numb in its place. He could hardly be relieved when he didn’t know how long he would have a place here—a few sunups, a moon, forever. Maybe it didn’t matter to Strom, but it mattered to him. ”I appreciate it, really.” Strom gestured for him to follow; after a final glance over his shoulder, the smaller tom did so.

Soon, they reached the barn itself. Strom pointed out a gap in the side, presumably the entrance, and they stopped before it. ”I walked.” A smile flickered on Raventail’s face. ”Honestly, I just needed a change of pace, and the barn seemed like a good place to start. That, and it's close to WindClan.” Being upfront about his origins was one thing; being upfront about his reasons was another. He couldn’t go around telling everyone about the dangers plaguing WindClan these days, the recent attacks and deaths. For a moment, Raventail was quiet, squinting into the gap; he couldn’t see if anyone was inside, but the mingling scents of other cats were even stronger here. ”You said you know some Clan cats,” he said slowly. "Mind if I ask who?"

Batbite entered the barn with a plump squirrel in her jaws - a challenge so far from the forest that had once been her home, but one she welcomed - and quietly and unceremoniously dropped it not too far from the entrance. It was a moment later that she processed the sight before her: Strom, who she expected to see; but the stranger speaking to him was less expected. ...And, she realized a moment later, not entirely a stranger. Joining them where they stood, she waved her tail in greeting. "Two former Clan cats and WindClan's deputy walk into a barn," she offered drily. "What are the odds?"

She gave a moment for her words to settle in before looking Raventail over. "You certainly look like you've come a long way," she noted. "Are you going to be staying? Do you need something to eat?" A last, unspoken question lay in her lingering stare, even as she flicked her tail in the direction of her most recent catch. Why are you here?, she wanted to ask. Was it the same reason as her, as Strom...? Or something else entirely?

"It's fine," Strom said easily, swishing his tail to gesture at the space around them and adding, "Honestly, some days all I think we do is lie around soaking up sun and talking. So far, at least. After the distance you've traveled, that could be considered a "change of pace,"" He said with a grin.

And then Batbite arrived, immediately shattering the sense of mysterious security he'd just built up as Raventail asked his question. Strom rolled his eyes, admitting to himself that maybe he had gone a bit overboard with the whole "keeping their pasts obscured until they knew the newcomer a bit better" thing. "Well, I would have offered something more obscure.... But since you already said it I don't see any point," He meowed to her, a teasing glimmer in his eyes.

Turning back to Raventail, he gestured at the smaller black she-cat and himself with his tail. "Batbite, for one. About five Clans worth or so for another. And me. Though we prefer not to make a big deal of it." He paused, letting an ear dip down slightly as he smiled lopsidedly. "Usually."

As Strom described the leisurely days he’d had at here so far, Raventail, still peering into the barn through the gap, caught himself starting to relax. His occasional visits to Outlook Rock aside, he wasn’t naturally inclined toward sitting around and doing nothing. In fact, it seemed as if he’d been on the move since his apprenticeship, busy with his own training, then training Goldengale, then taking up Swiftstep’s position and all the responsibilities it came with. It would definitely take time to adjust, to enjoy lazy afternoons the way a loner was meant to.

Another cat—smaller than Strom, with long, dark fur—stopped beside them. Returning her greeting with a flick of his tail, Raventail raised his head to look at her. This, unfortunately, meant there was no hiding the flash of fear in his eyes as she spoke. She knows? A moment later, it hit him: Wait. Two former Clan cats? Did that mean Strom had recognized him, too? There was no time to ponder that. He’d already been quiet a few seconds too long. ”Yeah, I’m—planning to stay,” Raventail said weakly. ”At least for a while. I ate before I left.” This was not strictly true; he hadn’t had much of an appetite then. He still didn’t.

Strom introduced the she-cat as Batbite. After how she’d chosen to make her entrance, learning she had a Clan name wasn’t at all surprising. ”Fine by me. We all left for a reason, right?” Though Raventail longed to better understand the cats he’d be sharing the barn with, it wasn’t his business to ask what he himself would be reluctant to share. He shrugged, drew a paw through the dirt. ”One question first, though. Where are both of you from? You don’t have to answer,” the small tom added with a hurried wave. ”I’m just curious.”

"Was I not supposed to say that?" Batbite asked far too innocently, looking at Raventail as she spoke. Her gaze turned to Strom next. "As for you... Please. It's not like it's really a secret. And if he had ill intentions I believe it would be clear enough by now. We're not exactly well-defended here." That said, her attention was fixed on Raventail once more. "Depends on what you mean. I'm not sure where I came from, exactly, but I was raised as a ThunderClan cat. I won't bore you with my history, however... As you said, we're all here for a reason; and I'm sure you understand the need to keep some things secret."

Strom couldn't help but shake his head in amusement and smile back at the look she gave him. "No, but I did want to settle a little more into the role of "mysterious loner from far away" before everyone starts calling me a Clan cat again."

He turned to Raventail as he considered the other's question, flicking his tail in a shrug. The smile stayed on his face, but he couldn't help remembering the partings, the loss, and everything else that had plagued him in his former Clan. A shadow drifted across his gaze for a moment, almost too quick to see. "It's fine. I'm a RiverClanner. Well, half RiverClan, at least," He said, his smile turning slightly melancholy. "But Clans don't matter here. Wherever you've come from isn't what we care about, just whether you need a place to stay."

A place where the lost can be found, and live without the pain they used to have, He added silently to himself, a slight pang piercing him. No others had come. It wasn't like he'd been expecting entire Clan-loads of cats to leave, but.... Maybe Raventail was just the first of many to come over the horizon and see the society that could be created without border or animosity. If that was even possible.