It Hurts Too Much; And I'm Alone (tagged)

The sun was not yet a third of the way towards its peak as a lean, silver cat made their way across the snowy landscape, the frozen terrain crunching underpaw. The tom carried in his mouth a thin bird, a piece of prey that only an older kit would really be able to appreciate. It was a measly catch; however, Clovertwist had been out hunting since sometime after the dawn patrol left camp, and this was really all he had to show for it. He'd thought that perhaps he'd find more prey if he went out before one of the hunting patrols had a chance to scatter all the prey, but of course the prey was just few and far between and particularly on edge from hunger. The WindClan warrior's kinked tabby tail lashed with annoyance as he padded along, weighing his options.

His paws felt practically numb from the snow at this point, but he really couldn't feel good about returning home with just the dumb scrawny bird. Besides, tensions in his family were particularly high right now... Softpaw had gone completely silent, Downpaw was even more confrontational, Graybriar was very distant, Barleytuft was sick, and Goldengale had all her time occupied with her family and her deaf mate, Grousefrost. He seemed to be adjusting better, but he wasn't the warrior he'd been before by any means. Clovertwist couldn't do much for any of them, but he could try to keep their strength up - if only he could find prey to feed them.

Perhaps StarClan heard his prayer that moment; Clovertwist heard a soft scuffling in the snow, and immediately he recognized it as a hare. There were several moments of thought and decision that all had to happen in one instant. Which direction was the hare in? Was he upwind or downwing from it? Could it see him - had it seen him already? What should he do with the bird in his mouth? How would he bite and kill the hare with his fangs busy? The warrior's pale amber eyes landed on it quickly, and he knew several of the answers. It was right ahead of him, and whether the wind was before or behind him didn't matter as his eyes locked with the beady black-and-brown gaze of the wiry hare: it had quite certainly already seen him.

In that instant both of them made a decision. The hare whipped around to retreat, and Clovertwist raced forward to pursue it, still gripping the bird in his mouth. He'd figure that part out once he caught the better prey. His silver paws slipped in the snow as his claws struggled to find their grip in the sudden explosion of speed he was forced into. All that mattered was chasing down the hare. It would mean so much to WindClan, and it certainly couldn't hurt Clovertwist's reputation for him to have been the one to catch it. Snow and sleet spattered his face and chest as he ran, sprinting after the hare. He could tell he was gaining ground, but he could also tell that it was close; any mistake on his part would certainly give the hare the opportunity to escape. Clovertwist dug his claws in further, panting around the bird in his mouth. He tried to restrain himself from crushing it between his teeth. At last the moment came:

Clovertwist lunged, and his claws immediately got purchase in the shrieking hare's shoulders. He dropped the skinny bird, and it was lost in the snow as the silver tabby tom tumbled with the hare and dragged its neck to his teeth. He wasn't sure what he bit exactly, but the hare struggled a bit longer as Clovertwist battered it with his hind legs, and then slowly it fell still. Clovertwist panted in the snow for a moment, feeling his heart pound in his ears. Slowly he sat up, looking triumpantly down at the hare as his breathing slowed. It wasn't exactly a well-fed hare, but it was thick enough that two cats could eat from it and have comfortable bellies - maybe three or four if they were small cats. Pleased with his catch, he took a moment to examine his surroundings, wondering where his hunt had lead him.

Seeing the abandoned barn so nearby was quite surprising. Clovertwist stood, slowly picking the hare up in his teeth as he regarded the looming fortress. Apparently Raventail had fled here when he he briefly left WindClan in the late leaf-fall. As he prepared to turn around, though, something compelled him to stop. A faint sound was coming from inside the barn, Clovertwist realized. He listened intently, feeling his pelt prickle slightly. He recognized that sound - that was a kit, wasn't it? He'd never heard such desperation in a kitten's mewl. Was there a rogue queen staying in the barn, perhaps? She probably wouldn't want him to intrude, but... No, something felt wrong. Clovertwist took in a deep breath around the fur of the hare and approached the barn, setting the hare outside the entrance and stepping in.

Clovertwist hadn't ever visited the barn. He had no idea what it usually looked like or contained. Today, however, it contained a kit who was suspended in the air by a strange, thick cobweb-like material. The little brown kit was squealing and wailing, and Clovertwist's tail bristled with alarm. "Oh, no - hold on, kit, I'll try to help!" he called. His eyes were already searching the unfamiliar structure; there was no way he'd be able to leap up to reach the kit, so certainly the kit hadn't leaped up. He must have climbed. Where had he climbed up? Clovertwist followed the netting to the ledge that held it, and swiftly he found the way up. Well, he wasn't a SkyClan cat, but he didn't feel too ungraceful about it. He moved over to the netting and gripped it with his teeth, hauling it upwards. The musty scent of the barn was strange, but even stranger was that there was no fresh scent other than the kit's. Had he made it there on his own?

The silver tabby finally pulled the kit in the odd netting onto the ledge. The strings of the net tightened up immediately, but Clovertwist could see that the tom had gotten tangled. Not only that, but he looked exhausted - and scrawny. Great StarClan, how old was this poor thing? Where had it come from? "Don't worry, we'll get you out of there. Okay?" Clovertwist offered the tom, though his expression was a bit panicked and bewildered as he regarded the tangle around the kit. He asked, "Are you okay - is anything hurting?" Where would he start untangling? Could he chew through it? Could he do that without hurting the kit?

For a moment the tom-kit seemed unable to focus on Clovertwist, and the warrior worried that it was too late. It had been yowling and crying, but what if it was being suffocated, or what if important circulation was cut off? However, at last the little blue-gray eyes met his and seemed to focus, and Clovertwist was relieved to see life, recognition, and understanding in them. The tom was relieved, too, and hesitantly the brown kit squirmed again. Clovertwist raised a silver paw, wondering if he sould be helping; the tom-kit finally answered with an undeniable, almost amusingly emphatic yes. If the warrior himself hadn't himself just felt frantic about the little one's state he might've raised a brow at the demand for assistance. The kit wriggled harder and Clovertwist's crimped tail twitched awkwardly as he assured, "Don't worry, I'm helping, I promise."

The lean young tom began nosing around the netting the entangled the tom kit. It certainly didn't seem life-threatening at this point - none of the strands were tightened around his limbs at first look - but Clovertwist had no idea how long he'd been there. When he nosed around the kit himself, Clovertwist was surprised to find almost no queen scent mixed in with his fur. The warrior had already noticed the kit was scarcely as large as a small rabbit, and he was thin and almost smelled like crow-food, or other unpleasant things. What had he been eating? The WindClan tom's mind was flurrying with concern as he continued seeking out the opening to the net. At last the dark-striped warrior found something promising. It didn't seem like the opening, but it was a tear sizeable enough for Clovertwist to stick his head through. He did so and began to maneuver the gap towards the kit further in the net. He dropped the large hole over the kit's head.

"Alright - there, we've got you out, then," Clovertwist reassured, stepping forward to give the scrap of a tom a lick on his musky shoulder. The warrior crouched before the tom, his pale amber eyes shining. "Does anything hurt now that you're free? How did you get up there, anyways?" he asked.

Mink was glad to see that they were at least making progress in getting him out of the tangled up mess that he got himself into. Granted, he should feel scared or at least embarrassed that he got caught in such a predicament but for Mink unfortunately it was part of his life; stuff like that always seemed to happen. He was still young so of course he found himself in scraps and close calls before. Didn't make it any less unfortunate for him though he was in luck to have had someone come by who was nice enough to help. Usually he didn't. When the netting was finally over his head after the larger tom found a big enough sized hole to drop over Mink's head he sighed in relief and pawed the bundle of offensive material away from him so that he was no longer in it's grasp. He jerked back slightly in surprise at the unexpected touch of the older male and blinked at him; he was obviously not used to physical contact although he did not fear it or say anything to the larger tom about the gesture. He just cleared his small throat and shoved the netting over the side of the ledge so that neither of them were in danger of getting tripped or tangled again in the mess.

Now that the bundle of netting was gone from the small brown kit you could see in full the extend of his condition. Smaller than an average kit his size he was no bigger than a small hare or a large rat with ruffled chocolate brown fur that looked like he got struck by lightening; or it could have been ruffled by the struggle who knew. His fur was obviously in need of a good wash as there were specks of obvious dirt and hay in the chocolaty coat and he was rather thin. Too thin that you could see at least one or two of his ribs which should not be a good size for someone his stature. But his eyes; which were the color of stone held a strong glint in them that was a big contrast to the condition of his body. He in overall looked like roadkill living and breathing. Or someone that you would have found in a two-leg's alleyway. Thankfully though, he still had spirit left in him as his eyes shone his determination and strength of his survival and journey.

"Thanks for the help stranger." Mink finally spoke up seemingly a bit more relaxed now that he wasn't in any immedient danger.

"I'm not hurt, my pride's a bit bruised but at least i'm not physically hurt that's all that matters. Thank you for the help. I just found this place a few hours ago...being on a long travel and needed a nap so I decided to stay here for a little bit to gain my strength before heading back out. I just climbed those over there and on this ledge....figured this netting nest would be a good spot to hide in case someone came in...guess not huh? the small male commented ruefully as he glared down from where they were perched at the bundle of the netting that he had shoved off the ledge moments before.

"My name's Mink....Who are you? You smell different than the other cats I've come across. Not like a stray from the two-legs." Mink frowned studying the older tom.

Clovertwist looked a lot better well fed and well kept than the cats that the small tom had come across along his journey so he guessed he wasn't just some lucky stray that caught all the prey. Prey was hard to come by in this weather and most cats looked as bad at Mink did right now. And even being larger and older than the small brown kit Clovertwist didn't seem like he could be a street cat like the runt was used too on his travels. He wondered how he found this building.

The kit's reaction of surprise wasn't lost to Clovertwist when he had touched his nose to him briefly. That didn't sit right with him. What sort of kit would dodge away from a cat who could help them? He'd never had an experience like that, and when the kit stared pointedly at him his eyes widened slighlty and he stammered, "Whoa, sorry." But the brown kit seemed to have no desire to discuss it; his goal first and foremost was to get the darned netting far away so he couldn't get tangled in it again. Clovertwist watched the ordeal as it unfolded. The scrap struggled, though only for a moment, to heave the bundles off the edge, his lack of muscle and training quite apparent in his awkward movement. The warrior nodded a few times with approval and joked, partly to put himself at ease, "We defeated a new kind of predator today."

After a few moments of observing the heap on the floor of the barn below, the little tom's stony eyes and frizzy face turned to Clovertwist. The warrior met his gaze evenly and nodded. "I'm glad I was around." The tom's voice wasn't a tiny kit voice, but he certainly looked like a tiny kit. The silver tabby tom listened intently as the kit explained what had happened to leave him in his recent predicament, and he kept waiting for some mention of family or friends or caretakers. None came, even as the kit finished drily with a comment about his poor choice of resting place. Clovertwist laughed a little and answered fairly, "It can be hard to know if a new place is safe when we're tired in the dark." The tom - Mink - introduced himself them, and he asked about Clovertwist.

"No, I'm not a a twolegs' kittypet or a loner at all. I'm a Clan cat. I come from WindClan," Clovertwist answered brightly, a little smile on his face. "What about you? Where are you from? You said you've been traveling a long time... Are you traveling alone?" His expression turned a little more serious as he asked the latter questions, and he glanced over Mink with a look of concern.

Clovertwist could tell immediately by the shift of expressions on Mink's face that the little tom-kit didn't know about the Clans. He quickly confirmed it, asking with confusion what a Clan was. Clovertwist nodded his silver-striped head in acknowledgement when Mink mentioned other groups of cats. "Clans aren't quite like the rogue groups; they've been around for generations. We Clan cats have a moral code we follow to protect our Clans, kits, queens, and elders. WindClan, where I'm from, we live on the moors. There are four other Clans across the territories - they live in forests or marshes, depending." Clovertwist added thoughtfully to himself, You must have come from a very strange direction to not have run into any of the other Clans yet, or at least cats who know about them.

Mink seemed to tense up a bit at the warrior's questions, and Clovertwist wondered which one had put him on edge. He suspected it was the latter. An awkward silence spanned between them that grew slightly more uncomfortable the longer it passed. The older tom only longed to know the answer more, then, and he was debating asking again when the scraggly brown kit finally shook himself and cleared his throat to answer as if he hadn't just gone silent. Clovertwist's kinked tail twitched as he listened to the bold and certain response, and his eyes widened with surprise. "You're all alone," he repeated in confirmation, his voice breathy with awe and a feeling of nervousness for the tom-kit growing in his belly. What kind of life was he living? Clovertwist added, "I know I wouldn't want to be a cat your size alone in the forest. Half the prey is bigger than you, nevermind the birds just along the moor itself..."

He trailed off for a second, looking distractedly over his shoulder out towards the entrance of the barn. That scrappy bird from earlier - that's the perfect size for Mink, Clovertwist mused. He turned his pale amber eyes back to the tom-kit, weighing his options. "Sorry, I was just thinking - the prey out here is much harder to catch than the stuff in twolegplace, especially during leaf-bare. Sounds like that's where you've been for most of your life, right? I was hunting when I heard you; I caught a bird you could have, if you want it. It probably won't do anyone as much good back home as it would do you here." His face shone with the question of an offer, hoping he could do something to make things easier for the kit. Never turn away a kit in need. Clovertwist was certain he'd never seen a kit more in need than Mink.

The way the older tom in front of him explained what clans were the little fellow just couldn't help but make a face as he listened. Why would clans want to bend together like he was suggesting? All cats have fended for themselves for the longest time that Mink was aware of. Granted, he was not from around these parts so anything outside of his norm was different and odd to him. He grew up fending for himself. Even those alley cat groups that he ran into occasionally although were in groups they did not trust each other nor respected each other. It was a cat eat cat world out there from where he came from. Why would it be different in the woods? The brown furball snorted and shook his head at the thought of such a place.

"That sounds ridiculous. Why would there ever be groups of cats among these woods that tried to thrive together? That's ridiculous. Survival is everything no matter where you're from right? Why would you want to bend together and create...whatever clans." he rolled his eyes at the thought and shook his head looking over towards the entrance of the barn.

He didn't mean to sound rude like that but the very idea of what Clovertwist was suggesting sounded ridiculous to the small male. His words about him being alone and insinuating that he was weak made the small male's head snap over to him and bare his teeth at him in aggression. He might be small but he survived this long with his wit. Granted, he was not used to this area but it was a moment of time that he would learn. He had to learn the two-leg place and he survived that place so he could do so here...it just might take longer because there was not many cats out here to study to be able to know when to go where. He huffed and fluffed his fur out when he replied back to the tabby with a bit of snappy attitude feeling rather offended that he was thought as weak.

"You caught me in a bad situation. It's a learning process because i'm not from these parts but it doesn't mean i'm weak. I can survive out here just fine when I get the hang of it, it will take time but I got time. I got the wit and instinct to know where to go. I'm not weak or defenseless...I can hunt and scrap for myself. I just got to learn where to look first." he defended himself.

The reaction Mink had to the explanation of Clans was not at all what Clovertwist had expected; the look of bewilderment and something like indignance might've made the warrior second-guess his praise if not for how proud he felt of being a Clan cat. The WindClan tom had never really known anything but positive feelings towards the Clans. Even when the deputy, Raventail, had fled for some time, he held no hard feelings towards the group that he left behind or what they stood for - from Clovertwist's perspective, anyways. Therefore, when Clovertwist finished speaking and Mink snorted with derision and shook his head like he'd just been told some kittish joke, the warrior felt wholly unprepared to respond. His tail twitched uncomfortably behind him. "Seemed to work out well for the ones who came before me, since I'm here," the tom answered evenly.

Clovertwist's experience of having a younger brother at home could only do so much to prepare him for interacting with a strange rogue kit who thought the idea of Clans was weird and that being alone was the smarter thing. His shoulders bristled slightly and his expression grew a little sharper as Mink, too, puffed up defensively and spoke up for himself. Clovertwist interjected, "I didn't say you were weak." He had no choice but to let the tom-kit finish his rant, his tail lashing, and responded at the end with his own defensive tone, "Okay, okay - alright, Mink, relax! I wasn't trying to say that you were weak or defenseless. Like you said, I just caught you in a bad situation. I didn't mean to ruffle your fur." Forcing the fur on his shoulders to lie a little more flat, Clovertwist tapped his tail slightly against the wooden ledge upon which they sat.

"Where I come from, we're always learning from and teaching each other. Surviving doesn't have to be the most important thing when we're thriving. We thrive together as a Clan because we support each other," the silver tabby tom explained to the tom-kit before him. "Since surviving is most important to you, but you won't accept prey, would you at least accept help? I could try to teach you about some of the prey in this area if you're determined to stay here a while longer."

Mink couldn't help but glare at the older tom as an air of hostility seemed to suddenly form around them. What was Clovertwist expecting? Mink was born and raised as a wild cat without guidance or a bright future ahead of him living on his own. He had no where to go but wherever his tired paw's would lead him. Such thoughts about clans and grouping together to thrive as one big family did not really set well at the moment with the smaller tom. His family was no where to be seen or thought about as he never remembered having friends or family for the past few moons since he woke up on the side of the road among some rocks with one heck of a headache to boot. He wasn't dumb to think that there wasn't a slim chance his family was out there but at this point; if they wanted him, which he had a suspicious mind that they did not. They would already have found him or made some kind of contact. But no, the past few moons Mink has been alone and running into this clan cat was either fate or life's not so funny way of wanting to get back at him. He wasn't sure about this tabby in front of him quiet yet as he didn't know if his intentions were true or not. Why would he want to help a stranger for no reason that he happened to find? Granted, yeah he was a kit and much too small...okay and yeah maybe he did find him in a bit of a pickle but that didn't mean anything, right?

"Look, I appreciate the help you gave me in getting me loose from those nets...I do, but I don't see how my well being is part of your concern. I'm just a stray you met that you will soon forget in a day or two whenever you leave this place and go back to your family and friends in that whatever clan you spoke about. You have much better things to worry about then a runt like me." he spoke up and straightened himself up so he sat straight instead of crouching.

He looked over at Clovertwist and examined him. He looked well enough to be fed and happy in life for the most part; nothing like the cat's Mink was used to but he was not without his battle scars so Mink knew that the older tabby knew how to handle himself and survive. There was no question about it. Granted why he wanted to seemingly befriend a little tom kit like Mink himself he was not sure, like he said. He wasn't someone worth remembering in a day or two so why have the older tom waste his time trying to help him survive or hunt or whatever he was proposing.

The mood between the two cats had clearly shifted despite Clovertwist's attempts to calm himself and steer the quickly heating topic elsewhere. Even as the warrior tried to explain his ill-taken words and offer help, he could see Mink's gaze growing more defiant by the moment. His offer to teach the little tom something about the prey nearby was quickly rejected with a dismissive and bitter retort. Clovertwist huffed slightly, his brow furrowing not with anger but with exasperation and thoughtfulness. Something about Mink's words stood out - he sounded not like a cat who wanted to be alone but like a cat who had come to expect it. In some ways it was probably easier than the structured life of a Clan, but... surely it couldn't be any more fulfilling. Right? Mink was skin and bones and too young to be alone, yet he wouldn't accept company or guidance.

Clovertwist wasn't sure what the solution was, but if the little tom-kit was so determined to be alone, he didn't know how he could accomplish anything else. He shrugged and answered, "Honestly, I can think of a thousand things I'd rather worry about than everything happening at home." It wasn't untrue; everything going on with StarClan and Finchstar and Aspenheart and everyone was disheartening. A thought occurred to him. Clovertwist perked his ears slightly, casting his gaze with mild curiosity down to the straw-strewn barn floor below. There are usually lots of mice in here, aren't there? "Easy hunting" some of the loners have called it. Maybe I can help without helping. He twitched his kinked tail and he finally sighed, looking at the scraggly brown kit, "Alright, Mink. I won't keep stepping on your tail. I get that you like your space now. Like I said, we have a code where I come from. It was the right thing to offer a paw."

The silver tabby stood, casting his gaze back to the floor below and turning his back on the kit with half an air of dimissal. "The net won't be a problem anymore, like you said, so I'm sure you're right that you can handle yourself. It'd be a waste for me to leave the barn with nothing, though; I hope you won't mind if I grab one last thing for my niece back home - she has kits." When didn't she have kits, honestly? With that, Clovertwist lowered his body towards the ground and dropped into the musky hay below, sending up a small puff of dust. The silver tabby tom sneezed and shook some debris from his ears but otherwise stood motionless, ears perked and alert. There had been a hollow thud as he'd landed, and it resounded through the wooden floor. For several long moments there was silence, and then what Clovertwist predicted happened: the soft sounded of scuffling mouse paws resumed.

He may have been born and raised on rabbits, but the WindClan tom was no stranger to catching mice. The ones here were slow and much too trusting, or perhaps distrusting, in their own senses. Not long had passed before Clovertwist found a plump little gray-brown thing and hooked it out of a bale of hay with a paw, flinging it up to stun in on the hard floor. He took its life quickly and let out a content sigh. Already he could hear more mice stirring, as if having already forgotten the predator which was just present moments before. "If I didn't have a Clan, this is where I'd stay, too," he commented with a slight chuckle.

Mink didn't understand the reason why someone would want to help. He wasn't used to that; he was used to fending for himself no matter where he went. The idea of anyone wanting to lend a paw was unthinkable just because he didn't grow up in that environment and to anyone's eyes it would break their hearts. Here he was a small frail looking thing barely able to survive on his own and yet his eyes held the fire of someone who was much older then himself because of the life he lived. He wondered, in the darkest deepest parts of his mind what it would be like to have a company; not technically a family but at least someone to keep him company and be there with him. But being the proud and self reliant cat that he was Mink didn't want to speak up or say anything to the other tom about it.

A part of him panicked at the thought of the larger tabby leaving him alone once more. He didn't run into many nice cats and the thought of him leaving made Mink edgy and hesitant. He didn't want Clovertwist to leave. His eyes followed the larger tom as he leaped down from their perch and he hesitated at the edge having to stop himself from trying to follow him. He was unsure of where to go and what to do now. He knew he didn't want to be alone but was too scared to say anything about it. So he just sat there awkwardly hunched with a shift gaze trying to find something to say. He had no snappy remark left to give. He wasn't expecting the feeling of abandonment and panic to set in at the other's move to depart.

Glad the other didn't seem to be leaving quite soon Mink perked up slightly at his words. Yeah, the old building did seem like a good place to go but it was too dangerous to stay in one spot for too long alone. Someone might finally notice his presence and come after him thinking he was a quick and easy target. You could never be too sure of careful of who you could trust. But Mink felt he could trust Clovertwist even with his odd behavior and morals he seemed to have.

"Yeah, if I wasn't too keen on keeping myself safe I'd probably make my home here...I don't have a home...just...places I stay for a day or two so that I could rest and regain my strength after traveling for so long. I just don't want someone to find this place and think i'm an easy target...No cat out there in the wild can be trusted. At least not in my area and from my experience." he commented digging his claws into the wood of the ledge he perched on.

After a short pause the smaller male began making his way the way he had come and dragged himself down the side of the stall door and when his paws landed on more sturdy ground he shook his paws should and sighed in relief. He didn't like being high up for long time. Especially after his little stunt that nearly entrapped him for good. He looked over at the other tom with a curious look and hesitantly spoke up.

"What's your clan like?" he asked looking around at the old barn not wanting the other to see his curiosity and vulnerability.

The tom-kit responded to Clovertwist's words, and casually the silver tabby tom turned his head around to look at Mink, smiling and nodding agreement. The Clan cat couldn't really keep the sadness and sympathy from flickering in his pale amber gaze as the kit explained his lack of permanent residence, but he suspected that his new acquaintance wouldn't like that very much. Thankfully, Clovertwist's face was quickly furrowed in thoughtfulness while Mink explained the dangers of staying in one place and why he had never done so. Clovertwist supposed that warning made some amount of sense for loners and rogues trying to stay in yet-unestablished territories; without thoroughly marked and regularly checked consistent borders, cats and predators alike were bound to wander in freely to claim it as their own. Even a Clan's border couldn't be enough to deter every cat, but having no border was an invitation.

Eventually Clovertwist nodded, feeling the disdain for other cats swelling Mink again. "Some cats shouldn't be trusted," he agreed mildly. He turned his head back and bent down to pick up the mouse. The warrior's kinked tail flicked slightly, and again he couldn't help but wonder what the scraggly brown tom-kit had been forced to endure in however few moons he'd been alive. A thud of a slender body on the floor of the barn made Clovertwist twitched ever so slightly, startled, and the silver tabby tom turned around with the mouse held gently in his teeth to see Mink looking at him with poorly veiled curiosity. Mink wouldn't meet his eyes as he asked his question, but Clovertwist grinned and sat down his mouse and sat in the strewn hay.

"Oh, WindClan?" he asked with a cheerful chirp, his kinked tail flicking behind him. Thoughts of his home immediately jumped to him, and he wondered how he could describe it in a way that Mink didn't find entirely unappealing. "Well, we're the fastest cats in all the territories. Not many things can outrun me or my Clanmates - not hares and rabbits, at least, and certainly not cats from the other Clans. Typically the Clans keep to their own territories, but..."

As he thought of the disaster happening in ShadowClan and RiverClan because of the intimacy between their two leaders, he couldn't help but let out an amused and slightly awkward laugh. "Things have been a bit eventful lately across the borders. It shouldn't affect you all the way out here. Anyway," he scuffed his paw dismissively, happy to continue talking. Mink hadn't stopped him yet, anyway! "WindClan is just... good. I have a big family, but sometimes it feels like the whole Clan is my family." The tabby tom stood, looking at Mink for a moment before declaring, "I probably should get back to them... I don't want to keep taking up your space. I'm glad I got to meet you, though."

Mink stared at a spot in the floor boards in front of him as he listened to Clovertwist speak about his clan and the perks and descriptions. Mink was pretty fast too...or at least he figured he was if he lasted this long. He'd been chased too many times to count. The more the silver tabby spoke the more Mink was wondering if a loner's life would keep him alive. He knew he was small and without friends to protect him or help him grow then he would survive. But was he willing to ever consider the possibilities of actually having a large group of strangers surrounding him and calling them family in a way like Clovertwist had? Granted the other tom had grown up in the clans so it was natural for him wasn't it? For Mink it wasn't. He looked over at the larger tom at his comment about leaving and it made him panic a second before he cleared his throat and nodded.

"Oh yeah, course, probably shouldn't stay here if you got people back home." he offered back despite him not wanting him to go.

"Hey so, I mean I don't stay in places for very long at a time but this place seems okay and it's shelter...I think I'll stay here for a few more days..you know to just relax and stuff." Mink spoke up and in his mind added that he was going to try and train himself to hunt or else he wouldn't survive here.

"If you happen to make it this way on your walks or hunting...I wouldn't mind if you stopped by and said hi if I'm still around that is..." he offered awkwardly and looked away; fur fluffed in embarrassment.