No Interest in Falling [Closed]

There was a rush of water somewhere, a vague background to the blood that rushed and pounded in his ears. Very few things set his teeth on edge and his heart pounding other than a victory. Making it here was exactly that, a victory. It wasn't like the tom's paws made hast anywhere that he went; Iniko was a casual creature. His very existence had been one of happenstance rather than borne of the romantic love of two starstruck cats. The two that had brought him into the world had despised each other in an almost comical way, all the way up until their untimely deaths. Often it had become a habit for his mind to wonder to both of his parents. Their family had been far from a typical one, unique in the ways in which they'd been born into themselves. Regardless of the malice and spite bred, he'd always found himself rather fond of the many things he'd learned from his kin.

He paused to breathe in the scent of the crisp air, tainted with the taste of the nearby river water. That was a scent he decidedly loved. Back home, there wasn't any rushing water to purify the air. Inkio trotted towards the edge of the gorge, peering down into the depths. Cracked rocks were sprayed with the foaming water in it's eternal pursuit. Behind him, he felt the presence of another cat approaching. Ever-so calm and unaffected, the tom didn't even look up and merely raised his voice so this stranger could hear him over the rapid, "A cat could lose a life falling in there, don't you think?"

Summer had a tendency of skirting the edges of WindClan's territory, following the borders now that she knew where they were - or at least what to scent for. Ocasionally she'd cross or even meander on through, but she tried not to stay for long, for she took to heart Morningpaw's warning that not every Clan cat was quite so lenient with trespassers. Already the drifter had experienced some of it. Today she felt a little more daring; perhaps she'd meet another WindClan cat, someone who knew and loved Morningpaw... To her surprise and mild alarm, she crested a hill beside the gorge with its rushing river and immediately spotted a luxuriantly thick-coated brown tabby. She scented the misty, cool air and hummed with disappointment when she discovered that the winds weren't on her side - fortunately, they weren't on the strange cat's, either. Perhaps they could meet on even ground. The ginger-cream she-cat descended the hill slowly, keeping her eyes on the form as she drew nearer.

The drifter had no intention of trying to creep up on the cat - in fact, she'd moved quite purposefully to gain the attention of whoever she was approaching - yet she was surprised by how swiftly they were aware of her presence. She paused her steps for a moment hearing the tom's voice ring over the sound of the roaring torrent below. "I imagine they could lose several, if they had that many to spare, darling," Summer answered with an equal measure of coolness, though her sky blue eyes glimmered with curiosity as she continued her slow and casual approach. The strange tom didn't turn to her. Summer scented the air again, and she realized quickly the cat she'd found was not WindClan. Ah, I wonder if he knows about the territories, she thought curiously.

Inki smiled at the response. His gaze traced the several sharp and pointed stones that lined the bottom of the gorge. She was right. Any cat with several lives would have a hard time keeping even one with such a plunge. He'd heard the stories but had yet to see such a thing with his own eyes. The large tom shook his coat ever so slightly, dispelling some of the droplets of water that had scattered onto his maw. Turning with a broad sweep of his tail, Iniko stood facing the the she-cat. Her honeyed voice matched the warm tan pelt that she had been blessed with at birth. A stunning set of blue eyes stood our over he dark bridge of her nose. Any cat would have been blind to deny that this stranger had been blessed with beauty. Once again a smile crossed his maw. He had always been one to admire things that were unique and stunning.

"I suppose you're right." He remarked in return, "A cat would have to be truly remarkable to be blessed with more than one. Do you speak from experience?" There was a cheeky grin across his maw to accompany the jest. However, with her lack of hostility, the loner had already come to the conclusion this was not a clan cat. From the stories, he'd heard of how they sought to fiercely guard their borders, warring with each other as much as with the foreigners that crossed into their land. Inik settled back on his haunches, close enough the the spray of the river still touched his back. It was a nice feeling. After a brief pause he added his own introductions, "I suppose it's only proper I share my name with you stranger. Perhaps it will make you less likely to rip my pelt off. The name is Iniko, but you may call me Inik, if you prefer. Might you have a name a well?" The same light tone rippled through his words and slipped through his tongue in a silken manner. Inik always sought to himself as inviting and that carried through in his mannerisms.

The vibrant-furred tom turned to face Summer with a luxurious sweep of a thick tail, a white-muzzled face turning to let a pair of shimmering yellow-green eyes meet her curious gaze. The stranger was beautiful, thick-coated, with depths of knowledge in his eyes. Summer found herself smirking at the intent observation she was receiving, and she straightened up, raising her tail delicately and pausing a few tail-lengths away to present herself amicably to the tom. The tom smiled at her, and she returned it politely, batting her blue eyes slightly before gazing past his shoulder to the gorge and the water behind him. Her ginger ears flicked at his good-humored response, and she laughed and answered, "Personal experience? No, darling. Kittens' tales and chatter? Who hasn't?"" Her tail lowered, tip flicking casually, as the tom himself settled in. She remained standing, muscles loose.

Summer smiled pleasantly when the tom suggested introducing themselves, and then her eyes sparked with amusement and she laughed at the mere mention of a threat of violence. "Oh, but it's such a pretty pelt, darling!" the drifter teased without a speck of threat in her tone. Her whiskers twitched, and she dipped her head at his greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Iniko. I do have a name, in fact - I've only met a pawful of cats who don't. I'm Summer, darling, drifter by the river." Summer raised her head to meet his gaze again, a warm smile as she watched him basking in the sunlight and the mist of the river on his back. "I suppose you must be a drifter, too?" she guessed politely.

There was increased interest in the depths of his gaze as he watched the pristine loner straighten up underneath his gaze. Perhaps it was because he was used to cats shrinking as he sized them up, but he found it to be a rather unique manner of handling what could have been perceived as judgement. The she-cat's laugh was light and matched the sight before him. Iniko found himself wondering if she had found herself a mate yet. Her soul seemed like one that could not be contained by any cat other than her own. Maybe that was why in the few short moments of their candid conversation that he had deemed her to be a respectable cat. His tail flicked casually a few more times as he drank in the words she spoke and watched the slight movements of her maw.

"Kitten's tales, hm? I suppose you're right. The prospect of multiple lives is enticing for any cat, likely why we entertain the idea at all." Inik hummed the words, allowing his gaze to drift out over the moors behind her for a moment. It was with this response that she indeed revealed herself to not be a clan cat, even before introducing herself. Her laughter at his joke was a welcome revelation as well. Despite being from a different background than these forest dwellers, he had an understanding of violence he found mostly house cats and few loners shied away from. But there was a time and place for everything. If the she-cat had no intent to fight him, claws would never become unsheathed. He was a calculating creature, leaning into the casual nature he presented before him. This had served him well, even if the cats he had made his companions in the past failed to see the value at times. How sad it was to see one's true self lost underneath a broad cause.

"I can reassure, sweet Summer, that this pelt is far more vibrant on than off." Another fanged-smirk. How could he not like her with wit such as this? He'd never heard such a name before but it hardly caused his whiskers to flick. In his journeys, Inik had heard various names, from the simplest of objects to something that sounded like the garbled speech of upwalkers. His ear flicked just ever so slightly as she asked his own manner of being. A drifter was what she inquired. That seemed like an accurate description, there was no reason to argue it, "Indeed. There is little that ties me to this place for now. I come from faraway, several days journey. It would cause any cat's paws to ache. But there is nothing to draw me home yet. Do you have any place that calls to you?"

Summer's thoughts on the existence of unnaturally many lives were really a bit more complex than she let on, but for the sake of this conversation she had said all that was necessary. There were many things in the world she didn't know or understand; that was the appeal of drifting and journeying, after all, to expand her knowledge and to experience many things and be free. She couldn't say whether or not something was true from her limited experiences. Maybe she'd only heard tales of cats with nine lives, but perhaps the tales existed because they were true. She couldn't confirm or deny, and so the kittens' tales would need to satisfy fantasy and fact at once with the one life she knew she possessed. She nodded her head, whiskers twitching, as Iniko commented on the appeal of multiple lives. "I wonder if I could see everything with many lives," she mused, but she suspected not.

Her good-natured "threat" had been received as well as she'd expected, and she laughed and purred, "If you insist." He did have a stunning pelt, though. Doubtless the tufts of fur were much more dull when pulled out. She was glad they wouldn't need to fight and find out. Iniko explained that he was, indeed, a drifter, from many days' journey away. Summer answered him, "Everywhere calls to me, darling. I don't know where my journey began anymore, but I expect my journey will end far from it. The world is my home, and so I'm drawn here and there." She smiled and added, "Have you ever seen lands like these, darling? Have you met any of the cat Clans around here?" Perhaps he already knew, and they could chortle about their harmless trespassing and chance meeting on WindClan lands. Perhaps he was unaware, and she could keep some of that pretty vibrant pelt on his body.

"I'm sure a cat with your beauty and fine demeanor could make it anywhere you desire." He responded with another broad swish of his tail, "My dear, I've seen places most cats could only dream of and have plenty of life left still. It takes resolve and dedication for sure. But your singular life can get you far all on its own. Many lives could only serve to sweeten the deal." As they continued on in their casual banter, sparked from a natural desire for companionship, Iniko found himself considering how long it had been since he'd enjoyed a conversation as much as now. Packless cats were funny things. Their attitudes towards each other were firmly shaped by the lives they'd lived as much as any cat, however, it was the cruelness of a lonely life that turned them towards seclusion and away from others. Summer lacked this nature and held a soul somewhat akin to his. It was when she spoke of the clans that he had no doubt there was some level of familiarity there.

Inik grazed his tongue across the roof of his maw, enjoying the sensation as he had listened intently. It was invisible actions such as this that kept his own interests away. His head tiled to the side as he regarded her with more intent, "First you indulge me with talks of many lives and now of the great clans? My, Summer, you sure seem to be well-traveled already." A well-humored twitch of his whiskers was followed with a slight drop in his teasing quips. This was replaced with an honest curiosity and the multi-colored tom seemed to lean ever so slightly forwards without shifting his paws even a whisker, "I must admit that even in all of my travels I've never happened upon a forest quite as expansive as this. To hear clans walk these forests well... I thought it only to be fantasies that many cats could share such a space without having all torn each other's throats out already. Although, I supposed we are merely uncivilized loners. Culture such as their is beyond me. I'm assuming you're familiar?" There was a hint of a smile that flickered across his maw as he compared their existence to the clans. An eagerness buzzed like bees in his paws as he awaited her response.

Summer smirked, pleased by the vibrant-coated tom's eloquent words of both flattery and truth, and nodded her head along in agreement as he spoke. One life could indeed get a cat far on its own. She - and seemingly this other drifter - had experienced that for themselves. She wondered what dreams in waking life Iniko had drifted through, mentioned in passing; she wondered if they shared any of those dreams once traveled, or if they'd ever crossed paths in the same points yet a different time. If their paths remained crossed, perhaps they'd be able to share some stories and weave their paths together, or else distinguish them as entirely separate - new, and enticing. Either outcome would be interesting enough. For now, though, Summer was happy to dabble in externalities: the Clans. It seemed Iniko was keen on the idea as well, as the patched tortoiseshell-tabby tom tilted his head, eyes showing clear interest.

Iniko offered Summer one more flattering compliment to which she replied with a melodious laugh, tossing her head back slightly to bask playfully in his kindness. His expression sobered and hers did as well, though the cheerful smile on her face and in her eyes didn't disappear entirely as he leaned forward, speaking about them again. Summer chuckled as he spoke, nodding in agreement. She'd thought the same; she'd never seen more than two groups of cats sharing territories, and even those groups had rockier relationships than these Clans seemed to have between them. "Only as familiar as a recently arrived, uncivilized drifter can be, I must confess," Summer responded to his question, still chuckling at the way he referred to themselves and their lifestyle. Certainly, she'd been treated respectfully by the Clan cats for her preferred different lifestyle so far, but they didn't understand or desire it for themselves.

Summer's bright ginger tail waved gently behind her, and she purred, "You seem about as familiar as I was when I arrived, darling - or perhaps more familiar than you've had the opportunity to share yet. I would be happy to pass some of my knowledge along, a little kindness between the drifters who roam territories far and wide. I've been wandering through for a little over a moon now. If you've heard something I haven't, perhaps you could enlighten me?" Truthfully, Summer would only be able to take what Iniko said with a grain of truth; cats as smooth as herself weren't always as transparent as they seemed, she had learned, but their wisdom could be combed through nonetheless. She'd be glad to gain wisdom and a friend, but she'd settle for wisdom of who wasn't a friend whenever she had the option. She liked this charming tom and hoped he would be one of the pleasure-seeking drifters who sought freedom and an easy life like Summer herself did. Those cats were easy to understand.