The Phantom of Twolegplace (open)

The shadows of Twolegplace seemed to move and morph as two bright yellow eyes peered out at the silent night before them. Every once in a while, a monster would roar past, eyes glowing as it tore down a thunderpath. This didn't seem to phase the yellow-eyed phantom moving about in the shadows. There was word in Twolegplace of a newcomer, a young traveler from faraway lands, a rouge who was as ruthless as he was mysterious. As the ghost in the darkness stepped out into a small circle of light coming from above, it was clear that this tom cat was the newcomer. His sleek, short fur seemed to be made from the shadows themselves, and two massive ears sat upon his head. He was long and slender, and a dirty old red collar clung to his neck, the silver tag on it glimmering in the light. The tom's large ears pricked as he heard a sound nearby. The scent of another cat soon filled his nostrils and he growled as he barred his large, sharp teeth. "Who goes there?"

Redfall had been trying to hunt, accidentally finding himself in the Twolegplace. It was close to SkyClan territory, and sometimes there was good prey there - prey less alert to the warriors, as they weren't hunted as often. The ginger tabby flicked his tail as he wandered deeper into the dark alleys, eyeing a nearby pigeon. He inhaled the musky Twolegplace scent, freezing as another cat flooded into his scent glands. He stole a last regretful glance at the pigeon that he would not be able to catch and turned around, eyes falling on a black tom. A mangled red collar was around his throat... but he looked too scrawny to be a fat kittypet. Maybe an escaped kittypet, now a loner. Either way, the cat looked younger than him. Bunching up his muscles, the ginger tabby leapt down from his position on a higher path, claws clicking on the hard, unfamiliar ground. The loner didn't look friendly, but if it came to a fight, Redfall was confident in his own abilities. His ears flattened at the loner's tone, and he responded in kind. "I could ask you the same question."

Omen's eyes narrowed viciously at the russet stranger. He reeked of the wilderness, nothing like the kind of scents he was used to finding on other kittypets, rouges, and loners whom he had encountered throughout his wandering. It was clear that this other tom did not belong among the scrawny, fearful Twolegplace roamers or fat, plump, stupid kittypets. What was he, then? Something in between, stinking of trees and grass and other forest-y things. Then, something clicked. Omen had heard tales of cats who lived in the wilderness, banned together in different clans who waged war on each other and prayed on the wild animals of the forest. He had been looking for these so called clan cats, for mysterious reasons known only by himself. Could this be one of those cats he had been looking for? Most likely. Hatred immediately overtook Omen and he unsheathed his long, sharp claws. "You don't belong here. Answer me, who are you."

The tension in the air was palpable. The black rouge did not seem pleased with his answer, instead narrowing his eyes and unsheathing his claws. Redfall did the same, eyeing the loner as his fur started to bristle. There could be no harm in giving out his name to this tom, and Redfall had fought one too many outsiders recently. "Redfall," he said flatly, pupils slitting. "Who are you?" The SkyClan warrior scanned the loner, trying to assess him in case a battle broke out. He was taller and lengthier, which didn't bother Redfall - most cats were. The collar could be useful. Maybe he could choke the other cat. He'd have to stay out of the range of those claws, though.

Redfall. That sure was an odd name to the black rouge. The tom cat tasted disgust in his mouth as this short stranger eyed him. He watched as Redfall's gaze even scanned over the wretched collar around his neck - the collar which the rouge hadn't been able to get off for many moons. He had, at one point, been held prisoner by twolegs....that being said, Omen had gone to extreme measures to escape. Some claimed he had killed his twoleg owners to do so, but those were only uncertain rumors. Then, an idea came to mind, and the rouge immediately eased up. He retracted his claws, unnarrowed his eyes, and even sat down, putting himself in a vulnerable position. He began to lick his paw nonchalantly. "Redfall...hmm, can't say I've heard that name before. Many call me Omen....I'm a stranger to these parts."

Finally, some sense. The stranger - ah, Omen (weird name, but all non-Clan cats had them) - seemed to relax a lot more than needed. It was strange, thought Redfall, that his mood had changed so quickly - one moment threatening, the next moment acting like an apprentice. The ginger tabby's tail-tip twitched uncertainly, but he unsheathed his claws as well, flattening his neck fur back down. He didn't trust any outsider enough to let his guard down around them, so he stayed on edge, ears alert and still standing. "No, I don't suppose you have," Redfall muttered to himself as Omen began to talk. He cleared his throat and spoke louder, trying to maintain a non-threatening tone, but it wasn't friendly either. "I... do not live in the Twolegplace, but I live... around." No doubt the forest scent could be smelled on him, but he wasn't about to give his exact location to a stranger.

Omen eyed Redfall dangerously at the muttered words he had spoken, then casually flicked one over sized ear at the next sentence. "Somewhere with a lot of trees, no doubt. The forest. Nearby here, I'm assuming, for I can't imagine what a tom cat like you would be doing traveling far just to lurk with rats and scroungy cats like me around Twolegplace. Perhaps you're even from the forest I saw earlier, just beyond here." The sleek black rouge pointed a paw in the general direction of the forest, where, unknown to him, Skyclan's territory was located. Omen paused and carefully watched Redfall, waiting to see his reaction.

Smart, was he? A bit too much for his own good. Redfall noted the narrowed eyes with a twitch of his tail. Perhaps the calm persona was a facade - it seemed to be, considering how quickly Omen had shifted into it. The ginger tabby licked a paw nonchalantly, wiping it over an ear. "Oh, I travel here and there." That wasn't a lie... he had traveled from SkyClan territory to the Twolegplace, hadn't he? He did roam some - just within his territory, though Omek wouldn't know that. "I was passing through there some time ago, yes, and I'm staying there for the time being, though I may move again soon... but right now, I enjoy the forest, though the moorland intrigues me." Oh, he'd love for this loner to give WindClan a visit. Maybe even kill or beat up the arrogant WindClan tom he'd met at the Gathering. Redfall tilted his head at the loner. "But enough about me. Where do you come from?"

Omen's piercing yellow gaze was suspicious as it lingered on the self-proclaimed wanderer, but he didn't find it worthwhile to pursue his suspicions of Refall's origins. Then, when the question was flipped back on him, Omen flicked his ear in annoyance. "Somewhere far far away from here, Redfall, I can assure you that much." The slender black tom paused, letting the mysteriousness of his words soak in. "Anyway, now that we are acquainted....dare I say friends, I have a little favor to ask of you." His tone was cool, yet friendly....almost too friendly.