A meeting in the pines (Closed for Cotton)

Ebonysong wandered through the pine grove again, for the second time in a week. The last time she came here...well, it hadn’t been a pleasant meeting. Hopefully no fox attacks this time... She cringed as her shoulder ached in reminder of her foolish attack on that fox. Ebonysong and Flintstar had went out for a hunt when a fox had attacked her. At least now she was more prepared for another predator. Scenting the air, the dark gray warrior frowned. Rogue...? Dashing behind a bush, her icy gaze followed the white pelt of the intruder, bracing herself for a less-than-pleasant attack if she was discovered.

The white rogue wandered through the land, desperately looking for a clean source of water. Clean water had been hard to find, especially in this heat. All of the small streams near the twolegplace had dried up and any of the other water tasted metallic or like crow-food. Since is was a bit cooler, Elsa had decided that going out now to find a water source would be better. She wasn't too sure how long or far she had walked, but she soon found herself in the marshy lands of what she remembered as Shadowclan territory. Did she cross the Thunderpath? She couldn't remember, but she must've had to in order to be here. That meant there was a possibility of danger though, Daisybloom had told her that to most clans, cats like her were unwelcome, even if she made it clear that she meant no harm. She knew that from personal experience.

It wasn't long until a strong scent wafted around her, a scent that smelled much like the Shadowclan land. 'A Shadowclanner!' She silently panicked, trying to think about what she should to. Sneaking away quietly would be the best option, if she chose to run away she'd be too loud and then the cat would likely give chase. Crouching low, she crawled into a nearby bush, determined to make it away safely.

But as she hid inside the bush, it seemed as though the sent only grew stronger. She lifter her head up to find herself nose-to-nose with a cat she never seen before. With a yelp or surprise and fear, she jumped back, desperately pleading not to fight. "Please don't hurt me, if you want me to leave i'll do it! Just anything besides fighting!" Her mismatched eyes shone with fear as she stared toward what seemed like a Shadowclanner.

Ebonysong yelped in surprise as the rogue dove into the same bush she was hiding in. Her ears twitched in silent shock as the loner begged for Ebonysong not to hurt her. “Woah! Great StarClan you scared me that was all. I’m not going to hurt you. Actually, I thought that you were going to hurt me!” Ebonysong laughed softly as they both looked at each other. Examining the loner, Ebonysong noted that she was a bit malnourished and looked really thirsty. Concern flickered across her icy-blue eyes and she stood up. “Are you thirsty? I saw a little stream nearby when I came here. Don’t worry, it isn’t tainted by the Twolegs. By the way, what’s your name? I’m Ebonysong, of ShadowClan, if you didn’t know already.” Smiling benevolently, the warrior dipped her head in greeting. “I don’t see rogues and loners here a lot, which surprised me when you wandered in. It’s kind of easy to spot a white pelt in the dark.”

Relief filled Elsa's body when she realized that the cat didn't want to fight. Thank the stars, she wouldn't know what to do if this cat had decided to attack. Maybe she had over-reacted though, no clan cat would downright kill her, right? Her ears perked up when the cat mentioned something about a stream. "Stream? Where? I've been looking for a new water source since sunrise, but i don't think i would be able to frequent this one, due to the fact that it's on your territory. Oh- and my name's Elsa, by the way."

She lowered her head in response to Ebonysong's greeting. She couldn't remember a clan cat ever treating her like this, besides when her wounds were treated by Daisybloom. It was nice. "Yeah, i suppose i should be more aware of my surroundings. The truth is, i can't remember most of how i got here, i think most of the day i was only mindlessly walking." She paused, looking around the marshes. "Now, how about that stream?"

Ebonysong nodded, before beckoning for Elsa to follow her. “I think I saw it somewhere...here! A secret place for me to drink. I share sometimes.” A vein of water trickled down from a pile of rocks. ”Some rain was collected into the rocks. With some nudging and prodding there’s some water that came out. It’s not much, but it’ll do. Sitting back onto her haunches and waiting for Elsa to drink, Ebonysong scanned the pines that were sheltering them from the glare of the sun. I wonder how the other Clans cope. Especially WindClan. RiverClan probably is doing the best, with their rivers and all. “Have you ever gone to RiverClan? They have a lot of water sources. Just be careful, not all cats are very welcome to outsiders.”

Elsa eagerly followed Ebonysong as she lead her to the stream. It probably wasn't the best idea to trust as cat she just met, especially considering how vulnerable she was right now, but she was really too thirsty to care. The loner's eyes lit up as her eyes rested on the trickling water. Darting over to the stream, she lapped up the water, relishing the feeling of it soothing her dry throat. Once she was finished, she turned back to Ebonysong and dipped her head in thanks, but immediately jumped in response to hearing about Riverclan. "Yeah- Yeah i've been to Riverclan. I haven't had very many good experiences there though. That's why i avoided their territory, but it seems i walked straight into Shadowclan instead."