New World (closed!)

The sun had set with a distant flash of red, half-obscured behind rolling clouds. What started as a gentle breeze had grown bitter and biting with age, and it rattled through the tall grass with a vengeance. The scent of rain was on the horizon– a late Greenleaf storm was brewing.
A tall figure stood swathed in the purple remainder of the quickly fading twilight. His chin was lifted towards the dim stars, fur ruffled against the wind, claws half unsheathed. He stood stock-still, whiskers trembling as he tested the air for any sign of danger. Twolegs had been here recently. He could still smell them a few days after their departure, even through the wind. Slowly the tom sheathed his claws, although he remained standing. It was too early to let his guard down.

Kalei had been traveling for moons, and the road hadn't been kind to him. His face and neck bore new scars as well as the old. However his time with Frostthorn and the others had prepared him well, and he wasn't skin and bone like the other unfortunate wanderers he'd encountered. The tom counted himself lucky to have made it this far in one piece. Turning away from the night sky, he scanned the area one last time before loping towards the barn, ears swiveling in case of ambush. But nothing moved as he approached the tall red building, and he sighed in relief as he crossed the threshold and was greeted by nothing except the warm scent of hay and the soft, busy rustling of barn mice.
The mottled tom rolled his shoulders, wincing at their soreness. He was close. If what the others had told him was true, he was right on the edge. But Kalei didn't dare approach the clans yet. Frostthorn had warned him that many Warriors prioritized purity above kindness. The tom padded towards a comfortable-looking pile of hay and nosed it into the shape of a nest.
"Better to stay here for a few days," He mewed softly to himself, turning in a tight circle and settling in the nest. He would heal and gather more information before making contact with a Warrior so that he could look the right way and say the right things. First impressions were important after all.

"Twolegplace...huh. Why haven't I visited this place before?" Streamtail wondered out loud, padding across RiverClan territory towards the Twoleg farm. After the hunt with Wisteriabloom that left them with empty paws, Streamtail decided to look around the territory for more land prey. The river was still dried-up and the warrior wished that it would be back to normal soon.Wonder if there are any rogues here. Willow, Fang maybe? I suppose they're wandering around Twolegplace somewhere. When the warrior had last seen them, she was still an apprentice. Now she had, obviously, grown up. Streamtail had kits with Applefang. Then he had...died, leaving her by herself. Distracted by a mouse scampering across the ground, and with thoughts on her family, Streamtail chased after it, long tail trailing behind her. As she slammed her paw on the mouse triumphantly, the blue-grey she cat hadn't noticed that someone had seen her.

The young tom's muscles tensed as a voice reached his ears. 'I'm not alone.' The thought was like a jolt of electricity, and immediately Kalei froze, holding his breath and hoping beyond hope that the stranger wouldn't see him. One blue eye opened slowly and watched as a silvery she-cat bounded gracefully after a mouse. His hackles rose slowly. She wasn't facing him– if he didn't strike now, he might not get another chance. 'Don't turn around...'
Slowly, he raised himself into a crouch, his shoulder stinging painfully as his muscles flexed and his wound tore. The she-cat slammed one paw onto the mouse, and Kalei pounced.
He collided with her side, sending her rolling a few feet. Not wasting a second the tall tom placed his large paws on her shoulders, pinning her down. His face was near hers, and he could feel her breath on his cheek as he stared down at her, his chest heaving. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Streamtail was just about to track down another mouse, when something slammed into her. The breath was knocked out of her lungs as something collided with her side. Suddenly, she was staring into the eyes of an unfamiliar, golden tabby tom-cat. They were a clear, blue color, like the color of the sky. Streamtail’s breaths were heavy as she breathed in and out. “My name is Streamtail. I am from RiverClan. Let me go, I don’t want to fight. I was just hunting.” Foxdung! I should have payed more attention. Now he’s definitely going to kill me.

The tom's eyes widened as the strange she-cat spoke. Streamtail was a Warrior name. His heart leaped. "Riverclan..." Frostthorn had told him about all five of the clans, and he cast his mind back to the afternoons he used to spend with her, trying to remember the details. Skyclan and Thunderclan were both tree-dwellers, although he was pretty sure she told him that the latter spent more time on the forest floor. Windclanners kept to the open fields, Shadowclan lived in the marshes, and Riverclan was easy: their camp was located on an island in the middle of a river. It was the most difficult to reach by far. "I should've known..." He murmured. Streamtail's pelt was sleek and shiny, and although she was definitely strong, she clearly didn't have to fight too often.
Kalei relaxed a bit as the blue-grey warrior made her intentions clear. He glanced at the doorway to make sure there weren't any more warriors coming, then carefully stepped away from her and allowed her to get to her feet. A thin trickle of blood ran down the tom's shoulder as his fur settled. "Uh..." He sat down lightly, keeping his clear blue eyes trained on the silvery she-cat in case she tried anything. He still half-expected her to attack. According to Frostthorn, Warriors didn't like rogues at the best of times. Besides, he had questions that needed to be answered, but it felt strange to go from a battle to a conversation in such a short time."Why are you hunting here? I thought Riverclanners lived in the river."

Streamtail instantly leapt onto her feet as the tom released her. Her eyes slowly tracked the blood dripping down his shoulder. He’s hurt. Streamtail relaxed slightly, shifting away. “The—the river is low. I just went out for a hunt...but came back with no prey. I decided to look in Twolegplace. That’s how I met you here.” Shrugging slightly, she started grooming herself, all the while looking at the rogue cautiously. “Where do you come from? I haven’t seen you around before.” Streamtail hadn’t met every rogue in the forest yet...but she knew at least two. Willow, Fang and...possibly Goose, if that loner hadn’t wandered off somewhere else. I suppose they must be around Twolegplace somewhere, if they weren't affected by the fire.

Ears twitching, Kalei nodded to himself as Streamtail explained. 'So their camp isn't impenetrable.' He thought, turning to lick away the drop of blood running down his leg. He froze at her next words and then slowly straightened his back, sitting upright with his mind racing to think of an answer that wouldn't make him seem dangerous or downright crazy. 'Oh, I'm from a group called the Thorns. We own half the city and fight every tresspasser– ever heard of us?'
He took a deep breath. "I'm from... far away." He answered vaguely, eyes focused on her expression. Hopefully that would be good enough for now. "Uh," He tried to think of a way to find out more about the clans, without giving away his intentions. At this point, he was just surprised that the lithe she-cat hadn't run away yet. "Why didn't you keep fighting me?" He finally mewed. "I was told that clan cats hated rogues... I mean, there's a reason not every rogue is a member of the clans,"

Streamtail eyed him carefully as he seemed to struggle to pull up an explanation. When he finally did, Streamtail nodded. “I see...far away, hmm?” She guessed that there was more to the story, but didn’t press. When the rogue asked her why she didn’t keep fighting, Streamtail chuckled dryly. “Loners and rogues are like any other Clan cat, aren’t they? Besides, I’ve met two of them when I was an apprentice. I would consider them friends, even.” Streamtail knew that she would have fought, if he hadn’t released her earlier. The she-cat suddenly realized that he hadn’t told her his name. “Now, I’ve told you my name. What’s yours? I don’t think J ever heard it.” The blue-gray RiverClanner wrapped her long tail around her paws, patiently waiting for an answer.

The she-cat's skeptical tone made Kalei's fur rise, and he swallowed nervously. It was imperative that he didn't seem too suspicious– the last thing he wanted was for Streamtail to run off back to Riverclan and warn them about a strange rogue from a hostile group living near their territory. The young tom's tail twitched, and he sat up straighter, trying his best to appear as unconcerned and casual as he could.
"Loners and Rogues are like any other Clan cat, aren't they?" The golden tom's clear blue eyes widened and his expression shifted ever so slightly, the corners of his maw lifting into a nearly-imperceptible smile of delight. 'So, things have changed since Frostthorn's time...' Perhaps it would be easier to join a clan than he first imagined.
The rogue hadn't actually given much thought to which clan he would join. While on the road, he assumed he wouldn't have much of a choice. Now that he considered his options, Riverclan seemed like the natural choice since their camp was the most secure and their Warriors were always well-fed thanks to the river. Sure, he wasn't too partial to fish, but he could learn to love them. Kalei leaned forward despite himself. Her next question caused a brief flash of anxiety, but he brushed it off nonchalantly– he was eager to learn more about the Clans, but wanted to do so without revealing too much about himself. "Ah... you've probably never heard anything like it... it would be difficult for you to pronounce." He answered vaguely. "A rogue would probably find it easier to pronounce. After all, the Clans have such strange naming rituals, any normal name would sound foreign to you."
He paused for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to get the conversation back on track. "You said you've met rogues before, right? If they joined your clan, would they have to change their names to fit your rules? Hypothetically, of course– I mean, I've heard the clans don't take too kindly to outsiders."

Streamtail frowned slightly, then shrugged. "True. But I told you mine. You should tell me yours, don't you? It doesn't matter if I don't know how to pronounce it." When the golden tom asked about changing names, Streamtail frowned and flicked her tail once, trying to think of a name she had heard...

"Zinnia. I think that was her name. That's definitely a rogue name and she chose to keep it. Most of the time, yes, you would have to change your name. Now, if it was the other way around...well let's just say I would be named "Stream" instead of Streamtail." Tilting her head to the side, she examined him carefully.

"How'd you get that wound? I don't remember scratching you."

A new rush of excitement brought a more perceptible grin to Kalei's face. 'Zinnia,' That certainly wasn't a clan name. There was his answer. If a rogue was able not only to coexist with the clans, but keep their own name and still be allowed to join, the tom knew that he would have no trouble finding a new home here. The young tom shook his head in awed disbelief. Frostthorn had made it seem so much more difficult. In her time, there had been multiple anti-rogue movements that, according to her, had shaken the very foundation of the clans and caused them to become much stricter about brushing pelts with outsiders that tainted their bloodlines and diluted their cultures. He remembered one story that had particularly frightened him as a kit. The False Prophet, who brought with him lies about a false religion where cats worshipped their own kin, who went to live in the sky after death. Kalei of course knew that this was fake, but he was very curious to see if the False Prophet's message got very far.
However he wasn't curious enough to ask Streamtail. He cast a quick glance outside the barn, where the sun had settled far beyond the horizon and true night was quickly taking over. Kalei wondered if she'd get home safe. Then he wondered if he was growing soft after travelling, and his posture stiffened. "Of course you didn't do that. I doubt you'd be able to." He mewed matter-of-factly, a faint condescending tone evident in his voice. "I got this in a real fight, a few days back. And I'm sure I'd be able to heal much faster if you'd finally go away and let me rest."
He'd grown tired of faking politeness, and now that he'd gotten the information he needed the she-cat served him no purpose. Still, the rogue watched the silvery Warrior carefully, trying to gauge her reaction– he knew he could probably best her in a battle since he had size on his side, but it would be very costly. "I really don't feel like fighting you right now, but I will if I have to." Kalei drawled. Hopefully he'd be able to intimidate Streamtail enough to convince her to leave. The fur along his chest and neck rose, making him appear larger than he was, and he half-unsheathed his claws pointedly.

Streamtail snorted as the tom commented about how she probably wouldn't have given him the scratch. "Trust me, darling, I've scratched cats way harder than that." Narrowing her eyes as he puffed out the fur around his chest and neck, half-unsheathing his claws, Streamtail stood up abruptly. Looking up at him, she rose her long tail and gazed at it. "I got these bite marks when I was an apprentice. I fought a dead, ghost cat. Don't try to understand it. You won't be able to." Nodding her head at her spine, she spoke again. "These marks I got from a fox. I was only six moons old." Streamtail gazed up at him once again, eyes hard and unflinching. "I might be gentle but I can fight when I have to. I can take care of myself like I did to my kits." But I couldn't even take care of my mate.

It was unlike Kalei to get nervous in situations like these, but the tom's muscles tensed nevertheless as Streamtail rose to her feet. He stared back at the silvery she-cat with narrowed eyes. 'Ghost cat...' So she'd been taken in by the False Prophet, Lichenmask. The fur on his back prickled uncomfortably. If she believed it, so would the other cats of the forest.
Kalei rose to his paws. This time, the snarl on his maw was real. Who did she think she was, to compare her comfortable Riverclan life with his– she didn't know what he'd been through, how hard he'd had to train. "You know nothing of hardship." He spat. "You live in Riverclan. Your food practically throws itself into your mouth. I fought my own kin for the right to be a member of the Thorns. I trained for it since I was three moons old. I may have very few scars–" He gestured to the jagged gash on his nose and the six-clawed mark on his left cheek. "But that isn't a sign of weakness. It's a testament to my skill."
His shoulder twinged painfully as his leg gave out, and suddenly Kalei was half-kneeling. He pushed himself back to a standing position painfully, gritting his teeth. The anger drained from his face. "Just... leave."
OOC: Kalei is a battle Gatekeeper sorry. he's got a lot of character development to do

Streamtail froze slightly as he growled at her, tensing up. Hackles slightly raised, she started padding away slowly. Turning her head around one last time, Streamtail's green eyes met the golden tom's blue ones once more. "Don't go near the Thunderpath. I've heard that lots of cats die there." She called out, swishing her tail as she slowly sauntered away. "Oh, keep the mouse. As you said, we have plenty of prey to spare." Long tail trailing behind her, the blue-grey she cat headed back towards camp, knowing it was likely that they would never meet again.

OOC: Healing topic?