Attraction to the Trees [closed]

Despite how many fights she had gotten herself into, she still found herself wandering the clans' territories, specifically Thunderclan's. Something about how nice most of the cats had been to her and the nice, wooded territory it possessed appealed to her. She still didn't feel like she would be able to live the life of a clan cat though. There were too many cats in her loner life that she couldn't bear to part with.

Looking ahead, she saw the treeline, knowing that beyond it laid Thunderclan territory. Stepping into the forest, she looked around. Silence. It seemed as though she needed to do some walking to meet some cat. She started to walk, keeping her eyes open, ready to spot someone. She wanted to make sure she knew there was a cat there before they knew she was. Soon enough, a strong scent of Thunderclan hit her nose. Perfect! Following the scent, she came upon a brown tabby with white spots, and she seemed to be young. "Hello, there, i'm Elsa! How are you?"

Thrushpaw had always enjoyed being alone. Today, however, that solitude had a purpose: her hunting assessment was on the horizon, and she had to be ready. More importantly, she had to focus. She’d been tracking a squirrel for a short distance when, suddenly, a brilliant white pelt flashed between the tangled trunks and bushes. Thrushpaw’s heart skipped a beat. Almost everything she knew, she’d learned from her parents and Nettlestar, but it had taken Rainstrike and a pair of dogs to teach her vigilance. This could be Rainstrike. It could be anyone, really. She turned to see a cat snaking out of the trees—

A cat who promptly introduced herself. Thrushpaw could only stare. After a moment, her gaze settled on the scar snaking through the fur on the she-cat’s shoulder. For someone who was technically trespassing (not that Thrushpaw intended to do anything about it yet), this cat—Elsa—sounded oddly chipper. What had she said again…? ”I—I’m okay.” Shoulders relaxing, Thrushpaw pulled her attention back to Elsa’s face. ”I’m Thrushpaw. Or Mermurr. What are you doing here?” Though her voice was flat, curiosity shone in her eyes. She’d only ever gotten to meet one rogue before today, and Elsa already seemed far less prickly than Twig had been.

The white loner let out a sigh of relief when the cat didn't turn out to be aggressive. The tabby did however give Elsa an odd feeling, but she did her best to ignore it. Thunderclan interaction was Thunderclan interaction, after all. "It's good to hear that you're doing well." she chirped, giving the other she-cat a smile. "Two names for a clan cat? Now that's something i've never heard of before. Is there one you prefer being called?" The fact that a clan cat had both a clan name and a rogue name sparked her curiosity. It seemed odd, especially because she knew clan cats weren't the most friendly toward rogues. "Oh, i'm simply here to talk to a Thunderclanner, and you were that lucky cat." She cast a glance over to Thrushpaw, her expression almost playful-looking. "I find the clans fascinating, Thunderclan especially. Maybe it's just because I've been here the most with the least amount of fighting. It just seems so cool to be in a clan and look after each other like you do. Back in the twolegplace it's pretty much just me, and it's every cat for themselves." Letting out a sigh, she turned her head the direction she came from, thinking about how scary the Twolegplace was. If she lived anywhere but the outskirts, she would probably be either dead or a cruel alleycat.

Until apprenticeship, the vast majority of Thrushpaw’s denmates had also been her family; with the exception of Pinefrost, she hadn’t cared to know the ones that weren’t. It’d taken her a while to notice that most Clan cats only had one name. Hearing as much from Elsa confirmed it. “My siblings all have two names. My dad, too.” She paused, tilting her head as she thought. Though she’d never given out one name without the other, her family were the only cats who actually called her Mermurr; she missed hearing it sometimes. Besides, why not use a rogue name around a rogue? “You can call me Mermurr,” she decided with a nod.

Just here to talk? That was strange, but not suspect. As she listened to a bright-eyed Elsa speak about the Clans, any thoughts of chasing the white she-cat off drifted further from Mermurr’s mind. ”It’s not always like that,” she said quietly, thinking of Rainstrike. Elsa continued on, describing a world Mermurr couldn’t even begin to imagine. Not sharing a den with her siblings? Teaching herself how to hunt and fight? She liked her solitude, but there was a line between being alone and being lonely. As Elsa turned away, Mermurr leaned forward. ”Do you…live with Twolegs, then?” She’d never heard of a cat living in Twolegplace without being a kittypet, but Elsa had the wild scent of a forest cat. A lot of scars, too. The kittypets she’d been told about never had those.

"Me? Twolegs? No- well, not anymore at least." Elsa began to think about the days she used to live with her housefolk. It really was hardly living at all, she usually only stayed inside and occasionally played with her housefolk's grandkits. She would eat plain tasting food and drink water that had a metallic taste to it. Despite how hard it could be to live on her own, she really liked it a lot more than she did living with the housefolk. She still missed them though... "I live on the very outskirts of the Twolegplace. I consider it quite safe, although i still have to deal with the occasional raccoon or fox that would be trying to dig through Twolegplace rubbish bins." Giving her pelt a good shake, she changed the conversationtopic back to what fascinated her most. "Here's a question i don't think i've ever heard answered from a clan cat. What is your guys' point of view on Townsfolk- or, Twolegs, rather."

Not anymore? Behind those words laid a story—one that wasn’t Mermurr’s business. Since curiosity tended to consider everything its business, she stored her questions away for later and tilted her head without interrupting as Elsa went on. Twolegplace had always been painted as a place for cats too soft to handle warrior life. Yet, apparently, it wasn’t safe from the forest’s predators either. Elsa shook out her short pelt and asked a question of her own. Mermurr hummed, thinking. What to think of kittypets had been drilled into her head from a young age, however much or little she agreed with it; what to think of Twolegs was another matter entirely. “I’ve never seen one myself. In the stories, they mostly just make noise and chase off our prey. I heard some of them walk around with dogs, though.” A small shudder ran down her spine at that. “And sometimes, cats who run into them disappear and don’t come back.” Part of her thought vanishing like that would be some kind of adventure—but any adventure that took her away from ThunderClan with no guarantee of her return was one she’d rather not have. “What was living with them like?”

The rogue politely listened as Mermurr answered her question. It really was interesting to hear a clan cat's side of things. "Yeah, the dog part i'm not too fond of. Ive seen some in the Twolegplace, but i don't go that deep in very often." Elsa paused for a moment, then continued as she registered the next question. "Oh, living with the Housefolk was wonderful, it really was. The problem was that it left so much to be desired. I remember staring out the window every day, wondering what lay beyond the treeline. I got my first taste for mouse and decided that it would be much better if i left." The she-cat focused her gaze on a clump of grass at her feet, a feeling of homesickness washing over her. "As much as i love being a loner, i can't help but wonder how my siblings and Housefolk are doing. They were so kind to me, and i have to admit i miss playing with the Housefolk kits." She sighed, but quickly lifted her mood. "But... if i never left i would have never met all the cats i know now, y'know? I would still be staring at the forest, wondering what kind of cats i could meet"

It took a heartbeat or two for Mermurr to connect the dots: “housefolk” and “Twolegs” were the same. She’d never imagined she’d hear the word “wonderful” used to describe them. As Elsa explained what her life with them had been like, Mermurr had to wonder if they really deserved that praise. “You couldn’t even eat mouse?” A heartbeat after the words left her mouth, she noticed Elsa’s face had fallen. The moment passed quickly—but not before it’d jammed itself into Mermurr’s memory. She glanced from her own paws to Elsa’s not-so-different ones. “I think I get it,” she said slowly. “My parents used to live in a barn across the forest. They told me lots of stories about it, growing up. Everything they learned, all the cats they met… I used to want to go there, just to see if it was anything like they said. I wouldn’t want to do it alone, though.” She peered up at Elsa. “Not like you. It seems like it’d be…well, lonely.”

Elsa shook her head. "Not even a mouse, i was stuck in the den, after all. Although there was the  occasional mouse during leafbare..." When Mermurr continued, she perked her ears and listened, eager to hear what the younger she-cat had to say. Her eyes widened with surprise as Mermurr revealed a bit about her past. "Does that mean your parents were loners like me? I think i know exactly the barn you are talking about. Then again, there are many, many barns around here, most of them are a lot further away though." The lowering sun caught her attention. It would soon be at the horizon, she knew she had to leave soon- but she could still stay for a little while yet. Turning back toward Mermurr, she smiled. "Yes, it can get lonely at times, but having freedom can be amazing- but i get where you're coming from. But you can meet so many different cats, some may even become like family to you. I believe that every situation has both a good and a bad side, and i like to focus more on the good, despite if there are problems. Personally, i wouldn't trade my life as a loner for the world- at least, not yet." The last part came out a bit quieter, but with the same sort of excitement the rest of her words held. She was so unsure of whether she would want to join the clans if not.