Dawn of a New Athens [Moonpaw]

The sun was setting, casting long shadows over the snow-covered camp. Eosphoros had made herself comfortable near the reeds, or about as comfortable as she could get in the cold. Even with the rabbit pelt covered her short fur, she still shivered noticeably in winter's chill... Leaf-bare, the clan cats called it. As the very last of the sun's rays faded, the air grew colder still.

The scout watched as a small patrol entered the camp, depositing some fish onto the fresh-kill pile before they went their separate ways. Another Asylum member had been shadowing them, and slipped off to the edge of camp.

The soft sound of snow crunching under paws, and Eos turned her head in the direction of the sound. A cat was approaching, Riverclan by scent, and if she had to judge, one of the apprentices.

"You're one of the apprentices, right? My name's Eos." She offered softly by way of greeting.

Moonpaw nodded. [color=#00cccc]"Hello Eos, my name is Moonpaw."[/color] he said with a smile after setting his fresh-kill on top of the pile. [color=#00cccc]"Your one of the different cats, you have a different name." [/color]he said, still smiling. This wasn't the first time that one of the different cats had reached out to him, but this one seemed a lot more friendly then the usual.

He noticed that Eos was starting to shiver due to the cold breeze that had just swept through camp. He wasn't bothered by the cold due to the thick fur coat that his parents had given him, but it looked like most of the strange cats had thin coats or they weren't used to the cold weather.

"I'm one of the Asylum's scouts. Nice to meet you, Moonpaw." She mewed in response. One of the different cats? Hardly that different from one another, truly. But this cat was young, he had yet to learn of Asylum's glory.

"We're not so different," she said with a shrug, "most of us want the same things you do: peace, protection, to be well-fed and not worry about sickness."

Moonpaw. nodded. "That is very nice, although many of the older warrior's or apprentices worry about Asylum and how you have 'invaded' out camp?" he asked with a shrug. "I don't get it though, after all you are cats just like us." he flicked his tail at the other clan cats.

He wasn't hostile towards the Asylum cats, he just thought of them as an other....not clan cats not rogues, not kittypets. Moonpaw was used to the cats, although it seems like the older apprentices, warriors and elders.

"I cannot fault your warriors for being unhappy with how we arrived. The violence was needless and we could have introduced ourselves in a less... provocative manner. Were I in that position with my own family to protect, I would not have taken threats to my kits lightly, either." Eos said gently, "If it were up to me, and even many of my fellow scouts, we could have peacefully helped the clans integrate with Asylum as equals, rather than subjugate through fear." She continued. There was an air of regret about the she-cat as she shifted her paws, glancing down at them briefly before returning her gaze to the young tom once more.

Moonpaw shrugged. "I would not know as I was not born at the time, although many warrior's tell me that the fighters of your group were more than willing to shed the blood of other cats." he said mildly. He really didn't care one way or another how these cats camp into the clans or that they didn't do any of the work. As far as he was concerned this is how the clans had always been and would always be as long as he lived. "As for subjugating through fear, I have heard many tales of ruthless leaders that do that, but all are great in their own way. No matter if they are evil or ruthless."

"Yes... Those would be the Nightstrikers. Not all of us are so eager for violence, however." Eosphoros sighed. Always it was the loud and brash who made a lasting impression. The quiet ones were often forgotten about most quickly, while violence and war tended to stick in the minds of those conquered. Often, those first impressions would taint the rest of their interactions, and so it was thus how resentment and fear was bred instead of peace. As a scout, gathering information was important, but it was equally important to sooth tensions between the Asylum and their newest members.

"I have no doubt that being ruthless has a time and place. Bonds sewn together by peace and friendship are less easily broken, however. Being ruthless towards those you want to coexist peacefully with will only lead to more resentment and hostility. Not all of Asylum are brutish warmongers, but I fear that this is to be our legacy with how we originally came into contact with the clans."

Moonpaw flicked his tail. "Although it might not be so." he pointed out. "As you know, many of the warriors along with the older apprentices resent the Asylum cats, however I feel the need to point out that with the younger apprentices such as myself and the younger generation the Asylum cats have always been a part of our lives." he looked at Eos. "Remember, when I was born you were there. To me you are my protectors even if my mother and father say otherwise. I see no need for battle skills when we are all 'one' clan with different names."

Eos listened as the apprentice spoke, eyeing him thoughtfully.

"Keep that open mind, it will serve you well." She mewed. "With how we initially introduced ourselves to the clans, it is only natural that your parents would worry. You are their kit, after all. Only time will be able to let their views soften." And the actions of Asylum, but even that boiled down to time, in the end. She just hoped that there would be less tension between the two groups, and that the clan cats would assimilate and come to see the good that Asylum could offer.

Moonpaw smiled at Eos, "Although I may be their kit I suspect that they are more worried about our clanmates who may act rashly against the Asylum." he said flicking his tail. "Asylum has taken nothing from me that I care about so there is no cause to fight or to resist. If the warrior's would look at it this way we are all fed throughout the leaf-bare and there is no fighting and no need to defend out territory." he said wisely. He smiled at Eos, "You said ealier that you are a scout. What do they do exactly?"

"Perhaps." Eos shrugged, "Predators are still plentiful, but we do work to cull their numbers and help keep the fresh-kill pile stocked. It's important to do so, especially in the cold moons. I know I'd much rather defend against a predator than another cat."

"Scouts collect information. In times of peace we roam distant lands that are unfamiliar to the Asylum, help in recruiting new members, and we're tasked with helping others adjust to our ways. We try and avoid fighting if we can, as it's generally counterproductive to our goals as scouts." She said in answer to his question. There was more to being a successful scout than that, something Moonpaw would come to learn if he and the clan came to fully embrace Asylum in the future.

Moonpaw tipped his head to the side somewhat confused. "I thought that you learned to fight and hunt, even in Asylum?" he asked, his eyes flashing in confusion. "It is something that we do in the clans from the age of 6 moons.... After all what is a cat's claws for if you are not going to fight and hunt?" he questioned. He was generally curious about how these cat's functioned and what their system was. "Who hunts for the kits and the elders of the group? Surely given the examples that I have seen among the more friendly cats suggests that the nightstalkers don't do any of the actual work, just the fighting." he looked at Eos again and asked her silently if he was correct in his assumption.