Herald of the Storm [Softbreeze]

Her mother was dead. Killed by another cat, and in the span of a few days, Eleos' small family had scattered. She had woken up a few days after she'd learned of her mother's death and found herself alone, the scent of her siblings fading. It had rained, rendering them untraceable. Eleos had waited a few days, managing to find a few mice, and then reluctantly she decided to move on.

To any onlooker, it was clear that Eleos was young. Not quite a kit anymore, but some stubborn kit fuzz still clung to her short but, and it was clear that she still had some growing to do. Being on her own had left her thinner, and she'd earned a nick to one ear fighting with another rogue over scraps. The clawmarks across one shoulder had scarred over, unmistakably from another cat.

Eleos swallowed, thin shoulders tensing at the scent on the wind. She had managed to chase down and catch a rabbit, and it would be just her luck for another to find her. It had been a risk, coming to the moors. They were too open, too exposed.

She hated being alone. She hated having to fight for every piece of prey. She hated the state of constant alertness that had settled over her without another soul to watch her back.

Eleos had noted the scents of many cats that seemed to crisscross the area. She'd been lingering around the territories for a few days, curiosity getting the better of her. Mother had told a few stories of groups of cats that lived together and provided for one another. Not unlike how her own family had cared for each other. They worked as a group, and a group was something Eleos missed. Fending for herself wasn't something she had ever thought she would need to do, and the young she-cat was struggling. She didn't like it, not at all. It wasn't just the support that a group provided that she missed, either. Eleos missed her siblings, missed the companionship of other cats.

The wind shifted slightly, bringing a stronger whiff of cat to Eleos' nose. She quickly swallowed another mouthful of rabbit, pale blue gaze sweeping over the moors for the cat in question. If they weren't friendly, at the very least Eleos had managed to take the edge off of her hunger. Long grasses swayed, but the cat was hidden for the moment, and Eleos shifted her paws.

Whoever the stranger was, they smelled similar to the other scents she'd picked up across the moors. Perhaps they were part of the groups- clans- mother had mentioned. If that was the case, perhaps it would be an opportunity rather than another fight to keep what remained of her prey. The scent markers a few foxlengths in front of her were probably a border of sorts... And Eleos had been careful to skirt it for the most part. But the rabbit had been too good of an opportunity, even if that had led her much closer than she otherwise might have ventured.

...and maybe the scent of many cats loving together had been tempting, too.

The scent of rabbit, and the need for alder bark had brought her close to the WindClan border beside the Twolegplace farm place than she'd normally venture; and lucky for the kit she was now staring face-to-face with. Blinking, she set down the marigold she'd picked up along the way (a good medicine cat always collects useful herbs if they're growing in plethora) before calmly sitting.

There would be no use in scaring the poor thing, and she looked hardly more than skin and bones. "Hello, little one. It's alright; I won't hurt you. You can finish that rabbit, you know. I've already eaten. I'm Softbreeze, do you mind telling me your name?" The medicine cat mewed softly, shifting to lean down a bit as to be more eye level with the young she-kit.

Eleos tensed as the long grasses parted to reveal a she-cat. Short, pale fur lifted along her spine out of reflexive defensiveness, eyes the color of a still winter lake eyeing the she-cat warily.

No attack came, nor did the she-cat, Softbreeze, make a move for her rabbit. Instead she spoke gentle words, and Eleos felt her shoulders relax slightly. It was dangerous, to let her guard down, she knew. Mother had told her to always be wary and to be observant, to look beyond honeyed words and recognize intent from body language. This cat seemed... Genuine. There was no tension in her shoulders that said she might lunge forward, no calculating glint in her eye. And her name... Mother had said the cats that lived in these territories bore strange names. This Softbreeze must have been one of them, then. There were names attached to these groups as well, but Eleos was too distracted to remember what exactly her mother had said. She'd gone too long without a proper meal, that much was clear.

The loner took quick bites of the rabbit, instincts born from living alone for the last moon and a half (give or take, Eleos wasn't quite sure) telling her this could be her last meal for a while... And if this other cat did decide to take the rabbit, there would be less for her.

And Softbreeze had... Asked for her name, hadn't she? Eleos was wary but she hadn't made any move to attack and... Something really did seem genuine about her. Perhaps she really was what she appeared. Still, Eleos' mind recalled her mother's warnings about trusting strangers. Eleos had gotten better about reading the intentions of unfriendly cats... And it hardly seemed like Softbreeze fit. Even her name evoked thoughts of just the opposite.

"My name's Eleos." She mewed at last.

Eleos. It was... Odd, but she quite liked it. "That's a nice name, Eleos!" She mewed, blinking kindly at the young she-kit. "What are you doing here all alone?" Softbreeze asked, though she feared she already knew the answer. No queen who could help it would let a kitten this young be in such condition. "Are.. are your family..?" Softbreeze trailer off, sadness touching her gaze and she looked away for a moment.

"I'm from a nice group of cats who live here, we're called WindClan. If.. If you need a home, or just some place to get your bearings together before leaving, you can come with me." She explained gently, motioning with her tail in the vague direction of camp.

Eleos continued to eat, not quite wanting to respond to this she-cat when she could be stuffing her face with food, instead. Not responding right away could easily be taken as rude, but this she-cat, Softbreeze, didn't seem the sort to take it that way. Her gaze was... sympathetic, compassionate, almost, though it took Eleos a long moment to recognize it.

It had been a while since she'd interacted with a friendly cat. It made her homesick, almost. But mom was dead, and there was no going back. Eleos knew that much. Even if she did, there would be nothing to gain by it. There was nothing left.

Windclan. So the stories mom had spoken of were true. Eleos continued to eat, turning over the she-cat's words in her mind as she did. A group of cats that lived on the moors, apparently. She was so tired of being alone but what if she didn't fit in? Would they actually let her leave if she didn't want to stay? She could almost hear her mother's voice, telling her that she should stay, that she would fit in. She had sometimes been harsh and demanding, sometimes distant, but she would never want her children to be alone in the world, Eleos thought she was certain of that much. And Eleos herself hadn't enjoyed that, either. There was strength in a group, protection and security. The alternative was constantly looking over her shoulder, hardly getting by and fighting for every last scrap.

"They're... dead." Eleos mewed quietly, ears twitching back as she admitted the truth. "I don't... want to be alone. I hate it, honestly." The words slipped from her mouth before Eleos could stop them, and she mentally berated herself for that lack of control. Yet she also recognized the truth within them.

"Would your... Windclan... accept an outsider?" She asked, feeling something she hadn't felt since before mother had died. Hope.

"I'm... Sorry to hear that. I lost my mother, too, moons ago. She lived a long and happy life, but it didn't ease the pain any. I've only got my brother left, so I know what's it like to lose family, abd I wouldn't wish it on anyone, especially not someone so young.." She sighed, thinking about Graybriar. Her sweet, wonderful, beautiful inside and out mother, whom always seemed to know what to say. And Barleytuft, her dear dad. There were no words to describe how much she loved him, and Goldengale and Clovertwist, too. Now all she had left was Downtuft and her Clan.. And Dennis.

"WindClan will accept any loner or kittypet who wishes to join us." Softbreeze mewed, absolutely certain."Who are we to deny those the moor has called for? One of our finest warrior came from lands far away. You won't have to be alone anymore, I promise." Standing up slowly, she straightened up. "If you come with me back to my home, we can get a nice mossy nest for you, and you can have your pick our fresh-kill pile, if you're still hungry. After I'll do a check-up and make sure you're healthy, and then you can rest. You must be tired, Eleos. Camp isn't too far away from here."

"Oh." Eleos managed, at a loss for words. Both at Softbreeze sharing something so personal and at what she'd said about Windclan. They just... accepted outsiders, just like that? And one of their finest warriors was one, as well?

"Okay, I'll... go with you." She had nowhere else to go, after all.