Ghosts of the Past [Theron]

The sun warmed Swiftspirit's fur as she came to a stop in the flower fields, head lifting and turning into the breeze as a contented smile crossed her expression. Things were tense in camp, but here in the flower fields Swiftspirit found it was almost impossible not to relax a bit.

Swiftspirit sat, feeling more relaxed than she'd felt in a while as she breathed in the scents of the various flowers, a quiet sigh escaped her. She was supposed to be hunting... But surely she could take a few moments to herself, right? A few moments to enjoy the peace and quiet, to enjoy being away from the tense clanmates and lingering sense of dread that filled the camp. She'd go back to hunting in a few minutes, she told herself. A few minutes wouldn't cost Windclan anything.

Theron groaned softly as she trudged forward, her paws aching from her non-stop walking. She knew seeing the world wasn't going to be an easy trek but she hadn't been prepared for the distances she had to actually...Y'know, go. However, the path before her had evened out quite a lot - a open moor laying before her. She had crossed some sort of scent marker a while back but she honestly hadn't put much thought into - more interested in finding a nice place to settle down and rest her aching paws.

That was, however, until she spotted a captivating field of flowers. Her ears perked, eyes widening in absolute joy as she raced forward to inspect it all and give every single one of them a sniff. This wasn't the first flower field she had come across but yet every one of them caught her interest - the large array of colors and wonderful scents that washed over her. She purred, before something caught her eye. She turned to see another cat - mostly white that seemed stunning against the colorful flowers that surrounded them. She paused, eying the cat as she spared a glance around before she put on a smile and bounded over. "Hello there!" she purred, emerald eyes glimmering as she came to a stop and did a small twirl in the flowers. "Are you admiring these flowers also? I can't believe how many there are! Its all so...Pretty!" she said, coming to a stop to fix the she-cat with a lop-sided smile.

Swiftspirit glanced up as the scent of loner caught her attention, and though the strange cat was on Windclan territory, she seemed transfixed by the beautiful flowers. Swiftspirit couldn't blame her, the flower fields were beautiful and captivating. The she-cat that approached her had striking emerald eyes and a mottled coat. She spoke, and seemed friendly enough.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" She agreed, soft smile remaining on her face. "A lovely place for Windclan to call home." She added.

"The name's Swiftspirit, who are you, stranger?" There was no accusation in her tone. The she-cat looked tired and probably just wanted a bit of rest. So long as she wasn't attacking anyone, Swiftspirit didn't see the harm in allowing her to enjoy the flower fields for a little while, at least. She could show her to the border and a good place to rest that wasn't on clan territory later.

Theron's smile widen as the person showed no hostiliy, instead agreeing about the beauty of the flowers. She paused a little at the name 'WindClan', eyes widening a little before she blinked a few times and titled her head. "WindClan?" she repeated, a small giggle escaping her as she fell back onto her haunches. "Weird name. I like your name, thought!" she added quickly, smiling as she curled her tail around her. "My name is Theron! I'm a bit of a traveler I guess," she explained with a shrug of her shoulders. "Been walking for a long while...Just trying to see the world and learn." There was a pause. "...Like...What is this WindClan? Is it a group of cats? I've met a few groups here and there..."

The loner introduced herself as Theron, and Swiftspirit thought little of it. Loners and rogues were a diverse bunch, and that applied to all aspects of the cat in question. She seemed friendly, and seemed curious about the clan, so Swiftspirit would explain what she could. Theron had said she liked to travel and learn, and sometimes Swiftspirit wished she could roam more often. She'd settled into clan life, but there were times where staying in one small section of territory irked her compared to the relative freedom life as a loner had offered. It came with a lot of challenges, but being able to explore new places wasn't one of those challenges.

"Yeah, we're a group of cats who live here on the moor. You probably scented our border markers while passint through." She said, "There are five clans who live around here. Thunderclan and Skyclan split their territory in the forest, Shadowclan prowl the marsh, and Riverclan make their home along the river. We all hunt in different territories, but are mostly bound by the same rules and tradition." Though some clans adhered to those rules and traditions more than others. Windclan, from what Swiftspirit had learned and experienced in her time here, wasn't one of those. "The clans hunt and live as a group within their own territory, protecting the young or frail. It offers security... But there are days I almost miss being able to wander where I please. Can't say I miss fighting over food, though." Swiftspirit's lips quirked up into a smile however as she eyed the pretty she-cat in front of her.

Theron's ears perked up as the cat explained about the group - and that she was indeed on their border. Ah...She certainly had smelled the border marker but she admittly hadn't thought much of it. Perhaps in hindsight, the many different scents that overlayed what she assumed was 'WindClan' in partcar should have been a warning that there were a lot of cats living here. But not only that, there was four others - each with their own territory. Hm, perhaps it would be good to visit the other Clans to see what she could learn.. Before her lips curled a little at the mention of fighting over food.

"That...Is very fair," she muttered, giving a shake of her pelt. "For the most part, I try to avoid hunting near other groups but I've had to fight a cat a few times over a meal..." She smiled, puffing out her chest as she beamed. "I won nearly all of them! I'm a pretty good fighter if I do say so myself," she purred, before she deflated a little. Not...Not that I like fighting. I'll fight to defend myself or get a meal if I am starving but... I've been told its better to use my skill to protect others but not only for my own gain." There was a pause. "...Okay, maybe sparring is a little bit fun thought."

Swiftspirit grinned ruefully at the other she-cat, whiskers twitching in amusement. "I wasn't much more than what the clan cats call an apprentice at the time... About 7 moons old? I wasn't much of a fighter back then... Self-defense is important, though. 'Long as you don't attack others for the sake of it, I have little problem."

"I found it nicer to work in a group... Less stressful, for one thing. Knowing there are others watching your back is a good feeling." Windclan wasn't quite family... And Swiftspirit missed her family, still. She knew that there was no going back however, and the clans were sustainable. Viable to live in. Though with the recent tension, Swiftspirit wasn't really sure it was the safest option. No, that would always belong to the life of a kittypet... And that was no life at all, in Swiftspirit's opinion.

Theron nodded as she spoke, feeling a bit wistful as the she-cat mentioned how nice it was to work in a group. "I...I get that, I do. I got a family, good parents, bunch of siblings. We were all about protecting each other, keeping each other safe but the lot of them were just...Happy where we called home," she meowed, kicking at the dirt beneath her. "But I wasn't, not really. I wanted to explore, see the world. My parents and my brother were the most vocal about me not going. They didn't want me to be on my lonesome, they knew it would be dangerous but I..." she lifted her head, taking in a deep breath as her eyes glimmered. "I had to go, see what was outside of our safe spot. My dad used to 'venture out before he settled down with my mom - he told me about all sort of places."

She stood there, soaking in the memories of what she remembered from the stories she had heard countless times before her smile faded a little, shoulders falling. "...I miss them. All of them - my parents, my littermates, our younger siblings, all of the cats who lived with us but...I needed more - even if they didn't think I was ready. I knew I was ready to go out and make friends all across the world! ...Like you!" She added, glancing up at Swiftspirit with a large grin. "I mean, I know we just met but you seem really nice so maybe we can be friends! Might stick around, see the Clans...Learn what I can for a bit, maybe stay longer, I dunno."

As Theron spoke, it struck Swiftspirit that parts of her story almost sounded like her own. "My mother told me similar stories about exploring and learning. I wanted to do much of the same." She murmured. Memories of sitting at the fluffy she-cat's side surfaced, and Swiftspirit sighed quietly. She shouldn't have died, but then maybe none of the circumstances she'd found herself in would ever have happened if that were the case.

"After she died my family just... fractured. She'd told me stories of the clans, though. I lived as a loner for a few moons but it just wasn't for me. Figures mom would be right about that too." The corner of her mouth twitched up, a wry smile at the knowledge that her mother was very seldom wrong.

"The clans offer a lot to learn, really. Some of them aren't that keen on loners, but not nearly as many as I thought." She still thought it was impossibly foolish and naive, how so many put blind trust and took any stranger's word as genuine, but maybe Windclan at least would have wised up after Dawnhawk's reveal. You could still be nice and not fight any loner that happened to be passing by, but that was not the same thing as trusting every word out of their mouths, either.

Even so, Swiftspirit had found herself liking this Theron. She seemed friendly, and friendly faces were always welcome.

Theron's ears perked as Swiftspirit mentioned that her mother did much the same, and how her family had been fractured. She fixed the warrior with a sad look, having no idea how that felt - her family had always been so big, so loving, so close - well, minus for Koa who often tried to distant himself, not that Pavel would ever let him brood by himself for long. She nodded  thought as Swiftspirit mentioned that the some of these Clan cats would likely not be keen on a loner such of herself, giving a small shrug of her shoulders. "I mean...I'm no stranger to cats being uncertain of me being...Well, a lonesome wanderer. I can fend for myself, but I'm sure if I look hard enough, I'll find more nice cats just like you!" she purred, before she paused. Ah... She pushed herself to her paws, giving Swiftspirit a small smile. "But...Actually, I think I should maybe go. I've taken up enough of your time and I still need to find a place to bunker down for the night, mostly if I am going to be sticking around these strange Clans. But..." she paused, tilting her head as she thought long and hard about it before she fixed the warrior with an even bigger smile. "Maybe you can tell your Clanmates about me? Just so they know that there is a friendly loner about, that's all! I'll try to find a place outside of your territory but I would hate to cause a misunderstanding."

"I understand. There's still cats who don't exactly like me in their clan just because I don't share their blood. Most are accepting in Windclan, at least." Would they be so accepting if they knew the past Swiftspirit didn't talk about? Theron spoke again, and she listened, forcing her mind back to the present conversation.

"Oh, sure. I probably ought to get back to hunting, I couldn't help but take a few moments out here, though." Swiftspirit shrugged. Some of her clanmates wouldn't be pleased, but Swiftspirit didn't base her life around pleasing others. Theron seemed to be a curious sort rather than an aggressive sort, so Swiftspirit saw little problem with her presence.

"I don't know which way you came from, but towards the mountains over there is a barn. It's past our territory limits, and I don't know if any cats are there currently but I've heard it's a good place to find prey." Her tail waved in the direction of highstones. If Theron was going to stick around, she figured the loner would appreciate somewhere to stay that wasn't on clan territory.

Theron beamed as Swiftspirit pointed in her the direction of a place she could stay, dipping her head in thanks. "Barn near the mountains, got it!" she purred as she let her eyes follow the direction that the warrior had motioned towards. It seemed like a perfect place, outside of the Clan's territory but close enough that visiting and getting the sights wouldn't be that hard. "Thank you so much," she added as she glanced back, giving a small stretch of her legs. "Its always nice when I come across pleasant cats on my trip - a lot of cats don't like strangers but...You seem wonderful and I hope I can meet all the other great cats in your Clan - and the others Clans - in the future. Hopefully I'll see you around in the future!" she purred as she turned, starting the trek towards this so-called barn. It was relieving to have a place she could settle down and rest her paws - and perhaps grab a meal, if prey really was good to find as Swiftspirit made it out to be. Either way...

She smiled, a purr rising in her throats. She think she had found a perfect play to hang around for a long while...