Making the Journey Home [c]

Originally Tawnyflare would have thought this was the last place she would go. It was a place full of lies, and yet it had still felt real. She had been happy. Maybe that was why her paws took her here, when she had nowhere else to go. Despite her reservations about this place, it was still home. Training with Iniko, the pride she had felt when she received her first pelt, the time spent with her sister and the other missing kits, even her stupid rivalry with Pyrik, all of that was real. And it was nice.

And yet, looking upon the place she used to call her camp, she felt sickened. The moons it had spent abandoned had taken its toll. The walls had begun to crumble. Mold had made its way into the cracks of the stone. The scent of crowfood was overwhelming, and there was also the faint scent of fox. That had her a bit on edge, she had to admit.

But among all the disgusting scents, there was another. The scent of cat. It was not one she recognized, but then again, a lot of scents had been lost to her with time.

"Who's in here? Show yourself! Is it you, Roe? Lyralei?"

The large marbled tabby she-cat had happened on these collections of nests moons ago. Abandoned, lost to time. Not something she dwelled on much, but the scents of predators was protection enough, even from idiot tomcats.

She had some prey in the back of her den, nested between webs. Otrera knew little of herbal work- webs and poppy seeds were the extent of her understanding, but when less favorable seasons would come, they would be worth their weight in prey. Satisfied with her collection, she was about to walk to survey the lands when she heard a voice call from the other side.

The names were foreign to her, and yet, she padded out of hiding. A long-legged, broad shouldered brown tabby with intense emerald eyes met those of her visitor.

“Otrera, traveler, though I don’t know the cats you speak of. I haven’t much, but I have some prey, enough for two of us, if you need shelter. What is your name?”

"Tawnyflare, although I suppose the name of a Clan cat is no longer for me. You may call me Raisha, instead. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that a cat such as yourself had made a home of these walls after my group scattered. So, Otrera, what has brought you here? And don't worry about the lack of prey, in exchange for you so kindly sharing the shelter you had rightfully taken over, I am more than willing to help do my fair share of hunting."

The calico dipped her head to the she-cat as she stepped inside. A lot of cats had grown to seen her as one who was always angry, and there was truth to that, but she is not always hostile as some may believe. However vague her reasons may be, she always had a reason for her anger. And as it stood, this she-cat had not given her a reason yet. And so she was perfectly willing to merely have a civil conversation.

“A better life, really. You know as well as I do that to make it alone takes a lot of nerve. There’s a certain pride in living life on your terms. That, and I have my own reasons, it’s been a journey just to get here.”

Perhaps now wasn’t the time to get into sordid explaining of her ethos. “Yes, come in, make yourself at home,” Otrera added, grabbing a thrush and pushing it towards her guest.

“So… you know this place?”

Raisha nodded as she began to pluck the feathers of her prey. She was too tired to complain right now.

"Yeah, I actually grew up here. There was a lot more of us back then. But the group sort of split up. One of the Clans here took me in after that, but it didn't really work out, so here I am. Back to the start, I guess."

It seemed neither of them were all too willing to share much of their past, and Raisha was not going to push Otrera on things she would not say herself. So instead she began to eat, willing to sit in a comfortable silence, having no more questions for the stranger in front of her.

“That’s a shame,” she murmured, eating her own kill. “When families crumble, when you can’t trust those who mattered the most to you. Those that imprint on your life, changing the course.”

“But I suppose it’s why we were given paws, to walk whatever path we need to.”

Her denmate seemed conflicted. She offered a soft smile to Raisha, not sure what to do or say from there.

Raisha shook her head at what Otrera had said, muttering under her breath. "A pretend family is all they were." She gave a bit of a huff, before she decided to turn the conversation back around to the molly in front of her.

"So how long have you been living here? You seem to have yourself a bit of a setup here."

Another bite of her thrush as she looked at Otrera, waiting for an answer. Of course, one wasn't required, but it would be nice to keep her talking about herself so that Raisha wouldn't have to share too much. After all, openly choosing to not share could be just as dangerous, it would be better if the questions were never asked.

“I happened upon this a moon and a half ago. It was pretty run down but there were leftover nests. I used to live in Upwalker lands covered in Thunderpaths. I wasn’t a kept cat, had to make a living there. But there wasn’t enough food. I walked for a quarter moon before I found this refuge.”

She chewed the last of her meal and stretched. There were definite pros to living in a cavelike abode, but the stone flooring was hard on her paws. Otrera worried about talking too much to the she-cat and scaring her off.

Raisha nodded her head, listening as Otrera spoke, as she slowly finished her thrush. "I don't think I would be able to live in a place like that, myself. Not enough space to run, and far too noisy. It is good that you have managed to find this place. Every cat needs a home, and it seems as though you have found yours." Her jaws stretched wide in a comfortable yawn, finding herself quite relaxed now. This was the only cat she had scented when she had come in, and it was clear at this point that she was no threat. Not like she ever seemed like one at the start, but sometimes it takes time to reveal these things. And any ill will this loner might have had towards her would have been revealed by now.

Closing her eyes, Raisha listened to the sounds of the outdoors. Something she had always known, ever since the beginning. The songs of the birds, the leaves rustling in the wind. She felt sorry for any twolegplace cat who did not get that comfort.