Extreme Measures {open}

The cold seeped beneath her skin, which was stretched over her ribs in an unhealthy fashion. Cleo didn't like it - the cold nor her appearance. A thin cat in the warmer seasons was seen as incompetent or just plain unlucky. But a thin cat in leafbare was a target, a "to-be" casualty of the snow. Cleo, still young, had heard of fellow felines enacting strange, extreme measures to survive when their life was on the line. If a weaker cat had food, it was stolen, but if a weaker cat walked alone, they became the food. Cannibals. That was - at least - what her brother had told her.

Her brother. Cleo smiled as she thought of him. Wolf was always telling his stories, and he spoke with such confidence that almost any cat could be convinced to believe him. It was Wolf that told Cleo the dangers of leafbare, the cannibals, the cars, and the unrelenting chill. It was funny, really. This was their first leafbare, and yet Wolf talked as if he was a seasoned elder, and had seen many of the chilled moons pass by.

Cleo shivered, a limp beginning to form in her step as she padded along the curb of a quiet street. The black cat stood out against the snow, her sleek pelt reflecting the yellow glow of the streetlights. Snow fell, and the roads were quieter than usual. Sometimes a car would pass by, moving slower than normal, but they paid her no mind. Cleo supposed the twolegs and their cars both hated the cold as much as she did.

The she-cat ducked into a dimly-lit alleyway, jumping onto a big green- What did Wolf call it? That's right, a dumpster. They spent their last night together in a dumpster, sneaking into the interior through the side flaps. The comfort of the warmth nullified the smell. She ducked inside, and clambered up onto the twoleg trash. Perhaps there was food here? Something smelled fresh, warm, and -

Cleo found herself face to face with another cat. In her startled state, the she-cat jumped straight up, hitting her head on the bottom of the dumpster flaps. "Ratdung! Ouch, gah..." She turned her face towards the other cat, hardly able to make out any features in the gloom. "Look," There was an almost endearing rasp to the young cat's voice. "If you eat me, I'll... I'll... I'll shred your ears okay?!"

"Can't shred what isn't there." The gold and white she-cat answered, azure eyes staring down the cat that had seemed to appear out of nowhere. Originally she didn't want to be in... whatever this was, but she had followed a rat into it and wanted some prey. She had lost it thought in the pile of all this carrion.. It probably wasn't even in here any more..

"And why would I eat you? I'm sure there is something else I could find around here.. Rats seem to like the twoleg place a lot even in the cold." Tornshadow said, a slight tilt to her head as she took in the appearance of the other cat. She hadn't seen this cat around before... Were they new to the area?

After the opposing cat spoke, Cleo blinked, and then blinked again. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the gloom, and she realized that the stranger wasn't lying, they truly lacked ears. Cleo imagined the she-cat to be a rough-and-tumble fighter in the Twolegplace, someone probably seasoned. If this cat wanted to eat Cleo, she would certainly have no problem doing it. The black cat stifled a sigh of relief when the stranger suggested otherwise. Cleo quickly caught on and began to suggest the same - anything to save her own hide. "Rats! Of course... there's a lot of rats around here." She lied through her teeth. If there truly was rats, Cleo had found none. "My brother... he's real good at catching rats. He eats so many that he's gotten super muscular and strong... I'm sure he'll be back soon. I was just looking for a warm place to stay the night. Dumpsters like this one are nice, if you know where to look."

Cleo didn't tell the stranger that her brother would not be returning. She'd left Wolf a half-moon ago, but his presence, the fact that he existed once could be used as a bargaining chip. Cleo could talk her way out of this situation, and if she was smart, maybe snag some food from it too. "I can... help you look for some food if you'd like? Maybe we can share what we find, hmm?" The she-cat's yellow eyes flickered to the stranger's azure ones, testing the waters. It was like walking on ice, carefully, and slowly, she'd inch her way across. "What's your name? I'm Cleo! I figured that if we'll scavenge together... we should at least be friendly, right?" Right? Cleo hid her wince, ready for the ice to shatter.

"Dump..ster..?" This word was unfamiliar to Tornshadow.. This was her first time hearing it and she really didn't know what to make of it. In her head she called it a Carrion Holder, she didn't dwell on the word for too long. "I'm glad your brother is doing well for himself, especially with leaf-bare striking as hard as it is." She said, looking around the container she was in now, now that she finally had a chance.

"And I don't mind you helping, you might now the area better than I do. I don't really stick around the twoleg place much.." She said. "While rats are nice.. I could really use a bird right about now.." She was certainly missing the Skyclan forests.

Birds... Cleo thought, rather in awe. She had never actually caught a bird herself. Perhaps the stranger was even more advanced than she had thought. She'd have to try harder to impress the she-cat, if she was going to get any food out of the deal. "Well, maybe we spend the night here... and in the morning we can try to get some rats? And maybe birds?" As hungry as Cleo was, even she knew not to venture out in weather like this. She was lucky to even make it to the dumpster. Still chilled to the bone, the black cat settled herself down on a shiny lump of twoleg plastic they often shoved into the dumpsters. She kneaded softly as she used to with her mother, and then gently placed her head on her paws. It was a dangerous gamble, but a necessary one. Perhaps Cleo making herself look vulnerable would prompt the stranger to open up more. "Would you tell me your name?  I told you mine, now tell me yours! It's only fair!" Cleo winked, feeling a little bolder, but never cocky. She didn't seem to be in any danger, but treaded carefully ever still. "Oh! And where you're from! You've been in a lot of battles maybe? You seem experienced!" Flattery never hurt, and always seemed to get Cleo what she wanted.

Spend the night here? She didn't really plan too, this place wasn't exactly pleasant on her nose. "My name.. right. I'm Tornshadow err.. rather Torn now I suppose." She hadn't really decided on what she should be called. She didn't have a fancy new name like Klaus, nor did she have a matching name that the others in the group had. "I'm from the territories that lie beyond the Twoleg place. I was apart of one of the clans, but now I reside with a rogue group. As for battles.. well I have been in enough." The she-cat explained, not really knowing why it seemed this cat was so interested in her now.

Cleo cocked her head to the side at the mention of clans... Wolf had told her about those, too. Rather, he retold stories the both of them had heard, he enjoyed talking. Cleo remembered her mother had a similar strange clan name. She never put much grief into the cats that lay beyond the thunderpath, but kept her distance, ever wary so as not to cross a boundry or two. She wrinkled her nose, remembering how silly she thought it was that the clans claimed a whole moor as their own, unwilling to share. Her mother left for the clans after birthing, leaving Wolf and Cleo with their father. They hadn't heard from her since. Overall, she was unbothered by the wildcats' presence beyond the twolegplace, but they took her mother from her, and that had stung.

Tornshadow - as the stranger was called, quickly redacted her name to go by simply 'Torn' instead. Cleo nodded, liking that name. It was certainly a tough one, one that no doubt got the she-cat far. But another question itched at Cleo's brain. Why was a clan cat now sheltering in a dumpster? If she was as battle-hardened and strong as Cleo had built her up to be, there'd be no reason to leave the wilderness, right? If Cleo had been born into a clan, she certainly wouldn't give up her birthright. Having an entire land at your disposal was lucky indeed. But Cleo was a rogue, and could only stare longingly from the twoleg walls at the moor that would never be hers.

She shook the thought from her mind, not having pondered on it in a while. The harsh season didn't leave room for idle sentiments. Wolf knew that, and Cleo did too. Torn mentioned a rogue group, which was enough to clear Cleo's head. She was always wary of larger groups of cats, those who could join them were lucky, but those who were targeted by them did not share the same fate. That was how her father died. It made sense to group up, one could grovel for protection with stronger cats, and everyone provided for the group. It was a system, one that seemed to work, one that Cleo envied. She'd been lonely since leaving Wolf, and needed a new source of security. Perhaps... If she was smart, she could weasel her way into this one. Torn had been open so far, and Cleo's fur began to flatten.

"Do you like it? The group? It must be different from the clans... My mother was a clan cat, she didn't tell me much but..." But she told me enough to bargain with. "When we leave... In the morning, maybe you could take me with you? I'm a great hunter, and I've got good eyes, I promise I won't do you wrong!" This very well could be Cleo's next meal ticket.

"Uh.." There was a lot throw at Torn at once. It took her a moment to process all of this.. If her mother was a clan cat then why was she here? Should she be with the clans? Or trying to find the clan that sheltered her mother?

"The group.. well its a little different than what I'm used to, but it's better than being alone. My father is there, he is the leader of the group.. or rather him and his friend run it together. So it wouldn't be up to me if you could join or not." She explained. "But I can take you to him if you would really like to join." She shifted uncomfortably. She didn't like it in here.. The space wasn't exactly roomy, but she would deal with it for now.

"I would." Cleo said a bit too quickly. She smiled and swallowed her excitement, pulling her hind legs into herself to find a good sleeping position. She'd found an advocate to take her to her next group, this would be Cleo's biggest stroke of luck yet. Sure, it could be a trap, maybe Torn really would eat her in the morning. But the she-cat didn't think so. She began to wonder if Wolf had exaggerated the ferocity of other rogues. He had been scared of their new predicament, with their father gone. Cleo was scared too, in fact, she still was. But it wouldn't stop her from climbing the slope, she'd gotten her ticket to her next fixation, now all she had to do was convince their leader as Torn stated. Kit's play. Her confidence grew, but it would never overflow. Cleo's ever-present caution had kept her alive.

"We'll go in the morning! I'm sure it'll be warmer then, and I'll catch us some rats on the way!" Cleo almost wanted to ask the stranger to cuddle up with her, as Wolf used to do. But she'd already pressed enough. The black she-cat would have to make do on her own for now. Cleo watched Torn from sleepy eyes, and began to let herself slide into dreams. In the morning, they'd find Torn's rogue group. And with that, Cleo survived yet another night.