What an unpleasant odor [closed]

The morning sun shone down on Clementine's pelt as he wandered the outskirts of the twolegplace, looking for recruits just as he had most days since becoming a prowler. But he had quickly grown tired of the twolegplace and figured there'd be plenty of rogues in the areas surrounding. The problem was that most surrounding areas included the clans. So, he would make sure he'd stay undetected. Starting from the twolegplace, he would follow the Thunderpath, hoping his scent would be hidden by it as he slinks past scent boundaries.

---

By the time the sun was directly above him in the sky, he had made it almost all the way past Thunderclan territory without a single soul noticing him. Almost. Originally, he had planned to walk further and cross the Thunderpath where he would be free to explore and perhaps encounter some recruits. Unfortunately, fate had different plans.

The scent of Thunderclan suddenly grew stronger- there was definitely a Thunderclanner nearby. Strangely, he found the scent of clan cats more revolting than that of the Thunderpath. Perhaps the scent of the Thunderpath was something he'd learned to ignore early in his youth.

Feelings of anxiety pricked at his stomach, but he quickly pushed them away. There wasn't a clan cat he couldn't take on, after all. If he had time, he would have slinked into a bush and tried to hide [even if his orange pelt would have been noticeable through the leaves]. But because the cat was already so close, he quickly abandoned the idea. Instead he stopped in his tracks, his first priority being to locate his enemy. A light pelt caught his gaze. Thankfully, it was the only pelt he saw. Letting out a sigh of relief, he made sure he was the first to speak. "Look, I'm not here to pick a fight, kid. Mind your own business and let me go. I was just leaving."

Flurrypaw hadn't given up on the search for her sister just yet. Even if the search patrols were no longer going out, she certainly wasn't planning on stopping. Mintpool is alive... she has to be. Her thoughts were repeatedly replaying her last interaction with the grey-furred molly. It had been way too long ago.

She had been told that her sister's scent trailed only until the Thunderpath and simply stopped there. Naturally, Flurrypaw needed to confirm it herself and therefore was on her way. As she grew nearer to the Thunderpath, its stench grew stronger. She had rarely approached the dangerous place and found the acidic scent to be overly pungent. If there was another cat nearby, she certainly wouldn't be able to smell them. It was as if her thoughts had jinxed herself, because a voice she didn't recognized piped up.

Immediately she assumed a defensive crouch, all her senses angled towards the stranger. Not here to pick a fight? Slowly she relaxed her body, still cautious and ready to fight if necessary. "You don't smell like a clan cat." she meowed lowly, now completely aware of the larger tom's presence. His bright orange pelt somehow managed to make his already bigger form more intimidating. Despite the size difference, all her fighting spirit was displayed clearly in her fierce, piercing yellow eyes.

The immediate reaction from the cat startled Clementine. "Woah there." He backed up a few steps, aware of his uncomfortably close proximity to the Thunderpath.

When the cat spoke, he stood silent for a moment. "You're right, I don't smell like a clan cat.... Good observation." It took a great deal of self-restraint to keep his tone of voice even and unfeeling. He'd have much rather made a sarcastic comment, but he knew that he wasn't in the position to make this cat upset- he supposed being on the territory at all was enough, but he didn't have to unsheathe his claws yet so obviously he was doing something right. "That doesn't mean you should attack me, though. Why don't I introduce myself? I'm Clementine." Hopefully an introduction would reduce this cat's hostility. If not, he wouldn't hesitate to defend himself.

Her gaze studied Clementine's tiniest movements, watchful and wary. "Flurry." she stated, purposely omitting the 'paw' from her name. A little bit of extra caution never hurt anycat... "I don't believe you're here to pay someone a visit, so what, may I ask, are you doing here?" she questioned, her feathery tail swishing as a warning to answer wisely. If you are the reason my sister has not returned home, I can guarantee that you will never see the light of day ever again- she nearly yowled, but kept her thoughts to herself, settling with a steely glare.

"Flurry... that doesn't seem very clan-cat-like of you." Although Flurry didn't have a clan name, she certainly did smell like one. Figuring it didn't matter, he didn't question it further. This was still a clan cat if she was defending their borders.

The way this cat was staring at him made him weirdly uncomfortable. Obviously his introduction didn't dissolve any tension at all. Keeping his pawsteps light, he readied himself for a speedy escape at any moment. "Right again! I'm not here to visit anyone at all... haha." Were all clan cats like this? He felt like he was being interrogated- and he was getting sick of it. "I'm just passing though, and I mean no harm. It's not like you would know, but having to walk around clan borders to get somewhere is exhausting." There was a bitter edge to the last sentence. "What's got you so bothered, anyways? It's not like I'm tearing out the throats of your kin. Why don't you run along so I can leave without worrying about your entire clan chasing be down for stepping on your precious scent borders?" He remarked, staring at Flurry with half-lidded eyes.

Clementine's last remarks sounded mocking in her ears, but she could understand how he felt. With a huff, she let her fur flatten and sat down on the spot, though her gaze remained hardened. "Sorry. You can't blame me for being cautious when my sister is missing. Possibly... possibly dead right now." she spat. Her expression clouded with an unreadable expression for a brief moment as an image of a devastated Clouddream crossed her mind. "Have you perhaps caught a glimpse of a grey colored she-cat recently? She has a bent forepaw that's easily recognizable." Hope of finding Mintpool had started to flare up again in Flurrypaw's spirits. Careful. As far as you know, rogues disappoint.

Clementine's eyes narrowed at Flurry's sharp remark. How was he supposed to know that her sister was missing? And how was it his problem? What made this clan cat think it was okay to share her problems and ask for help from a cat she was just heartbeats away from attacking?

"Sorry, but I can't say I have." Clementine sat down, wrapping his tail around his paws. If Flurry's sister had really left her clan, maybe he would come across her? He'd need to learn more about her before he'd even think of recruiting her into the order. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to this sister of yours anyways?" He questioned, tilting his head. Perhaps this pause in his trip wouldn't be completely pointless.