A Worm in the Mountains? (closed)

Honestly, Silverwing would have been surprised if things had turned out any other way. She had always known that Windclan would be better off without her, though the sting of actually getting kicked out hurt more than she would have thought. Still, if she succumbed to her negative feelings she'd be as good as dead out here, especially without shelter. That's where Highstones came in. She still kind of believed in Starclan, so surely they wouldn't mind if she lived inside of Mothermouth for a while? Just long enough for her to find a place she could call home, then she would be out of there. As Silverwing closed in on the section of land that had once been used to shelter Windclan however, a solid white mass came into view. Another cat? Odd, but the chances of it being a clan cat seemed pretty slim to her, so... "Hey!" The silver she-cat called. "What're you doing here?"

This way. No... This way? He was certain home had been in this direction! "Darn it all...!" It had to be since the opposite direction - deeper into the forest - had proven fruitless. Had he gone too far again, or not far enough? He sat perched on a boulder, desperately trying to see further beyond. But unfortunately for this old tom-cat, his vision began to blur the more he strained his eyes. He sighed, frustrated. It was time to rest once again.

And as he closed his eyes, a voice called out to him. He turned in surprise. He thought he would be the only fool to prance about these rocks, though... This molly looked to be more at home than Mr. Worm. He cleared his throat. "Hello! What brings you all the way out to these parts?" He joked. Who would actually come here?

I asked first! The silver she-cat thought to herself as she approached the boulder. "Looks lonely up there, bet you could use some company!" A slight wiggling of her haunches preceded the she-cat leaping atop the rock to stand beside the tom. "I got kicked out of my clan, can you believe that? All I did was attack someone who deserved it, and they tossed me aside like crowfood! Now I'm all alone out here, just looking for somewhere that I can live until they come to their senses and come searching for me." Not that they would, but she could still hope for such an outcome. He doesn't need to know all of that! "Your turn, what're you doing out here?" As an afterthought, Silverwing introduced herself to the elderly looking tom. "I'm Silverwing, by the way."

Mr. Worm looked taken aback by the sudden bombardment of info. But he nodded his old, oily head as if he truly understood because, in a way, he did. Uh... The being alone part. "Attacked someone...?" He eyed her for a moment, unsure what to do in the face of someone who openly admitted to violence. But after a moments pause, he decided it didn't matter. "I'm sure you had your reasons, Silverwing. A lovely name, by the way! Mine is Mr. Worm." He smiled, yellow eyes squinting. Ah. Hold on. "Not MISTworm. A young tom I followed into the forest was set on that. But it's MISTER Worm." An irritating fellow, but that very tom had been the one to step in front of the second dog that attack the escaping cats.

"In all honesty, young lady, I've no idea where I am. I don't live within these trees, you see. I'm looking for a barn with a pasture of horses and cows. You could even come with me, my humans would love you! Large animals... I think there's a bridge..." It was like he'd lost his train of thought. No other words left his tongue as he silently went back to looking distressed and tired. A very long silence took over.

And just like he'd seen Silverwing for the first time, he introduced himself again. "Ah! I didn't see you there, young lady. What brings you here? I don't live here, but you seem the type of cat who would." He smiled just as bright as he had the first time he spoke with her.

A pretty name, it seemed like that was the only compliment she ever got, but it still forced a purr from her throat and heated her fur. No matter how many times she heard that one it always had the same effect. "I did I did! That nasty cat hurt my apprentice, I had to do something, especially since my own leader wouldn't... I guess he's my former leader now, actually." A hint of sadness crept into Silverwing's voice at that last bit, though by the time she spoke up again that sadness had been banished, replaced with a bright smile and her usual cheery tone. "It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Worm! And how awful, the disrespect! I would never call you Mistworm, though that's not a bad name, kind of sounds cool to me."

Silverwing waited patiently as the elder spoke, nodding along as he- wait, what was that? "Me? Uh, loved by humans?" Despite not knowing exactly what the tom meant by that, the offer actually sounded really nice. "That does sound nice, but I don't think that I could... Um?" Something wasn't right, she could tell now. Mr. Worm had stopped talking, and he looked kind of... odd. Silverwing looked around a bit, wondering if there had been something that stopped the cat, then suddenly he started back up. "Erm, you okay, Mr. Worm?" Why was he acting like this? They had been in the middle of a conversation, why was he acting like he didn't know her? "Y-yes, that's right. Excuse me, but are you feeling well? I know about someone that can help you if you're feeling a bit off."

Was something wrong with him? He did feel like this interaction had already happened before... "I don't believe so... I am very tired, though. If you wouldn't mind, could l stay for a while longer?" He felt guilt, knowing he'd done it again. He'd forgotten their meeting as soon as it had happened, which was much quicker than usual. She told him her name. He was so sure of it. S.... Started with an S. Sablesomething? That name didn't seem very fitting. He frowned. Maybe something was off about him today.

He could see a split second of sadness in the mollys eyes, perhaps she was about to tell him her story. "I'm so sorry. I promise I'll listen more intently this time... Tell this old man once more why you're here alone." He hunkered down on the rock he'd been on, tucking tail and paws under him in an attempt to keep warm. He smiled, but he was nervous. He'd listen well this time.

"Of course you can stay here." Silverwing spoke in a soft tone, none of her usual frills or joy filling her voice. "If you'd like, I live in a barn. It's not much, but it has a lot of mice and lots of bedding. You could rest there, but it's a little far from here." Having someone to spend time with sounded nice, and if Mr. Worm continued to wander around on his own she was sure he would meet less friendly cats. He was still really close to the marshes, and while she had faith that he wouldn't wander into such a nasty place, it was still a possibility.

Silverwing stared at the tom for a while, wondering if this time she needed to leave anything out. She came to the conclusion that since he hadn't been scared off the first time, this time around  he would be fine as well, but that didn't mean she couldn't make story time more appealing. "Hang on a second old-timer, I'm getting a bit chilly here." The spotted she-cat scooted along the rock until she was right next to Mr. Worm, pushing closer into him. Neither of them had long luxurious fur, but together they could at least stay warm. "It's Leaf-Bare y'know, we could both catch something in this weather."

With another pelt secured, Silverwing began her second explanation, this time leaving nothing out... Aside from her initial trespassing. "A nasty cat dragged my apprentice back to camp. She was crying and covered in blood, and when she told me who did it I got a bit upset and tried ripping his throat out. I didn't get that far before his clanmate pulled me away, but my leader decided that it was time to get rid of me." Did he need to know about her house hunting? Probably not. "Living alone gets pretty lonely, I wouldn't mind having someone to keep me company..." Would that be enough of a hint for the elder, or would she have to spell it out for him? Silverwing really did not like the idea of someone like Mr. Worm roaming around the forest unattended.

Mr. Worm had to choke back tears at the feeling of another warm pelt against his own. Ever since being scooped up by unknown humans, he had not once shared warmth with another. He truly missed it... Missed his family. He'd make it back in one piece, and that was a promise. "One of the coldest Winters yet, I'd say!" He wasn't sure what 'leaf bare" was, but he figured it had to do with winter. Leaf bare... No leaves on the trees? The elder smiled in amusment. Clever.

He nestled closer to Silverwing, his listening ears on and every ounce of energy being put into remembering every single word. He was shocked, actually. What monster would intentionally hurt anothers apprentice, let alone drag them around as a trophy. Mr. Worm gently tapped the young she-cat with his tail. He understoond. "I would have done the very same. To be quite honest, I wouldn't have stopped until the cat was dead." Perhaps it was out of character for him to have violent thoughts. But no cat was perfect, especially not him or Silverwing. "You're a better cat than I, and your leader... I will spare my unkind words, but they made a bad judgment call on the wrong cat." He was serious when he said this. Maybe it wasn't the story from every side, but banishment from your own home felt like an inapproriately harsh punishment for protecting your own. "I also have an apprentice back home who I care for more than anything. He's a trouble maker... Had a similar situation where he picked fights with the farm dogs..." He trailed off. More silence as he fought with his own mind.

Victorious, he snapped back to the present. Mr. Worm understoond what the silver molly was hinting at, and he really did appreciate it. Truly. But he couldn't risk that this barn she was living in to not be his. "Thank you, dear. You must be worried about this old man getting caught up in some kind of trouble. But I assure you, I've yet to run into anyone willing to bare fangs at such a weak old man." There may be someone else who would need that companionship, though. Someone reckless and in need of guidance should he not make it back. "But if you really want to help me out, I have a favour to ask of you."

Silverwing let out a short gasp, turning to face Mr. Worm. "How violent of you, Mr. Worm! Should I be scared of you?" Playfulness danced on the she-cat's voice. This was one of the nicest cats she'd ever met, aside from Brackenwing, Blazefang, Whisperear... Huh, maybe the nicest rogue she'd ever met? Hearing something so viscous from him was odd, had he said it to make her feel better? Her purr deepened at the tom's kind words. In truth, she wouldn't have minding hearing a couple of bad things about Shrikestar. They might have made her feel better about her situation, though she knew it would only be a temporary fix to her mood. She was a troublemaker, and it made sense as to why she was exiled, but for her first punishment ever? That didn't sit right with her.

"Dogs?!" How awful! Fighting those things was practically a death sentence, but Mr. Worm's apprentice intentionally picked fights with them? How rude of them! That kind of thing probably made him worry, if Silverwing ever had a chance to meet this apprentice she'd certainly give them a piece of her mind!

Silverwing didn't try to hide the look of disappointment that covered her face. It would have been nice to have someone else living in that lonely place with her. "Just stay safe then, alright? Don't get into trouble, and if anyone looks mean they probably are, got it? Oh, and don't go by the marsh, Shadowclan lives there and they're all exceptionally nasty cats... Besides one, but she's not allowed to leave camp yet." She didn't know much about the other clans, but she would give Mr. worm all the information she did know, hopefully that would be enough to keep him safe. The she-cat's ears perked, and she leaned in closer to the tom. "What is it? I've got nothing but time, I'd love to help out!"

The tom chuckled alongside Silverwing, his own purr matching hers. If the trees had ears, they'd be deaf by now. He was enjoying his time with this she-cat, and desperately wished only the best for her. He may not know her life's story, but just through their chance meeting, he could tell she had no malice in her bones. Which is also why he could only ask this of her. "My apprentice, Grub." He hesitated for a moment, tears again welling in his eyes. He would not speak of how weak he's grown as of late, not wanting to bring the mood down. "He wanders a lot, and should he find his way to you... Pass on a message to him, would you? Tell him he's a good kid." Mr. Worm would have asked that she also tell the tom to go home and stop bothering the forest cats, but it would fall on deaf ears. The young tom would always be wreckless. But that was his charm, for sure. "And tell him to stop picking fights, would you? He won't always have someone to help him get out of trouble."

"Shadow Clan... I'll keep that in mind. Swamp land doesn't sound too appealing, anyway."

Silverwing committed the tom's words to memory, repeating them until she was sure they wouldn't slip her mind. "Of course, Mr. Worm. If Grub finds his way to the forest I'll make sure he gets your message, if you haven't already passed it off yourself... But if you're not around, I'll make sure he doesn't get himself into trouble, and I'll look after him for you too." It was the least she could do. If their positions were swapped, Silverwing would have liked to know that her apprentice was safe and well cared for... Actually, the more she thought about it, the more similar their positions seemed. Both had no access to their apprentice, and both wanted what was best for them. "I'll make sure no harm comes to Grub in this forest, you have my word." Silverwing's words were resolute. This was a promise she was determined to keep.

"Trust me, it's not. I had to learn that the hard way." Shadowclan could keep its froggy little secret, she had no desire to ever set paw on that grimy territory again.

It felt as though their time together was coming to a close, but Silverwing didn't want to part ways with Mr. Worm so soon. She rested her head on the tom's shoulder, hoping that it would be enough to keep him here a bit longer.