the land down under (open)

"You ask that like we aren't the best clan to be in." Graywind commented, though not even she took those words so seriously. "We stick to ourselves mostly because that's all we really need. Our territory sustains us and our families, and we are stronger as a group. We don't usually care for outsiders, but we're not completely heartless or so hostile that we'd turn away kits struggling to survive." She mewed, "And leaving a kit in danger is against the Code. We don't fight to kill because it's unnecessary. We share prey and care for our weak, old and sick. I couldn't imagine one of the clan elders or a nursing queen out on her own with nobody else to care for them." She was agreeing with what Foxtrot had already touched on, of course. She listened to her clanmate's story with interest, this was the first time she'd heard it.

"I guess it does get boring seeing the same sights every day... Sky scrapers? What are those?" Felix had caught her attention with his strange words, and she found herself drawn to them even as she defended clan life. It was just a passing curiosity. It wasn't every day that they got to interact with a cat so completely outside of clan structure.

Felix felt like he might go cross-eyed if he had to participate in two conversations at once for much longer. Thankfully, speaking was one of his many strong points. So he continued sitting there with a pleasant smile, listening carefully to all of the words. And all of the words were interesting. Fox Trot's tale made sense. One certainly wouldn't want to leave if they'd been one of the many kittens to nearly die of exposure without a family or community to offer food, warmth and protection. The fact that Felix himself had been one of them wasn't something he particularly cared to mention. Instead, he nodded. "I see. Well, I am glad that you have found a place to live. Different strokes for different folks, as my friend Annette used to say." The mention of powerful spirits in the sky made his tail twitch. "So the wild cats are not a myth, as all three of us well know. But what about these sky-spirits? I have met many cats that believe in some variety of power beyond the clouds. Is there some specific... mythology that you believe in? Does it vary between Clans?"

But now to answer Gray Wind's words. Felix turned golden eyes to study the she-cat, seeing how the barely-restrained curiosity itched behind her paws. The things she mentioned about Clan life were interesting as well. He was learning all sorts of things today... engaging these two in conversation had been a good choice. "What is this 'code' that you speak of? I agree that to leave a kit in danger would be heartless indeed. I was not commenting upon the fact that you wild cats would save a kit from death, but rather that you seem very accepting for how willing you were to snap at me for even being near the scent-border." His tone was easy and non-threatening, though he did genuinely wonder at the difference between the two stances.

Her question was fairly easy to answer. "Skyscrapers are a kind of structure built by townspeople--oh, you would call them 'Twolegs,' I believe." Felix's dark, long-furred tail waved once behind him as he spoke, dramatically weaving a response. "They are long and pointed, and their needles stretch high enough to scratch the clouds and threaten the sun. That is why they are called 'sky scrapers.' Some of them have enough windows that the light of day makes them sparkle, so much that they become hard to look at. They reflect the stars back at night. Some are cold and mysterious, with no clue as to what happens inside. I've been in only one or two myself." That was more than any other rogue he'd talked to, and he couldn't help but puff his chest out slightly. Sneaking into such an important building was no small matter. But with the love he had of viewing cityscapes from above, how could he not use his stealthy skills to assuage his desires? "It's difficult to know what they look like just from words. Once you see one, though, you'll never forget it. And when you're in one... well, you feel high and mighty enough to be like one of those birds that you like to catch so much."