No Mercy, No Tears[C]

ooc: takes place after ghost town!

Chad's nose stung. He'd run into a patch of dried thorns, scratching the tip, and scattering blood drops as he navigated the territory alone. It felt safer to be among the trees and foliage, rather than being constantly exposed, but it wasn't something that he was entirely used to yet.

The tom's gait was still awkward on account of painfully slow healing wounds. Having tentative peace with an odd assortment of cats had made life a little easier, even if that was also a new lifestyle he was adjusting to. Flicking his tail irritability at the sensation, his eyes screwed up to stare crossly down the bridge of his nose.

It had taken him a moment to scent the other cat nearby. Instinctively, the fur along his spine raised. There was a vague familiarity about the smell but not enough to place it. Until his gaze settled on a brief flash of Ajex's pelt.

Chad padded towards him with narrowed eyes. Although the loner had seemed friendly enough, his allegiances were with another group. The crew as he'd called it. The young brown and white tom parted his maw in a neutral question, "What are you doing here, Ajex?"

Chad flicked his tail in annoyance. He wasn't used to companionship with other cats and the cocky grin across the loner's face made him want to claw it away. The idea was tempting but fleeting as he realized his lack of ability to do much, coupled with a lack of any personal vendetta against the older tom. Nightstalker could bellyache all he wanted about non-clan cats but he wasn't Chad's leader. No cat was... there wasn't a Thunderclan. His nose twitched in disdain, remembering the predicament that had befallen him after trekking several horizons.

"What good would it do me?" Chad half-growled back, "Not much of a clan here to care for a whole territory." It was embarrassing to be found so shortly after his brush with the sharp foliage. One paw raised to swipe away the couple of droplets and flick them onto the forest floor. He wondered how long it would take to grow accustomed to such dense territory. Everything was much softer underpaw in comparison to the stone that he had grown accustomed to, one welcomed change at least.

"If the rest of Thunderclan ever shows back up, I will have to drive you out, though. I learned a thing or two about the code growing up." Stoatfur and Appledapple had drilled it into him as if he was about to get an apprentice name any day, despite it being a moment that none of them had thought would ever come. At this rate, it likely still wouldn't. Every so often it felt like his parents were still breathing down his neck, training him like the apprentices they'd both reared in spite of the fact the clans had been many sunsets away. Teaching him a world that they never believed he would be a part of. Thinking about them created more confusion than comfort these days so he focused back on Ajex. Silently, he wondered what kind of life this rogue had grown up in. Casual conversation had been far and few on his trek.

Chad couldn't help the way his eyes rolled at Ajex's casual demeanor. It read as arrogance, a trait he had yet to fully indulge in but would quickly learn as he settled into Thunderclan territory. Relaxation had been a luxury on his journey to the forest and something that still felt odd to take for granted. Before letting his own shoulders settle slightly, in favor of peaked curiosity. A soft snort came from the brown and white tom, "What could a rogue like you know about the code?" He pictured Stoatfur, former leader of Thunderclan, and the words echoed in his head in an endless droning. Chad could have recited them in his sleep. What could Ajex offer?