[AbsurdJinx]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Water voles?

Obsidian, normally being on the move and staying mainly in places where there wasn't much water-- before then having always had a dish to drink from-- wasn't quite sure what they tasted like. He'd seen a few... they were the rat-looking things that hung around ponds.
　

"Haven't ever tried one."

To cats he had just met, Obsidian normally didn't talk much. But Calia was very easy to talk to-- she was so friendly and open, it made him feel as though he were... well, back at a home with humans. Which he didn't really miss. Those days had been probably some of the worst, and darkest, of his life. Besides, being on his own was better in so many ways.
　
There were too many ways to lose trust in cats when you were around them all the time. For example, being surrounded by starlet felines-- cats who were expert show cats, always stuck up and rude-- had not been Obsidian's favorite thing. He had hated it with a fierce, burning hatred and passion. After all, who wanted a bunch of stuck up, rude cats around you all the time?
　
Not this tom, that was for sure. Perhaps that was part of the reason he had left. Or maybe it had been the intense yearning to find a place of his own. To wander around until he found that one area that he could rightfully call home. And now? Obsidian was pretty sure he had found it. The Dusk Syndicate was the place that he would be calling home. The place that he would end up in, and he would be stuck there forever. Who cared about a cozy bed, a safe home, and all the food and water he wanted?
　
It was like a prison. He hadn't been allowed outside, and he'd been forced to be around his brother and the starlets. Annoying cats who mewed at the tiniest thing, fawning over humans like they were some sort of magic cat. It was truly sickening. And he hated it, almost more then anything else. He remembered living around those types of cats, and feeling as though he didn't belong because they would do things that he felt were quite disgusting.
　
It was weird, what some cats would do for attention and how others-- like himself-- refused to do those very things. But why? What made them that way? Obsidian figured it was something in his own genes, but he wouldn't ever point that out. He preferred to think of himself as unique.
　
He had cut himself off from his brother, after all. And for what? So that he could live the life of a more rugged loner, trying to survive-- struggling to survive, even? He wasn't sure what would make him do that. And sometimes, like now, he regretted it very much. After all, safety had always been important to Obsidian. Safety and comfort. And yet here he was, giving a couple of those very things away to the feline before him. By staying with her, he was risking allowing himself to let go of everything he had held onto for the past few moons. He was risking letting go of almost everything, at least. Perhaps there was a way to have company again. He would in the Syndicate, though the type of company he would have?
　
Not so much of the friendly kind. And definitely not the mewing, squirming, kitten-like cats that he had been around in the past. Then again, Calia didn't remind him of those cats either. True, she didn't think humans-- housefolk-- twolegs, or whatever they might be called, were so bad, which Obsidian didn't agree with at all, but maybe she'd had a better experience with them.
　

What's with the ribbon?

He thought, glancing down at the bright blue ribbon that still looked to be too tight. The tom listened to her words, cocking his head to the side as he did so, and a look of amusement was obvious on his features. She seemed to have a lot to tell about this little area of land. It was a pretty spot-- he could certainly see why she stayed here, and he liked it a lot. It was nice. The one thing he didn't understand was how she put up with a twoleg coming around. That was the one thing that Obsidian would never be able to understand. He glanced over at her, before quickly averting his gaze.
　
That ribbon was bothering him-- he didn't like seeing any cat with a collar, ribbon, etc. that might show signs of them being a twoleg's pet. "You sure you don't want that ribbon off?" He asked, staring at it as though he thought he might be able to burn it off from a distance. While Obsidian wasn't that comfortable around the feline, if he was getting a twoleg object off, he was perfectly alright with it. Had the twoleg she mentioned coming around here put it on her in the first place?
　
And if so, then why was she defending him? Was there something wrong with him and she felt like she needed to? The tom waited for her response, tail twitching with a jerky eagerness that seemed to show his desire to rip the ribbon off and throw it away. She was a sweet cat, but sometimes-- the tom just went too far. If now was one of those times, she should let him know before he decided to do so anyways. He didn't so much as want to look at it anymore, and glanced up at the blue coloring of the sky.
　
It was a pretty color, one that Obsidian had always loved... one that almost matched the ribbon. Thinking of it again, his yellow hues narrowed and he looked down at his own paws. They looked dirty, messy... not at all what he would have liked. But he wasn't a housecat anymore. There was no worrying whether his humans were going to dump him in water to clean him up. Once more, he glanced up at Calia, awaiting her response.

Calia appreciated Obsidian's concern when it came to her precious blue ribbon, but she didn't want the traveling tomcat to waste his time worrying about it. She figured she'd tell him the story - may as well, after all. Perhaps the story would play a role in getting him to open up? She purred loudly, amusement and assurance visible in her vibrant blue eyes. Shifting slightly in her nest, trying to find the most comfortable position, she removed her gaze from him and focused on her movement.

As she pawed and prodded at the fresh stalks of her nest, Calia began, ``Don't you worry your pretty little head, Obsidian,`` she mewled teasingly. She didn't know if he was comfortable with teasing yet, but she figured she'd never know unless she tried. Nervously, she immediately continued talking, ``I was once a kittypet, believe it or not.`` Her voice was joking, but she quickly cleared her throat and adopted a serious, longing tone. She finally settled in her nest, her head facing Obsidian, but she did not look at him. Sadness radiated off her, though she did her best to conceal it. ``I lived in a beautiful home, with a twoleg kit and her parents. The twoleg-kit and I were, well, best friends. We did everything together. A few moons after I first met her, she took off the blue collar I had been wearing, and replaced it with this ribbon.`` Talking about the ribbon caused her neck to itch, and speaking the story caused her throat to tighten. She suddenly forgot how to inhale, but she was quick to recover. Calia did not leave time for Obsidian to interrupt. ``My housefolk left somewhere, all three of them. They didn't come home for days, and I was taken care of by the neighbor. Finally, my housefolk returned, but without the twoleg-kit.`` She closed her eyes tightly in an attempt to rid herself of the internal pain. Her chest heaved with every shaky breath. She lived those rough days over and over, and they haunted her and haunted her. ``The two older twolegs began to neglect me, and the twoleg-kit never returned. I wasn't given as much attention as before, and when I tried to give my housefolk attention... they ignored me, or pushed me away. Obviously, I wasn't wanted, and I wasn't happy anymore. It was clear to me the twoleg-kit would never return, leaving me to wonder what happened to my best friend. I left, and took my chances in the wild. Y'know, I had never been outdoors until that moment. The day I slipped through the open window... I couldn't hunt then, so I scavenged instead. Eventually I found a garden which I made my home.`` She was unaware that she was spilling her life story to the unsuspecting tomcat across form her. Calia was lost in her past, away from reality. Her physical form was frozen, and her eyes only revealed sadness. ``Travelers would stay with me, and in return for shelter, they'd teach me survival techniques. And, uh-``

Reality caught up to her now, and her fur rose in shock as she realized what she was saying. ``Sorry.`` With a nervous chuckle, Calia let her chin rest on her paws, staring at the bridge wall away from Obsidian. She was embarrassed and shocked from her own words, and she believed she had done nothing but bother her guest. Oh, why do you have to be so mouse-brained, Calia? Unable to bear the emotions any further, but not wanting to be rude, she abruptly murmured, ``goodnight, Obsidian,``(adding his name in there for a softer touch) and closed her eyes, willing sleep to come.