[AbsurdJinx]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Obsidian's hues showed pleasure and pride at her fright. Although there was the slightest bit of regret as though he were realizing she probably hadn't expected to be snarled at when she got up that morning, it was well hidden by his pleased expression. This faded to anger and then shock when she came back on the defense, and it was his turn to step backwards- at least, further then he already had. For a moment he looked unsure of his to respond to an attack...it was pretty obvious he hadn't actually fought with a she cat before. But from his stance, his ears pinned back against his head, and the overall stance showed that he had been verbally abused plenty. She wasn't really being hard on him... No, she sounded more like- a mother? Did she have kits somewhere? Was that why she was suddenly going on the defensive, so he wouldn't hurt her kits? Obsidian looked a little shamed for a moment before he took a few steps towards her. "Look. I've been attacked, both physically and verbally. I've been scolded. I've been pushed around. I've been scared, alone, and anxious. I've had to worry about whether or not I'm going to be kicked out the next morning because I messed up. Have you ever had any of those problems? From where I'm standing, it seems like you have it pretty good here." The tom answered.

His voice was calm...he knew it must be hard to take care of a family if she was on her own, but surely no one would just leave her out here. She seemed decent enough, but...there was no way Obsidian would let his guard down. He stayed tense, nervous, his ears flicking backwards and betraying his discomfort along with his rapidly twitching tail. At her next words, Obsidian cocked his head to the side. What was she trying to do? What had happened to the defense that he had seen a moment ago? He had no idea. He was a little scared now, realizing that she might be more dangerous then he had previously thought. The fact that she could just...change her approach like that made him more uncertain.

Pretty much everything made the tom uncertain. He was worried that if he were to allow her to get through to him, or to be friendly with him, things could go very wrong very quickly. Why couldn't she have approached him hostily? It would have been so much easier for him to ignore the fact that she was a she cat and just attack if she wasn't so...feminine. His ears flattened themselves against his head and he scowled a little before sighing. "Alright. I guess that would be fine." He mewed, glancing around as though he expected cats to jump out at him from all angles. He needed to calm down and yet, he had the uneasy feeling that he normally had.

He watched her go, his tail twitching back and forth for a moment. Go ahead and tell her who you are, his mind urged and he wished that it had a form so he could see it to snarl at it. I don't even know this cat, he argued back, his tail twitching more violently now. She's giving you food. She hasn't attacked you. She seems pretty nice. His mind told him, and he felt almost sick as he glanced after her. He knew he couldn't go and make a friend. He knew he couldn't get too attached to her. He was going to be a wanderer, he was going to explore the world, see things he had never seen before. He was going to explore. He was going to do things that most cats never did. And yet sitting there, in the sunny spot, was one of the nicest times he had had in a long time. He didn't want to hurt her. He never wanted to hurt anyone- he knew it would never lead to something good for them or him.

And yet- was he going to be able to help it?

Calia thought of the words of his statement. Attacked. Scolded. Pushed. Physically. Verbally. What has the poor tomcat been through before meeting her? She imagined the jagged, pink scars that must paint his undercoat, as well as the mental scars that haunting his dreams. Perhaps his past experiences are why he acted the way he did? Scared. Alone. Anxious. Calia knew how these emotions felt just as much as she knew their definitions. However, judging by the way he acted, he most likely faced unimaginable things. Kicked out. Messed up. Has he had multiple homes before stumbling upon her? Has he been constantly worrying about being chased out? All because of a mistake?

Have you ever had any of those problems? Calia nearly bristled at this, and her vibrant blue eyes glistened with a furious rage. How dare he assume what I've been through? She succeeded in keeping her fur flat, and she was lucky that she was not facing the stranger. She halted before the place she buried scrawny mice, and she began to dig. Her paws scooped up pawfuls of earth, and firmly packed them in a pile beside the growing hole. As she dug, she figured she could respond to his former statement.

``Mm, I feel you should consider what others have been through before saying such things as `have you been through that`, don't you think?`` Calia's tone was light, hinting that she was a genuinely friendly cat despite the anger that drove her tail to lash. How kind and strong she must be to refrain from blowing up on the tom. The tomcat's words has clipped a string inside her and driven her to feel upset over her past. She had previously considered asking him if he's been through depression, but she decided she would not stoop down to his level.

When the tails of a few gaunt mice were clenched softly between her jaws, she began the short trot to the stranger where she dropped two of the three rodents a few tail-lengths before him. She figured he must be hungry - she didn't know the last time he had eaten. Taking her previous position from before she left to grab the prey, she sat down and set the mouse at her forepaws. Her thick tail was curled at her side, and she drew her tongue along her damp lips hungrily. Figuring she has said enough, and it was his turn to speak, Calia bent her head to bite into the flesh of the rodent.