[AbsurdJinx]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Obsidian watched her, wondering how she would react to his earlier words. Nothing so far. He imagined that might have been insensitive of him, but at the moment- he really didn't care. Obsidian tried to relax a little more. She wasn't exactly in a position to hurt him, right? And besides, she had already made her intentions pretty clear. Besides that, she wouldn't stand a chance. If I have to, I will fight her. He thought, the tip of his tail twitching as he listened to the she cat speak. "Maybe. Perhaps I was wrong to say that; but I've learned that I need to speak more forcefully if I don't want to be trampled beneath cats who are stronger then me. Since I don't know you, I don't know whether I can trust you not to hurt me the moment I let my guard down. Understood?" Obsidian asked, his words coming out in a low growl that seemed to say you better understand, I'm not going to say all of that again whether you got it or not.
What he had said had been true. He had learned over the moons of being shadowed out, fading into the background, that if he wanted authority and respect- not necessarily given so much as forced, he was going to have to toughen up and bluff until he could win over the other cats. He watched the she cat come back and stared at the rodents that had been dropped slightly before him. He shifted his weight, staring at them until slowly, he got up and picked them up, carrying them further away from the she cat. After saying all of that, he wasn't sure whether she was going to be as friendly as before. Still, her intentions were good- as far as Obsidian could tell, though he knew better then to let his guard down. It was wrong, plain and simple; at least, in his world it was.
He knew better then to get hurt again. He knew better then to allow her to slip through his guard, as others had done before her, and do all sorts of damage. Obsidian had adapted, in a way- adapted to learn things about cats by watching them. As he settled down again, he glanced up at her and sighed, shifting his weight again before fixing his hues on her. "Thank you." He mewed in a low voice, one that he wasn't quite sure whether she could hear or not, but it was the best he was going to do. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad. Maybe she didn't have an intention to hurt him. Maybe she wasn't going to end up being like so many others, wanting to get close to him to use him, to hurt him, to ditch him as soon as he had served a purpose.
There were so many cats like that. So many cats who had decided they wanted to use others for their own selfish purposes, without giving so much as a thought to how the other cat might feel. Obsidian was not one of these cats. He didn't play around with others' emotions, making them feel special and wanted one moment and then ditching them the next. Oh he had tried- he had figured it might help him fit in with the other cats, but he had learned that they had been using him in that as well. Obsidian lowered his head and took a bite of one of the rodents. It had been a while since he had last eaten, but he didn't want to show her how hungry he was by tearing into it: as much as he wanted to. He knew that would be something she could later use against him, and didn't want to give it to her.

Calia felt a stab of hurt pierce her heart when he moved away from her, but she didn't reveal the emotional pain in any way. When the mouse was only a pile of small bones, she then felt comfortable to relax and talk with the stranger. Briefly, she shoved the mouse remains slightly to the side, patting them down into the ground in the beginning of burying them. She'd completely bury the bones later - she wanted to wash right now.

She rolled onto her flank, her hind legs sprawled before her and her left forepaw supporting her weight. Her tail was rested beside her hind legs, and her tail-tip moved lazily. Her right forepaw was brought to her mouth where she drew her rough tongue over her bloody toes. Her eyes were closed tiredly, and low, soft rumbles erupted in her throat. Her whiskers twitched whenever they managed to poke her damp paw, and her ears swiveled in an attempt to pick up on the smallest of sounds.

With a small sigh, Calia let her forepaw fall to the ground where it pressed against her other paw. She gently settled her chin on her paws, her tongue slipping past her pink lips to lick at her jaws. In this position, she faced away from the stranger, her right flank facing him. Her thick tail curled at her right side, blanketing her hind paw. Finally, when she was satisfied with the results of her wash, she opened her mouth to speak. ``So, stranger,`` She drawled. ``Do you need a place to stay? I can provide you with a nest, food, and water? In my past, I would often home travelers passing through. I'd tend to their wounds, offer them food and water, listen to their stories of adventure...`` Her eyes were wide with a kit-like wonder as she thought back to her history. But they then adopted a sadness that stated she missed her former life.

``Now that my home is in such an isolated area, not many pass by. I haven't met anyone new until you came alone,`` Calia chuckled softly in an attempt to prove her friendliness. ``So many would stay with me. Did you know I once homed an entire Clan patrol for moons? They were the last cats I met. And before them, there was this one tomcat who would constantly stop at my garden. He was a good friend, but he just didn't visit so much anymore...`` In a sad, rasping tone, Calia continued to talk of her past. ``Oh! And once, a queen with three kits stayed with me for a few sunrises. Her kits were absolutely adorable! So cute. One of them asked me if I descended from the stars. Isn't that the cutest thing ever? I was even teaching one of them what I knew about herbs when they had to get moving. I didn't see them again, unfortunately. Another time, two elders were passing by. Oh, those two were the nicest cats ever! They give me an abundance of advice, and they both told me such interesting stories! They were so polite and friendly... You know, a few days later, one of the elders returned and told me his friend passed away... So the elder stayed with me for a little bit until his time came... All were such amazing cats... Though there were a few that were just awful! One wouldn't let me so much as look at him, and another attacked me! We didn't even talk, and she just lunged at me! But, honestly, if I could change anything, I wouldn't. My past made me who I am. Besides, I absolutely adore my history, and when I think back, I feel happy. Happy that I had those experiences, though I do get sad because I can no longer go back to those times.``

Calia, by telling honest stories of her past, was trying to show the stranger that experiences should not change you. She had always been a selfless she-cat, willing to help others even when they don't need her. She offered them a home in her garden, and she was prepared for them to stay until death. Even after her experience with the wild she-cat who attacked her, Calia still offered her a home. However, the wild she-cat had turned her down. Calia could only hope that the stranger could decipher her message.