[lone]

Originally Posted by AbsurdJinx

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.

Obsidian finished the small rodents with a satisfied expression and curled his tail around himself as though it would serve as a barrier between him and the she cat. At times he could act like a grumpy older cat...though he was far from old. In fact, Obsidian was quite a young cat, though he tried to make himself look older sometimes in order to avoid conversation such as the one that was going on now. He watched the she cat, his hues always studying her, head cocked slightly to the side as he did so as though he were trying to figure her out. He wasn't quite sure what to think of her. At first she had been friendly, then she had scolded him, now she was offering him shelter and going back to the friendly cat that he had met? Who is she? Obsidian wondered, his hues narrowing slightly and he turned his head away. His curiosity was getting the better of him and, although he fully meant to tell her he didn't want her shelter, he could feel his mind already changing. "Yeah, I could use a place to stay. Just for the night. I'll be moving on soon- I'm a traveler, I don't stay in one place for long." Obsidian mewed, his voice still halting and cautious, although there were the hints of anxiety and worry in them as well. He wasn't sure whether he should be allowing himself to do this. She's just being polite. She doesn't actually want you here, Obsidian thought to himself, trying to convince himself that she wasn't the cat he thought she just might be. He didn't know whether she was just being polite towards him so that he wouldn't actually attack her, or if she truly did want him to be there. He had yet to meet a cat who wanted his company. He wasn't the special cat in his former family. He wasn't a unique cat under any circumstances...and certainly not these, having run away and all.

Why was she being so nice to him? What did she want from him? He couldn't give it to her, whatever it was...he had been told multiple times he couldn't do anything right, and to be honest, he believed those words. How could he do anything right? In his opinion, he should never have been born. His life didn't matter. He was just another stray, another cat that twolegs wanted to wipe out, another cat that people hated more then anything else...they thought he was scum. "Wow. Sounds like you've had quite the past, then." He mewed, his eyes growing wide with surprise as she spoke about her past. His hues narrowed as he scanned her expression and stance for any signs of what she might be thinking. She's trying to be friendly. And hide something...why, does she think I'm going to make fun of her? I know a thing or two about being alone. And made fun of. I wouldn't do that. But she's sad, too...talking about everyone who's passed through here. Sounds like she misses them quite a bit. And tense- looks like there was some tension between a few, oh yeah, like she said. He hadn't thought that anyone would have been around so many cats. He knew he wouldn't be able to handle it, seeing so many strangers and then having them just move on. And now he was going to be just 'another one of those cats,' coming and moving on. He felt a sting of guilt, realizing that that probably wasn't the nicest thing for him to be doing. He wondered if she ever wished those cats had stayed there for longer. If she missed them, and wished she had moved on with them, or if she was glad that she had stayed here and continued to be someone who provided shelter for other travelers. It was a little hard to tell by looking at her, which was surprising...Obsidian was normally better at figuring out other cats' emotions.

Did she like being alone? Had she chosen it? Or had she been left here purposely, left behind by someone? I wonder what she thinks of me...Obsidian thought. This was something that he generally thought when other cats were speaking to him or asking him questions. She knew nothing of where he had come from. What it had been like, constantly overshadowed and confused...constantly being told he wasn't good enough. Constantly wondering whether he would ever get out of that place one day. His hues fixed themselves on Calia and he sighed, shifting his weight a little uncomfortably. Even now, he still wasn't sure what to think of her. He knew better then anyone else what a pretender could do, but she sounded so honest and hopeful when she was talking to him...what else could he think but that she was telling the truth?

Maybe she did care. He didn't know. I should tell her who I am. Well, my name, at least. She deserves to know that at the least. Obsidian thought to himself, and he glanced up at her again, curling his tail tighter around himself until it looked almost as though it were a snake about to squeeze him to death. "There's something I think you should know...since I'm going to stay here the night, if that's still okay..." Obsidian mewed, his voice a little less rough and guarded now. It was calmer, even softer...but not by much. "Obsidian. My name, I mean, it's...Obsidian." He mewed, averting his hues from her now. He glanced down at his paws, unsheathing and sheathing his claws, digging them into the dirt and watching them slice through it easily. Memories came flooding back to the tom, although he tried to block them out the best he could.

He could only hope that he wasn't making a grave mistake by staying here.