Dusk Syndicate Clearing

[vellichor]

Originally Posted by LostintheEchoes

The molly turned around at the sound of her fellow Hunter Moon's voice, her ears picking in relief. She sank her claws into the ground as she flicked her tail. "Sure," she replied, not sounding too enthusiastic. Hunting was not something she enjoyed doing, but it was the only rank to stay in until she rose. And that's what she was determined to do. She nodded at Moon before turning back and heading toward the camp entrance. "Where should we hunt?" She called quickly over her shoulder, her amber eyes dull. She had forgotten to ask where to hunt, the most simple question, and she silently bit her tongue in annoyance.

The silver she-cat shrugged. She didn't enjoy hunting, but Aquarius had seemed like she needed someone to hunt with. "Anywhere is fine with me," she replied. Moon unsheathed her claws, ready for the hunt.

[Aquarius]

Originally Posted by Spottedheart

The silver she-cat shrugged. She didn't enjoy hunting, but Aquarius had seemed like she needed someone to hunt with. "Anywhere is fine with me," she replied. Moon unsheathed her claws, ready for the hunt.

Aquarius gritted her teeth, conjuring a map of the territory in her mind. "Fine. We can hunt down by the road, there might be rats or thrushes or something there," she growled lowly, pushing her way out of camp. She was lucky none of the guards had bothered her, and she was satisfied in her mind that she had gotten away with rising late without punishment. She smirked to herself and padded out into the territory, not stopping to see if Moon was following or not.

[vellichor]

Originally Posted by LostintheEchoes

Aquarius gritted her teeth, conjuring a map of the territory in her mind. "Fine. We can hunt down by the road, there might be rats or thrushes or something there," she growled lowly, pushing her way out of camp. She was lucky none of the guards had bothered her, and she was satisfied in her mind that she had gotten away with rising late without punishment. She smirked to herself and padded out into the territory, not stopping to see if Moon was following or not.

"Sounds good," she replied with a low murmur. She followed Aquarius to the Road, and thought about how she was going to be promoted soon, hopefully. She had been a hunter for the longest while, and started to despise it.

[Deerlie]

Death was all healed and he sat in camp flicking his tail. He looked at gorse and smiled.

Gorse nodded back. "I don't think needle knows your fully healed yet."

"Same" He replied. "Were is he?"

[Empress Of Evil]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Living in the Syndicate for most of his life, Arrow had learned the rules here. Keeping his head down and avoiding eye contact with hostiles was always the number one rule. For him, at least. For everyone else? Perhaps it was something else, but Arrow's rules were different. He kept out of everyone else's way and he stayed safe. That was the most important thing to him. Staying as safe as he possibly could without getting his throat slit or worse, being kept alive as a plaything. He'd seen it happen before. And he was constantly keeping his eyes open to make sure that it would never, ever happen to him. As long as he kept his head down?
He would be safe. Safety was always the most important thing to Arrow. Keeping himself out of harm's way. The she cat's voice came as somewhat of a surprise to him, and he glanced up at her as though he half expected her to go ahead and kill him. He wasn't the type of cat who liked to be caught off guard. Some took it as a challenge-- but Arrow? Definitely, definitely not. In fact, he absolutely hated it. For whatever reason, being caught off guard was his definition of the most horrifying thing... next to some of the things he had seen while living in the Syndicate. Arrow sometimes wondered if this was really the type of life that he wanted to live.
He met her gaze-- another one of Arrow's rules was not to show fear. Ever. He would never, ever show that he was afraid of another cat...the type of power that it gave them over him, well...it just wasn't worth it to the fighter. "Uh...hi?" His words sounded somewhat confused, as though he wasn't quite sure what he should be saying. An awkward silence followed afterwards before the tom heard her voice again. Confused at the words she spoke next, Arrow cocked his head to the side. That was an awkward thing to say...considering the two didn't even know each other yet. He didn't so much as know her name, and she was asking how he was? The tom licked his maw, glancing at her with a puzzled expression in his eyes before he shrugged. "Uh, I'm doing fine, I guess. And you?" He asked, managing to give her a hint of a smile.
That wasn't really Arrow's strong suit. Smiling, laughing, contact...anything like that was always incredibly uncomfortable for the handsome brown tom. He was used to staying away from cats that might hurt him, and while Tundra didn't look like she meant him any harm-- or would mean him any harm-- he was still cautious. It was just part of his nature, like it was to protect himself or to stay away from the hostile cats. All of that was in his nature. It had been engraved into it ever since he was a young kit, and he was careful to keep it that way. "Uh...I'm Arrow, by the way. Guess I should have-- introduced myself earlier. I-- I don't mean to, umm...make you feel uncomfortable, but who are you? I don't believe we've met before." Arrow's hues were inquisitive, not threatening. He was always careful to make other cats feel the way he would like to feel around them. Or at least, he tried to-- without letting them feel too attached to him.

In her head, the Siberian she-cat was mentally slapping herself over and over again. Why had she made such a simply mistake? You don't just ask someone how they are without asking for their name first! But then again, this was something that Tundra had half seen coming. It wasn't exactly this that Tundra had thought was going to happen, but she knew that she would end up saying something awkward, whether it be at the beginning of the conversation, the end, or all the way through. One thing that you could always trust Tundra to be in a conversation, is awkward.
Tundra had been born with awkwardness in her blood. From the moment that she had learnt how to speak, she had always struggled. It was an embarrassing thing for her to have to put up with and she always hated how she was the one to create an awkward atmosphere. The she-cat knew that she would probably give anything to not be such an awkward cat when it came to socialising. But she really couldn't help it. It was a hard thing to deal with and no matter what she did she just couldn't stop it from happening. The best that Tundra could do was to not speak. And that's just what she did. The fighter would never approach anyone for a conversation, only speaking if she was spoken to. And, sometimes it actually worked. If she could manage to not speak to someone for a whole day, then that meant that she had just gone through a day without feeling any awkwardness in her system.
It was always something for Tundra to be proud of when she could say something without being awkward. And no, she couldn't be proud of herself for having whole conversations, cause she would always say at least one thing that was awkward, but she just stuck to small sentences. Or even saying a greeting, like 'hi'. 'Hi' or 'hello' wasn't an awkward thing to say, after all, everyone said it all the time. Therefore, Tundra never felt embarrassed when she mewed her greeting. The Siberian she-cat looked back at the tom in front of her, as if suddenly remembering he was still there. The fighter could see the puzzlement on his face and it made her want to dig a hole and curl up in it. "I'm normal," she replied quickly. Repeating the words in her mind, she froze for a short moment. When she said she was normal, she meant that she was the same as she was every other day. However, the way that she had said it made her sound like someone was accusing her of being an alien. It seemed that it wasn't just her words that were awkward, the way that she spoke was too.
"As in, like um, I feel the way that I always do. Which is...." she trailed, laughing nervously. Well that hadn't gone well. She sighed inwardly, not letting her signs of frustration show. That had just made her sound even more stupid. And what was worse, was that if the tom had understood her the first time, she had just explained something as if he were stupid. Which was even worse for her. Tundra could only hope that he wasn't the kind of tom that was offended easily. "Um, i'm Tundra," Tundra replied, she almost let out a massive sigh of relief, but quickly changed it into a fake yawn. She didn't want to look weird after all. At least what she had just said wasn't that awkward. At least the fighter could be proud of herself for saying that one sentence normally. However, dread still clawed at her as she waited for the conversation to continue.

[lone]

Originally Posted by Empress Of Evil

In her head, the Siberian she-cat was mentally slapping herself over and over again. Why had she made such a simply mistake? You don't just ask someone how they are without asking for their name first! But then again, this was something that Tundra had half seen coming. It wasn't exactly this that Tundra had thought was going to happen, but she knew that she would end up saying something awkward, whether it be at the beginning of the conversation, the end, or all the way through. One thing that you could always trust Tundra to be in a conversation, is awkward.

Tundra had been born with awkwardness in her blood. From the moment that she had learnt how to speak, she had always struggled. It was an embarrassing thing for her to have to put up with and she always hated how she was the one to create an awkward atmosphere. The she-cat knew that she would probably give anything to not be such an awkward cat when it came to socialising. But she really couldn't help it. It was a hard thing to deal with and no matter what she did she just couldn't stop it from happening. The best that Tundra could do was to not speak. And that's just what she did. The fighter would never approach anyone for a conversation, only speaking if she was spoken to. And, sometimes it actually worked. If she could manage to not speak to someone for a whole day, then that meant that she had just gone through a day without feeling any awkwardness in her system.
It was always something for Tundra to be proud of when she could say something without being awkward. And no, she couldn't be proud of herself for having whole conversations, cause she would always say at least one thing that was awkward, but she just stuck to small sentences. Or even saying a greeting, like 'hi'. 'Hi' or 'hello' wasn't an awkward thing to say, after all, everyone said it all the time. Therefore, Tundra never felt embarrassed when she mewed her greeting. The Siberian she-cat looked back at the tom in front of her, as if suddenly remembering he was still there. The fighter could see the puzzlement on his face and it made her want to dig a hole and curl up in it. "I'm normal," she replied quickly. Repeating the words in her mind, she froze for a short moment. When she said she was normal, she meant that she was the same as she was every other day. However, the way that she had said it made her sound like someone was accusing her of being an alien. It seemed that it wasn't just her words that were awkward, the way that she spoke was too.

"As in, like um, I feel the way that I always do. Which is...." she trailed, laughing nervously. Well that hadn't gone well. She sighed inwardly, not letting her signs of frustration show. That had just made her sound even more stupid. And what was worse, was that if the tom had understood her the first time, she had just explained something as if he were stupid. Which was even worse for her. Tundra could only hope that he wasn't the kind of tom that was offended easily. "Um, i'm Tundra," Tundra replied, she almost let out a massive sigh of relief, but quickly changed it into a fake yawn. She didn't want to look weird after all. At least what she had just said wasn't that awkward. At least the fighter could be proud of herself for saying that one sentence normally. However, dread still clawed at her as she waited for the conversation to continue.

Normal? Arrow cocked his head to the side, an amused look on his features. He doubted that was a very normal response to what should have been a universal question. Still, realizing that she had frozen... perhaps out of embarassment... Arrow decided not to bring it up. He wasn't too hard on other cats. Pretty easygoing. Just guarded, that was all. He had to be! Living here, he'd learned that some cats were pleasant, some flirty, some manipulative and some just plain bloodthirsty. The four types of cats who lived there. And, they could also be mixed. A bloodthirsty flirt was always his worst nightmare, not to mention a manipulative cat who seemed pleasant.
　
Ugh, he hated those cats. He'd heard that the Clans had more strict rules and friendlier cats, but he couldn't leave now. However much he hated this place... this pit... it was his home now. He'd lived here for too long and he was just a little too broken to want to get out. That was understandable, right? Surely everyone would get that he wouldn't want to leave the very place he'd been counting on for the past... what was it, 30 moons? Around that time. He suspected it'd been more like 32, or 34, but who was counting, really? Obviously not Arrow.
　
He would rather forget the past... however long it had been, and start over. But he couldn't. He'd made friends and enemies here. He didn't want to forget his friends, and his enemies wouldn't let him forget them. At her explanation of the word normal, Arrow turned his head away so she wouldn't see the smile that came onto his features. She seemed flustered enough, he didn't want to bother her even more by having her worry that she had either offended him or that he was laughing at her. Even if he really was. Laughing at her, not offended. Truth be told, Arrow found the she cat fun to talk to. With the thirty seconds of conversation that they had had. She seemed to defy the natural stereotypes he had found in the past.
　
Or did she fall under pleasant? Well, it certainly wasn't flirtatious, bloodthirsty or manipulative. But he would keep his guard up all the same. Some cats were the trickiest he had ever met. Intelligent. That was one word that described every single cat living in the Syndicate. They had to be, if they wanted to survive. Well... all the ones that were going to live for very long were intelligent. "Don't worry about it. You feel normal, got it." He mewed, with a definite nod of his head. He acted as though she'd just told him she felt good, or okay, or something that sounded completely natural.
　
Normal, heh. No doubt she would have been normal, but in a place like this? Oh no. She stood out. At least, when a conversation actually started. With a conversation going in the direction that it already was, he was sure that he wouldn't have to guard himself. Certain subjects tended to send him into a state that was near-impossible to get him out of. And, while that might be annoying... it was most certainly true. There was no way around it. Arrow knew that it was inevitable, but for the moment being, he would enjoy his moment of feeling normal.
　
As she had said... like he normally did. Only, it was different, because it was more comfortable. Since she defied stereotypes? He didn't really feel like worrying about it at the moment, but no doubt he would be asking himself a lot of questions later. About things he had said. Done. Stuff like that, and things that she had said and done. There was always going to be something suspicious, and it was Arrow's job to point it out. As he heard her name, the tom cocked his head to the side and examined her, scanning her as though she were someone else entirely then he had started the conversation with.
　
"Tundra, huh? Nice name." He told her. Just being polite. For a dump like this, she doesn't seem like she'd last very long. "So how long have you lived in the Syndicate, Tundra?" He asked. The name sounded unique. Different. Like those Clan names, only it wasn't 'Tundrasnow' or 'Tundraclaw' or something else that he would never understand. Those names confused Arrow to no end. Like that SkyClan that had moved in... did their names really change? He'd had the same name all his life, and he wasn't planning on changing it anytime soon. After all, no one needed to change their names, did they? Not that Arrow knew of. The Clans had chosen that... and it was a path he would stay far away from.

[Empress Of Evil]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Normal? Arrow cocked his head to the side, an amused look on his features. He doubted that was a very normal response to what should have been a universal question. Still, realizing that she had frozen... perhaps out of embarassment... Arrow decided not to bring it up. He wasn't too hard on other cats. Pretty easygoing. Just guarded, that was all. He had to be! Living here, he'd learned that some cats were pleasant, some flirty, some manipulative and some just plain bloodthirsty. The four types of cats who lived there. And, they could also be mixed. A bloodthirsty flirt was always his worst nightmare, not to mention a manipulative cat who seemed pleasant.
　
Ugh, he hated those cats. He'd heard that the Clans had more strict rules and friendlier cats, but he couldn't leave now. However much he hated this place... this pit... it was his home now. He'd lived here for too long and he was just a little too broken to want to get out. That was understandable, right? Surely everyone would get that he wouldn't want to leave the very place he'd been counting on for the past... what was it, 30 moons? Around that time. He suspected it'd been more like 32, or 34, but who was counting, really? Obviously not Arrow.
　
He would rather forget the past... however long it had been, and start over. But he couldn't. He'd made friends and enemies here. He didn't want to forget his friends, and his enemies wouldn't let him forget them. At her explanation of the word normal, Arrow turned his head away so she wouldn't see the smile that came onto his features. She seemed flustered enough, he didn't want to bother her even more by having her worry that she had either offended him or that he was laughing at her. Even if he really was. Laughing at her, not offended. Truth be told, Arrow found the she cat fun to talk to. With the thirty seconds of conversation that they had had. She seemed to defy the natural stereotypes he had found in the past.
　
Or did she fall under pleasant? Well, it certainly wasn't flirtatious, bloodthirsty or manipulative. But he would keep his guard up all the same. Some cats were the trickiest he had ever met. Intelligent. That was one word that described every single cat living in the Syndicate. They had to be, if they wanted to survive. Well... all the ones that were going to live for very long were intelligent. "Don't worry about it. You feel normal, got it." He mewed, with a definite nod of his head. He acted as though she'd just told him she felt good, or okay, or something that sounded completely natural.
　
Normal, heh. No doubt she would have been normal, but in a place like this? Oh no. She stood out. At least, when a conversation actually started. With a conversation going in the direction that it already was, he was sure that he wouldn't have to guard himself. Certain subjects tended to send him into a state that was near-impossible to get him out of. And, while that might be annoying... it was most certainly true. There was no way around it. Arrow knew that it was inevitable, but for the moment being, he would enjoy his moment of feeling normal.
　
As she had said... like he normally did. Only, it was different, because it was more comfortable. Since she defied stereotypes? He didn't really feel like worrying about it at the moment, but no doubt he would be asking himself a lot of questions later. About things he had said. Done. Stuff like that, and things that she had said and done. There was always going to be something suspicious, and it was Arrow's job to point it out. As he heard her name, the tom cocked his head to the side and examined her, scanning her as though she were someone else entirely then he had started the conversation with.
　
"Tundra, huh? Nice name." He told her. Just being polite. For a dump like this, she doesn't seem like she'd last very long. "So how long have you lived in the Syndicate, Tundra?" He asked. The name sounded unique. Different. Like those Clan names, only it wasn't 'Tundrasnow' or 'Tundraclaw' or something else that he would never understand. Those names confused Arrow to no end. Like that SkyClan that had moved in... did their names really change? He'd had the same name all his life, and he wasn't planning on changing it anytime soon. After all, no one needed to change their names, did they? Not that Arrow knew of. The Clans had chosen that... and it was a path he would stay far away from.

The Siberian she-cat was really starting to struggle. But then again, since when did she ever not struggle during a conversation? It was her job to struggle, that was the gift that she had been giving the moment she became part of this world. Somehow, Tundra had always managed to struggle in her life. And this time, she didn’t just mean struggling with socialising, she also meant life in general. Her life had been tough from when she was young, losing her mother and father, being left with just herself and her sister. It sent amazement through her, knowing that she had managed to live this long with basically no family. The she-cat also had hardly any friends, seeing as Tundra wasn’t the most ideal cat that you would want as a friend.

But thinking about it, did she really want to be friends with these cats? After all, just looking around the place, seeing cats lazing around here and there, it already sent shivers down spines. That is, if you weren’t a syndicate cat. If you were a cat that belonged to this group, you would be used to seeing this every day. Even Tundra had gotten used to it, although it continued to made her shudder. However, if you were a clan cat who had no idea what to expect, they’d probably have turned tail in less than a minute. It wasn’t hard to see that this place wasn’t fit for clan cats. Most clan cats were much friendlier and less scary.

The thought struck her. Would she ever fit in as a clan cat? Would she want to be like them? Judging by what she had seen from across the borders, they were kind cats. Well, using what she saw from the SkyClan cats anyway. The other clans might be different, although Tundra was highly doubtful of that. Clan cats seemed like the kind of group that would always stick up for each other and have each others back. The idea of it all sounded quite nice. The idea of joining them sounded nice to her, but probably sounded absolutely absurd to those around her. She was a Dusk Syndicate cat, and Tundra knew that they had had enough border skirmishes with SkyClan for all the clans to wary. But surely she wasn’t much of a threat? The she-cat certainly didn’t look like one. Fluffy furred, awkward and reserved, surely not?

Although, it would probably be best if you didn’t underestimate this she-cat. Whilst Tundra might be awkward and shy, that didn’t mean she wasn’t hiding anything. No, she doesn’t secretly evil side. Tundra is what you could say, extremely skilled when it comes to fighting. Even if she really didn’t seem like the cat to be good at fighting, she was. It was just a matter of whether she was willing to hurt someone. That, was a question that Tundra would be able to answer. The she-cat didn’t really like conflict, however she couldn’t say that she had no reason to hurt another fellow cat. Hardly any of these cats here had ever treated her nicely, always teasing her for being awkward and scaring her off.

Teasing her for her awkward nature. The words made her flinch, even though no one had said anything. Tundra was rather sensitive when it came to the topic of her social awkwardness. It was something that she had never been able to cope well with, finding that it normally seemed to bring tears to her eyes. But why was she so sensitive to this particular thing? The fighter wasn’t quite sure, although she was going to guess that it was because it was just embarrassing for her. No one liked being teased for something that they couldn’t help. Tundra always absorbed the words though, saying nothing to defend herself. She didn’t want to make them angry after all, she definitely wouldn’t want an angry syndicate cat. And in fact, it wasn’t because she was scared that she would be attacked, because she was quite sure that she could defend herself, but more so she didn’t want them spilling out any more hurtful words. For this Siberian she-cat, words seemed to hurt more than actions.

Tundra could only be grateful to Arrow, knowing that he hadn’t brought up the topic despite the many mistakes that she had already made. The siberian she-cat liked cats like him. They didn’t seem to judge her for who she was. Although, the fighter assumed that they were most likely judging her on the inside. Alright, do maybe they did still judge her just like everyone else, but at least they didn’t bring it up. When others didn’t bring it up, a wave of appreciation would always wash over her. It also made her wonder, why do cats judge each other? Why don’t they just keep their nose in their own business and not judge others? Tundra hated cats that judged others for something rather ‘peculiar’ about them and therefore did her best not to be a hypocrite and do the same. What good would that do her? She was already being teased for her terrible social skills, so she didn’t need to be teased for being a hypocrite either. But then again, she hadn’t actually ever told someone that she hated being judged, so it really didn’t matter that much.

Had he just complimented her? Tundra’s ears picked as she stared at him. Had her ears deceived her? Or were they telling the truth? Well either way, how strange. Her eyes and ears didn’t normally give her false information, yet, no one had ever complimented her before. This was a first. "Th-thanks?” Tundra replied, confusion lacing her voice, for once not bothering to keep it out of her voice. She was too busy being puzzled to do that. “Your name is nice too,” the she-cat replied, still rather bemused. She quickly realised what she had said and felt her claws sinking into the ground, as if trying to put down all of her embarrassment. Well that was stupid. The way that she had said it and the fact that she had said it after he had complimented her own name made her sound like she was just doing it to be polite. For a few moments, she fretted that she might offend the tom, however that soon changed. A thought came into mind, what if he was doing it just because he was being polite too? Well actually, Tundra herself half-meant what she had said. Arrow was a nice name, but it didn’t seem like the scariest. But then again, neither did her. Her thoughts seemed to be all a mess right now, so she shook them all out. At the tom’s next question, Tundra’s eyes widened ever so slightly. She remembered some ‘advice’ that Hannibal had once given her. He had said to not give away such personal information, information like where you were from and what not. It really wasn’t exactly advice though, it was just telling the she-cat something that was obvious that she hadn't actually managed to work out before. “A long time. What about you?” the she-cat asked. Tundra was happy with her response, although no happy expression crossed her face. Her awkward expression of embarrassment and slight fear continued to stay the same.

[lone]

Originally Posted by Empress Of Evil

The Siberian she-cat was really starting to struggle. But then again, since when did she ever not struggle during a conversation? It was her job to struggle, that was the gift that she had been giving the moment she became part of this world. Somehow, Tundra had always managed to struggle in her life. And this time, she didn’t just mean struggling with socialising, she also meant life in general. Her life had been tough from when she was young, losing her mother and father, being left with just herself and her sister. It sent amazement through her, knowing that she had managed to live this long with basically no family. The she-cat also had hardly any friends, seeing as Tundra wasn’t the most ideal cat that you would want as a friend.

But thinking about it, did she really want to be friends with these cats? After all, just looking around the place, seeing cats lazing around here and there, it already sent shivers down spines. That is, if you weren’t a syndicate cat. If you were a cat that belonged to this group, you would be used to seeing this every day. Even Tundra had gotten used to it, although it continued to made her shudder. However, if you were a clan cat who had no idea what to expect, they’d probably have turned tail in less than a minute. It wasn’t hard to see that this place wasn’t fit for clan cats. Most clan cats were much friendlier and less scary.

The thought struck her. Would she ever fit in as a clan cat? Would she want to be like them? Judging by what she had seen from across the borders, they were kind cats. Well, using what she saw from the SkyClan cats anyway. The other clans might be different, although Tundra was highly doubtful of that. Clan cats seemed like the kind of group that would always stick up for each other and have each others back. The idea of it all sounded quite nice. The idea of joining them sounded nice to her, but probably sounded absolutely absurd to those around her. She was a Dusk Syndicate cat, and Tundra knew that they had had enough border skirmishes with SkyClan for all the clans to wary. But surely she wasn’t much of a threat? The she-cat certainly didn’t look like one. Fluffy furred, awkward and reserved, surely not?

Although, it would probably be best if you didn’t underestimate this she-cat. Whilst Tundra might be awkward and shy, that didn’t mean she wasn’t hiding anything. No, she doesn’t secretly evil side. Tundra is what you could say, extremely skilled when it comes to fighting. Even if she really didn’t seem like the cat to be good at fighting, she was. It was just a matter of whether she was willing to hurt someone. That, was a question that Tundra would be able to answer. The she-cat didn’t really like conflict, however she couldn’t say that she had no reason to hurt another fellow cat. Hardly any of these cats here had ever treated her nicely, always teasing her for being awkward and scaring her off.

Teasing her for her awkward nature. The words made her flinch, even though no one had said anything. Tundra was rather sensitive when it came to the topic of her social awkwardness. It was something that she had never been able to cope well with, finding that it normally seemed to bring tears to her eyes. But why was she so sensitive to this particular thing? The fighter wasn’t quite sure, although she was going to guess that it was because it was just embarrassing for her. No one liked being teased for something that they couldn’t help. Tundra always absorbed the words though, saying nothing to defend herself. She didn’t want to make them angry after all, she definitely wouldn’t want an angry syndicate cat. And in fact, it wasn’t because she was scared that she would be attacked, because she was quite sure that she could defend herself, but more so she didn’t want them spilling out any more hurtful words. For this Siberian she-cat, words seemed to hurt more than actions.

Tundra could only be grateful to Arrow, knowing that he hadn’t brought up the topic despite the many mistakes that she had already made. The siberian she-cat liked cats like him. They didn’t seem to judge her for who she was. Although, the fighter assumed that they were most likely judging her on the inside. Alright, do maybe they did still judge her just like everyone else, but at least they didn’t bring it up. When others didn’t bring it up, a wave of appreciation would always wash over her. It also made her wonder, why do cats judge each other? Why don’t they just keep their nose in their own business and not judge others? Tundra hated cats that judged others for something rather ‘peculiar’ about them and therefore did her best not to be a hypocrite and do the same. What good would that do her? She was already being teased for her terrible social skills, so she didn’t need to be teased for being a hypocrite either. But then again, she hadn’t actually ever told someone that she hated being judged, so it really didn’t matter that much.

Had he just complimented her? Tundra’s ears picked as she stared at him. Had her ears deceived her? Or were they telling the truth? Well either way, how strange. Her eyes and ears didn’t normally give her false information, yet, no one had ever complimented her before. This was a first. "Th-thanks?” Tundra replied, confusion lacing her voice, for once not bothering to keep it out of her voice. She was too busy being puzzled to do that. “Your name is nice too,” the she-cat replied, still rather bemused. She quickly realised what she had said and felt her claws sinking into the ground, as if trying to put down all of her embarrassment. Well that was stupid. The way that she had said it and the fact that she had said it after he had complimented her own name made her sound like she was just doing it to be polite. For a few moments, she fretted that she might offend the tom, however that soon changed. A thought came into mind, what if he was doing it just because he was being polite too? Well actually, Tundra herself half-meant what she had said. Arrow was a nice name, but it didn’t seem like the scariest. But then again, neither did her. Her thoughts seemed to be all a mess right now, so she shook them all out. At the tom’s next question, Tundra’s eyes widened ever so slightly. She remembered some ‘advice’ that Hannibal had once given her. He had said to not give away such personal information, information like where you were from and what not. It really wasn’t exactly advice though, it was just telling the she-cat something that was obvious that she hadn't actually managed to work out before. “A long time. What about you?” the she-cat asked. Tundra was happy with her response, although no happy expression crossed her face. Her awkward expression of embarrassment and slight fear continued to stay the same.

Arrow wasn't quite sure if she had just complimented him because she was being nice, or felt like she had to, or actually thought his name was nice, but normally looking on the darker side of things... she definitely hadn't actually thought that. Arrow. It wasn't exactly the most unique of names, it sounded sort of... overused, didn't it? And besides, he was average-looking so he should get an average name. Her name was still playing back in his head. It was so unique. It seemed to be one of those names that would just roll right off the tongue.
One of those extra unique names. Arrow admired those types of names, and he was fairly confident he would remember her own name, but... then again he had always been pretty bad at names. After all, he wasn't exactly the number one cat to remember... well, anything, really. Besides, he wasn't really used to getting another cat's name anyways. They weren't... exactly keen on giving away information about themselves. And, Arrow should have guessed that she probably wouldn't be too interested in doing so as well. What was different about her from other Dusk Syndicate cats, anyways? Well for one thing, she hadn't snarled at him as soon as he approached her.
　
In his mind, that was always a good ground for friendship. Then, she hadn't tried to nip him. Also good ground for friendship. And finally, she seemed to be nice enough. Nice enough and 'nice' weren't the same thing, but they did generally consist of the same traits. Not hissing, snarling, clawing at, or trying to kill another cat was generally considered nice to Arrow. After all, if you weren't going to kill him you weren't a threat. And having someone not be a threat was nice. So in his opinion, Tundra was a good cat. Better then some. Unlike some of the cats in the Syndicate, Arrow didn't believe in the Dark Forest. Truth be told, he believed that once you were dead, that was it. No do over. No magical-- or 'dark-- afterlife.
　
You wouldn't even think Arrow belonged in the Dusk Syndicate by looking at him. He didn't look like a fighter, much less a killer. And this was a place for killers. But, Arrow still belonged. He had chosen to make a home for himself here and he had survived this long. When the time came to be killed he would leave, find a new place, and make a new home for himself. If he found things getting too hard, he would get out of there. But for the moment being, the tom was content. That might be stretching it; he was okay. Okay to live in a place like this. Okay to live like this. Why, well, that was still uncertain, but he was. Perhaps it was the only home he had ever known.
　
Arrow's past was uncertain, and very few-- if any-- remembered it. He certainly didn't. The last day faded into the day before, and the day before that, and the day before that. They all ran into a line, fading out completely and leaving him with the curse of a terrible memory. Was it offensive to other cats? Well, sometimes, if he mentioned not remembering them. That could land him in quite a heap of trouble. But thankfully Arrow had enough brains not to do that, he wasn't completely stupid, after all. Just... different from most Dusk Syndicate cats. "Uh, well, thank you." He answered finally, finding that he still hadn't replied to her and feeling a little odd for doing so. The goal of the tabby was not to seem rude or ungrateful for her compliment... or politeness... but he was starting to feel a little like there was some sort of appearance he should be keeping up.
　
Was there? Was there some sort of a key code that he had missed out on, a secret to looking nice and making his own appearance so grand that it would be hard to ignore him? Oh no, that was the last thing Arrow would want. Unless that was what would keep him from getting killed, and he doubted it. Who knew? It could even be a jealous she cat who ended up being the key to his downfall, that was one thing he didn't doubt at all. She cats could be a terrifying feline army when they wanted to. He flinched away from Tundra, wondering if she had any siblings... kits... close friends... an apprentice... anything that she thought he might be a threat to, and she could attack him. Thank goodness Arrow was such a strong fighter. He would be able to either escape or fight back against her.
　
Though, he hated fighting she cats. They might act like little devils sometimes, but they were still part of the Syndicate and, they would be the mothers of the future. Someday one of the miniature kits running around might be the Commander. Or Commander in Chief. Looked like it was time for Arrow to get ready to figure all this out. Her next comment made his ears pick up. It sounded like there was either something she was hiding or she had suddenly become more comfortable. Her voice was steady, firm, not harsh... just confident. Strange. Looks like cats really could change when you least expected it, and now Arrow was beginning to grow incredibly worried. What happened? Had he done something to offend her earlier? Maybe she was just this way.
　
"As long as I can remember." He answered honestly. Honesty was important. Not here, but in Arrow's mind. It was part of the thing that made him vulnerable. He answered questions as shortly and honestly as he could, making sure that there were no loopholes for them to find out anything he didn't want them to and that he wasn't really lying. So long as both of those things were true, then Arrow was comfortable. Otherwise? One thing or another would end up bringing him down, and he would end up thinking that he had done something incredibly unforgivable. Not that he had. It wasn't really in Arrow's nature. And yet he thought about it constantly.
　
Staring at the she cat for just a brief moment, Arrow finally stopped with a sigh, flicking his tail as he averted his gaze from her before he shifted his weight. "Follow me." It sounded like an order, but it was really more of a request... and thankfully, Arrow's voice made it sound that way. He had never been very commanding. Especially not now, and he probably never would be, which made him feel just the slightest bit awkward. And so the tom waited... and waited... for her response. If she agreed, fine, if not... he'd go anyways. And wait for her to follow. "I'm not going to hurt you. Or kill you. Or play mind games with you." Those were all strange promises, coming from a Dusk Syndicate cat. Most of them wanted to do those things. But Arrow? Nah. He was glad to be an abnormal cat... at least in this place. Anywhere else might be bad, but with their definition of abnormal? He was absolutely, positively thrilled to be labeled as such.

[Undercover]

Cashmere Fern exited the den where she slept, her scruffy fur even more ruffled than usual due to recently waking up. The she-cat leaped nimbly upon a warm slab of limestone, her left eye, and only working eye, scanning the almost deserted clearing with a sort of muddled curiosity. The female feline had only just woken up, and was in a better mood than usual. For the limit, it's pretty unusual, seeing as she typically isn't pleasant even when she's fully awake.

Cashmere dipped her ruffle-furred head and began to lap meekly at her molten silver and brown chest fur, keeping a pale-colored wary eye out for trouble. Trouble being anything from a nosy little kit to a grumpy old cat. It truly depended on the day. And her mood.

[Tundra]

@Sweet Skittles

This is my first time here, so...)

Ivy sat in the clearing eating a mouse. She ate it with quick bites. When Ivy finished she licked a paw and drew it over her ear. I wonder what the battle's gonna be like... She thought. Ivy paused for a moment, then began washing her face.