mettle and mana [OPEN]
 

Upon waking in the night once again, Quince finds himself on his own someplace unfamiliar. He seems puzzled at first, deep orange eyes heavily hooded and quite alarmed as he took in his surroundings. He was somewhere outside- It was cold, and he was sore. After what feels like forever, remembrance settles over him like a weighted blanket. Home was no longer home, and the older male had long since walked out of WindClan.
The loner arches his back, still laying down, and stretches his limbs. They snap and pop in ways that felt almost too good. But he needed to stand up, and that would be a task all in itself. As he begins the process, a sharp pain in his stomach reminds him of his most recent failed hunt. How many days has it been since his last meal now? With a growling grunt, the tom rises to his paws and flexes his toes.
Head hung nearly as low as his tail, Quince begins to walk. Where? Well, he hadn't thought of that yet. But nothing tied him to the place he'd slept- It was merely where he'd fallen down for the day. But with the moonrise came new opportunity for nocturnal prey. And in his dwindling strength, the loner really needed something easy. Something unexpecting.

Re: mettle and mana [OPEN]
 

@implimm

[I shal join]

Albedo, an albino tom, slunk up behind the cat. She could probably eat him... But she wasn't a cannibal. She just... wanted to see if he was a threat. Yes. That was it. She scrunched down, moving as quietly as possible. When she was in range, the tom silently pounced. "Just judging strength," she whispered. She maniacally chuckled a little.

Re: mettle and mana [OPEN]
 

Just like that, he goes down. Caught off-guard, he hadn't had any sort of defense up whatsoever. Quince was an easy target. But upon realizing the situation he'd fallen into, the loner uses all of his might to push up from the ground. He heaves his assailant up with him, and gives a tremendous shake so that with any luck, they'd lose their grip and fall. "Judge the strength of some other cat," the tom snarls furiously, not keen on this sort of surprise. He whirls around to face the stranger, claws unsheathing as he prepares for some sort of half-starved self-defense. "If I tread on your territory, it was a mistake, just let me on my way," he growls rather somberly. "If you're lookin' to pick a fight, take a better look at me, and for all that is just, let me on my way." It was true- Quince was just a hungry, wiry thing anymore. Haggard and defeated from battles he was only fighting in his head anymore, gaunt from lack of food, and all around exhausted from his journey.

@FuzzyRatto

Re: mettle and mana [OPEN]
 

@implimm

The tom giggled maniacally some more. "I see. Aaaannnndddd..." She looked him up and down. "I guess... not a threat. This isn't my territory, but you can never be too... wait, never mind. I need food. You do too. Look something in common!" A little more giggling. "You can't hurt me, let alone eat me, and I'm not a cannibal. Why not go search for food together?"

Re: mettle and mana [OPEN]
 

The tom frowns at this she-cat's light banter about cannibalism. It was as if she knew and were making a mockery of him. His orange eyes darken, but after several moments of deliberation, he sheathes his claws and lowers his gaze. "Yeah, sure, whatever." Having company to hunt meant a few things could happen. They'd hunt, and he'd catch something, or they'd hunt, and he'd swipe her catch when she let her guard down. He might not have been in fighting condition, but the male was WindClan bred and WindClan raised, and run like the wind, he could probably still manage to do if he mustered up his remaining strength.

Turning away from Albedo, the tom begins to walk. Just like before, with Lucky and Rua, he didn't care to be the one to ask for a name. This cat could remain a stranger for all he cared, and he'd also just be some passerby to them in their memories. But at least for now they would know one another and hunt together. Even in the brisk cold night, prey wasn't impossible to find. In the distance, an owl screeches. Quince steals a glance over his shoulder, then halts to scent the air. If a darn owl could hunt and find prey, then so could he.

@FuzzyRatto

Re: mettle and mana [OPEN]
 

[hrm]

Tat ran into another tom falling on his back "s-sorry!" he mewed his green eyes shone with embarrassment. His gaze switched to Lucky "I'm fine Lucky" he mewed standing up shaking his dark brown tabby pelt.

---

Lucky followed his friend as they ran into Quince "Tat watch where you're going!" he warned then watched Tat run into Quince "Tat I warned you!" he mewed. @implimm

Re: mettle and mana [OPEN]
 

For StarClan's sake! Was it going to become an ongoing joke that Quince be bowled over by some dumbass cat?! As something comes out of the dark and collides with his flank, the thin tom lets out a frustrated screech, not hesitating to shove a paw out and swipe at whomever came crashing into him. Ears laid flat against his skull, the dark brown-furred tom hisses wordlessly. All he wanted to do was hunt! All he needed was some damn prey! He turns hostile copper eyes onto Tat and Lucky, and to his misfortune recognizes one of the new appearances from the other evening.
The dumb cat that showed him the way out of the Twolegplace! Of course he had to be involved. "Keep your wits about you," he growls at the two. "And quiet down. Prey's easily frightened."

@FlameQueen @FuzzyRatto

Re: mettle and mana [OPEN]
 

@implimm @FlameQueen


Albedo, blending into the snow, crept around behind the new cat. When the tom thought she was in range, she pounced.

Re: mettle and mana [OPEN]
 

@FuzzyRatto @implimm

Beck, a large black-and-white tom, watched the squabbling cats from high above, his brown eyes analyzing the scene in a cold, calculating manner. He flicked his bushy, white-tipped tail. This'll be fun. As long as they don't spot me, he purred to himself.

Re: mettle and mana [OPEN]
 

(Mind if I joined?)

Streak, a greyish-blue tom, made his way deeper into the forest, awe-struck by its serenity. He has never been this deep into the forest before so most of this was new. As he made his way through the forest, he came across a couple of cats fighting and quarreling with each other. He flattened his ears in fear and hid by the nearest tree.