[Ever]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

A shock seemed to ripple down the tabby's spine, his optics widening in slight surprise as Ebony made direct eye contact with him. Arrow just stood there for a moment, listening to her, watching her, able to see how lonely she was. How she had wanted this. And, for just a second... he almost let his guard down. His eyes softened and his stance relaxed and for just a few seconds, you could almost see the longing in his expression. How badly he wanted to trust her. How badly he wanted this to work, for them to be able to be friends. How badly he could have used just one cat he could trust, just one cat who wouldn't turn around and hurt him. How badly he wanted to know if Ebony was that cat. He wanted to. But he was scared. Loneliness was his safety, his comfort, the one thing that had been there all along. Despite how horrible it was, Arrow loved it. Because it was familiar. Because it was safe.

Because it was... something he could count on, being lonely. Being scared. Being guarded. They were all things that had been going on for a while now, and he was going to hold onto the familiarity of them for as long as possible. "We - well," The tom began as she looked away from him, "You're one of the few that do." Not exactly what he had meant to say, he had wanted to say something that was more genuine, but it was hard. Every part of his mind was screaming at him no, don't, trusting is wrong - while every part of his heart was telling him it's okay. She won't hurt you, just... trust her. Which part did he listen to, head or heart? The mind was what he had always chosen over the heart. But even part of his logical sense was telling him that it was okay now. It had stopped. It was quiet. The screaming and pulling from the different parts of his body, at least that feeling, was gone.

"Thank you... for inviting me. It's - been a long time."

Since I felt I could trust anyone enough to do something like this, that is. But he couldn't bring himself to say that. He wanted to let his guard down a little more, but everything in small steps. Maybe later. Maybe later he could do this. But he would have to be careful and make sure that Ebony was trustworthy. He had seen the loneliness in her eyes, it was what was keeping him from running away now. He had seen that she needed a friend. And he wondered... if there was a way they could help each other. Both were guarded. Both were anxious. Both weren't used to trusting, or so it seemed. They were so similar, it was almost as though they were siblings - except they weren't.

Somehow it seemed like they had always been supposed to meet, like they had always been supposed to meet. But Arrow didn't believe in that kind of "planned" thing. It was a chance encounter. One that might turn his life upside down, or... right side up, rather. Who would have thought that one day he would be out in the territory, late at night, with the sister of Hannibal? The sister of a cat that he feared more then any other? But she wasn't like her brother. Not as far as he could tell. And if she was, well... Arrow would fight for his life. He was hoping that she wouldn't attack him. But he couldn't know for sure that he wouldn't. That was the problem with trusting, after all, you could never know if someone was really trustworthy or if it was all an act. He was hoping that Ebony wasn't putting on an act.

Other then guarding herself, of course, because here? That was important. It was more important then Arrow had ever thought when he was younger, and he was glad he had learned that particular art now. It was a good skill to have here. And who knew? It might just be the one that saved your life someday.

She wasn't sure how to respond to his gratitude. She had never experienced that before, had never had another cat be thankful for something she did. Though that was her own fault as she never did anything for any cat. She'd always been to scared. She thought for a moment to thank him in return for accepting the invitation- but it just seemed like the wrong thing to say. As if that extra encouragement would put him on edge, or lead him to think she'd planned all this. She really hadn't; it'd been a completely irrational invitation. She'd decided to invite him in the moment, acting solely off emotion for once. Though she'd known the risks, she hadn't cared. Nothing truly scared Ebony at this point other than hurting others, her own safety was none of her concern as death would be bliss in her eyes.

Though she found herself thinking that a little less strong as they padded along. If she had a friend, someone who understood her maybe she'd enjoy this life a little more; actually want to live. The black feline's mismatched eyes swept over the the tomcat again, not sorrowful as they were last time but guarded once again a small courteous smile playing on her lips as she let off a short purr of gratitude towards him joining her. It seemed more fitting than words, a more raw way to accept his thank you.

Their pawsteps fell silently on the grassy forest floor as she began to swing their course, setting them into a lengthy circling motion to have them turn back the way they came, back into the silent horror that was their home. Though it seemed a little more welcoming now that she knew there was someone like herself there. Ebony drew in a long breath, trying to think of the right words, some way to thank him for just joining her. For him having said the right words to give her more hope, to help her move on rather than stick in the anxious shell of lonely quiet. She'd made the first step away from it, and as much as the voices pressed against the shadows of her mind for release, to boil her emotions with their anxious whispers, she felt good. She felt better than she had in moons, the best she'd felt since kithood... Before Hannibal had...

She didn't want to think about him, not now, not here. This was her life, not his. She couldn't let his image and fear of him ruin her life forever. As she watched the tom silently out of the corner of her eye she let it go for a moment, that fear and tried to picture herself without it; long term. "I- I didn't think there were others like me here." She dared to say out loud, no louder than a whisper. Her eyes watched the other blankly, carefully, testing the waters as she pushed into a subject a little more personal to both of them. She hoped he would be able to trust her a little, but she could see a fear in the way he acted, in his calculated words and manners. It was something she'd done for moons as well but had only recently abandoned when she realized she no longer feared pain and death for the chance at a friend. Please, do be like me beneath the fear. She pleaded quietly to herself, not letting it show in her eyes.