An Elderly Loner || OPEN

[Adderbite]

ADDERBITE

It had been over a week since Adderbite had met Magpie. He prayed that she was doing well. Hopefully, she'd found a place in ShadowClan. Honestly? He felt envious of her. She got to have a home with cats that would take care of her. She got to make friends. She got to find a mate and have a family. What did he have? All he had were memories-- memories of what once was. Memories of better and happier times. That made him feel even lonelier than he'd felt before meeting her.

Feeling nostalgic, he had wandered closer to ShadowClan's territory. He didn't come close, he was no fool, he just wanted to smell the familiar scents of the pine trees. He had hoped that he could catch the familiar scents of ShadowClan. It made his heart ache. None of the cats that currently lived in ShadowClan would even remember who he was. Even if they did, they probably were going to recall how he'd attacked his own Clanmate. They'd either chase him away or kill him. Not that he blamed them, what he had done was inexcusable. I got what I deserved. He thought, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

He looked over his flank. His ribs poked through his pelt, reminding him of his age. The older he got, the more difficult it became to make a kill. He hadn't caught anything since before he'd met Magpie. With Newleaf's arrival, he should have started to gain some weight. He struggled to even keep his territory to himself. He closed his eyes, feeling the familiar wave of exhaustion. He should go back to his den. Being so close to ShadowClan was only giving him homesickness. With a final glance toward his old home, he started to stumble back to his log den.

Every day, his struggles grew worse. In the back of his mind, he knew that it wouldn't be long before he joined StarClan. Wait... was he going to join StarClan? Did they view him as a ShadowClan cat anymore? Or was he just some loner filth to them? He still felt ShadowClan, even if he didn't think they'd view him as one. He collapsed in front of his den with a long sigh. He couldn't even muster the strength to curl in his nest.

[Adderbite]

bump!

[Glacial]

~ DANDY ~

@Adderbite
Dandy made her way across the outskirts, bright blue eyes trained on the dense forest in front of her. Cold leafbare winds swept through her fur, sending shivers flowing continuously over her body. She sighed, inhaling the scent of pine trees instead of focusing on the extremely cold climate. At least it was getting warmer. The sky left light to cloudless patches again, and the breeze didn't feel like ice itself anymore. The molly had always been curious, wishing to explore the world and what it was like. However, the scent of clan cats wafted up her nostrils and she knew she had to leave.

Hesitantly, Dandy veered away from the weird "clan" thing and padded along a path that many pawsteps had long since marked. That was when her blue orbs settled on a weird contraption of logs. With a tilt of her head, she walked over, sniffing the air. At 7 moons, she may be young, but Dandy had learned to be careful and always aware of her surroundings. Her steps were small and slow. She tried to move soundlessly, but it was basically impossible for her. On clumsy feet, she stopped a few spaces in front of the log thingy. Now, she saw that it might be a den.

No. Dandy hated dens. Who needed them when they could sleep under the stars? It was enjoyable for her - stargazing. It seemed like each of them had a different light, and they were so beautiful. The calico chuckled lightly. What would I give, she wondered, to be staring at the night sky right now, instead of putting myself in danger and exploring unknown territory? It wasn't like she had anything to give except for herself. Still, the she-cat sometimes asked herself such questions to understand the world better.

Dandy brought her head back to a normal angle as she peeked into the den. "Hello?" she asked, a small grin playing on her face. She wondered if this cat would be nice or toxic. There were multiple sorts of cats, she knew that. "I'm sorry for my intrusion but I was kind of bored and I saw your den! Plus momma said to me once that I should go explore the world like I want to." A tear nearly trickled down her face at the memory of her parents. They had died very brutally when attacked by a badger. Luckily Dandy had gotten away with her life.

[Adderbite]

ADDERBITE
@Glacial

Hearing pawsteps sound outside his den, Adderbite lifted his head. An uneasy growl rumbled within his throat, as his vulnerable state left him vulnerable. The tom had no idea who was approaching his den-- and that frightened him. While he still knew all his fighting moves, it had been ages since he'd actually used them. The closest he had gotten was when he'd pounced on Magpie for intruding on his territory. The tom had lost his nerve when he saw the fear in her eyes. It reminded him too much of the Clanmate that he'd attacked. The memories brought a familiar pang to his chest.

Unfortunately, the way he was feeling was causing him to become slow to react. Much to his relief, it seemed that the cat who was snooping around was friendly. Not only that, but she appeared to be quite young. The elder pulled himself, rather slowly, into a seated position. In the back of his mind, he acknowledged that he'd probably seen ShadowClans' territory for the last time. While he wasn't dying just yet, it became increasingly difficult to venture far from his den. That familiar feeling of envy sunk in. Dandy was able to explore the world to her heart's content. While he had wasted his opportunity.

"You should be careful. Most cats don't appreciate having someone show up uninvited." He remembered his younger days while living in ShadowClan. He was always ready to risk his life to defend the border. Even when he became a loner, he protected his territory. (Only if they started something first and he never pinned them. Pinning cats always brought his mind back to that time he'd attacked a Clanmate.) "If I were younger, I'd have taught you a lesson." It didn't seem like he was being serious. As a loner, he only attacked cats who started on him, first.

He observed her beginning to cry as she mentioned her mother. His relationship with his parents had never been close. His violent, and aggressive, outbursts had caused his parents to dislike him. While he was unable to sympathize, he could empathize. "The world is vast. You might not be able to explore it for long if you stick your nose someplace where you're uninvited."

It seemed that he had a soft spot for young cats. "How old are you? You look as though you're apprentice age." Despite all that time living on his own, he still used the Warriors terminology.

[Glacial]

✿ DANDY ✿
@Adderbite
[ack sorry, I got dandy's eye colour wrong in my last post.]

Dandy watched the tomcat curiously, shuddering slightly as he talked about teaching her a lesson. "Oh! I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!" she squeaked, yellow-green eyes trained on... wait, who was that even? Oh my gosh Iamsostupid! She hadn't even introduced herself - was she really that foolish? She would introduce herself when this cat was finished talking, that was for sure. "Really? I thought that was what exploring meant! So do I not just talk to cats, or what do you mean?"

Interest sparked in her yellow-green hues, the tear that had trickled down her face at the memory of her mother already forgotten. Dandy had always thought she knew perfectly well what exploring meant, so this was a really cool new aspect of things! "Apprentice?" she asked, cocking her head. "I dunno what an apprentice is, but I am seven moons."

Yes, she was certainly young, the molly was aware. But what other option did she have than stalk through the territory, trying to find food? It was not easy for her, wandering out here alone with no one to guide her, but she managed and that was all that mattered.

"I'm Dandy, by the way! I used to be called Strike but that name was really weird and I hate striking so I changed my name!" A grin played on her face, excitement dancing in her eyes. "And who are you? I've never seen you before even though I go through the outskirts, like, a lot!" She emphasized on the words "a lot", wanting to sound dramatic in her tone.

Dandy wondered wether this cat would chase her out or something, since he probably didn't like that she randomly popped up in his den. "And thanks for not attacking me! I didn't know the world worked like that! I always thought that badgers and dogs and foxes were the only animals that attacked cats, I never knew cats attacked each other."

[Adderbite]

ADDERBITE
@Glacial

At her apology, the tom lifted his paw, attempting to gesture that he wasn't upset with her. If he had been living in ShadowClan, it would have been a different story. Even as an elder, he would have defended the border, even if the cat was young and inexperienced. It was an entirely different story as a loner. "I'm not going to hurt you." He gestured to his matted pelt, which did nothing to conceal the bones jutting out. He had stopped grooming himself in his old age. "Do I look like I'm in the shape to be fighting anyone?" He said that while being aware that he had knowledge on his side. Only a week or so prior, he had leaped on Magpie and had almost shredded her.

"Exploring isn't a bad thing. Nor is talking with other cats." He explained, "It's where you explore that's the problem. I'm old, but there are rogues and loners that are younger than me who wouldn't tolerate intruders. What I'm saying is, you should be cautious about where you're exploring." Adderbite had never explored much. He had focused on the territory that he'd established, as it wasn't far from ShadowClan. He still had to venture a bit to reach it, but it was close enough that he could still see his old home every once in a while.

"Ah... sorry." Right, she was a loner. Loners wouldn't know what an apprentice was. The realization caused him to have a familiar pang of homesickness. "I lived in ShadowClan a long time ago. I never really bothered to learn what language loners used. An apprentice is what Clan cats call a young cat who is training to become a Warrior." His head drooped. "I take it you haven't heard of Clans either, right?" Thank goodness she had stumbled onto his territory rather than ShadowClans'. It was obvious to him that she had much to learn.

"My name is Adderbite. I used to just be called Adder before I joined ShadowClan, but I prefer my Warrior name." There was a glimmer of pride in his eyes and he puffed out his chest. Earning his Warrior name had been the proudest moment of his life. "It's nice to meet you, Dandy." Much to his own surprise, he actually meant it. She was giving him company, something that he didn't often get. "You probably haven't seen me around since I spend most days in my nest. I really only leave my den to hunt, now."

Adderbite shrugged when she thanked him for not attacking her. "I've been... working on my temper." His expression turned grim. "They don't just attack one another. I've seen cats kill other cats." Suddenly, an idea occurred to him. "Would you like to share my den with me? I could teach you how to survive out here. Seven moons is still quite young for a cat to be wandering alone."

[Glacial]

@Adderbite

Dandy frowned. "N- no, you don't look like you are in the shape to fight anyone," she replied. "Is it because of this cold weather or because of your age?" she asked curiously, unsure of wether it was rude or not to ask a cat about their age. "Thanks for not hurting me!" She was happy that she succesfully entered the home of a cat that was somewhat... nice? Maybe the tomcat wasn't too happy about her visit. But then again, he hadn't chased her away...

"Oh okay! I'll be careful!" Dandy promised.

She watched the tom intently as he explained the weird word he'd mentioned early... apprentice, wasn't it? Her head tilted to the side as he talked about clans? "No, I dunno what clans are! There's something I haven't explored? Ohmygosh I want to see what clans are!" she exclaimed, bouncing on her paws at she said the words. A new adventure!

Dandy grinned as the rogue said his name - Adderbite? "Adderbite is such a cool name! I've never heard of a name that is so long before! Are such names, uh, normal or are they from the c,,, cl,,, clans?" she asked, struggling to find the words.

"Really? You'd let me live with you in this den? I want that, yes, thank you so much! You won't have to go out for hunting anymore because I cant hunt too!" she meowed proudly. "I learned a bit from my parents and the rest I taught myself! Isn't that cool?!"

Dandy's expression slightly saddened as Adderbite mentioned her being out here by herself. "I'm out here alone because momma and poppa died when a badger attacked us. We were going to settle in a badgers den, but they were old and couldn't really scent that well anymore so they didn't smell the badger! Isn't that sad?"