a bitten and frayed solution [open]

[Fel]

vasiliy ❄ fourteen moons ❄ outsider

...Aren't you tired?

—The thought persists, ringing through Vasiliy's ears as he trudges along the outskirts' barren territories— places that, by the smell of it, just weren't useful enough for the nearby colony cats to have claimed for themselves. Wrinkling his nose in disgust, he stops for a moment, as if to catch his breath— for a split second, the smell of someone nearby overwhelming his senses, chalking it up to the aforementioned colony's territory further into the woods.

"Could I... help you?", he calls out into the darkness, gritting his fangs with a 'play-nice' expression on his maw. A false sense of security, a fake smile that— although not hiding malice— shrouded an exasperated, bitter expression.

Someone sick of traveling— sick of being alone, albeit far used to human company than feline.

@/open!

[silver.]

yarrowcrest // he/him // 16 moons
purrks active: mind reader

---

Upon being called upon, the young warrior makes his presence known to the outsider. His head is tilted to a side, a curious look in his eye as he processes the situation. Having recently been sent on patrol, the odd scent of another cat caught his attention. And with the new decree from their leader... If it turned out to be a Shadowclan cat he had to do... Something. He wasn't sure of what he would have done, had it been a Shadowclanner, but now that possibility was abandoned. Carefully he moves towards the other cat, ears perked and nose twitching as he tries his best to pin down his scent.

"Could I help you?" He shoots back. Though he asks, his tone is even, almost welcoming. "You're awfully close to clan territory. What are you doing out here?"

Yarrowcrest waited patiently for an answer. In tune with those around him, he could tell something was off with this one... The expression he donned, there was something odd about it... There was more here and he was inclined to find out.

[Fel]

vasiliy ❄ fourteen moons ❄ outsider

There's an incredulous glint in Vasiliy's eyes, as his tail lowers to the floor— taking a step backwards, cautiously. He was right in noticing that scent; that was a colony cat, if he'd ever seen one before. "...'Clan territory'? Stake your claims all you'd like, but it's hardly yours. It's the forest's." It's uttered in a matter-of-fact tone, as if reflecting his true beliefs - but the way he's been wandering just outside the edge of Thunderclan's marked territory implies a different story.

"How was I supposed to know," Vasiliy murmurs, "If you needed help or not? That's the point of asking. For all I know, you could've been lost."

A pause. "—Like me." Lost, that's it. It's a better word than 'abandoned'— less pathetic, less demeaning, less... revealing.

@silverwynds

[silver.]

yarrowcrest // he/him // 16 moons
purrks active: mind reader

---

How strange... The one before him looked around his age... And didn't look or smell to belong to another clan, either. And he was lost? The more the stranger speaks, the more confused Yarrowcrest becomes, an ear twitching as he continues to make sense of the situation he's landed himself in. What defensive body language... It wasn't his intention to come off as hostile. As far as clan cats went, he was fairly tame, but he supposes it never hurt to to be cautious so close to clan territory. Which they most certainly were.

"Where are you trying to go? I could try to direct you... If I were you, I wouldn't travel too closely to the borders..." After a quick look around, as if to check if they were alone, he continues to speak, gaze wary. "All the clans are currently at war... Tensions are very high. It's dangerous right now and I wouldn't want for anything bad to happen to you if you're just passing through."

[Fel]

vasiliy ❄ fourteen moons ❄ outsider

"...War?" Vasiliy blinks— almost innocently, tilting his head to the side in a display of curiosity as he continues to listen to Yarrowcrest's warnings. It's a display that's almost endearing, at least for a couple seconds, before his maw twists into a smug, straightforward expression. "You colony cats are going to die out of disease eventually, right? Aren't 'wars' a little pointless?"

Flicking his tail behind him, he doesn't make any motion to move closer towards the clan cat, but his ears perk up in a lackadaisical motion, clearly assured that the stranger doesn't have any intentions of starting a fight. "Back home, at least they'd give the strays little notches in their ear, so you could tell who was what. You're telling me they've got so many here, they can go to war?"

"...I mean, really, I'm not going anywhere. I'm just 'lost'. But I'd assume I'm at least a little better off than that!"

@silverwynds

[silver.]

yarrowcrest // he/him // 16 moons
purrks active: mind reader

---

"You're... Very odd."

He couldn't put his paw on it but something about this cat was definitely off. To be so clueless, but so forward... Yarrowcrest is sure that if this guy ran into any other cat, regardless of clan, they'd probably have torn him to shreds by now. Even his own patience is being tested. And that didn't happen often at all. Again he has to take a moment to consider what to do. The easiest option would to just... Let him go on his way and let it be someone else's problem. Or he could keep trying to help and not get anywhere. Both options weren't... Great.

Notches in their ears? That sounds painful. Two-legs had such odd ways of doing things but purposefully cutting into a cat's flesh... That was a new level. New fear: unlocked. Subconsciously, an ear flicks as he continues to think about it until he decides to ignore it entirely.

"I think you're taking this all a little too lightly..." He begins, his expression hardening a bit. "My offer is still out to you. Lost or not, it isn't safe for any cat out here right now. I'm just trying to help."

vasiliy // @spring