Do I Know You? [Self RP]

[Fits]

Sneezepaw
| they/them | WindClan | Apprentice |

An overcast corner of a Twoleg community. Hesitant drops of rain from a storm still waiting to burst out sprinkle here and there, land in puddles, and add to the raging underground river that lines the acrid-smelling Thunderpaths.

Sneezepaw found themself in a place like this, their paws scattering raindrops and pebbles as they raced forward. They didn't know where they were. They didn't think. Their mind had done little but beat with a single reflex, sunrise after sunrise: Get back home. They barely even noticed the pain pulsing through their leg, still mangled from the trap, still covered in the white scraps the Twolegs had wrapped around it. Their paws had led them into an alleyway so thin they could feel its walls scraping at their pelt.

Any cat who'd known them for any amount of time would be able to instantly identify that they'd changed. Perhaps it was in the way their thin coat seemed to stick up in all directions--they'd never exactly given it any special attention before, but now it seemed any attempts at making themself presentable had been discarded entirely--or in the way their yellow eyes shifted side to side, seemingly anticipating the emergance of some unseen enemy; or the once-blue collar that hugged their neck, worn by numerous nights of fruitlessly tugging and gnawing at the stiff material.

"Oh--sorry," they gasped, taking a step back as a white and ginger pelt came into view. They had nearly run right into it. "I didn't think... um..." They'd nearly joined StarClan enough times those past sunrises by accidentally stepping where they didn't belong that their muscles now screamed for them to make a run for it. But the other part of them--the one who hadn't so much as seen another cat since last moonhigh, who would do just about anything to see even one friendly face--wouldn't let them leave. They lingered in place.

( @/Fits - Aki )

[Fits]

Aki
| it/its | Rogue |

Aki paused to stretch its maw in a wide yawn before digging into its dinner: a piece of chicken it'd found, just lying around a crowfood-bin. Seriously, what was wrong with those Upwalkers? Throwing away perfectly good food like that.

Still, though, Aki wasn't complaining. Prey didn't exactly walk into one's paws in Upwalker territory, so it'd take what it could get. That being said, it was perfectly content right where it was, far away from the forest and the funny little cultists who dwelt in it. It had enough to get by, and at least the yowling that came from the Upwalkers couldn't be understood and was thus easy enough to ignore. Not to mention that there were a fair few who seemed to have a soft spot for cats and had no issue giving up a bowl of dried crap for any scraps of fur who happened to wander into their territory.

In other words, Aki was surviving and relatively peaceful.

Until some moron decided to step on its tail.

Aki leapt to its paws, somehow managing to turn around and face its aggressor in the tiny alleyway. It unsheathed its claws and showed its teeth, ready to defend its meal at any moment. However, it quickly became evident that the little fleck of wayward lint didn't have the intention nor means to antagonize Aki. It relaxed a bit but kept a keen, narrowed eye on the other cat anyhow, standing tall and quietly guarding the chicken with its body.

That being said, their pathetic sputtering was almost enough to make Aki want to cuff their ears anyway. They must have been a former housecat, judging by the collar around their neck. Probably newly released; they still had light in their eyes, somewhere underneath all that grime. Honestly, couldn't they have at least had the decency of grooming themself before coming to invade Aki's personal space? "Well? What do you want?" Aki hissed, glaring coolly at the other cat.

( @/Fits - Sneezepaw )

[Fits]

Sneezepaw
| they/them | WindClan | Apprentice |

Ookay! Well! Evidently this other cat wasn't too keen on making friends with Sneezepaw. That was okay. That'd never bothered them before, after all. They were going to continue, to speak up again and push forward like they always did. But they hesitated for a heartbeat. Somehow, it felt strange, and the words didn't come to them right away. They were fine. Just tired.

"I'm Sneezepaw," they said, flashing the other cat a weary grin. It was back to basics with them. All they had to do was introduce themself! So easy! "Funny name, I know! But when I become a warrior, I'll... uh..." They trailed off. It was definately only because they'd just realized that this random outsider probably had know idea about warriors and warrior names, and not because they'd gotten a catch in their throat from wondering if they'd ever make it back to WindClan at all, much less become a warrior.

"But anyways I wanna know your name!" they chirped, staring expectantly at the nameless cat. Sneezepaw was done thinking about themself and their problems; if they did any more of that, they were pretty sure their fur would fall out. So that's why they really needed the other cat to start speaking like right now!

( @/Fits - Aki )