Dusk Syndicate Clearing

[Moonsong12]

Dawn padded over to her sister, Lake.
Lake looked up from her grooming to see her sister looking at her.
Dawn looked at her paws.
"What?" Lake asked sharply, suspicious of her sister's motives as always.
"I got you some feathers for your nest." Dawn said, dropping the feathers in front of Lake.
"No thanks, I like my nest the way it is." Lake mewed coldly.
"Oh, never mind then." Dawn padded off, she put the feathers in a clump of grass and curled up in the sun.

[AnayaDusksong]

Ink slid into the clearing quietly, hoping not to be noticed, and deposited a thrush with the rest of the fresh kill, then picked out a shrew for herself. The ebony hunter planted herself in a cool, shady spot as she ate and watched other cats coming and going. Her sapphire eyes gleamed as she then turned her head up to the sky. Not that long past sunhigh, is it? Ink observed. I suppose I can afford a small break before returning to hunting.

[Zero]

Originally Posted by Zero to Hero

[FONT="Times New Roman" @Lilly

Ferox watched Alya as she responded to his and Donovan's words. He saw what seemed to be... hurt?... travel across the young kit's features and was surprised when his heart responded with a longing to make her feel better. Had he already grown that fond of this other cat? Stop being a sissy... Was his instant thought in response to himself, conditioned into him at even his young age. However, he was snapped from his thoughts as the she-cat spoke, a ice-cold look of hatred emerging from the hurt. It sent a chill down his spine, and the tom was momentarily confused. He didn't know if he was afraid and disturbed by the look, or entirely and utterly impressed. All he knew was that he wanted to stay on her good side... and that this was a cat he wanted to be his friend in this type of group. The look was gone as quickly as it came with his suggestion to play, though; so the young tom turned his thoughts from that to coming up with something to do.

He nodded as Donovan turned to leave, knowing the older cat wouldn't be interested in a kitten's game. The tom kit was kind of secretly relieved that he wouldn't have to come up with some sort of cool new game that would maybe impress him a little. He continued to watch Ayla coolly from a foot away, only turning his intense gaze away when she turned to look at him. "... we could practice our fighting?" Play fighting was the most popular game in the Dusk Syndicate, especially for those his age that we going to be trainees soon. [/FONT]

Bump @Lilly

[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by Empress Of Evil

The Havana Brown had a feeling that this cat was an intelligent one. He was polite and in a way, humorous. But that didn’t necessarily mean he would be intelligent. Not all intelligent cats were polite. Some cats were extremely rough yet they were some of the smartest cats on the planet. But there was something about him that gave Bella the feeling he would soon be wanting to know everything about her. The fighter considered information seekers to be intelligent. She wouldn’t call herself an ‘information seeker’, but she could be very curious at times. She wasn’t the kind of cat who would go out of their way to know something, but if she got an opportunity, she wouldn’t throw it away. She wasn’t nosy. She didn’t eavesdrop on purpose. She only eavesdropped if the cats nearby were talking too loudly.

Bella wasn’t expecting to find a lot of eavesdroppers in this place. The cats here would know to hide their secrets and not talk too loudly. She was almost certain that by the time she’d spent a moon here, she would still know hardly anything about the Dusk Syndicate. Unless she managed to find herself a friend that would be willing to tell her everything, she would be on her own for a bit. She would have to stay in solitude and learn everything by herself. She wouldn’t be receiving any help. Or maybe, this tom would be willing to help. But then again, he didn’t really seem like the type of cat who wanted to tell her everything. He hadn’t even offered his name yet. He looked like the kind of guy that wasn’t going to share anything, let alone his name.

“I don’t think anyone would appreciate your presence if you were to scare others away,” Bella remarked, chuckling quietly. I’m sure it wouldn’t be very hard to find an unfriendly cat here, She thought, being careful to not smirk at the thought. This cat seemed nice enough. He hadn’t yet scared her enough to make her run away. But this place was full of surprises. At any moment, the tom could frighten her enough to make her leave this place and run home. Anything, absolutely anything could happen. She didn’t trust this place enough to relax for a single moment. There just wasn’t the time to let down your guard for a single second. She had to protect herself. She was on her own.

Sharing is caring? She’d only ever heard that phrase a few times before. When she ventured from her home to visit that nice kittypet. “Well unfortunately for you, I don’t care,” Bella said, smirking him. Although her tone was confident, deep down she was fearing that the tom might take offence to that. She didn’t want to anger him. The dark brown she-cat didn’t know how he would react if he were to be angered. Would he just give her the silent treatment, or, would he completely explode at her? This is the problem with meeting new cats, you don’t know how they would react when you angered them.

The fighter could see the displeasure on his face as she requested his name. She watched carefully as his eyes narrowed slightly at the question. She unsheathed her claws and not once did she let her gaze leave the tom. She was going to be much more wary of him now. The she-cat considered backing away slowly, but that might anger him even more. Maybe it would be best to just sit and wait.

Was it really that bad to ask for his name? It was just a name after all. It wasn’t like she was asking for every little secret that he knew. Bella was tempted to ask him why he was getting upset over a name, but decided against it. Maybe it would be better for her to not ask. Surely it wouldn’t end well. The Havana Brown would just need to push back the curiosity that bubbled within her. Still, the thought was still there and it was an open option. No one was going to stop her from asking.

“Crimson,” She repeated softly. It was a nice name. I wonder what inspired his mother to give him such a name, Bella thought. The she-cat was brought out of her thoughts as his next question. She looked at him patiently and waited for him to finish before she started thinking up a good response. “I was born in a loner territory,” Bella said. She didn’t add on anything else. If he wanted to know more, then she would tell him as he asked. Maybe she should try keeping her own identity to herself.

Crimson felt a new feeling blossoming within him. He was getting to know this feline, and as much as he didn’t like to admit it--she seemed to be getting to know him as well. The tom was guarded. He didn’t want many others to know him. He liked to be a translucent shadow looming around the Syndicate. Yet, he wanted someone to talk to, so he did approach her. She seemed different from the other cats of the Syndicate. Almost an innocent appearance that made the tom quite attracted to her. Bella was her name. Different from the ones he heard within the Syndicate, yet it was beautiful to him, and he could practically hear the name singing in his head over and over like a soft tune.

Bella also had a humor to her that added the spark. Something that Crimson slightly enjoyed that she didn’t find him completely repulsive. In fact, she had played along with everything he said. It had confused him at first as he wasn’t use to such treatment, but gradually he eased himself into this, allowing a soft, rough purr to escape his maw. It was nice to know she wasn’t uncomfortable around him. At least, he hoped she wasn’t. He was beginning to like this she cat. It could be seen in his faint smile.

‘’You have a sense of humor, I like it.’’ And, he did. Perhaps, he was blunt with it, but he figured she needed to know. She seemed very sweet, naive almost, but also tough and knew how to stand for herself. Many females were like that, but Bella spoke to him in ways that other she cats did not. ‘’It would had been ashamed if I scared you away, but you stayed.’’ And, he was grateful for that. Of course, he enjoyed teasing others, even when his voice had a rough edge to it. ‘’Sometimes it’s hard to make friends in the Syndicate...it’s such a shady place.’’ Crimson figured the she cat would know this. Wasn’t she from the Syndicate? He assumed she was from the syndicate, and that she knew all their sneaky ways. Crimson was tired of all the constant moving, but he done as he was told without a second thought.

Upon her next words, he gave the she cat an odd look at first. He was indifferent towards the words he said. He was more into the type of tone she used. Confidence? Sure of herself? ‘’You seem to appear heartless.’’ It was a joke, but with the seriousness in his tone, it sounded far from one. Syndicate cats didn’t share a lot, and he figured she picked up that trait from the Syndicate. For Crimson, it was a win-lose situation. He would only share if he actually cared, and if he didn’t...then, you were out of luck. ‘’But, that’s alright. A lot of Syndicate cats are like that.’’ He gave off a deep chuckle, finding it amusing.

It was a lot of things this tom found amusing, and the she cat next to him was giving him a good time. One that he haven’t had in a long time. Crimson usually kept to himself. He wasn’t a social butterfly like many others of the Syndicate, and he never really fought to start violence. Truth be told, Crimson would rather stay away from it. Live a normal life of peace instead of longing. Yet, his heart held a longing for something that he could not grasp the feeling of. It was a weird feeling, that he never felt, but it was always there, eating him up. Surely wasn’t guilt, but it was something that made him turn from the inside out.

As she echoed his name, the tom flickered his ears, nodding approvingly. Yes, she knew his name now. One that he did not want to give her, but he did because...it was only fair. Crimson tried to be a fair cat, but as stated before, the Syndicate was such a shady place. Cats hid secrets until the day they died, and even beyond death, secrets would never be told. ‘’Yes, Crimson. Like the color of blood.’’ He licked his jaws, imagining as they would sink into a rabbit’s meat or something. Blood was delicious to the tom. Soaking in the juices of his mouth watering maw was the best part when it came to prey.

At her next words, the tom felt himself become tensed; rigid as his tail lashed behind him in an impatient manner. ‘’Loner territory...huh?’’ So, she wasn’t full blooded Syndicate. That was a problem. See, Crimson did not like cats from different clans or places. Even if he were aggravated at the fact of the Syndicate cats, he was extremely loyal to them. The tom knew he had to think up a plan to leave her before anything between them got too serious. He couldn’t even talk without a grim expression covering his maw. Perhaps, leaving had to be the best thing now because he felt odd that he was bonding with her. Just bid a goodbye, and lie about whatever he needed to do. Yes, that’s what he would do.

So, the tom got up fluffing out his smooth pelt as he stretched his limbs. He glanced at her through the corner of his eyes. ‘’Nice to meet you...Bella...but, I got...training to do.’’ He began to stalk away, he voice ringing in his head. Loner territory? It was disturbing to him, and he knew he was being judgmental--something he couldn’t help, but he did not want to be friends with a cat that was from...Loner territory! Once he did stare back at the Havana brown soaking in her large yellow eyes. She was gorgeous, but after that little response coming from her, all he could see was disturbing matters, so he turned his head away and walked away briskly away from her.

Avoid her every chance.

{Crimson is such a jerk I swear! >.< }

[spade]

Originally Posted by Zero to Hero

@Lilly

Ferox watched Alya as she responded to his and Donovan's words. He saw what seemed to be... hurt?... travel across the young kit's features and was surprised when his heart responded with a longing to make her feel better. Had he already grown that fond of this other cat? Stop being a sissy... Was his instant thought in response to himself, conditioned into him at even his young age. However, he was snapped from his thoughts as the she-cat spoke, a ice-cold look of hatred emerging from the hurt. It sent a chill down his spine, and the tom was momentarily confused. He didn't know if he was afraid and disturbed by the look, or entirely and utterly impressed. All he knew was that he wanted to stay on her good side... and that this was a cat he wanted to be his friend in this type of group. The look was gone as quickly as it came with his suggestion to play, though; so the young tom turned his thoughts from that to coming up with something to do.

He nodded as Donovan turned to leave, knowing the older cat wouldn't be interested in a kitten's game. The tom kit was kind of secretly relieved that he wouldn't have to come up with some sort of cool new game that would maybe impress him a little. He continued to watch Ayla coolly from a foot away, only turning his intense gaze away when she turned to look at him. "... we could practice our fighting?" Play fighting was the most popular game in the Dusk Syndicate, especially for those his age that we going to be trainees soon.

Something was brewing inside the young she-kit; beneath the surface, layer by layer, a closed barrier of thorns was encapsulating her heart. Dark storm clouds chased away the innocent butterflies that fluttered frantically within the depths of her belly. Pain crackled light thunder through her veins, and a flicker of a small, but fierce flame snapped up within her. This was all unknown to young Ayla, and she went on unchanged physically. For right now, all she knew, she was safe and had a home. She had a friend already - two, counting Donovan - and it seemed like things were finally looking up for her.

"I've never fought anything, but I can try," she offered, feeling her ears heat up a bit. Was that something that was common to learn at her age? She was already almost four moons old, however her knowledge on any sort of attacking skills was dismal at best, even harmful to herself at worst. She glanced down, eyes gazing over her tiny fore paws as she flexed them, tiny sharp claws revealing themselves from their hidden sheaths. They dug into the ground, creating little slits in the dirt where they rested. Just as slowly, the fluffy brown she-kit retraced the claws back in, noticing how easy the transgression of the action was. It felt natural, smooth, even, to let them come out. Thought she was young, and hadn't much fighting experience, something flowed through her that exhilarated her. "Do you wanna defend first? Or attack first?" she asked Ferox, gauging his response with level and emotionless eyes.

[Zero]

Originally Posted by Lilly

Something was brewing inside the young she-kit; beneath the surface, layer by layer, a closed barrier of thorns was encapsulating her heart. Dark storm clouds chased away the innocent butterflies that fluttered frantically within the depths of her belly. Pain crackled light thunder through her veins, and a flicker of a small, but fierce flame snapped up within her. This was all unknown to young Ayla, and she went on unchanged physically. For right now, all she knew, she was safe and had a home. She had a friend already - two, counting Donovan - and it seemed like things were finally looking up for her.

"I've never fought anything, but I can try," she offered, feeling her ears heat up a bit. Was that something that was common to learn at her age? She was already almost four moons old, however her knowledge on any sort of attacking skills was dismal at best, even harmful to herself at worst. She glanced down, eyes gazing over her tiny fore paws as she flexed them, tiny sharp claws revealing themselves from their hidden sheaths. They dug into the ground, creating little slits in the dirt where they rested. Just as slowly, the fluffy brown she-kit retraced the claws back in, noticing how easy the transgression of the action was. It felt natural, smooth, even, to let them come out. Thought she was young, and hadn't much fighting experience, something flowed through her that exhilarated her. "Do you wanna defend first? Or attack first?" she asked Ferox, gauging his response with level and emotionless eyes.

"Defense," Ferox's answer came without hesitation, his eyes locked onto the smaller she-cat's claws as they sheathed and unsheathed. He had to force himself to stand ridgedly, the emotionless look on her features actually making him want to quiver. Secretly, he was actually a little afraid of her, but he was good at hiding such things. Nobody ever knew when Ferox was afraid, an essential skill in the Dusk Syndicate if you wanted to get anywhere socially. He had to be his name in this group, right now especially. The kitten figured she had no experience in fighting due to her age, but she definitely had the aura of being a natural at it. Ferox definitely had experience, he had been training with his brother and father since he could barely walk. However, his skills weren't the best; Cassius seemed to latch onto the skills naturally but for Ferox he had to practice over and over again to be just as good as his brother's first few times of doing a simple move. Of course, he seemed to have weight on his side; being slightly bigger than Ayla even at his young age. Most of his size, however, was his thick dark fur. Beneath it he was actually kind of slim, so maybe his unexpected agileness would come in handy at defense play. The kitten raised his eyes to meet her gaze, masking his face with a look similar to hers. "I'm ready when you are," His voice dropped low with a hint of icyness as he settled into a serious mindset.

[goddess of ducks]

Originally Posted by RedHead

When Cassius left to go find Singe's nest, Donovan set to work weaving the fees around the brambles. His paws worked swiftly and skillfully, his sharp olive colored eyes watching every movement his paws made. He weaves enough fern onto the bramble tendrils that it covered up most of it, but still allowed thorns to peek through. He had also gathered moss, to mix in with the old moss still in Singe's nest. That way, it wouldn't smell too fresh, and hopefully the older fighter wouldn't notice the difference in its scent.
As Cassius returned, Donovan was just finishing up weaving ferns around the last tendril. He listened to what Cassius had discovered, and tightened a fern with his teeth before answering. "Alright, excellent. But we need to hurry, because of he hasn't been there since this morning than he might be returning soon." Donovan picked up the nest outline he had made, and gestured with his tail for Cassius to pick up the loss he had gathered. "Lead the way." He mumbled around the ferns. Excitement flared up in Donovan's chest. This is what he lived for, and soon the two would be able to watch the reward for all of their hard work. That was Donovan's favorite part. For being such a troublemaker, the young fighter was actually quite a hard worker, and amazingly witty and smart. If he used his brain for things other than pranking helpless cats, Donovan could do some great things. But the serious, guard-like life wasn't for Donovan. He preferred to have a lot of free-time to goof around, much to his mother's dismay. Donovan's mother wanted him to prove himself that he could become a guard, and that he was one of the strongest cats in the Syndicate. But Donovan did not want that life. He wanted to be free to cause mischief and perform pranks. That's what he lived for, right?

Cassius's gaze lingered momentarily on the woven tendrils that sat at Donovan's paws. He smirked more so to himself, then turned to go. "Alright, this way. Hopefully Calixto does come back in there, or anyone else for that matter." He whispered quietly to his companion. The fluffy gray tom crept quietly back over to the entrance, his large paws setting down quietly on the hardened floor. He took a quick glance around, then dipped inside the den. He moved over just enough so that Donovan would have room to slip in, while he himself would work out a path to the nest. Cassius sniffed the air, his nostrils flaring. He picked up the scent of Calixto, and some of himself. He made his way, pading carefully along, sniffing the nests again. He stopped. The nest was a bit larger in size, woven more of bracken and dried moss. "Here." he meowed, flicking his bushy tail to the nest. "This is the one." He meowed. Then, getting an alarming idea, he padded to the entrance to watch for Singe. "Work fast!" he whispered to Donovan, glancing over his shoulder just slightly. All the while, he worked into a position by the entrance that concealed him from the outside, but where he could look out for oncoming cats.


[I'll bring Singe in next post if you want]

[Clover]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

The approach of the reddish feline startled Gavin - he hadn't seen her coming, although he had expected to see that familiar scarlet pelt coming from miles away. Though, on this day, it was a different shade, dyed a lighter orange color. He thought it looked pretty. Though, not knowing if it was something that was more of a sensitive subject for her, he kept quiet. To him it was important to make sure Skipper was comfortable. He had seen a change in the reddish molly - she had become different. Although, by the way she landed in front of him, Gavin had to try to bite back a laugh. Maybe she wasn't one to change, as she had told him before, but at least she was willing to trust. Trust him, that was.
　
Which almost surprised the feline. After all... Skipper, trusting him? That was not something he had seen happening when he had first met her all those moons ago. He had just imagined her anger with him, but now... it seemed as though he had a chance here. The butterflies were more active in Gavin's stomach as he looked at her - expression never changing, or at least that's what he was hoping, the smile remaining fairly steadfast although there seemed to be a half-expression of wonder gleaming in his bright eyes. Sometimes he looked sweet and kit like when he appeared that way... other times it was more creepy.
　
Feeling her muzzle brush against his, Gavin felt his own ears heat up - and not only that, but his entire pelt felt warm and tingly and partly pleasant, partly weird. It was the type of feeling he would get playing with other cats... and the type of feeling that was similar to that you would get on a rollercoaster. That same drop was in his stomach, but at the same time... the excitement was there too. Like anything could happen. Gavin felt basically drunk with his giddy state - a strange occurance, but one that wasn't too much of a stranger for him. And besides, he rather liked the feeling. But when she actually spoke to him, the giddiness seemed to drain, although the look of pleasure and the smile on his face still remained.
　
Okay. Now he needed to say something back. It was funny, normally the tom considered himself good at holding conversation... but here he was, unable to so much as utter a word to Skipper. "H-hey! I've been doing great... h-hunting and stuff, you know, but t-there's not a lot going on with me, I've just been hanging around... o-on my o-own... it's really good to see you, how've you been?" That was the only thing he had managed to say without a pause or a stutter. It's really good to see you, how've you been? Was it good enough? The feelings inside him were still buzzing from her earlier touch - even though he knew it was just out of respect for him.
　
A tom was allowed to dream, wasn't he?

Without showing it, a sudden bolt of worry rocketed through Skipper; he'd been alone? He'd been alone?? She had been under the apparently misguided impression that he'd been relaxing with others, laughing with friends, being the kind and happy tom that she'd become so enamored with. Along with the worry, a shockingly strong pang of guilt hit her; if she had been thinking of him so much, why didn't she just go up and ask to hang out with him? Skipper swallowed anxiously, ears swiveling; it was her fault, certainly, that he had been alone.

"Well, that's good... Hey, would you maybe like to come hunting with me? I mean.. you don't have to, but I'd appreciate the company," she mewed in reply, dropping some of the act she had built up; instead of being quite so antagonistic, she was genuine, hoping that he would come with her. Despite her change of heart, Skipper was still fiery and sarcastic around strangers; they received the same whiplashing they would've before, but her friends and family certainly noticed that she wasn't all high and mighty over them, just a bit of a firecracker.

Curious as to what he thought about her statement, the flame colored tabby lifted her gaze from its awkward location towards the ground, her eyes locking with his own brightly colored ones, and then trailing down to study his face. It never ceased to amaze her how well-made Gavin looked, as if someone had modeled his features to be the epitome of gorgeous. His eyes were set into his face comfortably, positioned well, with a defined muzzle and jaw, though they still remained somehow soft and welcoming. His lips always seemed to hint at a smile; his eyes gleamed constantly. There was something about the way he held himself that made Skipper swoon, in a manner very unlike what anyone else saw.

She had to move her brilliant viridescent orbs away, swishing them back towards the ground; her heart thumped wildly, and she felt her skin heating; at least she would let off extra heat in the ridiculous weather of Greenleaf. "You really don't have too, Gavin... No one wants to spend time with me, let alone you,"she murmured, awkwardly, a hint of her newfound mentally depricating self-consciousness showing through; she wasn't very sure of herself, after trying to change her entire worldview, and she hated asking people to favours, much as she had before.

[lone]

Originally Posted by Clover

Without showing it, a sudden bolt of worry rocketed through Skipper; he'd been alone? He'd been alone?? She had been under the apparently misguided impression that he'd been relaxing with others, laughing with friends, being the kind and happy tom that she'd become so enamored with. Along with the worry, a shockingly strong pang of guilt hit her; if she had been thinking of him so much, why didn't she just go up and ask to hang out with him? Skipper swallowed anxiously, ears swiveling; it was her fault, certainly, that he had been alone.

"Well, that's good... Hey, would you maybe like to come hunting with me? I mean.. you don't have to, but I'd appreciate the company," she mewed in reply, dropping some of the act she had built up; instead of being quite so antagonistic, she was genuine, hoping that he would come with her. Despite her change of heart, Skipper was still fiery and sarcastic around strangers; they received the same whiplashing they would've before, but her friends and family certainly noticed that she wasn't all high and mighty over them, just a bit of a firecracker.

Curious as to what he thought about her statement, the flame colored tabby lifted her gaze from its awkward location towards the ground, her eyes locking with his own brightly colored ones, and then trailing down to study his face. It never ceased to amaze her how well-made Gavin looked, as if someone had modeled his features to be the epitome of gorgeous. His eyes were set into his face comfortably, positioned well, with a defined muzzle and jaw, though they still remained somehow soft and welcoming. His lips always seemed to hint at a smile; his eyes gleamed constantly. There was something about the way he held himself that made Skipper swoon, in a manner very unlike what anyone else saw.

She had to move her brilliant viridescent orbs away, swishing them back towards the ground; her heart thumped wildly, and she felt her skin heating; at least she would let off extra heat in the ridiculous weather of Greenleaf. "You really don't have too, Gavin... No one wants to spend time with me, let alone you,"she murmured, awkwardly, a hint of her newfound mentally depricating self-consciousness showing through; she wasn't very sure of herself, after trying to change her entire worldview, and she hated asking people to favours, much as she had before.

Gavin could feel his ears burning at her offer... it was certainly a nice one, considering his mention of being alone, and now she was offering to keep him company - though innocence was in his mind as well, thinking that she was just being such a nice cat at that moment. Part of him felt selfish at the same time, glad that he would get Skipper to himself and maybe they could catch up, arrange more times and dates - but that was getting way ahead. This encounter may have been chance and there was no reason that there couldn't be more in the future, but at the same time he would be glad to have more chance encounters. If they would result in him getting to spend a few moments with the unique fiery feline. Gavin couldn't help but admire her features - beautiful emerald like, perfectly shaped eyes and a pelt that looked as though it had been set on fire - a color that he admired - gave the tom those butterflies that had returned to his stomach. It felt cruel that he should feel this way, but at the same time it was a nice fluttery feeling. Something to get used to. A new challenge, as Gavin chose to think of it... a new challenge, yeah. That was a good way to think of it.

"I... I would love to! It'd be fun," He purred. Thank goodness for that innocence, otherwise Gavin would be ten times more nervous. As it was he was just a little bit excited/fluttery feeling, the type of thing that was easily hidden. Thank goodness for that. Forcing himself to meet the brilliant gaze of Skipper, the familiar smile seemed to falter for a moment as he looked over her features. He was learning them by heart. Learning them so that, whenever he might see a cat that looked like her, he would know for certain whether it was or not. Though their first meeting had been by chance as well, Gavin felt a certain amount of amazement that it had happened in that particular way. Such an odd way for a meeting to occur, and though chance had played a part - had someone else? Her words of doubt - self-doubt, that was - made Gavin stop and his brow furrowed in confusion.

"But - but I do, and - I'm sure if you were like this with other cats, they'd all like you as much as I do." He smiled. There was that fluttery, uncomfortable feeling again - and it made him want to change his words, though he was confident there had been nothing wrong with them. "Not - there's not anything wrong with you, ever, I mean you're - a good friend and everything, and I like you a lot, I mean as a friend, because that's really how you like other cats isn't it?" Gavin swallowed after speaking so quickly, feeling nervousness bubbling up in his stomach. Normally the sandy tom was so confident. Willing to pay another cat compliments, or tell him he liked them, without a second thought.

So what had happened to drain this feline of his friendly, confident, kind ways

[seasalt]

Originally Posted by Duskflight

It wasn't hard for him to find happiness in seeing that content grin on her muzzle; sure while Icarius tried to make himself look big and scary {though the act never really fooled anyone, he thought it did}, he was a big softy and found happiness in the happiness and well being of other cats. His pride and confidence tended to push others away, but other than that he truly did have a good heart and was certainly a sight for sore eyes here in the Syndicate. Many cats, as you may already know, are of the darker nature and really truly only care about themselves, their next meal, and blood. There were very few, if any, that held any sort of compassion for other cats, but Icarius was one of them.
"You're right, it is pretty cool! I get to study these magical herbs that can make you feel better when you're hurt or sick, and I'm doing pretty great too, I think I'm just about ready to start treating patients all by myself!" Boasted the young tom with a delighted and bright grin, even though he had barely even started his training in becoming a healer. Then again, that was just him and how he had been since he was much younger. And really, that confidence in himself was much needed for nearly every cat in the Syndicate aside from the healers themselves would be dogging him and treating him like crowfood. He's lucky he's strong, or else he wouldn't make it.
"Hm.. Yeah, yeah, that would be pretty cool I guess! Not cooler than being a healer, but pretty cool!" Mewed Icarius, the smile still on his muzzle, his tail raising up happily to hear the excitement in her voice, his own eyes starting to twinkle with her excitement.
"So what brings you over here anyways sis? You bored or something?"

@Duskflight
Iesha giggled at "magical herbs" excitedly, "That's so cool!" Her ice blue eyes shined with admiration and love for her half-brother, eyes that looked so much like her father, and yet, different. Very different. The she-kit admired all her half-siblings really, if they were older, like a lot. Even if they were healers, or hunters. Iesha didn't care about ranks, she thought they were all equally cool. But, still, she wanted to be just like her father. Oh how she hadn't realized how bad that would make her become, if she chooses this path. Innocence will be toiled with someday, and somehow. And it was only a matter of time. Lilith, her... step mother? She admired her well. As for her littermates. Never really talked with them, or interacted with them, she didn't seem interested really. Maybe later today. "Both are equally cool actually!" Iesha beamed again. When the question was asked, she simply shrugged. "I guess so, but I also wanted to see what awesome stuff you were doing!" The black and white she-kit's smile never wavered. Not for one second. How she kept on smiling was her own secret. A magician never revealed their tricks. It was kinda like that. But not at the same time. Bored. No. Just wanted to see what her half-brother was doing. Well.. maybe a little bored. But... not really!