Dusk Syndicate Territory

[Mango]

Originally Posted by Gusty

"Hello." He said bluntly back in response, watching the healer with some sort of amused interest. Oh, the way Pistachio's fur was prickling up in nervousness. The way her rigid posture demonstrated her submissiveness. Her eyes that widened due to momentary shock; her ears that twitched and flattened downwards. Subconsciously, Halite felt a twinge of pleasure. She's even stuttering.Sadistic pleasure, that was it, but he forced his face to stay emotionless as usual.

"Seems like you're doing something with your... herbs, aren't you?" he asked, pausing for a response, despite already knowing the answer.

Pistachio had sort of calmed down, but not completely as she was terrified of Halite as a whole, she nodded slightly," Yes, Halite. I'm collecting catnip and marigold as they are hard to find in leafbare, but marigold prevents infection and catnip is important for greencough and whitecough, which occurs in newleaf." (I think it's leaffall already?) she nodded slightly crossing and uncrossing her front paws over and over again along with twitching the tip of her tail.

[wickedvirtues]

@Mystical

Allure was pacing the boarder between the Syndicate and SkyClan, hoping she could catch a cat stumbling over the boarder to recruit or kill. Her claws itched with a need to do something, if only she had some company to pace with..or do something like that. Allure's pelt was bristling, she needed something to do, or kill. It might sound morbid to some, but to her murder was just an average thing in life. She thought the Clan's were weak for their 'no killing' rule. How did they win battles then? By the other Clan retreating? Pathetic! Her claws flexed as she huffed, sitting and glaring over the boarder.

[Cosmo]

Originally Posted by CandyFlossCat

@Mystical

Allure was pacing the boarder between the Syndicate and SkyClan, hoping she could catch a cat stumbling over the boarder to recruit or kill. Her claws itched with a need to do something, if only she had some company to pace with..or do something like that. Allure's pelt was bristling, she needed something to do, or kill. It might sound morbid to some, but to her murder was just an average thing in life. She thought the Clan's were weak for their 'no killing' rule. How did they win battles then? By the other Clan retreating? Pathetic! Her claws flexed as she huffed, sitting and glaring over the boarder.

The alabaster and gray molly under the name of Nettle padded around, her eyes narrowed. Honestly, she wasn't doing anything useful, she should be, she was a fighter. Fighters needed to fight. And what was she doing? Wasting her time walking around in circles like a pathetic SkyClan cat. What was wrong with her? Nettle felt the need to go do something that would get her noticed. Something that would make a few cats show up and praise her for doing something or other. Who knew? It didn't matter. Walking in circles didn't do her any good. Finally the molly stopped, sweeping her tail over her paws. A growl found it's way out. It was a growl of annoyance and boredom. "What am I doing?" she wondered aloud, her amber orbs glowing with disappointment in her self, as well as annoyance with everyone else. Nettle padded to the border and began to follow it. She padded confidently until she saw a certain cat. She froze. Allure. Her sister.

[wickedvirtues]

Originally Posted by Mystical

The alabaster and gray molly under the name of Nettle padded around, her eyes narrowed. Honestly, she wasn't doing anything useful, she should be, she was a fighter. Fighters needed to fight. And what was she doing? Wasting her time walking around in circles like a pathetic SkyClan cat. What was wrong with her? Nettle felt the need to go do something that would get her noticed. Something that would make a few cats show up and praise her for doing something or other. Who knew? It didn't matter. Walking in circles didn't do her any good. Finally the molly stopped, sweeping her tail over her paws. A growl found it's way out. It was a growl of annoyance and boredom. "What am I doing?" she wondered aloud, her amber orbs glowing with disappointment in her self, as well as annoyance with everyone else. Nettle padded to the border and began to follow it. She padded confidently until she saw a certain cat. She froze. Allure. Her sister.

Allure thought she heard something, though she ignored it for the time being. It didn't smell of rogue, loner,
or Clan. Those were her main enemies. Other Syndicate cats irritated her a bit, but they were easy to ignore or flirt with to manipulate them. The older she-cat hated sitting around, fighters didn't just sit around. They fought! Allure was glad she had such a good position, she couldn't imagine being a hunter or a healer. They were so..boring sounding to her. Healing the injured? She scoffed. She glared over the boarder still, hoping some weak apprentice would cockily pad over the boarder. They could refuse or die. That was a fair choice..kind of. She heard a mew in the distance, blinking and turning her gaze for a moment, eyes fixed on the direction it came from until she saw the pale fur of her sister Nettle. "Hello, Nettle." She mewed, giving a small dip of her head.

[~Breadsticks~]

@Empress Of Evil
The molly padded through the territory then flopped down, grunting as she attempted to get comfortable on the pavement. She stretched out and waved her tail, resting her head on her paws. Maia looked around, her gaze searching for any cat she could talk with, or at least interact with in some way.

[Vesper]

She sighed. "Im sorry." Her eyes widened. "Were you about to say you love me?" The she cat tipped her head to one side. @Flameleaf @Flameleaf @Flameleaf @Flameleaf @Flameleaf

Making sure u get it. :3
Do this to me to btw!
For payback!

[Ever]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Ebony's thank-you purr put Arrow's traditional small smile back on his maw. He dipped his head the slightest bit, but otherwise gave no confirmation. Part of him just wanted to stay here, all night - but he was afraid to. There were predators lurking, sometimes, and even if he was perfectly safe, it might seem rude to come out here with his companion but not return with her. The night was both Arrow's friend and enemy. He feared it, and yet every time night fell, he felt as though he were greeting an old friend. It was confusing to even the brown tabby, and he didn't dare tell anyone else about his mixed feelings. They would view him as crazy. Opinions mattered here, Arrow knew - those who were held in esteem were never threatened. Those who were not, such as the Healers? They were often threatened or at least, abused. And Arrow wasn't willing to risk his life to try and become esteemed - it was a longer road then most thought, unless you were made Co-Commander. But that wouldn't happen to Arrow.

He wasn't the type that got noticed for that kind of thing, he was the... well... more of slink-around-in-the-shadows and stay-out-of-the-way or try-not-to-be-noticed type. And so, Arrow generally tried his best to do those very things. He wasn't noticable. He had a traditional brown tabby pelt, and he guarded himself so that no one would think anything interesting about him. But, didn't every cat want a friend? Didn't every cat want companionship? Yes. Arrow wanted those things, but he was afraid of them. He was more fearful then he appeared to be, and those fears had practically taken over his life. He couldn't have a friend, he couldn't have the companionship that he longed for for so long, because he knew what would happen. Something bad, that was what. It was too dangerous.

Far, far too dangerous. And Arrow was aware of this. So he was careful to keep himself guarded, and safe, and he wouldn't let anyone in. But, he wanted to. He could see that Ebony wanted it - or he had been able to see that. And he wondered, could she see the same? Could she tell beneath his guarded exterior was, well... himself? Oh, Arrow hoped not. He was far more interesting if you could see that, and he never wanted anyone to think that he was interesting. He wanted to be known as boring. A strange thing to want, but that was the very thing the tom wanted. Her words gave him a sudden shock of surprise. The tom's optics moved down towards the ground and he stopped for a moment.

"I... didn't either."

Others like her? Arrow had known that they were similar, he could tell just by the way that she carried herself and... a lot of other things. But the tabby wasn't sure if they were as similar as she thought. Did she fear companionship too? Did she want it nevertheless? He knew that was probably rare, to fear something so much but want it so badly at the same time. Maybe he was the only one who did that. Yet, why was she guarding herself, then? Because of bad cats? Because she was scared? Because... she was like him? Arrow was hoping that she was.

"And... I don't know. Are we?"

His voice was low, nervous, showing that he was scared to ask anything along those lines. It was more vulnerable. But still safe enough, safe enough to the point where he could rescue it. Clumsily, but he could rescue it. Please understand. Please get it. He thought, his eyes nearly closing as he felt a sting of embarassment. If only Ebony understood... maybe, maybe for the first time in a long time, Arrow could be free from keeping his guard up around everyone. Maybe... maybe she would be safe.

(sorry for the lateness, school has begun again and it's been a little hectic here with wedding planning in full swing and a move on the way)

Everything about the moment seemed to be as relieving as it was painfully anxious. Neither cat wanting to reveal too much, both watching their words, sharing them so carefully and with great calculation. Her tail brushed against the grass behind her as she carefully studied the tom's movements, the squint of his eyes. She understood it, understood his quiet, his careful behavior and closed walls. It was almost like looking into a mirror at herself, at the image she tried so hard to keep around herself. It made something inside her ache a little to see another creature so lost to fear and loneliness. Her eyes slid away from his expression, composure, not wanting to feel it anymore. She had underestimated how much she would feel again from an encounter like this. The black feline had always put so much time into training her emotions into submission, being in control. There was no way to control the emotions that swept through her now; the subtle ache to reach out to him, to comfort Arrow in some way, the way his loneliness and the fear that flashed so discretely in his eyes made her heart ache with a similar longing and fear. She hadn't expected it and it would probably be overwhelming enough to haunt her for the days to follow before she could control the emotions; pick them apart and dig into what caused them to earn control... If she chose to do that. Sometimes, emotions were best left unsolved and uncontrolled.

"Yes."

The word was strong, secure. She'd known they were the same when they'd first met, it was why she had taken the jump to ask him to join her. The corner's of her maw were twisted in a nervous smile as she glanced back at him, hope shining deep in her eyes but hard to depict to the naked eye in the dark night. Though she wished for him to capture the hope, just a little, just enough to make him feel a little more secure. Ebony also wished for a way, to let him into her mind, to erase the vulnerability and fears that held her back from being open. She wished to learn more about him, know what made him this way too and to help him heal as well as she could.

Most of all thought a tickle of a thought sat on her tongue. She wanted to say it, even though they'd only just met, she wanted to know. She wanted this something so badly, but was too fearful to explore the option alone. Want to get out of here? It tickled along her sandpaper tongue but she held it it. Curiosity was a weakness and she'd long ago learned to control it after letting her curiosity ruin her entire life. Maybe if she hadn't seen it, if she hadn't let herself run to the noises and reek of death to see what he'd done and had still been doing. Maybe then she wouldn't be the way she was. The thoughts made a shiver run down her spine, raising the fur there a little as she bristled at the images surging to the surface, plunging her paws in the murk of her memories to force them from returning to her now, or ever.

She looked away, turned her face from Arrow. She didn't want him to see this, this struggle. It wasn't for him to see, not yet, if ever was even an option. It wasn't something she could safely share, it would put him at risk of everything Hannibal was. If her brother were to even find out that they'd been out tonight, Ebony didn't doubt that his suspicion would be raised. But that was why she enjoyed the night, Hannibal didn't haunt it, she haunted the waking world's thoughts and lives. This was her sanctuary, and she wanted it to be Arrow's too. She waited for his response, if any were to even come. It wasn't an answer that looked for confirmation, it was just a sure statement, a confirmation that they somehow understood each other, but that neither was prepared to delve too deep too quickly.

[Aquarius]

Originally Posted by Constellation

{ XD }

The sun colored tom stared at her coolly. Acknowledging her stance, but not caring what her outcome would be. He himself took a seat down. Plopping on the earth bedding as he picked up a paw to give it a couple licks. She was fire. Definitely. And, if he were water; she might as well be extinguished. She wasn't pleased with this situation. Though Stephanotis felt the complete opposite. He was exhilirating by it. Even lacking to show how ecstatic she was making him.

She snapped. Once again. Stephanotis continued to lick a paw, bringing it over his head, and through the corner of his eyes, she stepped forward. This made him look at her questioningly. Dared, she step forward? The tom finally put his paw down, taking his time to answer as his ears flicked at the sound of nature around them. The Syndicate could be such a dark place. With felines always wanting to fit in after they been cast out. Stephanotis realized this she cat...had to be in that same boat. "How dare I?" He repeated, keeping a rather cool tone as he allowed his claws to sink into the ground behind. He wasn't mad. As stated before, he felt that victorious feeling that he was ramming her emotions. "I apparently have no chill. Sincere apologies if I do not care about offending you." He dipped his head, each word sounding as such. He didn't care.

How dare he do a lot of things! How dare he mess with innocent lives because The Syndicate was known for its atrocious acts? How dare he get comfortable into this life and be a bother to others? How dare he want to drive others to the brink of insanity until they realized they had nothing to live for? How dare he? How dare he! How dare he...talk down on this she cat?

Stephanotis got up, stretching his limbs. He continued to be unfazed, keeping his brilliant gaze on the day before him. He could feel that lava emitting from her. That hositilit in her eyes. It was all there. Stephanotis came to the conclusion that it was much easier for him to hide his fury, but hers? It was fun to morph. Play around with. It was a toy. She was the figure. He was the master. She was the puppet. Because she was so easy to control just because she allowed her rage to take hold of her. "Well, you are pretty small. I can't talk up to you, now can I?" He joking purr came from deep within his throat. She was small to him. Towering over her, he could land her with one blow. She would be finished. It occurred to Stephanotis that her insanity is living. So, why would he want to drive her to death?

"Oh, such sadness. I thought I was a joy for everyone to be around," Stephanotis allowed his eyes to roll up for a moment, searching for the sun. He wasn't a ray of sunshine, that much was obvious. Far from it. Unless the sunshine had the intentions on blinding people and scorching them and having them feel the incredible agony of pain until death - then, yes. He was that sunshine. Her next comment, Stephanotis let out a growl. Telling a cat they should consider living with Two-legs was not a good thing. Stephanotis wouldn't take for it. "Oh, yeah? Why don't you come along with me? It'll be an adventure for the both of us!" His tail lashed angrily behind him as he stared challenging at the she cat. If she thought she could get to him. Oh no, she was wrong. There were only a few things that could get to Stephanotis...which would always remain not disclosed.

Stephanotis blinked. Unmoving. Definitely not afraid. Really, amused. "So, that's just natural hostility? Gotcha." He nodded, knowing that she lied. It was obvious that she lied. With every word that came out his mouth, she got terribly offended about it. Like how she told him that she wouldn't be afraid to claw his eyes out. That's when Stephanotis gave a genuine laugh. "And, here I was thinking I was making a new friend. You're quite the violent one, aren't you, hm?" His whiskers danced as his eyes glowed at the sight of her. "Oh, please! Do it if you're so brave. I'm begging you. Since you're such a ferocious kitty."

Then, she said it. She wouldn't hesitate to fight him. This sparked Stephanotis' interest. Squinting his bright gaze at her, he stepped closer, a snarl emitting from him. As he walked up to her, he seemingly passed her,
Only allowing his muzzle to graze her ear. "I don't think that's something you want to proceed with doing." Be brought his head back, proceeding to pass her, but turned his head around to look at her once more. "But if you want to try - since you're so brave - I'll give you a head start. Although I never imagined myself to be fighting with such exquisite ladies..." It was clear that she didn't want to fight him. She was all talk, as he stated before. She was a hunter. Her claws and fangs belonged to the prey.

"Or, maybe you should keep your fighting in a hunter's place. Save your energy - and, your life for the animals who needs to die." He growled, lowly. She had said that he didn't scare her. Stephanotis flicked his ears upon her words, but he continued to walk off. A shadow that would be possibly hunting her every move.

(oh my gosh sorry it's so long)

The conversation was finally beginning to go to Aquarius's head. Her short fuse was nearly burned out, and she felt a fire beginning to blaze in the pits of her soul. She could feel it's warmth spread through the blood throughout her body, the blood she urged to spill. She could almost imagine the crimson drops spilling out onto the ground, in a pool around her, the darkness of the deed staining her fur scarlet, and the horrid look in her eyes...

But wait. That couldn't be right.
The body she imagined bleeding on the hillside was none but her own.

But the scene seemed to energize her, she realized while a sickening feeling crept into her throat, stopping her from speaking. She felt like she was choking on her imagination, the scene all too vivid in her head. And yet, it somehow seemed like she craved that. Her own death. Like she longed for it to happen.

Horror burned in her eyes and she was determined to hide it from him, although her emotion was anything but subtle. She barely heard Stephanotis's words as he said something snarky to her, and she could just barely register as he began to casually stretch, digging his claws into the dirt as he stood back up, as if that had been nothing but a morning routine. As if he was oblivious to the effect he had on her, or as if this had been his plan all along at the same time. The sheer thought of it terrified Aquarius, right down to her bone, and she felt the fire in her anger die down slightly, only to be replaced by mere horror.

"I'm not s-small," the molly shot back, swallowing the lump in her throat. She bristled her fur so that she was twice her normal size, with her neck and tail bushed up, but even so, the tom still seemed to be larger. He had an ominous look in his eyes, and Aquarius needed to know who this cat was, and why he would even be engaging in a conversation with her. There must have been some ulterior motive, but Aquarius was anything but close to figuring out what it was. She forced herself not to stammer, so she could finally spit out an enraged response. Now, instead of a fiery enragement, she seemed to have a cold fury burning within her. Something icy and slightly more controllable. "Well you're anything but, so you can keep dreaming," she sneered, curling her lip up to expose her fangs. Finally she said something that broke through to him, and felt a shiver go down her spine as he growled in response. If she was honest, she was pleased that she had been able to annoy him, as he showed with his not so subtle growl. It took everything she had not to smirk with delight.

"If I had to be around you for more than five minutes, I would kill myself," Aquarius snarled. Even though it had just been a stupid retort the tom had shot at her, she had still felt infuriated by it. By every little thing he said, actually. It seemed to shock her, actually. How worked up she could get over next-to-nothing. But more than that, she was surprised by her own comment. Why had she said such a horrid thing? It made her remember the scene she had conjured up, and she felt another lump rise in her throat as she figured they might be connected.

Aquarius felt like just walking away from the entire situation, and never having to deal with this tom again, but it was as if her paws were rooted to the ground. There was absolutely nothing she was able to do - her words was the only defense she had, and even then they didn't seem strong enough. She felt as if she was falling apart. "I'm violent if I have to. You don't want to see the violent side of me," she warned, remembering how someone had once commented on the death of her old friend. She had clawed them, and they had walked away dripping with blood, and did everything they could to stay out of her way. But she hadn't been able to control herself - she wasn't a fighter by heart, only by influence. "Don't taunt me," she snapped. "You'll regret it. I swear you will."

As a snarl emitted from her oppenent, Aquarius felt that emotion again - that spark of delight, every time she was able to break his confident shell. Unaware if that was a good or bad thing, her tail lashed behind her. Suddenly she saw the tom walking towards her, and she felt the urge to back away, wondering if a fight was about to ensue. But once again, her paws were rooted, and she felt her entire body turn to ice, her fur standing on end. As the tom passed her, she shivered quickly as she felt his muzzle brush her ear. She didn't want this cat anywhere near her. She wanted to be as far away as possible from his presence.

"A head s-start..." repeated Aquarius, trying to figure out what was happening. Maybe today she had to fight. Maybe, maybe this was her chance to prove herself. Maybe a fight would do good for her reputation.

Or, she would die at the claws of this... this monster, disguised as as a lamb. A wolf in lamb's clothing. The worst type of cat.

As the tom spoke again, the molly whipped around, about to take the challenge, an anger sparking in her when he mentioned something about her being a hunter. How dare he use rank to define her - she wasn't about to let him get away with it, but at the same time, what could she do? She felt helplessly trapped, like a kit in a cave with a wolf. No way out.

No way out but death.
Is that what this fight would lead to?

"What are you?" Snarled Aquarius, louder than she meant it. She needed the answer, she craved the answer. There was something deeply, terribly wrong with this cat and his influence.

Something wrong with this situation, horror coursing through her nerves as she watched the tom simply walk away.

[Tundra]

Thrush blushed and looked away. "Yes..." He admitted.
~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~
Nah, I refuse

[lone]

Originally Posted by Ever

(sorry for the lateness, school has begun again and it's been a little hectic here with wedding planning in full swing and a move on the way)

Everything about the moment seemed to be as relieving as it was painfully anxious. Neither cat wanting to reveal too much, both watching their words, sharing them so carefully and with great calculation. Her tail brushed against the grass behind her as she carefully studied the tom's movements, the squint of his eyes. She understood it, understood his quiet, his careful behavior and closed walls. It was almost like looking into a mirror at herself, at the image she tried so hard to keep around herself. It made something inside her ache a little to see another creature so lost to fear and loneliness. Her eyes slid away from his expression, composure, not wanting to feel it anymore. She had underestimated how much she would feel again from an encounter like this. The black feline had always put so much time into training her emotions into submission, being in control. There was no way to control the emotions that swept through her now; the subtle ache to reach out to him, to comfort Arrow in some way, the way his loneliness and the fear that flashed so discretely in his eyes made her heart ache with a similar longing and fear. She hadn't expected it and it would probably be overwhelming enough to haunt her for the days to follow before she could control the emotions; pick them apart and dig into what caused them to earn control... If she chose to do that. Sometimes, emotions were best left unsolved and uncontrolled.

"Yes."

The word was strong, secure. She'd known they were the same when they'd first met, it was why she had taken the jump to ask him to join her. The corner's of her maw were twisted in a nervous smile as she glanced back at him, hope shining deep in her eyes but hard to depict to the naked eye in the dark night. Though she wished for him to capture the hope, just a little, just enough to make him feel a little more secure. Ebony also wished for a way, to let him into her mind, to erase the vulnerability and fears that held her back from being open. She wished to learn more about him, know what made him this way too and to help him heal as well as she could.

Most of all thought a tickle of a thought sat on her tongue. She wanted to say it, even though they'd only just met, she wanted to know. She wanted this something so badly, but was too fearful to explore the option alone. Want to get out of here? It tickled along her sandpaper tongue but she held it it. Curiosity was a weakness and she'd long ago learned to control it after letting her curiosity ruin her entire life. Maybe if she hadn't seen it, if she hadn't let herself run to the noises and reek of death to see what he'd done and had still been doing. Maybe then she wouldn't be the way she was. The thoughts made a shiver run down her spine, raising the fur there a little as she bristled at the images surging to the surface, plunging her paws in the murk of her memories to force them from returning to her now, or ever.

She looked away, turned her face from Arrow. She didn't want him to see this, this struggle. It wasn't for him to see, not yet, if ever was even an option. It wasn't something she could safely share, it would put him at risk of everything Hannibal was. If her brother were to even find out that they'd been out tonight, Ebony didn't doubt that his suspicion would be raised. But that was why she enjoyed the night, Hannibal didn't haunt it, she haunted the waking world's thoughts and lives. This was her sanctuary, and she wanted it to be Arrow's too. She waited for his response, if any were to even come. It wasn't an answer that looked for confirmation, it was just a sure statement, a confirmation that they somehow understood each other, but that neither was prepared to delve too deep too quickly.

That one word held so much power behind it. So much strength, and there was a security in it that he could hear in her tone. The tabby stopped and looked at her, studying her, wishing - wishing things were different. If only he knew how to break the ice. It had been cracked, but it wasn't fully broken. There was still something, some border of cautiousness, keeping him secure. And he was both trying to push it down and keep it up, which was resulting in a mental war. Every cat had their own mental wars. Every cat had something they were hiding. Arrow was confident that Ebony was hiding something, something that made her this way, cautious and uncertain - and it made them similar.

"Good." It was the only thing he could think of to say, and in a way, this was very good. Someone like him. Someone that shared the same fears, at least it seemed that way. Although he guessed she had seen things that she probably wished she hadn't. No, Arrow had no idea what they could be. Just the fact that her brother was who he was, though, told him that something was probably wrong. There had to be. A cat like Hannibal couldn't just let the others live in peace, could he? Or was that only the rude ones? Perhaps if Arrow stayed out of his way and was polite, his friendship with Ebony could continue being developed. Perhaps he wouldn't be killed in his sleep, as he was thinking he would now.

Perhaps everything would turn out okay. Although he wasn't really one to think along the positive lines. "Where's your favorite place to go here?" What he was asking was something fairly simple. Because as much as the tom enjoyed the silence, if there was a chance - a fraction of hope that this, that the relationship he could feel developing between them could continue, he wanted to grab onto that. Even though his barrier was still there, it was beginning to fade away. As was the ice between them. And he could feel himself getting ready to jump, to take that leap, to jump and grab onto Ebony and prepare himself for a new friendship, but... it was too big of a gap. Too much for him.

He would never be able to make that jump and he knew it. The saddest thing about that was the fact that he really, really wanted to be Ebony's friend. She seemed like the type of cat who would make a good friend. But after so long of hiding, of trying not to get attached, Arrow was pretty sure that he couldn't do this. There was absolutely no way that he was going to be able to make friends with a cat who had a brother who was famous for killing, not to mention that he didn't know much about her. Maybe later. Maybe in the future. But he wanted so badly to believe that this could work, that they could be friends, that in the future everything would be alright, that he was desperate. If only there was a chance Arrow could let it go. Could lighten up and stop feeling like it was going to be the end of the world every time he wanted to make a friend. There had been other times, of course, but Arrow couldn't help but think that every time it would end in disaster.

There was the pretty she cat from across the clearing - but she could be flirtatious. The tom who always gave him a friendly 'good morning,' but Arrow knew that not every manipulative or evil cat started out by acting that way. The shy cat who sat in the corner, scared of the world around her, but Arrow wondered if it could be an act. The strong, nice tom who always appeared to be surrounded by admirers - but that was too dangerous. And then there was Ebony... a cat like him. A cat who had a past that was probably scarring, a cat who wasn't planning on hurting him as far as he could tell. But of course, his mind was on overdrive thinking of all the things that could possibly go wrong. What if she was working with Hannibal? What if she was a killer on her own? What if something horrible happened to them? What if it wasn't safe out here at night? All those fears were holding him back. And yet that hope, that hope was what kept him from running.

All he wanted to do was be friends. And yet that seemed to be the one thing that he could not do, that was impossible for him to imagine doing. He couldn't be friends. No matter how badly he might want to. He couldn't allow himself to get involved in her life, to want to save her from whatever was going on. He couldn't allow himself to grow too concerned for her welfare because it might be his downfall in the end. It might end badly for him. And that was something else he didn't want.