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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2016 23:29:07 GMT -5
Her sleep had been restless, but she refused to associate her buzzing thoughts with the face of a Scavenger. She couldn’t think of anybody she’d want to give that kind of credit to and, besides, it took a lot more than an hour or two to suddenly hold a place in her heart. The look of disapproval on Tiger’s face, mixed with an undertone of hurt and exasperation, was an image sealed tight behind her eyelids whenever they closed; she didn’t have to tell him to know how he would feel about it, but it quite simply wasn’t his business, and at this point she couldn’t think of any reason as to why Tiger, or anyone for the matter, would need to be informed. She was the boss for a reason, and a healer would be the last to cloud her judgement.
The stretch of time between dusk and dawn gave a she-cat a lot of time to think, and by the time she was ready to leap onto the ledge of her window and await Needle’s arrival, she had hammered a healthy amount of suspicion into her outlook. She couldn’t fathom why it had taken her such a long time to question his intentions. He had seemed sincere, and even heartfelt, but he was still a Scavenger; she was setting herself up for trouble by letting him in too easily.
Before they parted ways, she had been sure to tell him that her favourite food was none other than a hare. It was no concern of hers what he brought, but it was thoughtful of him to want to bring what she enjoyed the most. Blue would never tire of being waited upon, especially from the likes of a handsome tom, but she had to remind herself that it was nothing more than exactly that. He was willing to do whatever she asked of him, or so it seemed, and she wanted to test that theory—once she had her answer she would have no further use for him lest she continue to want to see her needs met. The likelihood of that seemed less and less far-fetched by the minute. It wouldn’t be so bad to keep him around if it meant she wouldn’t have to work a day in her life for herself; excluding her jobs as a boss, of course, which she wouldn’t give up even if someone’s claws were pressed against her neck to demand it.
She thought she could make out a black and white shape not too far ahead, and she inclined her head expectantly, trying to make out whether or not he was carrying a piece of prey in his mouth. She hated to admit that she would be disappointed if he showed up empty-handed, but he had shown up nonetheless, and it excited her. Composing herself before he arrived at her doorstep, she leaped down from the ledge of her house, wearing a small smile on the corner of her lip.
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Post by Zen on Jul 30, 2016 0:37:53 GMT -5
Needle
She keeps me wondering, my Mona Lisa, is that a frown or a grin?
Reluctantly, Needle had returned to the Scavengers' camp after watching Blue disappear inside her human's home. He had stood there for a few more moments, wishing she would come back and ask him to stay with her, but his wish went unfulfilled. He had plodded back to camp, in no hurry to arrive, and kept glancing back for her. He had to remind himself to pay attention so he could remember how to get back in the morning, but it wasn't difficult. Scavengers were rather rigorously trained in navigation, and Needle shared keen observation skills with his brother. He slipped into camp empty-pawed and only then realized he had forgotten the coltsfoot he had gone out looking for that day. Well, at least he knew where some was now. He could return to the plant the next day and get what he needed.
He went to his nest straight away. It he was going to find a hare tomorrow morning and bring it back to Blue before she left her home, he would have to be sure to get up early. He would devastated if he showed up late and she had already left. She would never take him seriously if he failed in this task she had set for him. He shifted and sighed and dozed fitfully, afraid of sleeping too long. Finally he gave up and padded out of camp, feeling eyes on him as he left. His tail twitched with amusement. It was intriguing how his brother's gaze felt different than anyone else's.
He shook off the thought as he ascended into the world above, where a gray twilight sapped all the color from the world, leaving it dull and lifeless as it awaiting the sun's light and warmth. He sighed, she really was like the sun.... Pausing, he shook his head. He couldn't let his thoughts be preoccupied with her right now, not if he wanted to find her a hare for breakfast. But it was so hard. He bounded forward, keeping a brisk pace as he wove his way through Renegade territory, keeping an eye out for any herbs he could come back for later, and also for a stray hare. He didn't expect to find one here, not so close to where humans dwelt, but one never knew... which is why he had chosen to travel above ground rather than through the tunnels.
Luck was not with him; he found no hare on his way to the park, but he had expected that so it made no matter. Greenery began to take over the streets and Needle slowed his pace, scenting the air as he continued forward and into the park where he was far more likely to find a hare. His surroundings were slowly turning a lighter shade of gray. He stalked through the park, alert for any sign of his desired prey. He passed a number of birds, slipping around them quietly so they would not startle and alert other prey in the area to danger, but no hare. At long last, as color was beginning to seep back into the world, he spotted one.
He stopped dead in his tracks, settling low to the ground, watching as the creature nibbled a bit of grass, hopped forward, nibbled again. Slowly, he crept forward, one careful, silent pawstep after another, his gaze fixed on the hare. He had to catch it. If he wasn't going to show up with her favorite meal then he might as well not show up at all! Suddenly the hare raised its head, nose twitching, as it looked around. Needle didn't give it very long to take anything in. He leapt forward, digging his claws into the grass to better propel himself after his prey. The hare hesitated for only a heartbeat, but it was a heartbeat too long.
Triumphant and purring, Needle stood over the dead hare, his tail raised like a flag of victory behind him. The first tinges of pink were beginning to appear in the sky, announcing the dawn. He picked up the hare and began dragging it back toward Renegade territory. He may have forgotten to take into account how carrying the hare back would slow him down. Damn it. He went as fast as he could, but carrying an entire hare such a long distance was awkward. Not to mention, by the time he finally got about half way to Blue's home, the humans were starting to become active. He... may have forgotten about that too. He realized he really hadn't thought this through very well... but it would be worth it!
Somehow, he managed to reach Blue's house without incident, his neck sore from dragging the hare for so long. But when he saw her there, waiting for him, his heart skipped a beat and he forgot all about his poorly planned hunting trip. The sun was beginning to peek above the horizon and the glow the dawn lighting cast upon Blue made her look even more beautiful, something he could never have imagined possible. He nearly forgot to breathe as he stood for a moment, simply taking in the sight of her. Then he remembered he was bringing her breakfast and was keeping her waiting. He closed the short distance between them, laid the hare out before her and sat back, happy simply to be in her presence again. “Dawn suits you well. I would bring you a hare every morning if only for the chance to witness your radiance,” he purred, “I could hardly sleep for the thought of seeing you again.”
My Mona Lisa, I wanna make you smile. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2016 14:14:36 GMT -5
If he was worn out from the task she had given him the night before, he did a decent job of pretending otherwise. She narrowed her eyes and gave him a quick once-over before dipping her head down to pick up the hare by its neck. Gesturing for him to follow her with a gentle swish of her tail, she lead him into her backyard and settled down in front of a small, quaint garden that Debra slaved over in her free-time. The flowers were beautiful and ranged in all sorts of colours; she liked the way they smelled, and the way they uplifted the rest of the yard. Beyond the fence, most of the world the humans and cats occupied was broken down and ugly, so she preferred to stay inside of the fence, where everything was neat and pretty, on the days she didn’t feel the need to check in on the Renegades’ camp. Her kind took care of themselves, after all, and had no need for their boss to loom.
“Thank you.” She said to him, paying no mind to the fact that she had been late in doing so. She took a delicate bite out of the hare’s neck, savoring the taste, before pushing it towards him in an offer to share. “I imagine you must be starved after what you went through to obtain this for me. Don’t think for even a second I didn’t notice that you were winded.” Her lips spread into a small, quiet smile, meant for herself more than anything else, but she wouldn’t be surprised if he noticed every little thing she did. She wouldn’t tolerate him thinking he could pull anything—even a shortness of breath—over her eyes. If he was truly that tired, it meant he had put more effort into hunting down a hare than she had expected him to. She couldn’t decide whether or not it was a good thing or a bad thing.
Leaning closer to him, she rasped her tongue over his ear, before moving to press her nose into the fur along the side of his neck. He would think she was being affectionate with him, of this she had no doubt, but truthfully she was searching for an indication of strain or soreness. She was no healer—and if there was something wrong with him she was fairly certain that was more up his alley than hers—but it was hard to resist the urge to check. She reminded herself that it wasn’t because she cared.
“You probably had something more exciting in mind for today, but I thought it would be relaxing to stay in my yard for a little while. It’s really quite nice here, don’t you think?” As a Scavenger, he had probably spent little time, if any, in the backyard of a house unless he was on a mission to collect some trinket or medicine. She never imagined she would invite one of his kind into her property, but if he would rather spend time with her than with his own gang—where she could only wonder how frequently his services were needed due to their lifestyle—she wasn’t going to be the one to stop him. This was as good an opportunity as any to learn more about him, and maybe even more about the Scavengers. The Renegades had no issues with the Scavengers, none that she could think of, at least, but it wouldn’t hurt to have an advantage if the tables suddenly turned. “Tell me about yourself: Your family, your job, what you do and don’t like…” She trailed off, then, batting her eyes as if that would be what got her onto the list of what he liked.
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Post by Zen on Aug 2, 2016 22:15:19 GMT -5
Needle
She keeps me wondering, my Mona Lisa, is that a frown or a grin?
Without saying anything, Blue picked up the hare and turned toward the back of her house, signaling with her tail for him to follow. His whiskers quivered as he followed after her, wondering if he'd done something wrong. She hadn't responded to him at all. As she settled herself in front of a garden bursting with the colors of many different flowers, Needle couldn't help but glance over them, wondering if any of them were useful to his craft. He wasn't looking at them for long when her voice snapped his attention quickly back to her. She thanked him. He purred, relaxing slightly. So he hadn't done anything wrong then. She took a bite, then she offered it to him.
Still purring, he settled beside her, cheerful as usual, “You caught me, I suppose, though I assure you I wasn't meaning to hide anything from you.” He didn't mind if she knew he was a bit tired from the task she had set him to. He was a healer, not a warrior. His duties were not generally particularly strenuous. Due to his unique skills and knowledge, he was allowed to take food from the meager freshkill pile the senior apprentices brought back for the queens and juniors who were unable to hunt for themselves when it suited him to do so. He more than repaid the hospitality by all the work he did for his Gang, work few other cats in the entire city could manage to perform.
That didn't mean that he couldn't take care of himself, however. You could not become a healer without first becoming a warrior, after all. One had to prove their ability to survive before any cat would waste their time imparting such important knowledge as healercraft onto them. He just wasn't used to quite so much physical exertion anymore. Besides, hares were not such easy prey to find in the city, so he didn't feel bad at all about the strain his body felt after finally finding one. It wasn't very practical to seek out specific prey like that, he could hear any number of his Gangmates as they expressed their disgust at the time and effort he had wasted on such an endeavor, but then he had never much cared what they thought of him.
He was in a position of influence, as it was. Not only was he a healer with valuable knowledge and skills, he was also the Boss's brother, and he knew Whisper wanted him on his side... and so there were unspoken agreements between them, leniency and allowances. Only a complete moron would risk displeasing their Gang's healers. Needle had no qualms about turning one of his Gangmates away when they needed help if it proved a point. And that was why Whisper wanted him on his side. He was quite a valuable resource to hold over the Gang's head, a silent threat that need never be spoken or even suggested. Displease one brother, and you displeased both, and having both the Boss and a healer upset with you was not the most intelligent decision to make.
And then her tongue rasped over his ear and all thought stopped as he was wreathed in her scent. Her nose pressed into his fur and his purring deepened. He did not regret his decision to find her a hare this morning one bit. It had been so very worth it. She had kept her distance last night, hadn't let him in, hadn't shown him any real signs at all of being interested in his pursuit of her. But she had given him a chance. Yes, he must have been right. It was her first test, and he had definitely passed. He would jump through any hoop she held before him to prove how serious he was about her. Any number of tests, he would put his whole self into them.
“Oh, yes... it's absolutely wonderful here...,” he purred, gazing at her through a haze of happiness. Anywhere she was would be wonderful to him. He blinked from his hazy stupor after a moment, realizing she was asking about him. He would much rather hear about her, but... she wanted to know about him? His heart skipped a beat. So she was interested in him? If even a little, that was enough, for now. The rest would come in time, he was sure. “About me, hm...?” He chuckled, “Let's see....” He thought about where to start. She had asked about his family, “Hm... well.... I can claim to be full blooded Scavenger!” He laughed, “Not something that I think would impress most cats, nor invite any amount of trust, but it's the truth of it. I honestly thought I would be exiled from my Gang before I became a senior apprentice, since I couldn't be traded anywhere.” He laughed again, rolling onto his side and looking at her from his leisurely pose, “My personality doesn't entirely mesh with my Gang's ideals. However, I made myself useful enough, so they let me stay. It's as good a place as any to be, I suppose, especially when your brother is running the place.”
He was an open book. He had no problem telling her anything she wanted to know. She was only a Renegade, and the Scavengers and Renegades traditionally had a fairly symbiotic relationship. He did not feel that he risked much by telling her about himself. He knew very little about Gang politics, and had no desire to learn about all the little important details his brother dealt with on a day to day basis, so it wasn't like he could really give anything important away. He and Whisper may have each others' mutual support, but they mostly left each other to their respective duties and whims without much crossover. “I enjoy the freedom of it. I know that's something Renegades appreciate, too. I wonder if I might not fit in better as a Renegade... but I don't think I could do the human thing.”
He righted himself, looking a little alarmed momentarily, and his words came out in a rush, “Not that it's a bad thing! I don't mean that at all! I promise, I don't look down on you for it or anything. It's just... not for me, is all.” He searched her face worriedly, hoping he hadn't offended her. Sometimes he wished he thought a bit more before he spoke. That was something Whisper had told him was also a wish HE had. There was a lot of scorn cast at the Renegades for the way they lived, but Needle really didn't care one way or the other. There were a lot of things he did that other cats didn't agree with... or wouldn't if they knew about it. Who was he to judge how any other cat lived their life? Oh, now he had messed it up for sure.
My Mona Lisa, I wanna make you smile. |
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