[bobtail]

Originally Posted by Gusty

@SamCats

“I...” he started at first, somewhat hesitant, unsure of how things would play out. At first, Daedalus thought of lying, because was already ingrained in his mind. I could just say that there’s nothing wrong, and then hold a grudge for the rest of time. It won’t be too bad.

And the tom would have said that. Except the fact was that he had already paused for a significant amount of time, and if he spoke that sentence now, it would sound suspiciously false and calculated. To lie properly, you’d at least have to make it semi-believable, and Daedalus has already fallen out of that zone. His facial expressions revealed everything at first glance.

So instead, the alley cat slouched down a bit and just muttered, “I just don’t like clan cats.”

Subconsciously, the ragged-furred feline realized that he might have offended Lily in some way, but there was no way to take back the statement. It just hung in the stale air, awkward as ever.

@Gusty

Lily fought back her initial response, to hiss and swipe at Daedalus, and instead took a deep breath to calm herself, her annoyance shown only in a single twitch of her tail. She closed her eyes briefly, thinking of a calm day in the forest, before opening them again and straightening her downturned lips. It wasn't Daedalus' fault; most Twolegplace cats disliked wild cats. Maybe he'd had a bad experience with one; Clans definitely weren't the most open towards outsiders.

"I can understand that." She meowed, glancing away awkwardly as the words tumbled from her mouth. They were true; it was why she had left the Clan in the first place. "Clan cats can be brutal and unwelcoming, and I know firsthand just how cruel some of them can be. The reason I left was because of how dangerous they are. They..." she broke off, closing her eyes tightly and taking a deep breath to hold back the sob threatening to break from her throat. "A Clan cat killed the one I loved. That's why I left."