is your blood authentic? can you prove it? [ p ]

[wolfie]

「〷」 THE HOLY GHOST「〷」
╰► SPIRIT
he | they ♛ tall black, grey, and white chimera with varying fur lengths and texture; bright amber eyes ♛

ೃ⁀➷ @Shade.

The boring black cat was becoming a waning interest by each moon. It was only becoming sicker. No longer fighting back. Spirit supposed that fight had started to wane once the younger had escaped. (still unfortunate but they didn't care too much. it was hard enough handling one) Eventually, the outsider would have to discard the poor raggedy thing. A mercy if anything. Far too sinful to truly be of any worth to ground beneath. Its blood would only poison. Taint. No, no.

Wolf was taking care of it. Spirit was exploring. The chimera walked mindlessly through the rolling hills. Territory that had long since been burnt and was beginning to heal. It was strange how despite it all life would prevail. Maybe not them. Felines were inherently cruel. It was why one had to repent. It was breathtaking to take sight of such destruction. A beauty. Once you die, you are free of sin. It was why Spirit was all-knowing. They were clean. These hills were clean.

Eventually, the mindlessly walking had started to take a wear on their paw pads. It was something they struggled to notice when they were in a haze. Blinking back in to reality to find themselves sitting near a small, running stream. A tree looms just overhead and Spirit is no longer sure if this was once considered WindClan's. His paw pads are bleeding and he washes them in the water. He thinks about the boring black cat and wonder when it'll crack. He knew that despite the obedience there was still defiance licking just underneath the surface.

[Shade.]

@wolfie

Oleander was loafing under the tree, eyes focused intensely on a centipede that was crawling up its bark. This guy better hurry, he thought. Centipedes didn't hibernate. They just hid in warm hidey holes. He'd see them crawl out occasionally, as opposed to dome of their brethren who stood still and slept until Newleaf.

The tom had grown considerably since the last time he was I these parts. He'd gotten taller, though his chubbiness still remained. His face was a bit more jagged, having grown out of its kitten softness, though still more circular than most cats. The odd double lines that went down the sides of his mouth had healed into a permanent scar. There were several pieces of vegetation stuck in his chest fur that had gotten even fluffier, especially now in Leafbare.

He was keeping warn, his paws under his torso. That kitlike wonder never quite leaving his gaze as he looked upon the insect on the tree. Eventually, he had to tear away as he heard something from the other side of the tree where the stream was. Oleander had survived long on his own to be suspicious of sounds. The soft feline poked his head from around the tree trunk to see a fellow cat dealing with what seemed to be cracked pads. Approaching strangers could be a dangerous affair, but most of them calmed down when they realized Oleander was only there to help. He tried not to antagonise anyone by crossing their boundaries and talking to them when they didn't want to be talked to, but most of them didn't turn down some medical advice.

"If you really want to heal those up, I'd suggest chewing up some marigold. Otherwise, you might need some burdock if they get infected." he mentioned stepping out from behind the truck. He regarded the other cat. They didn't smell like a clan cat, and the cracked pads suggested someone who wandered quite a bit.

[wolfie]

「〷」 THE HOLY GHOST「〷」
╰► SPIRIT
he | they ♛ tall black, grey, and white chimera with varying fur lengths and texture; bright amber eyes ♛

ೃ⁀➷ @Shade.

Someone spoke to them. They do not turn their body fully, only cocking their head just enough to stare at the stranger out of the corner of his eye. To look at a calico feline, eyebrows furrowing together to form a crease. Blinking blankly, catching onto their thick neck fur. "Has anyone ever told you your neck is wonderfully breakable..?" He keeps his tone light, lacking the genuine malice. Despite the morbid phrase of words one had to wonder if it was a compliment.

There were two scars going across the other's lips. They were speaking to Spirit and the other was frankly not responding. "Tell me. Do you have any sins to confess? With the ground underneath you reclaim you as its own? Do you worship yourself or something else? Why? Does it make you feel real?" The round of questions are personal and straight to the point. There is silence, and Spirit is watching. To see if the other ticks, if they respond, if they are truly worthy of their presence —then, the chimera grins. Brightly and uncurling, stretching to the ends of their eyes but not crinkling.

"Kidding, always, only. If anything, I am trying to create an impression in your mind, lovely." Their posture is forced into one of relaxation, turning to the stranger fully and letting their features soften. "Forgive me. I would be in your dearest debt if you did help my paws. Afraid I don't have the brightest idea on what marigold or burdock is nor your name to be truthful. Though, I cannot say I do not enjoy mysteries, " Spirit rumbles, shuffling forward to the cat.

He keeps his distance, not wishing to scare the stranger off so swiftly. For now, he didn't mind playing a game of friendly. He lifted his paws to show them the cracked and bleeding pads.

[Shade.]

@wolfie

Oleander's body tensed at the other's comment, despite their tones levity. He wasn't ready to bolt, though. Plenty of cats he met outside the clans would name themselves Undertaker McMurder or something like that and go around telling people they were the avatar of entropy because they were insecure and wanted to scare off potential attackers.

Their questions were perhaps invasive, but Oleander assumed it was part of the whole image. Still, he knew better than to trust someone immediately. He'd learned.
"Erm, none than I could think of? Unless you consider getting too many treats from passing twolegs even when you're not hungry a sin. And if you're asking about religious faith, I suppose it's not something I deny nor get heavily involved in." he said, smiling awkwardly. He didn't have any sins, though sometimes he felt he did. Like running away. Like not being able to save someone else from his sins. But sometimes you can't stay and be true to yourself. Leaving didn't make you a bad person if you still helped how you could. Or if you weren't needed. Most of the sins Oleander could think of were his older brother's. And he'd learned to stop carrying those. At least he tried.

The stranger quickly denied any malice, passing it off as a joke. And yet, that's when Oleander truly grew uneasy. He recognised a fake smile when he saw it. It was always the eyes. They could never quite pull off the eyes. They were either not crinkled enough, or they were hyperfocused on one facial feature instead of the whole face. He recognised fake compliments and platitudes and flattery to get someone to do what you wanted. And that flowery speech and sickly sweet words. He'd seen it through all of his early life. And not just from the one cat you'd think of.

As much as Oleander wanted to leave, or even let his frustration out and tell this cat he knew what was going on, he knew he was being lied to, he knew what you did, he- where was I? Oh, yes. Oleander decided not to. He felt he needed to help others, even if they thought they were using him. He knew how to place boundaries and would let this cat run him ragged with requests. At least that's what he told himself he would do. Besides, healing this stranger surely couldn't hurt unless their idea of gratitude was murder. And it was never too late for someone to change. Even if Oleander realized now that he wasn't responsible for changing people.

"Hmm, let's see. It's either too cold for marigold or it doesn't grow around here. But I'm sure I can dig up some burdock root. It's bound to at least soothe the sores. And I'm Oleander. Feel free to provide me with your name unless you'd like to keep up the whole spooky image." he said, pulling up roots from the dirt a few fox lengths away. He walked over to the stream and began washing them up.

[wolfie]

「〷」 THE HOLY GHOST「〷」
╰► SPIRIT
he | they ♛ tall black, grey, and white chimera with varying fur lengths and texture; bright amber eyes ♛

ೃ⁀➷ @Shade.

The chimera's whiskers twitched with amusement as the stranger responses to their questions. They didn't flee, but their body stiffened. Naturally Spirit was specifically attempting to make them uncomfortable but the other did not relent. An awkward smile, still attempting to be pleasant. Someone who liked to see the best in others, then. A horrible weakness to have. Others were always seeking to corrupt, to harm, to taint. They needed a savior. Spirit could save this cat.

"Questions were a bit rhetoric but nonetheless I appreciate the response. The first one would be considered a sin. Gluttony. Everyone has sins, but death cleanses. At least, that is what I believe..! Any particular reason you are not religious or just, not your stream of water?" He inquired, falling into a casual manner. Attempting to appear generally curious of the other. In a way, Spirit was but not in a selfless way.

Their kinked tail swished back and forth, watching Oleander — "Pretty name, " He commented and at the very least, there was sincerity. It was pretty. "I have never heard of it before.. Not familiar, does it have any particular meaning?" When the other shuffled over to wash the roots Spirit kept a distance. He appeared to be kind but all had their selfish desires.

He ponders over a name. There was no harm in giving up his actual identity but apart of him wonders. If this cat knew herbs, perhaps there was a mutual connection. "Nathaniel, " He purrs, "but my friends call me Nick, " He offers up, watching Oleander's eyes to see if there is a belief glint of recognition. It was always such a formal name for a kittypet to have. Felt strange for the russet tom Spirit had encountered before. Nick was better suited for him, really. Nicky was a fun nickname.

"So, too cold for marigold but whatever does it do? And burdock root? Bit confused on how it is supposed to help, and I do think you're delightful so far but I am not keen on eating things on trust alone, "

[ agatha kitty has been activated and will continue until the interaction is over. ]

[Shade.]

@wolfie

Oh great, so this cat was probably a cult converter. Oleander still felt like he needed to heal him, but he didn't intend to stick around afterwards.
"I've seen stuff that could be explained by religions, but I'm not seeking one to pledge myself to." he replied, trying to sound casual but betraying a hint of stony interior. He knew about leaders and their nine lives. He'd heard of cats with supernatural skills. But he no longer felt like he needed to worship anything. Old gods from beyond our world may come to him, and he'd help them out all the same like any other person who met him.

"It's a flower bush with pink, odd-shaped petals. Most flowers have variations, but oleander seems to be one of a kind, at least in this area. It stuck out in my mind, and I chose it. Don't touch actual oleander, though. It's poisonous, I learned that the hard way." he added. The flower was beautiful, and both its beauty and its poison perhaps didn't suit him, but he carried the name nonetheless. Thankfully, he no longer carried the poison rash on his paws.

He didn't fully believe that the stranger's name was Nick, no, but he wasn't about to point it out. After all, you could say Oleander wasn't his name either, if you considered the true name the one given to you by your parents. The fluffy tom just nodded.

"Oh, right, I forgot to explain! Marigold is this yellow flower, it's poultice can prevent infection. But there's none here, so I went with burdock root. It's more for healing rat bites, but it can help with burns or any kind of sores, including paw pads. It's not poison, I'll prove it." The tabbico bent down and bit of a small chunk of the root chewing it up and spreading it on his own paw.

"It can make your tongue feel a bit numb but it'll also cool off the sores and numb the pain."

[wolfie]

「〷」 THE HOLY GHOST「〷」
╰► SPIRIT
he | they ♛ tall black, grey, and white chimera with varying fur lengths and texture; bright amber eyes ♛

ೃ⁀➷ @Shade.

"I never mentioned anything about pledging, " Spirit pointed out point-blank, keeping his tone free of hostiles. it was not an accusation, only an observation. Why do you assume? Are you already weary? They let out a quiet chuckle, something light-hearted. "I have never witness anything along those lines.. Bit peculiar, the one who might have experience is the .. atheist? Agnostic?" It's a white lie. No need to explain such wonderous experiences to the tom just yet. He wouldn't understand. No, he was already weary. The chimera didn't want to scare the other off, after all.

He lets the topic fade away, making a small noise of interest towards Oleander's explanation. "I'll keep that in mind, " He reassures, fighting down a grin of delight at the new piece of knowledge presented to them. Oleander was poisonous. Obviously, couldn't be touched but maybe .. if Spirit could find a way to harvest it -- clearly wasn't too poisonous if the other was still here -- it might stir something in Black Cat.

"That's rather neat. I've heard it mentioned before as a healing property but wasn't quite sure what it did. How did you discover this? Did you simply.. test it out or just happened to get taught?" Spirit inquires, amber eyes twinkling with genuine curiosity. Like a starry-eyed child. It was.. intriguing how others might gain knowledge. The passage of information.

They were all connected. One way or another. The roots connected them. A grin flashed across Spirit's face as Oleander want ahead and ate a small bit of it. "Well, that was appreciated. Sorry 'bout your mouth, that's a silly thing though. It numbs things, imagine that." With a small hm, he laid himself back down and offered Oleander his front cracked pads. "Work your magic, herb boy, "

[Shade.]

@wolfie

Oleander resisted the urge to roll his eyes. You didn't say anything, but you meant it. They always did.
"I don't know what you'd call it. I guess I don't deny their existence, I just don't shape my life around them. If they ask for my help, I'd help them as I do with everyone." he concluded. The spirits of the dead, at least, were ones he had thrown most knowledge about. They weren't infallible, wise deities. They were overstuffed, bored cats sick of StarClan that loved to meddle, whether they'd admit it or not. But he didn't hate their meddling. He just thought they were a nuisance. Even if he sympathised. Who wouldn't want to meddle if they were stuck in a land that never changed, where nothing grew and there was nothing to do.

"A bit of both. I had a buddy back in the day. Hanging around him gave me some knowledge since healing was his job. Not to mention, I've met others who taught Mr things as well. And sometimes, I'd just be tempted to test things on myself. As established, that didn't always go well, hence the oleander rash. Good thing i didn't eat it, I later got told it can cause bloody diarrhoea, and i do not want to find out what that feels like." he said casually. He'd hoped Nick would apply his own poultice, seeing as he wasn't too fond of getting so close to the other's claws. But it seemed like he'd have to. The fluffy tom diligently mashed up the root and applied it, eyes focused on the whole body of the other, lest he decided to strike.

[wolfie]

「〷」 THE HOLY GHOST「〷」
╰► SPIRIT
he | they ♛ tall black, grey, and white chimera with varying fur lengths and texture; bright amber eyes ♛

ೃ⁀➷ @Shade.

"Ah. Well, not everything needs .. a title, per se. You are not agnostic, at the very least but it might be the most similar. " It was a swift response while Oleander's statement still rolled in their head. Surely, he did not know the truth. How could one remain indifferent? He was not enlightened. He did not know. Someone had misguided him because truly, if one did live a life of purity; acknowledgment, they would live guided by the spirits. Not loosely where sin would tear someone asunder.

The chimera stared at the other for a brief stretch of silence. Their stare was unwavering, lips pressed firmly against each other. "Now, the idea of the living helping the dead.. is a bit laughable. They are not held by contained. They have freedom, " Spirit points out, unable to stifle the irritation of the mere idea of someone .. so fragile would take pity on the dead. No, he was above. He was above, and free. He was in control. They keep themself calm, a comfortable grin falling back onto their face.

"So, everyone? You'd help everyone? Truly, absolutely promise it? I must say, that is quite a bold claim, too! Would you help someone with blood-stained paws?" Spirit looks down at his own paws — he bursts out laughing. "Well, I already have my answer to that. If you keep your kindness unchecked it'll be the death of you, but you seem intelligent." They muse, cocking their head to the side. They look to his scars. ".. or maybe you've just learned from experience?" A quiet question.

He wondered, briefly, how far Oleander would let someone go before he retracted his help. If he was truly full of this kindness he proclaimed. The tom doubted it. Everyone had a goal, the living was inherently selfish.

They fell back into silence as the other gently applied the poultice to their cracked paws. (they repressed a shudder, bile rising up in their throat and biting back a statement of retaliation) The interaction is soon to be over, cease and they would part ways. His tongue darted out to wet his lips, hungering for more. An answer to their question. To test, and to prove a point.

"You,, do seem to know quite an awful lot, " Spirit murmurs, resting their head against their arms. He tucks their tail against their side, gaze drifting away from Oleander; chewing on his bottom lip. "Do..,, " He looks back to the other, "you think you could help my friend, too?" They let a wistful worry take their tone, bringing up old, burnt memories to muster up such emotion.

"He's.. a bit rough around the edges but he's real sick. I'll be honest, " He sighs softly, "I'm not sure if he'll make it through this cold spout."

[Shade.]

@wolfie

Oleander tried not to grimace as Nick began with the religious propaganda. He stared to the side like a character in the Office, making the "yeah okay grandma, Jesus is great" face. A paranoid little part of his mind pointed out how it was better that the tom had a belief since it made him predictable so long as you knew what it was. But listening to others due to ulterior motives was a gateway to manipulation and he wasn't going to become what he hated.

"Within reason. I'm not going to help someone hurt people, or risk mine and others' lives for something trivial like their favorite food." The calico tom refused to acknowledge the other tom trying to get into his head. He also wasn't going to let him hold ideologies over his head.

Maybe he was intelligent after all. Or Nick was just stupid. No, no, don't think like that, it's mean. But he had to admit, saying weird crap like that and then immediately trying to convince him to help someone who was either evil, a trap or nonexistent. He had to try, of course.

"I'm not an expert when it comes to illness, I tend to specialize more in injury. But I could see what I can do...I might also bring someone along, if that's okay. He'd know a lot more about illness than I do." he responded thoughtfully, omitting the fact that bringing him along was also for personal protection. This cat could have a cult backing him, but even 2 cats were better than one.