- alleyway - [open]

[Gusty]

/open to all, feel free to join!

In the dark alleyways of Twolegplace- or Town, as Daedalus called it- there were lots of things to do. Yes. Just to keep himself alive was a struggle in itself, because he had to scravenge food from those pesky human's trash bins. And as a result of malnourishment, his body was undersized and thin; any cat could clearly see his rib cage and frame.

If he wanted to, Daedalus could've became a housecat. He could have lived under the protection of humans, which would supply him food and a fine shelter. But living with people had a cost. It would restrict his freedom, and Daedalus would rather live half-starved than chained to humans with a collar.

And the young tomcat enjoyed being alone, anyways. Away from other loners. Away from other housecats. Away from people and dogs and whatever was living- it was just so much easier that way.

[bobtail]

Originally Posted by Gusty

/open to all, feel free to join!

In the dark alleyways of Twolegplace- or Town, as Daedalus called it- there were lots of things to do. Yes. Just to keep himself alive was a struggle in itself, because he had to scravenge food from those pesky human's trash bins. And as a result of malnourishment, his body was undersized and thin; any cat could clearly see his rib cage and frame.

If he wanted to, Daedalus could've became a housecat. He could have lived under the protection of humans, which would supply him food and a fine shelter. But living with people had a cost. It would restrict his freedom, and Daedalus would rather live half-starved than chained to humans with a collar.

And the young tomcat enjoyed being alone, anyways. Away from other loners. Away from other housecats. Away from people and dogs and whatever was living- it was just so much easier that way.

Lily purred happily as her Twoleg leant down and filled her food bowl. She brushed against their leg briefly before wolfing down the meal. It wasn't the nicest thing she'd ever tasted, but it was food and it was easy to get. She couldn't understand why some cats insisted living in the wild and catching their own food was better.

The tabby she-cat padded over to the cat flap, swishing her tail once before leaping through it, landing delicately on the stone path outside. She looked around with squinted blue eyes as she trotted towards her fence. She wriggled her rump before pushing upwards, grabbing the top of the fence and pulling herself up.

The house cat lay atop the fence, staring out into the rest of the town, claws dug into the painted wood to help keep her balance. Lily watched cats come and go, subconsciously wondering why some cats enjoyed exploring as much as they did. Couldn't they be satisfied just wandering around a little before returning home?

She turned her gaze to the nearby alleyway, where lots of cats tended to wander before disappearing again. Maybe one or two stayed there, but Lily wasn't going in there to find out. Perhaps if Ember were here to go with her, but the other kittypet was still asleep. Lily sighed and rested her head atop her paws, gaze fixed on the alleyway.

[Gusty]

@SamCats

Dead ahead of him, Daedalus saw an outline of a human's fence. Fences, to him, were stupid. Didn't people know that animals could easily jump over them? Sure, it could keep out large creatures such as foxes, but any agile feline or squirrel could easily hop over the painted structure.

Looking closely, the young tomcat realized that there was a moving specimen on top of that said fence. It didn't take long for him to realize that yes, the creature was a cat. And it was most likely a housecat too.

Well, that's nothing very interesting. he thought, flattening his ears. Just another stupid housecat in this dreadful Town. ...as per usual, Daedalus was thinking pessimistic, biased thoughts towards a probably-innocent Lily.

The tabby backed away from the fence, slowly slinking away into the shadows. The ragged-pelted tom felt more at ease with the darkness and rotting trash cans than sunlight and freshly-painted fences, anyways.

[bobtail]

@Gusty

Lily pricked her ears and widened her eyes a little when she saw something move near her fence. The reflection of feline eyes; the subtle shift in the air that meant someone was nearby. She frowned, suddenly realising how many of her perceptions were influenced by her former title.

The kittypet shook her head to clear it, feeling her collar chafe against her neck. She sighed and carefully sat up, narrowing her eyes to watch as the vaguely feline shape disappeared back into the alley. Everything inside of her screamed to turn away and jump back into her garden, but the blood running through her veins knew that she couldn't.

The tabby she-cat stood and turned on the fence, bracing before leaping to the stone path on the other side. She turned her attention to the alley once again, hesitating for a moment before her instincts took over and she began to pad towards it.

[Gusty]

@SamCats
[sorry for the late response]

Daedalus flicked his ears as he heard the padding of footsteps behind him. Someone's there. he thought, tensing up for a brief moment. He only relaxed when he smelled the scent of another cat- faintly mixed with the aroma of human, too. Must be a housecat. Probably the same housecat that I saw on that fence before. he guessed sourly, because that was the most probable thing to assume.

What I don't understand is why she's following me. the tomcat paused for a moment, in a mixture of paranoid fear.

But then he forced himself onwards, deeper into the trash-lined street. Oh my gosh, I have to stop overreacting. She probably isn't even following me at all. Just coincidence. He forced his fur to lay flat. And even if she truly is following me, I could probably attack and scare her away.

[bobtail]

@Gusty
(It's fine. I probably won't be able to reply as often for a few days; my family is on holiday right now)

Lily drew slowly closer, noting the change in the other cat's demeanour. They had noticed her. She took a deep breath and picked up her pace, padding quickly after the cat whose scent she now recognised as a tom's. Another quick sniff revealed that he was a loner, or possibly a rogue.

I wonder what he thinks of me. He seems wary, but is he afraid? She smiled to herself, remembering the feeling of her claws sinking into flesh. He probably isn't. He most likely thinks he could chase me away with one hiss. Well he's wrong.

The tabby grinned, the shadows of the alley hiding her smile as she followed the rogue tom. She barely even hesitated before meowing, "Hello there. What are you doing around here? I don't see rogues nearby very often."

[Gusty]

@SamCats (aha same)

The tomcat whipped his head around in surprise, but kept his expression as flat and emotionless as possible. Ah, darnit. It turns out that she really was following me all along. he grumbled internally. Perhaps she’s just a curious one? Well then. I guess many housecats are airheaded busybodies.

I don’t understand why she’d want to know stuff about a guy like me, though. I’m nothing interesting. Just your run-of-the-mill stray cat.

“Oh, I was just looking for some food.” Daedalus stated, keeping his sentence brief and straight to the point. There was no point in elaborating unless Lily prodded him with more unnecessary questions. After all, the tabby wasn’t one to trust others. Especially strangers.

[bobtail]

@Gusty

Lily wasn't satisfied by this answer. The tom was being very defensive, although it was understandable. She was a stranger and he was most likely a stray. Her smile fell and her whiskers twitched uncertainly.

Just play dumb, she told herself. If she was lucky, she could avoid hostility. "Why don't you just ask your Twoleg for some food?"

Calling humans Twolegs would probably give away that she knew more than she let on, but it was worth a shot to avoid conflict. But if it came down to it, she as ready and willing to fight her way out of this alley.

[Gusty]

@SamCats

The tabby didn't like the direction this conversation was taking. Why did she care about his well-being- or at least, how he got his food? If only she just minded their own business and stopped being so nosy.

He cringed internally at the mention of 'Twolegs'. Augh, why do so many felines called humans that? People weren't the only creatures with 'two legs'. Birds had two legs too, and yet nobody called them that.

"I don't have an owner. I just live by myself." Daedalus responded. "And I find my own food."

[bobtail]

@Gusty
(Daedalus actually has a good point)

Lily twitched her whiskers with amusement at the tom's reply and tone of voice. He so obviously wanted her to leave him alone. But she had no mercy!

She would keep playing dumb in an attempt to keep her pelt and his intact, but there was no way she was stopping now. She'd been a kittypet for long enough now that all the scents she once knew by name had merged into one. To her nose, cats were either kittypets or not, and she hated it.

"If that's the case, then are you a loner or a rogue? Or perhaps..." She paused, trying to make it seem like she was really thinking about this. "You're a Clan cat?" It was hard to keep the hope out of her voice.