- alleyway - [open]

[Gusty]

@SamCats

Daedalus watched Lily for some couple of moments, as she jumped onto the fence and went back down into the village's streets again. She had this determined manner to her, as if nothing would stop her from reaching her goals. An aspiring thought trickled into the tom's mind: I wish that I could be like that one day. Having goals and reaching them. Right now... where am I going with my life?

But yet still, his goals would never include finding clan cats.

"One day, I'll do something worthwhile," he convinced himself, although he wasn't sure what.

[Gusty]

@SamCats bump [take your time replying if needed]

[bobtail]

@Gusty
(Sorry! I'm away from home right now so I'm stuck replying on my tablet, which takes a lot longer than my computer)

Lily sat on her fence, staring blankly out into the street. All the scents around her blended together, as if her forest cat nose still had not adjusted to these Twoleg smells. She shifted where she sat, feeling her collar rub against her neck. On an impulse, she twisted her neck and gripped the restraining item between her jaws, tugging and tugging.

But collars were made sturdily, and some half-hearted nibbling wasn't going to break them. Lily looked around the neighbouring gardens, wondering if there was some other way to remove this thing. Because without the strength to break it, she would have to find a way to wriggle out of it.

The tabby spared one last glance for the shadow watching her in the alley. She blinked deep blue eyes once in gratitude before turning and leaping down into her Twoleg's garden. She'd have to find her own way back home, and she would, even if it took her a hundred moons.

[Gusty]

@SamCats (oh, ok, that's fine :3 )

The thoughts were still ringing in his ears. Daedalus basked in the realization that he wasn't getting anywhere. But after rethinking it for a moment, he wasn't sure exactly what he wanted to do with his life. This tomcat wasn't quite the type for deep thinking, really. Life on the streets had made him much more of an impulsive one- and framing out his future nerved him to some extent.

Well, now that Lily was gone... he could eat, couldn't he? Finally moving, the tabby sniffed the air, tying to pick out the strongest scents of food. After finding a strong one, he leaped on top of that garbage can and knocked it over. The contents spilled all across the ground, which would provide a good meal for the alleycat.

It took only a few sparing moments to pick through the half-decayed meat; a lot of it was not to his liking, but Daedalus had no choice but to eat it, since he hadn't acquired any hunting skills. Perhaps then, one day I will teach myself to hunt. But then again, I don't feel like living in the forests. It's so musty and unfamiliar there, nothing like the comfort of the village.

Once he was finished, but yet only half-full, Daedalus was restless again. For some odd reason, a prickling sensation ran across his spine, yet he scented no other cats in the alleyway.

Guided by some unknown instinct, the gray-pelted feline followed the scent trail of Lily. It was still fresh; she had been around here recently. As in, just minutes ago. Daedalus had no clue why he was even moving in this direction, but that was where his paws took him, and that was where he would go.

/why did this get so long)

[bobtail]

@Gusty

Lily crossed her Twoleg's garden quickly and leapt up onto the fence on the other side. She hopped across a few more fence posts until she reached the nest of her friend, Ember. The reason she'd left the Clans in the first place. Part of the reason, anyway. The tabby padded over to the wall and made the jump to the outside windowsill, peering inside. She could just about see a ball of orange fur curled up in their nest.

The blue-eyed she-cat sighed and leapt back onto the fence, starting to make her way back to her own nest. She couldn't take off without letting her friend know first, so she'd have to wait to go back to the forest. Maybe she should look around this place one last time. It had been her place to rest for the past moon, after all. And she should probably say thanks to her Twoleg for looking after her for ten moons.

She was excited by the thought of finally going home. She'd get to see her Clanmates again! Cloudstorm wouldn't be there to welcome her back, but maybe... she would. She'd be an apprentice by now, wouldn't she? Or maybe she was already a warrior! An ache started in Lily's chest and she wondered if it was worth waiting to say goodbye to her friends around here. The tabby sighed and returned to her previous place on her fence; her eyes were closed, but her ears were pricked and she was listening attentively to every noise around her. She had to get back into the habit if she really wanted to go home.

(Probably the same reason it took so long for me to reply )

[Gusty]

@SamCats [just a question, do you rp Ember and Cloudstorm and those other cats? Also, what clan did Lily come from?]

I haven't been to this part of town in a while, hmm? he thought, padding into the bright, cheery parts of twolegplace. There were rows of houses, where some of them surrounded by a wooden picket fence. Others were surrounded by white plastic fences, like Lily's house. The houses were pretty large, and the yards were even larger. It had been a few moons or so since he'd actually gotten up close and examined these village homes.

The whole thing was kind of nostalgic, actually. Truth to be told, Daedalus used to be a housecat himself, when he was a kitten. He'd been born a domestic feline, living easily and stress-free for the first ten moons of his life. Nowadays, Daedalus would deny this part of his childhood. If anyone would ask about his kit life, he'd make up lies. Being a housecat was something that he was ashamed of; he didn't want to be reminded of his past...

His pace quickened as he followed Lily's scent. Daedalus was lost in thought, thinking about his 'kittypet' past and how plain stupid it was. The sun was burning on his back, warming it up. The amount of light on all sides of him was nearly unfamiliar, as he was more used to the darkness.

I want to go back to my alley. For a second, the tabby froze, finally coming to his senses. Now, Daedalus realized that he had been following Lily's scent to some random place.

He looked behind his shoulder. The alleyway was just a mere speck in the distance.

[can Lily see/find him now?]

[bobtail]

@Gusty
(Lily came from ThunderClan. I roleplay Ember, and I used to roleplay Cloudstorm, but then he kind of... died.)

Lily blinked her eyes open as the soft sound of pawsteps reached her ears. She turned her head, growing increasingly aware of the way her collar rubbed against her neck. She narrowed her eyes at the ground below her fence and looked up and down the street, feeling a flutter of surprise when she saw the longer from the alley nearby.

She considered her options carefully before leaping down from the fence, unwillingly remembering how she once leapt from low branches in a similar way. She landed, relishing the jolt that shot through her limbs, and raised her head, blinking curious blue eyes at the cat just a couple nests down. Had he followed her here?

The tabby padded towards him, walking with more far purpose than the last she'd seen him; she finally had a goal. She halted a few tail-lengths away and meowed, "Hello again. What are you doing so far from your alleyway..." She suddenly realised that she didn't know this cat's name. "I don't think you ever actually introduced yourself. Let's try again... my name's Lily. What's yours?"

[Gusty]

@SamCats (oh, okay)

It's like we're back to the beginning, hmm? Daedalus wondered, flattening his ears at the thought about speaking again. But now that she asked a question, he felt obligated to respond. "I'm Daedalus."

And yes, I still remember that your name is Lily. Only talked to you a couple of moments ago; I still know your name. I'm not that old yet, he thought. The sarcasm was slipping back again. At least he managed to refrain from saying those last two thoughts aloud.

"But, wait, where were you going?" He blurted quickly, before Lily could respond.

//go me!! I spelled your username wrong so the mention didn't work before ;-;

[bobtail]

@Gusty

Lily smiled a little as she learned the rogue's name, glad she could at least thank the cat who'd inspired her to return home by name. She was about to do just that when he spoke again, cutting her off before she could even open her mouth to speak. Her whiskers twitched with amusement and some tiny voice in the back of her mind started wondering which of them was older.

The tabby was silent for a few moments, musing over her answer to Daedalus' question and just how much information to give him. On one paw, she'd always been a very secretive she-cat, and hated sharing what she knew. On the other paw, she'd probably never see this rogue again after today. He'd go back to his alley, she'd say goodbye to Ember and then leave forever. Who knew, she might not even have to say goodbye! Maybe Ember would go with her! No, no, she loved her Twolegs too much...

The blue-eyed kittypet suddenly realised she'd been quiet for a little too long. Feeling awkward, she quickly decided to just tell Daedalus the truth. "I'm going to the forest outside of the Twolegplace. I lived there a long time ago, and I know now it was a mistake to leave."

[Gusty]

@SamCats

The tom had always been comfortable with silences, so he didn't mind the long gap between his statement and Lily's. In the dim quietness of town, Daedalus felt his mind wander too. He nervously looked back over his shoulder, where his alleyway was just a mere black splotch in the distance. Slight paranoida made his fur bristle; he felt extremely uncomfortable out here in full sunlight. Perhaps he'd find shade under a tree or the shadow of a house later. And the fresh scent of freshly mowed grass prickled his nose, for Daedalus was more accustomed to the smell of rotting flesh and decaying matter.

He longed to be back in the alleyway, but at the same time, the 'angel' on his shoulder told him that it would be good to stay here, have a little bit of interaction, live his life as a normal feline.

He had only been half-listening when Lily finally responded, but he understood enough of what she said. "The forest?" Instinctively, he wrinkled his face up in mild disgust. Even though he'd never entered woodland before, it sounded like a horrible place to live. "Why would leaving be a mistake?"

And wow, I thought that Lily was a kittypet for her entire life. I guess I was wrong. Daedalus thought, a bit frustrated with himself, for he didn't like being incorrect.