good to see you again! except its not

[zinfranny]

like most feline with targets on their backs, mcgeiver knew not to stay in one place for long. he also had a principle to live by; never return to the place he came from.
although, mcgeiver found a few exceptions from time to time to stray away from the bounty hunting gig and the whole fugitive-who-has-many-cats-who-would-bash-his-head-in-with-a-rock-for-nothing-more-than-a-penny thing. the amber coloured cat strolled down the side of a gurgling river, shifting pebbles on the river-bed as he past. the peaceful white-water stream that ran in the opposite direction reflected in his squinted, glassy blue eyes, but mcgeiver was no sightseer. he stopped, bored, but not fazed. mcgeiver gave the trees a scan, the horizon of forest a scan, and the canopy one too. he shifted his weight nonchalantly in response to his action-lacking environment, slightly rolling his head over one shoulder. guess it's better than being hunted or having some cat up my tail he presumed, yet still had a little regret as though those options were better than his current situation, then noticed a small emptiness in his stomach. mcgeiver took a claw and picked at his teeth, supposing a meal wouldn't be too bad. he never was the most aw-striking hunter of a group, but it would give something to do.
[ @JustJoye ]

[JustJoye]

@binks
Low and focused. Peach was more in the zone as she had been for a while. Her stomach, which hadn't been full for quite some time, had ceased its incessant rambling. Her joints felt less frozen, her eyes more awake. The calico's body felt as alive as it could be in her weakened state. And if this was as good as it was going to get, she'd damn sure take it. She crept forward in her hunting stance, ears pinned backwards, towards a field mouse idling by the reeds of the river. She took another step. Readied her hips for a leap. Tensed the muscles in her face. And it was gone. Bolted away at the sound of the rattling river rocks. The life almost visibly drained from her. Nose to tail-tip, she was immediately less colorful, animated, fresh. She let out a loud graahh! of frustration and fel from her hunting crouch to the ground. Her chin sat in the grass. The smell of the mouse still lingered, a cruel taunt towards a beaten-down cat.

[zinfranny]

graahh!
the shout rattled through the trees, an aid to bored ears it was. mcgeiver's head flicked to the direction of the yell, surprised and claw still on tooth. a tiny field mouse scuttled by in hot pursuit away from the direction of the shout, the feline's head following, face reflecting how weird it was already. the mouse was gone and mcgeiver heard a slump, then it was only the now-awkward gurgling of the river. like any cat with minimal fear (or rationality) of danger, the tom made the righteous decision on investigating. he padded in the direction of presumed commotion, his only care being satisfying curiosity rather than the fact of a more-than-likely hostile in these shanty-town woods.
mcgeiver didn't have the sniffer of a detective's, but something gross loomed up. he parted the tall grass and sure enough- the culprit. but not just any culprit...
"well i'll be! if it isn't the wicked harridan herself," mcgeiver revved in his own amusement, like an inside conversation any outside party didn't have a part in. "guess i spoke too soon." he added like peach knew he was just previously preparing for an uneventful day.
[ @JustJoye ]

[JustJoye]

@binks
Peach didn't look up immediately from her sustained glare as the space ahead of her when she heard a shuffling. Her assumption was that it was just the mouse goading her into some sort of last-ditch effort for a meal. But when she heard the drawl of another feline, she flicked her eyes up. His voice sounded awkward in her ears, the gait and word choice putting her off. She wasn't totally receptive to his little insult, having been under fed for days, so her response was slow and deliberate. "You're familiar," the calico thought out loud, not bother to keep her thoughts in her noggin. Her mind bounced around as quickly as it could for a few more seconds. Awkward tension (at least on her part) steeped in the air before her realization. "Wow." A plain statement, but as genuine as ever. "Wow," Peach repeated in an exasperated tone, "forget the mouse." The old cat rose to her feet in anything but a smooth fashion and stood facing McGeiver. Her eyes were sharp and gave away her intentions clearly, even if her physical state wouldn't allow for them.
[sorry if that post was a little confusing? the gist is that she wants to kill him]

[zinfranny]

[hAHA she immediately wants to kill him i love that]
mcgeiver had a joshing smirk as he waited for peach to recognize him, much like him when he first laid eyes on her. even though the tom knew what was coming next, it seemed he still liked to put on a show like he was just catching up with an old pal.
"aw c'mon now, don't be so brash," he meowed like the same way an excessively loving grandmother spoke trying to give her grandkids smooches. mcgeiver knew peach was spring-loaded, ready to attack him on the spin of a dime, but he didn't seem concerned as he began to reservedly saunter around. "what are the odds, of you n' me bumpin' into each other? yknow, now n' then i see a few syndicate cats- well, to be honest, they usually come n' see me, if you know what i'm sayin'. not to mean its never a delight; goin' down sweet memory lane," his rainwater eyes met her icy slits at "memory lane" in a second that momentarily shifted from his supposed cheeriness, a gravity with those words. "'member when you were the biggest toad in the puddle? haha, good ol' days, huh." he mewed, hinting. mcgeiver knew she had always been an authority figure to him- and thought she still was in a way. the syndicate days were hard to shake off. he found no major quarrel with her- no overly powerful reason to show her disrespect. but he knew how ex-syndicatemates felt when they saw him. they were all the same; same hatred in their eyes, same spike in their fur, same hunger for short, rusty bengal fur in their claws. that was in mind as he walked around. he walked with a purpose- the heft in his shoulders and the flex of muscle beneath his pelt was still apparent. the combat-trained and conditioned lifestyle hadn't left the tom, and he didn't know peach eye to eye, but he was aware she knew the way he fought.
[ @JustJoye ]

[JustJoye]

@binks
[she's a little bit of an old coot but she's not any wiser!]
Peach was considering her next vocal maneuver when McGeiver began speaking again. It was odd to suddenly be around someone so talkative when the past weeks had been in almost absolute silence. Now, that silence was long gone, way off, too far to see through her dramatic glower.
Peach never responded well to being cold to calm down. In this case, though, she didn't really have a choice. He just kept on going. He mentioned this and that, certainly covering his bases but not really addressing what she believed to be the main issue. She had to concentrate on his words to understand. This was both attention she'd rather not've given him and extra work on her half. Nothing he was saying led her to believe their chat was going to be anything but one-sided. She felt as though he was priding himself, speaking of syndicate cats seeking him out to satisfy some ancient grudge held against him, and ignored the first half of his sentiment when she responded. "You're keen on that phrase-- 'good ol' days'." Peach mimicked his accent, a low blow. "Perhaps you're misremembering them. I'm certain none of your comrades paint the same picture of their final days in the Syndicate as you do," She mewed, careful not to provoke him. While she was speaking, allowed herself a look at his stature. He didn't have sharp hips and boney joints like her. He was fit, muscled, and at the very least healthy. Not only would their conversation probably be one-sided, but any kind of skirmish would be as well. Envy reached for her paws and she sort of marched in place, unsheathed claws picking up bits of moist dirt.

[zinfranny]

mcgeiver's gaze on peach was side-eyed and lackadaisical as she spoke, as if his attention was elsewhere and she as just distracting him. he stopped pacing, letting out a chuckle through his teeth and turning his head away like something the seethingly stern she-cat said was humorous.
"i like your humour, peach," mcgeiver meowed, but slightly agitated at the shot made to his accent. he continued on and shrugged. "y'could be right, maybe they don't like me no more. none of them seem to want to catch up whenever we meet, and i just don't know why?" the tom wondered, looking to peach as if it was a confusing question she might know the answer to. for once it seemed there was room for peach to speak in the conversation, instead of mcgeiver's time-consuming chatter.
[ @JustJoye ]

[JustJoye]

The calico gave a sarcastic huff at Mac's not-so-compliment. Though, her low-sweeping tail and focused glare offered no humor. Peach noted MacGeiver's suggesting looks before answering. "Baffling," she agreed, mewing slowly and stretching her syllables. Her eyes widened as she spoke. It was a hopeful distraction from the sway of her frail body, back and forth, left and right, like a grandfather clock waiting to topple over. She was shifting her wait from one paw to the other, constantly rolling her shoulders to relieve her body of the pain of staying upright for such a long time. At least when she was on the move, her muscles could stretch. "Almost as if-- now let me make completely sure I'm right here-- you abandoned your mates? To scamper off like a mouse frightened by a shadow?" Peach's head cocked in a condescending fashion to the right, brow furrowing downward in a guise of confusion.

[zinfranny]

[ @JustJoye ]
deep inside him, mcgeiver felt a sour feeling stir upon peach's words. but the composed bengal tom was masterful at hiding it. couldn't give his scraggly former leader the idea that she could affect him, after all.
"well now, i remember that story! now, wait a minute let me think here. i might not have the most impressive memory this neck of the woods has seen, but if i recall correctly. . . everyone scampered off. abandoned you. call me a big thinker here, peach, but hunkerin' up and one-versus-fiving the clans might not have been the most un-fleeable fight you'd ever picked." mcgeiver's mockery that was illustrated in a way that was so blatant yet still seemed to be like he was complimenting her was animated as he spoke. the tom had a thick, strong distaste for this she-cat and the memories she brought to mind, but it was perfectly smothered in the way he acted and spoke. although, peach and mcgeiver were no strangers to each others natures, and she could most definitely see through him. so beneath the surface that was made by their outspoken conversation was room for an entirely different and more hateful subconscious interaction.