lingering delirium [OPEN]

[plum]

Glad that introductions were out of the way now, the tom takes Lucky's initiative to follow. He'd been needing to get out for a while. Hunting was easier than scavenging for his food, and he preferred a life out of this place. His daughter was used to all of the hardships that came with living in the wilds anyways.

As he goes, he casts Rua a glance and nods his head, sort of an inviting 'come on' gesture to let her know she was free to come if she wished. "Can't stand it in here," the male mutters under his breath as he follows the scarred up cat, copper hues scanning the Twoleg nests and sleeping monsters. He'd definitely find peace the farther away from it all that he could be.

@Deranged Llama @FlameQueen

[Jynx]

A half self-conscious, half charmed smile crept over her face at Lucky's words and quick wink. She wasn't used to beguiling cats; she was more familiar with tough city cats and soft-hearted kittypets. He seemed nice enough, and she liked his lightheartedness, despite his scarred appearance.
Rua felt a touch of awkwardness, unsure as to whether she should go with the two toms. She was saved from asking, however, as the copper-eyed tom beckoned to her with a jerk of his head. At Quince's invitation, Rua pattered quickly to catch up, tagging along behind them. She was excited to see where they were going.

@implimm @FlameQueen

[plum]

Lucky was a tough one to follow, the cat apparenly vanishing into thin air once the trio were within eyesight of the broad wilds. The dark brown tom didn't mind all that much though. The scarred up thing wasn't important to him, and he didn't doubt that he'd spot him around again some time. He had that annoying air to him. But he served his duty well.

The loner throws a look over his shoulder towards Rua as they trek further and further from the Twolegplace. "You can bail too, y'know," he tells her, raspy voice low. "I don't know where you settle down when you're tired but don't feel obligated to come along."

@Deranged Llama

[Jynx]

You can bail too, y'know, I don't know where you settle down when you're tired but don't feel obligated to come along." Rua flicked her tail. Was he that tired of her presence already? The molly sniffed lightly with quiet amusment; she didn't think she made all that bad of company. Or maybe he was just used to being on his own. She shrugged, either way, not letting it get her down. "I want to see what this big group of cats is all about." Rua meowed, quickening her pace until she was walking next to the taller tom. "I don't really settle down anywhere in particular," she added as an afterthought. "I prefer to stay on the move. Ya know, explore, see the world." She looked at him, wondering if that seemed odd to him. She knew there were a lot of cats that liked to stay in the same general territory their whole lives but also knew a fair few who never stayed in once place more than a couple of nights.

@implimm

[plum]

When Rua comes up to be shoulder-to-shoulder with him pace-wise, the tom nearly grinds to a sudden halt. He forces himself to go on, playing his nerves like they were nothing. "See the world, eh," Quince muses. He could remember a time where he felt just like that, back before he'd met his mate. He hadn't thought of it in a long, long time. Sometimes, it was the pain of recalling her, and sometimes it was the pain of imagining his world without. But this molly's little dream wasn't unusual.

"That big group a'cats you mentioned," he says decisively, flicking his ears in dismissal. "They live out here, yes. Four big separate groups, actually. Mean, those ones are. Don't tolerate much unless you're there to help 'em. And even then, it's a matter of chance whether they accept or not." Quince didn't see the fault in telling her little bits of the Clan ways. They were nothing like what she wanted for herself, anyway. "Always making things hard on themselves like that."

@Deranged Llama

[Jynx]

When Rua comes up to be shoulder-to-shoulder with him pace-wise, the tom nearly grinds to a sudden halt. He forces himself to go on, playing his nerves like they were nothing. "See the world, eh," Quince muses. He could remember a time where he felt just like that, back before he'd met his mate. He hadn't thought of it in a long, long time. Sometimes, it was the pain of recalling her, and sometimes it was the pain of imagining his world without. But this molly's little dream wasn't unusual.

"That big group a' cats you mentioned," he says decisively, flicking his ears in dismissal. "They live out here, yes. Four big separate groups, actually. Mean, those ones are. Don't tolerate much unless you're there to help 'em. And even then, it's a matter of chance whether they accept or not." Quince didn't see the fault in telling her little bits of the Clan ways. They were nothing like what she wanted for herself, anyway. "Always making things hard on themselves like that."

- @implimm -

She nodded, listening to him speak about the clans. She hopped neatly over a stick and her whiskers twitched. Huh, they sounded... interesting. Four big groups? Mean? If they were mean, why did they bother living together? Sometimes, when she was around mean cats, she just wanted to get away. If they lived in big groups, though, where was there to go?

”Have you ever met any of them?” she asked, curious now. Don't tolerate much unless you're there to help 'em. And even then, it's a matter of chance whether they accept or not. She had come across her fair share of proud cats; she sometimes didn’t understand why some cats didn’t accept help when they clearly needed it. She thought that cats should help others in need if they could, but she also knew that not everyone thought that way. From what he was saying, she wondered if he had met with one of them before.

[plum]

Rua seemed quick to catch on to him. A perceptive one, this kitty. The male rolls his shoulders somewhat in response. "You could say that," he meows slowly. Quince wasn't about to spill the beans on who he was and why he was out here to just anybody, and as pleasant as this vagabond feline was being, he just didn't know her enough. "What about you? Haven't you ever run into 'em?"

@Jynx

[Jynx]

- @implimm -

At the other loner's question, Rua gave a small shake of her head. "Oh, no," she meowed, "I've never been in these parts before. I think it would be... she paused, trying to find the right word to describe her imaginary, and possibly future, encounter with the wild cats. "informative." Rua had never met such a group before and wondered how they would take to a stranger like her. "I wonder if they'd chase me off.." she murmured, half to herself.

[plum]

Ah, so she was unfamiliar with the Clans entirely. Quince shifts his gaze from his company to where they were headed- A vast expanse of snowy white, only marred by a few straying animal trails. "They probably would," he says offhandedly, not sure if she'd even been looking for an answer to her thought. But it was quiet, and he had nothing else to say to her. Now that they'd made it out of the Twolegplace, he hadn't a clue what to do next. The hunger in his stomach was numb by now, subsiding into an ache and nothing more.
Suddenly, the haggard male freezes and flags his tail to let Rua know to stop as well. His deep orange eyes were on the rounded body of a gray squirrel. It seemed young... Probably scavenging up whatever seeds it had stowed away before the snow came upon them. And it wasn't paying them any attention whatsoever. Quince casts a sidelong look at the molly beside him. He hoped that his look delivered the message he was trying to send- Don't do anything. Now hopefully she'd just obey!

@Jynx

[Jynx]

- @implimm -

Rua looked up, startled to hear his reply. She had been merely voicing her thoughts but appreciated an answer none the less. The small molly opened her jaws to reply but stopped before any words came out. She had seen his warning and froze. Rua sank into a soundless crouch, waiting for him to pounce on the mammal. If he missed, she was tense and ready to assist. Even though she loved a good chase, she wasn't sure if Quince wanted to catch this one himself. So she waited patiently.