GRAVELLY WAYPOINT ☆ OPEN

[nyme]

Just beyond the Desolated Tracks, the mossy skeleton of a disused railway crawls through a stretch of woods like some wounded animal. These splintered tracks sit on elevated ground, with marshy drainage ditches snaking along either side. One of these ditches digs into and expands a naturally occurring creek, so there tends to always be a reliable trickle of water here. The occasional snake might make a home in the dusty stones between rusted rails and rotten wood, though most of the prey around here will be found in the safety of the forest that frames the tracks. Twoleg detritus dots the area, ranging from shiny black bags bulging with untold filth to a rusted old monster corpse abandoned in the treeline.

A dilapidated speeder shed rusts alongside the railway, all but hidden by overgrown brambles and clinging vines. Cobwebs and dust decorate the interior. One wall sags inward, perforated by a brazen young tree that's decided to grow right through it.

Further down the line from this near-hidden shelter a grim concrete tunnel yawns wide, cutting beneath the railway and connecting the ditches carved into either side of the tracks. Just a rough, utilitarian bit of storm drainage. The spider count in that dank tunnel is off the charts, and the ground in there is frequently damp.

The surrounding area is generally peaceful, though the walking trails snaking through it see plenty of use from twolegs and animals alike.

WELCOME TO GRAVELLY WAYPOINT!

This small territory is the permanent residence of the loner Jin who, via the Bewitched purrk, cannot leave the vicinity without falling gravely ill and risking death (so someone is always home, whether he likes it or not).

Gravelly Waypoint sits within walking distance of twolegplace proper. It is nowhere near the size of a standard clan territory, but it's sizable enough that one cat alone can live in relative comfort. Prey scarcity in the cold season is a recurring hazard, and although there's naturally available water running alongside the tracks, the potential for dry spells in the warmer months is also a looming threat.

Visitors are encouraged, and most will be treated to a warm welcome—particularly if they come bearing gossip or news about what lies beyond this patch of land. Even hostile trespassers may be tolerated so long as they're interesting, though the line may be drawn at abject prey theft.

Overall, Jin has few issues with inviting other cats to stay a while. It's letting them leave that he struggles with.

Gravelly Waypoint is OPEN! Mention @nyme if you're here to visit.

[Idiotic.Bean101]

Snake-He/Him
15 Moons


———————


Snake walked into an area he didn’t recognize with a yawn.

The area definitely seemed interesting, maybe some would consider it a little ominous.

It was late, though, he wanted to find an area to rest.
But, there was a problem.

He wasn’t sure if any cats lived here or not.

He checked for scent.
It seemed maybe someone did.


@nyme

[nyme]

I HAVE MY SHADOWS AND MY COLORS
AND THERE IS THE SMELL OF TIME PASSING

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ☽ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

JIN . 20 MOONS . HE/HIM . LONER
BEWITCHED

From nearly the exact moment Snake sets a paw up near the top of the old tracks, he has eyes on him.

It's luck, really. Jin knows all the good vantage points, every prime high-spot from which he can look down at all the far reaches of his prison, but there aren't any that give you total surveillance. It's just by sheer coincidence that he's sat himself up on just the right lopsided corner of the speeder shed that lets him see Snake's approach and react accordingly.

Shhhff—thump. Slide, leap, land. No thorns in his paws this time. An extra lucky day, then. Maybe he's got the visitor to thank.

"Hello?"

Jin is a large cat, thick in his coat and wide in his shoulders. Something like a threat. The way he carries himself, though, doesn't agree with this; he keeps his head down, eyes gentle, and talks softly. It's almost absurd. Almost childlike.

And it is entirely intentional, but the visitor doesn't need to know this.

"Who are you?"

@Idiotic.Bean101

[Idiotic.Bean101]

Snake-He/Him
15 Moons


————————


Snake’s fur bristled a bit when another cat was suddenly in front of him, a larger one at that.
He analyzed the cat, quickly.

Despite this cat’s large size, he seems less threatening in his demeanor.
Still, better to keep his guard up.
Snake was the one trespassing, after all.

First thing’s first, answer the question given to him.
“My name is Snake.” A name not given from another, only himself “And you are?”


@nyme

[nyme]

I HAVE MY SHADOWS AND MY COLORS
AND THERE IS THE SMELL OF TIME PASSING

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ☽ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

JIN . 20 MOONS . HE/HIM . LONER
BEWITCHED

"Hmmmmmm..."

The thoughtful hum rumbles deep in Jin's chest, dark eyes scanning Snake over. Must be close to him in age, if not a bit younger. Jin's big, feathery tail twitches at the very tip. Contemplative.

"You can call me Jin," he offers through a bright and boyish grin. "Are you tired? You look it." This is said regardless of whether it's true or not. Jin doesn't care. He just wants the company. "You could stay for a bit. It's safe here, you know. Quiet." He gestures with a short nod over one dappled shoulder, indicating the overgrown shed he'd descended from and the stretch of tracks crawling on into the distance. Safe. Quiet.

"Can you tell me where you came from, Mr. Snake?"

@Idiotic.Bean101

[Idiotic.Bean101]

Snake-He/They(I WAS GETTING HIS PRONOUNS WRONG LORD SAVE ME)
15 Moons


———————


Snake’s eyes wondered to where Jin gestured to as he spoke of rest.
He could use rest, though his untrusting nature may make it difficult.

“Maybe.” He said, narrowing his brightly colored eyes at how oddly welcoming Jin seemed to be “I may stay for a little while.”

His ear twitched, listening as Jin asked another question.
Where he came from.
“Nowhere, Anywhere, Doesn’t matter.” He answered “I suppose I just tend to wander.”
The truth, even if it was a bit vague.


@nyme

[nyme]

I HAVE MY SHADOWS AND MY COLORS
AND THERE IS THE SMELL OF TIME PASSING

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ☽ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

JIN . 20 MOONS . HE/HIM . LONER
BEWITCHED

"I'd highly recommend it. It gets preeeetty scary past this place, you know. Lots of bad cats." Jin adds his cheerful lie once he notices Snake's caution. It isn't anything he hasn't seen before. Usually all the friendliest cats who come through are the ones with collars, and Snake has none. "I'll let you hunt here, if you want. Or I could do it for you."

The warm, verdant season is Jin's favorite for this very reason. Rarely does he need to worry about whether he can feasibly offer a meal to his visitors. He can be the very best host. He can make them stay.

It's good.

"That sounds like a riddle. What can you tell me about wandering anywhere and nowhere, Snake?" Jin asks, taking a few lazy steps back to see if the black-and-white cat would ease closer at all.

@Idiotic.Bean101

[Idiotic.Bean101]

Snake-He/They
15 Moons


————————


Pretty scary past this place? Lots of bad cats?
He wasn’t sure that was scary, bad cats were normal, correct?

“I can hunt for myself, you don’t have to worry about it.” Half-truth. He didn’t want to owe anyone something.

Jin commented about how Snake’s words sounded like a riddle.
Well, Snake supposed that he was right.
They sat down before speaking again “You learn a lot, I suppose.” They replied “Like, for example, I never get close to those clan cats, but I’ve noticed one of their groups seem to have vanished. Why? Who knows, I’m pretty sure those groups hate each other.”
A bit of a ramble, but he was ever so slightly curious to why the fishy smelling one just… left, it seems.
But, he also really didn’t care.


@nyme

[nyme]

I HAVE MY SHADOWS AND MY COLORS
AND THERE IS THE SMELL OF TIME PASSING

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ☽ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

JIN . 20 MOONS . HE/HIM . LONER
BEWITCHED

"Then, by all means. Hunt. The mice are fat and slow, here. You could even get lucky and find a frog, down that way." He nods toward where the ground slopes down and away from the tracks, indicating a ditch with a lazy creek carving out the bottom of it. Jin hasn't personally caught very many frogs there, but he happily remembers each one. They're a nice treat.

Snake's news on the happenings of anywhere and nowhere have him looking back up fast, jarred to attention. The most Jin knows of clans is that they're a lot like families, only larger. He knows there are more cats in one clan than he's ever seen in his entire life. To hear that something so immense has gone missing, then, is fascinating.

And sad.

"Vanished where?" He's got this kicked-puppy expression, as if the disappearance of Riverclan is some personal loss. He doesn't even know the names of the clans, hasn't ever even met a clan cat. Even so, Jin looks so distraught. "Do you think they'll ever come back?"

@Idiotic.Bean101

[Idiotic.Bean101]

Snake-He/They
15 Moons


————————


Snake gave a short nod of thanks when it was mentioned he could hunt here.

Jin then seemed oddly curious about one of those clans disappearing, asking questions as if they were dear to him or something.
How odd.
“No idea.” He replied with a shrug “They might, it’s be strange if they stayed away forever, but I’ve got no way of knowing.”

He’d always avoided the clans, it just seemed like more cats he would have trouble trusting.
So, he didn’t bother with them.


@nyme