Chickpea's Willow Grove {Private}

[Starfall]

@Pathos
This is where Belladonna and Chickpea will meet~

Chickpea blinked her eyes open and yawned, her silver fur shone in the sun as she stretched, her claws scratching at the wood beneath her. The silver molly picked herself up and hopped out of the tree she was napping in, her muscles rippled as she landed elegantly, kicking up a small cloud of dust from the impact. The molly flicked her violet gaze from tree to tree, annoyance blazed in the pastel colored orbs "You'd think that there would be thousands of cats living in here, it's such a beautiful place, and yet, I'm the only living soul here." she sighed, flicking her tail in anger. The silver she cat shook off clumps of moss and began to make her way to the river, lapping up the clear, crisp water, purring in delight.

[ameko]

[this is the font Book Antiqua! I'm testing various fonts ^^
@starfall]

An innocent-looking, white molly padded along the forest floor with a skip in her step. She always seemed to be in a positive mood, despite what she may be doing at the moment. Belladonna had originally been planning on going out on a walk around the Dusk Syndicate territory, but the beautiful woods distracted her. She just had to go venture further into them than she had planned. Not caring about the amount of dirt mixed in with the white of her paws, she trotted along happily until she came across a river. "Oh, how pretty!" she mewed to herself, pausing in her steps when she noticed another molly. "What a delight," Belladonna hummed. Why hadn't I caught their scent earlier? Ah, that's right; I was too busy frolicking. I must pay more attention, she scolded herself, narrowing her eyes at the new molly for a split-second before stealthily hiding her distrust by opening her eyes wider in an innocent fashion. "Oh-- do you live here?" Bella called out to the she-cat. Immediately after, she followed with, "I haven't ever been here before, but it is certainly a wonderful place! It would be no surprise if you lived here. No surprise at all," she meowed. "I might like to live here myself, sometime. It seems very peaceful indeed."

Belladonna was hoping her indirect lies would fool the she-cat--just until she learned more about her, of course. It would become much easier for Bella to avoid lying and manipulating once she had befriended her, but you could never be too careful.

[Starfall]

Originally Posted by Pathos

[this is the font Book Antiqua! I'm testing various fonts ^^
@starfall]

An innocent-looking, white molly padded along the forest floor with a skip in her step. She always seemed to be in a positive mood, despite what she may be doing at the moment. Belladonna had originally been planning on going out on a walk around the Dusk Syndicate territory, but the beautiful woods distracted her. She just had to go venture further into them than she had planned. Not caring about the amount of dirt mixed in with the white of her paws, she trotted along happily until she came across a river. "Oh, how pretty!" she mewed to herself, pausing in her steps when she noticed another molly. "What a delight," Belladonna hummed. Why hadn't I caught their scent earlier? Ah, that's right; I was too busy frolicking. I must pay more attention, she scolded herself, narrowing her eyes at the new molly for a split-second before hiding her distrust and opening her eyes wider in an innocent fashion. "Oh-- do you live here?" Bella called out to the she-cat. Immediately after, she followed with, "I haven't ever been here before, but it is certainly a wonderful place! It would be no surprise if you lived here. No surprise at all," she meowed.

Belladonna was hoping her indirect lies would fool the she-cat--just until she learned more about her, of course. It would become much easier for Bell to avoid lying and manipulating once she had befriended her, but you could never be too careful.

{Oooh pretty~ I like it.}
Chickpea perked her ears and whirled around to lock eyes with the newcomer "Oh, well thank you and welcome to my willow Grove....um....well nice to meet you my name's Chickpea, may I ask yours?" she questioned, quirking her eyebrow as she observed the molly, her violet eyes flashed with suspicion for a split second before it shone with joy "Nice to see a new face around here, it gets boring when you're by yourself. How long do you plan on staying? Most just come and go, never truly staying. As for me, I've been here since I was only 5 moons old." she stated, her silver fur fluffed up as an icy wind blew, earning a shiver from the young molly.

[ameko]

Originally Posted by starfall

{Oooh pretty~ I like it.}
Chickpea perked her ears and whirled around to lock eyes with the newcomer "Oh, well thank you and welcome to my willow Grove....um....well nice to meet you my name's Chickpea, may I ask yours?" she questioned, quirking her eyebrow as she observed the molly, her violet eyes flashed with suspicion for a split second before it shone with joy "Nice to see a new face around here, it gets boring when you're by yourself. How long do you plan on staying? Most just come and go, never truly staying. As for me, I've been here since I was only 5 moons old." she stated, her silver fur fluffed up as an icy wind blew, earning a shiver from the young molly.

[arial font!]

Belladonna hummed happily at the molly's response, beginning to pad over to meet her. "Chickpea's a lovely name," she chirped, "and I'm Belladonna, but you're always welcome to call me whatever you'd like!" Bella added, fur rippling as she slowed to a stop near Chickpea. "I think I'm going to stay just for a little while; I have a home to return to. But if you're lonely and bored by yourself, then you could always come back with me to my home when I leave! I think you might like it there," she purred. Belladonna was obviously overacting, but if she could manage to recruit a cat to the Dusk Syndicate, then by all means, she would try as hard as possible. "You've been here since you were 5 moons? How old are you now?" Honestly, Bella was having a ball acting like this. She would be humiliated if she were to be so open and polite back at the Dusk Syndicate, so it was great having a break every once in a while. A cold breeze ruffled her fur and she let out a light 'brr.' "I've never liked the cold all that much! Leafbare is honestly the worst time for me. I never have a thick enough coat to stay warm," she complained.

[Starfall]

Originally Posted by Pathos

[arial font!]

Belladonna hummed happily at the molly's response, beginning to pad over to meet her. "Chickpea's a lovely name," she chirped, "and I'm Belladonna, but you're always welcome to call me whatever you'd like!" Bella added, fur rippling as she slowed to a stop near Chickpea. "I think I'm going to stay just for a little while; I have a home to return to. But if you're lonely and bored by yourself, then you could always come back with me to my home when I leave! I think you might like it there," she purred. Belladonna was obviously overacting, but if she could manage to recruit a cat to the Dusk Syndicate, then by all means, she would try as hard as possible. "You've been here since you were 5 moons? How old are you now?" Honestly, Bella was having a ball acting like this. She would be humiliated if she were to be so open and polite back at the Dusk Syndicate, so it was great having a break every once in a while. A cold breeze ruffled her fur and she let out a light 'brr.' "I've never liked the cold all that much! Leafbare is honestly the worst time for me. I never have a thick enough coat to stay warm," she complained.

Chickpea dipped her head in greeting as she learned Bella's name and smiled sweetly "Oh, I don't know about leaving but....it does sound exciting to go and see the world." she purred, her tail flicking back and fourth as she looked up at the sky "I love Winter, It's one of my favorite seasons....oh you must call Winter leaf bare haha how peculiar." she chirped, her violet eyes shone with amusement and curiosity. The silver molly twitched her wiskers and looked back at her new companion "As for my age....hmm.....about 25 moons give or take?" she giggled, a sudden thought flashed in her mind "Where...do you live? You don't live with up walker's do you? If you do than I will politely decline your offer. I would much rather live out here and eat fresh meat whenever I want." she declared, her fur began to lie flat as the cold wind passed.

[ameko]

Originally Posted by starfall

Chickpea dipped her head in greeting as she learned Bella's name and smiled sweetly "Oh, I don't know about leaving but....it does sound exciting to go and see the world." she purred, her tail flicking back and fourth as she looked up at the sky "I love Winter, It's one of my favorite seasons....oh you must call Winter leaf bare haha how peculiar." she chirped, her violet eyes shone with amusement and curiosity. The silver molly twitched her wiskers and looked back at her new companion "As for my age....hmm.....about 25 moons give or take?" she giggled, a sudden thought flashed in her mind "Where...do you live? You don't live with up walker's do you? If you do than I will politely decline your offer. I would much rather live out here and eat fresh meat whenever I want." she declared, her fur began to lie flat as the cold wind passed.

"Winter... that's an odd term! I don't think I've ever heard it before," Belladonna meowed, making a mental note in her mind to remember that for the future. Just in case. Bella purred, excited at the positive vibes the conversation was giving off. She never had very many happy talks in the Syndicate, due to how cruel they tended to be. Though she didn't really mind how the cats in the Dusk Syndicate acted, she was still a little shocked at their behavior. Couldn't they lighten up? She supposed telling her mates from the Syndicate that would not go over well, and she may very well be shamed for an idea like that. Still, it was fun to fantasize, and of course, she would find a way to manipulate those who tried to shame her.

Ah, but her mind was wandering. Quickly shoving her thoughts away, she blinked at Chickpea. "Twenty-five moons? Then I'm just a bit older than you!" meowed Bella. "Oh, I most definitely do not live with--uh, up walkers!" Belladonna wasn't exactly sure what the term "up walkers" meant, but she assumed it had something to do with twolegs. She had never seen them face-to-face, yet she had often heard stories about their terrible deeds. "Up walkers are not my type," hummed Bella. Tilting her chin up in an act of confidence, a hint of pride shining in her eyes, she went on, "I live with the Dusk Syndicate! It is, of course, a delightful place to live--assuming you aren't an Elder, Healer, or maybe even a Hunter--and they always have access to prey!" Belladonna paused for a moment, bursting out a sudden question. "Are you better at hunting or fighting? Or do you prefer healing; you know, with herbs and things?" Bella hesitated. "But if you've been here since you were 5 moons old, then you probably would have dabbled in each subject, right?"

[Starfall]

Originally Posted by Pathos

"Winter... that's an odd term! I don't think I've ever heard it before," Belladonna meowed, making a mental note in her mind to remember that for the future. Just in case. Bella purred, excited at the positive vibes the conversation was giving off. She never had very many happy talks in the Syndicate, due to how cruel they tended to be. Though she didn't really mind how the cats in the Dusk Syndicate acted, she was still a little shocked at their behavior. Couldn't they lighten up? She supposed telling her mates from the Syndicate that would not go over well, and she may very well be shamed for an idea like that. Still, it was fun to fantasize, and of course, she would find a way to manipulate those who tried to shame her.

Ah, but her mind was wandering. Quickly shoving her thoughts away, she blinked at Chickpea. "Twenty-five moons? Then I'm just a bit older than you!" meowed Bella. "Oh, I most definitely do not live with--uh, up walkers!" Belladonna wasn't exactly sure what the term "up walkers" meant, but she assumed it had something to do with twolegs. She had never seen them face-to-face, yet she had often heard stories about their terrible deeds. "Up walkers are not my type," hummed Bella. Tilting her chin up in an act of confidence, a hint of pride shining in her eyes, she went on, "I live with the Dusk Syndicate! It is, of course, a delightful place to live--assuming you aren't an Elder, Healer, or maybe even a Hunter--and they always have access to prey!" Belladonna paused for a moment, bursting out a sudden question. "Are you better at hunting or fighting? Or do you prefer healing; you know, with herbs and things?" Bella paused for a moment. "But if you've been here since you were 5 moons old, then you probably would have dabbled in each subject, right?"

Chickpea let a giggle out at the other molly's retort about the term 'winter' "Well that's the first time I've heard Leaf-bare, and that's good to know, Up walkers are awful! They constantly leave out gross smelling things in my grove and dump their foul smelling liquids in my stream! I greatly detest them!" she spat, her dark silver fur fluffed up as she though about the tall beings. After a few seconds she let her fur lie flat "Dusk Syndicate? Never heard of it....sounds interesting.....and I do know how to use herbs, and fight and hunt.....but I'd say I'm a little better at fighting than the other two, I'm not the best at herbs, not as well as I am at hunting, and I'm much better at fighting than I am at Hunting so...." she trailed off, her violet eyes shone with excitement and curiosity "How many other cats live there? Are there kittens? How does it work? Is there some sort of system? Do I have to do something to get in or are they accepting? How old are you?" she asked, her stomach burned and boiled with curiosity, she wanted to know what it was like outside of her willow grove, what other ways of life lie beyond her little box, she wanted to know. But at the same time, she was terrified, she lived in her grove practically her whole life, not getting a taste of what lies beyond her willow trees. She felt safe in the weeping willow's hanging branches, she felt peaceful in the stream made out of the willows tears. She felt comfort in the petals of the willows love, the willows were her whole world, until now, she had a chance to leave, to experience a new life, get a breath of fresh air, and she was ready...or so she thought.

[ameko]

Originally Posted by starfall

Chickpea let a giggle out at the other molly's retort about the term 'winter' "Well that's the first time I've heard Leaf-bare, and that's good to know, Up walkers are awful! They constantly leave out gross smelling things in my grove and dump their foul smelling liquids in my stream! I greatly detest them!" she spat, her dark silver fur fluffed up as she though about the tall beings. After a few seconds she let her fur lie flat "Dusk Syndicate? Never heard of it....sounds interesting.....and I do know how to use herbs, and fight and hunt.....but I'd say I'm a little better at fighting than the other two, I'm not the best at herbs, not as well as I am at hunting, and I'm much better at fighting than I am at Hunting so...." she trailed off, her violet eyes shone with excitement and curiosity "How many other cats live there? Are there kittens? How does it work? Is there some sort of system? Do I have to do something to get in or are they accepting? How old are you?" she asked, her stomach burned and boiled with curiosity, she wanted to know what it was like outside of her willow grove, what other ways of life lie beyond her little box, she wanted to know. But at the same time, she was terrified, she lived in her grove practically her whole life, not getting a taste of what lies beyond her willow trees. She felt safe in the weeping willow's hanging branches, she felt peaceful in the stream made out of the willows tears. She felt comfort in the petals of the willows love, the willows were her whole world, until now, she had a chance to leave, to experience a new life, get a breath of fresh air, and she was ready...or so she thought.

Belladonna's eyes widened in incredulously at the actions of the so-called up walkers. "They do that to your grove? How terrible!" she huffed. "If I fought them in battle, they wouldn't want to dump their waste here ever again," Bella added, scuffing the ground with her paws. It was becoming much easier to seem genuine towards the gray tabby, as most of the things that Bell had said had been laced with the truth, anyhow. Purring at Chickpea's preference in either hunting, fighting, or healing, she meowed, "So then you'll probably become a Fighter. I'm a Fighter too, so then we'll get to do things together! Oh--if you join, that is," Belladonna lowered her eyes, pretending to seem sad at the prospect of Chickpea not joining the Syndicate. At first, she would become a little disheartened if the other molly decided not to join, but it wouldn't affect her too much. Of course, Belladonna would have to kill Chickpea; though she'd killed so often, it wouldn't faze her in the long run. She may even enjoy it. "Many other cats live in the Dusk Syndicate! And sure, there are always kittens where I live." The white molly was overwhelmed with the amount of questions but tried to answer every single one. Starting again with the most recent question, she said, "I'm just about twenty-seven moons! And since Renn disappeared, we don't have a Commander or a Co-Commander at the moment, which means that you don't have to take a test to enter the Syndicate unless you'd like to! As for the system, well, it's a little tough to explain! There's sort of a social ladder: Elders, Healers, Hunters, Fighters, Guards, Co-Commander, and then the Commander, which would mean that the Elders are the lowest rank in the group and the Commander is someone to be respected at all times. Good thing that you would be a Fighter with me, then, because we can boss around everyone lower than us!" she explained, taking in a large breath of air. Wow. That was the most she'd spoken in a long time. She never really interacted with cats in the Dusk Syndicate, and never for so long at a time. Not even with her family members, who tended to ignore her for the majority of her life, or even her few friends in the Syndicate. Hopefully this would become a regular thing for the white she-cat. Talking is a lot of fun, she decided.

"You should join. I think you would like it a lot," Belladonna assured. What a lie.

[Starfall]

Originally Posted by Pathos

Belladonna's eyes widened in incredulously at the actions of the so-called up walkers. "They do that to your grove? How terrible!" she huffed. "If I fought them in battle, they wouldn't want to dump their waste here ever again," Bella added, scuffing the ground with her paws. It was becoming much easier to seem genuine towards the gray tabby, as most of the things that Bell had said had been laced with the truth, anyhow. Purring at Chickpea's preference in either hunting, fighting, or healing, she meowed, "So then you'll probably become a Fighter. I'm a Fighter too, so then we'll get to do things together! Oh--if you join, that is," Belladonna lowered her eyes, pretending to seem sad at the prospect of Chickpea not joining the Syndicate. At first, she would become a little disheartened if the other molly decided not to join, but it wouldn't affect her too much. Of course, Belladonna would have to kill Chickpea; though she'd killed so often, it wouldn't faze her in the long run. She may even enjoy it. "Many other cats live in the Dusk Syndicate! And sure, there are always kittens where I live." The white molly was overwhelmed with the amount of questions but tried to answer every single one. Starting again with the most recent question, she said, "I'm just about twenty-seven moons! And since Renn disappeared, we don't have a Commander or a Co-Commander at the moment, which means that you don't have to take a test to enter the Syndicate unless you'd like to! As for the system, well, it's a little tough to explain! There's sort of a social ladder: Elders, Healers, Hunters, Fighters, Guards, Co-Commander, and then the Commander, which would mean that the Elders are the lowest rank in the group and the Commander is someone to be respected at all times. Good thing that you would be a Fighter with me, then, because we can boss around everyone lower than us!" she explained, taking in a large breath of air. Wow. That was the most she'd spoken in a long time. She never really interacted with cats in the Dusk Syndicate, and never for so long at a time. Not even with her family members, who tended to ignore her for the majority of her life, or even her few friends in the Syndicate. Hopefully this would become a regular thing for the white she-cat. Talking is a lot of fun, she decided.

"You should join. I think you would like it a lot," Belladonna assured. What a lie.

Chickpea smiled widely, her violet eyes gleamed with joy and excitement "It sounds amazing. But why are Elders and Healers lower? Healers save those that are close to you, they heal and save your kits. They're intelligent. As for elders, they have stories to tell, they inspire others, they're smart and usually know what they're saying." she argued 'Healers and Elders may be different for them now that I think about it....' she thought to herself before picking herself up, flicking away a ball of moss. The silver molly turned her pastel gaze up to the sky and thought to herself for a moment, all of the possabillites passed through her mind before she turned her attention back to her new companion "Well, with all of the stuff you've said about it....and I've thought about it for a bit.....so I think I want to go travel there with you!" she quipped, her tail lashing back and fourth in excitement. "You don't mind taking me there do you? oh but would you rather stay the night here? How far is it? Not too far I hope it would suck if I had to walk far through snow." she whined, twitching her nose as a snowflake fell upon the small pink bump. 'I'm doing it, I'm really doing it, I'm leaving my home and meeting new cats, seeing new sights. This is....' "Exhilarating." she whispered aloud, a small cloud of mist coming from her mouth as she spoke the word aloud. The silver molly was terrified, but, at the same time, she couldn't wait until she saw the home of her new companion.

[ameko]

Originally Posted by starfall

Chickpea smiled widely, her violet eyes gleamed with joy and excitement "It sounds amazing. But why are Elders and Healers lower? Healers save those that are close to you, they heal and save your kits. They're intelligent. As for elders, they have stories to tell, they inspire others, they're smart and usually know what they're saying." she argued 'Healers and Elders may be different for them now that I think about it....' she thought to herself before picking herself up, flicking away a ball of moss. The silver molly turned her pastel gaze up to the sky and thought to herself for a moment, all of the possabillites passed through her mind before she turned her attention back to her new companion "Well, with all of the stuff you've said about it....and I've thought about it for a bit.....so I think I want to go travel there with you!" she quipped, her tail lashing back and fourth in excitement. "You don't mind taking me there do you? oh but would you rather stay the night here? How far is it? Not too far I hope it would suck if I had to walk far through snow." she whined, twitching her nose as a snowflake fell upon the small pink bump. 'I'm doing it, I'm really doing it, I'm leaving my home and meeting new cats, seeing new sights. This is....' "Exhilarating." she whispered aloud, a small cloud of mist coming from her mouth as she spoke the word aloud. The silver molly was terrified, but, at the same time, she couldn't wait until she saw the home of her new companion.

The corners of Belladonna's mouth quirked up in a smile, a hint of something gleaming in her gaze. She loved to talk about the Syndicate to outsiders, to watch the excitement in the eyes of her new friends ever so slowly diminish away as they lived their life in her home. It was a sick thing, bringing innocent cats into the Dusk Syndicate to watch them flounder, but she thrived in the feeling. She only wished that there were many pure and kindhearted cats just outside of their territory for Belladonna to ensnare in her little trap. "Well, Elders are too weak to hold their own, and Healers don't do anything besides heal! They don't fight or hunt or help us in a good way. The Dusk Syndicate prides itself on its skills in fighting!" she grinned, gaze flicking away from Chickpea to watch the ball of moss for a few seconds. Blinking and switching her stare back to the molly once more, she started humming a quiet tune to herself. "You're coming with me? That's delightful," Belladonna purred, kneading the ground with her paws and swishing her tail in excitement. "The Dusk Syndicate is rather far from here, I would think, seeing as it's nearly sundown already! Maybe about half a day to a quarter of a day away. I didn't pay too much attention as to where I was going, but I think it was," Bella flicked her tail in a direction opposite of the river, "that way. Ah, and if it isn't any trouble, I would love to stay the night here; it wouldn't be much fun to have to take a long walk through the cold. We can leave at sunup tomorrow," she decided, oblivious to the what her friend was feeling. Belladonna was ecstatic at her success in recruiting another cat to the Dusk Syndicate. Now, they would only have to wait until tomorrow until the real fun began.