do you take pride in your hurt? [p]

[goodacacia]

Palepaw
◆ Loner | 13 moons

[ - - Timeline: This takes place during Palepaw's stay with Rue. So he'll have to return at night - - ]

The pale calico kitten stumbled around the outskirts, looking for prey in a place he'd never seen before. Now that the snow has melted and revealed the landscape, Palepaw could definitively confirm that he's officially lost. Not just a little...but tragically. Never in his life has he seen such structures bordering the forest. Never has he seen such solid rock paths that goes on for miles.

It was definitely an experience, a strange but exciting one that would need to end soon. Soon... as soon as he could find his way back home to ShadowClan. Okay. Back on track! What was this little kitten doing? That's right, he needed to hunt Rue some freshkill. His temporary mentor was out there, all alone and hungry. Or so he thought- anyways, the little one would do that first and then he'll spend some time inquiring the cats in the area if they knew of ShadowClan. And maybe they could help him home.

"Oof!" His path was suddenly cut off, accidentally bumping into what seems to be...a cat? His eyes went wide with anticipation. This was the second cat he's ever seen on his journey! "Oh! I'm so sorry. I was just passing through!"

[ @Vessel ]

[Vessel]

pride

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Pride stiffened as he felt fur brush against his own. As a rule, he hated being touched by those without permission to do so. He glanced down at the cat, ready to tell him off, and saw eyes wide with... hope? Yes, hope, or perhaps something like it. Hm. Now, what was such a young cat doing out on his own? Little bells went off in Pride's head. He might have found something useful, after all. Besides, it really was always better to try having a calm conversation with a cat before he bit their head off. He forced his eyes to soften, and a smile played at his mouth.

"Oh, no, it's quite alright," he said silkily. "But... what are you doing all the way out here? Most cats tend to stay away from this area, on account of the stray dogs." This, of course, was a lie, but he wove it into his sentence as expertly as any other. After all, the first step of gaining someone's trust is inducing a sense of reliance on him. No, there weren't any dogs, but this way, he could force the kitten to stick with him.

As he blinked lazily in the cool sun, he came to another realization. If the other cat believed him about the dogs- which he certainly would- Pride would have to explain why he was there. Well, there was a simple and effective solution: convince the stranger he was strong enough to hang around on dog territory.

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silver tongue I/mind reader/just a scratch/agatha kitty

@goodacacia