"I am a survivor."

[Neraven]

A young grey cat paused near the large amount of boulders near him, opening his mouth wide to drink in the scents of the cool afternoon.
He had heard stories of these clan cats from Nerevo, the old tom he used to live with. There were four, he had said, but as Siltpelt had journeyed through these lands, careful of borders and other cats, he had decided there were only three. There were only three distinct smells, after all.
He had said they were great warriors, just and peaceful.
The tom could only hope he was right, especially when he was about to trespass on their territpry.
One smell had come from an area of forest, another from marsh, and now this one from a plain.
He was probably most like the ones from the forest, seeing as he felt better under cover of trees; but there was no way he could live in a marsh.
Siltpelt wondered if they would accept him into their clan. All he did was hunt and fight, and all he had done before was scavenge. Now he was looking to broaden his horizons. He could do with a friend, an enemy; real ones, not just friendly and hostile passer-bys. And he could do with more fights, and sleeping in a place with other cats. He just needed more excitement. He suspected life as a clan cat was twice as exciting as that of a loner, and four times that of a cowardly, naive vulture. All you did as a loner was the normal; be friendly or hostile, fight if you had to, especially with food or life, and hunt and drink when you could. It was the life of a survivor, simply that. And the vulture was a life of cowardice and laziness.
"I am a survivor," he murmured to himself. "And that is all I am. I want to be something a little more, put a little more meaning into my life."
He yawned, looked around with his bright green eyes, and slowly, cautiously padded into the maze of boulders, quickly snagging a young rabbit. He wasn't hungry; that was mostly for the appeasement of any uneasy clan cats.
Siltpelt carried the rabbit in his jaws, slinking among the boulders, and once he cleared them, he saw the land stretching away into heather and long grass. Atleast there was that cover.
Gently he set the dead prey down, and waited with his mouth slightly open, his ears pricked forwards, and his eyes staring ahead.

[`J i N X !]

The day was young, and so was Sablepaw. Sunlight drifted from the heavens in a cheery manner, bathing the world in a nice golden light that warmed the earth. The wind warbled through the grasses and, put together with the bubbling of a distant creek, made a wonderful symphony as the melodies meshed together smoothly. The earth underpaw was smooth and damp and warm, sinking only slightly under his small, light paws. He was a fine-boned cat, not much of a warrior, but he was still growing, and quite handsome for his age.

The dark, ebony colored cat, for which he got his name, padded along with a small bounce in his step. He was always happiest when he was alone, because he only had himself, and nothing else; no danger of being teased, or verbally assaulted, or anything. Not that the other warriors would help with that anyway. They always teased or picked on him in secret or when the older cats weren't around. He bounced along, pushing those angry thoughts to the back of his mind, and then pursued onward.

He'd just managed to escape camp and his mentor, Birchleg, without getting assigned anything. He had the next few hours to himself-- finally. Now, he would be able to think without really thinking, and he had the potential to hunt or lay in the sunshine for a while. He should enjoy that; he hadn't experienced nice weather in a while. It was just when he was loping past some rocks did a strange scent overcome him, and his fur bristled and his eyes narrowed. Loner? Probably. It definitely wasn't just a kittypet. He pinpointed the exact location of the intruder with his maw parted, twitched his ears, and then tensed his small body. "Show yourself, intruder!" he called, trying to be brave. But he was a shy cat, so it, perhaps, didn't come out as fierce as he had hoped.

[Neraven]

(I'm sorry that I cannot reply now, because I have some stuff to do. I really want to reply!
But I may later tonight, and if not, most likely tomorrow. You'll onyl have to wait a day or two ^_^)

[Neraven]

He smelled something. He was standing right outin the open, over the border; this clan-of-the-plain cat should have seen him by now.
Oh well.
A sound; a voice.
"Show yourself. intruder!"
The young cat could tell that the other cat wasn't quite sure of himself, and he had taken awhile to respond to the foreign cat on his territory.
So he did, but without the prey now.
"Here I am," he replied to the challenge. "I'm here to ask something of your leader."
He paused, his green eyes briefly scanning the young cat's body. He was about the same age, maybe a little younger. Definitely not as well trained as he. Or atleast, he was too timid to fight fiercely.
"If you will let me, that is. Maybe you can just run the message to him...anyway," he continued, "my name is Siltpelt, the name I chose for myself. I am a survivor at the moment." He paused once again.
"Loner, wanderer, explorer, adventurer, eh...whatever you want to call it."
The grey tom laughed. He had no idea what these strange cats' terms for things were. Other than prey and such obvious things.
He tilted his head to the side, yawned, and surveyed the other young tom carefully.

(Ugh sucky post but oh well. Not much to lead off of except Sablepaw's words lol and the fact that he's stepping into territory that doesn't belong to him...)

[`J i N X !]

The apprentice's tiny paws worked the earth. He felt sort of ashamed-- the tom looked like he'd been there for quite some time. Now that he took the time to actually test the air, the intruder's scent was all around, infecting the air. Sablepaw frowned at himself. His father would have never made that simple of a mistake, you see, and he began chastising himself mentally when the tom broke into his reverie by stepping forward and declaring who he was. Sablepaw's fur bristled even more, and he fluffed up twice his actual size. His tail lashed, and he narrowed his steely eyes against the new cat.

Siltpelt. What a name. If Siltpelt was his age, shouldn't he have chosen Siltpaw? Oh well, no matter, it wasn't much of Sablepaw's business anyway. He grimaced lightly at the thought, lips twisting, before he crouched a bit to the ground and smoothed own his fur. So far, this tom, Siltpelt, showed no harm, and Sablepaw was a courteous cat, if not withdrawn and shy. He scuffed his paw on the ground once, looked away, and then turned his gaze back to Siltpelt. It was clear to him that Siltpelt was already much more capable than him, and he felt a twinge of jealousy. He was a small cat, finely-boned and all, with some lean muscle beneath his sable pelt. He figured the only thing striking about him were his silver eyes, and even those were a bit bland, with no color to them. He grimaced again and narrowed his eyes against Siltpelt.

"Frigidstar isn't here right now, as you can obviously see," Sablepaw meowed, twitching his tail to indicate that it was only the two of them. "I might be able to relay a mesage to him, however it might be best if you just came and spoke yourself." Pausing, he added, "I'm Sablepaw." He frowned at the prospect of what might happen, should this survivor be taken the wrong way in his clan, but WindClan was normally a peaceful feline. He shifted, curling his tail around his paws. "What makes you want to be in WindClan, at any rate?" He asked, unable to hide his curiosity. Like Pandora, putting the mind where it shouldn't be.

[Neraven]

This cat was so very tense. Siltpelt was friendly and polite, and he was presenting himself as such.
It was this cat's territory, though, and not his.
"Oh, if I can speak mysely I'd feel much better. I just wasn't sure how you treated non-Clan cats when they intruded on your grounds."
He shrugged. "But that works for me."
At the question, he paused, then spoke quickly, the few thoughts he had on this subject at the moment tumbling forwards.
"It's called WindClan, hm? Ah well, I guess there would be a lot of ind out there...but what makes it interest me? Well, I like this sort of land. Forest is a bit too closed in, and I'm used to more open places than that. And I'm certainly not going to that boggy place. By the way, what happened to the fourth clan, if there ever was one? And what are these other two clans called?"
Maybe he was asking too much. This cat was young, an apprentice it seemed; he may not know so much, compared to a warrior or elder.
But he did want answers, and if they could be answered now then he would be happy if they were only partly answered.
After all, he had not heard of the clan's names, or details on their society...no real details whatsoever. Just how they lived to someone with limited knowledge.

[`J i N X !]

The sunlight grew more intense, warming Sablepaw's fur. He gave a soft sigh, twitched his ears, and relaxed some more. So far, this cat was nothing but friendly, so what was the hurt in seeming the same. He straightened, smoothing out his fur and straightening out his tail. His ears pricked forward to listen to the newcomer, listening attentively. If not strong, Sablepaw was intelligent; he was a good listener, and often gave off the fact that he was understanding much more than you thought he would, which he was. Intuitive and quick to learn, he was also a good judge of character-- and this tom didn't seem much too bad for being a survivor.

As Siltpelt explained why he wanted to be in WindClan, Sablepaw nodded once. It made sense. As soon as he was done explaining, however, Siltpelt launched right into the first question, the question that Sablepaw knew he couldn't answer very well. He shifted on his paws, then sighed. "Well, Siltpelt," he began, "there was an accident a long time ago. RiverClan --that was the fourth clan-- nearly died out, and the remaining RiverClan cats went and joined ShadowClan, the clan of cats that live on that boggy moore you mentioned earlier." He sighed, twitching his ears and sitting down. "I don't know all the details," he meowed honestly, "because my mother didn't really want to tell me. But that's as best as I can answer." And it really was. Sablepaw was a good, honest young cat, and this intruder seemed willing to learn, so he was willing to try and help.

[Neraven]

Siltpelt smiled again, pleased that he could have a little information.
"That's alright, I'm happy you could tell me something Hopefully I can always learn more from others."
His tail, which Sablepaw had not see yet unless he had been behind him, which he hadn't, rose a little, swished to the side, and then the young grey tom turned around, fetching the small rabbit and bringing it out in front of Sablepaw. His black tail was gone again as soon as he came back.
"You can have it if you want. Or do whatever it is you Clan cats do with it. I don't know much at all about how you do things. The stories I were told were not detailed."
Suddenly he remembered something, then laughed at his own forgetfulness.
"Hey, I forgot to ask what the forest cats Clan's name was"
He chuckled to himself again, and glanced down at the prey, waiting for the other young male to answer.

[`J i N X !]

Sablepaw's tail twitched and curled primly around his paws, resting there. The young black tom felt much more comfortable know, because he had a paw over the other cat-- not in strength, but in intelligence. Because he was a clan cat, he knew all about the ways of the clans, while Siltpelt didn't. But Sablepaw was a good cat anyway, and wouldn't use that against him. Being a good cat, of course, he tilted his head to the side and listened, once more, intently as Siltpelt talked. He was beginning to like this cat more and more, and his shyness was slipping away. Siltpelt was polite and well mannered so far, and even the youngest clan kit could appreciate something like that. Sablepaw also found it amusing how the tom Siltpelt seemed so pleased to learn something about the clans.

Sablepaw twitched his ears as the tom brought out a rabbit. For a moment, his ears flattened; having caught that on WindClan territory, it would have been punished, unless it was. But since there were good intentions behind it, perhaps, even if he caught it on WindClan territory, Frigidstar would let it slide. Sablepaw smiled his thanks at the older, gray cat. "Frigidstar will be pleased, I think," he meowed. "Before we eat, we always take the fresh kill to the queens and elders," he explained, nodding. He picked up the fresh kill in his mouth and waved his tail. "Come on, if we head back now we might make it before the queens begin eating," he meowed through a mouthful of rabbit fur. He stood, twitching his ears in the direction of camp, and set off. When Siltpelt asked about the forest cats, Sablepaw dipped his head.

"That's ThunderClan," he explained, once more through rabbit fur. "They live in the forest. Sometimes, I think they have an easier time catching prey than us, since it's easier for the prey to escape here out on the moores," he admitted, a bit sheepishly. "But that's just me."

[Neraven]

"Oh, no, you're probably right, Sablepaw," he said, laughing. "But you can probably make more noise there than here, such as with breaking twigs and brushing against plants."
He looked around.
"I'm guessing you'd have to use your ears a little more here though, seeing as you wouldn't be able to sight on your prey as well..."
Siltpelt opened his mouth slightly, drinking in the smells, then closed it and walked on behind the apprentice.
"I'm glad. I hope he is. I know I caught it on your territory, and I'm not sure if there are consequences for that, but I meant it as a gift, so..."
He glanced at the young cat ahead of him, then trotted a little faster so that he could be beside him.
"Do all your cats have ending to their names? I mean special ones? All the leaders I've heard about have had star at the end, and now you have paw...you know, I chose my name before I'd ever heard about the Warrior Clans...so is my name going to be changed to Siltpaw when I get accepted, if I do?"
Siltpelt laughed.
"I'm sorry, I'm asking you too many questions. I'll be quiet now."
The young grey laughed again to himself, shaking his head a little bit.

[`J i N X !]

Sablepaw began to wonder how long this intruder, Siltpelt, had been wandering along their territory. From the comments he was making, he seemed to have already picked up quite a bit of information. The ability to more easily lose prey, for example. You see, Sablepaw found all these comments rather broadening; he could easily twist those comments into something that he could be proud of. For the breaking of twigs and leaves; well, all the more reason as to why WindClan cats were more stealthier! As for the having to use your ears more, it explained as to why WindClan cats had such wonderous hearing. Sablepaw felt his chest puff up a bit at the thought, but with the rabbit scent blowing into his mouth, he stifled it and turned his mind back to the present.

Siltpelt was asking so many questions. Sablepaw twitched his ears, being quiet for a long moment so that he could work everything out. Organize the questions, you see, so that he could answer them in order but in one long string of comments. It was a skill he had only recently acquired; it made him sound much more intelligent than the other apprentices, and intelligence was something that he highly valued. More than brute strength, to be sure; but the same could not, perhaps, be said of his father, who had thought (a bit narrow-mindedly, mind you) that being a warrior depended solely on being strong and fast and stealthy. Sablepaw, on the other paw, decided he'd much rather go into battle prepared then go in without his smarts. Sadly, this did not happen very well in the real world, and the smart cats often died.

"Yes, we all have special endings to our names, though they're not always the same. The kits all have 'kit' to the end of their names, the apprentices, like me, all have 'paw' to the end of their names, and the leaders all have 'star'. The warriors, queens, deputy, and elders all have special endings unique to them. For example-- my mentor has Birchleg, while another cat is named Hauntedheart. You see?" He took a deep breath through the fur of the prey. He had succeeded in pronouncing everything clearly and correctly, and felt very pleased with it. "About your name, if you're the same age as me, then yes; at least until you get your warrior name. And I don't mind all of the questions, it's good, so that you have a head start on clan life."

[Neraven]

He walked with him, mouth watering now at the scent of the rabbit he had caught. The young tom wondered how long it would be until they reached the camp, because he was kind of excited at the thought.
As he listened to the other young cat talk, he thought about how nice this tom was. He was almost completely certain he would find that he had been a special case...that not many were allowed in.
The grey tom shrugged it off, and continued listening. This cat was pretty smart. Or atleast he knew what he was talking about. They were two different things. But Siltpelt was pretty sure that this cat was definitely intelligent, perhaps more than average.
"Yes, I am seven moons old. I knew what age cats were apprenticed at, atleast. I'm hoping I'll get this name back..."
He paused, his face a little annoyed looking.
"I don't particularily like my name being changed, unless it's for good reason. But I guess going from kit to apprentice to warrior to leader are all kind of good reasons...:
Siltpelt shrugged again. "Well thank you for answering my questions up to this point. I have one more. How long until we get to your camp?"

[Neraven]

(Eh...*groan* I'm sorry to be rude, but I hate three person rp'
s. And now there's going to be a fourth when synthetic replies. I want to say 'screw this', but I don't wanna be thatrude. I'll see if I still want to reply. Btw any of my threads are not open after a person joins...I've never had someone assume without asking that they can just waltz in and post)

[xx INTRICATE]

ooc: your thread had stated that it was open so that's why I just 'waltzed in and posted'. If it said not open I wouldn't have posted. I've been on a few forums, and people will post on them at will unless it was made clear that it was for a specific person only. So I'm so terribly sorry that I just 'barged in' on your thread. Ignore the post, I'll take it down. I saved it, so if you want to reply to it, I can bring it back up. I don't expect you will though. *shrug*

[Neraven]

(I'm sorry T_T
It's just that that never happened anywhere for me. It makes sense to me to not post when there are two people already there...I don't see the point in changing the title either, because the thread's already been replied to...but...I like people to ask once there's a second person atleast, ok?
I really am sorry if I annoyed you or anything, it's just...[maybe I will reply to your reply, but I want to see if that's ok with Jinx first of all...and btw the posting order would be me, jinx, you, and then once synthetic comes in, it would be him])