@KalamariCakes
Gladiolas followed him for the most part, til she saw the cats. Then she started to shy away, flick her tail with hesitation.
Gladiolas followed him for the most part, til she saw the cats. Then she started to shy away, flick her tail with hesitation.
Frozenstar noticed her hesitation and looked back, "Don't worry," he said gently, "They won't bother you. I'm their leader," he assured her, padding back to join her at the entrance, "I'll make you a nest in my den. It's the least populated. I'm the only cat that sleeps there," he offered
She nodded, but her tail remained bushed. "For me, groups of cats mean trouble." She mumbled.
Frozenstar nodded and lead her inside, leading her quickly to his den, empty except for a single nest, "Let me get you a nest and some prey," he said, turning and sliding out, "Spicepaw. Take Lilacpaw and gather enough moss for a nest" he called to two small apprentices who ran out. He picked up a large, plump rabbit from the fresh kill pile and slid back into his den, placing it on the ground in front of her
She bent down and sniffed it. "Where I come from," she spoke, "A rabbit is… a delicacy,"
Frozenstar sat down, curling his tail around his massive paws, "Out here we hunt what we can find and share it with each other. Rabbits are quite common, though." He nudged it once, "Eat what you like," he stood and slid out to give her some privacy, immediately being bombarded by questions from his warriors, "Enough." he finally said, his deep voice enough to quiet them, "She is simply a loner seeking shelter for the night. That is all you need to know. Back to your business," he growled quietly, causing the cats to scatter. He wanted to offer her a permanent position in the Clan, despite not knowing her too well, but he didn't want to scare her off
She bent her head down to eat. In comparison to him, she was much smaller. But it was clear she was very self-reliant.
The two apprentices he had sent out returned. Frozenstar accepted the materials from them and turned, sliding back into his den. Still leaving her with privacy and trying not to bother her, he slid by her and began to make the nest a few tail lengths away from his, lining it with grasses and feathers from the different birds that nested tint eh rocks on their territory
She licked her upper lip free of rabbit blood, "You're the leader?"
Frozenstar looked up and nodded, "Of StoneClan, yes," he said, "There are four Clans out here, TunnelClan, JungleClan, StoneClan, and MeadowClan," there was a slight twinge of sadness when he mentioned MeadowClan, but he quickly moved on, "Each of them have a leader," he explained, trying to gauge her interest so he could perhaps see if she wanted to join
"And… what do you do? You just hang out?" She asked with a bit of snark.
"We hunt, we patrol, we live our daily lives," He shrugged,
She sighed quietly, "This is very different from the neighborhood,"
Frozenstar nodded, "It is," he agreed, standing, "There. Your nest is finished." he bowed his head, "I'll let you alone,"
She stood up, "Where–" Gladiolas spoke, "Where is water?"
Frozenstar looked at her, "If you like I can take you to the pools. Or I can have an apprentice bring you soaked moss
"Pools," she decided.
Frozenstar dipped his head, padding out and into the main camp, leading her out of camp. Instead of jumping down to the ground, he turned and leapt up further on the rocky face, disappearing into the fog. His fur fluffed up and eyes narrowed against the vapor as he continued climbing until the rocks flattened out and there were many small pools on the top formed by the water vapor
"This is a while away," she commented, ears flattened to try and warm them. "Isn't it inconvenient?"
Frozenstar shrugged, "I offered to bring you some back," he said, "It helps us stay strong," he crouched by a pool, lapping some up
Gladiolas watched him for a moment. Her ear flicked, passing a thought along before bending to drink as well.
He sated his dry throat and sat up, washing himself while he waited
Her tail kept very close to her body—signs of an uncomfortable feline. Hopefully with exposure to these strangers she would relax. This was a monumental cultural shift, after all.
Frozenstar looked over, "Ready to head back or do you want to stay here awhile longer?" he asked quietly, noticing her nervousness
"I like the fog." She replied. Basically, she wanted to stay, the cover of the mist rought some reassurance.
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