If Only You Knew || Tagged! [Finished!]

[Carotius]

Tags: Heron [Sheepfur]
Setting: Somewhere on LeafClan territory; assume the Gathering has passed; dusk, maybe?
OOC: Huehuehue....

---

The silver rogue let his brown eyes take in the territory of the pitiful LeafClan cowards. They, along with the SunsetClan and StormClan patrols, had been sent running with their tails between their legs, and their bodies scarred and bloodied with one too many blows they dared to count themselves. This rogue and his ally had been efficient and deadly in their work, to plant the seeds of fear into the hearts of the Clan cats and begin their plans for revenge.

Varuin sat lazily on a high branch of a birch tree, his tabby tail dangling freely and swinging from side-to-side. The toes of his cinnamon paws thrummed rhythmically on the bark, his humming a deep and throaty one as he wondered his next course of action. He had heard from sources that the Clans had had their Gathering (or maybe they had not, and the sources were not right in the head as usual), but it had done what he wanted his attacks to do - to send the Clan cats into a mad scramble for security and ironical peace from the violence that a rogue was vowing to unleash upon them. It made him smile. A very sick smile, actually.

"And how you shall be destroyed by your Code," he purred, scratching up the bark with his sharpened claws, sending dust falling onto the forest floor below. "Now, all I need are cats to follow me..." his brown eyes caught movement in the distance, and the now-familiar reek of LeafClan entered his nose, causing him to grin, "...and even be my eyes and ears on the inside."

[Heron]

The Leafclan territory was awfully quiet, Sheepfur realized with a jolt. Part of her was especially thankful; she was never a confrontational type, and with her small, cream-colored body she felt like she stuck out with a sore thumb in the thickets of the LeafClan trees. Like a true LeafClan, she had been jumping from limb to limb, keeping herself steady with her plump tail. The ginger on her ears twitched as she listened quietly for any sound of intruders. She heard nothing and kept along her way, claws scraping against the limbs of the forest as she leaped. And then, there it was-- a sound in the distance, like claws against bark. She paused, her flat face completed with light green eyes gazed into the distance. She felt a shudder go through her fur. What kind of warrior was she, that she feared the unknown so much? This wasn't even a patrol, after all. This was her coming back from hunting, and she felt sick thinking about her lack of companions. Protection was everything to her, and she feared the unknown and all the things that came with it. She swallowed thickly, staying very still, and called out, "Hello?" with a shaky, determined mew.

[Carotius]

"Hello?"

Such a trembling voice that still held an ounce of determination. Varuin admired it, enough for him to lean forward to locate the owner of said voice. It most definitely did not come from the ground - which was quite expected from LeafClan cats - so he snapped his gaze back up through the cover of leaves, his brown eyes narrowed as he sought out whatever was causing the rustling of leaves and their branches. Most definitely a Clan cat.

The large tabby leapt into the next branch, landing on it so neatly, he could have been mistaken for one of the LeafClan cats were it not for the bounty within the six that now hung over his head. Okay, there was no actual bounty over his muscular head for his capture or anything - the idiotic wildcats of this forest only wanted him to be driven off and to stay away from their territories, considering the scare he had given them in the past quarter-moon or so. Do you really think I will stay away so long so easily? Ohoho... I'll have my revenge. He cleared another branch as he thought deeply, his legs skimming across the branches as swiftly as a squirrel would, and in no time at all, he was in view of a petite cream-furred she-cat on a tree across from him, who stared at him in surprise and fear.

The she-cat did not immediately attack him, nor turn tail towards where she came from to scream and call for reinforcements against the public enemy of the forest cats. If she only stood there like a stupefied sparrow, then perhaps she had never of the trouble-making rogue that was on the loose, or, if she did, she didn't recognise the culprit right in front of her. She looks easy to be manipulated. She will be of some use to my plans. Varuin knew this was a chance too good to miss out on, since he didn't know when was the next gullible LeafClan cat to pass him by.

He sat down on the bough of the birch, his eyes at a wider diameter as he looked at her, his tail curled over his brown paws, the tip hanging lazily off. "Hello there. I don't suppose you're one of the LeafClan cats?"

[Heron]

Sheepfur recognized him immediately: a rogue. A dark shiver sent down her plump spine and she almost choked on her own mouth-water. It was true that she had an irrational fear of rogues and other non-clanners. It was only kittpets she felt at ease around. And now, seeing one stare right at her, she felt as though one of her nightmares were revealing itself. This is why I hate being alone! She mewed desperately to herself.

The tom was rather sizeable, and in other circumstances Sheepfur would've considered him fairly handsome. He jumped from tree to tree and down with grace, something usually only LeafClan were skilled at. Hesitant, she took a moment to realize he was actually trespassing. Deciding to go against the feeling that she should start fleeing, she looked at him squarely and proudly. "What are you doing on LeafClan territory?" she hissed, all the while knowing full well that this tabby was capable of taking her down one-on-one. What could she really do except yowl for help? Her tail twitched in annoyance and fear, but she tried to mask it. She didn't want him to sense her uneasiness.

Her thick, cream-colored fur began to tremble. The speckle of ginger on her flat muzzle kept twitching and shaking, but she was determined to prove herself. She was a warrior, after all, and this was her territory. She had to protect it from nasty rogues, not run away. She braced herself-- never one much of a fighter, but she would give it all she had if need be. The last thing, however, she wanted to do was die like this. She imagined her death more noble, or less dramatic. Perhaps in her den as an elder, surrounded by family. Oh, Starclan , look at her go! She was already thinking of death, and this rogue showed no immediate signs of hostility. He looked rather...curious. Yet still questionable. "If you don't leave, I'll chase you off." she warned.

[Carotius]

Mouse-dung, she needs a little more convincing! Varuin resisted the urge to narrow his eyes or growl in annoyance; these pesky Clan cats were so uptight and bristly almost every heartbeat of their waking lives, and they were all for the most ridiculous reasons. No wonder they all died at each other's claws so easily over the stupidest things, like stepping over an imaginary scent line that demarcated their supposed 'territories', or over prey which easily just have been shared among themselves like they shared with their own Clanmates.

These thoughts he couldn't convey to the she-cat before him, though, for he knew he needed to appeal to her if he wanted to get anywhere close to his elaborate revenge plot. Sighing quietly and putting up a face of mild shock, the silver rogue let his brown eyes widen in pained confusion at the LeafClan cat. All this will pay off...just bear with it. He repeated the words mentally to himself as he stared on, flattening his ears against his head. He'd scared enough morons back in the Twolegplace to know how most of them reacted in their body language - it was becoming useful.

"I.. I don't mean any harm to your Clan; the forest was just a little confusing so I got a little lost! And it hasn't been...friendly either," he explained, feigning embarrassment while adding a small amount of mixed fear and curiosity. "There's been a rogue attacking innocent cats, and I've heard he attacked the Clans too.."

Frankly, telling such a story made him chuckle inwardly. It was such fun to be telling a story of himself of which it'd probably be seen through the eyes of the Clan rats and other cowardly loners and rogues; they never could stand up to him and defend themselves, always turning around and running away with their tail between their legs. A very wonderful scene to watch, if you were on Varuin's side. but let's put that matter aside. He needed to convince this meek she-cat to trust him.

Looking up at her with an innocent face, he continued, "My name's Jacque, and if you think I'm a rogue on that killer's side, I'm not! I'd rather look out for myself than pledge my allegiance to that fox-heart."

[Heron]

Sheepfur watched the stranger with wide, guarded eyes. A small feeling of unease began to stir in her belly, and she had to resist the urge to quickly run back to the safety of camp. Her paws felt unsteady as she stood on the limb of one of Leafclan's trees. As he seemingly became embarrassed, explaining the situation cooly, Sheepfur was unsure what to think. She inhaled deeply, memorizing his scent, and found that it did not seem familiar to her at all. Okay, she thought, just relax. It'll be fine.

"Yes," she began hesitantly, eyeing him still with a level of cautious and wariness. "Yes, there's been attacks on the clan. but patrols are nearly doubled now, so any stranger to Leafclan should probably keep moving for their sake. If...if others come they will not be as kind." The she-cat warned quickly, insinuating that there were cats who would likely tear him to pieces just to send a message. Leafclan typically did not like trouble-- but they were in danger now, at risk of losing valuable warriors and apprentices.

Jacque? What a peculiar name. Her whiskers twitched in irritation and she sighed deeply. "Well, uh....on that rogue's side or not...you- you're still a rogue, too." She stammered somewhat weakly. "I'm afraid you can't be on our border like this, Jacque. I've already done my clan an injustice by not chasing you off as soon as possible." However, as she stood, it was clear she did not intend on chasing him away at all, now. She was resting her green eyes on him innocently, almost pleading for him to understand the situation and that she was at a loss. She hopped off of her branch to another one, a bit closer to where the tom had been placing himself. "I can escort you back off of our territory. I think that would be best." She swallowed thickly. Her curly fur had began to stick and clump together, indicating that she was rather nervous.

[Carotius]

OOC: Somehow, it's a mind-boggler to play one cat who's acting very opposite of his actual personality XD

---

Varuin knew he was getting to the she-cat; he just needed to wheedle to her a little more, to persuade her of his supposed innocent and good intentions, and that he really wanted to befriend the Clan cats. I must think carefully. He had no group to be with. Tiger and his upcoming band of rogues was just an ally, of which Varuin had no intention of joining said group. They weren't his type, and he'd rather work alone for the timebeing. Yes, he could say that he was alone. Like a loner. Wait...Loners never caused Clan cats any trouble. Yes. Yes, this was something he could use.

"Did you just call me a rogue? Rogues cause trouble to the Clans, and I've barely done any! I merely stumbled here by accident!" he cried, eyes wide and lips quivering in a show of hurt. He shrunk back against the trunk of the tree he was on as the LeafClan cat approached him by one branch, laughing inwardly to himself. "Why does everyone lump loners and rogues together? I don't understand; everyone seems to chase me away because I look more rogue than loner.."

He ducked his head at this point, focusing his brown eyes on his cinnamon paws, pressing his ears back against his head. He looked the picture of a depressed kit, only that he was full-grown and with proper thinking capacity. The Clan cat wouldn't have been to see his features, but even if she did, she'd probably only see the offended silver tabby, nothing more. Inside, Varuin was laughing, cackling with satisfaction at where this was going, his mind already planning the next best thing to do if this she-cat took the bait. He brought his striped tail close to his body, as if huddling himself in comfort, all in the name of tricking this she-cat for his big revenge plot. I can make use of just one thing to appeal to you...

Varuin hunched his shoulders more, a show of sad thinking, as he mumbled his next words, "I'm looking for something here too..."

[Heron]

Sheepfur stepped back, eyes widened in surprise and shock. "Oh," she realized aloud, her defensive demeanor changing quickly. Truthfully, he looked so pitiful and sad. Surely he would not be much harm, for now. She was certain -- not like she had doubt before -- now that this was surely not the cat everyone had been talking about. She swallowed thickly. Loners and rogues? They were two sides of the same coin, she wanted to say with dignity. Now, she could only think hard about his words and how he was...probably right. Loners did not usually cause trouble, that was why they were loners. If they formed groups it was because they needed companionship, not an army of cats. "I don't think you look more rogue than loner, it's not that..." she began to say, trailing off. Her short, stumpy tail swished back and forth in embarrassment.

Her ears flicked. He was looking for something? What could he possibly need? She listened closely, and when she heard no other Leafclan warrior, or worse, nearby, she nodded. "Okay," she decided at last, speaking softly as that he would feel more cheerful. "I can help you find what you're looking for, I suppose. Was it something you lost?" She got closer to him, inspecting him for any signs of trouble or distress. He need not medicine attention, nor did he seem to be starving to death. Crossing Leafclan border was a daring thing to do, and she suddenly realized that he might need something very badly.

[Carotius]

Heron

---

She took the bait.

Varuin didn't look at her, but continued to press further into the trunk, as if afraid of the she-cat. He knew that the more frightened he showed himself to be, the more the LeafClan warrior would want to help him and consequently fall into his trap. All he had to do was be careful with his choice of words, his behaviour, his responses and expressions.. He sensed her get closer to him, the soft creak of the branch going silent once more.

Was it something I lost? Yes.. Yes, I lost it long ago because of you ingrates! The memory of that one day in his young life snapped into his mind, and he felt his insides burn with absolute hate for the cat that birthed him, for giving his siblings away to the cats of the Clan that this particular she-cat in front resided in. If it hadn't been for that disgusting excuse for a mother he wouldn't have needed to trespass the first time to see his siblings, and he wouldn't have needed to be injured because of some stupid cats' laws. The silver rogue resisted the urge to curl his lips in a snarl - he had things to do.

"Well, I'm...I'm looking for my siblings.. Last I heard of them, they were growing up here in LeafClan," he had to think quickly of other details to furnish; this LeafClan warrior was probably going to question on who the siblings were and whatnot. "I don't think they stuck with the names they were given.. P-Plus, I'm sure they wouldn't want to know they're related to an outsider, so it's... Let's just say I wanna know if they're still there..."

[Heron]

"Well, I'm...I'm looking for my siblings.. Last I heard of them, they were growing up here in LeafClan,"

Sheepfur snapped her head up and gazed at him in an expression of shock. Siblings in Leafclan? No way. She shook her head, studying him closely. How on earth could she know who his siblings were, especially if they went by different names than what they had been given when they were born? "Well, if they had rogue - I mean, loner - names they certainly don't have them now." The young warrior replied honestly. This stranger had rather common coloring, and Leafclan was so huge that it was possible his siblings did not even look like him. Plus, if they were older, she would have an even tougher time. "What were their names before they were...adopted?.. into the clan?" She wondered aloud, looking at him expectantly.

[Carotius]

Heron

---

I know that, you twit. Varuin managed to keep his vicious nature in check, knowing he was getting closer and close to his goal of gaining this LeafClanner's trust. He needed to play all the right cards right now, choose the right words and motions to convince her that he was a simple lost loner looking for their siblings who had been adopted into the horrid clutches of Clan life. He flicked his tail tip thoughtfully, looking up at the curly-coated she-cat.

"I can't say that I remember.. It's been so many moons," he muttered, shifting a little uncomfortably, dropping his gaze back to the branch they were both perching on. "I tried seeing them once before, but one of your...patrols, was it?... They said I wasn't allowed, though they promised to let me know the next time I came by."

That last bit was a half-truth - not only did that particular patrol disallow him from seeing his Clan siblings, but they had brutally attacked him as well, scarring him for a young adolescent who was innocent at the time. The silver tabby sunk his claws into the bark, screwing his eyes shut at the memory. To the she-cat, he looked as if he was doing it out of the pain of the supposed loss; in reality, Varuin merely wanted to hide the burning fire of rage in his brown eyes.

He mumbled out the next few words, scraping at the bark, "Don't tell your Clanmates that, though... I guess none of them want to remember the little lost loner or have anything to do with them."

[Heron]

Sheepfur took pity on the loner. The way he seemed to truly long for his siblings, she could only imagine what that was like. After deliberation, her whiskers twitched thoughtfully. "I'll see what I can do, I guess. Maybe ask around..." her voice was dry with hesitance and skepticism. She was not sure how far she would get in an investigation, and she didn't like talking to most cats in the first place. Not a lot of Leafclan cats were 100% pure blooded. Most of them had loner parents or siblings outside of the clan. It was a common thing.

Still, she had to try. Her curl pelt seemed to quiver with nervousness as the blood ran through her veins, filling her with anticipation. She was not doing an injustice to LeafClan by helping this loner, was she? Would she be punished if she went around, snooping to reunite a family? It was hard to say. Cats had different versions of betrayal. For some, this might be it.

"I will try to find your siblings, or information, and perhaps we can meet back in three sunrises. We need a different meeting spot, though. If Our patrols sniff your scent around here quite often, there will be problems." She said this in a way that sounded both certain and uncertain. She climbed up the tree trunk to a higher level, looking down on him. "any ideas? I can leave territory..."

---

* Changes made where I mixed up her clan. Remind me to never reply to threads on mobile xD

[Carotius]

Heron
OOC: Sounds like this can end soon ^^

---

There was a pause between the two afterwards, and Varuin couldn't help but feel the skin beneath his fur prickle in apprehension at the eerie quiet that suddenly surrounded them, awaiting something like the coming of death. Varuin knew he has at that one point where the answer would be similar to an ultimatum. Part of him felt that he could have gone further and done more to be more convincing to the LeafClanner, while the rest of him felt that he'd done just about enough to get his plot to work. All he needed was the she-cat's answer to his so-called plea for help.

The first answer was very unsatisfactory for this otherwise bloodthirsty rogue - there was no clear indication of the she-cat's intent to actually help, for hesitation and uncertainty had laced her voice right beneath its surface, and he was sure there was still a hint of skepticism within the other cat's being. The tabby swallowed back a growl, impatience clawing at his stomach. I have other methods to get what I want. You better be quick with your choice. Scraping his claws against the bark again, he opened his eyes and watched the she-cat, being careful not to narrow them in contempt.

"I will try to find your siblings, or information, and perhaps we can meet back in three sunrises," the curly-coated she-cat said at last, though uncertainty still hung in her voice. Varuin held back his contented purr when she continued, "We need a different meeting spot, though. If our patrols sniff your scent here quite often, there will be problems."

Typical of you Clan pests. The silver tabby let his tail curl up from where it was hanging before letting it lift up behind his back. He studied the pale she-cat for any signs of hidden intent, such as running straight back to her camp to alert her Clanmates and maybe even bring backup over to confront. No. She didn't look like it. He had gotten through to her sympathetic side, which was more than enough for him to go on until he'd gotten what he needed to exact his revenge plot. For now, the basics were done.

"That can be arranged. I heard there's a giant pond with a big stone near the sea... Will that be fine?" he suggested, keeping his voice slightly timid still, but adding in a touch of eagerness. "I never caught your name, by the way."

[Heron]

Sheepfur looked at him expectantly, hoping he would be pleased with the answer that she gave him. The young, curly haired warrior still felt a bit uneasy around strangers; especially loners and rogues. While he did not seem particularly annoyed, she knew that some cats were good at hiding their initial emotions. She had never been one of those cats. To her relief, he seemed okay with the idea that she may not come with information whatsoever. Giant pond with a stone? She nodded her head eagerly. "That could work, it's a truce place of the clans." Sheepfur insisted, noting the eagerness in his voice.

She suddenly felt rather nervous, as though this were some sort of test. She always supposed she was not liable for this cat- if she could not find information, she would just keep away from the pond of truce. She'd never see him again. The she-cat swallowed thickly and her whiskers twitched in anxiety. "My name is Sheepfur." she relayed, somewhat sheepish.

Suddenly, a rustle of noise behind her made her jump. She turned and, trained to the eye, knew the dark shapes that were climbing the trees. A Leafclan patrol. The young cat climbed up her tree, claws unsheathed desperately as she got higher off of the ground. She peaked her head out and hissed, "Three sunrises!" before she disappeared among the birch, heading back where the Leafclan patrol were surveying the area. When she caught up with them, she almost tripped when she realized she hadn't caught the loner's name. Shoot.

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I know he goes by a different name for the plot, but she scampered off anyway x)