Stirring up the [Shadows] (Carot!)

[[Acro.]]

ooc:// Carotius! Surprise! No plans or intentions here--I just thought it'd be fun to meet your Varuin ;D So, have at, and let whatever happens happen!


You can't cage them...

A shadow moved, slithering inaudibly across the dangerous territory that was rogue.

There were indeed dangers, here, in this world with no rules and where codes were made to be broken. but the dark creature was no stranger to this place--she roamed here as freely as she roamed among the Clans. The mottled feline moved as silently as the the encroaching evening, the sun hanging low against the fiery backdrop of a horizon. She paused, now and again, to question a passing feline. They answered her curtly, and she them with a nod before continuing on her way. All were wary of her, just as she should have been of them.

but she was not.

In her slithering gait--body sunken low into her legs, belly hovering just above the ground--she had to look up to meet the eyes of all others she passed. Some knew her, and they avoided her; others, who did not know her, entertained her questions, not at all threatened by this cat who appeared to be forever in submission. Her strange, crouching gait masked her confidence, and hid her strength.

It was beautiful.

Bright yellow eyes scanned the area as the evening shadows lengthened, and the serpentine feline paused in her silent strides. All evening, the answers she'd been receiving had been vague, at best, but most paws pointed... here. Approximately. "You might find him there," they told her, in one variation or another. "Might find him there."

Him.

What was it they called him?

Ah, yes... Varuin.

The shadow smiled, her eyes crisp against the landscape. A quiet, sing-song purr spilled from her chest, and she let her belly drop fully to the ground, splaying out in one of the few remaining patches of weak sunlight. She would find him later, maybe.

Or, maybe, he'd find her, if he happened to be around. It'd be a nice change of pace: to be found, for once, instead of doing all of the finding.

... they're such wayward
                                dancing things

[Carotius]

[Acro.]
OOC: Surprise thread OwO 

---

The silver tabby had been laying in the boughs of a tree, one of many that lined the area between the dankest reaches of Twolegplace and the even darker wilderness beyond it. Brown eyes gazed were half-closed, lazily scanning the scenery beyond where the other rogues and loners roamed, his tufted ears flicking every few heartbeats as if to ward off a fly, while his stripe tail swung back and forth in supposed thought. Evening was coming upon the living realm, and the cold gusts of wind that arrived with the red and browns of leaf-bare began to ripple his short fur, heavily scarred from all the years he'd spent making a name for himself within the depths of this madcap territories, where rules and regulations were rarely a thing.

Varuin had been contemplating the next move against LeafClan, having met one naive she-cat some time ago; she'd agreed to help him get information for him, on the belief that he was looking for long-lost siblings who were - in actual truth - really assimilated into the tree-climbing Clan, but the tom, on the other hand, viewed it as an agreement to be an instrument to his revenge. How naive of you. He raised his head, a smile playing on his lips as he gazed out towards the forest. Perhaps his next attack would be soon, and with a life taken... Yes.. A life taken... Who's that?

Something, or someone, was creeping towards him, body kept close to the ground as if it were stalking prey. He couldn't make out the pelt against the darkening shadows of the coming evening, but what he could see were a pair of yellow eyes that seemed to gleam with some sort of malice. Had someone sent this...thing, to kill him or some sort? Or was this creature here of its own accord? Whichever the case, Varuin kept a close watch on the figure as it seemingly flopped down onto the floor, instinct telling him it had nothing to do with tiredness.

Wordlessly, he leapt off his perch, landing neatly on his dark paws that were the oddest colours from the rest of his silver pelt, and padded slowly over to the figure on the ground, claws unsheathed.

[[Acro.]]

You can't cage them...

Her ears perked, and the dark tortoiseshell serpent lifted her head, eyes crisp in the sun. A cat was approaching. A tom. His silvery pelt rippled deliciously as he moved--moved toward her.

Interesting.

Instead of standing, or getting out of the way, the mottled she-cat simply tilted her head coyly and let her dark tail swish over the grass as she watched the tom. His movements, the power in his steps, the calm exterior--the danger. She could feel it. It tickled her skin and made her eyes dance. This had to be him: the one others spoke about. The one she'd gone looking for.

Varuin.

He was closer, and the dark feline continued to watch him, a quiet purr singing lightly from her chest. She knew he was ready--prepared to kill her, if he found it necessary, or worthwhile. She could see his claws, the way he moved... but she could also see it was in his eyes. And it was lovely.

Deciding she ought not to let him get too far with this, the she-cat called over to him, her voice calm, her tones innocent. "You're looking at me the way I look at my dinner," she cooed playfully, whiskers spread in a kind smile as she added, "Can't decide if I like it or not."

... they're such wayward
                                dancing things

[Carotius]

[Acro.]

The large tabby kept his eyes locked on the figure, watching every twitch of muscle, every ripple of fur, every flick of an ear or tail, his own tail tip flicking in anticipation as the distance between them became nothing more than a full body length of a cat's. The figure had tilted its head, looking quite contemplative to him, the swish of the grass behind it giving the rogue an indication that this thing had a tail. A feline. An acquaintance or a danger, he wasn't too sure yet, and he intended to find out. He prepared to take another step closer, brown eyes glittering in the half-light, only to be stopped by that singsong purr that vibrated through the air towards him. It came from the crouching figure, without a doubt.

The apparent tease made a whisker twitch, slight amusement tingling the tips of his fur as he gave the other cat another study. A she-cat, as it seemed, with the mottled tortoiseshell pelt that he rarely saw within the boundaries of either territories. Then again, he never cared to actually take a closer look at all the cats in the area - they didn't interest him that much at first glance. This she-cat, on the other hand...

"All of us can be prey to others. I can be one..." he set his nonchalant gaze onto the tortie's, raising one paw to admire his own claws. "but I choose to be the predator. Is that worth a like to you, stranger?"

[[Acro.]]

ooc:// Carotius c:


You can't cage them...

Her coy smile was fixed in her stare, the gentle purr dancing through the air. Her bright eyes met the tom's calmly, their gaze-like wonder concealing their scrutiny of him. So this...

This was Varuin.

So far... from what she'd been expecting, he had not disappointed her.

"It's certainly worth... something," she cooed playfully. "Not everyone is able to make that choice for themselves." Now she... she rather liked to play both roles. Or, rather, she liked to let others believe they could hunt her. That was always entertaining, or interesting, at the very least. If only for a little while. The serpent's eyes ran once along the tom's figure before returning steadily to his own gaze, deciding. Maybe...

Maybe he would be real.

Maybe she wouldn't be pretending, when he hunted her.

The she-cat's purr took on a new, charming lilt as the first prickles of excitement swam through her blood. Without a flicker of worry, the dark creature rolled onto her side, and then all the way onto her back, staring up at the tom from her prone position. No threat here, her posture would tell him, her vulnerable underbelly exposed without a care. Without a thought for those claws he so admired. No threat here... or, was it you don't frighten me. Or, perhaps it was play?

Or maybe it was a dangerous mix of all three, and rather than a statement, it was an invitation: show me I should fear you.

Because it had been so very long since she had felt afraid.

Still belly-up, and with aimless movements, the she-cat extended a paw toward the tom and swatted lazily at the air in front of him--a kit-ish, playful gesture. "I wasn't sure I would find you, Starling," she cooed, tail floating across the grass in complete ease. "At least, not today."

Because she always found them, eventually.
 

... they're such wayward
                                dancing things

[Carotius]

[Acro.]
OOC: Here I am! Sorry for late replies! ;w;

---

If one were to be honest in the viewpoint of an ordinary cat, they'd feel the prickles of unease skittering up their legs and burrowing into their skin, eating away at their confidence and bravery at the strange demeanour of this she-cat, until their inner cowardice took over and order a retreat, whereupon they would turn tail and run at that very second. Varuin was no ordinary cat of such nature. Oh, no, no.. He was hardened with a similar material of danger that he could sense within this tortie, of which he hid underneath a cool exterior of silver tabby fur.

Emotionless eyes studied the stranger as her singsong purr continued, a new touch of something now lacing it as she rolled onto her side. Oh, but she didn't stop there; she moved on to complete the roll, though halfway, where she stopped flat on her back, exposing the ever so sought after weakness in battle - the soft and vulnerable underbelly. The large tom flicked his ears at the tortie's comment, his face unchanged as he took a step closer, as if enticed by the sight of easy prey;the lazy swipe of a sheathed paw in the air between them only made the image all the more...lax. I see you enjoy games where it fits your mood. 

He brought his muzzle close to the other cat's, staring deep into her crisp yellow orbs of sight that seemed to playfully coo like her voice had been not seconds prior. "You know my name then, considering your aura of achievement upon the reveal of my presence to you. Not many dare to seek me out so...openly," he responded quietly, raising one strong forepaw towards the tortoiseshell's throat, the tips of his sharpened claws just grazing the tips of her neck fur. Letting out an airy puff of mild amusement from his nostrils, Varuin retracted his paw, but maintained his brown eyes on the stark yellow ones. "To what do I owe the pleasure of meeting your acquaintance, reptile?"

[[Acro.]]

ooc:// Carotius! Sorry I poofed. If you're still interested, here you go!


You can't cage them...

The feline did not flinch or fear the tom's claws by her throat, keeping her eyes on his as the weapons were pulled away. She glanced toward them only briefly, almost wistfully, as though she were sad to see them go so soon, before they'd really gotten to know each other.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of meeting your acquaintance, reptile?"

Reptile.

Invisible claws traced across her skin like water running through her fur, and her eyes shimmered in the sunlight. Reptile? Her purr danced.

Reptile--she loved it.

From her place on the ground, the serpent gave an innocent shrug, her long tail brushing across the grass. "Call it fortune," she replied with a coy smile. "The paws of Fate." They were meant to find each other, eventually, she and Varuin; it was inevitable, given both of their reputations. Once she'd caught wind of him in a story, she'd been wondering when they'd come nose-to-nose... or "claw-to-throat," as the case may be. Falling off to one side, the mottled she-cat stretched her long legs and thumped her tail lazily against the ground, no longer watching the tom but staring off idly. "Many cats are afraid of you, Dove--were you aware of that?" Her tone was playful, the question more a tease than an actual inquiry. Like asking somebody if they noticed it was raining during a downpour. "Why might that be?"

Tell me, she silently baited.

Tell me why I should be afraid.

... they're such wayward
                                dancing things

[Carotius]

[Acro.]
OOC: SQUEE. *scrambles over*

---

Varuin had to admit, he was intrigued by the tortoiseshell before him. Her mannerisms were discreet but smooth, each movement lazy but flowing like the undisturbed run of the river; the behaviour of secrets and inner power, explored upon only if one dared to move forward a step into its cages. This stranger knew what it meant to wait. This stranger knew how much more satisfying things would be when patience was brought in.

This stranger knew when it was fun to play with their prey.

The silver rogue remained wordless as the she-cat rolled onto her side, those sharp yellow eyes looking past him with an almost-wistful look. Her tail thumped lazily on the ground as another albeit small smile crept across her features in a playful tease, in tandem with her tone. Am I your prey this round? The tabby lowered himself onto the ground, tucking his paws underneath his muscled form, brown eyes still fixated on her. They lit up with a small flame of delight at she-cat's words, of which also prompted a contented purr to rumble in his throat.

"Are they now? Very obedient of them," he swished his tail lazily, cutting the purr off as an unsheathed paw drew random shapes in the sands, striking them out altogether with a single line. "There were simply too many pests in my way as I grew up. And what do you do with pests? Why.. You simply exterminate them." Varuin let a grin move up one side of his face, turning it into a morbid sneer of satisfaction from the memories of the cats he killed in his past. The cats of Twolegplace feared him, just as he had planned; this she-cat may not feel the same way, but she was an interesting character for interaction. "The ones here in Twolegplace are not the only ones to live this doom."