One Foot in Front of the [Otter] (OPEN)

[[Acro.]]

ooc:// This is my she-cat, Otterfrost! Bio is [here]. It is a taaad outdated, but not terribly.
She is approximately 26-28 moons, at this point :3

Nothing burns
like the   
            cold

Green Leaf was coming to an end.

Like so many things, this season, and the warmth it offered, was fading. Fading in its own time, and without slowing, and not a soul could stop it. Otterfrost loved the heat of those days, the way it blanketed her chocolate pelt, made her feel protected and alive. It was always hard to feel it go.

Sometimes the things we loved had to leave us.

The lithe she-cat strode around the outside of the Abandoned Nest, her soft yellow eyes detached and far away. Her paws carried her dutifully into the rays of sunshine that fell from between the clouds, heat radiating down to her skin.

It reminded her of him.

As a cat who was never comfortable figuring out how to be close to anybody on a personal level, it had cut her deeply when her one, truest friend had simply... faded away. Left the Clan without a word for her. Without a smile. He'd gone away, much like Green Leaf would leave her, now: feeling exposed, bitter, and empty.

Dropping her ears, the long-legged she-cat settled down and stretched out in the sunlight, letting her eyes halfway close, hoping she could, at least for a time, keep the seasons from changing.

[Lionhearted]

The white, purple-eyed tom strode by the brown she-cat crouched in the sunlight. Cloudbreeze's first thought was, shouldn't she be working?

He dismissed it as a small break, and then proceeded to approach her. She was decently pretty, but that wasn't his thing when it came to she-cats. He considered himself to be not handsome, and therefore had vowed never to use attractiveness to judge a she-cat. "Hello, Otterfrost," he said pleasantly, moving to stand beside her. Well, he had a little time. Sitting down beside her, he commented, "I always love leaf-fall. It's so pretty out here, and you can enjoy it without being overly hot or overly cold. It's just the right temperature to relax before the extreme temperatures set in."

[Flight of the Thunderbird]

Lynne ran, humming. She had just happily pranked her archenemy/best friend Yeou, and was running for her life.
She suddenly skidded to a stop and panted, tired. Well, I think I lost her. She's probably still there embarrassed with that group if cats. Cheerful blue eyes sparkled with glee, and scanned the area.
Hey... Is that more cats? I better go say hi.
She bounded out of the shadows, light bouncing off of her white leopard pelt emmiting a glow.
What is that?... Its is a twoleg nest? She stopped for a moment to observe it. It was definitely a twoleg nest, but something was wrong. It seemed empty. It seemed lonely. It seemed.... Abandoned. Lynne actually hadn't been here before, this was her first time here. I wonder where I am.... Anyway, it smells of those forest dwelling clan cats. Can't do me no harm. She shrugged and approached the cats.
"'Ey there!" Then, noticing the cat with a somewhat gloomy expression, she added "Are you okay?"

[Lionhearted]

Cloudbreeze had heard the noise long before he saw the cat. When she popped out of the shadows, he immediately jumped up, standing in front of Otterfrost. "Hey!" he snarled aggressively, baring his teeth. "What do you think you're doing here?" His fluffy white, gray-ringed tail frisked back and forth, and he raised his hackles, aiming to look more intimidating. His purple eyes had an angry glint to them, and he silently and slowly unsheathed his claws, letting them sink into the dirt. Come at me!

[Flight of the Thunderbird]

"Woah!" Lynne took a step back. I never said I wanted to fight! Its this your territory?" she asked, curiosity in her voice. "I was running from some one and I stumbled in here. I you want me to get out, I'll get out." She sort of shrugged, as in surrender. "Hello. I'm Lynne. I'm a loner. My parents were friends with the clan cats." She waved her tail back and forth calmly.

[[Acro.]]

ooc:// Yaaay ^-^
Just remember: if others post, wait for everyone to have a turn before posting twice!

Nothing burns
like the   
            cold

Otterfrost heard Cloudbreeze as he first approach and she lifted her head off of the ground so he knew she was awake and alert.

"Hello, Otterfrost." She nodded to the tom as he went on to talk about the incoming Leaf Fall season.

Did he seriously come over just to talk about the weather...? She smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, Leaf Fall is nice," she commented, flicking her tail and moving into a sitting-upright position. "It's just--" but she didn't have time to finish, because something as crashing towards them. Otterfrost's sleek brown pelt stood on end and her eyes widened as suddenly a strange cat had come into view. Naturally, her own claws unsheathed.

"Ey there!... Are you okay?"

Otterfrost's brow furrowed when Cloudbreeze moved to stand in front of her. Whether he'd meant it to or not, it seemed like he was trying to guard her. Did he think she needed protection? It was a considerate gesture, but Otterfrost didn't need shielding. She took a step to the side so she could be in full view of the stranger.

"I was running from some one and I stumbled in here. I you want me to get out, I'll get out."

Ah. Otterfrost finally spoke, her tones firm but level--a contrast against Cloudbreeze's snarl, hoping it would ease him. "You shouldn't be here. This is SunsetClan territory," she explained, looking the other she-cat over.

...she obviously presented no threat to the warriors. "...who are you running from?" she asked, hoping the answer wasn't anything she needed to be concerned about.

[Flight of the Thunderbird]

"You shouldn't be here. This us SunsteClan territory. Who are you running from?" Lynne breathed heavily. Control your self... Control yourself.. Lynne was having a hard time trying not to snap. This is SunsetClan territory. Well, she wasn't going to anything! She wants going to harm anyone! Or hunt! She just stumbled in!
"No." Lynne replied in a voice so calm and silky, it surprised herself. "Yeou was chasing me for doing something. She is my archenemy. Thankfully, she got tangled up with her kits and I escaped." She let out a deep breath. "Okay I'm just going to leave now, since your precious territory can't be dirtied by an outsider's paws, namely, me." She string had snapped and she silently turned around and started slowly walking away to her caves.

[Lionhearted]

Otterfrost had stepped up next to him. He quickly backed off a bit, seeing that she had subtly indicated that she didn't need his protection. Cloudbreeze stopped himself from yelling after the outsider, who had left. That's right! he said to himself mentally, satisfied that he'd chased off another cat. "It's her fault she was running, anyway," he said, unable to help himself. "Didn't she say that she had done something to this Yeou she was talking about? Hmph."

[[Acro.]]

Nothing burns
like the   
            cold

Otterfrost listened to the stranger explain herself, feeling some relief that she had only been running from a friend, and not from a threat. Her final words, however, struck something in the chocolate warrior: "Okay I'm just going to leave now, since your precious territory can't be dirtied by an outsider's paws, namely, me."

...what?

There was such bitterness, such disdain in that voice... something about it made Otterfrost's head swim and her skin crawl. She only vaguely noted the stranger beginning to walk away. It was Cloudbreeze's voice that pulled her out of her head: "It's her fault she was running, anyway. Didn't she say that she had done something to this Yeou she was talking about? Hmph." Otterfrost turned to stare at Cloudbreeze, looking his way but not really looking at him. Her eyes were far away, thrown back to all of those times... all of those times Ratstar had so willingly, so openly granted safe passage and refuge for outsiders within SunsetClan.

How many SunsetClanners, at this point, had come from somewhere beyond their beaches?

How many generations were born to non-Clan-blooded cats?

Otterfrost, back then, had always been uncomfortable with Ratstar's disregard for Clan-lines and boundaries--with her allowance for letting outsiders in. but, now... with Ratstar gone, off on a mission to unite the Clans... it suddenly all made sense. Otterfrost's eyes darted back and forth between Cloudbreeze and the slowly retreating stranger. This... this wasn't...

This was wrong.

Her gaze finally settled and locked onto the other she-cat, and before she could change her mind, Otterfrost took off after her at a trot. "Hey, wait," she called, hoping Cloudbreeze wasn't about to stop her. "It's not... we don't think you're... dirty," she tried explaining, not sure what she was even getting at, herself. "We just... it's important that we're careful about who comes here. You're not..." Wasn't Ratstar's entire purpose centered around the idea of trust? Otterfrost swallowed dryly, and then, with a quiet voice, "It's okay--you're okay. You don't... you don't need to go."

[Flight of the Thunderbird]

"Hey, wait. Its not... We don't think you're... Dirty. We just... Its important that we're careful about who comes here. You're not..." Otterfrost seemed to lower her voice, then said "Its okay... You're okay. You don't... You don't need to go."
Lynne's eyes widened. She surely didn't want her to stay! but.. The tom. He seemed so cold about it, making sure he wasn't on their territory. She sighed and turned around. "Thanks for your consideration. I see your intentions, you were making sure I wasn't a threat, I wasn't dangerous, I wasn't a rogue. I would like to stay, if you permit, for a little break to catch my breath, but if course that is on the condition he agrees," she said, flicking her tail towards Cloudbreeze.

[Lionhearted]

Come on, Otterfrost! Cloudbreeze knew it would've been rude to chase off the she-cat after Otterfrost had invited her to stay, and so he turned away. "Sure, whatever." His purple eyes grew dark, and he drew a paw over his ears, withdrawing himself into grooming. He wasn't about to leave, though. He would be the one to chase her off if she ever showed signs of disruption. "but can you be so polite as to give us your name?" he asked. "So at least we know who we're dealing with. I'm Cloudbreeze."

[ℓυиαя]

The coolness in the air signaled the changing of seasons, a feeling the slender feline was used to after his many moons as a warrior. The sickness in the clan was only growing more prevalent and Thornfrost, among the rest of them, was helpless to stop it. So far at least, Vineheart was dodging the symptoms which left him to wonder how long that would last. With the sudden drop in healthy warriors, the white tom had decided to take a lone patrol of the borders alone, just to check in with the state of their territory.

Sunsetclan needed to be as ahead of the game as possible if they were going to survive this strong.

Raising his head to the wind as his feet slowed, ears drew forward at a commotion not far from him. Being downwind, he carefully separated the smell of his clanmates, to that of a stranger. Iced eyes narrowed and he resumed his way towards them, the abandoned two leg nest soon coming into view and then the small group of cats. He easily recognized those like him, Cloudbreeze - his heavy frame tense and uneasy and Otterfrost - attempting to talk to the stranger that trespassed their land.

As for the stranger in question, Thornfrost knew to treat them with caution, always - no matter their initial impression.

Flicking his ears as he surveyed them, the lean warrior reached them just as Cloudbreeze addressed the loner, obviously not happy about the situation. "but can you be so polite as to give us your name? So at least we know who we're dealing with. I'm Cloudbreeze."

"What's going on here?" Thornfrost cut through in his level tone, eyes roving between his clanmates with nothing but seriousness. It seemed, from his observing that Cloudbreeze and Otterfrost were not entirely on the same page which most often lead to trouble, especially with a loner present.

[[Acro.]]

Nothing burns
like the   
            cold

Already, Otterfrost was doubting the call she had just made. Inviting a stranger to stay on the territory? What had gotten into her? Her whole life, she had been wary of strangers--even cats from other Clans. They had... they had scared her, as a kit, and made her cautious as a warrior. but, now...

    What was she doing?

        What was she thinking?

She wasn't. She was feeling.

"I'm Cloudbreeze." The chocolate warrior snapped back to attention, her eyes wide as they refocused on the present situation. The mere fact that her Clanmate hadn't chased the stranger away and then clawed Otterfrost's ears off was a miracle in and of itself... and now, she was at a loss. So she simply stepped a pace back and fell silent, her doubt evolving into disbelief over her own actions. They felt... detached from her body--like she couldn't rightfully take responsibility for them.

Why hadn't she chased the loner away?

"Maybe you're just tired of having to let things go," a quiet voice whispered, and Otterfrost lowered her ears as her eyes glazed over.

Another voice forced her back to attention, silencing the whisper that had begun to soothe her. "What's going on here?"

The dangerous edge of the familiar tone made Otterfrost's hackles raise, and she immediately straightened up, squaring her shoulders. Thornfrost. She wasn't... afraid of this tom, but he certainly commanded a particular dose of awareness when he was around. It was odd, but... he reminded Otterfrost of a strange, almost equal combination of two other warriors she'd had several run-ins with...

Odd, indeed.

Swallowing heavily, Otterfrost stepped forward, moving subconsciously into the space between Thornfrost and the stranger. "Thornfrost," she began, both to greet the warrior and to gain his attention. Her voice was steady, but her eyes... her eyes betrayed her fear. She reflexively wanted to blurt out "Nothing's going on," but couldn't bring herself to lie. Not to him. Not ever, really. And so, she went on with, "We found her. She was running, and needed a chance to catch her breath. I told her... she is welcome to rest here." Hearing her own words, Otterfrost couldn't tell if what she was hearing seemed more like a request... or defiance.

And she wondered if the she-cat behind her had any clue as to how potent the situation surrounding her was becoming.

[Lionhearted]

Welcome to rest? What have we turned into, a kittypet nest? Cloudbreeze bit back his retort and clamped his mouth shut, as if he was about to puke. "Hello, Thornfrost," he said finally, nodding to the other tom. He glanced at Otterfrost, who, to his surprise, looked somewhat alarmed. He kept his back to the loner cat- who he still didn't know the name of- and sat down, drawing his tail over his paws. He would not be the commander this time. He would be the listener.

[Flight of the Thunderbird]

Lynne bowed her head quaintly. "Excuse my manners. My name is Lynne. I have two siblings, a brother and a sister, and currently I am a loner and has no intentions of destroying the clans anytime soon." She smiled slightly. Another cat had joined them, and he didn't seem happy at her presence. Well, she was leaving soon anyway.
OOC: Sorry for the short post, I didn't know what to write.