[Deleted]

    Applewhisker wandered deep in Nightclan territory, as she so often did. Her strange condition had left her plagued with the body of a tom, but in her words she had the heart and soul of a she-cat. This however had caused so many problems as she was coming to her own as a warrior in Nightclan, she was of course loved by her sister and parents. She was even treated well by many Nightclan cats that didn't see her as a threat, however her former mentor and many other cats didn't see her as anything less than an abomination ready to destroy everything sacred about their beloved clan. This lead to tension so thick at times it was as if your claws could cut the air, and Applewhisker often felt the need to get far away.


    She had never left the territory in her pursuit for peace, however she always got close, as the borders when there were no patrols out were the best place to be alone. Today she had decided that the deer path would probably be her best bet as many of the others distrusted Nightclan, but their relationship with Treeclan was fairly quiet at the moment. Her trek through the darkness of Nightclan territory mixed with the newleaf air had left her feeling incredibly refreshed, and taking a seat leaning against a pine she exhaled feeling comfort at her surroundings.


    'I love the trees.' She thought to herself as she inhaled deeply taking in the budding scents of the lively forest. She leaned her head against the pine and closed her eyes as a smile crept to her lips, and she found that even with trials she had faced in her lifetime it hadn't prevented her from experiencing moments of bliss.

Insidious

[Insidious]

I N S I D I O U S
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TreeClan had been a point of interest as of late. She had not needed to be present at the recent banishment ceremony to have known that a tom, his vindictive heart beating to a rhythm she could practically hear from all the way in the mountains, having turned his back on his Clan for the last time and thus paid the most expensive of costs. It was then that she had taken to the trees, roaming the territories of a Clan that was not hers to roam, always just out of reach from the skeptical warriors that would sometimes catch an unfamiliar scent on the breeze, on the hunt for something more precious, and far more delicious than a mouse.

She cared about nothing if not knowledge; it was a thirst in the back of her throat that could not be quenched. She was intrigued about the workings of the Clans, always there, always listening, always involved in their lives despite how little she was meant to be. The amount of details that she knew about them, about all of them, was quite fascinating. She knew that LightningClan sheltered a monstrous albino, having suffered at the sharp point of his claws herself, but nonetheless she kept her mouth shut, and mysteriously so, though it was simply not her place, nor her desire, to tell a soul. She liked to know about the lives of the Clan cats, but it was not her right to interfere. She would watch how things unfolded from the sidelines, a mastermind with all of the cards, knowing all of the secrets before they were spilled. That was precisely how she liked it. It did not matter if, to achieve that, she had to endure a little bit of suffering.

A little bit of blood to satisfy the monsters she had come to know and appreciate all too well.

She had not noticed how near she had drawn to the TreeClan-NightClan border until the distinctive scent of those who dwelled within the pine forest wafted up into the tree in which she was perched, inhaling it greedily before pale blue eyes, alight with intrigue, scanned the area for any sight of a feline that had not been there before. It was then that she caught a trace of the cat’s pelt, watching him in silence for a few minutes, the way that his eyes closed, the way he seemed at peace - she had no way of knowing that he, in fact, identified as a she. The black-bodied loner could have watched him forever, observational as she was, but there was a point where simply watching when nothing of interest seemed to be happening was no longer enough. She needed to see if he could be of any use to her; if he could provide her with the kind of insight that her mind hungered to hold.

“You do not fear being taken by surprise?” It was likely that she had happened to take him by surprise, having appeared out of the blue as she had, but frightening him had not been her intention, and so she did not wait to see whether surprise would, in fact, inscribe itself upon his face. “NightClan and TreeClan, it seems, are incapable of regarding one or the other with anything less than a hateful sneer. Do you hate your neighbours?” There was nothing violent, nothing manipulative, to be found in the depths of her icy eyes, so she could only hope that he would convince himself to have a little faith in her kindness. Her sights were locked upon him, such intensity inside of them, burning like blue fire, intent upon the beauty of new knowledge; the taste of it was intoxicating on the tip of her tongue.

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Tags: @poptart
Word Count: 638.

[Deleted]

    Applewhisker had been caught unaware by the she-cats presence, but she had at least detected her presence before she spoke. This gave her time to compose herself, and her demeanor changed none as she questioned him. It was as if he didn't even hear her, he quickly thought about his options noticing she wasn't of Treeclan. She wasn't part of any clan as far as she could tell. This saddened her some, she knew she couldn't predict the Treeclan boarder patrol schedule and sometime she wished she would get found by cats from another clan. However with this thought came also those of relief as it was much safer this way, things could get dicey with Nightclans' speaking louder than her voice ever could.


    After taking her sweet time, and then some, she responded in a soft and calm tone. "I eagerly await my discovery by Treeclan, it would be nothing less than scandalous." She said slowly lifting her head from the tree revealing her grey eyes as she shifted her gaze to the she-cat. She wasn't quite sure how to respond to the second question, she of course had no beef with Treeclan. She couldn't figure out how it needed to be worded though, it was clear anything less than a meticulous answer was going to lose this little they were playing for Applewhisker. "I do not hate my neighbors, as I too have received sneers from Nightclan. When you have walked in ones paw-steps how can you hate them?" She said pausing for emphasis, "It seems sometimes I feel I know Nightclans' enemies better than I know my own clanmates..."


    Now it was her turn to ask the questions, and she was hoping she could compete with the elegant tone the cat before her had set. "You do not fear them either, you know of their squabbles but still remain on territory they claim. This means you've been here a while, and I assume you have been abused by clan cats before, as nobody can hide forever." Applewhisker said pushing off the tree and taking steps towards Insidious, circling to get a better look at the she-cat. She took note that the stranger was slight just as she was, and felt a twinge of respect for her, understanding the difficulties of being a more fragile cat in this forest. "So tell me why are you not afraid of us? Do YOU hate us?"

Insidious

[Insidious]

I N S I D I O U S
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Some would find the immediate silence that followed a series of questions to be rude, distasteful, but Insidious had since learned that she could not expect anything from the Clan cats, and thus it had rewarded her with an outlook of patience, an elegance by which she could stand, refined, for hours on end if it meant she would eventually get what it was that she wanted. Her eyes did not avert from the calm facial features of the NightClanner, the way she stared perhaps uncomfortable, as though she was calculating every hair on the tom’s body, slowly burning away layer after layer until she was left with the bones underneath. There was something that she wanted from him, something she sought to know, and the longer he remained silent, unmoving, the easier it would be for him to see that, until he spoke, she would not be going anywhere. At long last, the feline opened his gray eyes, and she drank in the sight, memorizing his features so that she might recognize him another day if need be. The way he spoke was interesting, his words more feminine than she had expected from someone of his allegiance, but she chose not to comment, understanding that there was likely more to it than that for him to add. She wanted all of the details, and she would wait for them.

Ah, he was an outsider in his own Clan, feeling a connection to his neighbours because, just like them, he was often perceived to be just as much of an enemy. She knew NightClan to be one of the more . . . ill-advised of the five, so it was sensible that a handful of warriors would not be as content as they could be. She wondered as to the odds of his word-choice having something to do with it, for it was likely that some of the brawnier toms his age found it emasculating. Nonetheless, she did not pity him for whatever reasoning he had to feel so out of place inside of his own Clan. She did not observe the Clans so that she might sympathize with them, and their tragedies; she cared only to understand them. It mattered little who died, or who was made out to be an outcast.

He was not the first to show interest in her, as well, for so few were okay with being questioned and receiving nothing in return for their troubles. He made assumptions, accurate ones, at that, but her face did not contort to reveal to him when he had struck upon the truth. “The Clans are the core of my study. For that, I could never hate them.” The loner, the colour of shadows, did not often like to sit under the spotlight for long, so she had learned to answer questions quickly, in a way that was summarized, so that she might return the spotlight to the real display just as quickly. “Your apprenticeship was one of difficulty, then? You do not like your Clanmates, or feel as though you belong with them? They are truly the bullies they are made out as being in this forest, in your eyes?” Question after question was fired from her slender jaw, the she-cat having crossed from TreeClan to NightClan in the midst of her analysis, now standing much closer to the tom than she had previously been. She cared not for borders - he could likely have discerned that himself, seeing her amongst the Clan territories as she was - and that meant she did not fear being attacked for intruding. She was within this tom’s striking range, and she had put up no defenses, blinking pale blue eyes innocently, but no less intently, craving the answers to her questions in the hopes that it might uncover even greater knowledge than before.

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Tags: @poptart
Word Count: 638.

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    Applewhisker did take note of how quickly the stranger answered her question, the fired back one of her own. It was a stark contrast from her lower tempo, but if she sped up to match the others quickness she was afraid she would lose the game. Apple couldn't let her set the pace, and she didn't intend to. Questions were one way of discerning information, however Applewhisker did at times prefer to do a bit of experimentation. The one she designed on the fly being rather simple, she walked a full circle around the she-cat then brushed up against her and sat down. 'A little physical contact, how do you like that?' Applewhisker thought to herself as she prepared her answer.


    "Nightclan is not filled with bullies, rather the most influential clan members are themselves bullies." Applewhisker said sticking her muzzle close to the loner and taking a sniff, for no other reason than to unnerve her. "However since these are the cats that deal with the rest of the clans I suppose they are right to view Nightclan this way." With her answer finished it was time for her to ask the questions again, so she had decided. "What can you possibly hope to learn from the clans?" She asked, digging into the heart of the matter. The way she had described it as a study meant she was probably looking for something, but Applewhisker had no clue what it could possibly be.

Insidious

[Insidious]

I N S I D I O U S
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When the tom stood, walking a tight circle around her, she did not so much as bend her neck so that she might track his movements, continuing to stare at the place he had previously been until he had returned to her front, placing enough blind faith in the NightClanner as to trust that he would not strike while positioned at her back. It was an odd thing, the loner’s trust, for it was frequently proven unbreakable, even when the claws of the trusted cat ripped through her skin and drew blood. Fear was unseen in her body language; when a cat did not have the security of a Clan to rely on, they quickly learned the importance behind fending for themselves and doing so, to the best of their ability, without seeming afraid. Insidious was among the few that had mastered that. The unidentified tom brushed against her side, and the sudden, unexpected contact made her ears flick towards him. There was a brighter curiousity in her pretty blue eyes than once was, unflinching as he drew near once more and sniffed her. Perhaps anyone else would have found that downright creepy, but nothing was going to make the black furred loner turn-tail and scatter, for she had endured far worse than another feline’s inhalation.

When he spoke of the influential cats in NightClan, and how they were the true bullies, her mind immediately concluded that the most obvious cat he could be inferring about was Ravenstar. The prospect that the Clan’s leader could be making her own warriors feel poorly about themselves was, to say the least, intriguing. She knew that the tiny she-cat was capable of being coldly dismissive, and heartlessly indifferent, but towards her own Clanmates? Her eyes were shining with this newfound knowledge, this tom having managed to provide her with a greater insight than she had intended to receive from him. Although he had not directly spoken Ravenstar’s name, she was known for making her assumptions, and she was certainly not above pinpointing the negative thoughts about the sovereign of NightClan to the face of this young tom.

“I hope to learn what drives their hunger,” an indirect reference to the battle between StormClan and StoneClan, “what makes them turn against their enemies and, sometimes, their allies,” this time to the exile of TreeClan with hate in his eyes, wandering with a vindictive stride, “what makes you Clans.” And now it was nothing more than the interest of a loner; someone that did not have what he did. It would be clear to him, perhaps, if he was more observant than most, that there was a lot of knowledge inside of a head that it did not belong inside of. She watched almost obsessively how the Clans interacted. She had gained a lot of insight from the various encounters that she had faced. Maybe this was nothing more than a game to him, but to her, it was the entire essence of her life, what she did with her days, and once she had what she wanted, he would cease to be important. “A bully can be overcome, but an influential bully is not so easily beaten. What possesses you to stay amongst them, when you feel as though you’re closer to TreeClan?” Surely it was not so simple as his loyalty, but if it was, she would lose interest in him hastily. He would thus become nothing more to her than another punching bag on which those more influential than he could expel their hostility, and she had no use of someone like that - someone who could only be dragged further down if she opened her mouth and offered her knowledge to the ear of another NightClan listener.

But then again, thinking about it in more detail, she could certainly even drag a leader down with her words if she wished.

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Tags: @poptart
Word Count: 648.

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    As Applewhisker listened to her answer she started to realize that this was not what she wanted to be part of at all. She was asking Apple all kinds of questions about her time in Nightclan, but was she really asking about her at all? She was far too focused on the big picture, and either she took a large amount of small things and put it together… or she was only interested in what actually mattered. Applewhisker figured the best way to be sure where this she-cat’s intentions was to keep playing her game, so she answered the next question true to form. “They are my family. You assume that I think of Nightclan and any other clan as being fundamentally different.” Applewhisker said leaning into the loner, hoping the loner was just being cold because she wasn’t sure whether or not to trust her. After a short pause she finished “I think all the clans have much more in common than they like to think, I’m not sure why we fight against ourselves…”


    This cat that Applewhisker had just met was pushing her to think in ways she wasn’t incredibly familiar with. It was nice and she supposed these thoughts had always been rattling around upstairs, but this loner had brought them together into one cohesive whole. Applewhisker wasn’t positive her next question was going to be the best choice, however since it was what sat on the forefront of her mind it was the best one she could come up with. She was decided it kept with the theme of her last questions, as they all pertained to the loner and the question she had asked previously. Venturing a guess she spoke, “Are you even the least bit interested in me? Or are you just trying to get me to gossip about my clan?”


Insidious

[Insidious]

I N S I D I O U S
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Listening to him as he offered up his next explanation, she found that she perhaps had made some assumptions about him, and what he believed in regards to the Clans, but she liked to think that her assumptions were purposeful and, generally, not too far from the truth if they weren’t spot on. As a loner, she had a perception of the Clans that Clan cats, themselves, couldn’t get their paws on even if they tried. She observed the way that they lived, the way that they conversed, and the way that they genuinely believed that the Clan in which they were born made them, using this tom’s words, fundamentally different. Rarely did she come across someone like him, who wasn’t interested in the conflict, and it made her suddenly wonder what he’d do, should he one day find himself faced with the choice to fight for his Clan, or die at the claws of the enemy. It wasn’t the kind of question that she thought she’d voice aloud, because there were certainly more important things to inquire about, but she was curious nonetheless.

He was certainly the first to ask her whether or not her interest was pure. She took in the sight of him thoughtfully, enjoying herself, perhaps, if she had happened to make him insecure, or start questioning whether or not it had been smart of him to answer any of her questions in the first place. As of yet, it didn’t seem like he intended to return to NightClan, but sooner or later (and at this rate, it would likely be sooner) she would make her way back into TreeClan territory, retracing her steps all the way back into her mountainous home, carrying what little knowledge had been gained from this brief encounter with her.

“I am interested in the Clans, and as a part of the Clans, my interest extends to you.” The loner with silky black fur abruptly rose to her paws, turning away from the unnamed tom, the tip of her skinny tail flicking gently against his nose. “So consider this my answer and my question: I want to be interested in you, but unless you have something interesting to share, in the form of gossip, as you say, then I will not be.” She spared a glance over her slim shoulders, pale blue eyes alight with wonder, giving him a moment more of her time to see if he could give her any reason to stay. If there was nothing left that he could use to enlighten her, to satisfy the craving that resided inside of her chest, then he would find himself incapable of keeping her upon his grounds any longer - she had other places to venture, and hopefully other cats to meet with tongues a tad more willing.

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Tags: @poptart
Word Count: 469.

[Deleted]

    Applewhisker found that she had been called out, she of course wanted this loner to stay. Even if it wasn't a friendship, and probably would never be one, she wanted to spend time with other cats outside her clan. She had always wanted to be treated like her statement of being a she-cat was the most normal thing in the world, she wanted it accepted as fact. There were kind cats in Nightclan that were accepting of her and she didn't wish to discount them, but the majority of the clan seeing her as a freak broke her up more than a little.


    She was put in an awkward position and had most certainly lost the game, they weren't playing for the same reasons and this was Applewhiskers folly. The loner wanted any bit of information she could use as blackmail, and she just wanted some company and maybe a friend. She felt it would be disloyal to share important information, but wasn't that why she was on the border with Treeclan anyway? Applewhisker was important information, she was one of the clans best kept secrets and perhaps telling a loner was near as good as telling a Treeclan cat. It was less likely she would be punished for this as well, so deciding she wanted to keep the loner around she began to speak.


    "Well I did say me being at the Treeclan border was scandalous, and it isn't because I am going to start a fight." Her gaze shifted to her paws as a mix of emotions filled her chest, predominantly shame as she had been bested by the loner and was now giving out information on her clan. "It's because nobody is supposed to know that I exist, the 'tom'-" She said coating the word with disdain, "-that thinks she is a she-cat." Applewhisker wasn't sure if the other cat would even care, but was the only bit of gossip she had to part with. "They think I am weak, and anembarrassment to my clan."


Insidious