.:just a little lost:. {open}

[Dusk]

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[atrb=background, i339.photobucket.com/albums/n480/Shardclaw/blackbackground.jpg] Loon thought it felt exceedingly good to walk, it didn't matter what the time of day was; nor how hot or cold it was; nor precisely what the weather was like at the moment. Rain or shine, hail or gale, walking was always good in the tabby's opinion. Walking couldn't be negative, could it? Maybe... just maybe walking might be bad for someone with a broken paw, but for a cat with four good legs it surely could only have positive results. After all, walking was exercise. Exercise made for a healthy and spry tom. That's what the loner thought, at least. And so he walked every day. Always a pointless walk, wandering either throughout the Trenton streets and alleys or just outside of it with no particular destination in mind. He wandered aimlessly even that day. A sweltering hot, humid day with the afternoon sun blazing unmercifully overhead that made even cats pant like dogs. Even in the shade the level of heat was uncomfortable, although the grass and soil at least didn't burn one's paw-pads like the stony path Upwalkers used. Walking was good, but walking without keeping a single eye on where you wandered... not so much. It didn't take the young tom very long to loose his way in the multitude of lanes and alleyways, and find himself in an unfamiliar part of the town. The change from understanding where he was to being utterly lost was a sudden transition for Loon. One moment he was staring up at the sky, trying to make shapes out of the cottony-white clouds; the next he found there were no familiar landmarks for him to reference. Some cats might have been dismayed to find themselves in an unfamiliar place, not Loon though. The tom just laughed as he realized he'd gotten himself lost. The loner had lived in Trenton for enough time that he'd assumed he knew every part of the town. Clearly not. There were plenty of tall buildings around, though, and if he wanted to he could just climb one to see if he saw anything recognizable from the higher vantage point. But why should he? There was an adventure waiting to happen here and now. But what fun was an adventure all alone? Not very much fun, the tom thought. Copper eyes scoured the concrete and brick buildings - there wasn't much greenery in this part of Trenton apparently. Not a good place for hunting, but maybe there would be some friendly cats anyways. The tom padded over to a low-roofed building, crouching down in preparation to jump. Well-trained muscles bunched and uncoiled with power as the cat leapt. He underestimated the height of the overhang, though, and found that only his front paws caught on the roof. The tom gave a grunt and scrabbled madly for a better paw-hold, unsheathed claws raking along the lines of the uneven roof. It took a few seconds, but the short-furred tabby was finally able to wrestle his way onto the top of the building. "Hellooooo?" the tom called out loudly, voice carrying far over the rooftops. "Any other cats out there?"

[Wolfy]

Lincoln[/i]

Yeah yeah, you're a beautiful, strong she-cat. You'll make it out in the world. Only slight problems: you're naive, relentless, and desperate. The problem you see though...you don't have me. And without me, I'm perfectly free..like always.

A grey, well-fed tom trotted down an alley way of his local town called Jackson feeling hungry and satisfied. A she-cat's voice kept calling to him, her mews becoming distant and unfamiliar. The tom strutted out of the alley and watched as two lopsided Two-legs passed him, carrying long white sticks that puffed out smoke when the Two-leg up it to his mouth. He calmly walked away and got out onto the sticky side of the road. How naive, he thought, Some cats not knowing what the road is. He wasn't naive though, at least, not in Jackson. His fame was notorious among alley cats, she-cats, and even house cats. He used his resources to get what he wanted. He didn't push his luck though; some things in life weren't worth having.

The tom veered across the deserted road, no Two-leg with sense would be found out at this late hour, and headed across to the back of Jackson. As he was moving, he heard a cough from the dark and he turned his head lazily to see a black cat on top of a low roof staring at him. He nodded his dim, yellow orbs at the cat.
"What are you doing out here? You're leaving Jackson," the black cat said.
"I know what I'm doing,"[/b] the grey cat answered. He turned to continue on his way. To his surprise, the black cat jumped down to block his path.
"You don't look like you know the way." It hissed.
The grey tom didn't even flinch, "My job is done here."[/b]
"You're the cat everyone talks about," the black cat said with an edge in its voice.
"And you're the cat that no one talks about,"[/b] the tom matched.
The black cat nodded and stopped, pointing his tail at the road beyond, "You'll find the town called Trenton down there. It'll take you only a few hours to get down there. It's sensible to leave Jackson," he walked away before looking back, "The name's Smokey, friend. What's yours?"

The grey tom blinked his yellow eyes at Smokey before flicking his tail in farewell, "My name is Lincoln."

Lincoln stalked down the shady trail until he came into view of the town Smokey had told him about. Trenton was the name of this new place. He remembered he had been here once before, when he was a kit, then he left to find a new home. He'd been back and forth all over the place before living in Jackson to use every she-cat there.
It was fun, while it lasted.

Now, he needed new she-cats and a new life. Maybe one day he'd get to a point where he'd actually settle down with a mate...ha, one day. That would probably be a long ways away from now. It was dark out and there was a light breeze, but it didn't touch his clean fur. He trotted up to the back of what looked like an abandoned warehouse. Casey, no, um, Trina, no it was- uh- oh right, Lani told him about the warehouses in Jackson and said the Two-legs needed them for survival or something stupid like that. She was a warehouse she-cat with...what was it...oh yes, she had three legs and little fur. She wasn't his typical she-cat, but oh well, he messed with her anyways.
It was fun, while it lasted.

He saw a way up, noticing old boxes that looked beat up and broken, but there they were, stacked upon each other leading into a quick way to the small rooftop. He shook his hackles and let out an expert leap to each one before he got to the shifty roof. Just then, he heard a voice calling out in the distance and he turned his yellow eyes across the narrow walkway between roofs, seeing an outline on the neighboring building. Lincoln scented a tom and slowly and casually, he trotted over a board that had fallen maybe ages ago down to create a bridge for his access. Before he climbed on it, he put a paw on it, checking how sturdy it was. Who taught him that? Mitzi, that's right, Mitzi taught him how to check for flexibility. Mitzi was a small Siamese that wandered alone on the rooftops all night. She needed a friend. Lincoln was there for her. But then he left her in the dust and she became a memory to him.
But it was fun, while it lasted.

Lincoln, knowing that it was safe, trotted across the bridge and called a greeting to the presence. "Hello! I'm here!"[/b]

[Dusk]

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[atrb=background, i339.photobucket.com/albums/n480/Shardclaw/blackbackground.jpg] It was starting to look like the area was too devoid of prey for other cats to bother with. No trees or plants, little grass; certainly nothing to hunt. Not to mention how even the Upwalkers were avoiding this place, apparently. None of those growling metal boxes (what was it they were called; cars, right?) that carried the furless pink creatures had gone down the street. Usually Loon had trouble just trying to cross a tiny back street when it was early afternoon. So strange, so strange. Was the area cursed? Was that why no one seemed to live there? The thought both frightened and excited the young loner called Loon. Interesting as the idea was, though, the tom was still filled with disappointment when the realization struck that there was probably no one to keep him company. All that effort of climbing onto the roof for... well not nothing he supposed. The view was quite nice after all, even if the height of the building wasn't all that high. The tom smiled, glad that he was able to put a positive spin on the event and started to turn and leap back to the concrete when he heard a new voice. Head whipping around, the tom looked over his shoulder to see another tom making his way leisurely across the rooftops. The stranger looked friendly enough; a gray and white tabby that was rather large for a loner. Maybe he'd started out as a forest cat, or else he had a lot of luck with hunting and garbage picking. It didn't really matter to Loon, he was just glad to see another cat. And a new cat at that. Back in his own part of Trenton, well there were rarely any fresh faces. And as for the faces already there, not a lot of them were particularly friendly. The brown tabby grinned and rushed up to the newcomer. "Hi! My name's Loon, it's good to meet you." The tom spoke almost childishly, like an out-going little kid meeting someone who seemed interesting for the first time. He didn't even seem aware that he'd more or less invaded the gray tabby's space at first. "Who're you?" Forward and innocently curious, like a kit; although he was clearly full-grown. His joy at meeting the newcomer forced out any thoughts of manners or personal space, the copper-eyed tabby could only focus on one thing at a time after all. ooc: blergh, sorry it's crappy. Loon just decided he wanted to hate on me and his little-kid mentality isn't my strong point yet.

[Wolfy]

Lincoln

[/color][/right]

It was fun, while it lasted.[/i]

Lincoln spotted the tom coming dangerously close to his face. What was his name? Loon? Well, he was young from what Lincoln could tell. He was a little too hyper for Lincoln's likings, but oh well. Maybe Loon knew a thing or two about Trenton. It's been ages since Lincoln had walked these roads. Growling deep in his throat he remembered why he had left. His father kept getting queens pregnant and then there had been a numerous amount of kits around here. Lincoln didn't like how his father was always with another she-cat. Look how he turned out. But Lincoln didn't she-cats to have kits. Lincoln used she-cats to let them know that he's the better tom around in the world. He was there to help them along, but then when they became wasteful, he slinked off and broke their heart.

But it was fun, while it lasted.

Anyways, he ignored the urge to claw out his father's neck even though he wasn't here. He looked back up to Loon. Loon was a brown tabby with copper eyes. How unusual. He seemed friendly enough. Lincoln bowed his head though, "Hello Loon, my name is Lincoln. I'm from here, but I haven't been here in a really long time. Can you show me around?" Lincoln asked. He had no quarrels with toms, it was the she-cats that he wasted.

[Dusk]

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[atrb=background, i339.photobucket.com/albums/n480/Shardclaw/blackbackground.jpg] The huge grin fell momentarily from Loon's maw as he watched a brief look of dislike flash on the stranger's face. Didn't the gray-and-white tabby like meeting new people? Or was he like those other cats back in the downtown area; gruff and mean to people they didn't know. It would be just his luck to come across another hermit cat. The thought made the younger tabby shy away slightly, widening the space between the two cats. And as he did he saw the other one relax a bit. 'Aha! He likes his space, that's all it was.' The tom thought gleefully, a fresh, joyous smirk pulling upwards on his lips again. Leaning forward again -but careful this time so as to not invade much of the black and gray tom's space- the loner gave a small sniff. He didn't smell like a Trenton cat, that much was for sure. And sure enough, the stranger confirmed Loon's assessment as he replied to the earlier inquiry. The tom hid a look of surprise from Lincoln, copper eyes shifting momentarily towards his paws. What cat would ever dream of leaving Trenton? True, the male was a bit biased, having found the little town most pleasurable of all the places he'd ever visited, but he still found the idea surprising. He smiled at his new found companion's request, though, and gave a hearty nod. "I'd be happy t'show you 'round," the tabby mewed. He gave a quick stretch, - working out the faint soreness in his shoulders that had formed after the earlier battle with the roof and gravity - and turned to leap to the next nearest roof. The houses there were packed rather close together, which was nice for a leisurely stroll above streets. After all, it was hard to talk to someone when you were huffing and puffing and trying to catch your breath after leaping over chasm-like gaps. "So, how long has it been since you left Trenton?" Loon looked over his shoulder to make sure the white-patched tabby was keeping up. 'Does he remember anything about the place?' As he had failed to make to the fact that he didn't know anything about their current location known, the brown tabby had chosen a random route to go along, headed towards a stand of trees. It might have been a park, or maybe just a rouge patch of plant life that had escaped destruction by the town's development. The young cat hadn't the slightest idea; hopefully he looked sure of himself, though.

[Wolfy]

Lincoln

It was fun, while it lasted.

Neither black nor white, but grey.

[/left]

Lincoln watched Loon perk up from his short sadness when he gave Lincoln his own space. He ran his pale yellow eyes over Loon quickly, noting that from his hyper personality, he must have found something exciting to do every day. Lincoln wished he could share Loon's innocence. But alas, he never would because he's led too many hearts down the wrong, dejected path. Lincoln shook his head as he imagined the hearts he had broken; he tried to dislodge them from his thoughts at the time. But c'mon, it was fun, while it lasted. He smiled at Loon to show him that he thanked him for this space as well as his kindness to show Lincoln around. The grey tabby bounced from his sitting position and followed after Loon on their small adventure.

Lincoln kept pace with the brown tabby as he passed a structure of plant life among the roots that had been there once before. He tried to remember what that had been when he was here last. Thinking hard, he could only remember it being a dusty, dirt infested track where little sprouts of green grass popped out of the ground. The Two-legs must have helped it along. The last time he was here, Trenton was suffering from a drought. It was the perfect time for his-for Princeton to acquire the she-cats that needed help the most and use them for his own pleasures. Lincoln left after that, giving up on Princeton's malicious acts. Blinking back to reality, Lincoln answered Loon's question, "Actually, I was only a young kitten when I left. I was very independent back then, as I still am, but now I've learned to actually make friends with cats,"[/b] he purred, "Anyways, I was probably 7 moons when I left. That would be, hrm, let's see, ah yes, 16 moons ago. Was it really that long?"[/b] He mused. Sixteen moons ago, he left everything he called home. Sixteen moons ago, he had to forget everyone he knew. Sixteen years ago, he escaped his-Princeton's abusive manner. Sixteen years ago, he lived, like he did today.

And trust him, it was NOT fun while it lasted.

[Dawn]

Somethin' 'bout the way the street looks when it's just rained

What was she doing here, in this place that smelled of the past but yet was not it quite? That tasted like twolegs, and carrion, and fire? Who cares? It wasn't something Clear had ever asked herself before, and as she plodded along, she stopped abruptly wondering why the thought had come to her in the first place.It seemed a good enough reason to stop at the time. She was in no real hurry, and besides which she was tired and her throat was dry, her rough pink tongue nearly sticking to the top of her mouth. Paws that had trodden through shady woods for many a moon ached for the cool grass underfoot, not the scorching, boring gray concrete, which she had been walking for the past hour. If only she could find some place to duck out away from the sun; but she didn't really trust the buildings anymore, as she might have as a kittypet. I wonder if I'll meet any of my family out here, just like I met Church- Again she was halted but this time mentally as the loner's blue gaze happened to wander and note that the ground underneath was not gray, but rather, black as a pit. A fine time to notice that, as a dull red monster bore down upon her, roaring along the thunderpath as though it's destination would not wait long enough for it to even catch its breath. It roared at her, just then; not really a yowl or a screech that she had ever heard, but something far more displeasing, a short and loud, skull splitting honk.

Clear whipped around and stared fearfully at the beast. Her eyes wide and full of terror, she looked into its glinting white eyes, without pupil or color, almost luminous. It was a funny time to remember that her owners had owned and tamed such a creature; in fact, it had had its own nest, away from the twolegs, where it had been kept locked up. Sometimes, she thought with a shudder, her twolegs would climb into its belly- yes, willingly!, and it would roar away just like this one, leaving Moritz and Clear on their own. She couldn't help but wonder, even as her short life ought to be flashing before her eyes, if this one would swallow her, or just squash her flat? I suppose if it's hungry enough... Neither happened, though. At the last moment, seeing her paralyzed with fear and wonder, it stopped to look right back at her, stopped dead in its tracks with a harsh scream. Heat rose against her in waves, brushed her fur, and that was enough to get her moving, running hard from the frozen monster, into a dim alley where it wouldn't be able to chase her.

It was then, over the gasps as the small black feline caught her breath, that she heard a voice from above. It sounded friendly enough, but anything was pleasant to hear after the terrible wailing of the monster. Any other cats out there? Clear quickly checked to the right, moving closer to the entrance of the alley; the monster was still purring softly in the street, not moving, a twoleg walking around nearby. Afraid it might see her, she quickly ducked back into the shadows, pressing her ruffled fur against the warm bricks. Another cat had answered the first's call, above, and she could hear some conversation as she dizzily sat there in waiting. After a pause in which Clear began to breathe normally and stood evenly on all four paws, she checked again, and sure enough, the street across from her was empty. Carrying her petite body with ease, she leaped up onto one of the blue dumpsters pushed against the wall, noted it's mixed, foul scent for a heart beat, and then, pushing with her hind legs, leaped the rest of the way to he low, overhanging roof. The jump swung her quite clumsily between two conversing males, in a kind of roll which brought the young female to a halt against the brown-gray tom. Completely unsure of what to say, Clear looked up at the tom, whose gaze was brilliantly colored, and mewed quite awkwardly, "Hi. Clear. I mean, I'm Clear. Not you! I, um, I don't know who you are. Sorry I hit you."

[/color][/div]

ANCK SU NAMUN OF CAUTION!

[/center]

[Dusk]

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[atrb=background, i339.photobucket.com/albums/n480/Shardclaw/blackbackground.jpg] Loon led an easy, unhurried pace across the buildings' tops, the only thing even slightly speeding him on was the urge to find some cool shade to escape this incessant heat. Part of him felt the urge to part his jaws and pant - like a dog but without a lolling tongue; he didn't though. In all likelyhood it would be far too strange. Cats didn't pant after all, unless they were sick. That was the only time the gray-brown tabby had ever seen a panting cat. The memory came easily to the loner as he padded along, still vivid even after moons having passed. An old, decrepit tom hidden in a dark alley. Fur mangy and flea-ridden; bare patches in his pelt. Eyes blind and rheumy. Rasping breaths smelling rancid with sickness... He repressed a shudder and forced away the memory in mild disgust. No. He wouldn't pant. Especially not after that. He forced a fresh grin on his maw, working to focus on the well-traveled, older cat. The loner listened curiously as Lincoln spoke, the gray tabby musing in a quiet voice; unfazed by Loon's questions. It wasn't much of a story yet, but it was an interesting tale all the same. Stories were always irresistible to him, and always in short supply when most cats only seemed interested in keeping to themselves. He eyes lit up with interest as he learned his companion had been quite the traveler even when most would have interest only in staying with their family awhile longer. A small look of awe flashed across his face. The other tom hadn't been in Trenton for a rather long time, then; Loon had only been around for a moon or so if Lincoln's recall was accurate. At least... he thought he'd only been a moon old at that point. Any memories the small loner had before eight moons were fuzzy; the tom wasn't really sure of his age anymore, though he assumed he was under twenty moons. It was all guess work, and the tabby didn't care to linger on something like age when life had so many more entertaining events to think about. "Wow..." he commented, momentarily still stuck on the thoughts of his moons. Loon gave a small cough and continued, "So then you must have seen a lot of... stuff." A weak smile played on his face, the loner wasn't the most verbose cat around. "I haven't been around that - oof!" The cat broke off with a grunt as he felt something solid thud into him. It hadn't hurt, but he was still caught off guard; not having expected anything to come tumbling onto the roof. Looking down in surprise he realized it was a petite, black she-cat who'd been the solid object, now looking up semi-bashfully with an apology. "Oh uhh... hi." He shook his head, momentarily thrown by her sudden appearance. He gave an easy-going smile to show he hadn't taken offense to the hit. "It's alright accidents happen; I think they make life interesting." he laughed. M'name's Loon; happy to meet'cha, Clear." His nose wrinkled slightly as the acrid scent of thunderpath wafted across his tongue and in his nostrils. He was happy to meet a fresh face, but had to wonder what she'd been doing so close to one of those corridors the shiny beasts used.

[Wolfy]

Lincoln

[/color][/i]
It was fun while it lasted.

Lincoln watched his new friend began to speak before he was surprised when a sudden she-cat landed herself into their conversation. She looked at them, clearly embarrassed. In fact, she had just told them her name was Clear. Lincoln watched as Loon introduced himself. He purred and came up on Loon's other side to see Clear fully now. She was small with a black pelt. She seemed nice, but Lincoln still wondered how nice she was. Another thought flicked in his mind. How desperate was she? Lincoln would find out he decided.

"My name's Lincoln," he slipped in to her. She was awfully pretty. He licked his shoulder quickly before glancing back at her, "What were you doing?" he couldn't help but ask. She must have been trying to get somewhere. She stunk of the roads and the cars that burned over them. She herself looked as if she was on a mission or she was just having fun. Lincoln sat down next to Loon with eyes gleaming in the night.

{OOC: Sorry it's so short, I didn't know what to put and I'm sick.}

[Dawn]

Somethin' 'bout the way the street looks when it's just rained

As soon as her head cleared, the female moved away. She wasn't embarrassed too much by the encounter; Clear wasn't awkward with her sexuality. Actually, she didn't understand that she had sexuality. This was paired with the fact that she had no idea of how much she had grown in the past few moons. So quickly, from silly, spindly youth to a rather attractive adult. What was the worry about throwing herself into older males? There was no danger in this one, anyway. "Loon?" She repeated aloud with wonder, blue eyes growing a bit wider. Thankfully, Clear was polite enough not to meow, That's a funny name! Instead, she shuffled her paws, standing a comfortable distance from both toms. Her blue eyes were still quite curious, reflecting a lovely azure, as she took in the new cats. Despite the situation earlier with the monster, her face held a pleasant, friendly expression. Nothing got Clear down; like they say, ignorance is bliss. And while the pretty loner wasn't especially stupid, she was extremely naive and without a lot of depth of thought. In contrast, the intelligent are never bored is also said, and that was quite true for her. Everything was interesting and required a lot of study and thought. The two toms before her, Loon and Lincoln, were no different. She wanted to learn their quirks, their abilities, their talents, their fears.

Realizing that the other tom had approached, she turned her attention to him and curled her tail carefully about her paws. Lincoln. Where do they get these strange names? She had already decided that these were neither clan cats nor kittypets. There was a harder to define group between those; loner, rogue, or alleycat? There were thousands of questions she had for the both of them, but instead, Lincoln had asked her something. "What... was I doing?" She repeated this also, not quite able to grasp what he was getting at. Cats rarely asked such things of Clear; usually it was more like, What are you doing here? not What were you doing? Realizing she sounded silly, the black female laughed and flicked her tail a bit, angling her ears again toward Loon and Lincoln. "I wasn't really doing anything. I heard the two of you talking when I hid from the monsters, and jumped onto the roof, but, well, I missed a little bit." Clear glanced toward the thunderpath, a bit of fear still fluttering in her stomach. "I was nearly squashed flat by one of the monsters, though."

She returned her attention to Loon, who she had first hit. "Sorry again. Are you two from here?" It was her first question, and even Clear knew that it was polite to ask about others, not continuing blabbering about one's self. At some point, Atticus had taught her that. Perhaps in her time she had picked up some manners and social skills after all.

ANCK SU NAMUN OF CAUTION!

[Dusk]

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[atrb=background, i339.photobucket.com/albums/n480/Shardclaw/blackbackground.jpg] The tom grinned sheepishly as the black loner shuffled backwads to put some space between herself and the two toms and echoed his name curiously. For a moment he wondered if she was going to be another one of those cats who assumed he was crazy, because they made a link between the words "loon" and "loony". Some of the loners and kittypets residing back in his typical place in Trenton did that frequently; it got annoying very fast to say the least. Luckily it seemed that the she-cat hadn't thought anything of the sort. (Or at least she was nice enough not to say so if she did make the same connection.) She just looked friendly as she failed to continue with whatever train of thought had momentarily raced through her head at the mention of his name. Clear. That was a nice name; Loon had to wonder where she'd gotten it. Watching the flash of azure orbs, two bright pin-points in a sea of black, the phrase "clear blue skies" came to mind. That might have been it. Clearly - he glanced quickly at the she-cats solid black pelt - she was't named for her fur. The young tabby stepped back as his gray acquaintance shifted forward to make himself known as well, speaking cooly and with an odd glint in his amber eyes as he gave lick to his shoulder. Loon blinked curiously, though he didn't speak as Lincoln was already voicing his earlier question. Did the tom not particularly like she-cats? He couldn't see why that would be, and brushed off the thought as his imagination running wild again. Clear liked to echo things didn't she? The loner gave a small chuckle as the female looked on in confusion for a moment, copper eyes flashing with amusement. The laughter in his gaze fell, though, as she explained what had happened. "Wow..." For a moment he couldn't find anything useful to say, only able to follow the she-cat's line of sight to the thunderpath which he had previously seen as nonthreatening on this slow moving day. "Well at least you're not hurt, I'd take a small bump over seeing a cat run over any day, he brushed off her apology after a few seconds of gazing silently on the gray path, shimmering slightly in the heat of the day. "I'm from downtown, though I only came to Trenton about five moons ago," he mewed, pointing his tail in the general direction of his typical living space. The cat might have been lost before running into these two cats, but now he was confident in his bearings. although that park a little ways away across the thunderpath was still unfamiliar to him as the rest of this part of the twoleg community. He stared intensely at the she-cat, wondering if he'd seen her around. Problem was, so many cats were black that the cursory glances he usually gave them weren't enough to pick up on any definitive features. He parted his jaws to ask if he'd seen her before, but decided against it; recalling the number of times he'd walked up to cats he thought he knew only to have them say they'd never once met him.

[Wolfy]

Lincoln

[/i][/right]
It was fun, while it lasted.

Lincoln watched the two cats meet and greet with one another and he couldn't help, but let his gaze travel over to Clear. Her name was unusual, but hey, all cat's names were. Loon's name was odd too, but not like some names he had heard in his lifetime. His father's name was the weirdest he had known so far: Princeton. Who names their son bloody Princeton? Not he, that was for sure. Lincoln twitched his whiskers, why the hell was he thinking of names? He should be looking at other features from Clear. She had a sleek, black pelt and she was pretty in some ways he guessed. She looked young though, much like Loon. They might be good friends in the close future. However, Clear was a little too young for his choosing. And she was full of genuine curiosity. Too annoying for a she-cat. Lincoln didn't like she-cats and he used them because come one, it was fun while it lasted.

Clear was one for a bitter taste on his tongue. He'd have to be "nice" to her he assumed, if Loon and he were to be friends. He'd have to endure her presence. Just thinking of that left a sour note to him. Clear was too skinny and innocent. Like that would get her anywhere in the world? Loon wasn't too bad, at least he knew what he was doing and who he'd talk to. It was like clear didn't know anything. She was "nearly squashed by the monster"? What idiot would take a chance like that. He knew better than to step out onto the road till he was sure the monsters weren't coming. Plus in this darkness you could tell because the monsters turned on their lights at this time so that they could see too. Hell, it was like this idiotic she-cat didn't know anything. Typical she-cats. Blinking his judgmental gaze away from her, he turned back to Loon. He was saying something about living downtown and being here for five years or something like that. Lincoln took pride at being close to Loon. Well, close-ish.

"I didn't realize that you weren't so far away from home,"[/color] Lincoln offered an answer back to Loon. He didn't actually have much to say. Instead, he pointed with his tail in the opposite direction, to dark, long, winding allies behind Trenton, "Actually, I'm originally from there. My family is spread out and very diverse. I highly doubt my fat-family is even living back there anymore." he spoke less of the alley in which he was born and "grew up" in. It wasn't the most decent place to live. Lopsided two-legs would wander back there with a white stick always pressed into their mouth, puffing smoke from them. The smoke tasted foul and always gave him a sickening feeling in his stomach. He always searched for true air, but it never seemed to fill his lungs enough. Not until he left this despicable town called Trenton.

[Dawn]

Somethin' 'bout the way the street looks when it's just rained

She didn't like to think of herself 'run over' as Loon had said. Instead, after a few moments silence, he continued speaking, and she let her thoughts follow his gracefully into the new subject. Downtown, huh? Clear watched with interest as Loon gestured toward the area. Her blue eyes took in the unfamiliar landscape, and a bit of the fur on her shoulders stood up. She had never seen it, really; there was a lot to be explored, in this concrete jungle. The problem was, she had already become a forest cat. It showed distinctly in her sleek, glossy black pelt, from a prey rich greenleaf; never in her life would she feel as comfortable hunting among these tall structures. Clear was used to the wind and the tress, not gray ghosts closing in around her, showing the blue sky in patches. Sitting here, atop the roof, she felt alright; a bit out in the open, which gave a nervous prickle to her fur; but at least she wasn't in the monster's path again. To venture about among the twolegs, not knowing what they were missing? These cats must be both stupid and brave. If she came upon her own twolegs, just distant memories now, and recognized them, she might be naive enough to trust them. But other of the odd furred creatures had become, on some deeper level, frightening to the former kittypet. Never again in her life would she eat pellets from a shiny dish, or be content to chase orange butterflies across a sharply cut lawn.

Turning to Lincoln as he began to speak, she had almost forgotten he was there. The two names, Lincoln and Loon, seemed too close together, too alike. She could have easily imagined them as two sides of the same cat, walking split. She attentively listened as he discussed his origins, alike with Loon's. Another thing they have in common, she thought bemusedly. Glancing between the two, somewhat comparing appearance, she looked back in the direction of the forest, and realized it seemed a long way from here. She wondered where her kin lived, in these rows and rows of nests; more than anything, she realized that her quest into this despairing place was a failure. All in all, she had forgotten what she had come looking for. Kin? It seemed likely. When she had last seen him, her brother Moritz had jokingly called her "Clear, Kinseeker." She was on a quest- a journey- something noble in sound like that- to find the scattered parts of her family. Something made her feel they were closer than she thought, but other times, they seemed farther and farther away, distant. It was probably about time she headed home; a new idea of their whereabouts was beginning to form.

"As for me, I was born a kittypet." The black female paused, then recalled from her boring history, "I ran off early, and now I live in the forest."

[/color] She was young, but still close in age to both of the toms. She had only lived as a kittypet for five or six moons before she got curious. Clear glanced at Loon, who had seemed the friendliest and most observant of the strangers. "I should be getting back now, I'm looking for my father."[/color]

WORD COUNT: 547 TAGGED: Duskeh/Loon or Wolfy/Lincoln
NOTES: I think I'll just have Clear leave early, head back on home and look for her daddy.
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ANCK SU NAMUN OF CAUTION!

[/center]

[Wolfy]

Lincoln

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It was fun, while it lasted.

Lincoln turned to the 'lost' she-cat named Clear. She had to "be getting back now", back where? Where would she go? She was too little and young for him to take advantage of her, but all and all, he would have liked to settle one more she-cat before he went on his way. Wait. A thought rang in his head. Did this she-cat...Clear...did she say that she lived in the forest? And if she did, did she live near any of the Clan cats? He had heard stories and rumors of them passed through each tom he had encountered or each unlucky females, but he always wondered if they were really out there. Maybe he himself would go, just to find out for himself. Maybe he'd find more she-cats to bust down. I mean, c'mon, it was fun while it lasted.

"Clear,"[/b] the name tasted foul on his tongue, "Did you say you lived in the forest? If you do, do you live by the legendary clan cats? Are they real? Do you know the stories of them?"[/b] She was young, surely this would come off as a good conversation starter. If it wasn't, then he didn't know what was. He wasn't the most friendly of cats, but he still asked questions when he wanted something to go his way. And Clear, well Clear was just the source; he'd get what he wanted, one way or another.