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Seven
It was snowing quite a lot today, but the weather was nice at least; no cold breeze, not too windy. It just felt perfect. Sure, the snow was cold, but it was bearable compared to the snowstorm they've been having for the past few weeks. Seven padded along the worn path, his ears low as he entered a forest. The forest felt.. oddly calm. Everything was white and all of the trees were bare, empty of their covers, empty of life. He gulped, not sure if he should really attempt a hunt in there. Sure, it was pretty hopeless to find any prey in a wide open clearing.. but.. the forest looked so creepy. He had to stop for a moment to think about it.
"Hmm.. I don't know.. it's the best lead I have. I can smell.. squirrels.. I can see paw-prints everywhere and by their size, I can tell that they belong to prey, but.. hmm..." What would Ghost do? Heh, he'd probably step in without a single doubt. Maybe he should then? He could be brave too! And as he inhaled deeply, the tom lifted his head and marched in, breathing through the nose as his jaw was tightly shut. His every muscles tensed. What was he doing... Fear quickly took over, but he remained in movement. What was he getting himself into?!
Aniu
She had bolted out of camp the second her brother had moved from her side. The young she-cat had little interest in staying close to her tribe, thoroughly annoyed with the lot of them. They had sided with that stupid Alriyel, hadn’t they? And she had stayed with them then…stayed to keep her beautiful new tattoo just to have it taken away in the end! Just the thought of no longer having that crooked, pink smirk across her maw irritated her in way she didn’t even know was possible. Sure, she could never really see her own tattoo, but she could always see her tribe mate’s and her brother’s. It was depressing being around them, knowing that she too looked as ordinary as they did.
“Damn you all to hell,” Aniu cursed, fleeing Shadow Triber’s territory and heading into the trees. Her long tail dragged behind her in the snow, leaving its strange trail behind her, but she hardly noticed. She ran aimlessly, weaving between the snow covered trees without a care in the world where she was headed. But as she made a sudden sharp turn, she skidded to a halt, her fur instantly bristling as she found herself once again running into a stranger. She gritted her teeth, her heart palpitating as she recalled her last encounter with a stranger in these woods.
“W-what’re you doing?!” she hissed, her pallid eyes locked onto the feline. Much to her surprise he seemed…off. Aniu tilted her head, her fear dissipating in an instant. “What’s wrong with…where’s your fur – aren’t you cold?”
Seven
He was marching still, taking long wide steps as he advanced towards the unknown, the little fur he had was already starting to prickle up, fear seizing the tom like sharp claws. He felt himself gasping for air, his surroundings way to silent, way too creepy. The trees seemed to be closing up above him, like retracting their sharp brambles around the tomcat, who was venturing deeper into their domain. Maybe he shouldn't have? S-sure, it was harder to find prey in the vast opening, but it was a thousand times better than having to face the ghosts in the forest. He swallowed hard, his eyes wide as he came to an abrupt stop. Paw-steps.. larger this time. W-what could it be from? A bear? Oh.. he had heard from bears before. They were frightening, big and ragged, with two large yellow eyes. W-with bat like ears, dragging their victim on the snow like a rag doll. He felt himself panic, and immediately, he began to backtrack, his movements stiff and robotic in a way.
But as he had started to walk backwards, an unknown force pushed the young tom forward, nearly tripping him as he scrambled to catch his own balance. He let out a shriek, then spun around to face whoever had rammed into him. He was certain. This thing must be the night killer, the bear! But as his vision cleared, he realized with a bit of relief that.. the one who had nearly tripped him was none other than a fellow feline. He merely relaxed, his muscles still tensed as he was now confronted to a new face. The stranger had unique markings, a fluffy coat and an annoyed expression on her face. Oh.. s-she was annoyed? As she hissed, the tom instantly flinched, his eyes wide, locked on the she-cat's. Then.. his mind went blank.
"............" he had spaced out for a long heartbeat, unable to form words, unable to react at all. But when he came back to his senses, after the she-cat had kept shouting at him, the tom gulped, breathing heavily once more. "U-uh.. hi," he.. greeted her.
Aniu
Her fur bristled again as the stranger yelled in surprise, whipping around until he was facing her. Aniu hadn’t meant to startle him, but she wasn’t the type to apologize right away, even if she did feel a slight shred of guilt for plowing into him like that. Her guilt was short lived however, as she was too caught up in trying to assess just who this guy was. He was certainly a cat like herself, but somehow he looked different – probably his lack of fur. The young apprentice tilted her head, her icy eyes passing over his oddly exposed skin. Yet in some places, there appeared to be soft, darker fur; heck, he even had some striped markings there!
This cat’s weird, she decided, musing to herself. He had visibly flinched when she hissed at him, and she flicked her eyes back onto the tom’s. They were much larger and darker than hers. Weird but interesting.
But silence followed. The stranger appeared to have blanked out, merely staring at her with his wide, fearful eyes. Aniu gritted her teeth, but held his gaze; to be honest it was unnerving her, but her pride refused to let her avert her eyes. Much to her surprise and relief however, the other cat snapped back to reality. At once his nerves seemed to plague him again, and her swallowed nervously, his breathing irregular. The she-cat tensed, growing uncertain herself. Had she known the tom was an Earth Triber, perhaps she would have fled by now.
“Err…hello – you didn’t answer my question,” the striped feline bluntly replied, raising a brow. Had he not heard her? “Aren’t you cold in this weather? You don’t have that much…well…y-your fur’s pretty uhm…not exactly there.” At last Aniu glanced away, feeling rather sheepish. She had no problem pointing out the obvious, but this tom seemed so uneasy already – what if she made him cry? She groaned internally at the thought, sure she wouldn’t know what to do then. Quite frankly, she doubted she’d want to deal with another cry-baby.
Seven
He had heard her.. but he wasn't sure if answering to her question was really what he needed to do first. To him, it seemed like a greeting would be more fitting at this particular moment. And hearing her answer him back only proved that it was probably the right thing to do. It was odd. The tom always needed to start with a proper introduction before being able to properly hold a conversation. Otherwise, it felt strange to just talk aimlessly. He gulped and forced a smile on, his eyes unblinking as he kept staring deep into hers. "I'm.. okay. It's cold, but everyone's cold. I.. I might not be like everyone.. if you are referring to the absence of fur on my body, but.. I assure you, it really isn't all that bad. As long as there's no cold chilling wind, I can stroll around just fine. Just.. not.. as long as some may be able to," he meowed politely, dipping his head slightly as a sign of total submission.
His large ears swivelled.. curious as to know who this she was was.. and.. from what Tribe. Was she from Air? Perhaps from Shadow? Either one would be nice. He had both of his sisters residing in both Tribes. And his mother in Light-Tribe of course. He peeked up to look at her again, dipping his head repeatedly as though politely saluting her. "May I.. uh.. call you by your Spirit name? Y-you don't have to tell me-- though, really, there is no harm in sharing for I am not from Shadow. Is it makes you more comfortable.. your first name would do just fine," he nervously asked, trying his best to steady his voice as he spoke to her, his tail quivering.
Aniu
The she-cat raised a brow. This tom was weird, that was a given. But his oddities were somehow endearing almost. He spoke politely to her, and even dipped his head respectfully – something she had never encountered before. Aniu stared, her face expressionless despite her pleasant surprise at his strange behavior. She relaxed, allowing her usual frown to slowly turn up into a smirk as she continued to watch the mostly hairless tom; he wasn’t all that bad it seemed.
“Hm…is that so?” she replied slowly, her ghostly eyes roving over his body again. Admittedly she had a tribe mate with a similar hairless coat, although she had never spoken to him before – he was her brother’s mentor. She flicked her eyes back to the tom’s, narrowing her own and tilting her head slightly; the two looked almost similar. Must be the lack of fur, she decided.
“Eh? Oh, uhh…yeah – Aniu,” the striped she-cat mewled in reply. “It doesn’t matter if you know my true name or not seeing as I’m a Shadow Triber myself. We have a bad reputation, but…well, what’s your name then? Or what may I call you, since I doubt you’d trust me with your Spirit name.” Aniu wrinkled her nose. It didn’t particularly bother her not to know someone’s true name, but somehow it stung to think she wasn’t trusted simply due to her tribe. She loved Shadow Tribe, and no matter what her tribe’s reputation was, but sometimes she regretted her tattoo. Others tended to judge her rather quickly because of it – not that she’d ever admit to giving a damn about that of course.</b>
Seven
For some reason, his nervousness seemed to have increased as the she-cat spoke, holding his gaze and speaking with so much confidence. She really must be someone worth admiring.. for her to hold herself with so much importance. He felt.. strangely honored to be under her presence. Just.. the way she spoke, acted and looked at him. He was truly honored. With a shy shuffle of his paw, the tom beamed, unable to hide his glee as the she-cat returned the interest. She wanted to know his true name? He giggled, rubbing a paw over his flushed face as he performed a strange awkward dance, his paws scrambling on the snow as his tail twisted behind his skinny form. He was being so expressive-- perhaps a little too much? "Uh-- I'm.. I'm Seven. Seven is the name given to me by the whispers. My kit name though, the one my mother entrusted me with is.. Jackdaw. Sounds.. familiar?" he pondered curiously, his ears twitching. "I heard that it was also a bird's name. A black bird. Jackdaw. You may address with whoever you prefer. I mind not."
He smiled, his head kept to his shoulders level. "Aniu. I think it's a very honorable name. You.. uhm.. are from Shadow. May I ask.. do you know someone going by the name.. her kit name, Tern? You see, she is my sister." he meowed, looking back towards the she-cat, his solid copper eyes round and still wide open. He looked way more relaxed than he did a few minutes ago.
Aniu
The shy tom turned giddy, his paws doing a sort of jitter in the snow and his tail twitching with what she could only assume was excitement. She stared, a flicker of amusement crossing her pale eyes and her smirk turning into a bemused grin. He was weird alright – she had been right on target with that assumption. The she-cat had an odd attachment to cats she decided to keep company with, and felt even more connected to the strange ones. She peered at the fleshy cat, tilting her head as she came to a sudden conclusion: she liked this one. He was shy and almost twitchy, but he was genuinely polite and pleased to be speaking with her. Aniu averted her gaze from the coppery eyes of the other feline, her heart hammering in her chest. She wasn’t used to getting anything but venomous words from those outside of Shadow Tribe lately – was this how making friends was supposed to go.
“Seven…hm.” The Shadow Triber paused before repeating his name again. “Seven. I haven’t heard a name like that before – or Jackdaw.” Another quiet pause as she considered the two names. She liked the sound of both of them and the uniqueness they held on her tongue. “Jackdaw…hn, but you’re not like a bird. I’ll call you Seven – I like the sound of it,” she decided, her words as blunt as usual. Aniu flicked her ice eyes back to the tom’s darker ones and grimaced; she wasn’t very good at smiling properly.
A slight flush plagued her cheeks as Seven considered her name honorable. In truth she had never thought too much about her name. It was just something others called her, right? She held his gaze however, her awkward smile still in place. It slowly turned into a thoughtful frown as she jerked her head in response.
“I don’t think I’ve spoken to anyone like that. I might have seen her in the apprentice’s den though. There’s a hairless one like you in there – and another that’s older, but he’s my brother’s mentor, I don’t know him.” She paused, eyeing Seven curiously as he seemed to relax. It was nice to see someone at least slightly at ease in her presence.
Seven
The tom blinked, a little surprised to hear that she had never heard a name like his-- but it also made the tom's eyes glint with pride. So, his name was unique. Oh, but Jackdaw was the name of a bird species-- so was he told. He never really encountered that bird in question, nor heard anyone tell him about them, but he assumed that they were at least a little common. Either, he was proud of his given name. His chest popped up triumphantly as the she-cat mewed, his tail swishing excitedly behind him. And at the sight of her.. grimace? He blinked, tilting his head a little, unaware that she had just tried to smile. How silly of a face! It made him snort before he quickly dropped his eyes, shyness all over his face. 'Oops.. I laughed. I hope she doesn't mind..' he gulped before grinning an awkward smile as well.
"Oh! Well.. at least you saw her. So.. she HAS to be doing good. I'm glad," he purred, shifting a little as he started to feel the coldness crawl up his legs. Curse his skinny legs and frame, making him so frail when it came to endurance. "The other you mentioned must be my father.. I heard he was from Shadow-Tribe.. though.. I never really met him. I mean.. N-no.. I never met him.." he reluctantly admitted, feeling somewhat of a.. weirdo for saying this out loud.
Aniu
The tom’s sudden snort of laughter made her cheeks burn. She quickly averted her gaze, gritting her teeth in embarrassment. Had she done something to laugh at? Was she just that stupid? Aniu glanced shiftily back at the other feline, scowling once again. Much to her surprise he had dropped his own eyes, smiling almost shyly. Had the laughter…been a mistake? Her scowl twisted into a frown of confusion, and she tilted her head out of habit. She was at a loss now. Luckily, Seven spoke, breaking the strange silence. The she-cat didn’t think she liked it when it was quiet between her and another; it made her feel weird.
“Oh erm…yeah, I’m sure she’s doing well. I don’t really know her though,” the Shadow Tribe cat murmured, making a mental note to find the hairless she-cat next time she was in the apprentices’ den. What had this tom called her – Tern? But her attention was almost immediately brought back to the oddball in front of her. Aniu’s pale eyes narrowed in suspicion, but were quick to widen in shock as the tom revealed he did not in fact know his father. Her emotionless face broke for a second, a flash of sympathy crossing it before she forced herself to scowl and look away.
“Well whatever, who needs father’s anyways? I’m not even close with mine, don’t sweat it Sev.” Aniu’s words weren’t exactly words of comfort, but she did try at least. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve met him or not, I doubt it would change who you are. And well…” She paused, glancing back at the hairless tom. He was strange and awkward and shy, that was a given, but he was also kind and so open, even to her, a stranger. “And well, you’re just fine the way you are.”
Seven
To him, long moments of silence were quite appreciated and never really left a bad impression on the tomcat. He was a quiet one, always thankful for calmness and peacefulness. Though, it seemed not to be the same thing concerning the other cat as she quickly displayed signs of discomfort. Had she not liked his snort? He probably shouldn't have laughed then. But even though, the tom didn't break eye contact and only kept watching her closely even when she had turned away. How curious, why wasn't she comfortable at watching him in the eyes? It mildly amused him, though it was probably for the best that he kept it to himself. He smiled reassuringly, silently wishing for her not to feel embarrass at all.
And at the mention of his little to no knowledge of his father, Aniu portrayed her surprise quite clearly. He blinked, wondering if it was something strange or unusual. Were all cats supposed to know whom their parents were? He frowned slightly, a little concerned about the subject. Not that it really mattered to him. He loved his mother and shared a strong bond with her. Was he really missing out? But as she spoke, the tom's furry ears perked and he beamed. "Ah, don't sweat it. Alright, I won't," he purred, rubbing a paw over his naked nose. "Thank you so much.. I.. I've never been told that. It.. means a lot, Aniu.." he blushed, giggling softly as he shuffled his paws.
"It-It's getting quite cold," he pointed out, shivering, "Perhaps I should return home. I'm not as.. good with cold temperature as are the others. I guess I have to blame my hairless body.. hehe," he shyly mewed as he looked around, it was really getting cold, and his body was covered in white powder. He shook himself out, then turned to face the she-cat, an awkward smile stretching on his face. "It was.. nice.. meeting you, Aniu. I hope we get to talk again. Hopefully Spring comes soon. We could spend more time together-- if you want.. of course."
Aniu
The tom seemed slightly – what was the word Aniu was looking for? Miffed? Concerned? – Concerned that he didn’t know his father. But his little frown vanished in the blink of an eye, and she found him beaming at her instead. Had she said something right for once? Or maybe he was just weird like her brother Uriel…whichever it was, she welcomed the grin, and she relaxed, grimacing in return. It might not be quite as cheerful of a smile as Seven’s was, but she supposed it would have to do.
“Uh, yeah, no problem – I just…erm, well I just thought you should know,” she laughed awkwardly, unsure how to express her feelings. She had just been stating how she felt, but somehow she didn’t even know how she felt on the matter. She pushed whatever the heck that was away, focusing her attention back on Seven. She was just being stupid.
“O-oh, right! I forgot, sorry. I mean, I didn’t forget...I just didn’t realize.” Aniu lifted her long tail, flicking it across the tom’s back to knock the flurries off it. It didn't do much good seeing as she had been dragging her tail through the snow. Frowning, she gave a shrug; hopefully he would make it back quickly to the warmth of his den. “I guess that wasn’t all that useful.” The tom was visibly shivering now. The she-cat took a step back, taking one last look at Seven before giving her awkward smile. “Y-yeah, it was actually! It was…it was good meeting you,” she chirruped, a feeling of warmth welling in her chest as she realized she had been able to meet someone without getting into a fight. “Spring then…in the Spring, meet me back here – the second the snow melts! I want to see you again sometime when you’re not freezing your ass off.” He voice had a commanding ring to it, and she fixed the tom with a steely look; she was serious. “Go on then – go get warm, Sev!”
Seven
He froze in place as he watched her long fluffy tail get closer, and closer, until he felt her touch on his back in a brush-like motion. He held his breath, not used to being touched at all, but at the same time, unsure of what a proper reaction to this should be. So he just waited awkwardly, his shoulder stiff and so were his legs. As she pointed out the uselessness of her action, Seven let out a sigh, breathing again. "It's no problem, really," he chuckled, using a paw to brush the snow off his shoulder. 'It's the thought that counts..' he purred softly.
At her command, the tom immediately stiffened and threw up his head, his ears perked as he listened obediently to her order. "Ah--right! I'll be here when snow melts. I won't forget, I promise," he gulped, wondering what kind of thing she would do to him if he was to forget. Oh.. he could already imagine. Whenever the powers returned, she'd use his name and control him.. or.. make bugs crawl into his nest or something. The thought alone made the tom cringe. "Uh?--Oh! Yes! Okay. Bye!" he turned around, still straight up and with a 'marching' like walk, he padded off, his eyes wide as he made sure not to get turn back or anything. He was given an order and he was going to follow it!
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Hnn, this was such a fun RP to do! They're both so awkward, but definitely polar opposites on the awkward spectrum - if that's even a thing, hah! Oh my word, but definitely one of the more interesting interactions I've gotten for Aniu. Luckily Seven didn't tell her he was an Earth Triber, pfft...she'll be in for quite a shock if she ever finds out, oops. I'm sorry she was a little rude, Seven!! Thank you for putting up with my spitfire child! TTwTT
Hopefully they'll get to be good friends! I know Aniu's rather pleased with the fact that she actually met someone outside of Shadow Tribe that didn't want her dead on the spot, so she'd definitely keen for Spring to hurry up so she can meet him again. She might be standoffish, but she really does want to have friends...she just sucks major butt at expressing any sort of positive emotion. Anyways, score one for you, Aniu! You made a non-Shadow Tribe cat friend, ahh! <3
And in case it wasn't painfully obvious, the beautiful cover picture is drawn by the one and only Yolly-pie!! She did them so well, lookit those perfect expressions, hnn!! <3 -pets furiously-
Also, lame title is lame. -sobs grossly-
Word count: 3,876 Points to Shadow Tribe!
Aniu (c) DarkNDonuts
Seven & artwork (c) YollerZ
:dev-the-golden-butterfly: (c) ToadFoal, Sycophantism, Tzurai, & Atalae
© 2015 - 2024 Liv-vee
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Oh, getting a new friend, mother is very proud haha!
This was really cute! :'D
Also yes Aniu *flings Tern* go find his sister
This was really cute! :'D
Also yes Aniu *flings Tern* go find his sister