Wild Black Rose

[✖-- nyx]

Grey eyes vigilant, the black she-cat walked past Twolegplace, following the scent of Clan cats. Ebonyrose remembered that this part of the territory belonged to some Clan... probably Windclan because of the rabbits she spotted hopping into a bush. Rabbits... Ebonyrose was hungry, but she knew that hunting on Clan territory would get her into trouble. She sighed.

[Ink Kiss]

On days like these, there wasn't much else to do then lay out in the sun. She would much rather have been visiting a neighbor cat, or walking the streets -although she never strayed too far from home- with a friend. But one of the cats was being boarded, since her family had gone on vacation. And the other was sick. It seemed like he was always sick. But there wasn't anything she could do about that. And as always, her people had left for the day, bound to return before the sun dipped behind the trees. Ophelia leaped up to balance on the white picket fence that enclosed her yard, before leaping down to the other side. She stood still a moment, watching, listening, feeling, for anything that should not have been. But all was as it should be, to her knowledge, and so she laid down, stretching out on the already warm ground, letting the sun warm her coat. She crossed her front paws, and laid her head on them with a sigh. Her ears remained pricked for any sound of danger. She never knew when the little people would find it pleasing to let out their dog to roam the street, licking and eating everything in it's path. Cats were never safe from the wretched thing's slobbering tongue.

[✖-- nyx]

Ebonyrose's stomach hurt painfully. She hadn't eaten for days, and there wasn't prey around that was not in a Clan's territory. I guess I should just go back towards Twolegplace. There might be some decent prey over there that isn't taken by the forest cats... she thought ruefully as she padded tiredly back towards Twolegplace.

The sun was at its apex in the sky when the beautiful black she-cat reached her destination. She stopped to sniff the air for the familiar prey-scent. Nothing here, she thought. She padded a little farther down the trail, and spotted a fluffy cream-colored kittypet sunning herself on the ground. She did not look particularly dangerous; so Ebonyrose decided that she could trust this she-cat not to attack. "Hello," she mewed wearily. "I'm Ebonyrose. Have you seen any prey around here, by chance?"

[Ink Kiss]

The weary sound of a cat's voice surprised Ophelia. Who would be out? She opened her eyes, sitting up, to look at the cat. Puzzlement filled her eyes and she tilted her head slightly to the side before she answered. "Hello...Ebonyrose. I'm Ophelia. Are you new here?" Ophelia asked, her voice warm, and without a trace of wariness or hostility. Ebonyrose. What a funny sort of name. Ophelia took a moment to separate the name, to try to get the meaning from it, and was pleased to realize that a black rose did indeed resemble the pretty black she-cat. But as Ophelia's eyes flickered over the she-cat's pelt, she was a bit bothered to find her slimmer then she thought healthy. "I'm afraid I don't understand what you're seeking. Prey? But you look rather hungry. I have food I could share with you." She offered, standing, her tone and posture indicating hope that the she-cat would take her up on that offer. Now, she found her rounded belly more bother then joy, but she quickly took back the thought, telling herself that the arrival of the kits would easily make up for the discomfort of carrying them.

[✖-- nyx]

The black she-cat smiled in relief as she saw that Ophelia wasn't going to attack. "I suppose I am new here," she meowed quickly. "What kind of food do you have? I'm really hungry!"

[Ink Kiss]

Ophelia let out a soft, pleased purr, as the she-cat accepted her offer. "Dry food. Not the canned kind." She told the she-cat, as she turned, leaping up onto the white picket fence, and back down on the other side. She trotted up the path, and then up onto the porch, motioning with her nose towards the food and water dishes. "There you are." She purred happily.

"I've already eaten, so have as much as you'd like." She meowed warmly. She was rather lucky. Some cats had some awful tasting dry food. But her's was pleasant, and held some flavor to it. Of course though, it was all she had ever known, so how could she possibly be dissatisfied with it?

She took a moment to examine the ebony she-cat, marveling at the beauty that the slim cat withheld. "I hadn't seen anyone moving lately. Were did your family move in?" She asked, settling down again calmly.

[✖-- nyx]

Ebonyrose leapt over the ivory colored fence as well. "Thank you so much, Ophelia," She mewed gratefully. "I really appreciate you doing this for me." She padded quickly towards the dishes and began to eat happily. "Oh, I don't live here. I'm what the forest cats would call a loner or a rogue. I don't belong to any clan anymore, and I don't have any housefolk," she explained as she enjoyed the taste of the food. "I just travel wherever I want to, and whenever I want. Sometimes I go back to the Clans for a while, to visit my friends and family."

[Ink Kiss]

"Oh, it's my pleasure. Really." She purred pleasantly, her tail-tip flicking idly as she listened to the she-cat speak. Although she listened politely, her puzzlement increased with nearly ever word. No housefolk? So she was a stray? What an awful sort of life! Ophelia paused a moment to think, before she spoke, once Ebonyrose had fallen silent. "Forest cats?" She asked curiously. Ebonyrose certainly had an odd way of speaking. Forest cats? What was she talking about? And what was a clan?

[✖-- nyx]

Ebonyrose saw Ophelia's confusion. "Oh, there are cats who live in the forest over there," she mewed, pointing east with her tail. "They have four Clans, ShadowClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and ThunderClan. Each Clan has a leader, deputy, and medicine cat. The warriors are the other cats who aren't queens, kits, apprentices, or elders. The queens are she-cats expecting or nursing kittens." She hoped her explanation would clear things up. "The Clan cats all live by a warrior code," She meowed.

[Ink Kiss]

As the she-cat spoke, of cats living in the nearby forest, and of how they lived, and the ranks they used, Ophelia's head tilted to the side, her eyes wide in astonishment. Cats in the forest?! But why? It was.. awful out there! It was cold in leaf-bare... and hot in green-leaf! "Why would they ever do that?" She asked, her tone much more horrified and distasteful then she had meant for it to be. She simply couldn't understand! "And.. whatever do they eat?" She asked. It was simply bizarre to live like that!

"And she-cats have their kits out there?! It's so dangerous! And where do they stay?" She asked, her anxious voice raised a bit higher then it usually was. It seemed like such an awful life! Without realizing, her tail swept along her rounded side. She would never condemn her kits to such a terrible life! Why would she, when they could be loved and cared for in a wonderful home like her own? With her spinning thoughts, and not very keen senses anyway, she didn't even notice the forest tom that had ventured too close to her yard for her to usually be comfortable with. But this was a very unordinary day, and her thoughts were distracted with these bizarre wonderments about these cats that Ebonyrose claimed made a home in the forest.

[✖-- nyx]

"The Clan cats catch their own prey. Each Clan has a variety of prey in their territories, for example, ShadowClan has snakes, frogs, and voles, and ThunderClan has squirrels and mice," Ebonyrose replied quickly. "The queens live in a large den called the nursery while they're expecting or nursing. Personally, I really don't know what it's like in the nursery, since I've never had kits." She sighed. "I wish I could, but most of the toms are rather... revolting." She laughed in spite of herself.

The soft breeze bore a strange scent through the air, a scent Ebonyrose recognized. ThunderClan. She glanced at Ophelia. "I think I smell ThunderClan... Do you mind if I check it out?" Clan cats rarely came around these parts of the region.

[Ink Kiss]

Ophelia's mental recoil was only slightly visible as the she-cat named off 'prey'. Snakes? Frogs, voles, squirrels? How.. horrendous! She couldn't imagine killing one of the chattering squirrels that ran through her yard occasionally, much less eating one of the cheery things. Or the slimy green frogs that appeared under the flower bushes. How awful!

She gave a half-hearted purr at Ebonyrose's words about toms. "I should think they would be terribly revolting, living like that. I don't suppose the she-cats would be much better. But you look rather nice, even if you do come from there." She assured, not wanting to offend the she-cat, even though in all honesty she was very pretty.

At the she-cat's words, Ophelia tilted her head to one side curiously. She sniffed in a very deep breath, but didn't smell anything out of place. A few cat-smells, the smells of the nearby forest, the smells of the flowers in her yard, her food, and -of course- Ebonyrose. "Go ahead. Just.. try not to break anything." She said, as politely as she could. Some of her less polite visitors had broken flowerpots, flower stems, and other numerous things, which she had obviously taken the blame for.

[✖-- nyx]

ooc|| I'm done with Ophelia's pic, sorry it took so long.

[✖-- nyx]

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[atrb=background,http://i1040.photobucket.com/albums/b401/soulstalker45/violet-spacer.png] Grey eyes alight, Ebonyrose nodded to Ophelia, and slipped out of the yard without speaking. Her eyes took a few moments to adjust to the bright sunlight, looking around, she spotted a shadowy silhouette at the end of the path. Quietly, the dark rogue crept slowly towards it. Getting closer, Ebonyrose realized it was a large, dappled tom, most likely Thunderclan from the scent. She cleared her throat loudly. "Excuse me, but why are you here, and who the Dark Forest are you? Aren't Clan cats supposed to keep to their own territories?" She meowed in that sharp, feminine voice of hers. Narrowing her eyes, Ebonyrose sized up the tom. He had a mottled, medium-short pelt and deep, clear green eyes. He was rather large and had muscular legs. "Aren't you the former kittypet?" She mewed. "Rowancrow?" word count; 137 tags; ebonyrose, rowancrow, ophelia music; careful - by paramore

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[✖-- nyx]

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[atrb=background,http://i1040.photobucket.com/albums/b401/soulstalker45/violet-spacer.png] Ebonyrose smiled enigmatically. "I have... friends in the Clans," she mewed softly. Sitting up straight, she began to groom herself. "So why are you here?" The black rogue repeated. "I haven't seen Clan cats here in ages." Stopping to lick her front paws, she continued, "I thought they only came here for herbs, but you don't look like a medicine cat to me." Finishing her grooming, Ebonyrose stared at him curiously. He had fine muscles and a fierce glint in his eye. Definitely not a medicine cat. She turned to gaze at the lake. She hadn't set paw there since she had left Shadowclan. Sighing, Ebonyrose shifted back to face Rowancrow. word count; 115 music; hard - by rihanna tags; ebonyrose, rowancrow