A Young Cat's Wishes...

[Midnightstar]

Kurai padded silently through Thunderclan territory as the sun was climbing, I want to join, but... I can't. He thought sadly. Some cats walked by and Kurai hid himself between some rocks, watching them with jealous green eyes, I wish I could be apart of a clan... It's probably much better than being alone all of the time. The tom sighed as the cats' were out of view and left the sheltered rocks. He stalked between trees and went by his parents' twolegs' home, not wanting to talk to them, but wanting to get away from the clans' territory as to not get caught. After some boredom, the young tom went back to Thunderclan territory and sneaked around some more; watching as some cats hunted. So that's how they hunt? I want to hunt that way!

[ℳintу]

^{†
♂ Catnipcloud.
ThunderClan Warrior
†}

[/sup]

The day was just beginning, and it had already been quite marvelous for a certain ThunderClan warrior. The dark ginger tomcat had woken up from a glorious slumber to find fresh moss by his side. After he escaped the warriors' den, he spotted a very plump vole in the fresh-kill pile - his absolute favorite! Certainly nothing today could go wrong. Midnightstar had been off with some of the other Clan cats on a patrol, or at least that's what he swore he heard. He felt this was a perfect chance to stretch his legs and maybe look for some kill along the way to add to the pile.

As Catnipcloud, as the ginger tomcat was called, crept away from camp he smiled; his nostrils flared from all the many scents of animals around him. Oh yes, this day was going just swell. His body froze for a moment as he swore he heard a movement. Eyes piercing the trees and brush all around him, his breathing slowed into a whisper. Had there been something? He opened his mouth to taste the air, but couldn't smell a mouse or anything of the like nearby. There was a strange, unfamiliar scent nearby, but he couldn't put his paw on what it could be. It didn't smell foul, so it couldn't be a badger or large animal, but it didn't smell like one of the Clan cats either.

He decided to advance toward the noise and smell, senses keen and alert. As his rough paw pad collided with the grasses and leaves on the forest floor there came rustling and breaking noises. He disregarded the sounds; whatever was out here wouldn't scurry away like a mouse from leaves cracking. He saw a faint black figure and had to squint his eyes to see exactly what it could be.

The large tomcat bounded forward, flame-colored fur not camouflaged at all in the undergrowth - but that was least of his concerns at the moment. As he advanced finally, he noticed the black object was another cat - one he had never had the pleasure to meet. It didn't seem hostile, only curious. Careful with each step, Catnipcloud began to walk forward cautiously.

"Why, hello there friend - I don't think we've had the pleasure of meeting," the tomcat meowed politely as he made himself fully visible to Kurai.

[/color][/blockquote][/size]

[Midnightstar]

Kurai's eyes widened, I got found... Not good; but this one seems nice. He thought, he knew that the clan cats could be very vicious from what his parents had told him. The young tom calmly replied, "Greetings. My name is Kurai... I-I was just wondering what clan life is like; I-I wasn't stealing prey or anything!" Stupid! He's going to think I'm guilty or something! He thought, his fur lifting with nervousness and fear.

[ℳintу]

^{†
♂ Catnipcloud.
ThunderClan Warrior
†}

[/sup]

Catnipcloud held his ground as he seized up the opposing tomcat. He was a large tom with fur as black as a raven's feather. He did appear rather tough, but by his posture it would appear he wasn't trying to be threatening. Despite his size, the tomcat seemed to be a bit worried. Catnipcloud's ginger brow frowned at the cat, slightly confused. He had been curious about the Clans? How odd that a non-Clan cat would be curious about their life. As far as he knew, non-Clan cats chose their lifestyles by themselves.

Regardless, Catnipcloud was a highly curious cat and felt he should get down to the bottom of what was really going on.

"So you're not from another Clan?" he meowed, a bit of amusement in his voice. "Kurai, huh?" The ginger tomcat decided to relax his tensed stance and even went far enough to recline back on his haunches into a sitting position.

"Well I would hope you wouldn't be stealing prey. Although, the cats who are always tell us that they aren't," he teased the black tomcat. Of course he believed him because of his body language, but Catnipcloud was a tough tom and liked to tease others.

"Why do you want to know about the Clans?" he asked, somewhat curious. His tone was rather flat and serious, but his green eyes seemed to blaze with a little life. He was proud to be from a Clan, after all.

[/color][/blockquote][/size]

[Midnightstar]

"Well... I've lived with my parents all of my six moons of life, and now they're kittypets. I don't like the idea of being a kittypet and visit them often, but I don't want to live alone." Kurai confessed, looking down at his paws in embarrassment. What's the point in telling my 'story' to this cat? I doubt he really cares; he's probably just trying to get me to say something stupid so he can laugh. The young tom thought, sighing.

[Nothing]

Fleetingthunder remembered how when he was a young kit, he would often disappear from his parents to explore in ThunderClan with his sister. Of course, he didn't know where either his sister or his parents where, and didn't exactly know what happened to them. But that was a long time ago. Back then he was only a couple of moons old, now he was five years old. It was a big change, and a lot of things had happened in his life, he wasn't going to harm Kurai, as he recalled how scary large cats could be. Though yes, being a maine coon, he was quite large himself.

"Catnipcloud," the medicine cat greeted the warrior with a kind flick of his head, "Don't tease him. I'm sure all Kurai wants to do is to join us. It's been a long time since all the "kittypet" prejudice the clans were going on about, so don't you worry. I'm sure we can bring you to Midnightstar if you don't want ThunderClan any harm," the tom looked at Catnipcloud.

[ℳintу]

^{†
♂ Catnipcloud.
ThunderClan Warrior
†}

[/sup]

Catnipcloud shifted his weight on his paws as he sat down in front of the black tomcat. His eyes narrowed slightly, turning into slivers of emerald as he seized the cat up and down once more. He was telling the truth once more, he deduced as he let a teasing purr rip from his throat. Before Catnipcloud could speak back to the black tomcat, his sentence was cut off by a furry cat who suddenly entered the clearing.

Fleetingthunder was ThunderClan's medicine cat, and Catnipcloud respected the elder cat. He did, however, offer a glowering look as Fleetingthunder scolded him lightly about teasing the loner cat. He almost bared his teeth to show his distaste, but instead decided to groom a paw nonchalantly.

"The kittypet prejudice isn't worth nothing," he meowed in a stern voice as he stared at Kurai. "Kittypets are worthless to us - they'll just become a thorn in our side. They take forever to learn anything, and never become as good of warriors as pureblood."

Catnipcloud certainly held a prejudice against all non-Clan cats and anyone of mixed blood. Being a pureblood ThunderClan cat, he held pride in his heritage, and looked down on the other cats, despite what others would think of his opinions. This was who he was, however horrible it may have been.

"… I doubt Midnightstar would want anything to do with him," his meow was almost a hiss for a moment. He didn't mind the rogue cat on their territory, but he didn't want anything to do with Kurai joining the Clan. Of course he'd listen to his leader, but not gladly. "But do whatever you wish."

Catnipcloud sat down on all fours and casually looked away, irritation obvious on his disgruntled maw.

[/color][/blockquote][/size]

[Nothing]

Fleetingthunder gave him an agitated look and turned his attention back to the kit. He never really liked talking to anyone he didn't know or respect, and Catnipcloud didn't fit into either of those categories. If kittypets were so useless, how come so many joined the clans?
"Without thorns, roses would wither and die. No matter where you come from, or what you've done, everyone should be given a second chance. And I think Kurai deserves one too." he smiled gently at Kurai, "Come on, follow me."

[ℳintу]

^{†
♂ Catnipcloud.
ThunderClan Warrior
†}

[/sup]

Catnipcloud growled slightly at the medicine cat's speech, finding it useless. To him, a kittypet was a kittypet; a loner was a loner; and a rogue was a rogue. None of them fit into the perfectly painted picture of a Clan that he held. Didn't the Warrior Code say something about non-Clan cats joining? He really didn't want to have anything more to do about this matter, and began to nip at a fly on his flank angrily.

With a snarl formed on his lips, his golden eyes turned into slits at the medicine cats. He had to calm down though, seeing as Fleetingthunder was a very important cat in the Clan, and Catnipcloud should really try to be more respectful of the cat's opinions. Although he couldn't shake his prejudice, he did retract his growl from earlier and began to calmly lick his paws once more.

His eyes shifted to Kurai, sitting nearby the two ThunderClan cats.

"Well, do you want to meet Midnightstar or not?" he meowed hastily, regret in his voice for joining Fleetingthunder's attempt to bring the rogue to Midnight. He stood up on all fours, flicking his long, ginger tail uncomfortably for the rogue's answer.

[/color][/blockquote][/size]

[Nothing]

The large maine coon's eyes flicked to Catnipcloud and forced down a growl. He was a good warrior, and had always been, ever since Frogfur had mentored him, and the only particular reason for him being a medicine cat was that Doveflight had liked him. He'd been a well-known apprentice before that, and had learnt a lot. Fleetingthunder could probably take down Catnipcloud, the irritable snappy warrior, but he didn't want to sink to that level.
"Watch it," he snarled slightly to Catnipcloud and showed Kurai the way. "Go on, I'll meet you up."
He turned his gaze to the warrior, and his green eyes turned harsh as if an explosion had just occured, "I was once a loner Catnipcloud, and does that give me any less of a right to be here? No, it does not. I see opportunity for Kurai, and if he slips up, he can leave, but it's not fair for you to judge him like this. " He turned his head and walked off, following the way back to the camp.

[Midnightstar]

Kurai stumbled the way that Fleetingthunder had shown him to go. I-I can't believe I'm being taken to the leader! This is going to be awesome! I hope she lets me join! He thought. Kurai stopped and groomed his fluffy fur, not wanting to make a bad impression to the leader. Then he continued on his way.

Midnightstar padded lazily out of her den, her black pelt shining in the sun. I think I'll go hunting! She thought, turning toward the camp entrance. Her green eyes widened as a black cat walked through the entrance. She stopped, He doesn't smell like a clan cat, and I've never seen him before.. She thought, assuming this cat was a tom. "Hello; what business have you on my clan's territory? And in our camp?" She asked, her voice strong.

[˚Reason˚]

(OOC: I'm just going to stuff Stormy in here for no real reason xD Sorry)

Stormywind was chewing slowly on a thrush bone, his olive green eyes staring blankly at a leaf on a distant tree. He was, as usual, sitting by his lonesome by the far side of the ThunderClan camp clearing near the entrance tunnel. He had just gotten back from a hunting patrol that had quickly left him behind and left to his own devices.

The creamy tom sigh to himself and glanced around the clearing for any other cat that may bother him before dragging his prey a little more into the sunlight. The bright rays illuminated the faint tabby markings on his pelt and warmed the pink skin underneath. The tom closed his eyes happily and let out a purr of comfort. This is what he enjoyed most of his day, fresh prey in his jaws and the sun on his pelt warming him from the outside in. The ThunderClan warrior finished off his meal just as a group of cats entered the camp.

Stormywind instantly was on his paws at the scent of an outsider; he couldn't recognize any clan smell on him at all. Stormywind blinked his eyes curiously, moving out of the way of the cats, his eyes stuck on the black tom with green eyes.

Stromywind's ears lowered as he caught sight of Catnipcloud and Fleetingthunder; he was always this cautious around his clan mates due to their regular negative interactions with him. Stormywind grabbed his thrush and backed up cautiously even more when Midnightstar approached the new cat. Stormywind tried to slink back into the shadows as not to be noticed.

[ℳintу]

^{†
♂ Catnipcloud.
ThunderClan Warrior
†}

[/sup]

Catnipcoud narrowed his eyes at the medicine cat, a slight flame in his golden orbs. He certainly hadn't been the one to allow Fleetingthunder into the Clan, but then again Fleetingthunder had been older than him. He didn't know Fleetingthunder's circumstances for joining the Clan, but he knew they must have been good. Even though he was biased, non-Clan cats couldn't be trusted. No one would know if one was lying just to get close and then terrorize the Clan. There are so many things that could go wrong by allowing a cat from the outside on the inside. This was the main reason Catnipcloud had been biased against non-Clan cats from the start. He knew he couldn't fully trust them no matter what, and so a part of him wanted to revolt against them.

Catnipcloud growled as Fleetingthunder left, eyes still blazing as he trotted along after him, but in a slightly different direction. He didn't feel like arguing with the cat today. There were few cats who saw it his way, he knew, and he would often growl and move on - everything else was pointless.

The dark ginger tomcat approached the camp from the side as Kurai and Fleetingthunder appeared before Midnightstar.

"I'm not exactly sure, Midnightstar," the tomcat meowed gruffly, but with a slight smirk. "It appears he thinks he's free to roam around on his own free will, being he's not from any Clan - or so he says."

Catnipcloud was still angry about earlier, and didn't feel like taking the time to make the situation easier on Kurai at the moment. But that's the kind of impulsive cat he was.

His mind reeling at the moment, his eyes darted around the clearing until he saw Stormywind - yet another non-Clan born cat. Stormywind had come to ThunderClan earlier for his own reasons, and Catnipcloud had not minded him a great deal - probably because at the time he had other things to ponder about. Stormywind had always been a bit oddly placed within the Clan. Not many other cats cared for him, and he was often alone. This had always made Catnipcloud a bit worried, but Stormywind had appeared to be one of the few non-Clan cats with good intentions, so he didn't think too much into it. Especially when around Midnightstar herself, Catnipcloud would not bring up or make his bias clear. With a slight dip of his ginger head, he offering a shallow greeting to Stormywind before turning his attention back at the rogue. His tail lashed back and forth relentlessly.

[/color][/blockquote][/size]

[Midnightstar]

"Hmmm... And why were you on our territory?" Midnightstar asked, her green eyes focused on Kurai, though she heard what Catnipcloud said.

"I-I...." Kurai shifted his paws nervously, What do I say? She's not going to believe me when I tell her that I never stole any prey... I have to stop doing that; when I say that it brings attention to the subject and thus makes it less believable... The tom was now gone into his thoughts.

"Hello? Why were you on Thunderclan's territory?" When Midnightstar got no answer, she sighed, "Leave. If you want answer my questions then I want you gone."

Kurai shook himself, clearly embarrassed. "No! Please no! I-I just..." I have to say it! But it's hard... He looked down at his paws, not knowing what to say or do at that moment.

[Nothing]

Fleetingthunder felt pity for the cat and spoke up on his behalf, "He was found on the territory, Midnightstar. I believe he wants to join. It's true, rogues will be rogues, but he is only a young cat, I doubt he could do much harm. At the least we can let him stay for a while, and if he doesn't do well, he can go and never come back."