'Ello Mate [Skyfire]

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Maplefrost strode into the warriors' den at sunset, holding a plump trout between her teeth. Grinning, she tossed the prey toward her ragged nest before settling down and taking a bite of it. She'd been a bit more active in doing things for the Clan recently, including hunting.

Yet this fish was a tad big for her; she decided to share it if possible. No sense in wasting prey and getting a bellyache from it. Glancing around the space, her eyes lighted on the form of a cat. "Hey there!" the tortoiseshell called. "Feel like sharing a meal over here?"

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My ears twitched as I began to lay down. I stopped for a moment and looked around. Who was-oh, a tortoiseshell was staring straight at me. I stood up again and saw that she had a fish, a trout. Fish was alright, but my favorite was squirrel. I guess you could say it was inherited. I walked over to the she-cat, dipping my head in respect before sitting down next to her. It would be rather curious to see how she would react to my scars that inhabited my body. Probably wouldn't say anything. She looked rather experienced.

"I wouldn't mind munching on something. I'm Skyfire, by the way," I mewed, glancing up at her to see if she would recognize the name.

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Whoooaaa, a nod of respect? That was pretty rare around here. She immediately took a liking to this polite kitty. Maple's gaze skimmed over his scars, briefly taking in all of them. Looked like he'd been in quite a few little skirmishes, but hey, who hadn't? She herself had been in more than a few battles, some of them with other animals and cats from other Clans, others with her own Clanmates. Hey, an enemy was an enemy in her eyes.

Grinning as he came over, she nudged the fish toward Skyfire as an invitation. "Nice to meet you, mate. I feel like I've seen your face, but I guess I never really talked to you, eh? My name's Maplefrost."

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Maplefrost? Oh, jeez, I've heard plenty about this she-cat, whether it was from the younger warriors griping about her, or the elders having a bout. I smiled slightly and twitched my half-tail. I liked her smile. It seemed...welcoming and warm. It had been a long time since I had gotten a smile like that. I angled my ears forward, slightly surprised that I had gotten a smile out of her.

"I've heard plenty about you, ma'am. And...I've been around. Assuming that we're about to eat fish, I see you as a fish kind of cat? They are rather delicious, but hard to catch. Did you catch this yourself?" I asked her, making an effort at small talk.

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Maple got the sense that Skyfire hadn't had a good friend for a while, judging by his reaction. She couldn't understand it. He was mature, and that impressed the Maine Coon. What was wrong with the Clan? No one deserved to feel left out, and judging by his old wounds, he hadn't gotten the better of life.

"Oh, so I guess I'm getting well-known," the female purred happily. It was nice to know that she wasn't being forgotten as she aged. "I am indeed a fish lover," came her chirped reply to the query. "Sometimes birds, voles, and the like are just fine, but there's nothing like a fresh trout. I caught this one a little while ago. The prey sure is running, wouldn't you agree?"

She licked her lips, nibbling at the prey and crunching on a fragile bone. "Feel free to have some, I can't possibly eat the whole lot by myself."

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"I can't take a step out of the camp without tripping over a mouse," I joked, feeling more at ease. I finally laid down, my legs giving in. With a small sniff to the scales, I took a small bite out of the fish, as if I had never had any. I stifled a moan of pure delight as the flavors washed over my taste buds. My tail curled and I smiled lightly.

"This might be the best fish I have ever tasted. You seem to have quite a nose for the good meat," I complimented and reached forward, taking another bite of the scaly creature.

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Her smile actually got brighter at the joke. "Oh, with this weather, I'm half convinced that I could just lay down in the middle of camp and wait for the prey to run right into my jaws." A laugh bubbled at her lips, and her whiskers gave a few amused twitches. It was always pretty nice to run into a cat with a decent sense of humor.

Happily munching on some more fish, she kept half an eye on Skyfire when he tasted it. "Thanks much!" the older cat meowed, eyes bright. "I've got almost too much time on my paws for hunting; they don't teach techniques to the apprentices now like they used to back in my day. I suppose all that certainly helps." Ears angled toward the tom, she savored more of the meat.