Hushed Voices [Private]

[Deleted]

| For @cynhere1 |

Greenleaf was quickly arriving in DeathClan's forests and swamps. Although the thick canopy of pine needles prevented most of the sunlight from reaching the ground, it was still getting uncomfortably warm and humid. Drought sighed as he sat on one of the roots near the entrance to his den, hoping that a brisk breeze would spring up and cool his fur. He'd been out hunting earlier that day. A dead crow lay just inside his den. It wasn't as warm in the underground den, which would prevent the meat from spoiling too quickly.

The leader happened to be waiting for someone. He had summoned a promising youngling to meet him at his den. It wasn't often that someone so young would catch his eye, but this one seemed different. If all went well, Mumble's social status could easily be bumped up.

Drought's nose twitched when he detected cat-scent drifting into the small clearing around his tree. The black-and-white tom hopped off his perch and nosed inside his den, grasping one of the crow's wings with his sharp teeth in order to drag it out into the open.

He gave a small smile when the bushes rustled, and called out to the feline at the edge of the clearing.

"Ah, greetings. I was starting to think that you weren't coming."

[Deleted]

Walk like you own the place    because you just might   Talk like you want a fight BECAUSE YOU REALLY DO When Mumble had heard that Drought wanted to see him he was sure he was getting kicked out of Deathclan. He wasn't sure why, and he didn't do anything wrong really, well nothing wrong for Deathclan that is, but he was sure of it, that was really the only reason the leader might want to see him. Well, the only reason that was plausible to him. So Mumble thought about just leaving Deathclan on his own. He didn't need to lose and ear, but he wouldn't let that stop him. Mumble set off from his den to go to the leader's. He steeled himself for the possibility that it might be the last time he saw his little abode. He could deal with it. He dealt with everything. Mumble tried to look big. He wondered if he was getting kicked out because he was small. That was possible. So if Drought wanted big then he would be big. He wouldn't be scared just because he might lose and ear, he'd deal with things. Finally Mumble reached the clearing where Drought's den was. He took one final deep breath to calm his nerves and pushed through the bushes with his head held high. When Drought's voice answered his arrival and Mumble laughed a little. "I thought about it." He answered back. What was the point in lying? Mumble padded closer to Drought and peeked at the crow that he seemed to had. Mumble thought about getting all his questions out of the way now, but that would make him seem like a silly kit, which he was, but he couldn't let the leader of Deathclan know that. [ notes ] yay hello ❤

[Deleted]

Although the older tom had partially been joking when he'd spoken, he was surprised to hear what the youngling had to say. Intimidation was important for any leader of DeathClan, but Drought hadn't intended to worry Mumble too much. "Too frightened to properly meet me, hmm?" he grinned.

"Well, I didn't call you here to flay you," Drought continued in a mildly upbeat tone. Snagging the crow once again with his claws, he pushed it forward. "No, you're here because you show promise. The majority of the Clan's population is quite stereotypical - rogues or loners, or even kittypets, who decided that they wanted to be a part of something EVUUULLLL." He rolled his eyes at this. "Really, the lot of them could stand to be a bit more intelligent. You, on the other paw... are different."

The scarred tom bent to take a bite of the crow, tail-tip twitching. With a lick of his lips, he nodded at Mumble. "Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself? Feel free to eat some of this while we talk."

[Deleted]

Walk like you own the place    because you just might   Talk like you want a fight BECAUSE YOU REALLY DO Mumble shrugged. He supposed he had been scared, but who wouldn't be if the leader of the ruthless clan you were a part of suddenly wanted to meet them. At least Mumble had showed up instead of running for the hills. So he waited and Drought's next words put his nerves at ease, although not much. He wasn't going to lose an ear, that was a relief. Although one could never completely relax in Deathclan, that was when you really got your hide skinned. As the leader continued talking Mumble was baffled. He showed promise? He had just been trying to get good at things. Without a mentor of any kind Mumble had been basically just learning things on his own. The fact that he was different from other cats in the clans didn't surprise him, but different in a good way? Different enough that the leader would summon him? He wasn't really sure about that. Then Drought asked him to describe himself. Mumble flicked his tail as he tried to think of an accurate description of himself. "I suppose I just try my best. I learn to do things and then I put them into action, or more likely I learn them in action." He chuckled to himself a little and then took a tentative bite of the dead crow. He chewed it and swallowed. He watched Drought for some sort of a reaction to what he had just said. Good or bad really.  Mumble needed to be ready for anything that might happen. [ notes ] Mumble's a little freaked out ❤

[Deleted]

In all honesty, Drought wasn't the sort of cat who meticulously pondered every action. Sure, for important things like controlling the Clans, he had spent countless nights lying awake in his nest and planning... however, it was occasionally nice to act on impulse. It was growing common for the leader to take a special interest in a smart youngling every so often. Perhaps it wasn't "fair" for someone to receive special opportunities due to a spur-of-the-moment action, but this was DeathClan, where absolutely thrived.

Shooting another cheshire smirk at the peasant, the American Shorthair tore off another piece of meat. His damaged ears stayed angled toward Mumble in order to listen. "Yes... and sadly, many DeathClanners your age don't make an attempt to learn. They assume that they're the very best, just because they've joined the group that lives to antagonize the Clans." He spat scornfully.

"Tell you what. You're a clever little cat. I imagine you're capable of listening and gathering information without babbling your face off. I have some enemies here... and if you're willing to keep an eye on them, I'd be more than happy to compensate for your efforts."

[Deleted]

Walk like you own the place    because you just might   Talk like you want a fight BECAUSE YOU REALLY DO Then grin that Drought gave Mumble was hard to read. On one hand it made him look a little insane, and on the other hand it was a smile, so that had to be good. Right? Mumble wasn't very adept at reading expressions yet, but he'd learn. Then Drought stated that some cats his age thought they were the very best and his mind went to a cat he had met a while ago. She had thought she was the very best and it had been very annoying. Mumble decided he'd try not to be like that. He knew he had many faults and he was working to fix them, but nobody could ever be perfect and that included him. As Mumble continued listening to Drought his interest continued to spike. Keep an eye on Drought's enemies? Compensation? Mumble wrapped his tail around his paws as he tried to think of the good and bad things that might come from watching Drought's enemies. On one paw if they were enemies of Drought then they were obviously dangerous, but on the other paw he didn't want to turn down the leader and he also wanted to figure out what the reward was. "Yeah sure. I think I could do it. Who are these enemies?" Mumble decided that he could most likely handle himself if it came down to a fight, it was what he was best at after all. Mumble thought about what he would have to do. It seemed easy enough. Keep an eye on the cats that Drought was unsure of. Get information from them, and then most likely report back to Drought himself, or maybe another cat that Drought trusted. Mumble would try to do it, if only to get on Drought's good side. [ notes ] no notes ❤

[Deleted]

Clearly quite pleased by Mumble's acceptance of the task, the scarred tom finished eating his share of the crow and sat up straight in order to begin grooming.

"I've gained quite a few over the moons, with many having opposed me since before I took over as leader. Of course, some of them are gone now, but we've still got enough to work with. Strike is the most tenacious. She's quick with her tongue, but not as strong in actual combat. Right now, though, she's a guard... so don't bother trying to find her until she's back in DeathClan. Same goes for Onyx. He's young and stupid, but just pesky enough to stay on my radar." Drought lapped at a paw and drew it over his forehead as he gave the youngling a chance to digest that information.

"Now, on to the cats that you can start watching right away. I haven't seen Saphira recently, but I doubt she's left DeathClan. If you see her, keep an eye on her. Galaxy should still be hanging around. He's a former Elite, and an absolute idiot in battle. Start with him. Go out and collect information; if it seems like he's plotting anything against me, feign interest in helping him take the throne." Pausing briefly to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, the leader blinked at Mumble.

"Got all that? As soon as you discover anything useful, come and report back here. Good luck."

Having dismissed the little spy, Drought twisted around to groom his flank.

| Feel free to PM me if you need anything, but this thread's basically over. |