Ready, Set, Go! [open]

[Stream]

Stream walked out of his den that he had decided to settle in, stretching. The blue-gray tom had recently joined in with the group called DeathClan. When he came to join, he was, somehow, made a Royalty. Hmm. I wonder why the leader decided to give me a high title. The tom shrugged before continuing to walk away from the den area, making his way to the river. 

Once he reached the river, Stream crouched beside it, his pink tongue lapping at the cool surface. He swallowed a mouthful of water before lifting his head, hearing paw steps.

"Hmm? Who's there?"

[Artemis]

It was a little-known fact that Artemis wasn't fond of swimming, or water in general unless she was drinking it. Her deaf ear put her at enough of a disadvantage, and in truth, ever since a near-drowning incident before she was even a moon old, she'd been wary of any measure of water more than a few inches deep.

The same went for the river. She usually avoided it when she wasn't thirsty or needed to clean up for some reason or another. Even then, she always stuck close to the banks.

Thus, the warm day found her walking in the direction of the river. Lost in thought, Artemis didn't pick up on the presence of anyone else until she picked up on a scent. An unfamiliar one. Before she could register any surprise, a voice came with it.

She paused before taking a few steps closer, enough to see who it was. A young cat, a tom by the looks of it. Most likely new.

"Ah...hello," Artemis said. "Apologies if I startled you. My name is Artemis. What is yours?"

[Stream]

Stream turned his head to see a cat, a she-cat that was probably much older than him. The blue cat flicked his ears once at her greeting before giving her a small incline with his head. "It is alright. I just didn't expect to have company." He paused as she introduced herself, giving a nod. "Stream. Nice to meet you, Artemis. I take it you are part of DeathClan, correct?" He didn't want to start off his time in his new home with making an enemy out of someone.

The tom's head turned back to the murky water, his yellow gaze stuck on the cool splashes that would hit the shore. Has water always been so dark? He lifted his head to look at the sky, gray with clouds. It looked like it would rain later. A small breeze blew, and Stream gave a shiver.

"It's not a bright day. Looks like a storm is brewing," he murmured, mainly to himself.

[Artemis]

Artemis nodded slowly. "Yes. And I assume you are, as well?" she replied. Stream. She'd heard that name before, hadn't she? Someone with that name had been a friend of Drought's...

She studied Stream. Now that she thought about it, he did look familiar. Just a little. She couldn't be sure; she'd never been personally acquainted with Stream herself.

Artemis came up to stand a bit apart from him, so as to give him personal space while she lapped up some water from the stream. Not a lot, but enough to quench her thirst.

She looked up as he spoke, following his gaze to the sky. Artemis's good ear twitched. "Hm, you're right. Do you have a den to stay in if it does rain?"

[Stream]

Stream nodded. "Yes. Recently joined, in fact, but it seems that I have already been promoted to a Royalty? Does this always happen?" he questioned Artemis, tilting his head. Stream could almost feel her gaze scanning him as she took her time to study him. He blinked once before she went to take a drink.

The younger tom waited for her to finish her drink. Then, she spoke about the weather he had pointed at. He followed her gaze to the clouds again. "I do. I recently claimed a cozy den. If it starts to get really bad, you may stay if you'd like." That may have been an odd sounding offer, but he was trying to be kind to Artemis. Perhaps he could become an ally.

"What's it like around here? I feel like I've been here before, but I can't quite put my mind on it."

[Artemis]

The white-and-gray cat gave a shrug of her shoulders, briefly swiping her tongue around her jaw to lick away spare water. "Not often, but it can occur with those that the promoter is in favor of," she replied serenely. "I take it you know Drought?"

She posed the last question carefully, watching Stream to see if there was any recognition in his face at Drought's name.

At his offer, Artemis waved it away with her tail tip. "Oh, no, it's alright. My den isn't far from here, but thank you for offering."

She paused at his question, surprised. If it was who she was starting to think it was, then...did this mean he had lost his memories? Had he truly forgotten DeathClan?

"It's not for the faint of heart," she said, deciding not to beat around the bush. "You either stay or are chased out, or killed in the worst case-scenario. You may have allies, but you ultimately rely on yourself. We don't have leeches here in DeathClan. Of course...we have a reputation for cruelty, in the Clans, but cruelty and strength are not synonymous. However, that does not mean treatment is not harsh at times.

"Normally, newcomers must depend on kinder, more welcoming members for support before they can be accepted as full members, but since you've been made royalty already, that's different. You're very lucky, Stream. Royalty have privileges here; they're not elites who have to do special work for Drought, but they're more highly regarded than the peasants."

She took a breath. "Overall, if you work hard, and do as you're told, you'll be fine here. Allies usually aren't too hard to make, unless you're dealing with seniors or elites. That's something else entirely."