avi kaplan, please. just please. (p)

[Deleted]

Eli

Mitch paced his own living space, which was in the loft of the barn. A flash of green eyes behind a large board leaning against the maroon wall, and Mitch was exiting out of a large slant. His tail quivered slightly as he maneuvered his way across one of the top boards, carefully making sure he didn't get a nail stuck in his paw. The last time that happened, he had to pull it out with his teeth.

His mouth suddenly gained the taste of coppery metal, and Mitch nearly threw up. Spitting down at the floor beneath him, Mitch scowled at the memory of blood gushing from his paw. He was lucky the cut hadn't gotten infected. That didn't matter, since he spent days licking his paw thoroughly and a failed attempt at wrapping it in ferns. He snorted at the memory, before curling up on one of the boards that extended from the main one.

He was lucky he found a group to be in, in fact.

[Eli]

Eli didn't live in the barn, though many members of his group did. He preferred to live alone,mever since DeathClan at least. Though he doubted Drought missed him up in Darkpool, the tabby tom missed the guy. He hadn't thought of him as a friend, exactly, but an acquaintance. And he had respected the patched tom. And now the group had been split up.

However, since the rogue agreed with the ideas of groups supporting each other, he had decided to join the group of loners that called themselves the Rovers. And, he'd already made his way to the top—well, second to the top. 

The fluffy cat walked into the barn to escape from the rain. Though he didn't live there, he often visited the barn to check up on the group and because he simply liked the structure—not to mention that it was a good source of food. The tom blinked the rain out of his eyes, waiting until they adjusted to the dark before greeting someone not too far away. "Hello."

[Deleted]

Mitch blinked a dizzying fog from his eyes, and like the shadows did with sunlight, they shied away and his vision was suddenly clear. The chocolate brown tomcat looked a little startled, his wide green eyes making him gain a deer-in-the-headlights expression. Then he blushed slightly at the sight of the.. second in charge, was it? Hmm.. struggling to remember his name, Mitch couldn't remember for the life of himself.

" Hello there, " the tomcat mewed rather pleasantly, and at that moment, the loner decided her would have a rather cheerful attitude. No matter what attitudes other cats were in, he decided to have a rather enthusiastic day. " How's it going? "

[Eli]

As his eyes adjusted to the dark, Eli noticed a rather surprised look on the brown tomcat's face. Huh. I'm really that surprising, eh? He smiled just a bit, but it was almost invisible in the gloomy barn. Instead of speaking, he waited patiently for the other cat to say something. Hello there. Eli dipped his head in greeting, his fluffy tail stirring slightly. "Hi, hi," he said again, quickly, as if he was trying to get past the subject. 

"Hm. That depends—do you want an honest answer or the one most people expect—it's going fine?" He inquired curiously, tilting his head to the side. "And for you....?" He seemed he couldn't remember the other's name. Or, rather, he'd never known it. So, he left the end of his question blank for the tom to fill in. The Second-in-Command hadn't gotten around to speaking with many of the Rovers. In fact, the only cat he knew by name was Blue. Perhaps it would be good to speak to some of them. 

[Deleted]

Mitch blinked at the tomcat, feeling his face warm slightly as he observed the handsome lynx point. Blushing embarrassedly, and avidly trying not to make eye contact with Eli, Mitch glanced around. He was trying to remain casual as he did so, though he did shift slightly and get to his paws. " Err, the honest answer. " he replied distractedly, still feeling his blush. Trying to remain focused, Mitch zeroed in on a ladybug that was scuttling it's way up the nearest windowsill.

" And I'm Mitch. " He turned to Eli, facing the tomcat with widened, vivid green eyes. Then he smiled sheepishly. " I can't recall your name. Might I ask of yours? All I remember is that I was told we had a Second In Command and that he was pretty.. big. " Mitch felt his face flame hotter and he ducked his head embarrassedly. He knew he had a loose tongue, and he always made.. double insinuations as well.

[Eli]

Eli sat down, curling his tail around his paws. He smiled again, but this time it stayed there as the other cat look awkwardly away, focusing on a ladybug. "Alright, the honest answer." He fell silent for a moment, thinking how to go about this. "Mm, not so well," he fell silent again before going on, "I'm not used to this." He motioned around the room. He'd always been a lowly peasant in DeathClan until he became Royalty—but even then he'd never been as high positioned as he was now. And it was organized so differently. "To being, well, second-in-command." He chuckled. 

He he kept his answer sort of vague, not wanting to give too much about himself away on a whim. "Mitch," he repeated, ingraining it in his memory for future use. "And why were you named such a thing?" He watched Mitch with intent, blue eyes as the tom began to speak, the smile returning. "Big, hm? Shall I take that as a compliment or..." he glanced down at his stomach, "and insult." Eli flicked his tail in amusement. "The name's Eli."

[Deleted]

Mitch glanced over to the tomcat, ears twitching lightly. His face still burned pretty hot, and he listened quietly to the tomcat's honest answer. Then he began to answer quietly. " I don't think anyone is, actually. " Mitch's voice was quiet. " I grew up in Kittypet Place, where it's really dangerous. I came out here for a peace of mind actually. To get away from.. the dangerous situations there are. " Mitch's voice had hardened slightly, though at the last sentence, a semblance of guilt could be heard. He shook his head lightly.

" But yeah. " Mitch resumed being cheerful. " Everyone isn't used to being in a large group. We've had a surplus of members joining. " He glanced upwards, flicking his tail lightly and looking kind of thoughtful. Mitch was pretty open about his life, but he had a deep secret that only himself, and well.. the deceased party knew. " And- huh? " Mitch looked briefly confused. Why was he named Mitch? " Er, I don't know actually. I picked it at random, I guess. " He cocked his head slightly, though he ducked his head again, face burning brighter. " It was a compliment, I swear! " the tomcat mewed, looking rather frantic as he flailed backwards and nearly hit his head. " And, er, it's nice to know your name I guess. "

[Eli]

Eli tilted his head slightly. "Oh?" He asked softly, his voice curious. Was it possible that the others felt the same way? He blinked as Mitch began to speak, his fluffy ears perking at the sound of his voice. The Kittypet Place, dangerous? He had come to the conclusion long ago, after running into a few of the kittypets, that the cats there were pampered and taken care of. "You were a kittypet, then?" He asked, no sign of judgement in his eyes, just simple curiosity. If he had been, then their pasts were completely opposites—a rogue and a kittypet. But then again, the Kittypet Place wouldn't have been a dangerous place for a kittypet, would it?

"But see! That's the thing. I am used to being in groups," he said, breaking off. He definitely did not want to flaunt the fact that he had been a DeathClanner. "Just.. not like this." Eli shrugged, before frowning slightly. "You picked your own name? Huh." He grinned this time. "Good! I'm glad I'm not fat, then!" He laughed as Mitch flailed around. "Same goes for you."

[Deleted]

For a moment, Mitch dropped his cheerful facade and he regarded Eli rather coolly. " I was not a housecat. " Mitch's voice was low. " I was a feral. " He stared at the second-in-command without blinking, but snorted softly. " Cats who live out in the wild have no idea what it's like for feral cats within a Two-leg Place. Look at the monsters everywhere. Cats could be hit at a moments notice. I've seen many cats get hit by a monster and die. Then there's the two-legs. Absolutely everywhere, not to mention they kidnap us the moment they see us. Or they grab something to hit us with. " Mitch let his masks drop for the briefest moment. His eyes looked exhausted, not to mention there was guilt in there. " I got into a lot of trouble, hiding from the Kittypet Council and trying to avoid the White-coated Two-legs. "

Muttering to himself, Mitch forced a cheerful smile on his face. " A much larger group, then? " Mitch inquired, breaking off topic and looking at Eli with a curious expression. The tomcat was weird, and he let his eyes twinkle with amusement. " More like my sister was like 'You'll be Mitch!' while I dubbed her Miss Priss. I got a boxing of my life for that, but we eventually settled on Hattie for her. " He snickered lightly. " And you're not fat, you're.. " Mitch felt his face burn. " Just.. muscly. " he finished rather lamely.

[Eli]

Eli blinked at the sudden change in character, taken aback. He cocked his head. Mitch had certainly piqued his interest. "Ah. That's much more interesting." He flicked his tail again, watching the brown tom with blue eyes as he began to speak. As Mitch spoke, Eli's face slowly dropped. He fell silent, thinking. The Lynx-point had had no idea that life could be so difficult in the Twoleg place. The worst he'd seen were rats and dogs, but every cat he'd met was pampered, healthy, and safe. "I'm sorry. That sounds incredibly difficult to live through. I shouldn't have asked." He gave him an apologetic smile. 

Eli nodded. "Mm. Yes. Much larger." He waited for questions to arise. He wasnt quite sure he would keep himself from answering this time. After all, Mitch had just told him all about his past. What could one group's name do? Everyone was afraid of us. The Clans, the loners, the other rogues. We were the Clan to be feared. That's not something to be taken lightly. As Mitch explained, Eli let out another laugh. "I've always wanted a sister, or a brother," he said with a sigh. "'Muscly', hmm? Well, thank you. I try."

[Deleted]

Mitch smiled almost sadly at Eli, then as he explained about Two-leg place, he could feel the muscular tomcat staring at him. He hesitated momentarily. " You're right about kittypets though. They were pampered, healthy... safe. " He meowed quietly, curling his tail around his paws. Swiping his tongue around his jaw thoughtfully, Mitch pinned the nearest hay bale with a distant, if not a little solemn gaze. Then they brightened visibly, and Mitch just offered a smile at the tomcat. " I don't mind you asking; and it was pretty hard. Sis, uh, before she died, went a little loco. It's understandable. " the solid brown tomcat shrugged, licking a paw and wiping it over his ears. " You were curious. "

Much larger? Mitch immediately bit his tongue, as he almost had a million questions running through his mind. The first and foremost question was, Should I tell him about my sister? I just laid bare my soul to him, and he just.. listened. Not to mention I had to kill off my entire guild because they came down with the same sickness.. What was it the two-legs called it? ..Rabies? I called it the Frothing Mouth disease.. He shrugged away his questions. " Er, what kind of government or leadership was it headed by? " Was the first question that popped out of his mouth. " Was it like a monarchy, or oligarchy? " He flushed slightly at his questions. At the sibling sentence, Mitch just winced slightly, but at the follow-up, Mitch felt himself go slightly speechless. Plus, his face was burning quite a bit.

[Eli]

Eli nodded in agreement. "Honestly, though, I don't envy them! That life would be so boring, and lacking... Mine is much more exciting." He grinned again, twitching his whiskers in amusement. DeathClan had always been up to something—plotting, arguing, fighting, waging war—and Eli had come to love that. He wasn't bloodthirsty, no, he just enjoyed the feeling of fighting. The Rovers were much more laid back at the moment, but he planned to (try, at least) change that. Loco? He didn't question it, but wondered exactly what Mitch could mean. "I'm glad I didn't offend you, then!" He said cheerfully.

Mitch's question was a good one. "Well, we had one single leader who made all of the decisions. But there were three different positions—members, those with more privileges, and the leader, of course." He pondered his response for a moment. "A bit like this, I suppose, but much more organized. Much more.. exciting." A small glint appeared in his eye. "I suppose this one still has time to grow." He eyed Mitch, wondering if, perhaps, he'd figured it out yet.

[Deleted]

Exciting? Did that mean he went on adventures then? Orr.. did he like fighting? His lips twitched up faintly, Mitch's dark green eyes brightening slightly. " Offend moi? " he joked. " I'm not easily offended. " His ears quivered slightly, flicking upwards and aiming towards the other tomcat. Mitch's expression became a little curious, though when Eli continued speaking.

Then he frowned slightly. The single leader head honcho thing? He made all of the decisions? He found this slightly familiar. What with the member things and the members with special privileges. It sounded like.. Oh. Organized. ..Like a Clan, almost? Mentally shaking his head in confusion, Mitch's tail twitched and his gaze became kind of different. No, it sounded more simple than a Clan... but.. Exciting. Wait a moment.

" You came from DeathClan? " Mitch's voice may have sounded accusing, but he was curious. He had considered joining DeathClan once upon a time, but before that he ran into the Rovers. " What was it like? " For a moment, Mitch sounded wistful. In a way, he was. He missed his feral cat group, as they didn't have a formal name. If anything, it was called the Guild. Was DeathClan like his former group?

[Eli]

Eli watched Mitch carefully as the other tom seemed to be thinking. It took him a few moments, but he got it in the end—however, his slightly accusing tone caused Eli to narrower is eyes ever so much, offended. But he didn't speak, and instead nodded his head in approval. "Mmhm. Lived there since I was... Darkpool..." he used the old term that all DeathClanners had used, and he couldn't seem to break the habit (not that he wanted to), "eight moons maybe? That sounds about right!"

The wind picked up outside, making it sound as if someone was screaming. A cold blast ruffled Eli's fur, making him rather uncomfortable. "Brr. Do you mind?" He asked getting to his paws and giving Mitch a questioning look as he began walking deeper into the barn. He'd rather not be next to the door if it began to rain. As he walked with (hopefully) the brown tomcat, he considered his question.

"It was... exhilarating. At least, parts of it were. Everyone was scared of us—rogues, loners, kittypets, the Clanners. And we had numbers. We could do anything we wanted." His voice was wistful as he spoke, eyes searching through the darkness. "Being a Peasant was alright. We didn't get to watch until the Royals and Drought had eaten, but we were still a part of the community. However, being a Royal was much more exciting. Drought consulted us more often and we had a voice." He chuckled. "There isn't that much to tell." He shrugged. "But they disbanded not too long ago, when Drought was killed." His face contorted into a look of great emotion.