Insults and Secrets [p]

[Natalia]

@yeah

Natalia was irritated.

Her anger had tapered off into a foul mood. As such, she tried to avoid other cats as she used to. She'd rather not lash out in a violent manner against another cat, lest she severely antagonize them. She didn't want to stir up unnecessary trouble. After all, she was trying to be less prickly.

Taking deep breaths didn't help at all, her anger refusing to dissipate at all. That jerk Michael had insulted Jude too severely to be forgiven. He'd gone on and on, saying that Deathclanners only looked out for themselves and would tear their own siblings to shreds! She found it real rich, considering he was joining these so called 'selfish barbarians'. She'd brought up her own friendship as proof, and he'd begun insulting Jude! Making derogatory comments regarding his intelligence and how he must surely be weak, to fall for her 'rogue wiles'. That had been the last straw and she'd torn off an ear. She could've done worse.

She'd actually been able to relax after that.

Then his brother forced her into a secondary interaction. To be fair, she found Castiel more pleasant, tolerable. Kind of a nerd, he'd taken to talking about nature and bees on the way to Michael. He seemed to be oddly fascinated with anything not immediately threatening.

Then they'd run into Michael again, who decided Natalia was hurting Castiel somehow, despite the tom having no wounds or signs of injury. She'd been able to escape unscathed, scaring Michael off by shredding his other ear. Then she'd stormed off without another word.

And thus, she found herself stalking around in the area surrounding her den.

[Deleted]

Jude followed a path leading toward some dens, having just returned from the TreeClan border. It was an interesting run-in, to say the least. He'd never met a cat as strange as Nightpaw, and what was even weirder was that she was related to one of his friends. 'But Natalia's not strange. It must be Nightpaw's little quirk, or something. Just like how Thomas's quirk is being a jerk.'

He silently decided not to tell Natalia about her sister, mostly because of how much she flipped out the last time he'd interacted with one of her siblings. 'But maybe it'll be different this time.' He shrugged to himself, continuing on his walk. He'd figure it out before bed, and if he did want to tell her, he could just find her in the morning.

Or not.

Jude slowed to a stop, tipping his head to the side. His gaze rested on Natalia, curiously watching her stalk around. 'What's she trying to do?' It didn't look like she was going anywhere. 'Maybe this is a sign that I should tell her.' He shuffled his paws uncomfortably at the thought, knowing that he'd say the wrong thing if he did.

"Are you alright?"

[Natalia]

Natalia lifted her head and stopped in her tracks.

She looked over to the speaker. It was Jude. She blinked. She sighed. Somehow, Jude's presence served to calm her irritation, which she was grateful for. She wasn't sure what it was. Perhaps it was the meaningful friendship between them.

"Not really. There was a jerk. He... Insulted you and I scratched an ear off. Then he attacked me the second time we met. I took off another ear, and I'm still a little irritated from being forced to interact with him." She sighed, slumping where she stood, eventually lying down on the ground on her side. "Talking to other cats is so exhausting." She complained.

[Deleted]

Jude wasn't sure how to react. He thought it was hilarious that someone insulted him, yet at the same time he wanted to know if Natalia was hurt from the attack. "You didn't have to do that..." He trailed off, taking a look over her. She didn't look hurt. He nodded, chuckling a little when she laid down. "It is." 'Especially when you didn't learn to speak until three moons.'

[Natalia]

Natalia sighed.

"How do other cats do it?" She groaned. She wasn't paying attention very well, as such she didn't hear the first weak statement Jude made.

"They talk... To a lot of cats.... And still come out okay. Ugh." She honestly didn't understand a lot of social behaviors displayed by other cats. Offering up trust on first meetings, giving cats benefits of the doubt, spending vast amounts of time with many cats. These traits were the sorts of things that made her feel weirded out by the clan cat's mere existence.

[Deleted]

"I don't know." He looked down at his paws. "I guess you could ask someone like that." Of course, clan cats were the first that came to mind. 'I don't see how being that way is a bad thing.'

He felt himself beginning to space off, but snapped back when he remembered how ticked Nightpaw had been about it earlier. 'Oh, right! I'd almost forgotten about her.' He looked over at Natalia. 'Do I tell her now?' He felt uneasy about it, and was almost positive that it showed.

[Natalia]

Natalia lifted her head so she could see Jude.

She watched him look down at his ways as he spoke. She simply inclined her head slightly in response. Then his gaze seemed to become unfocused. She cocked her head, turning so she was simply laying down on the ground properly, propping up the front of her body with her forepaws.

Then he seemed to return to attentiveness. He seemed to be eyeing her for some reason, his gaze more focused than she would've expected. She folded her eyes back. "Ah... Jude? You got something to say?"

[Deleted]

Jude smiled weakly at her, about to shake his head until he stopped himself. She deserved to know, even if she did freak out a little bit. "Yeah..." He padded closer and took a seat. "Are you positive that you only have one sibling? No one else was there?" He frowned a little, hating that he had to even bring Thomas up. 'There's no use in beating around the bush. I have to just flat out tell her.' He took a deep breath.

"You... You have a sister in TreeClan. Her name's Eve, or Nightpaw. Thomas told her about you and she asked me how you were." He kept his voice calm and quiet, just in case anyone was around. He was sure that Natalia wouldn't want the others to know that she was related to a clanner. Jude eyed her carefully, ready to jump to her side if she started to panic.

[Natalia]

Natalia cocked her head.

She was about to speak, opening her mouth, when her jaw dropped. She was in shock. It was fair. She never knew a thing about a third sibling on her's. 

"W-What?" She didn't think Thomas was a liar. Though, she never recalled a sister. Not ever. Her memories from kithood to be fair, mainly centered around herself and Thomas. She started to recover, finally closing her mouth.

"I... I don't remember a sister. Not ever." She shuffled her paws uncomfortably. Then she lifted her head and narrowed her eyes at Jude. "Wait. What were you doing by Treeclan?"

[Deleted]

Jude clawed at the ground nervously as her jaw dropped. "Well, she seemed to remember you." 'Nightpaw must be older than her. I bet she was in a litter with Thomas.' It was the only way it made sense. 'Nightpaw must have left before Natalia could remember.'

He shrugged at her question. "I was just checking out the area and I ran into her."

[Natalia]

Natalia shifted her weight.

This topic was... She wasn't sure how to feel about the fact that she'd never been told about a third sibling. Whom she'd never met, but clearly had separated before a time that Natalia could remember clearly. Was she sent away? Did she just... Leave? She wasn't sure. Thomas hadn't mentioned her. Her parents hadn't mentioned her.

So why exactly would she ever suspect a sister? "... Okay." She supposed what with his contact with Iceclan... For some reason that train of thought led him to one of Treeclan's borders. She looked away. "Did she... Mention... Why she was in Treeclan?" She thought it was rather strange that... The three of them had ended up in vastly different places.


((I'm tooo lazy to bold/color my dialogue rn...))

[Deleted]

Jude shook his head after a moment's hesitation. "No... I don't think she did." He quickly scanned over her face, trying to figure out what she was thinking. Surprise was obvious, but was she sad? Angry, even, since Thomas hadn't told her?

"Are you okay?" He asked softly, head beginning to tilt. 'I bet Nightpaw's still near the border. We could go back and check.' Maybe Natalia would remember her sister at the sight of her.

[Natalia]

Natalia sighed.

She shook her head. "No... It's fine." She looked away from Jude. "It's just... I kinda get why...." She didn't really want to say her brother's name in case she and Jude ending up.... Well. She already knew.

She still didn't get entirely why Jude fought so hard for her. She'd do it for him in a heartbeat because... Well... He was so great and she was so... Not. Even if she didn't understand, it wasn't as if she wouldn't appreciate it with all she had. She generally thought he'd be better doing something else but.... If he wasn't going to budge she'd accept it. It was the least she could do.

She cleared her throat. "I'm... Fine." 

[Deleted]

'You kind of get why he didn't tell you?' Jude dug his claws into the ground. He couldn't think of a valid reason for Thomas not telling her. 'She needs to stop giving her brother the benefit of the doubt.' He didn't understand why she still had a heart for her brother. 'I guess that's just how their family is.'

He nodded at Natalia's answer. "Good." 'If she ever isn't fine, I hope she knows that I'll be there to listen.'

[Natalia]

Natalia sighed as she looked back at Jude.

She flattened her ears. "Uh.... Jude? Why are your claws out?" She asked. He seemed to be tense, even as he nodded, accepting her answer. Things couldn't be all good if he was still upset over something. "I'm fine but.... Are things alright on your end?"