Please don't kill me, I'm too young to die...(open)

[Darya]

"Go on! Give the brat what she deserves!" My torn ear twitches at the reminder of my troubled kit hood. Or early kit hood, I should say. Seeing as I'm still one as it is. All I remember is yelling and bleeding. Claws and pain. So much pain. I shiver slightly, despite the warming sun reflecting off my pale white coat and the faded black stripes and spots that mark it. I always heard them egging him on. No one ever told him to stop. No one ever stopped any of them. "Laeve her alone. She's just a little kit." My blue eyes blur with tears and I blink them back so hard that is swear the world swims before the pale sapphire orbs. They killed her that day. The one day my sister was brave enough to speak up. They killed her and mama, and all of them. The skin around the three claw scars upon my shoulder tightens, and I close my eyes for a moment, expecting them to hurt. They don't. They are my brand of escape, and of who I used to belong to. 'Never again.'

I think I've been walking for a long time. Too long. Not for an adult, but for a young scrap like me, still learning to hunt properly, it's too far to travel. At least I can walk now. I can breathe in good conscience. Almost. I shiver again, but don't understand why. It's so warm here. So warm. Like mama's milk and cuddling up with my little family...'Dont think about that...' I blink back more tears and veer toward what appears to be a farm. I was told there was cats here. A gang called the 'Rovers' lived here before, when I was younger. I haven't been here in a long time. It seems the only safe place now. I keep in mind to avoid the main barn, and instead head toward the fluffy white clouds. 'Sheep.' I remind myself. I skirt through the long grass, hoping to go towards wherever that old river was. Of course, I haven't been here recently enough. Never is anything 'enough.' I end up finding myself near the exact place I wanted to avoid. It smells like lots of cats. All with a matching aspect of scent. I glance over my marred shoulder, but I've gone a little too far. I suddenly feel small. Too small.

[Ivypaw]

Ivykit doubted that anything interesting would ever happen in this place. Days seemed to blur together, each one even more boring than the last. The patched tabby sighed from her place perched up in the rafters of the barn. It was best not to wonder how exactly she had managed to get up there. She had her ways.

Besides, boredom had driven her to learning how to do many things she normally wouldn't have tried. It was simply a matter of the circumstances.

She had a perfect view through one of the windows, but the expanse of shifting grass was quickly becoming dull, like everything else. The white poofy animals outside were only interesting for so long. She spotted movement, other than the stupid walking clouds, and lifted her head up off the wood to get a better look. A cat- not one that she recognized, so definitely not one of the clanners, and they didn't look much like any Rover that she'd ever seen before. Ivy raised a fictional eyebrow, watching them carefully as they skirted around the edges of the barn, evidently reluctant to enter- and with good reason. She stood up and stretched, before leaping from the rafter, down to the open windowsill nearby. There was a stack of hay that could be used to climb up to the window, or down from it to the ground. She stepped from the window to the highest bale, sitting down to watch the young cat skitter about.

Now that she was closer, she noticed that they appeared to be close to her age, yet already her body was littered with several scars. Odd. And somewhat impressive, the fact that somebody so young had already seen so much. Curiosity glimmered in her bicolored eyes- she wanted to know this cat's story. "Hey!" she called, to get the cat's attention. She stood up, making her way down the haystack, aware that straying from the barn could get her in trouble, but not concerned with it, and instead made her way casually to the stranger. "You're a little young to be hanging out here by yourself," she commented, as though they weren't even remotely close in age. A sly smile accompanied the words. "You're not from around here, are you?" she asked, but it wasn't really a question. "What brings you here? And you better be honest, or I'll tell some of the loners that you're stealing prey."

[Darya]

"Hey!" My whole body practically seizes up at that single uttered word, ears swivelling to find its location despite the fact I really don't want to know. Unlike most my age, I don't have a single utterance of curiosity. Nope, that was literally bled out of me along with so many other traits I really should possess. That I'm not even aware I should have. Unlike this cat. The silvery white fur along my spine prickles in terror and an attempt at aggression as another kitten catches my eye. She's perched atop the hay I used to try to climb with mother and my sister. I shiver slightly at the memory and shove it off as I size up my new companion that is now plopping from bale to bale without so much as a second thought. No doubt she doesn't think a kit like me could be dangerous. 'You don't exactly look it' I point out to myself, aware that my fear is making my fur puff up and my eyes go wide as the window she's just come from. I take a step back, tail twitching.

She comes closer without hesitation, a sly smile on her face as she acts all high and mighty. She reminds me of my brother, just a little bit. Yet another shiver - more so a tremble - accompanies the thought, and I shrink down into myself, my scarred shoulder rippling in discomfort. This she-kit's curiosity and lack of personal space is unsettling me, not that it takes much to do so. I don't respond to any of her comments because sometimes I'm not even sure if I remember how to talk, let along in the midst of fear. She seems to want to know more about me, which seems to be a common trait in kittens. Other than me apparently.

I shake my head. Then nod. I'm not really sure where I'm from to be honest. All I know is that I don't want to go back. Ever. I tremble again slightly, and tuck my tail protectively over my flank. Her next words however bring a spark of indignation from beneath my fear. Who is she to think so high of herself? "Am not! And I isn't afraid to fight ya if I got to, neither!" Well. That proves that fact to be true. I may know how to fight, and catch prey, but speaking isn't exactly my strong point. I belie my own words by shrinking back again just in case she does want to fight.

[Ivypaw]

Ivykit's eyes widen slightly when the kit lashes out, though only from surprise, not any sort of fear. It takes a lot of self control not to outright snort when they have trouble even speaking properly. "Oh, so you're a feisty one," she mentions, completely at ease despite the other's threat. Ivy knows she has the upper hand- one shout and she could have warriors running out to see what was wrong, and this kit has no one. "I don't really want to cause any trouble, but I still wouldn't try anything if I were you. The cats in the barn are rather protective of their young." Despite the fact that her words are a clear warning, she keeps her tone pleasant, if not a little smug.

"But, in all honesty, I do want to know what you're doing here," Ivy adds. "And what exactly you're running from. And how you got all those scars, especially since you're only my age." Ivy doesn't mind being brutally honest about what she wants to know. In this case, it seems like the best course of action. "I'm Ivy, by the way. I'm part of the Rovers," she lies. It's partially a test, to see if the other could tell if she was lying, but if she didn't, Ivy still thinks it could be fun to pretend to be a loner. "Who're you?"

[Darya]

"Oh, so you're a feisty one." Yes. No. Maybe? Hell if I know. Compared to where I come from, calling me feisty is far from an understatement. Petrified, exhausted and alone is a much more accurate description by my account. "I don't really want to cause any trouble, but I still wouldn't try anything if I were you. The cats in the barn are rather protective of their young." I'm not really sure what response she was itching for. Yet something tells me a tremor of fear and a slight mewl of unwanted sadness wasn't quite her aim. My unwarranted mewl betrays me more so for my youth. Along with the fact that I for one wouldn't even recognise protectiveness. To be honest, the closest familiarity I have to that concept is possessiveness. And the closest to protectiveness any member of my family has portrayed got my sister and mother killed. I unintentionally shiver at the thought, and my eyes stray to the ground before whipping back up in case she attacks me. Even though I probably have more battle experience than her. I really shouldn't.

"But, in all honesty, I do want to know what you're doing here," A pause. I don't know why she bothers pausing, it's hardly long enough for me to answer her question. Not that I want to. "And what exactly you're running from. And how you got all those scars, especially since you're only my age." My torn ear twitches at its mention, like it's trying to be free of her oblivious sense of self-pride. I'm not sure I like this cat so much, but at least I'm not bleeding yet, which is a first. The obedience that's been drilled into me via pain and threats queues me to answer her rattling questions despite the fact she's a kitten like myself. Probably because of the big cats I sense lining up like bated scavengers in my vivid imagination. "I'ma here cause I used to live here, an I don know where else ta go." I shudder as I prep myself to answer her next question. If I was scared before, I'm traumatised now cause I really don't want to relive those memories right now. Too soon. 'Always too soon...' "An I got these marks from my family. They who I be runnin from."

She goes on to greet herself, and despite my evident fear, my eyes narrow as I assess her. "I'm Ivy, by the way. I'm part of the Rovers," Lies. Complete and utter lies. I discreetly double over her scent just to be sure, but I already am. I scowl slightly, still quivering like a leaf, which is almost funny if I wasn't so frightened and she even cared. "Who're you?" I huff slightly, though my breath quakes out awkwardly, wavering with my tremors, my tail twitching slightly upon my flank. "I in't tellin ya who I is. Ya belong to them new cats and I know it. If ya wanna know my name, ya gotta quit yer lyin first." It's very unbecoming of someone to lie so blatantly. But to be honest, if anything is unbecoming, it's how my family treated me, and left me in this broken state. I'm glad I'd avoided mentioning that the only reason I left now and not earlier, was because some of my family cared for me. That is, before they died and left me to the full fledged brute that is my father and his precious hatchling in training. I shudder again, my ears flicking back. It's hardly noticible due to my already trembling form, however.

[Ivypaw]

Ivy's confident attitude visibly stumbles when she notices the way that the kit is trembling. It occurs to her that asking so blatantly for information that is likely private isn't the best way to greet somebody, but it seemed irrelevant at the time. She had just wanted to know. It was never her intention to bring the other kit to the point of actual fear.

In fact, she actually feels guilty, something that she isn't really accustomed to feeling when the loner mentions that she had gotten the scars from her family. Her own family? No, Ivy has never truly appreciated her clanmates for their companionship as much as she has for their unity, but suddenly she is aware of how lucky she's been to have them around. They would never hurt her. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind that any of them would. And yet, this cat likely has had nothing more than family (and it seems clear that she really doesn't even have that anymore) and they turned on her. It makes Ivy sick. "...your own family?" she asks, quietly, suddenly unsure of what to say. Her smile has faltered, but luckily, the kit's next answer is one that allows Ivy to slip back into her mask of confidence.

"Fair enough," Ivy nods. "Since you caught me 'n all, I guess you deserve my real name. It's Ivykit, but call me Ivy." The 'kit' part annoys her. It's degrading to be reminded of your own youth just by hearing your name. "And IceClan isn't exactly new around here anymore. I've been here my whole life, actually." She shrugs. She doesn't really miss wherever they had come from- how can she when she's never even been there? "So, now that I've been honest about my name, how about you tell me yours? Or I could make one up, but it'd probably sound pretty dumb."

[Darya]

"...your own family?" Well, that knocked her off that darn pedastool of hers. If only for a moment. Clearly this kitten has never even considered anyone within her or "gang" hurting her, let along her own family trying to kill her. I've lived it. And now I can't seem to think of anything else other than that. I manage to still my trembling slightly, but that doesn't stop the ripple of all my muscles at once as she asks a hesitant question. Almost inaudible, but I hear it, and I return her question with a simple nod. Though my gulp and the way I refuse to turn my attention from her lest she attack me certainly makes the nod look slightly difficult. My ears twitch slightly, and whilst her confidence seems to have taken a blow, I ripple my marred shoulder slightly and glance beyond it. Just a quick second cast over the landscape, and a little test of the scents. I'm certainly not going to let my guard down just because she hasn't attacked me yet. My gaze returns to her's just as fast, though not quite meeting. More so studying her muscles, paws, tail and ears for even minor signs of aggression. Heck, I'm even watching for prickling fur. The slightest hint of unease or anger from her could very well mean death to me if she summons her group. I shudder at the thought.

"Fair enough," A pause, just for a moment, to offer a nod. I don't return it. "Since you caught me 'n all, I guess you deserve my real name. It's Ivykit, but call me Ivy." Well. I guess knowing her full name was unnecessary then. She clearly doesn't like it anyway, and she ends up just reverting to the one she'd given me. I sort of agree with her. The kit part seems degrading, and not to mention pointless. Besides, who ever needed a two part name? Is not a name just something for someone to summon you by? 'To call you to your beatings and occaisionally meals....' No. She doesn't know of things like that. She's lucky. If only I could have such luck. I wouldn't fit into this place. I attempt a half smile, but I only succeed in looking ever so slightly less terrified. I suppose that's a good thing, right? "And IceClan isn't exactly new around here anymore. I've been here my whole life, actually." I would shrug, but I don't, because I'm halfway focused between keeping still, watching everywhere at once, and preparing to bolt if need be. To be honest, her 'whole life' isn't exactly a long time. Mine however feels like a lifetime. Perhaps her's is so boring that it seems forever too? I'd have taken a boring beginning any day. Would have snatched onto it like a life line. She should too, just in case.

Clearly my lack of response doesn't bother her one bit, because she just goes on talking and demanding. "So, now that I've been honest about my name, how about you tell me yours? Or I could make one up, but it'd probably sound pretty dumb." I suppose her request is a bit more reasonable this time, seeing as I know her name now, and that her group is called Iceclan. 'Whatever that's supposed to mean.' I have half a name to tell her to go right ahead and make it up. I don't care how stupid. I just don't want to think about it. I don't. Instead, I shudder slightly, ears switching back and fourth and eyes Skitting. My paw shifts nervously and I'm aware I'm still practically hugging the grass, which is almost as tall as I am when I'm hunched down like this. "D....Darya....I-It means 'ocean' Ma said." I scowl at the dirt as I try not to mewl pathetically for a second time as I mention my mother. I wasn't intending to bring her up, and I certainly hope she doesn't ask.

[Ivypaw]

Ivy nods, able to guess that she shouldn't ask about anyone in Darya's family, given her circumstances. There's still an ache in her mind, a part of her that wants to know in much more detail what is actually going on with her, and what her life, however horrible, was like, but she has just enough self-control to stop herself from voicing those questions. She can be annoying, deliberately, at times, but she doesn't want to ever be cruel.

Clearly, Darya has been through enough. She hasn't stopped shaking since she got here, and Ivy is fairly certain that she hasn't made any sign of desiring any ill-will towards the loner. She has nothing to fear, so there wouldn't be much point in being obviously on edge, anyway. "Darya, huh," Ivy hums, considering the name for a moment. It seems odd to her, but perhaps that's simply because she's not as used to names like that as she is names like her own. "I like it. It suits you." She doesn't mention the fact that she isn't completely sure what an ocean is. She's heard stories, and has a vague idea, but it's not really much to go on.

"I'm not gonna attack you, by the way," Ivy mentions. "You haven't stopped shaking since you got here, so I wanted to let you know. I'm rude, not cruel." Ivy huffs in an irritated manner, averting her gaze to the ground since she's embarrassed to even be offering her help. "I can keep an eye out for you, if 'ya want. Since you seem so on edge, and all. It's probably not good for you to stay so stressed."

[Darya]

I twitch my ears back and forth because I've never been so confused in my life. Learning to hunt was kill or be killed, chasing away others was the same. In fact, most of her options were something or be killed. Always one of the other, and never in between. Here there was neither. Nothing to decide, nothing to do. Yet there is still that lingering sense of be killed that always haunts her little mind. 'Im lucky to have made it this far...' that much is more than true. I've never been safe in my life, not like these cats in their Iceclan. The name confuses me as well because there is no ice. "Darya, huh," My thoughts flicker and I jump slightly as she breaks the silence that had eased its claws between us. My ears prick to attention and I offer a shaky nod, my eyes tracing every line of the landscape like anything could attack me at any moment. My claws dig into the soft dirt to balance my trembling slightly. It doesn't stop though.

"I like it. It suits you." My eyes flicker to her own in confusion and I actually stall for a shocked moment. She does? "You do?" My silvery grey ears perk in her direction and I swear my fear is momentarily taken over by confusion because I don't even know what that means. "What d'ya mean?" my head tilts to the side slightly, and though I'm still quaking, and still look quite scared half ducked down, I straighten a little and eye her like she's gone crazy because surely to like is not a thing, right?

"I'm not gonna attack you, by the way," I blink in confusion at the words because I'd begun to gather that. I'm not as scared of her, more who she belongs to. "You haven't stopped shaking since you got here, so I wanted to let you know. I'm rude, not cruel." Oh. That's why she's saying these things. I'm aware I'm still quicvering slightly with my tail tucked against my flank. Not sure what she'll do if I don't heat her irritated requested, I give a shaky nod. "S-sorry, I in't think ya cruel or nothin. It's just, I...sorry..." I shrink down into the grass, grounding my tiny form until I stop quivering, before forcing myself to sit up. It actually takes a lot of concentration to keep my body from trembling, but in hopes of not furthering her irritation, I hold myself. The fear is still evident in my wide flickering eyes and twitching ears however as I sometimes gaze at the barn, and sometimes around me. My torn ear twitches towards her words on instinct, and she seems still a little annoyed, and clearly noticing my feverish glances around us. "I can keep an eye out for you, if 'ya want. Since you seem so on edge, and all. It's probably not good for you to stay so stressed." I nod slightly, but I'm not really sure. I think I've on,y ever relaxed as a newborn after being fed. Even then there was a static energy in the air that put you on edge and made you mewl your hunger descreetly.

[Ivypaw]

Ivy shrugs at Darya's question. Honestly, she isn't sure why she thinks that her name suits her, it just does. "Yeah, I like it. I dunno why," she comments. Maybe it's because the name sounds kind of pretty, and aside from the scars, Darya herself is a little pretty. Ivy hasn't really thought about it. She wonders why Darya is looking at her like she's insane- she's one of the few sane cats in her clan, in her opinion, but perhaps the entire concept of liking something as trivial as a name is foreign to her. Maybe the concept of liking anything at all is new for her, given what Ivy knows about her family.

Generosity is not one of her strong-points. Ivy does not like to help others, or to show she cares. To trust so easily is naive, to give so willingly is foolish, but despite knowing this she wonders if she can convince Darya to join IceClan. They would accept a kit, perhaps not willingly, but their code would prevent them from turning her away, wouldn't it? And here, she could be safe. She would have others to care for her, protect her. She could have a true family.

It's a stupid thought, but one that Ivy has anyway. She keeps it to herself, though, at least for the time being. "It's fine," she says, since telling Darya outright that she doesn't need to apologize seems like the wrong thing to do. It could make it worse. Ivy notices the way that the loner makes an attempt to stop trembling, and feels bad, though makes no comment. At this point she just wants Darya to stop being so afraid, even if she has a reason to be. Ivy looks away for a moment, then sighs once more, still embarrassed by the fact that she feels the need to coddle this kit. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier," she apologizes, despite the fact that it goes against the code of her ever-apparent pride. "IceClan won't hurt you, even if you give them a reason to. We have a code- it's sacred to us, or something. Anyway, it says we can't let any harm come to a kit. So if the loners in there try to hurt you, they'll protect you from them, too. Just letting you know."

[Darya]

"Yeah, I like it. I dunno why," I sort of just meant I didn't really understand the concept of 'liking' something. Or someone for that matter. I suppose my family 'liked' killing? Or harming and fighting? I twitch my ears as I'm still pooled in utter confusion when I know I shouldn't be. Or should I? I can't even tell whether I should understand or not, but she seems to at least know what like means. 'Do I like anything?' My ears twitch again, and though I'm still evidently fearful, the fact that Ivy is a kit, and seeming over her pride act, brings me at least a hesitant confidence. "Do you, 'like' anything else? I...I'm not quite familiar with...like." My head bows slightly in shame as I shuffle my paws beneath my tiny body in the small amount of space I've given him. Then my eyes flit around again because my lapse could possibly have drawn attention to me. I don't know why I think that. Or expect it really. I guess that's just me. It shouldn't be.

She seems to be thinking about something. She's making that face others make to when they're trying to figure something out, or perhaps deciding whether to do one thing or another. I'm not sure I like that face. It was usually the decision upon whether to harm me or merely yell at me that tends to accompany that look. The thought summons a shudder, and I'm almost tempted to apologise again. I don't. I merely keep myself still because here next words assure me that she doesn't want me to do so. "It's fine," My ears flicker, and I try for a nod. It sort of shows as a slight hesitant bob of my head, so I quite trying. I can't tell if she looks guilty, annoyed or embarrassed. Maybe all of them? I'm not sure what they are really, they'd been pointed out to me by my mother once before, but I still don't quite understand them. And so I don't react to them, merely shoving the flicker of emotions off my mind in favour for looking around just in case, and keeping an eye upon this cat and her home as she sighs.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier," Well this is new. No one had ever apologised to me before. I swear that eyeing up an insane cat has come back again as I peer at her in utter confusion. "Why ya sorry for?" I'm still scared out of my mind. Maybe a little less so. Perhaps scared, within my mind? I don't know, but her being a kit is easing me slightly, and her next words serve to help. "IceClan won't hurt you, even if you give them a reason to. We have a code- it's sacred to us, or something. Anyway, it says we can't let any harm come to a kit. So if the loners in there try to hurt you, they'll protect you from them, too. Just letting you know." Oh. I knew there was something else she'd been lying about, but I brushed it off because she'd said protective, and that was yet another concept I'd never associated with before. I'd never had anything to be protective of, and why would anyone protect me? "O-okay..." No doubt the quiver in my voice and the harried look around portrays my disbelief of that notion. Not ever has no one meant harm. And no one cares about kits that aren't their own. Why should they?

[Ivypaw]

For once, Ivy is disappointed to find that she was right about Darya not being familiar with 'liking' anything. If she doesn't even know what it means to like something, Ivy doesn't want to know how she feels about love. She frowns when the loner asks, a pang of something akin to sympathy stirring in her chest. How childish, to feel bad for one's misfortune that isn't even her own, but even so, she does. The problem now is that she doesn't exactly know how she's supposed to explain what 'like', or 'love' for that matter. She is usually so sure of how to explain things to the ignorant, but this is different.

"Like. Uh. A smaller version of love I guess," she tries. "And what love is...it's something that you feel for others. It's kinda warm. When you love somebody, you care for them a lot. You wouldn't hurt them and you want them to be happy. And when they love you, they feel the same. They care about you. They protect you, make you feel happy." She pauses. It's odd that she's never appreciated her clan until now. "That's what a family is supposed to be like." Perhaps a rude thing to say, but Ivy thinks it's important for Darya to know that what she's had is not normal.

"If you join IceClan, they would care for you," she mentions, trying to appear casual, but her cheeks are burning and she can't look straight at Darya when she says it. It's obvious she's been thinking about this for a while. "There are kits that they've accepted that weren't born there. They become part of the clan. They get a family."

[Darya]

(Perhaps if we invite someone else to the thread to offer her a place, like a queen or something. I'm considering joining her to Iceclan, though I was thinking a lot later than this, so maybe when someone else joins it prompts her to run off. Though I do think she'll start visiting Ivy.)

"Like. Uh. A smaller version of love I guess" Okay. That really isn't a very helpful explanation. Where I haven't witnessed like, I'm certainly not going to have witnessed love. Or maybe I have? I really can't tell, and I don't think I ever will. "And what love is...it's something that you feel for others. It's kinda warm. When you love somebody, you care for them a lot. You wouldn't hurt them and you want them to be happy. And when they love you, they feel the same. They care about you. They protect you, make you feel happy." Yeah, I think I'm even more confused now. "Happy is when cats are all smiley right? I think I seen that before" Yes...My mother had smiled once, I think. And perhaps my sister. Maybe only when we came here...I'm probably the only cat that doesn't know what like and love and happiness is. Or what it's like to be curious, or even a kit in all honesty. I'm like a broken chess piece stuck in a forever landslide, never actually a kitten. "That's what a family is supposed to be like." I stall in my train of thought because I never really thought what any other families may be like. I flinch slightly a the thought, as well as shudder at the implication of my own. 'Please don't remind me...'

"If you join IceClan, they would care for you," I'm instantly shaking my head. I knew she'd been thinking about something, but I didn't know it was this. I couldn't. I'd be stuck in an endless river of confusion and fear because I'd be constantly unsure of whether or not I was safe. And when they move again, because I'm sure they won't stay here forever, right? And would they really take in a kitten that's practically scared of her own shadow? As if in relaliation for the though, my spine ripples. "Are ya sure they'd even want me?" That was the real question. "There are kits that they've accepted that weren't born there. They become part of the clan. They get a family." And again I shake my head and shrink further because no, I've had that before and I don't want another shot. I'm not one for second chances. Just let me be eaten by the foxes, please. "I couldn't. I can't 'ave another family, not like that. Not ever." No, I couldn't replace mama, or my sister.

[Ivypaw]

[[ If you want Darya to join IceClan at any point, yeah, you would have to ask an IceClan staffer, but they wouldn't have to be part of the thread itself. Either way, I would like these two to visit each other once in a while! Ivy brought it up because she wanted to let Darya know that there could be a place in the clan for her, should she choose to try and join. She just can't think of another way to make sure Darya stays safe from her old family. ]]

Ivy frowns more when she notices that Darya doesn't seem to like the idea of joining IceClan. She understands it, though- adjusting to an entirely different life around strangers isn't easy, or ideal, but isn't it better than wandering alone, running from the cats that were supposed to have taken care of you? And that's the thing that the other doesn't seem to understand. Families aren't supposed to be like that- not like hers. "It wouldn't be the same," she insists, now somewhat angry that Darya doesn't really want to even try. Ivy had made herself look like a fool, being kind and generous, and for what? It's humiliating that her kindness, as rare as it is, has basically been rejected. "They would never hurt you and-" She cuts herself off, flattening her ears against her head with a bit of a pout on her face.

"Nevermind," she grumbles, though it's more like a sigh. "Do what you want." It's not like Ivy really cared. She shouldn't, anyway. Yet, she still does. "Just...keep it in mind," she adds, somewhat quietly, since she's embarrassed to be saying it in the first place.

"What are you going to do, though?" she asks, trying to regain her confidence after having spilled more of her heart out moments ago than she ever would have liked to. "Wander alone? It doesn't seem safe. Do you know how to hunt?"

[Darya]

She just doesn't understand! My ears flit slightly, swivelling back and forth because I don't know what to say or do. My eyes rove the landscape, and then behind her, before shifting back to her timidly. It wouldn't work out. I'd be scared of everyone. Of everything. I wouldn't play, and I'd run from my own shadow. I'd be impossible to train and I'd probably freak out over every minor thing. If there was ever any sort of attack I'd likely be cowering somewhere in the hay. I shake my head, though it looks like more of a twitch. A nervous jitter of some sort. My eyes scan and flit over everything at once. I just can't hold them still and my quivering is returning slightly with her frustration. Please stop. Please stop being so angry. I actually flinch when she huffs out an almost sigh.

I nod. She masking herself again, yet I never removed my own in the first place, so she certainly did better than I. My heart leaps and bounds because I can't stay here any longer, it's chanting at me to run because it's already been to long. My ears perk at her next question and I give a hesitant nod, just as I did to her request to keep her offer in mind, not that I'm actually even that sure if she can personally offer such a thing. "Yes. I can hunt an I can fight. I'll be fine." My tail twitches slightly, coiling and uncioling, I need to go now. It's getting to be too late and too long. My paws shuffle awkwardly upon the earthen ground beneath my paws. "I betta go..." I turn before she can respond, edging away from the den whilst keeping both her and the entrance in sight, while also keeping an eye out for cats. Giving enough time between us for any last words to each other, I then turn, nod her farewell, and bound off toward my original direction.

(Definitely will have another thread at some point though)