A midnight lullaby (OPEN)

[Deleted]

Melony walked with her head tilted slightly down, her eyes gazing out into the darkening sky. The sun had just set, and the birds were starting to whistle louder. There were more animals roaming around the forest than normal, so she brushed it off when she heard a twig break. It was probably just another rabbit. It took a while for her to notice that it was much louder than any smaller creature could make. She sniffed the air before sighing loudly and turning around. "I was rather enjoying my stroll." she muttered to herself before lifting her head and calling out, "Who is it now?" Her voice still held the accent of where she was born, place a long long way away from here. She and her siblings were captured by some twolegs and taken into a huge monster that from the see through things looked like it was flying. They had mamanged to escape once it opened up, and made a run for it, endind up here after a lot of traveling. The worst part about it was that cats tended to judge her for talking like she did. She was the forigner, but to her it still seemed as though they spoke weirdly, and she could never get over it. Some group of cats was always finding her though, bringing her back whenever she went to far from her si blings, and she grew to expect that any cats she saw were some of them. She also thought they were connected to her brother some how, some of his friends just trying to keep them all safe. She paused for a moment before speaking again, he reyes scanning the forest. "I really haven't all night. Either come out or I'm just gonna keep walking."

[Laelia]

In all honesty, Laelia had to admit she was at least a little lost. Of course, she'd never allow anyone to think that, let alone know for sure. Yet then again, did she really want to go back to Deathclan? After all, she'd always been a wanderer. No, not always. For her first two moons she'd been naught but a kittypet, and from then on she'd been her ruthless father's sweet little pet. A toy for him to break, nothing more. Now she was a wanderer, ever since her brother told her to run. "Run, little heart. We will meet again, Lae" was all he'd said to her that day. It had broken her little heart, and then pieced it together in this mismatched thing of rage and sorrow. Her father had killed her sister. Her father needed to pay for his crimes. 'Not by your claws Lae. You vowed yourself that.' Such was true. As always, her thoughts that spoke to her through the voice of her brother, Raven, always rung true. She'd vowed to herself - to him for she held herself to no god or stars such as Cloudclan - that she would never kill again. Not since that fateful day she both hated and found herself thankful to.

"You're right, my brother. As always, you speak truly." She murmured to herself. To him. She really needed to get over that habit of talking to herself, to them. To both Raven and Aster she spoke, and wished them goodnight every eve. Not Lark, for she never knew him. And never Clover, for despite being a loving mother, she gave her heart to a deceitful tom and failed to protect those who became of such a terrible union. Lae can't help but shake her head at the thought, once more grief showing through the cracks of her mask. And yet, in her distraction, she stepped upon a stick. Never in her life had she been so careless. She could honestly say this was the first time she'd ever given away her presence. Mask renewing to portray no emotion - or even sign of life - Lae allows her muscles to stiffen in readiness as the other speaks. She waits, patient, and says nothing. Lae has no reason to trust the other feline, and hopefully she'll be on her way with only Laelia's silence as encouragement. She doesn't.

The second the other calls out again, Lae knows that staying silent is no use. Despite the fact the other has threatened to move on, Lae is smart enough to at least assume the possibility that this cat will survey the area, most likely finding her quite easily thanks to the lack of foliage on the plains. Refraining from huffing in irritation, Laelia prowls forward like the graceful hunter she is, keeping her expression naught of any emotion as she bows her head in greeting. Secretly Lae is glad she is not the only one with a foreign accent, even if theirs are different from one another's as well. "Please, continue walking if you so wish. I will not hold you here, seeing as it was you who ask me to show myself." Her voice is calm and flat, portraying nothing, not even accusation. Yet despite her words, she waits for the other's reaction, admittedly curious.

[Deleted]

Melony turned to look at the other cat finally. The she-cat standing before her had a tortie pelt and blue eyes. By the way she had moved up without Melony noticing, she was probably a good Hunter. That really said nothing about strength, but Melony had a feeling it wouldn't come to a fight. She ussually tried to avoid them, as she was born a kitty pet and still accepted their ways, but she also knew how to fight if she needed to. She hadn't ever killed any prey though, and didn't plan to start anytime soon. She still has others to do that while she focused all her time of fight practice. She smiled softly. "I needn't walk any further. Sorry, I get paranoid sometimes and thought you were following me. It was a mistake." she said softly. Melony's eyes wandered quickly through the forest. "I see there is no one else, so yes, it was probably just a mistake." she added after a moment, a troubled frown flashing across her face, but quickly being replaced by a smile.

"I am Melony, What's your name?"

[Laelia]

Laelia waits patiently whilst the other studies her, seemingly sizing her up as either a threat or something else. She doesn't mind, in fact, she understands perfectly potential threats. The fact this cat seemed a little softer than most was not enough to lull her into and sense of security, and so she found herself scanning the other cat as well, as mistrustful as ever. However, she keeps her posture somewhat relaxed and her mask firmly in place as she studies the other, merely awaiting for her to break the silence. She doesn't have to wait too long, it would seem.

"Ah, such is fair. I'm sorry if I worried you, I merely felt like stretching my legs and maybe going for a little hunt. I'm fairly familiar with paranoia myself." The young feline wasn't sure if she felt like offering to much more information than that, yet this other seemed somewhat against fighting as it was, so she was happy to simply talk if the other so wished. She watches warily as the other scans their surroundings, then props her head slightly to the left to portray only the slightest hint of curiosity through her cold and emotionless mask. "Were you expecting someone...else?" Lae hesitates only a moment, a little startled by the sudden smile, before dippping her head politely. "Pleasure to meet you Melony. I'm Laelia" Lae wasn't sure she liked giving her name, yet oh well. She'd manage.

[Deleted]

Melony nodded slightly. "One of my brother's friends acctually. I swear, if he didn't provide my food, I'd think he consideered me a slave." she rolled her eyes. "I'm not allowed to get to far for to long or the 'family' would have no one to really protect it." she said, trying her best to mock her brother. "Pleasure's mine." she responded. "Laelia ia a really nice name." she said, scanning the backround, this time in her periphical vision, as she heard a bird taking off. "And I don't really meet any new cats, so really, it's nice to meet you."

(Sorry for shortness)

[Laelia]

(No problem)

Laelia has no doubt her expression is wholly undpreadable, possibly even a little cold and mistrustful. And yet, seeing as this cat doesn't seem 'off' she finds herself at least acting friendly. However, she itpsnt sure she plans to stay too long unless this conversation mentions something either of value or interest to her. 'You used to enjoy company...what happened little Lae?' She finds her mind asking her. After a slight mental hesitation, she realises she truly harps no idea. 'Father. He's waphst happened.' She assures herself, before snapping her focus back to the moment at hand as the other speaks. Perhaps this conversation will help her ties to reality, or at least keep her mind from wandering where it really shouldn't linger.

A slave? Lae finds herself flinching at the mention of the word before she can even stay her reaction. A slight flicker of emotion crosses her face, and she forces her neutralising mask back into place before dipping her head in a show of understanding. "Yes, I know well of the feeling. It must be nice to have someone provide for you, though. And surely such protection is nice." Honestly, Lae would love to know someone had her back, rather than constantly having to look over her shoulder like the shadows are going to attack any second. Lae finds herself narrowing her eyes slightly at the other's comment and roll of her eyes. She really doesn't appreciate what she has, does she? The thought sickens Laelia. "Your luckier than you know to have someone who cares about you. Many are not so lucky. Be grateful for what you have. It may seem suffocating now, yet you never miss something until it's truly gone. Trust me." Her voice has gone solemn, and she finds herself having to clear her throats and regain her composure.

Lae pricks her ears slightly as the other goes on with necessary pleasantries, words that happen to fall upon deaf ears. Meanings behind these honey spoken words have dulled to the youngling after a childhood of lies and betrayals. She refrains from shuddering slightly, and instead offers a nod, her expression still perfectly masked with a slightly cold and emotionless glint. Her reactions so far have mainly consisted of a nod, tilt of the head, perhaps the slights narrowing of her icy blue optics. She won't offer much more than that. She can't, not without trust. And she doesn't know this stranger. "Thank you. You may call me Lae if you so wish. I do not speak much to strangers either, I tend to keep to myself more so than anything else." It does not slip her notice that Melony has given such information about herself, and Lae has offered none in return. She really doesn't plan to do so, either.

[Deleted]

Melony, of coarse noticing the slight narrowing of eyes and stuff, doesn't take it to mean anything. She was excellent at understanding why others felt what they felt, but could never read irritaion. She blinked and shook her head. ["I've heard that before, and could test it were I able to set myself free in order to. And they don't provide protection. They hunt. I'm the one who always seems to fight off threats. I always take the night watch shift because they'd all rather sleep than be safe." she rolled her eyes. "I don't understand how they can sleep without knowing someone is keeping watch." she sighed.

"Ok, Lae. I don't speak to others much because if I do I get to attached. Then when I have to move less than a moon later I have to leave them all behind." she said. Everything she had been saying so far was a bit of a twisted version of the truth, of coarse, but this to her was the full truth. This was the one thing she lied to herdself and believed. In truth, she didn't care how many friends she left. She just didn't want to be hurt by a friend leaving her. She had seen the effects, and didn't want such a thing to happen. They moved on from her, yet she could still list the name of every friend she had had, and didn't want to just move on past one and forget them. It was like treason.

[Laelia]

Laelia eyes the other, almost finding herself wary of how easily she ignores any sign of discomfort or annoyance from her. Of course, there is the matter that Lae doesn't tend to react to anything outwardly, perhaps the slightest flicker before she returns to her cold, guarded mask. Ears twitching slightly, the younger feline watches the other's movements and reactions for signs of anything, yet her words seem to be rubbing her the wrong way.

"Believe me, such a thing you really do not want to test. Besides, you're lucky they put their trust in you so fully. Tell me, Melony, do you trust anyone?" The young tortoiseshell watches the tabby feline with utmost curiosity, yet there are clear signs of mistrust beneath her mask of cool indifference. She wants to see how trusting the cats around here are, and more specifically why. Not that it will ever convince her to let her guard slip, such a thing could never happen with her. Even now Lae finds herself ready to run or fight if need be.

At such talk of friends, Laelia finds herself wavering in the subject like a fish out of water, so unaccustomed to such things. Yet she offers a slight dip of her head, acknowledging the other's opinion and knowledge on the matter. "I know well of travelling often, this is the first time I've even considered settling in one place. Yet I've always travelled alone, so I can't let myself rest long or trust cats. I suppose I've never had a good experience with others beyond my own brother." Her ears twitch, and a flicker of grief crosses her eyes before she tugs it back, hardening her expression slightly with icy efficiency. She's strayed too far, she can't let herself give away information to a stranger.

[Deleted]

Melony thought for a moment. "To easily." she responded after a while. "I trust to easily. Anyone who doesn't speak to me I trust, as well as many of those that do. But the level of trust one would show someone tthey know all their lives in that inwhich I show only my family." She let her mind wander for a moment. That was the truthful answer to the question? She knew Lae probably wouldn't care, but she did for whatever reason.

She listened carefully to what Lae said and nodded. "Cat's either are born in the place they stay, or are reluctent to settle in one place." she respponded, but left it at that. Any more questioning seemed to end up pushing strangers away, esspcially arround here.

[Laelia]

Laelia isn't the least bit surprised by this, though the admission came a little too easily. Further proof of the cat's own trust. Lae wouldn't mind being able to trust others so easily, yet at the same time she's glad she doesn't, for if she trusted so easily then she could oh so easily trust the wrong feline. Her ears twitch slightly, uneasy that she cares anything for this fool and her safety, yet she almost does. "I can tell." She responds, keeping her expression calm and cold, her voice carefully neutral if a bit blunt.

"I won't harm you, for I vowed to...someone that I never would. Yet you knew this not until just now. For all you knew I could have been biding my time until it suited me to attack, do you understand?" Her ears twitch slightly once more, and her tail sways just a bit before she forces it still. The subject of betrayals is a heavy one on the young femme's heart, and she always feels uncertain bringing it to light. Yet she'd hate to see this feline get killed without having warned her first. "Many cats around here are less trusting than they seem, crueler than they seem, enjoy pain or death more then they're willing to admit. I hope for you're sake you do not give your trust to such a cat, for I'd hate to see any such fate to befall upon another."

She's glad for the dpside subject of travelling, though she knows of its tendency to travel down unwanted paths where some cats can't allow their trust to follow. Laelia is one such cat, and so she is glad when the other does not push the matter. "Indeed. So tell me if you will, are you a wanderer?" Her ears prick slightly in curiosity. Not of this cat in general of course, more so of how many cats in this area are merely wanderers, and how many arenof Deathclan or one of the clans nearby. Some even tend to be passing kittypets who wandered to far from their comfortable, overfed life.

[Deleted]

Melony laughed. "I'm not stupid, you should know that atleast. You say that up until now I never knew of this voiw, and while that is true, I still cannot be sure that this vow exsists. Ypu could still be planning to kill me when it suits you, but you won't. There are a lot of reasons for this. If you fight me you are about one aginst four because my stupid brother insists nb being in hearing range of a scream. Now that doesn't mean that you don;t have a way to keep me from screaming. If you do, I can fight back. That's part of the reason I was out here in the first place, to practice my fighting skills where I wouldn't disturb anyone else, and I have plenty of other stuff that I do to stay in shape. I'm also good at climbing trees. If I climb a tree it is much harder for you to fight me. Just because I let my gaurd down for a moment doesn't mean I can't protect myself if someone betrays me." she paused for a moment. "Verbal stunnings don't tend to work when the user only thinks they know something about yo

Melony considered this for a moment. "I am both. I am a settler at heart, but ive a wanderer's life."

[Laelia]

Laelia doesn't get annoyed easily. Nothing tends to affect her. Yet this cat seems to think a little too highly, and bite back too quick. Besides, her knack for quick judgement is a little less quick and a lot more judgemental then she seems to think. Having spent a childhood underestimated and overlooked, she'd come to be sick of it. This cat means well, and isn't the slightest bit interested in offending, but she really ought to watch her tongue, if not with Lae then with others.

"I do not lie, Melony, and I do not judge. If I thought you stupid, trust me you'd know." She wonders if it is worth reassessing his cat, before deciding she's definitely not as dangerous as she ups herself to be. Laelia keeps all hints of emotion hidden behind her mask of serenity and indifference, before tilting her head in a subtle gesture. "I know you not, and I know not if what you say is true. You could be weaving a web of lies around me, or you might be more honest then you ought to be. Such is neither my business, nor of interest to me. However, if I might warn you. From what I've gleaned, you trust too easily for a place like this, and whether formerly lying or not, you offer up answers too easily. If I were to attack you, you've given me a non to subtle warning of what you're capable of. I do not underestimate your fighting prowess, and I might suggest to you not to underestimate my own. Or any others' for that matter."

A pause is all she offers for the other to regather this all in her mind. She does not care for or against offending another, and her cool precision with both words and hiding her own emotions matches her fighting should this cat decide she's crossed a line. However, she keeps her appearance and expression to in the least seem relaxed before continuining on to what the other has said next. She's nowhere near as relaxed or nonchalant as she appears, yet she hides this better thane storm clouds might hide the sun. "I quite agree, and the same goes for you. You underestimate me greatly, and you speak almost too freely were I to be anyone else. For all you know I could be a fighting master, or completely useless. I will not tell you which, nor will I tell you much else of me, for where you are willing to tell others about yourself, some do not give so easily." She offers what could be deemed as a reluctant smile, yet it is void of emotion and calmly serene. Almost nonchalant to the untrained eye. She's giving too much, despite her words, so she halts herself here.

Laelia has sat down by now, waiting whilst the other ponders her question. Again she knows the other tells too much, yet this is a question for which you can answer in the simplest form without giving anything away other then if you like to join a group or wander. She's not sure if sitting is the best idea, especially with the other's threat of siblings nearby, and all her unspoken threats should Lae chose to react to them. However, she is no less ready to react, and merely awaiting the other to give her a reason to. She tends to expect the worst, and this time is no different. Where at first she did not mind this feline, she had quickly grown uninterested in the conversation at hand. "Such is fair. I know not of which I truly am at heart, but I suppose one gets as much choice of this as the sun does to rise or the rain to fall." She shrugs, keeping any questions contained for the moment as she merely awaits a reason to leave this conversation, or stay.

[Deleted]

Melony shook her head. "I wouldn't, and that's because your just like most otherr cats round here. Hiding behind a mask. And your're right, you probably don't think me stupid. What you probably think of me is that I am to young to be able to protect myself, or to care not g=to give out to many details about my life. nd I am young. I'm young enough that I don;t have enough true details about my own life forr it to post a threat." she bt her lip. "I know enough bout msks to tell what's behind them. They surround me, and I do understand your prospective of life. It is a conclusion that I misseed the age for though, I was in the twoleg's home at that ge." she shook her head once again.

"I don't underestimate you. I just am openn about certain thoughts, and hide others." she said. "I can guess though, by the fact that your out here, that your at least a match for me and my fighting skills. Probably more than I can take. So i don't. I am younger, and that typically means I have more energy. This, in most cases, means I can run faster that it takes the other to attack."

[Laelia]

Apparently this cat is ranting now. Laelia twitches her tail, a tad of frustration building to swirl in her heart. She pushes it back, concealing it from the view of both Melony and herself. How did she get to be like this? So shut away from the world, so distant from emotions that she wouldn't even allow herself to feel them. Perhaps it's a good thing, stopping one from reacting based on whim of grief or anger. Yet she can't help but ask, is it natural? She brushes these thoughts aside like one might indifference over a feather. Such matters are trivial, and emotions will only make one act rashly, clouding the mind with a fire that burns to bright.

As the other goes on to counter herself yet again, Laelia narrows her eyes slightly, tail flicking, yet Shen shows no other outward reaction. All masks have cracks, weak points, yet the other knows little of where to find her's. "You know nothing of what I think, nor who I am or why I'm here. You underestimate me wholly despite your assurance that you do nothing of the sort." She raises one paw, as though considering moving closer, yet she puts it down once more and blinks slowly, the only sign of her inner struggle to keep herself calm.

This cat reminded her too much of her father, and Lae wasn't sure she could deal with much more of this. She pushed her feelings aside and goes on, clearly intent on getting her point across for this thick cat. "Further more, we are basically the same age, and it would do you well not to think so highly of your own prowess. Whether or not you underestimate me, you do not know me. I could be faster or slower, stronger or weaker. Do not be so quick to pass judgement if you wish to survive. At least not without true knowledge or observation."

Laelia gets to her paws now, clearing even the slightest hint of emotion from her face, trying to hold it at bay as well as keeping her posture fluid rather than stiff. It's hard, but not impossible, and she looks on serenely as she prapres to leave this stranger to her own devices. If what she says is sptrue, she has others nearby, and wanted to be alone in the first place. In her mind she knows well she shan't come across this cat again. This conversation has only succeeded in reminding her of her father, something she'd rather not have to live with. Her ears twitch slightly. "This conversation has done nothing for either of us, so I really ought to leave. I suggest you take note of what I have said, though whether or not you do matters none to me."

Her expression has shifted completely cold, her defences tight around her heart and mind, shielding her from this opinionated adolescent. She begins to walk away before pausing to peer over her shoulder, eyes narrowed almost to slits in an unspoken warning. "You'd do well to be on your way, it's not safe to wander alone here. Some don't take lightly to strangers." With that she crosses the remainder of the meadow in a few smooth strides before disappearing amongst the foliage once more. This was a waste of her time, and now she had to go back. If the other followed her, she decides, she won't be so friendly.