Alliances and Politics [p]

[Natalia]

Sky

Natalia yawned as she walked through the forest. She'd met several cats in her time in Deathclan. The number that she'd met more than once outweighed the number she'd met total. 

Though, her thoughts still wandered. To cats like Peter, Serenity, and Sky. When she'd first met any of them, they were young. New to Deathclan, who seemed to attract young cats of six moons roughly who then stayed.... For however long. Though, she believed she had to see any cat who actually left.

Then she blinked. Something out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see a familiar eyeless cat. "... Hello again."

[Sky]

Sky tromped through the leaves carelessly, her tail raised up high. Since coming to Deathclan she had gained a lot more confidence, although this ended quickly when she stumbled over a tree root. She bit back a yelp of surprise, catching herself before she could fall completely. She mumbled a few profanities under her breath before moving forward, remembering to be cautious.

She still hadn't managed
to memorize the territory, so that's exactly what she was doing. Mapping. Sky had caught Natalia's scent long before the she cat noticed her, absentmindedly drawing closer. She was itching for some conversation anyway.

" Hello Natalia." She greeted, more friendly then the first time they met.

[Natalia]

Natalia noticed Sky seemed distinctly more friendly than their first encounter. Whether that was because they had a prior meeting, or Sky had changed since they last met... She wasn't quite sure. She wasn't quite sure it mattered either. 

"So. How have things been going for you?" She inquired. She'd guess well, but she wanted to hear what Sky had to say. The best thing to do was listen and observe cat's answers rather than make assumptions on given information. Cats were... Unpredictable and illogical. You couldn't exactly always use logic to assume things. 

[Sky]

Sky didn't hesitate to answer, twitching her whiskers in the breeze. " As good as they can, I suppose." She kept it brief, knowing usually when the question was asked no one wanted a real answer. Although if she was being honest she would have mentioned the fact that she had more injuries from falls then fights, and that hunting was even harder in a new area.

" How about you?" She kept the conversation light, knowing that they were more or less acquaintances.

[Natalia]

Without missing a beat, Natalia received an answer. A fairly simple one, which seemed fairly standard. Horrifying things fortunately were far and few in between, even if at times they seemed to be a constant. 

Her ears flicked.

"I believe I'll have to say the same... Though, I must ask... What have you heard about Ash?"

[Sky]

Sky was mildly surprised by the sudden question, although Ash seemed to be popping up in a lot of conversations. This time she thought about her answer, her head drooping slightly to the side. " I haven't heard much." She admitted, gnawing on her tongue in thought. " I haven't met the cat either, so I don't have much of an opinion... I assume you have one though?" She stated, though it came out as more of a question.

[Natalia]

Natalia's tail twitched impatiently behind her. "Yes, I do have an opinion." An edge of irritation in her tone. Her eyes narrowed, though her anger was clearly not aimed at Sky. "I have a rather strong opinion about some cat who has never talked to anyone, that no one has heard of, suddenly running around declaring that she is the leader and demanding others follow her orders...! One that immediately took advantage of Dove's death to steal power from those who would be much more capable leading Deathclan."

It was clear that Natalia didn't like Ash much, much less support her rule.

[Sky]

Sky nodded slowly, only hearing this news for the first time. She hadn't talked to anyone about Ash, so she had no way of knowing how others thought of her. She stayed silent for a moment, pondering her options. She didn't think Natalia was an untrustworthy cat, though she had no way of know if what the she cat was saying was true.

" You've met her then?" She questioned, tilting her head.

[Natalia]

Natalia snorted and nodded. "Yes, I have. I'm not too impressed." She sighed. "Though, I suppose you should seek her out yourself if you want to form a proper opinion. She's been actually interacting with others since she made a grab for the leadership."

[Sky]

Sky flicked her tail softly. " How come you don't try for leadership? You obviously care a lot about who leads around here, and I can say I think you would do well." She offered her a compliment, and it as genuine. She seemed to have a level head, and if what she said about Ash was true it shouldn't be to hard to win others onto her side.

[Natalia]

Natalia grimaced. "I don't think I'd make a good leader. Besides, I hate the spotlight." She explained. "I'm willing to back a cat named Pain, though. He can make bad first impressions, but he's really not that bad." There were a lot of things holding her back mentally from even entertaining the idea of her leading Deathclan. Yes, she'd accepted it as a last resort... But with Pain, that wasn't necessary.

[Sky]

Sky pushed Pain to the back of her mind, making a mental note to meet him one day. " Well if all else fails I think you should go for it." She nodded briskly, just to show she was serious. " Although so far Ash hasn't seemed to do anything wrong, I don't think I support her either." She concluded, fluffing out her calico fur.

[Natalia]

Natalia grimaced, but nodded. "That's my last resort." A last resort she didn't like much, but that's why it's last, right? "I'm glad we agree on that." Natalia's own distrust of Ash stemmed from her tremendous trust issues, as well as the bad impression Ash had made.

[Sky]

Sky nodded in understanding, sitting down slowly onto her haunches. " How old is Ash?" She questioned, although she wouldn't know how Natalia would come across this information. Although the she would have a better guess considering Sky couldn't see her, and had never even met her.

[Natalia]

Natalia shrugged. "Older than me. I didn't ask." She answered. It was true. She'd never bothered to ask, having been a bit busy with other things. Like aiming her anger at the gray tabby. Natalia could still tell Ash wasn't too old, however. She figured she was probably around before Dove came into power.