Originals // P

[Patch]

Natalia

Patch didn't have much to do in her present time. She just waited, for Pain to become leader, for Iceclan to leave, for everything to go like it should. Patch was a believer that she had the chance to be someone great, that was the only reason she hadn't left Deathclan while she could. That, and Pain would probably kill her.

The white and black she-cat wandered around the Deathclan area, her eyes narrowed. She then heard a noise and a familiar scent rushed over her nose. "Natalia..?" She called out her... Friend? Acquaintance? Ally? She didn't know what her relationship with the other feline was.

[Natalia]

Natalia was perched in a tree again. She breath in... And out. She was taking a break from stalking Ash from the tree tops. She needed her rest, dangit! Plus, she'd made sure Ash was resting in her den when she left. It would be fine... Especially with Ash being more mobile, it wouldn't be hard to pick up her trail again later.

Then she noticed Patch below, calling out her name. "I'm up here." She called down. Honestly... She wasn't sure what her relationship with Patch was. Were they still acquaintances? Were they friends? It wasn't that clear.

[Patch]

The she-cat was shocked to hear the other's voice above her head. But she calmed down quickly and looked at the trees. "Oh, hey! How've you been?" She asked, her smile small. What was Natalia even doing in the trees? She wasn't a squirrel as far as she knew.

Patch shuffled her paws around, the other feline looked a bit tired. What the heck was going on?

[Natalia]

Natalia saw as Patch openly displayed shock to see her in a tree. The red-furred tabby supposed she'd never displayed her tree climbing ability to Patch... Then again, it was more recent. Sort of. The first time she'd resorted to trees was during that whole mess where she'd been avoiding Jude.

Regardless, she shrugged down at Patch, though it was a question in of itself if Patch could actually see her gesture properly. "I've been fine." She meowed down, still able to hear Patch from down below. Patch still seemed mildly uncomfortable.

[Patch]

Patch didn't know how to react or to reply. Natalia didn't say much that could really keep the conversation going, she should really have known this by now. The she-cat shrugged and called back up, her tail flicking madly.

"Um... What are you doing up there, if I may ask?"

[Natalia]

Natalia could sense the instant awkward air that filled the area. She had a vague feeling this happened a lot when she talked to Patch one on one, casually. She shrugged down at Patch, once again not sure the effectiveness of her gestures being in the trees.

"I like trees." Was her simple response.

[Patch]

Patch tilted her head, feeling the awkwardness just rise. "Huh, for a second you looked like a Treeclanner, or a squirrel." She snorted. She couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of envy for what she said next.

"Um... Pain told me he was making you his second in command."

[Natalia]

Natalia snorted. "I assure you, I am neither of those things, despite my liking for trees." She could understand the confusion, however. Most cats didn't climb trees, as far as she knew aside from Treeclanners. She supposed that was why she liked tree climbing so much. As a general point, she didn't like cats and cats didn't like her. Thus, finding a place with the option of ignoring others was rather appealing.

Then she narrowed her eyes. She was surprised, but masked it fairly well. "Really then..." She said, mostly to herself. She was... Honestly surprised. She thought Pain was closer to Patch, but she supposed he had some practical reasons. Pain always seem more pragmatic than anything. "Hm... He mention his reasoning?"

[Patch]

"He didn't explain much except that you were a good choice."

Patch shrugged, trying to think back. A flicker of anger rose up deep inside her, mostly just because of what the tom thought about her when it came to politics and such. Her white and black fur fluffed out, shivering from the sudden cold air. "Leafbare's returning quickly." She meowed. She hated the cold.

[Natalia]

Natalia noticed Patch seemed rather tense as she explained that Pain neglected to offer proper explanation. Was... Patch jealous? It always seemed like Patch and Pain were closer, so perhaps Patch feels a bit betrayed...

But then again, she shouldn't be psycho-analyzing the cats around her. She stops thinking about it. She looked up. "That it is." She agreed. "Prey's going to become scarce. Might be tough." She voiced her opinions. 

[Patch]

Patch blinked, staring blankly at Natalia, who seemed in lost in thought. She waited a few moments and nodded in agreement as the other spoke. "It is, but we all can handle it, Deathclan has survived more than just a Leafbare."

[Natalia]

Natalia shrugged. "A machine is only as good as the sum of its parts." She quoted. Anyone could fall prey to the lack of food, sickness, and burning cold that accompanied every single Leaf-bare. There was no telling who wouldn't be still with them, come New-leaf. Any loss of life would be a loss.

[Patch]

Patch thought for a bit, her tail ticking like a clock. She shrugged, snapping back to the real world. She didn't think much about others last Leafbare, since she was a bratty kit, but she had grown to care more about others. She grew a little worried, hoping that no one she was close to falls during the season.

((Literally this year is supposed to be a bad winter in my state, dang the cold.

[Natalia]

Natalia watched as Patch seemed to be.... Deep in thought. Then she seemed to refocus on reality to... Stare at her? It was a little weird. She could see a trace of worry across Patch's face however. Was she worried about Leaf-bare? ... Maybe she shouldn't have basically implied that Deathclan could suffer if anyone died. Whoops.

"But... I'm sure it'll be fine. What's some snow and... Freezing temperatures?" She offered awkwardly that didn't sound like reassurance at all. It was clear she knew it was a feeble attempt.

[Patch]

Worry still grew.

Natalia's remark didn't help at all. She felt goosebumps down her spine. She wasn't one for liking the snow, it made her paws numb. Her tail lashed around. She decided to steer away from the topic at hand. "Um... Do you wonder about what happens to others, about what they might be doing without you?"