Frenemies Perhaps • Private

[Asphyx]

blink and your dead

i'm quick, i'm cunning, and i never miss

(( Natalia ))

The day had been fairly brilliant the whole day, being slightly warm, but not too warm. A soft breeze ruffled the fur on Asphyx's tail and she took on a cliff, overlooking unknown land. Behind her was the loner territories, and Deathclan just beyond that. She wasn't expecting anyone to sneak up behind her, since she was as lonely as a cat could get, ashamed of her past and what she lived for.

For all her days, Asphyx had known nothing but war and hardship, and now she lived a mostly solitary life, alone on her travels. She guessed she would stay in this area for a while, since it seemed promising, but one could never tell how promising an area could be. Cats were different everywhere, and Asphyx had no doubt the cats here were much different than what she was used to. She let out a sigh, thinking about what she was used to. But she shook her head, she had moved on, and hoped it was for the better.

[Natalia]

Natalia had found herself becoming bored with wandering around Deathclan with increasing frequency, leading her to wander the neutral territories around, largely dominated by local rogues. Besides, it was a beautiful day with a gentle breeze, softly pushing her fur in whichever direction. On this day... She'd find someone interesting. A scarred brown tabby, standing on a cliffside. Natalia made no attempts to mask her presence, not interested in the possibility of startling a cat with violent paranoia... With a conflict that ended with them both tumbling off the cliff.

She slightly noisily walked up to the tabby from the back, her paws softly crushing the grass, her red fur blazing against the grass. "Hey there. You smell new." She remarked.

[Asphyx]

blink and your dead

i'm quick, i'm cunning, and i never miss

Asphyx whipped her ears around when she heard a cat approaching, but she didn't bother turning her head until the cat was nearly next to her. Her gaze swept to the side, and found a bright, red cat. She hadn't seen many red cats in her life, and seeing one was always a queer sight.

In response to the feline's comment, Asphyx barely nodded her head and turned her gaze back to the clouds, a bit sadly. "I certainly am new," she added to her answer.

[Natalia]

Natalia found herself standing almost next to the brown tabby. The stranger hadn't even turned her head until the green-eyed tabby had stopped moving, sitting down and making herself comfortable. 

She turned her head and noticed the twinge of sadness in the stranger's gaze. Hm. She supposed it was another cat who'd come to the area with a rough past. "I'm Nat. I'm not new. Been in this area since I was a six moon old brat."

[Asphyx]

blink and your dead

i'm quick, i'm cunning, and i never miss

Asphyx listened to the cat speak, and could tell when she sat down, relaxed. Asphyx wasn't much of a treat when she was tired, or not much of a threat at all, unless one made her hate them, but she was still surprised for one to be so relaxed around her. "I'm Asphyx," she responded, watching a clpud float lazily across the sky.

"So you've lived here nearly all your life?" Asphyx continued, starting somewhat of a conversation. It was weird to be talking to a cat other than her close friends, but she would have to get used to it.

[Natalia]

Natalia noticed the odd name... Though, was it really so odd when there were more cats than not with names such as their's? Honestly, it was difficult to tell what kinds of names were kittypet-like, aside from the obviously demeaning ones... When so many loners and rogues carried the odd names that seemed to have unreadable meanings.

She shrugged. "Yeah. Most of my memories are from this area... Though, I remember a time before." She said simply, though failing to elaborate on her second point. 

[Asphyx]

blink and your dead

i'm quick, i'm cunning, and i never miss

Asphyx tilted her head a bit so that she could see Natalia clearly from her peripheral vision, then glanced her way. "You remember the time before...?" Asphyx asked. It sounded more like a statement than a question, but it still had that edge a question would carry.

After a short pause, Asphyx looked back to the clouds. "I remember the important details, back to when I was a kit. If you'd like to hear a bit, I'll be glad to share." She let out the smallest of sighs. She needed to tell someone her past, just to get it off her shoulders, but she wondered if telling a complete stranger was really a good idea. She decided that she would share the heaviest memories, and keep the other things to herself. If she shared, her anger might lift a bit, and maybe she wouldn't constantly rage at herself over her friends' lives.

[Natalia]

Natalia shrugged as she looked forward, not looking at Asphyx at all, giving the impression that it wasn't important at all. "Yeah. Some cats forget memories from that young. I didn't." She shrugged again. Her tone was casual and erased any possible hints of her distant past's importance to the red-furred tabby.

Then Asphyx replied, explaining herself. Her expression seemed to tighten at the offer. Though, it was only a moment as her face relaxed again. She turned her head, looking Asphyx's straight in the eyes, the deadly serious green gaze boring into the stranger. Though, this stern expression didn't last long, as she shrugged again, melting into a more apathetic way of holding herself. "... Eh. Sure. I won't judge, promise. I'll just listen."

[Asphyx]

blink and your dead

i'm quick, i'm cunning, and i never miss

Asphyx found herself wondering why she had offered to give her backstory, but still went through with it. She needed to tell someone, even if it was a stranger. It would kill her if she didn't.

So Asphyx turned her full attention to the sky as she started her story, every fluffy, white cloud held a memory of it's own. "You must already know I'm not from here. I came from Pyyria, which is a long trek from here. I'm not sure where 'here' is, since I must be the first one from my land to come this far." As those words came out of her mouth, she felt an overwhelming amount of sadness, but pushed through and covered it up. "Ever since I was a kit, I'd been trained for this war my land was having. Everyone fought in it, from the time the trainers released you to the time you couldn't go any further and returned home." She sighed, and felt ashamed of herself. "I fought my hardest, I earned a name for myself, I had allies, friends, and rivals who became friends. But then I was sent on a mission, and I let my team down. They all died. A mountain collapsed above us, and fell on top of us. The rocks caught perfectly above my head, allowing me to stay alive, but I don't deserve it. I should've died with them." Asphyx directed her gaze to the grass. "It's my fault their dead."

[Natalia]

Natalia stayed true to her word and merely listened, her expression passive, only conveying a certain amount of interest to show she wasn't brushing off Asphyx. That wasn't the goal here.

First she explained she was from a far off land called Pyyria. She apparently didn't know the distance. Natalia guessed that Asphyx somehow ended up in the area by accident. How that could happen... She wasn't so sure. She could only imagine falling into a river and being wash downstream. She supposed there were other ways... She didn't want to make too many hasty assumptions. She listened to Asphyx's revelation that she was raised a child soldier. Well. That was rough. 

Then the revelation that everyone Asphyx knew died apparently, and somehow the fates allowed Asphyx to live. She exhaled sharply.

"Well... I'm not unfamiliar with the feeling." She said finally. "... You spilled a lot of personal crap to me. I feel like a massive foxheart now, for still being this mystery tabby." She huffed. "... Honestly, my story sounds like a walk in a park compared to that."

She cleared her throat.

"My family wasn't anything special. We were a family living in the woods. I get the feeling... I don't know the whole story. I didn't even freaking know I had an older sister until I was in Deathclan. Regardless... My parents probably weren't the type of cats who should've raised kits. They neglected my brother and doted on me, for some odd reason. He grew bitter. I didn't notice. One day, my parents left and didn't come back. My brother decided it was my fault and left me with scars. Physical and mental." She shrugged. "I was on my own for a bit. Found Deathclan. A while after, met my brother again. Apparently being alone didn't really help, given he tried to kill me." She sighed. "Actually, I'm pretty sure all my scars are from him."

She exhaled.

"Like I said. Not that bad in comparison. Though, as I said before... I'd feel kinda like a huge foxheart letting some stranger spill their life story and for me to do nothing in return." 

It was funny. She thought she was over being soft. Trusting.

Turns out she really wasn't.

[Asphyx]

blink and your dead

i'm quick, i'm cunning, and i never miss

Asphyx smiled as the red tabby said she knew the feeling of heartache, and turned to look at her as she explained her life story. "Thats sounds awful. I couldn't ever imagine a brother turning on me." To her, nothing would be worse than a in family betrayal. Even through everything that happened to her, she still considered betrayal the worst, and adding the family to that would only pour salt in the wound. "Did you guys ever make it through in the end?" she asked, trying not to be nosy. "You don't have to answer if you'd rather not."

[Natalia]

Natalia huffed as she saw the smile on Asphyx's face, turning her head away. "... I don't need pity. I really don't." She said flatly. She didn't say anything for several seconds. "... I'm pretty sure if I ever see him again... He'll try to finish the job." Her voice sounded almost dead. She wasn't sure why was she was still obliging Asphyx. She resolved to harden her heart against Asphyx, in case the stranger attempted to use what she shared against her. It's what the expected... It's what she would prepare for. She wouldn't be caught off guard by a nice act.

[Asphyx]

blink and your dead

i'm quick, i'm cunning, and i never miss

Asphyx leaned down a bit to try to make eye-contact again. "I don't want pity, either, yet I chose to share what little I've been through." She completely ignored the fact that Natalia was trying to push her away. Since they were still
nearly complete strangers, and Asphyx was trying to be polite, she sat up again to give Natalia space.

[Natalia]

Natalia looked at Asphyx, actually meeting her eyes. Her fierce green eyes met Asphyx's blue eyes. "Why'd you tell me this, then?" It seemed a bit foolish, honestly. Giving a part of yourself out like that to a stranger who may try to hurt you? The paranoid side of Natalia that had become wary of trusting others again couldn't quite understand it.

[Asphyx]

blink and your dead

i'm quick, i'm cunning, and i never miss

Asphyx shrugged and her gaze found the clouds again. She wasn't trying to avoid the red cat's eyes, but that's how it had been working out. "I had to get it off my chest. You're probably the only one I'll tell in quite awhile. Besides, even if you decide to go blabbing about it, it's not something that will particulary haunt me." She winced a little, at least not that much. "It's not something that cats can use against me. No one knows my past like I do, so no one could use it against me."