Vamanos

 It felt so nice out today. So nice in fact, that the big tomcat had decided to go a-wonderin'. In his mouth was a long stalk of straw. He'd not ventured south yet and since he'd already been in the general area, he decided to go even further down to sightsee. Just wait till Moir heard about the adventure that he was having. 

 The tomcat went further and further, impressed with the relatively level landscape he found --as opposed to the rocky hillscape of the mountains he usually hung out in-- and the abundance of temperate trees. The smell of wolf was still all-pervading but he was better at realizing territories as opposed to just the general smell of them being around. 

 Granted, wolves didn't much care about him traipsing over invisible lines but if he avoided densely populated areas then it meant less run-ins with big gaggles of wolves. Which may or may not have a couple that wanted to eat you. 

 In this way he found a spot that had the stink of wolves but it wasn't the worst so he decided to rest here. So that he'd be extra safe, he climbed up an apple tree with little buds of flowers preparing for the spring that was soon to come. It was a pleasantly warm day and he felt rather content to close his eyes and lightly doze while his ears would flick every once in a while towards a new sound that would make itself known nearby.

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It wasn't hard to smell something unusual within Elkshire, though at times, she did miss a few in the woodlands or in the range. Counted, as their land it was still less marked compared to the crown. They can only guard for so much and with so brought many different wanders, some who were friendly, and others.. Who were not. It was bothersome, at times, she admitted, but nothing could truly do besides continue on the guard.

A scent came through, it was recognizable and she thought that perhaps, it was the one fauna she met long ago. A cat. They were alright individuals, a bit mischievous if she had to add, a knack for being within the trees itself. But an unusual sighting, she would say, much less able to smell them through.. With one being so close, Celnes couldn't help wonder if it was the same cat that roamed the crown.

She approached with a curiosity, and noticed — this was not the same one.. Someone, unfamiliar, and brown.

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 He appeared as if he were sleeping but the occasional languid swish of his tail would indicate otherwise. He could hear rustling below him and out of his own curiosity, he would open one amber eye to look down. There standing before him was a wolf, a very brown wolf. She seemed inquisitive but she didn't say anything. He wondered if he should just attempt to doze again or if he should say something?

 He closed his eye back, twirled the stalk in his mouth and then jerked his head upwards in one sharp motion. A greeting. 

 A few heartbeats later, his rather deep voice could be heard echoing down to her. "'Sup!" He'd gotten used to wolves at this point. With meeting new ones, he preferred to have the high ground in case they were insane banshees so he was perfectly at ease here.

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Her gaze settled upon a tree that he laid upon. She started to notice a trend with small critters that could speak — all of them remained high within a tree, and she assumed it was the thought that Celnes would attempt to eat them! And though it was still rare to find these, talking ones within the trees, it was a bit too many times that she found it quite strange. 

"My, isn't your kind quite curious.. You all seem to be able to speak my tongue," she said, hinting at a time she met a different cat. One who was long gone by now she imagined, as it's scent had disappeared from the forest, and yet.. Another one took its place a few months after. She smiled lightly.

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 At first, he thought she was going to not say anything. In which case he would debate closing his eyes and resting once more but he didn't get the chance to. The woman below him spoke up, speaking on the inquisitiveness of cats. He grinned at her and meowed, "Fuckin' weird. I assumed it ya'll able to speak our tongue." He chuckled, amused at her words. Who'd ever heard of an intelligent canine before he came here, anyway? Although he supposed it was all a matter of perspective. "Although I much prefer you talkin' wolves over the ones where I came from. Knew a coupl'a good cats got fuckin' ate by'em." So, yeah, ones that could talk were so much better. 

 "And ain't that the expression? Curiosity killed the cat or some mouse-shit like that? Fuckin' crude way to say it but I guess it gets the point across, eh?" Couldn't they have used dogs in that expression instead? Why cats? Or why not 'curiosity got the cat a snack' or something?

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For a moment she dropped into a thought, eyes widening for a few split seconds in a sudden realization, before falling back to a neutral smile. Perhaps.. This land had an air about it, that she didn't particularly realize despite being so into her face. Within other times Celnes never imagined to talk to other species, much less the Divine elk and deer that rode through these lands. All these odd moments, were all simply due to this land she was on. It was like it existed no where anyone knew, and yet realms crossing to one.. A single place, where before the divides happened before them all.

Primordial lands.

"I suppose this land is simply magical like that." She chuckled lightly at him, her thoughts of realization dimishing but not forgotten. It almost like she hit a divinity, upon this new factor of life itself. The land of no name, she found something to call it at the very least, for the meanwhile.

"Fear not I do not eat cats, nor' majority of Elkshire wolves.. Much less to those who talk." It felt like sin to eat those of such a high intelligence. Not to mention disgusting to hear the audible screaming when bones crunching and flesh being torn — she would not want that translated within her own language. Plus, cats were never a good treat in her opinion. Plenty of birds and boars around then to diverge to that path.

"At least it's not like a wolf in sheep's clothing, or vice versa." Could it be said that was accurate to the Queen, who often was double-faced?

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 He'd seen the slip in expression, a brief widening of the eyes but he assumed --incorrectly-- that it was due to his oh-so-wise words of her knowing the Cat's Tongue and not the other way around. He didn't care much to remark on the revelation, allowing her to realize the thing on her own. He could agree though, to the "magic" of it all. Perhaps StarClan bid it so that they could all understand each other and there was no real language at all. Who knew? Who cared? They could understand each other and it was enough to keep most of the wolves from trying to eat him. That was good enough to the dark-pointed feline. "Or maybe we've all sipped out of the same pond of crazy and since we're so insane, we all understand each other." He laughed, amused at his own joke. 

 "Is it 'cause we talk or is that just a general feline-aversion? 'Cause I gotta say, if I found a fuckin' mouse that begged me not to eat it I'd probably be questioning my fuckin' diet." Dear sweet fucking StarClan don't let the mice start talking. He might just really go off the deep end if he had to question ever piece of prey before he killed it. 

 As to her last statement, "Iunno. I think I'd rather have 'wolf in sheep's clothing' than what we got stuck with. Curiosity killed the cat. More than one way to skin a cat. It's like the fuckin' metaphor guy has a StarClan-damned vendetta or some shit." Really though, wasn't there some other animal the expressions could pick on?

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She chuckled lightly, "I suppose it could be if we all share the same source." She said, sitting down, while looking up at the fellow. There was so many theories that could be thrown around.. The land is magic, the water is the source, or maybe they simply all changed — bodies forming and languages clashing were boundaries once were, were no longer. Yet at the same time, she couldn't speak to every different fauna. When she tried with other elk they only bleated in warning, as well as the smaller critters that roamed the The Elk's Crown.

"A mixture — cats in general are not that good in taste." Her laughter twisted to a colder tone, devilish in the making. How she had tasted cat before, and yet they were not at all delectable. More bones then fat then anything, muscle that was plain no matter what inch she grabbed. Food was food, but there was plenty of other resources where it simply wasn't needed, "i'm sure you tasted wolf or dog before, and would say the same." They were opposites, by the law of nature and hierarchy.. A dislike often stemming from each other through stereotypes, and yet in the end ; eating each other wasn't often there, as far as she remembered (though irl says differently). 

"At least a saying goes, cats have nine lives. Perhaps can spare some to the needy." Celnes said, smiling lightly. Though she knew it not to be true, wouldn't it be nice if it was.

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 What a fucking joke! Grim, macabre, but he did actually grin and then laugh. ”You know what, I’m not gonna fuckin’ ask if that’s from experience or not.” He could assume that was. If there was a dead cat or one lying around that a wolf happened upon, he figured it’d be stupid not to take the chance if they were hungry. Fair was fair. If he was starving and a dead wolf was lying around… well, it might be gross and he might feel weird but he’d probably have to take a few bites. Only if he was literally starving though. ”Pfft, I’d have to be fuckin’ starvin’ to take a taste of canine. No offense but ya’ll do not seem very appetizing… No offense.” Although in this sense he didn’t know if it’d be more or less offensive to be thought of as tasty.

 Then her next words… Ah, he was sure the fabled nine lives of leaders wasn’t known here. Should he share trade secrets? Eh, he doubted StarClan would give nine lives here… maybe they didn’t have the power to if there was some secret magic around. ”That’s not really a ‘saying’, y’know? Where I come from leaders do have nine lives so if one of them gets here, maybe they’d be happy to spare some.” He winked at her, jokes weaved into his truthfulness.

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"I would hope not," she said chuckling, "it would be scary to think what could eat a wolf."  The only mammal she could think that could possibly rival would be the lions or the bears. Though neither usually try and eat them, rather simply a fight for territory. Yet she also knew many do not waste such a carcass's and would eat, even wolves themselves would indulge on their fallen comrades if it came to — something she will not allow within this forest, first and forth-most. They will be buried in the boneyard, along with the fallen elk.

"I believe you perhaps drunk too much of that water," a raised brow toward his statement. Celnes did think this was a strange cat, but didn't think he was slightly unwell. She knew by heart the saying cats have nine lies due to how diligent they are concerning survival, yet no one truly had nine lives. Even those here, once dead.. Don't seem to come back.

Some part of it nagged in her mind however, because she once did die, and now is back — but still wouldn't risk her new life on the 'what ifts.'

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 ”Probably a fuckin’ a bear.” Although he’d never really seen a bear eat a wolf… not that he stuck around to examine such things. ”They’re plenty fuckin’ scary.” If he saw a bear, he went the other way. If he saw a wolf? He went the other way… well, until this strange fucking place. Ever since coming here he was chummy with most of them.

 The tomcat bellowed out a laugh, amused that she assumed he was lying. ”You don’t fuckin’ believe me. I guess that’s fair, I probably wouldn’t believe me either if I hadn’t seen that shit with my own eyes.” His own leader had died from a battle wound and he’d seen him come back from that shit. It was a big to-do in the clans when their leaders got nine lives but one couldn’t expect a wolf to understand that. ”Where I came from, all clan leaders have nine fuckin’ lives gifted by StarClan. Now, I don’t know if that shit is still true here since there ain’t any clans.” Yet. It didn’t really fucking matter anyway. It wasn’t as if he was a leader although it’d ease his mind if Quinn could have that gift… but he doubted it would come to pass here.

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"I do hear lions do as well. But some wolves, eat other wolves." She morbidly chuckled at the thought, as it wasn't something completely unfamiliar. She wouldn't doubt that the Nightwalkers took part of it on occasion, but didn't have definite proof of so ; nor, was it any of her business. She would never partake in such foul meals, and dined with a grace and dignity — but if others wanted to, that wasn't part of her business. She would though ask her own wolves to refrain from eating others within the forest, as though her children were growing, were still too young.

She unknowingly, cottled them.

"I cannot deny, and yet I once died, and woke up here. It doesn't seem entirely impossible." How fascinating though to hear the culture of another species though. From what she generally deducted, is StarClan was most likely a higher power like the High Elk, that these cats believed in. Where they also cats, or another species altogether? But how mysterious that was, that only the few could be given another life. How blessed, and destructive that must be, especially if some were to fight over such a position.

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