princess in the tower [mouse]

[Willow]

Mouse meowed in soft laughter again as Thorn stated she was used to such teasing. This had to be the happiest Mouse had been in moons. A glance over her shoulder made her face fall, however. She did not ever want to return to the depressing inside of her house. But, as usual, she would.

Or maybe not.

Mouse's bi-colored widened in shock as the loner asked if she wanted to get out of there. "With all of my heart I do. But how? I can't jump the fence like you can. My legs aren't strong enough. I've tried before."

[Solo]

T H O R N

The wildcat saw Mouse's eyes grow wide, but when she explained she was too weak to jump the fence, Thorn was at a loss of what to do. She'd blindly assumed that she had not been mentally and physically ready to cope with the challenges, or didn't know how to hunt, but there was desperation inside this sandy cat that Thorn began to understand. She wanted more than anything to help get her out of here, but if she wasn't powerful enough to spring up and get a hold of the fence...

"I think there's a tree in the next yard," Thorn meowed, then realizing that they couldn't get to it even though its branch loomed perfectly over the side of the outer fence. She turned and scoured the bottom side of the fence, trotting around the perimeter of the yard. "There might be a weak point along here, or somewhere to dig." She didn't relish the thought of digging up more than a layer of earth for necessities, but she'd dug a deep cache before, and it couldn't be too hard to squeeze this tiny cat through a hole.

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[Willow]

"There might be a weak point along here, or somewhere to dig."

Mouse sat at the base of the fence, looking up. Her bi-colored eyes darted around the garden, looking for anything that could help her over without the trouble of digging. "Maybe..." she began softly and trotted to a tree stump, quite a ways from the fence but not out of the range of a cat's jump. "If I started back further. Jumped onto here first then tried to jump to the fence."

It was dangerous and she'd almost definitely crash headfirst into the fence, but it was better than trying to dig a hole under. Her twolegs would surely notice before it was done. "I've got to try," she murmured to herself. And, before Thorn could protest, she bounded to the patio, turned tail and raced at the tree stump. She cleared the first step easily and just as her paws touched, without hesitation she kicked off again as hard as her little legs could.

The small sandy she-cat went soaring through the air. Almost flying. Her tail waved like a banner behind her. Front paws hit wood and she dug her claws in for dear life. Back paws hit and her claws burned with pain. Mouse realized she had closed her eyes tight and now opened them. Her claws were embedded on either side of the fence. She had made it. Slowly she pulled her claws out, wincing at the pain until she perched on the broad wooden fence, looking very proud and very confused.

What next? Her eyes trained on Thorn's brown shape.

[Solo]

T H O R N

Mouse looked around quickly, and Thorn had to admire the kittypet’s determination, even if she was disturbed by the life she must lead to prefer wild living to guaranteed security. While she teased kittypets like the next feral cat would, Thorn understood that house life was what they were bred for. This cat was bred for that soft life by the fragile look of her… but, then again, some individuals had a way of surprising her.

Thorn blinked in surprise when Mouse pointed out the tree stump and explained what she could do. It seemed far-fetched and as hard as jumping the fence normally, if not more complex, but before the tabby could suggest otherwise, the sandy cat had launched herself at the stump. She seemed to simply bounce off this platform and flew at the fence. The wildcat winced heavily when she hit the fence, but as she looked up, Mouse had struggled onto the fence and was staring down at her.

“W—” Thorn’s mouth gaped before she laughed and shook out her tabby coat. She purred and stepped onto the tree stump, leaping from there to the fence with her muscular hind legs. She was careful not to accidentally shove Mouse off when she perched on the fence as well. “That was awesome,” she meowed, deciding against a friendly butt of her head, instead lightly touching her with her tail. She turned and glanced at the other side of the fence, where twoleg reign stopped and the wilderness began. She breathed in the scents of prey and, far beyond, the forests that she called home.

Without hesitation, Thorn leaped down into the grass and purred contentedly, as if it did make a difference which side of the border she’d been on. She then realized what a moment this would be for Mouse and glanced up, smiling gently and waiting to see if she was ready.

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[Willow]

Mouse gave Thorn a little grin as she too took a flying leap from the stump to the fence and landed much more gracefully beside Mouse. She shook out her sandy fur and stared at the wild, untamed grass beyond the fence. This was an area Mouse had never touched and had never expected to be. Thorn jumped down without a care, but Mouse was slower, savoring the feeling.

A twoleg yelled from the house. Her twoleg. Mouse gave the female one glace before slowly leaping down from the fence, into the freedom that lay beyond. She stretched, burying her tender claws into the soft earth. Her blue and green eyes trained on Thorn. "Where shall we go?" she asked, her eyes wide with wonder. She would have to stick with Thorn from now on. After all, she had no clue where anything was or even how to hunt well. She'd caught birds and mice in her garden before but Mouse had a feeling that they were harder to catch out in the wild.

[Solo]

T H O R N

The shout of the twoleg startled Thorn, and she whipped around with a hiss—as if that’d make things any better. She blinked and then watched Mouse drop down into the grass and stretch. Deciding that meant it was safe here, she purred encouragingly and looked around at the long grass. After a moment of wondering what to do, her ears pricked, and she grew still. “Are you hungry?” she asked Mouse, and without bothering to acknowledge an answer lowered herself into a crouch. She crept forward, paused to swivel her ears, and corrected her direction. Soon, the tabby sprang, paws outstretched and back arching in the air. There was a blur of movement in the tangles of grass, and moments after she’d landed she lifted her head, a small shrew dangling from her mouth.

“Here,” Thorn mewed from around the tiny body. “Not much, but it’s good.” She dropped the catch at Mouse’s paws and waved her tail expectantly.

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[Willow]

Mouse nodded as Thorn asked if she was hungry. She was very hungry. It had been at least a day since she'd eaten and that was only some left-over twoleg food. Not exactly the most tasty thing ever. She watched Thorn stalk the small piece of prey, crouching low to the ground. For all her other ignorance to forest life, Mouse did know how to hunt and quite well even if she had only ever caught garden birds. She could tell that Thorn was stalking something small, a sort of mouse or shrew.

The brown tabby sprang and reappeared a moment later with a small shrew which she gave to Mouse who purred her thanks and dug in without a second thought. She finished the tiny creature within seconds and sat back up to groom her paws. "Do you have a home or do you just wander?" Mouse asked curiously. She had the thought that wild cats all had dens or nests but now she wasn't so sure. She couldn't picture Thorn settling down in the same place every night.

[Solo]

T H O R N

Thorn looked on proudly as the smaller she-cat ate the shrew, glad with her successful hunt and that Mouse had something to eat. She wondered if she should get something else but decided against it when the sandy cat spoke to her.

“I wander,” the brown tabby said, “personally. There’s a lot to see out there, and you have to love the adventure of it. That, and…” She grinned faintly and shrugged. “It’s hard to defend a territory when you’re on your own, anyway. Safer to sneak around and avoid hunting prey ‘belonging’ to other cats for too long.”

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[Willow]

Mouse continued to purr contently and groom herself as Thorn gave a response to her questioning. Mouse nodded at the reasoning for wandering. Mouse wasn't really one for adventures but she'd definitely like to stay away from the more experienced wild cats at least for a while.

"What is there out here besides the moor?" she asked. The moor was the only wild land she saw from her twoleg den and where they stood right now. Hills sloped and rolled in front of them. Gentle and treeless, coated in coarse grasses and shrubs. "And..." her voice grew soft, tentative almost. "I can stay with you, right? At least for a while?" Mouse did not fancy the idea of being on her own out in the wild, untamed lands. Thorn's presence would definitely make the transition much easier and she could teach her as they went.

[Solo]

T H O R N

Thorn looked over her shoulder and gestured with her tail toward the southeast. "There's a lot of diverse land out there, besides the moor. I was born in the forest, myself, the oak woods. You've also got short open areas, not quite like here, swamps and pine trees, and the river." She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "The cats who live by that place are insane, though I can't say I've tried it. They say that fish is good." She realized that she had been blabbering and grinned slightly again.

When Mouse's voice grew softer, the brown she-cat pricked her ears. Her blue eyes widened when the sandy cat asked if she could stay, and Thorn shuffled her paws. "Well, what do you think I was gonna do? Abandon you?" She hesitated then stretched her head out to give Mouse a friendly bump on the shoulder. "Sure, you can stay with me, until you've learned to walk on your own and have gotten tired of me. But you'll have to remind me you're no expert at living in the wild. I tend to go my own pace. It was hard for Thorn to admit her faults, but her like for this female she'd saved and her own honesty was stronger than her arrogance, at least this time.

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[Willow]

Mouse listened with rapt attention as Thorn explained the surrounding areas. Her bi-colored eyes grew huge at the talk of a river. Mouse had never seen a body of water larger than a puddle. She knew a river was some kind of water, but beyond that her knowledge was limited. And a swamp. What was that? She felt so stupid. "Thorn... what exactly is a river and a swamp?" she finally asked, looking away from the wild cat to hide her embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I don't know anything about the wild. I have to be the dumbest cat out here."

"Well, what do you think I was gonna do? Abandon you?"

Mouse shrugged. "You never know," she muttered. Thorn gave her a friendly nudge to which Mouse responded with a little smile. The other she-cat then told her that she could stay until she 'learned to walk on her own' whatever that meant. Did that mean that Thorn would kick Mouse out in the future? She frowned a bit then listened to the rest the tabby had to say.

"You mean I know absolutely nothing," she scoffed angrily and stared ahead pointedly.

[Solo]

THORN
_________________________________________________________________

The tabby couldn’t deny that she loved attention. She’d normally be preening by this point, if not for the respect she felt toward this kittypet. That, and it seemed as if every single gesture or word of hers offended Mouse, something that she didn’t want to do. She might as well be stepping deliberately through prickles and praying she didn’t get a thorn in her pad by this point. However, she didn’t mind talking to the light-colored female in spite of that. It was good to have more than a one-sided conversation.

Mouse admitted that she didn’t know what the loner was talking about, and Thorn frowned thoughtfully. “A river is like a big trail of water, full of fish. It goes on forever and is too wide to leap, though some animals can swim across. And the water never stops moving.” She flicked her ears in amusement. “A swamp is kind of like a big field of mud. It’s usually wet and the ground keeps squelching under your paws, anyway. There are some woody areas there, though.” She felt proud of her knowledge and was dismayed when Mouse apologized.

“I wouldn’t expect you to know what you’ve never seen,” Thorn pointed out as gently as she could. “And you’re hardly the dumbest cat out here.” She hoped the young she-cat wouldn’t press her to back up her statement. She didn’t know what she’d day.

Mouse’s attitude toward her flipped back and forth, when she at first smiled then frowned and finally accused her of calling her an idiot.

How am I supposed to deal with her? Thorn shook her head, wondering just what she had gotten herself into. She stepped around Mouse, trying to get her to meet her gaze. “I didn’t say that,” she mewed. “I meant that you know less, because you’ve just been over your fence. Like I said, how can I expect you to know everything about the forest when you weren’t born in it?” She was almost tired of making excuses for her misinterpreted statements and finished honestly, “I would never leave you unless you wanted me to, Mouse. I’ve been called arrogant and mouse-brained, but never heartless.”

[Willow]

Mouse listened attentively as Thorn described the various regions that Mouse had asked about. The river sounded quite scary while the swamp sounded, if nothing else, interesting. Mouse smirked as Thorn claimed that she wasn’t the dumbest cat in the forest. You’re just saying that for my benefit, she thought, but didn’t bring this up. She was already being difficult enough she could tell.

Mouse blinked as the other she-cat took her bitter statement as an accusation against her. “I didn’t say that’s what you meant. I was angry with myself, not you.” They were obviously having some communication issues between them. Mouse made a mental point to be more clear in the future.

“I would never leave you unless you wanted me to, Mouse. I’ve been called arrogant and mouse-brained, but never heartless.”

Mouse blinked her bi-colored eyes. “I would never imply that you were, Thorn. After all, the cat who rescued me from that forsaken place could never be heartless. The cats who walk on by are the heartless ones.” She touched the tip of her tail gently to Thorn’s ear and gave a smile. She hoped this was apology enough for her disheartened statements and misunderstandings earlier.

The little cat shook herself and looked out eagerly towards the moorlands. “Where shall we go now?” She glanced behind her at the distant fence. “I’d like to get far away from here.”

[Solo]

THORN
_________________________________________________________________

Thorn couldn’t say she was surprised that she had misinterpreted the other she-cat’s words, but she didn’t take her reply back. This new loner shouldn’t be mad at herself when this was her first time walking past the fence. She hoped that, with time, they wouldn’t have this complication of words, tangled and misinterpreted. She much preferred a simple way of talking and understanding, which would grow with trust. At least, that’s how her parents had interacted—each knowing deep down why the other was upset, needing only a short explanation. Thorn wanted a friend to share that bond with.

“I’m glad I could help,” the brown tabby mewed again, startled into saying something when Mouse brushed her cream tail gently against an ear. She purred and then lowered her forequarters into a stretch, arching her back and unsheathing her claws. A grin came to her features when Mouse looked out at the wilderness ahead of them, and she jumped back onto all fours.

“Whichever way you’d like,” she meowed brightly, though she’d already begun to walk toward the moorlands. “These open fields are our first step toward the other territories I mentioned.” She stopped and waved her tail at Mouse encouragingly. “There are mostly rabbits to hunt here. I’m not so great at chasing them, but it’s fun anyway.”

She was ready to take charge, though Thorn worried that Mouse wouldn’t have the strength to go as far as she would like to, especially fed on a single little shrew. She didn’t want to ask and offend her, however, and trusted that she’d mention when she was tired or weak.

[Willow]

Mouse stood tall - as tall as she could - and peered around the moors, past the sparse trees and tall grass. It looked fairly boring to her. Nothing was moving except the howling wind which carried with it leaves and twigs. Thorn began walking forward and Mouse trotted after her with a new spring in her step. She knew her muscles were unaccustomed to the strain they would probably go through today, but she'd have to adjust somehow.

"Let's go that way," she finally decided, walking beside Thorn. She pointed her cream tail Eastward. There was a dip in the brown grass there with a variety of rocks and stones around it. She had a feeling it would be the most interesting place around here. And maybe it would have some water, or at least more than a shrew.

She looked at Thorn with green and blue eyes shining. "And the next prey, I want to try to catch it myself. I'm still a bit hungry, anyway. I'm not sure if I'll try a rabbit though..." She looked around, unsure exactly how large a rabbit was. With a smirk she wondered if she was really much larger than them.

With a jaunty wave of her tail, Mouse padded off ahead of her companion towards the dip in the moor.