The Clan Renaissance

An Alternate Universe Warriors Roleplay

It was a lucky catch, and a sloppy one at that. However, it would suffice. The rabbit had practically hurled itself into Osprey's paws in its panicked dash toward the burrow she must have been blocking, and if not for her reflexes, the molly might have been too shocked to capture it. Fortunately, she had managed to scrabble a hold onto the scrawny creature and kill it.

Looking at it now, there was not much meat on the frail thing, hardly even palatable. Though Osprey was not foolish enough to be picky in such times. With the snow raging as it was, she had been lucky to catch so much as a whisker. This rabbit, though far from plump, would make for a filling meal. And so, the Stormbringer dragged her prey into the shelter of an abandoned fox den beneath a thick holly bush and settled to wait out the storm.

It seemed, however, that she was the only one here with such foresight. Squinting out into the blizzard to study the snowy landscape, Osprey caught sight of what she would swear had been a cat. Her eyes narrowed, ears tilting forward curiously as she crawled forward in the shelter of her den to watch. Indeed, the silhouette of a small feline was bounding gracelessly through the cold toward a lonely pine. At first, Osprey had every mind to simply ignore this cat. Let the fool die for their own mistakes, it was far from any problem of hers. However, as she watched, her curiosity only grew stronger, harder to resist.

What was this cat doing, staring down at the snow in the middle of a raging blizzard?

Huffing in frustration at the pull of her own curiosity, Osprey tucked her prey into the far back of the nest, kicked some dirt over it to hide its scent, and rubbed her cheek against the holly's roots on her way out to mark her burrow. Even she would have a hard time guessing where the hollow was in this storm. Fluffing up her fur as she made her way into the cold, Osprey let a slight shiver ripple through her before she lowered her head and padded on into the wind. It was strong, and each blast was riddled with ice. Truly, a pointless endeavor. And yet, here she was, running a fools' errand purely to discover if this cat was even worth the effort. Likely not.

Closing in on the feline from behind, Osprey could see now the object of their interest. A seemingly lifeless cat lay still upon the roots of the tree, unconscious at best, and perhaps dead at worst. Osprey had no clue if the fluffy tabby at their side - a she-cat, she could now determine - knew the fallen cat, however at the very least she seemed rather distressed. She must know them, otherwise why bother? But then again, some cats truly were that stupid.

"You got a death wish?" Not much of a greeting, really, but the cold and delay this storm was creating had still left Osprey in a soured mood despite her fortunate catch. Her paws stopped barely more than a tail-length away from the fallen cat, and she peered down at it with apathetic disapproval. "Doubt your friend here is going to wake up, kid. You would be wise to take shelter if you want a better fate."

Not her friend, then. Osprey flicked an ear, mildly perplexed as she glanced between the small fluffy tabby and her fallen companion. If there were no ties between herself and this obviously unsavable cat, who was dying at best and dead already at worst, why was she even bothering? To risk one's own life for another was strange enough, but to risk it for someone that could not even be saved? Inconceivable. Still, the ways of most made little sense to Osprey. Their selflessness, as they so called it, seemed to go against every aspect of survival, every instinct of self-preservation.

Simply put, they were mousebrained.

Still, Osprey remained calm as she moved closer, taking the younger feline's seemingly friendly nature as every bit of an invitation to get as close as she desired without tearing the other molly's fur off. The request for help seemed to fall on deaf ears for a moment, if not for the clear indication that Osprey's swiveling ears meant she was indeed listening. Stepping around the chattering feline, the Stormbringer crouched down by the still tom and sniffed him.

His scent seemed stale and, as she pressed her nose against his throat, not only was he ice-cold, she could feel nothing. She had already guessed the tom was dead, she could not imagine why this molly would even think he was alive. For her, this was merely excess confirmation. Even so, as though to assure the younger feline at her side, she used her paw to draw a pile of loose snow right up to the feline's nose. It was still.

"He is dead," she confirmed brusquely, stepping back and flicking the snow off her paw. "You would be wasting your efforts."

Osprey watched curiously as the younger molly bowed her head, seemingly grieving for the stranger. Here she sat before a lost cause, the irreparable death of one that ought to mean nothing to her, and yet she grieved? Strange. Still, Osprey sat back on her haunches and watched on as the young molly murmured sympathies of the cat's fate, and bent to lick his shoulder as though in reverence.

Her instinct told Osprey to bluntly point out that it was simply the way of life, and to fret over it was entirely pointless. However, while she saw no harm in this truth, she had enough experience by now to know that such words seemed to turn others away. She did not care to be close to this cat, of course. Her company was unneeded and her feelings entirely irrelevant. However, that did not mean this cat was entirely worthless. She may have information or experience of the land that could be of interest to the Stormbringer and her Conquerors.

Information that the molly soon confirmed with her next words.

Ears pricking with intrigue at the mention of clans, a word Osprey had only heard once before, the Stormbringer watched her newfound companion with a little more intent than before. Originally, she had merely been curious. This cat was foolish and far too involved with her own pointless feelings. However, now, perhaps she may be of some use. And as much use as Osprey could get from the cats around here, the better it would be for her. So, when the little cat plastered on a false smile, Osprey did not rebuff or sneer at her attempted pleasantry. Instead, she waited.

The cat seemed to consider leaving, supposedly back to her own shelter, but apparently thought better of it when she saw the weather was worse in the direction she needed to take. Osprey watched, observing the thoughts that must be reeling through the stranger's mind as she glanced back. While the thought of settling by the dead was no concern to Osprey, it seemed to make the stranger uncomfortable. Not that Osprey cared, however...the other molly may have information she would benefit from hearing. Perhaps it was worth a little faux kindness.

Rising to her paws, Osprey flicked her feathered tail in a wide sweep behind her. "Come, my shelter is nearby," she offered. "We can share my prey, and perhaps you can tell me more about these clans you speak of?" Without waiting for an answer, Osprey turned to make the much shorter walk through the snow and back to her burrow.

The younger molly seemed hesitant to follow. Osprey found herself ignoring this. She did not truly care if the stranger followed her, nor if she got herself lost in the snow thinking she was doing something good for others. Osprey should not have to share her rare luxury of a decent meal. She didn't. However, some sacrifices were worth the cause of betterment. This stranger had information - if she needed to buy it with faux kindness? So be it.

In time, the stranger caught up. Osprey flicked an ear.

"I have heard mention of these clans," she offered smoothly, gaze tracking the snowy clearing ahead from the brief respite of a tree cluster. "However, it was only in passing. I wished to learn more of these tales, so I came here." While her tone was tinged with curiosity, it remained somewhat distant. She caught a holly bush in her sights and padded on.

A slight hint of confusion touched Osprey's eyes, somewhat perplexed at the sudden embarrassment the other molly seemed to be feeling. The way her ears set back slightly and her head ducked with shame. The apology she sputtered out was pointless at best, and perhaps annoying at worst, but Osprey accepted it all the same. She did not care if this cat was thankful or merely taking up an opportunity - it mattered little to her if, in the end, it garnered the same result. Still, she had come to learn that the more grateful a cat was, the more willing they were to give her what she wanted.

"Truly, it ran right into my paws," she explained with a shrug, pausing to scent the air as she neared the holly bush. The scent from her marking wafted to her, and she flicked her tail to the other cat as she swept past. It was a bit of a crawl, but Osprey did not even flinch as the holly's leaves tugged at her fur. She merely pushed through and settled herself into her burrow.

Once settled Osprey took a bite of the rabbit, before nudging it toward the other cat.