Black Falling

[Sheer]

Syring in the Black Fog or Syring or his preferred name: Seth sat on the cold stone that was always beneath his feet in his mountain home. A tiny mouse scuttled past his paw by inches but he supressed the instinct to reach out and grab it. Excess prey is wasted prey and rotting prey means more sick patients and more sick patients means he has to put up with more complaining cats who didn't want to take their herbs and his nerves were stretched thin enough as it where. Coming here always shortened his temper yet something always dragged him back here. This was where as a to-be, where he killed the very first outsider he's ever seen. Where his sadistic streak began, after watching the black cat die he was on the edge of madness, it was a good thing he didn't fall off. The carcass of the dead cat was long gone, either eaten up by hawks or absorbed into the ground, he didn't care.

[ºNìghtº]

Ace of Traveling Stream's sat thoughtfully on a large, cool rock high in elevation, admiring the beautiful wildlife around. Out of all the places she had traveled in her life, this was her favorite. Ace's tail curled lightly around her paws as she caught sight of a mouse streaking across the cracks between rocks. With a hastily timed leap, Ace jumped on the mouse, killing it with a blow to its neck. In exchange for the challenging catch, a rock glanced by her shoulder, cutting it. Ace swiftly licked the bloody wound on her shoulder, before picking up the mouse between her teeth and walking carefully across the rocky territory.

[Sheer]

Seth drew his claws across the rock, he was starting to feel unreasonably irritated just by the memory of the edge of madness. With a final lash of his tail he got up and left old memories behind. It didn't concern him anymore, what's done can't be changed. He walked over to a small ledge and looked down. He saw another cat, Ace on closer examination. Without a greeting he jumped down landing lightly behind her. "Ace...." he meowed in a monotone, he glanced at the cut on her shoulder, "Come on." he waved her over, without stating his reason.

[ºNìghtº]

"All right," Ace replied, in an agreeable tone. She wasn't exactly sure where he was taking her, but she didn't really care. Ace swiftly licked her shiny silver pelt with black stripes, before following Seth across the territory. She enjoyed the soft feel of the smooth, cold rock on her feet. The mouse she had caught swung lifelessly in her jaws by the tail. Ace silently realized she was glad it wasn't hot out, or the rocks would be scorching hot against her rough pads.

[Sheer]

Seth stopped by a little stream. He kept some herbs here, the cold mist from the water helped preserve them longer. He took out some black berries and set them on the rock, "Nightshade..." he recited. Nightshade was poisonous if taken orally but it hurt less then something like marigold if used on a wound. Previous stonetellers have been far more traditional, but Seth liked to do things his own way regardless of the protest. "Here, use it on your shoulder." Personally Seth was certain that he was hated as a healer, most healers where far less blunt or impatient then he was.

[ºNìghtº]

Ace sniffed the black berries supiciously. She knew that nightshade was poisonous. She glanced at Seth, then shrugged her shoulders. Ace couldn't come up with a reason he might try to kill her and she hadn't heard anything about nightshade killing cats when put on wounds. "Thanks," Ace meowed graciously, putting the berries on the wound on her shoulder.

[Sheer]

OOC:Sheer? Don't you mean Seth?
"They aren't poisonous if you don't take them orally. I have no reason to kill you." he monotoned seeing Ace's unease with the berries. "Just...don't lick the wound, even if it starts bleeding again." Sometimes bleeding is a good thing, it helps expel any possible infection that may have gotten in. "Ace...why did you come join the tribe? You seemed content with the rouges when you first came here."

[ºNìghtº]

Occ: --oops-- fixed.

"Oh okay, I won't lick the wound. It's already feeling better anyways. Hunting in the middle of a rock bed wasn't the best idea I've ever come up with," Ace laughed, the formal uneasy feeling in her stomach swept away. Ace sat down, curling her tail around her paws. "Joining the tribe... Yes, I think I'd like that. I've lived my whole life as a rouge, but I guess you probably could tell that." Ace's gaze swept over the talon shaped scar on her shoulder and the ones on her back. "Yes, I'll join. I have nowhere better to go, at the time being anyways. I think joining the tribe will be a good experience, anyways." A thoughtful look came across her icy blue eyes.

[Sheer]

"Yes, I'd like. Loners are rare in these mountains, and they don't survive long either." Seth noted. As stoneteller he would welcome this cat to his tribe but for this cat alone, this might not be the best time. "Do as you like." he finally said. It's not his place to make up anyone's mind for them.

[ºNìghtº]

"I'll join," Ace meowed, with finality in her voice. "Are there any other members of this tribe?" She asked, before dropping her mouse on the ground and walking over to the small stream to take a drink of the cool liquid. "I'm not exactly sure of the customs of this tribe, so can you share with me how it works?" A neutral mask of indifference fell easily across her face, keeping her thoughts concealed. She didn't want to look unnaturally excited about the prospect of the tribe, when she hadn't learned too much about it yet.

[Sheer]

Seth could've smiled at how serious Ace looked, "There's not much to to tell really. There are two choices in the path you can take, you can be a prey-hunter or a cave-guard, the names explain themselves. The tribe supports each other like a stone structure. It won't help if I explain too much. Nothing is gained from explaining things like loyalty, it's not a question but a lesson learned in time. But I suppose you can call being in a tribe as having a more or less secure future. There isn't strict peerage in tribes, your respect is gained from your ability."

[ºNìghtº]

Ace interpreted Seth's words in her mind thoughtfully. "Well, I'm a much better fighter than a hunter, so I think Cave-Guard would be the proper position for me. I'm used to fighting and I like to fight more than I like to hunt by a long stretch." Ace replied, "And I guess you can't really explain how the tribe works. I'll have to see for myself. But I've always considered settling down, rather than remaining in a lifestyle of non-stop traveling, so I think this system will fit me well."

[Sheer]

"Well if you think this is where you belong then I see no reason why you should join." Seth wondered if he should tell her about the stoneteller position, then he opted not to since Ace didn't seem like a cat who would obey orders, at least not before getting use to someone. "There's also the Tribe of Endless Hunting, we see them as warrior ancestors, and sometimes they send dreams and omens to warn us of things to come, but I suppose it's your choice whether you choose to believe them or not, but it is woven deeply into the tribe's culture."

[ºNìghtº]

"Good." Ace nodded her head, "As for the ancestors, I've never believed in spiritual things such as afterlife and cat's watching above from the stars. Maybe, eventually, I will learn to believe in this Tribe of Endless Hunting, but I can't promise you anything. I'm used to standing on my feet and have gotten along fine in my life, without the belief."

[Sheer]

"Of course, those things take time. Being a tribe...there is a leader or as we call him or her a stoneteller." Seth tensed his voice thinking carefully of his words, he wasn't sure how Ace was going to take it but if she wanted to live in the tribe she's going to have to get use to the fact that she had superiors in the faint peerage system the had. He paused to think of what's next to say.