09.30.2019 → There has been some exciting changes on CD lately! We've added a new monarchy to the groups of cats on the islands, as well as restructured the boards a bit to allow for some space - thus, redrawing the map! We've also promoted Nifty to Global Mod! There are some auditions open right now for JungleClan Deputy as well as for all of the new Kingdom of Mokuhau high ranks - Artemis
09.12.2019 → Unfortunately Elaedria is stepping down as administrator due to life being too busy to keep up! The site will be going through some restructuring in high ranks as well due to this. Effective immediately, the word count is now 100 minimum. Some more changes will be coming in the future - members have been emailed a survey to help us figure out what to change and how to get better. Thanks for your patience! - Artemis
WEATHER
Year 55, Scorching Sands 09.05.2019 → The temperatures of the islands are a steady 98° F on land/ high 80s in water. There is almost no breeze, the sun is uncomfortably warm.
Prey during the day is pretty scarce due to the heat, however is quite active after the sun goes down.
Lost in the dense jungles of scattered islands, facing perils unimagined by their ancestors, are three warrior groups - The traditional JungleClan, descendants of the original clans carried aboard a twoleg contraption from their home long ago and breaking new ground on old beliefs. Second, the curious TidalClan, made up of kittypets who chose to abandon their long since passed twoleg civilization ways for those of true felines. Lastly, the mysterious Tribe of Twisted Roots, hidden in the mist from others with their strange ways and a deeper knowledge of the land around them. Together they must learn how to take their fate into their own paws if they wish to survive this land of erupting mountains and roaring waters.
Join our crew and dive into an island-based Warriors roleplay - a twist on the original series by Erin Hunter. We are a semi-literate site with a minimum of 100 words per post.
He generally stood up too late. It came from not feeling comfortable sleeping in the warrior's den. There was a sense of being surrounded, which as an instinct, felt safe. But then the more detailed thoughts came, as he lay there listening the rhythmic hums and purrs of sleeping felines. Did they truly care if he was here? Did it matter if he was, or wasn't? He was a body count, one more member of Jungleclan who made a larger whole. He didn't have any true friends, no more family left who cared. Perhaps one or two cats he could loosely describe as not annoying to be around... But not really.. Deep, connected friends.
So it would grow uncomfortable, and suffocating. Swiftwave would pad out of the den, and lay down in a shadowy corner of the camp, under twinkling stars that held no comfort. At least he could breathe.
He noticed things, too. Sometimes a kit who was bravely poking its head out of the nursery while the queen slept. He'd hiss softly at them, a pair of yellow eyes, and send them scurrying back inside. Sometimes mates sneaking off for a nighttime stroll.
More often than was probably good, Cranefeather sneaking off into the jungle. He wondered if she knew he knew, though he never called her out when the sun rose. She was the odd one of the clan, but despite old bones and spats, she did her job. That counted for something. She could have just as easily gone off on her own never to be seen again... But she didn't.
Just like he didn't.
Tonight, as he lay with his head on his paws, he watched her leave again with a rousing curiosity. For some reason, tonight it felt right to rise onto all fours and quietly pad after the ghostly white form of his clanmate into the jungle. He wasn't doing it to call her out, to be malicious and give info to Toucanstar... He just simply needed to know, after so many moons of watching.
So he followed her, a sleek black form. Wondering how long it would take till she noticed she had a shadow...
It was approaching midnight. Most cats had returned to their nests by now. Cranefeather gave the warrior's den a hesitant look. Almost every night, she contemplated sleeping there like a normal Clan cat, but then she would see her brother Crabheart prowl into the den with the others. Even familial matters aside, it wasn't like there was a place for her. She had not had a nest in the den since her apprentice days.
Once or twice, she had worked up the courage to attempt claiming a spot, only to be met with hisses. Wherever she laid down, the cats around her would quickly move away. Cranefeather preferred not to be an inconvenience, and at times she wondered why she stayed in the Clan that appeared to fear and loathe her so much.
It was a self-fulfilling prophecy; the more the Clan alienated her, the more she shrank into her violent and sadistic tendencies. It provided her solace in watching small prey struggle in her claws. For a while in her apprentice days, she had tried to grow away from these tendencies, but it didn't seem to matter. Since her mother died, she instead indulged herself in these pleasures, not caring what other cats thought. Who was she here to impress anyway?
Tonight was no different from the others. As the stars shone coldly over the night, Cranefeather was watched by no cat as she slipped out of the camp. Not even StarClan guided the pawsteps of this she-cat.
She slipped into the darkness of the jungle. It was never silent here even at night. Strange insects buzzed incessantly. Cranefeather grappled the rough bark of the trees and vines. Normally, this would have been a difficult trek, but Cranefeather was used to it. As she leaped silently from tree to tree, she occasionally batted playfully at the fireflies. She often did not understand why no cats roamed the jungle at night. Panthers often did, and Cranefeather didn't think cats were all that different from panthers.
It took Cranefeather quite a while to figure out she was being followed. She was originally headed toward a scenic overlook of the jungle where she often spent the night, but she wasn't about to let this stranger share her treasures. Usually there were no cats brave enough to follow her, whether it was fear of night time predators or fear of her in particular, she wasn't sure. Thus this was unbelievably new to her. She sniffed the air but was unable to identify the cat.
Cranefeather unsheathed her claws and let out a low hiss. Whoever it was was likely going to report back to Toucanstar. She was not going to let them leave in one piece.
He followed with increasing difficulty. The terrain so familiar to him in the day became nearly impossible to navigate at night with the speed in which Cranefeather did. She had been doing this for a while, he realized, probably moons. Now he thought over it, he hadn't ever seen her sleep in the warrior's den - the few attempts she tried were met with the hissy fits of mistrustful cats. Funny how fast hate could spread.
Swiftwave kept up with her as best he could, ignoring the distracting lights of fireflies buzzing lazily through the vines. As they drew further away from the camp, he thought about predators lurking in the undergrowth, and became a touch more wary. Doing this every night was certainly a risk, and it was only a matter of time before Cranefeather's luck ran out.
Finally, she must have noticed she had a shadow. He halted as she did, crouched down low in the grass. The she-cat scented the air, but the wind was keeping his scent from her. As she hissed and became more agitated, he decided to finally reveal himself before she panicked too much and jumped him. The white she-cat likely thought he was a creature hunting her, or a more aggressive clanmate looking to call her out. He was neither - even if it was odd behavior, he wasn't the sort of stuck up pansy who would report to Toucanstar looking for good boy points.
"It's Swiftwave," was quietly offered, as he stood up fully and stepped forward so she could see the white streaks of his muzzle and chest in the dark. He eyed he claws with a raised eyebrow, then snorted. "I'm not going to eat you, if you were worried."
He didn't know exactly what else to say, aside from admitting he was bored enough to spy on her, so he fell into a comfortable silence to let her explain... Or not.
Cranefeather flinched. Why did it have to be Swiftwave?
The tom's black pelt was close to an inversion of her own, and in the night, he certainly had the upper hand in camouflage. Cranefeather had to search for a moment despite the sound of his voice before she caught sight of him.
If it were any other cat, Cranefeather would not have hesitated in clawing their ears off. But this tom cat had always given her an slightly more comforting feeling. During their apprentice days, she and her brother had both looked up to the older apprentice. Cranefeather had taken time off from taking care of her mother in order to attend his warrior ceremony at the time. They had often trained together, and she knew Swiftwave was not a cat to be messed with. At one point, Cranefeather might have even considered him a friend.
But not anymore. If there was a time that Cranefeather was open to "friendship," she had long since put it all behind her. Since their apprentice days, both of them seemed to have grown a lot more guarded and a lot more hostile.
Swiftwave seemed to keep more to himself these days. Cranefeather of all cats was the first to notice. She milled around the edges of camp and the outskirts of the territory often, simply observing and watching. Cranefeather vaguely knew which cats were popular and which cats were not. She did not care, but she knew. Swiftwave, despite being a good warrior, seemed to have withdrawn quite a bit since they knew each other.
However, that didn't mean Cranefeather had forgotten him. "Go back to the camp. It's dangerous at night," she meowed in a neutral tone. She flicked her tail in the direction of the camp and made no attempt to explain herself. Swiftwave should consider himself lucky she did not jump him.
She whipped around and continued on her way. Cranefeather did not wait to see if he followed. Part of her willed him to leave and let her continue her night, but part of her hoped he would follow. It was rare for her to have company. She wasn't sure if she wanted company or not, but it was certainly a novel concept.
He nearly scoffed out loud. "I'm older than you. If it's dangerous for me, it's equally as dangerous for you," he reasoned, perhaps with a little more playfulness than he'd offer to any other clanmate. Something about growing up in the apprentices' den with the she-cat, and their shared introvert personalities, made it easier to talk to her. Easier to tease even. He had a flashback to being a young cat, and leaving burrs in her nest as a prank. He'd nearly gotten his ears clawed off, but there had been a sparkle in her eyes that made him think she liked the attention.
That sparkle hadn't been there in moons.
He followed - of course he did. Swiftwave wasn't about to cowed down by a pissy she-cat. Besides, she had a point that the nighttime jungle wasn't safe. If she wanted to be all edgy and wander off, he could at least join her. He liked being edgy too, you see. The tom sprang after her, and kept up a brisk trot alongside her white figure.
"You do this a lot," he commented, though not in an accusatory tone. "I have to admit, it's nice taking a walk at night. Ignoring the fact we could both be eaten."
His ears were definitely staying perked for the first sign of anything stalking them. Dying as some panther's lunch was not on the list of life goals, okay?
A firefly buzzed overhead, and he stopped to leap up, batting it out of the air. It flopped to the forest floor, stunned. Purring, he put both paws over the glowing form, watching his white fur start to glow eerily. "There's more of these here than in camp," he mused, tail swishing.
Cranefeather glanced at the black and white tom as they leaped carefully over grasses and branches. She became alright with the idea of sharing tonight. After all, she had not had a legitimate conversation with someone for a while. If Swiftwave was here, he was probably seeking her out for whatever reason. Or perhaps, his curiosity had overcome his fear of her, unlike other cats. "I do not mind danger." Cranefeather meowed in a neutral tone. She sensed teasing in Swiftwave's tone. Cranefeather found herself wanting badly to keep her cool, which had never really been a problem with other cats. It was suddenly difficult to ward off his light humor. She twitched her whiskers in quiet amusement but did not laugh. "Well... i guess, if you are going to stay, then don't be a coward," she growled. She averted her gaze, feeling a little awkward around Swiftwave. He had always done this to her, even when she was younger. Cranefeather, despite being known for witty and biting remarks, scarcely ever thought up of a good one against Swiftwave. "The route is rough but not dangerous. As you said, I've done this many times," she continued through the undergrowth. Yet Cranefeather found herself bumbling a little in her steps through her normally easy walk. Yes, the terrain was rough as she claimed, but having an accomplice made her strangely nervous. She felt watched at every step, judged at every move. The rocks underfoot were mossy and slippery. She made a point not to wait for Swiftwave and leaped from rock to rock skillfully. For some reason, she felt like she needed to impress Swiftwave.
Finally, after a short climb, they reached a small overlooking area. The view below was spectacular. Now that the moon was no longer blocked by trees, it shone down upon the jungle. It highlighted the movement of streams, lakes, and waterfalls. Fireflies flitted in and out of the leaves, and clusters of them could be seen below. She looked at Swiftwave, silently hoping that he found the tedious climb worth it.
A coward was it? Swiftwave rolled his eyes at her words, ignoring the fireflies finally and padding after her. "Wanting to keep your hide intact isn't the same as being a coward. A coward wouldn't have followed the broody girl out of camp during the night." Most cats still thought she had something to do with her mother's death; he imagined very few would 'risk' following her into the jungle alone. He knew better, in all honesty. She hadn't been an evil kit. She'd been pushed into solitude, just like he had, yet in different ways.
He kept his edginess to grunts and sulking.
Swiftwave nodded to her words, finally going quiet as the terrain grew a bit more difficult to navigate. She went ahead, leaping almost in a show-off way, and he had to use his wits to keep up and not appear to be stumbling along. It was rather impressive, he admitted mentally, that she kept this up nearly nightly and hadn't been hurt yet.
When they reached the edge of the cliff, he understood why this was worth it to her. It was a gorgeous view, moonlight bathing jungle underbrush below them. More fireflies flitted around their heads, and further below. He took it in silently, eyes a little wide, settling into a comfortable sitting position. No way he was going to leave this spot anytime soon.
He felt a stare on him, and yellow eyes flicked over to meet Cranefeather's. For whatever reason, he felt his ears start to get hot under his pelt. This was probably considered romantic or some garbage. Swiftwave wasn't romantic. He never even had a she-cat glance at him with anything other than annoyance in her eyes.
The tom looked away quickly, focusing on the flickering lights below them. "It's pretty." His tail swished over to curl onto his paws. "Is this why you sneak out then?" It was such an innocent reason, if it was. Maybe the apprentice he'd known was still in there, somewhere.
Cranefeather tried her best to remain unfazed in spite of Swiftwave's words. "I wouldn't mind not keeping my hide. My life or death makes no difference to the the Clan. Thus it also makes no difference to me. We all die at some point, you know."
As soon as she said that, she wondered if Swiftwave judged her for her strange indifference. She looked over at him briefly, then flicked her tail in slight annoyance as Swiftwave seemed to make himself comfortable at their new spot. Cranefeather had not planned for him to stay, and certainly did not plan on spending the night with him "Glad it's pretty to you," she answered his compliment awkwardly. "I stay at a lot of places from night to night. But all of them are nicer than the warrior's den so..."
Tom cats, as her mother had warned her, were dangerous creatures. They were as unpredictable as they were arrogant. And according to her mother, Cranefeather and Crabheart were merely consequences of a tom cat's violence and aggression. Cranefeather was never sure how much of her late mother's words she believed, but after moons of repetition, some of it had gotten to her.
Thus while she felt slightly comforted by Swiftwave's presence tonight, she was still incredibly wary. While Swiftwave had reasonable justification for fearing Cranefeather's violence, Cranefeather was actually the one that was more afraid of him. She trusted toms even less than she trusted she-cats in the Clan. However, she had way too much pride and told herself that she could easily fend off any attack should he turn against her.
A firefly landed on her paw. With a swift motion, Cranefeather batted it, hard. The firefly lost control of its flight and smacked into Swiftwave's flank with a dull buzz. Cranefeather's gaze followed it. She narrowed her eyes and glared at Swiftwave. "Was there a reason you decided to give up your beauty sleep to follow me tonight?"
She had a very morbid outlook on life, not too dissimilar from his own... Yet he had a tad more self-preservation left than she did. Perhaps because he wasn't completely isolated, as Cranefeather had been. If cats hissed as he passed by, he wasn't sure how long he'd care to stick around. It was therefore odd that she did, but he kept his mouth shut for now. Prying hard into the reason she stayed alive would ruin what was so far, a rather nice moment. He hadn't had a civil conversation with her since they slept in the apprentice den together, moons ago.
He nodded in understanding to her reply, tail swishing. "I can't sleep in the warriors' den often either. Too many cats too close together." He missed the nights he'd had in the apprentices' den, really. It had seemed roomier with less cats, and that was when his clanmates still enjoyed his company, and when his mother had been alive...
Swiftwave was startled out of his thoughts when the firefly hit his pelt. He twitched, ears flicking forward as it fell to the ground. He frowned, and trapped it under his paw once more, feeling the creature buzzing lightly at his pads trying to escape. Yellow eyes lifted, to find he was being glared at.
He raised an eyebrow. "Who said I was sleeping?" Swiftwave shot back, teasing once more, but only to avoid the question at hand. Why had he followed her, other than simple curiosity? Why risk his pelt? He couldn't honestly say, other than it had just... Felt right. He was a nosy creature, and well... "We used to be friends, right?" He looked away, back out over the jungle below. He at least had thought they were, as apprentices. But then both of their subsequent lives had become shit, and somehow instead of bonding, they went into their shells.
The tom fell silent, wondering if perhaps at the time of her mother's death he hadn't been as good a friend as he could have been. But she hadn't been there for him either, through both his parents' deaths. So really, it was tit for tat. But it didn't stop the knot in his stomach... "I never believed you were a murderer, you know." He risked a glance her way, out the corner of his eyes. "I should have stood up for you more, but they wouldn't have listened to a bratty young cat like me." He hadn't been well liked, even back then - his attitude had been more openly scathing. He'd learn to withdraw, and keep opinions to himself.
Friends, right? Cranefeather was not sure. Whatever "friendships" she had were certainly only shallow ones, as no cat bothered to stick around and ask her opinion of events. When her mother died, Cranefeather's soft, timid voice had easily been overpowered by her brother's loud and accusing ones. It was not surprising which story spread around and which story cats believed. "You know, so many cats have said I am the murderer that I'm not even sure anymore. I might as well have done it," she rolled her eyes as Swiftwave tried to discuss her personal life.
Cranefeather had put an excruciating amount of effort into caring for her mother Vixenblaze, who went absolutely crazy before death. But her mother never received her care with gratitude and only remembered the sadistic part of Cranefeather. For a long time, Cranefeather herself believed it; was she the one who drove her mother crazy? Had her care not been enough? Perhaps she did murder her mother in that sense.
"I knew she was going to die though," she admitted quietly. She was not exactly confiding in Swiftwave, but it was comfortable enough to tell the truth. "Everything about her was off and weird, and she had these horrifying hallucinations. Her mind probably just gave out."
Cranefeather shook herself and continued in a more sharp tone, "I don't miss her though. She hated me anyway. She thought I was like my 'father' whoever that was."
She glanced at Swiftwave and realized she might be rambling, but the tom's yellow eyes were still on her. It had been a long time since she had really spoken to any cat and she was a little rusty. Cranefeather did not blame Swiftwave for distancing himself. The whole Clan did it, after all, Cranefeather told herself, and Swiftwave was no one special.
She thought of Swiftwave's family, and realized it'd been a long time since she had the brainpower to think about any cat besides herself. She even had to think for a while to remember who Swiftwave's mother was. She did not even pay attention to his life after such events, and barely knew what had happened to Morningsplash. Cats died in the Clan all the time, but often Cranefeather found that she could care less.
At this moment though, Cranefeather found herself forcing herself to care a little. It was hard to carry a conversation after not paying attention to the Clan for so long. She couldn't figure out why she was trying so hard to hold the conversation. Maybe she wanted to be interesting, so that he would stay. After a brief silence, she awkwardly asked a question.
Despite her dark words, the eye roll told him she at least didn't truly believe them. Cats said things all the time, and he knew she was right - Vixenblaze had been losing nuts from her tree long before she passed on. It surprised Swiftwave to hear Cranefeather admit so, in such a soft voice. That softness was what she used to be like, as a very young cat, before she was clawed into this shell she was now. He nodded in agreement, a small bob of his head.
"Cats sometimes can't deal with what they've been through. I think she just didn't want to live anymore, and it wasn't your fault. I remember you tried to connect with her." His fur ruffled along his shoulders uncomfortably. "There's only so much pushing you can do before giving up."
They fell into silence, Swiftwave left to chew the thought that he... Honestly didn't miss his father much either. There was always bitterness surrounding his death, as if that had slowly led Morningsplash to her death, as if he was never going to amount to anything, like he had. It at least drove him not to be so stupid, but even still... He recalled his discussion with Cocoafur about venturing to the forbidden island. Was that not a stupid risk?
No, he told himself. It was driving to better himself and the clan, not just taking a stupid risk for a few measly fish.
Cranefeather's words, when she spoke, mirrored his thoughts nearly too perfectly. He flinched, just ever so slightly, his muzzle twisting into a frown of pain. "Yes," he murmured, eyes fixed out onto the lights of fireflies, "I do. It felt like she was the only one in Jungleclan who really cared about me. Saw me as more than just another body to the warriors' den." He dug his claws into the grass, kneading. "But I don't miss my father. He was nice. But it feels like I'm destined to be just another average cat like him. Die an average death. Never do anything special."
Swiftwave looked to her again, wondering if perhaps they were more similar than he'd realized. "Why do we stay here when we're not happy?" What truly kept him in a mass of cats who weren't connected to him outside of the clan duties? Was it only loyalty?
Cranefeather licked the paw she batted the firefly with. That bug had been small but it certainly made an impact and her pads stung a little. The breeze was getting slightly stronger now as the night went on, ruffling their pelts. One perk of the warriors den was that it was sheltered. But it was not out here. Her fur stood on end but Cranefeather was not about to admit that she was cold. "Well you certainly did something special tonight," she purred smoothly. Not every cat at the tenacity and the guts to follow her all the way out here. The trek through the undergrowth had not been an easy one either. And despite that fact that she did not get to sleep, she quite enjoyed the company. Perhaps Swiftwave was not as shallow and dense like the other cats as she thought.
His next question took Cranefeather slightly by surprise. Did he want to leave the Clan? Although Cranefeather felt that was not an unusual sentiment, she actually had never considered it before. Even being fairly self-sufficient, she had observed TidalClan enough to realize that they were just like JungleClan. Their customs might be different, but in the end cats would be cats. Cranefeather liked them no more than her own Clan. She did not want to live completely alone, however. She did still hold hope of belonging. "I stay because I was born here and I know nothing else," she said calmly and flicked her tail toward the direction of the border that separated them and TidalClan. "Who says that it will be better in another Clan? The prey always looks plumper in another cat's field. I have no reason to stay, but I also have no reason to leave."
As for the forbidden islands, Cranefeather never understood why they were not allowed to explore. What was out there that Toucanstar and the other cats were so afraid of? It was fear again, in the end. Rumors and gossip and hearsay was likely what kept them away from exploring. If Swiftwave asked, she thought, she would have no problem doing a little illegal exploring with him. "Perhaps one day, when I've crossed Toucanstar enough, she will ask me to leave," Cranefeather gave a nasty snort. "Then I'll certainly have a reason."
She was warming up to him a bit, maybe. Swiftwave felt like she was less irritated by him following her, but she still wasn't magically reverting to the apprentice he used to enjoy spending time with. Though, he wasn't the same cat either anymore. They both hard hardened, for different personal reasons.
At the same time, though, they had a similar outlook on life. "I doubt it would, and I wouldn't join a group of ex-kittypets," Swiftwave snorted, tail lashing briefly. He'd much prefer to just become a loner, but the issue was the island was small. There'd be only so many places he could be left alone. Even the forbidden islands might soon enough be taken over. "So I suppose I'm the same. I stay because it's just how it is. Doesn't mean I have to like it."
Her snort made his whiskers twitch. "She would have kicked you out before now if she really wanted you gone. She must want you around for some reason. Maybe it's just to keep an eye on you." He muzzle quirked into a small grin. "Or she's too busy with other issues."
Perhaps he might persuade Cranefeather to join himself and Cocoafur on the expedition, he thought. Out of any cat, she would be most likely to not mind defying orders if it came to it. He wasn't sure how well she could get along with Cocoafur's sharp tongue... But she would be useful. He'd seen how she traversed the Jungle at night - she'd be smoother than a lot of cats in unfamiliar territory. He chewed on it in silence a moment, before bringing it up slowly.
"You know.. I was talking to Cocoafur the other day.. She's thinking of urging Toucanstar to send a patrol onto the island." He nodded into the distance, where fog obscured the view. "Either with or.. Without permission. I dunno if you'd enjoy such a risk but.. I think you'd be a cat I could trust to have my back in strange territory." He looked over to her seriously. Yes, she was a risk according to others. But underneath that, he somehow knew she wasn't completely evil. Her skills would be useful.
Cranefeather narrowed her eyes, peering through the dim light at Swiftwave. Wasn't he a strange one. The night was beginning to brighten a little, and Cranefeather thought she could see a hint of purple at the skyline. Had they really been talking that long? Usually she would sit here for hours on end, between asleep and alert, until the sun peeked over the horizon. Surely, it could not be dawn already. "Oh, I wouldn't do that whole trust thing if I were you," she said defensively and bluntly. It was not like she would ever put herself in danger for someone else in the Clan. She took his statement with a small hint of pride; it was a compliment after all. She did not, however, appreciate flattery to its fullest extent because flattery of this sort was suspicious. Cranefeather was not used to being complimented, and thought that perhaps Swiftwave wanted something from her.
Was it really just to agree to an expedition? Cranefeather would not put it past the older tom. From what she remembered, he was an intelligent sort during their apprentice days. "I do like exploring. Let me know if I can tag along? Life certainly gets boring here, and I had actually planned on going to these 'forbidden islands,' if Toucanstar really ended up hating me enough," Cranefeather admitted cautiously. She personally thought the islands were only forbidden out of fear. Fear was a thing that spread like wildfire through the Clan. She knew that all too well. It would not be surprising if the Clan leader was keeping them away from it due to their fear of the unknown. Therefore, Swiftwave's proposal was rather interesting to her.
"Although," Cranefeather scoffed sharply at the thought of her talking to another cat. "I doubt Cocoafur will tolerate my presence. Even then, it'd require me to tolerate hers."
He had a hard time not rolling his eyes. Perhaps she liked the air of mystery and chaos the clan had put upon her, and she disliked the fact he could see some sort of good down in her still. Yes, she'd been beaten into this miserable, harsh feline. But if it came down to defending themselves from strange creatures or cats, he couldn't see her fleeing. His trust was that she wouldn't be a coward when it came to fighting.
At any rate, trust or not, she was interested. His tail twitched in amusement at her comment of exploring the islands if Toucanstar exiled her. He would likely end up doing something similar... If he wasn't so bland that he was under everyone's radar. His ears fell back slightly at the mention of Cocoafur. "She's.. Hard to get along with. Even when we first discussed it, I wasn't entirely up for risking my neck. But really, what is there to lose?" He drew a paw up to lick, and then wash his cheek where a mosquito was trying to latch on. "You can dislike her all you like. She's not my favorite cat either. But there's a mission at hand, and I think she would care enough about it to put aside rivalries and work with you for the sake of exploration."
He hoped, anyway. If Cocoafur could tolerate him, surely she could see past Cranefeather's bad points? She was tough, useful.. He'd maybe need to vouch for her presence though, he thought with a mental groan. That required communication.
The sky was slowly getting lighter and lighter, his eyes narrowing to adjust. This had been... Worth the trip. Perhaps Cranefeather didn't share the sentiment, but he had enjoyed the adventure nonetheless. He wanted to ask if they could do this again sometime, but that was probably pushing his luck.
He'd merely stalk her again, at some point.
"We should head back, before we're missed," he commented finally, sighing. "Don't want to give our clanmates more to gossip about you." He stood to stretch, looking sideways at her. "I appreciate letting me join you."
