ENTER: The Five [SQ]

FERNDANCE:

The brown she-cat was especially alert when Slate began to address the crowd, perhaps it was obvious where her loyalties and interests lie. Though she obviously knew the news of her own clan, it was easy to want to listen to a voice so familiar to oneself. At the mention of her own name and her ascension to her clans' main healer, her ears grew hot and she shuffled her paws in the dirt.  Ferndance detested direct attention and, though nobody was looking, it felt to her as though she had a thousand eyes on her at that moment.  It was over soon enough as Clover began to speak. They had an odd air about them that the healer could not quite place. Reserved yet firm, a bit of a mystery to her and their manner of speaking piqued her interest enough to shake her out of her shy spell at least for the moment.

RAVENPOOL:

Ravenpool had walked quietly through the growing crowd, looking for the familiar faces of his clan mates when he spotted a few gathered together.  The gathering had been fun so far, there was plenty of games for everyone and many new cats to meet and chat with, but now was a time for a break, to learn what the other clans had going on. He sat down near his clan mates, tail tucking over his paws, ears perked forward as he listened to Slate-Wary and the other leaders speak.  He took in the news from each clan, glad to hear that everyone appeared to be doing well this season.

CAVERNSONG:

Ahhhh another gathering. Time for him to enjoy himself and push his boundaries a bit with his flirtations. Naturally, he'd be cautious. He wasn't looking to invoke the wrath of the leaders upon himself by being too bold. He gravitated towards one pretty molly who smelled of Wiese. "Why the sigh?" The tom hummed smoothly as he padded up beside her, sitting down at her side.  His ears pricked as he spotted another familiar face- Ravenpool. He'd met the handsome tom on the border some time ago. "Hello, Ravenpool." He cooed a greeting, hoping his voice would be heard over the din of voices. He turned his attention back to the leaders then, mulling over what they had all just said. Miramira... such a strange one. What was with that look she'd given as well? Sand-Spitfire gave no fancy words, getting straight to the point. Interesting that a new leader stood for Wiese. A new healer as well. He wondered who she was, not realizing she was the very same feline he sat beside. Now there was Clover-Quiet, another new leader. So much change... but that wasn't always a bad thing now was it?

LIGHTNINGPAW:

Lightningpaw's first gathering. Wow,this is was exciting. The good kind of course,not like the scare that odd encounter had given him. Briefly,he turned his head to Cavernsong. The mousebrain better get under control! If he embarrassed himself,he'd embarrass all of Ukyria as a representative.

FERNDANCE:

The sudden appearance of an unfamiliar tom sent her fur prickling. Forcing it to lie flat, she glanced between him and Ravenpool for a quick moment. Despite her inherent distrust of cats outside of her own clan, it did ease her nerves to know that this stranger knew one of her clanmates. The brown molly decided it was best to be polite and not turn the other direction so she nodded politely in greeting to the brown cat.  "Just enjoying the Autumn air, it's my favorite time of year." She replied softly, so as not to speak through any announcements. "I am Ferndance of Wiese, not to be rude, but who are you and how do you know Ravenpool?" She asked, a bit more curtly than her previous statement. Golden eyes flickered back to her clanmate, as if asking him to offer an explanation as well or instead.

RAVENPOOL:

Ravenpool nodded his head in greetings to the Ukyrian warrior” Ah, hello again Cavernsong, I take it you are enjoying the gathering so far?” he murmured, much for the same reason Ferndance had, he did not want to get into any trouble for disrupting At Ferndance’s glance he smiled, he supposed it would seem strange to her that the two warriors were familiar with each other. ”We had both been out for a walk on our respective sides of the border between Wiese and Ukyria,” Ravenpool started explaining, glancing between his clanmate and new acquaintance, a small shrug as he looked back to the leaders ”we had a chat and went about our days, that’s all.”

CAVERNSONG:

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Lightningpaw, his adoptive brother. "Lightningpaw; come join us? Come meet your first other clanners." He hummed softly before turning his attention back to Ferndance. He'd noted the way that her fur prickled which was extremely disappointing. Cavernsong was never one to continue lying flirtations onto someone who clearly wasn't at least amused by his antics. For a moment he thought perhaps she had just been startled, but the way she spoke next was straight to the point. Well, damn. Oh, but Ferndance? How interesting that he'd gravitated towards Wiese's new healer! Before he could respond, Ravenpool gave an explanation for how they already knew one another. "Mhm. No worries, no shady shenanigans... like fighting... or romance..." He gave Ravenpool a teasing wink at that.

LIGHTNINGPAW:

Suddenly, Lightningpaw felt his pelt heat with the attention on him. He'd just been called over to talk to a bunch of warriors. "Uh,hello." He meowed, "I'm Lightningpaw. Which...you just heard." The tom trailed off for a moment before gaining some pep in his voice,"It's nice to meet you! I've never met cats from Wiese before." The ginger tabby turned his head at the sound of more announcements. "Oh,is it really over that quickly. I thought gatherings would be longer." He mused. 

....

... As the meeting continues and you settle in to listen, idly chattering about the news, you can hear what sounds like arguing in the distance. You realize that it has been lingering at the back of your hearing for a little bit, and only comes to your attention now because it has gotten loud enough to be un-ignorable. ...it is not voices you recognize.

FERNDANCE:

A small smile tugged at the brown molly's lips, she had a clear soft-spot for youth of any clan and Lightiningpaw was no exception to that. Their nervous demeanor made her want to hide them behind her.  "Hello, little one, it is nice to meet y-" Her sentence was cut off as a jarring noise suddenly became apparent to her. Raucous arguing was becoming louder and louder as cats became hushed. Instinctively, she stepped between the commotion and the apprentice. The thoughts of how Ravenpool knew an outsider like Cavernsong was promptly forced out of her brain by the new perceived threat.  "Ravenpool...?" She called softly for the closest familiar face, fear alight in her eyes.

RAVENPOOL:

Ravenpool shot a smile back at Cavernsong, a soft chuckle leaving him. He glanced at the apprentice, dipping his head. "It's nice to meet you too Light-" The tom trailed off, all too aware now of the loud arguing. His eyes danced around the crowd trying to find the source of the noise. Hearing Ferndance call out, he moved without thinking, coming to stand next to the healer. "I don't like the sound of that..." he murmured, his own fur prickling with unease as his eyes caught Ferndance's.

LIGHTNINGPAW:

Lightningpaw's ears suddenly perked up,now completely tuning in to the sound of arguing instead of the conversation he was supposed to be having. "Well," he announced,"Feel free to dislike the sound of that all you wish," He said to the warriors. "I'm gonna go investigate!" Was this a reckless,potentially deadly decision? Yes! Was anyone else moving to do anything? No! Quietly,Lightningpaw crept up to where the sound of arguing was happening. He just needed a good spot to see their faces. He already couldn't recognize the voices,but maybe they were just cats he hadn't met before? That sounded better than a bunch of rogues on the gathering island.

CAVERNSONG:

Tension... It was palpable in the air. The sound of voices arguing was audible and he paid it no mind at first, but... It soon become impossible to ignore. Ferndance spoke up next, saying her clanmate's name, and Cavernsong could hear the fear in her voice. Ravenpool himself seemed uneasy... Cavernsong was typically laid-back and pretty happy-go-lucky, but... it was clear that something here was amiss. His protective nature kicking in, the brown tom stepped closer to Lightningpaw. "No, you are not!" he exclaimed as his brother stated that he was going to investigate... but he didn't get the chance to stop him as Lightningpaw went to investigate anyways. "Apologies." he mumbled softly. What a shame... he would've loved to hang out with this lovely pair a bit longer... but perhaps they would follow. Muscles tense, he pursued Lightningpaw.

....

As you all turn your attention to the noise, it continues for a moment before falling silent. Those who have strode closer to the source are able to make out some words... and to an even smaller portion of you, some of those voices now sound familiar. "...made a ... miscalculation ... not the only ones ..."       "...'fine! ... call anyways, look!"                     "Yes, but-" "...sense staying, we should go see what's up! C'MON!"                                 "WAIT-" The wind picks up all of a sudden and the clouds clear away from the moon, brightening the whole area -- and a tense pause fills the space. . . . !!

"Well HELL-O, CLAN CATS!"

Standing atop a ridge at the edge of the tree line, five cats make their way out of the woods. In the lead of the pack, barely hesitating for more than a second before leaping down the hill, is a cat marked in hues of cinnamon, crimson, and white, two peregrine falcon feathers adorning each shoulder. Behind them stand four others, somewhat uncertain -- a small grey tabby with leaves interspersed all through her fur, a hulking figure with tawny fur and flaming orange eyes, a calico with spectacle-like face markings and a judgmental gaze, and finally in front, an albino chimera with streaks of golden fur over her chest and face, and a worried expression. Some of them, you recognize, you realize with a jolt.

LIGHTNINGPAW:

"Then come with me." Lightningpaw called back to Cavernsong,pushing past the sea of cats. At the sight of Arke,Lightningpaw's pelt bristled. Arke and her little friends were on the gathering island! Hissing,Lightningpaw marched right up to Arke,"What in the Stars do you think you're doing here!" He hissed,though he was addressing all of them,he was clearly glaring at Arke,"You can't just go on clan territory wherever you please!" 

CAVERNSONG:

”I’m gonna wring your tail later.” Cavernsong grumbled at the younger tom as he came up alongside him. ”Calm yourself.” he added, a hard edge to the typically calm tom’s voice. ”Don’t provoke a fight until we know what’s going on here.” his gaze turned to the strangers then. ”Hello to you as well. I assume that since you know who we are, your paws did not happen to bring you here by chance. Why have you come?” He cast a glance towards the leaders, especially his own, as he awaited their orders… if any were to come.

ERIDAN (NPC):

IW: All"H-hold on- wait- stop! All of you! Please, what Arke says is correct -- allow me a moment to explain, if you will, before we jump to conclusions." The albino cat speaks now, after looking around frantically between all parties of this devolving situation for a few moments. Her voice is... soft, and quiet, and it's calming in a way. They seem, for all intents and purposes, genuine. Taking a few deep breaths as they wait for everyone to quiet down, they steady themselves, glance up once at the moon, and then back towards all of you. "My name is Eridan -- these are my compatriots Arke, Versus, Latess, and Rexel."* She nods to them each in turn. "Some of you have probably seen us all before, in the most recent moons. I thank those who allowed us to continue on our own terms -- it was very stressful, being separated from our friends for so long." It is clear that she does not intend to stop talking until she offers up a full explanation. It's probably for the best, considering the rising tensions. "We were separated in a terrible storm, and have been looking for each other since. Your territories are large, though, and we kept missing each other in between trying not to... well, succumb to an untimely death. So I must thank those who spread rumors of meeting us, and our whereabouts -- it is only with those whispers that I was able to convey a plan to meet at the smallest, most central and unmistakable location I could find." She pauses for a moment to let her words sink in. "Unfortunately... well, I-I seem to have miscalculated who all would be here. My deepest apologies for interrupting your night." Taking a deep bow of their head for a few moments, she fluffs up her thin pelt against the night breeze afterwards -- or, perhaps it is out of embarrassment instead. It's anybody's best guess. "Listen, we did not mean to interrupt and we will be taking our leave shortly. I was going to anyways, once I realized you all were here... that was what the argument was about that you may have heard." We are not all that quiet... she mumbles to herself.

"Arke however, has decided that leaving you all without explanation or continue the cycle of running instead of explaining would probably be harmful... am I correct in that?" She gets a shrug from the red feline in response. "Or perhaps they just have no fear. In any case, we did our best to stay out of sight and not cause trouble. Your Clans have a reputation among outsiders for being... a bit unforgiving. Some are nice, but others are dangerous, and unfortunately... well, I did not know which was which. It was short-sighted... but I have never deigned to be thoughtful all the time, as much as it pains to admit." It's clear she tends to be rather wordy, considering the time she's spending speaking... oh well. "I decided on tonight because the full moon is easiest to see underneath. Why it took so long is because I cannot go out for long in the summer daylight and heat without being fried to a crisp, for lack of a better word. Some of us have poor senses of direction. Some of us have bad experiences with other felines... I shall allow a moment of humility and admit that I was quite terrified. Fear makes us all act irrationally. Whether you accept this explanation or not, it is the best one I have that you might understand. Regardless of all that, I will answer any more questions you have if you wish. The time for running has passed." After her spiel, though, and a quick tap of Versus on the shoulder with her tail to reassure it that she is plenty fine, she pauses for a moment and then looks Sand-Spitfire in the eye. "In this world? Pray, do tell me what you mean. There are no other worlds. For how could there be, except in one's imagination?" She holds you with that gaze for a while. "...however, this lake is a curious one. Very odd, indeed." She murmurs, almost too quiet for the rest of you to hear, eye contact drifting away towards the ground. (edited)

LIGHTNINGPAW:

Lightningpaw forced his pelt to flatten,tail swishing in agitation despite Cavernsong's advice. Quickly,he moved past the black Spian apprentice to address Eridan,"Actually yeah,if there were a storm,we Ukyrians would've noticed it. There haven't been many storms in the area,heck,there haven't really been any at all." He meowed pointedly,

CAVERNSONG:

The white dame in the middle was most certainly the leader… The others seemed protective of her. Cavernsong allowed his gaze to sweep across all of the congregated cats, before returning to the white molly. ”I’m happy that you have reunited, miss, but now you should be on your way. You’ve given your explanation so now it’s time for you to go. What a shame you’re not interested in joining us… I’d love to see your lovely face around Ukyria.” He just couldn’t help himself. He rose a brow at the other cats’ words. ”An odd storm and an odd lake? That is reason for more explanation, certainly.” 

ERIDAN (NPC):

Sighing, it's clear that her nerves are fraying being here in front of you all, though her tone rarely wavers and she continues to speak calmly and collectedly. "Did I not just inform you all that we just found each other here? The argument we had was about what to do next, and that was when you called for us to show ourselves. We had no time. Please, you do not need to make this situation more terse than it already is. We are peaceful, have not antagonized anyone, and we have stated we intend to leave this island as soon as the questions have ceased. We are only five small cats, you can imagine how intimidating it is to be in front of over fifty...?" It is... probably the most eloquent way one can really put "stop not listening to a word we're saying, oh my god do you have ears or any emotion other than aggression to show for yourselves". Still, her irritation is clear, though she tries to hold it back.

"I am trying my best to diffuse this situation so nobody feels we will attack them, because we will not. Perhaps this young cat -- Zero, was it that Arke called you? -- is correct, and we ought to take this questioning elsewhere to explain ourselves among a smaller council." Clover-Quiet speaks now, and she gives them her attention. "You all were in the midst of a meeting, yes? Um, I wish I knew your name, leader of Rithe I presume. I do not want to pull you away from your meeting, that would be most rude of me and I wish not to further inconvenience you -- perhaps us five return to the island's coast, and wait until after you are finished to wait for your escort? Though..." She paused for a long, long moment. "You all ask us to return to our home, but um, we do not have one. We wander to wherever will accept us, stay, and leave the place better than we found it, be that in heart and mind or tangible things. Right now I do believe our journeys have taken us to this, rather intriguing and very odd, lake of yours. Which..." Eridan sighs again, goes quiet for a minute. "You ask us why we are here, and I do believe I have already explained that it was cruel coincidence and fate? But you are unsatisfied. So perhaps a better question is -- as some of your cats have asked -- why I would be interested in staying, or why we wander in the first place. But that information is for the council of your leaders, and that council alone." She addresses this to the leaders perched on the roots.

CAVERNSONG:

His heart went out to the pretty lady as she pointed out how vastly outnumbered she and her four counterparts were. She seemed more than willing to leave... except for the fact that she had no home to return to. They were wanderers, going wherever they would be accepted. Cavernsong's ears pricked forwards and he glanced towards Sand-Spitfire. Honestly the urge to say "hey we should let her join us, she's super hot was very strong, but he definitely could tell this was not the time or the place. "Understandable." he hummed softly as she more or less stated that this wasn't the business of anyone but the leaders and their council. "Alrighty, let's give the lady her space. The leaders can decide what to do with them." he began making shooing gestures and nudging at anyone nearby, trying to get some space for the five strangers.

ERIDAN (NPC):

"Ah..." Stunned to silence by the sudden reversal and wealth of options, Eridan takes a very long pause. "Well- this is quite the turn of events. Yes... perhaps we will be able to leave this place better than we found it, after all." Beckoning her companions over with a tilt of her head (except Rexel, who had given his verdict already well enough for her), and leans in close to whisper to them. Arke gives a shrug that would be the cat equivalent of a thumbs-up, Latess doesn't seem to care particularly, and Versus... she steps in close to the aggressive cat, gently tapping her tail on its hip. "If you are not comfortable with this, I will not do it. We are both in this together. If you would like, I will let you pick the Clan we go to?" It thinks for a moment, and then, just as quietly, whispers back: "Of the five, Rithe was nice to me."

"Then may Rithe be the station we take up, if we are all in favor?" She hums, turning back to the others. All nod in affirmation -- and so, it is settled. "I will take you up on your offer, ah- Clover-Quiet, it was. We shall meet you at the lakeshore whenever you prefer. And Mirage-Shrewd and Slate-Wary, come find us then as well, in addition to any others of your council who wish to hear what I proposed before now. I shall stand firm, though -- it is for the ears of your higher council only." Dipping her head to those who still stand in front of her -- Shadowpaw and Cavernsong especially -- she addresses them next with a soft smile. "Thank you for your hospitality, it is much appreciated among all five of us. I am sure we will meet again in the future." She gestures for all five of them to give their hosts a small bow of their head, before turning and starting back up the slope to the edge of the clearing. "May the light guide your paths to their brightest point."

FERNDANCE:

This had been entirely too much commotion for the healer for one evening. Though she harbored no ill-will against these strangers, she was still happy to not be the clan taking them home. Wiese was a private clan and Ferndance certainly shared the sentiment that most of her kin did. "Ah, perhaps it is time for me to be getting home now..." She murmured to a cluster of her clanmates nearby. "I feel a bit faint, would anyone be willing to walk me home?" Pale eyes flickered around to her clanmates hopefully.