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Post by Cloud on Jul 16, 2011 14:23:03 GMT -5
Hailpaw wasn't going to last much longer.
Not at this rate, anyway. She hadn't managed to join the Experiment after all, and there was no one to help her raise four kits, so she had to do all the hunting herself just to give those little pieces of vexation milk.
Every enclosure cat was thin, but the pale queen was almost all bones. She giggled weakly at her own predicament - she wouldn't be very attractive to "persuade" a tom to help her, even if she could find one.
It was proving hard even to find a bug - all the crickets seemed to be gone, and even the flies - she was that desperate - were nowhere to be found. What she wouldn't give for a nice, juicy rat, but all she smelled was the rank scent of some cat's leavings and the dusty wood of the walls.
The harlot sighed as she padded through the sand, nose and ears waiting for just the slightest hint of something, anything, to eat.
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Post by Reagan on Jul 16, 2011 14:42:46 GMT -5
Watching from a distance, Dusklight was observed the plight of the emaciated she-cat. She looked like a cat far down on her luck, which could only mean that she hadn't yet seen the Light. With striding steps, Dusklight strutted towards her, putting on his most friendly and charming expressions. He stood at a safe distance from her, in case she was startled.
"Why, hello there, young she-cat," he purred in greeting, every gesture he made indicating friendliness. "Now, I saw you over here, and I thought to myself... This looks like an intelligent cat, down and out, but ready for a change. Was I correct?" His green eyes were bright and filled with enthusiasm.
He was confident that a cat who looked so desperate and hungry as the cat who was standing in front of him would be easy to convert. After she realized that the Light was the provider of everything good, she wouldn't have to live her life in such misery anymore, and he'd have a loyal follower in his flock.
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Post by Ten on Jul 16, 2011 14:48:04 GMT -5
It had been at least a week since Rainstripe's disappearance. Rather than mulling over worrisome possibilities and personal failures, a rat hunt seemed in order. A large, white tomcat was dragging the result of that hunt, a torn chunk of rodent corpse, and there was blood on his paws and muzzle. To be frank, he did prefer to eat with the cats who had aided him in the kill... most of the time... but this time, the group had been composed of such noxious Clanners that, although he was able to hunt with them, he could not stomach sharing a meal with them as they interspersed their chewing with pro-hierarchical propaganda.
That said, he did not like to eat alone. Frozenheart was keeping both blue eyes alert for anyone in need, and in time he found the perfect candidate. A gray she-cat. A complete stranger. As soon as he saw her, he padded up to her and dropped the rat meat at her paws. There was a slight pause as he looked at her with clear expectations, waiting for her to take some of the gift. She needed it more than he did, after all. He was hungry, hence the participation in the hunt, but he had been eating well enough for an enclosure cat, and his large body still retained its muscle and sleek, healthy fur. Then, reckless enough to think a starving cat wouldn't be hostile, he stepped forward and began licking her gray fur.
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Post by Cloud on Jul 17, 2011 8:37:33 GMT -5
Despite her predicament, the thin queen smiled. It seemed her luck was about to change.
She looked up at the brown tabby and decided he wasn't particularly handsome, but good-looking enough. "I'm readeh indeed, mistah tom. Fo' a price." She purred and sidled up to him, golden eyes wide and teasing. Surely he would understand.
But then wonder of wonders! Another tom came along! A bit better-looking too and awww, he was licking her fur. Hailpaw licked his muzzle back, looking into his beautiful blue eyes. "D'you wanna change too?" She purred, asking him, and winking and giggling.
Oh, she and her kits would be much better off now.
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Post by Reagan on Jul 17, 2011 12:15:18 GMT -5
Dusklight blinked his green eyes in confusion as the thin, lanky she-cat sauntered up towards him. He tilted his head as she spoke. He didn't think she'd quite understood what he was getting at. To make matters worse, another tom had come along, and was getting in the way of him and his potential convert.
"No... no, I think you've misunderstood," he meowed slowly, still trying to work out how he was going to steer the conversation into religion. "You see, I know how to get you out of your misery. It really only takes one little thing. You see, I'm the messenger of Light."
He could only watch in puzzlement as the queen attempted to seduce the other tom who had come along. Indeed, this was a cat who needed to have her life turned around. "Excuse me, now, would you mind paying attention to what I'm trying to tell you?" meowed Dusklight, his voice raising a little and sharpening in tone in an effort to get her focused on his message.
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Post by Cloud on Jul 17, 2011 12:29:00 GMT -5
Hailpaw sighed; he wasn't even interested? Shame. But her ears pricked up at his offer. Maybe he didn't understand what she wanted, but maybe if she heard him out he'd reward her. Her whiskers twitched in thought as she yawned lightly, an ear flicking at a passing fly. Normally she would've tried to eat it, but this might offer better prey.
"Mah misery, eh? Even th' misery of mah kits? Der's four o' them, ya know. An' wha' is this Light thingie? I 'ssume s'different than usual light? But dun worry, I'mma listen. Got nothin' better ta do, anyway. Although..." Hailpaw looked back at the big cute white tom and winked at him.
"We can have some fun afta, eh handsome?"
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Post by Ten on Jul 17, 2011 13:28:59 GMT -5
Frozenheart looked just as confused as Dusklight had been. His eyes were widened, his eyebrows raised, his head tilted. She seemed like she was implying something when she asked him if he wanted to change, and he had no idea what that could be code for, or why it was amusing enough to make her giggle. In general, he didn't really like the idea of change. He was happy the way he was and he was happy with the way his life was. However, he also saw no reason to object to having fun and just assumed she was a very playful she-cat, despite her haggard appearance. So he responded with a slow, curious nod.
Her health being of more importance to him at the moment, he insisted that she eat, nudging the rat meat toward her again. She could still eat while listening to the other tom at the same time. Entertaining one's company wasn't worth continuing to starve. That said, Frozenheart was interested in the message, too, and he was sorry that his presence had been an interruption. After the nod and the nudge, he turned his eyes on Dusklight, fixing his gaze on the tom's maw so that he could determine what he was saying.
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Post by Reagan on Jul 17, 2011 13:51:16 GMT -5
Out of the corner of his eye, Dusklight observed Frozenheart. He didn't seem to be a very talkative tom, and didn't really respond to Hailpaw's advances. It seemed like he wasn't really going to get in the way, other than being a mild distraction, so Dusklight straightened his posture and cleared his throat.
"Yes, your misery and the misery of your kits," he meowed to Hailpaw. Frankly, he wasn't surprised that she had four kits. He was glad that she had chosen to listen, and he noticed that Frozenheart seemed willing to listen as well. "Now, I'm sure you've both seen light before, streaming in through cracks and illuminating our world. You probably never gave it a second thought. It's just there to you, like everything else."
Dusklight continued, "However, I'm here to tell you otherwise. The Light that you see, casting its benevolent glow on you and I, is what is going to save you. There is a grave darkness coming, looking to consume non-believers for their lack of faith." His voice had raised to a commanding crescendo as he preached. "Now, I'll tell you this, and I know because I speak for the Light. Those who believe in the Light will be saved from the darkness, and their lives will be lived in health and prosperity."
His eyes narrowed, and he began to pace back and forth for emphasis. "However, if you chose to remain in darkness, you will be consumed by darkness. Your life will be miserable until the day that judgement comes to end it. Only the believers in the Light will remain after that soon-coming judgement day, and their lives will be filled with bliss unlike anything ever experienced before."
Taking in a deep breath, he tilted his head and looked at both the cats. "Now, what do you say? Will you believe and be saved from your misery, or will you stay in the darkness of your doomed lives?" he concluded.
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Post by Cloud on Jul 17, 2011 16:37:38 GMT -5
Hailpaw was torn between being thoughtful and snorting in this cat's face. He sounded crazy...but then, so did most of the Clanners these days. She smelled his absolute confidence, saw the strength in his shoulders and the smooth self-assurance in his face. He might be crazy...but that didn't mean he wasn't worth sticking with.
And who knows...it sounded as likely or unlikely as anything. Hailpaw had no idea if he was lying or not, but he seemed to wholeheartedly believe he was telling the truth, and there was no harm in humoring him.
"So how do ah start believin' in this Light thing? An' if it can help us so much, why doesn' it do so right now? Now, dun be offended. I'm jus' curious is all. But ya've got mah attention."
She looked at the good-looking white tom again to see he was offering her meat - rat meat. She squealed in delight and chomped on it hungrily, almost choking herself in the act of getting it down. "Thank ya, sir, ya ah most kind." Her pale gray face showed a rare emotion - true gratitude. Maybe this was a tom worth sticking with, worth more than just a good time. She pressed herself against him and licked his ear, purring.
Although, she realized reluctantly, she should get back to her kits, who were bound to be hungry.
"Look, good toms, can we continue this discussion in a betta place? My kits must be hungry."
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Post by Reagan on Jul 17, 2011 21:55:30 GMT -5
At the very least, Hailpaw was somewhat interested in what Dusklight had to say, and this pleased him. Maybe his sermon had touched her in some way. When she started asking questions, he was more than prepared to answer them. "Well, to start believing in the Light, you've just got to have a little faith," he meowed. "If you believe with all your heart that the Light will turn everything in your life to good, you're a believer."
The next question made him flick his ears, not exactly out of irritation, but out of pity for how little this cat knew of the concept. "The Light won't help you until you believe. You're living your life in the darkness right now. It's as simple as that."
When she suggested they go elsewhere, citing reasons regarding her kits, he nodded his head. "I'm willing to go anywhere as long as you're willing to listen to and consider my message."
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