Trial and Error

[duckyaisha]

Dingypaw sighed, and shifted her aching bones into a crouching position yet again. She could see the lizard in front of her this time, as it wasn't far away. It was a little blurry, but the old she-cat knew where it was. Slowly, she moved forward, step by step, until she was close to the lizard. Hunger forced her onward, despite the various aches and pains that wracked her body. Dingypaw leaped, almost landing on the lizard, but it scampered away from her at the last second, escaping. "Rat dung!" she cursed, swiping at the empty sand with her paw angrily. Some of the grains flew up and were trapped in her tangled, matted, ragged dark gray coat of fur that was filled with sand. Dingypaw didn't groom herself anymore. What was the point? Unless the Clan reformed, she was going to die when her hunting skills failed completely. The she-cat sighed again and searched for some slower prey. She managed to find a rather large beetle lumbering along. It was about the size of a lizard, and black, so she could see it easily. Her old eyes weren't strained with this prey. Dingypaw leaped, but the beetle did too, spreading its wings and flying off with an angry droning noise. Hissing with frustration, the she-cat sat down, hoping she would find prey soon.

[Darky [Megan]]

Redstream paused in mid-lick to stare at the old she-cat. Pity was slowly creeping into her, as she watched Dingypaw's failing attempts to catch prey. She stepped forward, located a fat lizard, bounded towards it, leapt on it and killed the creature.

Then she picked it up in her mouth and approached Dingypaw lightly, dropping it in front of the old she-cat's paws. "I've just eaten, so I figured ..." she said, trailing off, unsure of what was the proper etiquette required when speaking to elders.

[duckyaisha]

Dingypaw's dull orange eyes lit up at the sight of the food in front of her. "Thank you," she meowed warmly before devouring the creature as fast as she could. Soon, though she was still hungry, her body had enough nourishment for her to speak and think coherently. She sighed. "If there was a Clan, I wouldn't have to wait until a nice young cat like you came along. My father told me that Clan elders were fed every day, in exchange for the wise words they shared with their leaders," the old she-cat explained. "Who are you, anyways? I'm Dingypaw."

[Darky [Megan]]

"My name is Redstream, and that's no problem," the orange she-cat replied, after listening to each word Dingypaw said with increasing relief. This elder was a clanner - she was one two. Clashing views on clans wouldn't be an issue here.

"So, you think a clan would be good for the cats? I think so too." She finished her sentence on an uncertain note, waiting to see Dingypaw's reaction.

[duckyaisha]

"That's great!" Dingypaw said happily. "If we can get more cat on our side, we might be able to form a real Clan. It'll be the best thing possible!" she meowed, her eyes bright with happiness. "I hope those that are against the idea of a Clan can be persuaded to see sense. But they'll change their mind by the time they're my age," she added.

[Darky [Megan]]

"Actually," Redstream began, beginning to get into the conversation, "There's this cat called Woodstripe's who is starting a kind of mini-clan. They're having trouble finding cats to participate, though. If you're interested and not too tired, maybe we can try finding her!

"I hope that they'll see sense too, and soon. By the time they're your age it might be close to too late," Redstream added, a little sadly. "Not many cats make it so far in life."

[duckyaisha]

"Woodstripe... Oh yes! I'm already a participant! I was wishing that there was an actual, not-pretend Clan we could join. The mini-Clan is a good idea, except for..." her voice trailed off as her gray fur bristled. Shortwhisker. He was probably her only enemy, seeing as anyone who wished for her death was considered an enemy to her. If he hadn't been in the Clan experiment, she would've been much more happy about it.

[Gosh]

Spiderpaw had been grooming herself nearby. "Except for...? I think that Woodstripe's experiment is a wonderful idea. Are you in it, uh...?" She directed this last part at Redstream. "I'm Spiderpaw. I am also in her experiment, and I can't wait for it to start."

[Darky [Megan]]

"No I'm not, but I'd love to join. I too think it's an excellent idea!" Redstream responded, a little surprised and delighted to find yet another cat who agreed with her. "I haven't been able to find Woodstripe anywhere to consider myself officially involved."

[Ten]

"You are correct, Batkit - we should continue our campaign," Woodstripe mewed, moving from their previous location. Perhaps it had been wishful thinking, but she had thought she heard a cat say her name. "Ah, Dingypaw, Spiderpaw, I see you two are here. Mind if I join you?"