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Deployed into a guard patrol, huh…

To be honest, despite all the excitement that the Golden Butterflies brought, Enye couldn’t help but be annoyed with them. It wasn’t about how they were a threat to the tribes. In fact, so long as anyone she cared about remained safe, and she herself was well protected, the thought of a stranger’s death didn’t truly bother her. If that meant she lacked empathy, then she was fine with being called apathetic. No, the reason for her annoyance was the sheer amount of work that Water-Tribe’s substitute leader was demanding in order to deal with the strange newcomers.

If the she-cat’s tasks had anything to do with her new profession, which she had actually come to enjoy over the past few days, then she probably would have been at least a bit more enthusiastic. However, that proved to be wishful thinking. Instead of doing something that she had any remote training in – even if it was only a tiny amount – or at least going along with her mentor and the rest of the adult Gem Collectors and Crafters, she had been thrown into a pool of roughened guards, along with the other apprentices. What kind of a job was patrolling the territory, anyways? It meant potentially waking up before the sun or staying up well past the time she would usually be asleep to go on a patrol. Even when they left at a normal time of the day, Enye couldn’t stand pacing along behind the others, searching for cats who never seemed to appear.

If there was one thing good about this entire experience, she thought, gazing ahead to where her brother was walking along, it was that she wasn’t entirely alone. Ash, or Bemidii now, was in her patrol, and even if Enye was too busy moping in her head to talk much – a notably rare occurrence – his presence was comforting. After she had become a Gem Collector apprentice, and her sole tribe-sharing sibling had become a Guard apprentice, they hadn’t talked as much as the tabby would’ve hoped. Her gabby personality made it frustrating that she didn’t have anyone to talk to, and she felt like screeching at this point.

Although the sun’s rays struck at her pelt, Enye’s heart felt cold. She had never experienced this emotion before, but after thinking about it (where was her previously always-present mother to answer any and all questions?), she decided that it was loneliness. In the nursery, everyone was interested in her. There was a steady flow of visitors, whether they were there to see her mother’s litter or another queen’s kits. She had made friends out of her siblings and denmates, but now, she was separated from nearly all of them. It hurt, pounding at her heart as she tried to get a few meager hours of sleep. It came from the depths of her feelings, whispering ’you’ll be alone from this point on’ as she walked along the same border lines over and over again.

If someone would’ve asked, as she desperately willed them to, they would’ve been able to glimpse a portion of her despair through the way her claws gripped into the ground at the thought, then suddenly let go, as though her natural defenses themselves had given up.

Life is just too complicated, she thought to herself bitterly. They teach you the boundaries of where you live, but not how to make new friends in this weird place. Everyone already had someone else. Unlike her previous life, she wasn’t needed. No, more than that, she felt as though she wasn’t even wanted. Ask any of the adults, and they could point out the people who they were friendly with. How did they do it? How did they make friends with all of the strangers?

Her eyes caught a nearby tree, growing closely with others of its kind and other foliage. It was supported by the other trees, she knew. One of the first truly interesting things she had been told was how trees had roots, deep buried things that supported them and brought them nutrients from the soil. She knew that these parts of the plant extended far and wide, and looking at the trees gathering together, their trunks nearly touching due to their close proximity. With them being that close, she could only imagine their roots touching, probably intertwining. It was an unusual sort of thought for the she-cat. Normally, she wouldn’t bother thinking about trees. If she had been in her usual state of mind, trees would have been part of a background. Nothing important, simply there. Now, though, she couldn’t help but see the trees around her as things that also relied on – or at least were forced into – contact with each other.

It was similar to cats, in a sense.

Yet cats had to make efforts to maintain social situations. They were like fish, constantly swimming in the river of rumors and gossip. There wasn’t any stopping. If you wanted to talk to someone, you had to make your way over to them, to make your way into their heart. Trees simply grew where their seeds fell, and from there were influenced by nature. It was natural, she supposed. Trees were plants, not things with a mind of their own.

Still, she felt a new resolution rise to her heart. If she needed to fight her way into the hearts of others, than that’s exactly what she would do. What had she been thinking, keeping her silence? What was the point of not talking to others? This wasn’t anything new. She could still walk up to strangers and strike up a conversation. She could still maintain a strict control over her social status by placing herself in the center of gossip. Digging up the dirt on cats couldn’t be that hard, could it?

With a silent laugh, Enye dreamed of all of the hidden secrets that there were bound to be in such a large tribe. Life could still be entertaining, even if it was different. After all, if she found herself in a place with strangers who acted differently than anything she was used to, she could just learn how to fit their standards. Her mind was in no way stubborn enough to hold onto old habits in the face of social judgment.

Satisfied with her new goal, the tabby stopped for a moment and arched her back in the sun, enjoying the feeling of heat worming its way into her fur and warming her stretch. Noticing she was behind the rest of the patrol, she rushed forward, catching up to the other cats in a few moments of sprinting. The promise of a new future was as pleasant as the feel of this weather. She was sure that soon, cats would be gossiping with her, chatting about the various comings and goings.

First things first, though…

”Bemidii! We haven’t really talked lately… How’s your training going?”

Description
Deployed into a guard patrol, huh…

To be honest, despite all the excitement that the Golden Butterflies brought, Enye couldn’t help but be annoyed with them. It wasn’t about how they were a threat to the tribes. In fact, so long as anyone she cared about remained safe, and she herself was well protected, the thought of a stranger’s death didn’t truly bother her. If that meant she lacked empathy, then she was fine with being called apathetic. No, the reason for her annoyance was the sheer amount of work that Water-Tribe’s substitute leader was demanding in order to deal with the strange newcomers.

If the she-cat’s tasks had anything to do with her new profession, which she had actually come to enjoy over the past few days, then she probably would have been at least a bit more enthusiastic. However, that proved to be wishful thinking. Instead of doing something that she had any remote training in – even if it was only a tiny amount – or at least going along with her mentor and the rest of the adult Gem Collectors and Crafters, she had been thrown into a pool of roughened guards, along with the other apprentices. What kind of a job was patrolling the territory, anyways? It meant potentially waking up before the sun or staying up well past the time she would usually be asleep to go on a patrol. Even when they left at a normal time of the day, Enye couldn’t stand pacing along behind the others, searching for cats who never seemed to appear.

If there was one thing good about this entire experience, she thought, gazing ahead to where her brother was walking along, it was that she wasn’t entirely alone. Ash, or Bemidii now, was in her patrol, and even if Enye was too busy moping in her head to talk much – a notably rare occurrence – his presence was comforting. After she had become a Gem Collector apprentice, and her sole tribe-sharing sibling had become a Guard apprentice, they hadn’t talked as much as the tabby would’ve hoped. Her gabby personality made it frustrating that she didn’t have anyone to talk to, and she felt like screeching at this point.

Although the sun’s rays struck at her pelt, Enye’s heart felt cold. She had never experienced this emotion before, but after thinking about it (where was her previously always-present mother to answer any and all questions?), she decided that it was loneliness. In the nursery, everyone was interested in her. There was a steady flow of visitors, whether they were there to see her mother’s litter or another queen’s kits. She had made friends out of her siblings and denmates, but now, she was separated from nearly all of them. It hurt, pounding at her heart as she tried to get a few meager hours of sleep. It came from the depths of her feelings, whispering ’you’ll be alone from this point on’ as she walked along the same border lines over and over again.

If someone would’ve asked, as she desperately willed them to, they would’ve been able to glimpse a portion of her despair through the way her claws gripped into the ground at the thought, then suddenly let go, as though her natural defenses themselves had given up.

Life is just too complicated, she thought to herself bitterly. They teach you the boundaries of where you live, but not how to make new friends in this weird place. Everyone already had someone else. Unlike her previous life, she wasn’t needed. No, more than that, she felt as though she wasn’t even wanted. Ask any of the adults, and they could point out the people who they were friendly with. How did they do it? How did they make friends with all of the strangers?

Her eyes caught a nearby tree, growing closely with others of its kind and other foliage. It was supported by the other trees, she knew. One of the first truly interesting things she had been told was how trees had roots, deep buried things that supported them and brought them nutrients from the soil. She knew that these parts of the plant extended far and wide, and looking at the trees gathering together, their trunks nearly touching due to their close proximity. With them being that close, she could only imagine their roots touching, probably intertwining. It was an unusual sort of thought for the she-cat. Normally, she wouldn’t bother thinking about trees. If she had been in her usual state of mind, trees would have been part of a background. Nothing important, simply there. Now, though, she couldn’t help but see the trees around her as things that also relied on – or at least were forced into – contact with each other.

It was similar to cats, in a sense.

Yet cats had to make efforts to maintain social situations. They were like fish, constantly swimming in the river of rumors and gossip. There wasn’t any stopping. If you wanted to talk to someone, you had to make your way over to them, to make your way into their heart. Trees simply grew where their seeds fell, and from there were influenced by nature. It was natural, she supposed. Trees were plants, not things with a mind of their own.

Still, she felt a new resolution rise to her heart. If she needed to fight her way into the hearts of others, than that’s exactly what she would do. What had she been thinking, keeping her silence? What was the point of not talking to others? This wasn’t anything new. She could still walk up to strangers and strike up a conversation. She could still maintain a strict control over her social status by placing herself in the center of gossip. Digging up the dirt on cats couldn’t be that hard, could it?

With a silent laugh, Enye dreamed of all of the hidden secrets that there were bound to be in such a large tribe. Life could still be entertaining, even if it was different. After all, if she found herself in a place with strangers who acted differently than anything she was used to, she could just learn how to fit their standards. Her mind was in no way stubborn enough to hold onto old habits in the face of social judgment.

Satisfied with her new goal, the tabby stopped for a moment and arched her back in the sun, enjoying the feeling of heat worming its way into her fur and warming her stretch. Noticing she was behind the rest of the patrol, she rushed forward, catching up to the other cats in a few moments of sprinting. The promise of a new future was as pleasant as the feel of this weather. She was sure that soon, cats would be gossiping with her, chatting about the various comings and goings.

First things first, though…

”Bemidii! We haven’t really talked lately… How’s your training going?”