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Description

Healer / Aeiro / Neutral Land- The Rabbit's Forest

A small mottled figure walked through maroon colored bush with its thin branches intertwined with each other similar to a spider's web. The crimson leaves fell without any resistance onto the thick tawny-colored fur. The young tom carefully weaved himself out of the burly red bush. As he stepped out, he noticed the scarlet drops on his fur. His cloudy blue eyes contrasted against the blooming red leaves. He gave himself a hefty shake shattering the leaves up into the air. He looked up and watched as the scarlet droplets glide to the ground, adding to the layers of the stiff crackled leaves. Some of the carefree leaves floated around the tom. He quickly turned his head, fascinated by the crimson blades gliding around him. He tried to resist the urge to catch the flying blades. "I'm not a kit anymore." He thought. However, it eventually became to much. The apprentice leaped at the remaining floating leaves, clawing them with his paws. He rolled onto his back purring, completely forgetting about his job. He looked up and watched the last leaf gently land on the ground. The loss of the dead leaves' colors emphasized the vibrant red that now lay quietly along the dead. Soon enough the colorful blades would add to the collection of lifeless leaves. The young tom stood up and started padding towards the river that separated his tribe and Earth tribe. He stopped and glanced at the little red leaves that lay behind him, almost like a goodbye. He smiled and continued on his mission to find Witch-Hazel and Coneflower, but what he didn't notice was that a few remaining leaves were stuck on his rear-end.

Guard / Conan / Earth-Tribe border

Conan gratefully padded into the water that separated the Earth-tribe from Shadow-tribe. He'd just finished training Caru and doing own patrol around the territory and gratefully accepted the chance to relax. The water soaked the green-earth's fluffy fur, making it stick to his body and proving that all of that bulk wasn't just fur as his wet fur clung to well-developed muscles. It wasn't as hot as it was a few weeks earlier; in fact the water made the tom feel a little chilly in the autumn air, but he didn't mind.

And, because Conan didn't seem to understand the meaning of the word 'rest' he decided he'd try and test out one of the abilities he rarely ever used, his increased hearing. The tom's navy blue eyes closed for a moment and when he opened them a few seconds afterwards his right eyes glowed a vibrant, almost un-earthly green and his tattoo came to life, vines and flowers spiraling away from the base tattoo on his shoulder. Conan let out a small gasp as he heard things that were probably a good five or six feet away. It was almost painful, to be honest, but Conan's brow furrowed as he pushed past that and listened intensely as he heard the sound of crunching leaves and the rustle of a figure too big to be a mouse, but too small to be a full grown cat.

Conan let his ability fade away, the vines and flowers fading and his right eye returning to its usual navy blue as the green-earth stood, eyes narrowed slightly. He wasn't sure if this new ... creature meant him harm but the tom figured he might as well be prepared for it anyway, especially so close to the Earth-tribe border.

Healer / Aeiro / Neutral Land- The Rabbit's Forest

The young blue-light trotted in the direction of the river that was shared between Shadow Tribe and Earth Tribe. He knew he was close when he could faintly hear the sound of rushing water. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine the transparent water, calmly brushing against the rocks, smoothing them into shiny marbles. He pictured schools of minnows swimming together in pacts, but scattered at the smallest disturbance. The soft moist earth was slightly sticking to his paws with each step as he continued walking in the direction of the stream.
Suddenly, a dash of purple caught his eyes. Aeiro stopped and look back. A group of Coneflower stood huddled together next to the dark truck of a maple tree. The petals looked like little umbrellas gently swaying in the cool breezes. "They aren't very big," He thought, "and not many of them either." He counted them, "One... Two. Three... Three and a half." He paused and looked at the puny things. "Well, better than nothing, I guess." He thought. He knelt his head down and opened his mouth, and bit down on the stems. As his teeth sunk into the soft green stems, an awful bitterness seeped into his mouth, but the sweet almost honey-like scent flowed from flowers contradicted the repulsive taste. "I probably look so foolish walking with these flowers in my mouth." He thought to himself. The borderline was just up ahead, no more then three tail-lengths ahead.

Guard | Conan | Earth-Tribe border

Conan waited patiently as he heard the figure come closer, his muscles twitching as he braced himself for a potential threat, and then he saw the cat. Conan couldn't help but chuckle that escaped from his throat when he saw a tom who looked no older than five moons or so with a bunch of flowers in his mouth walking towards him. And here Conan thought he might have to face some Shadow-tribe guard or warrior.

Still smiling slightly Conan inclined his head to the tomcat, "Hello there. Nice flowers you have." Conan shook water from his fur but remained safely on the earth-tribe side of the river. Last thing he wanted was to accidentally trespass on Shadow-Tribe land.

Healer / Aeiro / Neutral Land- The Rabbit's Forest- Shadow-Tribe border

Aeiro's ears flicked towards the sound of a soft chuckle. He turned his attention to the other side of the river and saw a large ashen gray tom standing on the edge of the stream. "How in the spirit's name did I not sense another cat?" Aeiro thought bitterly to himself. "He was right under my nose." But even as Aeiro criticized himself, he kept his face emotionless, not revealing his frustration. "Keep calm" Aeiro told himself.

"Hello there. Nice flowers you have." inclined the tom. Aeiro froze. He felt his ears grow hot with embarrassment. He slowly knelt his head down and dropped the bundle of flowers. He looked back up at the smiling tom, "Um... They're herbs. They're not for anybody if that's what you're thinking." He said quickly. He looked and saw the unfamiliar cat still smiling at him. Aeiro studied the new cat. "He has dark blue eyes like me," He thought. A dark gray pelt covered most of the tom's body besides the few white flecks and underbelly. "He has a necklace?" Aeiro wondered. He focused on the necklace trying to see what was on it. "A stone?" He thought to himself. "I wonder how he got it." He turned his attention to the green Earth-Tribe symbol on the tom's right shoulder. "He must be older than me by several moons." Aeiro thought.

Guard | Conan | Earth-tribe border

Conan smiled faintly when he noticed the tom's embarrassment though he tried not to show it. The green-earth's dark hued eyes glittered with amusement at the tom-cat's rushed words. "Nothing wrong if they were for someone, though judging by the color of your tattoo I'd say you're a little young to have a crush. But, who am I to judge. Name's Art, by the way. Nice to meet you." Conan was pleased with how fluidly he was able to say his former kit name now. When he'd first joined the tribes he was always stumbling around trying not to say his actual name but not feeling like 'Art' suited him in his new life either.

The bulky tom was silent as he waited for the younger tom-cat to speak, ear's flicking backwards as he noticed the tom's sharp dark blue eyes analyzing him. Clearing his throat, Conan blinked and met the tom's similarly colored eyes. "So, you're a healer for Shadow-tribe then? Do you like your job?" He inquired curiously, moving so that he was standing on the relatively muddy bank on the earth-tribe side of the boarder.

Healer / Aeiro / Neutral Land- The Rabbit's Forest- Shadow-Tribe border

"Nothing wrong if they were for someone, though judging by the color of your tattoo I'd say you're a little young to have a crush. But, who am I to judge. Name's Art, by the way. Nice to meet you." The friendliness of the words took Aeiro by surprise. Art just wanted to talk. Aeiro could see that Art took pride in his name, by the way he smiled and stood a little taller. "Art." Aeiro tested out the name to himself. For some reason, The name didn't feel right on his tongue. "It's funny, because you don't really look like an 'Art'." Aeiro said, looking back up at the Green-Earth. Suddenly, Aeiro realized he needed to come up with a name for Art to call him. He didn't really have any nickname as a kit. His parents and brother just called him by his real name. "I could just tell him to call me 'Jay'. That's what Caru is calling me." As Aeiro was thinking Art called out, "So, you're a healer for Shadow-tribe then? Do you like your job?". Aeiro smiled "You're rather curious aren't you? But yeah, I love my job as a Healer apprentice." Aeiro sat down and let his caution drop. For some reason, he didn't feel Art as a threat. "I like going out in the forest to get herbs ad relax every now and then. It's nice to be away from loud noises and other cats. How about you? What do you do in Earth Tribe?" Aeiro added, "Oh yeah, you can call me, Jay."

Guard | Conan | Earth-Tribe/Shadow-Tribe border

The dark grey-blue tom flicked his ears back at this tom-kit's words. Well ... He guessed Art was a bit of a ... weaker name one might say. Not quite fitting the tom as it used to. During his kit-hood Conan had been smaller than even his brothers when they were kits and was still relatively small through majority of his life. He'd hit 'puberty' one might say a few moons before he came to the clans; growing at an exponential rate and eating anything edible in sight. Upon joining the Tribes and working on his abilities the 'baby-fat' had soon turned into hard, bulky muscle, giving the tom his current appearance. 'Conan does seem to fit me better. Hm.'

Conan was dragged out of his thoughts as the tom-kit spoke once again and he flicked his navy colored eyes towards him, watching curiously. The tom smiled, a soft chuckle escaping his throat. "I have been told I'm quite curious. But, I like learning about others. It's good that you enjoy your profession, it'd suck if you were given a job that you didn't like." Conan mirrored the young tom's movement and when he sat down so did Conan. He'd learned early that cats were more likely to be at ease with you if you copied their body language.

The green-earth nodded at Aeiro's words about getting away from other cats to enjoy the peace and quiet being out of camp offered. That's why he spent majority of his time patrolling the boarders or exploring. He enjoyed learning about his new home, and meeting new cats if he so happened upon one. "I understand what you mean about getting away. I often do that myself. As for what I do, I'm a guard. Patrolling the borders and keeping earth-tribe safe is what I do best." Conan's lips curled in a slight smile as he said his profession, it was obvious he was very proud to be a guard. Then, almost as an afterthought Conan added, "So, Jay, have you met any other Earth-tribe cats before?"

Healer / Aeiro / Shadow - Tribe border

Aeiro watched the green-earth with interest. His words were always friendly, and he always had something to add to the conversation. The young tom liked talking to Art. Aeiro blinked as the green-earth sat down along with him. The young healer nodded to Art's words how it would suck to have a job you didn't like. You would be stuck with it the rest of your life. Good thing the Spirit's blessed me with something I could be good at and appreciate." Aeiro smiled as he watched Art light up as he talked about his job as a guard. That makes sense. He perfectly built for a guard.

Then Art asked Aeiro a question that struck up a bunch of memories. "So, Jay, have you met any other Earth-tribe cats before?" The mottled colored tom got up and gave himself a hefty shake, trying to lighten up his thick fur. He sat down again and started laughing. "Actually I have. I met..." Aeiro slowly faded out. He wasn't sure whether or not to tell the other cat Caru's name. But he is in her tribe... but what if he doesn't know her real name yet? How do I know if they even met yet...? But what if he already knows it...? Caru's name is very precious, and even I wasn't even supposed to know it. It was an accident... Aeiro argued back and forth in his head, trying to decided if he should tell Art her name. Aeiro shook his head. "Sorry, I was just thinking, but yes, I met the pink-earth. I don't really have a... nickname for her yet, but she has tawny colored fur with darker spots." The blue-light smiled. "She's really crazy but nice when you get to know her. Have you met her before?"

Guard | Conan | Earth - Earth-tribe border

Conan watched as 'Jay' stood and shook his fur after he'd asked if he knew any other earth-tribe cats. Hm. The tom seemed a bit flustered over how to answer and the green-earth hoped that who ever the tom-kit had met hadn't been rude to him. Conan liked Jay. He seemed to be an intelligent tom who loved his job as much as Conan loved his own. He was sure the mottled tom would turn out to be a fantastic healer.

Dark grey ears flicked back when Jay finally started speaking again and Conan's brow furrowed as he mentally built a picture of the cat the tom described. Conan grinned and chuckled when he realized whom he was talking about. "That," he began, dark eyes glittering with mirth, "Is my apprentice. She is quite the character for sure, but she's got a good heart. So you two are friends?" Conan was interested to learn more about the cats his apprentice hung out with. Well, Conan was interested in everyone period.

Healer / Aeiro / Shadow - Tribe border

A slow smile crept onto his striped face. His navy blue eyes tingled with amusement to the thought of Caru, the petite pink-earth being an apprentice to such a massive Earth guard. "Really? Oh that's too funny!" A deep, rumbly purr escaped from his throat, echoing loudly around the two. "To be honest, when I first saw her I would have never have thought she was an Earth Guard, judging by her size. But then again, other cats say I am 'bigger' than what most people except of Healers." He meowed. We didn't really have a good start either... When I first saw her she was covered in mud... I don't even know why, but then somehow the pink thought I was a squirrel or something, so she tried to pounce on me. When she was halfway in the air, she changed her mind and tried to dodge me. I tried jumping away but she ended up ramming me into the side, while she landed in a bush." Aeiro shook his head. "She left me some good bruises in my hind leg, but she was probably beaten up worse. Before that happened, I was trying to get some herbs, but when she crashed into me she ended up smashing them with all the debris from the bush... So that was our first experience..." Aeiro slowly trailed off, not sure where to go from that "wonderful" story. He flicked his ears waiting for the response of the Green-earth.

Guard | Conan | Earth - Earth-tribe border

Conan smiled when Aeiro laughed and purred, happy that he'd been able to make someone smile today. That was always a goal of his; besides, nothing bad ever came from a smile, right?

"Well, she is still rather young. Only around three moons old I think. There's still plenty of time for her to grow; and as a female she probably won't be as big as you or I simply because it's not how females are usually built. All of the healers I've ever met have been females so I'm afraid I'm not a good judge of what male healers should look like." Conan flicked back his ears momentarily, glancing around the clearing before returning his eyes to 'Jay' as he began his story of how he and Caru met.

The dark green-earth found himself chuckling near the end of Aeiro's story. Oh, his apprentice. What was he going to do with her? A part of him hoped that she would mellow out with age but another part of him liked her fire; it reminded him of his brothers. If the tom was to be completely honest, having Caru to talk to and train made the burden to try and be as great of a guard as his father had been a little easier. Conan blinked himself out of his thoughts; meeting Aeiro's similarly colored eyes and the green-earth offered the younger tomcat a slight smile. "It sounds like an eventful encounter for sure. I do hope that she apologized to you, though. I know she can be a bit ... blunt, sometimes but she really does mean well. Have you met her again? She hasn't mentioned you, though I never asked." Conan's head tilted as he curiously looked Aeiro over, briefly wondering if his apprentice had a crush on the tom-cat.

Healer / Aeiro / Shadow - Tribe border

Aeiro smiled as he watched the green-earth muse about his story. He did notice that the pink-earth was rather small for other she-cats, or at least in his own tribe. Actually, the spotted she-cat was the only other female he met other than in his clan. Even for her size though, she did manage to knock him off his feet, which was pretty impressive. Aeiro looked back down on the violet coneflowers, thinking for a moment. "She was a really pretty she-cat, and she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. But I don't really think she's my type. She's too energetic for me." Aeiro mused. "She would wear me out like teeth biting on a rock for two days straight.

Aeiro looked back up to the gray tom, wondering what he was thinking. He watched his navy blue eyes look at him with a peculiar look. Have I ever met the she-cat again? "No, I only met her once, it was actually quite recently. We met in the Rabbit's Forest." He said looking back. "Maybe a couple sunrises ago." He meowed returning his gaze at Art. The blue-light could feel the moist earth stick to his paws. He lifted his paw and tried to wipe the mud on the rock. It felt strange to have the slimy earth ooze between his toes. He stepped back down with his paw only to have the watery mud splash onto Art. Aeiro froze as he watched the brown gunk slowly dribble down the guard's face. "I would be the only one to do that. Aeiro thought silently.

Guard | Conan | Earth - Earth-tribe border

Conan nodded when Aeiro's words, so they'd met a little before he'd taken Caru out for her first training session. Interesting. He'd be sure to ask her the next time they trained - which would be soon, hopefully.

The tomcat had been about to say something to the younger tom when mud splattered across his face. The green-earth sat very still and blinked in bewilderment before a broad grin swept across his lips and a deep, throaty laugh escaped the tom's muzzle. "Nice." The green-earth meowed teasingly, wiping the mud off of his face with a paw. Conan could've gotten mad and snapped at the young tom-kit but what would be the sense? He knew it was a mistake and besides, it wasn't in Conan's nature to be mean.

Navy hued eyes glittering with amusement Conan padded into the water, careful to stay on the earth-tribe side and lightly splashed Aeiro with water. A playful smirk flickered across his lips as he spoke, "There, now we're even."

Healer / Aeiro / Shadow - Tribe border

Aeiro stayed very still as he watched the green-earth's face slowly turn from bewilderment to a large grin. He let out a breath of relief that Art wouldn't rip his fur out. He already met a couple touchy cats. A spray of muddy water was flung on top of him. He flinched, caught off guard of the touch of the cold liquid. He peeked open his eyes only to find his fur plastered to his body, with chunks of mud slowly rolling down his once glossy coat. It wasn't so much how wet and dirty he was, but when his eyes came in contact with the herbs, to his dismay, he found the flowers covered in the soggy earth. The once pretty purple flowers were sodden in the same dingy muck. "My...my herbs." He said quietly. He paused for a moment, then looked up at the ash tom. A slow devilish smile crawled on his face. "You asked for it!" The young tom-cat leaped into the water, leaving behind the coneflower. Even though the apprentice wasn't nearly as big as the earth-guard, he managed to send a wave billowing towards him. A small voice reminded Aeiro to stay on his side of the territory. Even how friendly this tom-cat may be, I still cannot disregard the agreement of where the border is.

Guard | Conan | Earth - Earth-tribe border

Conan paused as he glanced to see the damage he'd done to Jay's herbs. "Sorry 'bout tha-" The tom was cut off as Jay sent a wave of muddy water towards him and Conan ducked and covered as much of his head as he could.

It didn't help. When the green-earth stood, his fur was soaking wet, mud dripping from his fur. Conan's dark blue eyes glittered with mirth as he looked at Jay. "Oh, you have no idea what you started." Conan meowed with a smirk, backing out of the water only to sprint up to it and jump in, splashing both Jay and a hefty chunk of the area around them. All the while Conan was careful to keep on the earth-tribe side of the border. No matter how nice Jay seemed, he didn't want to risk getting in trouble with his clan or Shadow-tribe over an accidental misstep over the border.

Healer / Aeiro / Shadow - Tribe border

Aeiro let out a mrrow of laughter after looking at the tom's face, but a sudden return wave of water filled his mouth and nose. Unprepared by the brown water, it went up his nose and mouth. "What the-" He spat. He stuck out his tongue, feeling the mud slide off. It tasted like earth and worms. He rubbed his paw against his nose, trying to get the water from his nostrils. His fur, which was partly wet, was now drenched along with the area around him. His tawny colored fur was stained a rotten chestnut color.

He gave himself a ponderous shake, splattering the green-earth. "Okay, you win." the apprentice said. He was never one to put up a good fight unless it was for something very important. Was it because he was too lazy or he didn't really care to have the "last punch"? He didn't even know the answer, but looking at the damage done, the young tom could tell they were both an equal mess. Mud dribbled down his fur, with a lingering taste of the dirt in his mouth. "What did we do!" Aeiro laughed.

Guard | Conan | Earth - Earth-tribe border

A large grin spread over the green-earth's lips and he couldn't help but laugh as he saw just how much damage he and the blue-light had done. "By the looks of it, we destroyed part of the river bank. But, it was fun, which is what counts. Sometimes you just need to let loose and laugh, 'ey?"

Conan looked down at the state of his fur; mud was likely caked in places he didn't even know he had and it would take forever to get his thick fur dry again. But, the tom didn't really mind. He enjoyed spending time with Jay - but knew that the young tom probably had more important things to do, as did Conan, than have a mud battle on the border. "It's been fun Jay, but I think we should likely get back to our respective jobs," Conan smiled slightly as he met the tom's similarly colored eyes, "But perhaps we'll meet again? I'd love to talk with you more."

Healer / Aeiro / Shadow - Tribe border

The young tom's coat was in an utter horrendous state. He could feel his fur plastered to his body, with mud caked onto it as well. He nodded to Art's words about damage they done, but it was fun. I just hope we can clean ourselves off before the mud dries. He thought. I am going to have to wash in water for hours, no doubt about it. He could feel sludge running down in his ears.

Giving on last shake, he attempted to remove some of the muck off of his fur. Shaking his thick coat definitely lightened his fur, but it probably made him puff up like an owl. But even with the thought of him looking bloated, he was satisfied that he at least gotten some of the remaining mud off his wet coat. He nodded to the guard, blinking warmly, meeting his identical eyes. "I see you later then, Art. Maybe next time we can keep our fur clean." He joked.

Despite the fact that they had a bizarre first meeting, Aeiro couldn't wait to see the green-earth again. It was fun to, like he put it, 'let loose and laugh'. He turned around flicking his tail back and fourth, as he padded back to the forest, but he paused as he came to his soggy herbs. The once full purple petals were sodden with the same brown murky-colored water. He slowly placed his paw over the herb, thinking about how he was first coming by the river, to find coneflower and witch-hazel. A squishing noise sounded, when he placed his paw onto the un-sturdy ground. With each step, was the sound of squashing mud, but as he drew closer to the dense forest, the ground became firmer. The forest floor gave way to growth and multiple types of floral vegetation. The plants flourished with life and colors. He came here looking for herbs, but was leaving with a friend. It was a good trade. He thought to himself.

Description

Healer / Aeiro / Neutral Land- The Rabbit's Forest

A small mottled figure walked through maroon colored bush with its thin branches intertwined with each other similar to a spider's web. The crimson leaves fell without any resistance onto the thick tawny-colored fur. The young tom carefully weaved himself out of the burly red bush. As he stepped out, he noticed the scarlet drops on his fur. His cloudy blue eyes contrasted against the blooming red leaves. He gave himself a hefty shake shattering the leaves up into the air. He looked up and watched as the scarlet droplets glide to the ground, adding to the layers of the stiff crackled leaves. Some of the carefree leaves floated around the tom. He quickly turned his head, fascinated by the crimson blades gliding around him. He tried to resist the urge to catch the flying blades. "I'm not a kit anymore." He thought. However, it eventually became to much. The apprentice leaped at the remaining floating leaves, clawing them with his paws. He rolled onto his back purring, completely forgetting about his job. He looked up and watched the last leaf gently land on the ground. The loss of the dead leaves' colors emphasized the vibrant red that now lay quietly along the dead. Soon enough the colorful blades would add to the collection of lifeless leaves. The young tom stood up and started padding towards the river that separated his tribe and Earth tribe. He stopped and glanced at the little red leaves that lay behind him, almost like a goodbye. He smiled and continued on his mission to find Witch-Hazel and Coneflower, but what he didn't notice was that a few remaining leaves were stuck on his rear-end.

Guard / Conan / Earth-Tribe border

Conan gratefully padded into the water that separated the Earth-tribe from Shadow-tribe. He'd just finished training Caru and doing own patrol around the territory and gratefully accepted the chance to relax. The water soaked the green-earth's fluffy fur, making it stick to his body and proving that all of that bulk wasn't just fur as his wet fur clung to well-developed muscles. It wasn't as hot as it was a few weeks earlier; in fact the water made the tom feel a little chilly in the autumn air, but he didn't mind.

And, because Conan didn't seem to understand the meaning of the word 'rest' he decided he'd try and test out one of the abilities he rarely ever used, his increased hearing. The tom's navy blue eyes closed for a moment and when he opened them a few seconds afterwards his right eyes glowed a vibrant, almost un-earthly green and his tattoo came to life, vines and flowers spiraling away from the base tattoo on his shoulder. Conan let out a small gasp as he heard things that were probably a good five or six feet away. It was almost painful, to be honest, but Conan's brow furrowed as he pushed past that and listened intensely as he heard the sound of crunching leaves and the rustle of a figure too big to be a mouse, but too small to be a full grown cat.

Conan let his ability fade away, the vines and flowers fading and his right eye returning to its usual navy blue as the green-earth stood, eyes narrowed slightly. He wasn't sure if this new ... creature meant him harm but the tom figured he might as well be prepared for it anyway, especially so close to the Earth-tribe border.

Healer / Aeiro / Neutral Land- The Rabbit's Forest

The young blue-light trotted in the direction of the river that was shared between Shadow Tribe and Earth Tribe. He knew he was close when he could faintly hear the sound of rushing water. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine the transparent water, calmly brushing against the rocks, smoothing them into shiny marbles. He pictured schools of minnows swimming together in pacts, but scattered at the smallest disturbance. The soft moist earth was slightly sticking to his paws with each step as he continued walking in the direction of the stream.
Suddenly, a dash of purple caught his eyes. Aeiro stopped and look back. A group of Coneflower stood huddled together next to the dark truck of a maple tree. The petals looked like little umbrellas gently swaying in the cool breezes. "They aren't very big," He thought, "and not many of them either." He counted them, "One... Two. Three... Three and a half." He paused and looked at the puny things. "Well, better than nothing, I guess." He thought. He knelt his head down and opened his mouth, and bit down on the stems. As his teeth sunk into the soft green stems, an awful bitterness seeped into his mouth, but the sweet almost honey-like scent flowed from flowers contradicted the repulsive taste. "I probably look so foolish walking with these flowers in my mouth." He thought to himself. The borderline was just up ahead, no more then three tail-lengths ahead.

Guard | Conan | Earth-Tribe border

Conan waited patiently as he heard the figure come closer, his muscles twitching as he braced himself for a potential threat, and then he saw the cat. Conan couldn't help but chuckle that escaped from his throat when he saw a tom who looked no older than five moons or so with a bunch of flowers in his mouth walking towards him. And here Conan thought he might have to face some Shadow-tribe guard or warrior.

Still smiling slightly Conan inclined his head to the tomcat, "Hello there. Nice flowers you have." Conan shook water from his fur but remained safely on the earth-tribe side of the river. Last thing he wanted was to accidentally trespass on Shadow-Tribe land.

Healer / Aeiro / Neutral Land- The Rabbit's Forest- Shadow-Tribe border

Aeiro's ears flicked towards the sound of a soft chuckle. He turned his attention to the other side of the river and saw a large ashen gray tom standing on the edge of the stream. "How in the spirit's name did I not sense another cat?" Aeiro thought bitterly to himself. "He was right under my nose." But even as Aeiro criticized himself, he kept his face emotionless, not revealing his frustration. "Keep calm" Aeiro told himself.

"Hello there. Nice flowers you have." inclined the tom. Aeiro froze. He felt his ears grow hot with embarrassment. He slowly knelt his head down and dropped the bundle of flowers. He looked back up at the smiling tom, "Um... They're herbs. They're not for anybody if that's what you're thinking." He said quickly. He looked and saw the unfamiliar cat still smiling at him. Aeiro studied the new cat. "He has dark blue eyes like me," He thought. A dark gray pelt covered most of the tom's body besides the few white flecks and underbelly. "He has a necklace?" Aeiro wondered. He focused on the necklace trying to see what was on it. "A stone?" He thought to himself. "I wonder how he got it." He turned his attention to the green Earth-Tribe symbol on the tom's right shoulder. "He must be older than me by several moons." Aeiro thought.

Guard | Conan | Earth-tribe border

Conan smiled faintly when he noticed the tom's embarrassment though he tried not to show it. The green-earth's dark hued eyes glittered with amusement at the tom-cat's rushed words. "Nothing wrong if they were for someone, though judging by the color of your tattoo I'd say you're a little young to have a crush. But, who am I to judge. Name's Art, by the way. Nice to meet you." Conan was pleased with how fluidly he was able to say his former kit name now. When he'd first joined the tribes he was always stumbling around trying not to say his actual name but not feeling like 'Art' suited him in his new life either.

The bulky tom was silent as he waited for the younger tom-cat to speak, ear's flicking backwards as he noticed the tom's sharp dark blue eyes analyzing him. Clearing his throat, Conan blinked and met the tom's similarly colored eyes. "So, you're a healer for Shadow-tribe then? Do you like your job?" He inquired curiously, moving so that he was standing on the relatively muddy bank on the earth-tribe side of the boarder.

Healer / Aeiro / Neutral Land- The Rabbit's Forest- Shadow-Tribe border

"Nothing wrong if they were for someone, though judging by the color of your tattoo I'd say you're a little young to have a crush. But, who am I to judge. Name's Art, by the way. Nice to meet you." The friendliness of the words took Aeiro by surprise. Art just wanted to talk. Aeiro could see that Art took pride in his name, by the way he smiled and stood a little taller. "Art." Aeiro tested out the name to himself. For some reason, The name didn't feel right on his tongue. "It's funny, because you don't really look like an 'Art'." Aeiro said, looking back up at the Green-Earth. Suddenly, Aeiro realized he needed to come up with a name for Art to call him. He didn't really have any nickname as a kit. His parents and brother just called him by his real name. "I could just tell him to call me 'Jay'. That's what Caru is calling me." As Aeiro was thinking Art called out, "So, you're a healer for Shadow-tribe then? Do you like your job?". Aeiro smiled "You're rather curious aren't you? But yeah, I love my job as a Healer apprentice." Aeiro sat down and let his caution drop. For some reason, he didn't feel Art as a threat. "I like going out in the forest to get herbs ad relax every now and then. It's nice to be away from loud noises and other cats. How about you? What do you do in Earth Tribe?" Aeiro added, "Oh yeah, you can call me, Jay."

Guard | Conan | Earth-Tribe/Shadow-Tribe border

The dark grey-blue tom flicked his ears back at this tom-kit's words. Well ... He guessed Art was a bit of a ... weaker name one might say. Not quite fitting the tom as it used to. During his kit-hood Conan had been smaller than even his brothers when they were kits and was still relatively small through majority of his life. He'd hit 'puberty' one might say a few moons before he came to the clans; growing at an exponential rate and eating anything edible in sight. Upon joining the Tribes and working on his abilities the 'baby-fat' had soon turned into hard, bulky muscle, giving the tom his current appearance. 'Conan does seem to fit me better. Hm.'

Conan was dragged out of his thoughts as the tom-kit spoke once again and he flicked his navy colored eyes towards him, watching curiously. The tom smiled, a soft chuckle escaping his throat. "I have been told I'm quite curious. But, I like learning about others. It's good that you enjoy your profession, it'd suck if you were given a job that you didn't like." Conan mirrored the young tom's movement and when he sat down so did Conan. He'd learned early that cats were more likely to be at ease with you if you copied their body language.

The green-earth nodded at Aeiro's words about getting away from other cats to enjoy the peace and quiet being out of camp offered. That's why he spent majority of his time patrolling the boarders or exploring. He enjoyed learning about his new home, and meeting new cats if he so happened upon one. "I understand what you mean about getting away. I often do that myself. As for what I do, I'm a guard. Patrolling the borders and keeping earth-tribe safe is what I do best." Conan's lips curled in a slight smile as he said his profession, it was obvious he was very proud to be a guard. Then, almost as an afterthought Conan added, "So, Jay, have you met any other Earth-tribe cats before?"

Healer / Aeiro / Shadow - Tribe border

Aeiro watched the green-earth with interest. His words were always friendly, and he always had something to add to the conversation. The young tom liked talking to Art. Aeiro blinked as the green-earth sat down along with him. The young healer nodded to Art's words how it would suck to have a job you didn't like. You would be stuck with it the rest of your life. Good thing the Spirit's blessed me with something I could be good at and appreciate." Aeiro smiled as he watched Art light up as he talked about his job as a guard. That makes sense. He perfectly built for a guard.

Then Art asked Aeiro a question that struck up a bunch of memories. "So, Jay, have you met any other Earth-tribe cats before?" The mottled colored tom got up and gave himself a hefty shake, trying to lighten up his thick fur. He sat down again and started laughing. "Actually I have. I met..." Aeiro slowly faded out. He wasn't sure whether or not to tell the other cat Caru's name. But he is in her tribe... but what if he doesn't know her real name yet? How do I know if they even met yet...? But what if he already knows it...? Caru's name is very precious, and even I wasn't even supposed to know it. It was an accident... Aeiro argued back and forth in his head, trying to decided if he should tell Art her name. Aeiro shook his head. "Sorry, I was just thinking, but yes, I met the pink-earth. I don't really have a... nickname for her yet, but she has tawny colored fur with darker spots." The blue-light smiled. "She's really crazy but nice when you get to know her. Have you met her before?"

Guard | Conan | Earth - Earth-tribe border

Conan watched as 'Jay' stood and shook his fur after he'd asked if he knew any other earth-tribe cats. Hm. The tom seemed a bit flustered over how to answer and the green-earth hoped that who ever the tom-kit had met hadn't been rude to him. Conan liked Jay. He seemed to be an intelligent tom who loved his job as much as Conan loved his own. He was sure the mottled tom would turn out to be a fantastic healer.

Dark grey ears flicked back when Jay finally started speaking again and Conan's brow furrowed as he mentally built a picture of the cat the tom described. Conan grinned and chuckled when he realized whom he was talking about. "That," he began, dark eyes glittering with mirth, "Is my apprentice. She is quite the character for sure, but she's got a good heart. So you two are friends?" Conan was interested to learn more about the cats his apprentice hung out with. Well, Conan was interested in everyone period.

Healer / Aeiro / Shadow - Tribe border

A slow smile crept onto his striped face. His navy blue eyes tingled with amusement to the thought of Caru, the petite pink-earth being an apprentice to such a massive Earth guard. "Really? Oh that's too funny!" A deep, rumbly purr escaped from his throat, echoing loudly around the two. "To be honest, when I first saw her I would have never have thought she was an Earth Guard, judging by her size. But then again, other cats say I am 'bigger' than what most people except of Healers." He meowed. We didn't really have a good start either... When I first saw her she was covered in mud... I don't even know why, but then somehow the pink thought I was a squirrel or something, so she tried to pounce on me. When she was halfway in the air, she changed her mind and tried to dodge me. I tried jumping away but she ended up ramming me into the side, while she landed in a bush." Aeiro shook his head. "She left me some good bruises in my hind leg, but she was probably beaten up worse. Before that happened, I was trying to get some herbs, but when she crashed into me she ended up smashing them with all the debris from the bush... So that was our first experience..." Aeiro slowly trailed off, not sure where to go from that "wonderful" story. He flicked his ears waiting for the response of the Green-earth.

Guard | Conan | Earth - Earth-tribe border

Conan smiled when Aeiro laughed and purred, happy that he'd been able to make someone smile today. That was always a goal of his; besides, nothing bad ever came from a smile, right?

"Well, she is still rather young. Only around three moons old I think. There's still plenty of time for her to grow; and as a female she probably won't be as big as you or I simply because it's not how females are usually built. All of the healers I've ever met have been females so I'm afraid I'm not a good judge of what male healers should look like." Conan flicked back his ears momentarily, glancing around the clearing before returning his eyes to 'Jay' as he began his story of how he and Caru met.

The dark green-earth found himself chuckling near the end of Aeiro's story. Oh, his apprentice. What was he going to do with her? A part of him hoped that she would mellow out with age but another part of him liked her fire; it reminded him of his brothers. If the tom was to be completely honest, having Caru to talk to and train made the burden to try and be as great of a guard as his father had been a little easier. Conan blinked himself out of his thoughts; meeting Aeiro's similarly colored eyes and the green-earth offered the younger tomcat a slight smile. "It sounds like an eventful encounter for sure. I do hope that she apologized to you, though. I know she can be a bit ... blunt, sometimes but she really does mean well. Have you met her again? She hasn't mentioned you, though I never asked." Conan's head tilted as he curiously looked Aeiro over, briefly wondering if his apprentice had a crush on the tom-cat.

Healer / Aeiro / Shadow - Tribe border

Aeiro smiled as he watched the green-earth muse about his story. He did notice that the pink-earth was rather small for other she-cats, or at least in his own tribe. Actually, the spotted she-cat was the only other female he met other than in his clan. Even for her size though, she did manage to knock him off his feet, which was pretty impressive. Aeiro looked back down on the violet coneflowers, thinking for a moment. "She was a really pretty she-cat, and she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. But I don't really think she's my type. She's too energetic for me." Aeiro mused. "She would wear me out like teeth biting on a rock for two days straight.

Aeiro looked back up to the gray tom, wondering what he was thinking. He watched his navy blue eyes look at him with a peculiar look. Have I ever met the she-cat again? "No, I only met her once, it was actually quite recently. We met in the Rabbit's Forest." He said looking back. "Maybe a couple sunrises ago." He meowed returning his gaze at Art. The blue-light could feel the moist earth stick to his paws. He lifted his paw and tried to wipe the mud on the rock. It felt strange to have the slimy earth ooze between his toes. He stepped back down with his paw only to have the watery mud splash onto Art. Aeiro froze as he watched the brown gunk slowly dribble down the guard's face. "I would be the only one to do that. Aeiro thought silently.

Guard | Conan | Earth - Earth-tribe border

Conan nodded when Aeiro's words, so they'd met a little before he'd taken Caru out for her first training session. Interesting. He'd be sure to ask her the next time they trained - which would be soon, hopefully.

The tomcat had been about to say something to the younger tom when mud splattered across his face. The green-earth sat very still and blinked in bewilderment before a broad grin swept across his lips and a deep, throaty laugh escaped the tom's muzzle. "Nice." The green-earth meowed teasingly, wiping the mud off of his face with a paw. Conan could've gotten mad and snapped at the young tom-kit but what would be the sense? He knew it was a mistake and besides, it wasn't in Conan's nature to be mean.

Navy hued eyes glittering with amusement Conan padded into the water, careful to stay on the earth-tribe side and lightly splashed Aeiro with water. A playful smirk flickered across his lips as he spoke, "There, now we're even."

Healer / Aeiro / Shadow - Tribe border

Aeiro stayed very still as he watched the green-earth's face slowly turn from bewilderment to a large grin. He let out a breath of relief that Art wouldn't rip his fur out. He already met a couple touchy cats. A spray of muddy water was flung on top of him. He flinched, caught off guard of the touch of the cold liquid. He peeked open his eyes only to find his fur plastered to his body, with chunks of mud slowly rolling down his once glossy coat. It wasn't so much how wet and dirty he was, but when his eyes came in contact with the herbs, to his dismay, he found the flowers covered in the soggy earth. The once pretty purple flowers were sodden in the same dingy muck. "My...my herbs." He said quietly. He paused for a moment, then looked up at the ash tom. A slow devilish smile crawled on his face. "You asked for it!" The young tom-cat leaped into the water, leaving behind the coneflower. Even though the apprentice wasn't nearly as big as the earth-guard, he managed to send a wave billowing towards him. A small voice reminded Aeiro to stay on his side of the territory. Even how friendly this tom-cat may be, I still cannot disregard the agreement of where the border is.

Guard | Conan | Earth - Earth-tribe border

Conan paused as he glanced to see the damage he'd done to Jay's herbs. "Sorry 'bout tha-" The tom was cut off as Jay sent a wave of muddy water towards him and Conan ducked and covered as much of his head as he could.

It didn't help. When the green-earth stood, his fur was soaking wet, mud dripping from his fur. Conan's dark blue eyes glittered with mirth as he looked at Jay. "Oh, you have no idea what you started." Conan meowed with a smirk, backing out of the water only to sprint up to it and jump in, splashing both Jay and a hefty chunk of the area around them. All the while Conan was careful to keep on the earth-tribe side of the border. No matter how nice Jay seemed, he didn't want to risk getting in trouble with his clan or Shadow-tribe over an accidental misstep over the border.

Healer / Aeiro / Shadow - Tribe border

Aeiro let out a mrrow of laughter after looking at the tom's face, but a sudden return wave of water filled his mouth and nose. Unprepared by the brown water, it went up his nose and mouth. "What the-" He spat. He stuck out his tongue, feeling the mud slide off. It tasted like earth and worms. He rubbed his paw against his nose, trying to get the water from his nostrils. His fur, which was partly wet, was now drenched along with the area around him. His tawny colored fur was stained a rotten chestnut color.

He gave himself a ponderous shake, splattering the green-earth. "Okay, you win." the apprentice said. He was never one to put up a good fight unless it was for something very important. Was it because he was too lazy or he didn't really care to have the "last punch"? He didn't even know the answer, but looking at the damage done, the young tom could tell they were both an equal mess. Mud dribbled down his fur, with a lingering taste of the dirt in his mouth. "What did we do!" Aeiro laughed.

Guard | Conan | Earth - Earth-tribe border

A large grin spread over the green-earth's lips and he couldn't help but laugh as he saw just how much damage he and the blue-light had done. "By the looks of it, we destroyed part of the river bank. But, it was fun, which is what counts. Sometimes you just need to let loose and laugh, 'ey?"

Conan looked down at the state of his fur; mud was likely caked in places he didn't even know he had and it would take forever to get his thick fur dry again. But, the tom didn't really mind. He enjoyed spending time with Jay - but knew that the young tom probably had more important things to do, as did Conan, than have a mud battle on the border. "It's been fun Jay, but I think we should likely get back to our respective jobs," Conan smiled slightly as he met the tom's similarly colored eyes, "But perhaps we'll meet again? I'd love to talk with you more."

Healer / Aeiro / Shadow - Tribe border

The young tom's coat was in an utter horrendous state. He could feel his fur plastered to his body, with mud caked onto it as well. He nodded to Art's words about damage they done, but it was fun. I just hope we can clean ourselves off before the mud dries. He thought. I am going to have to wash in water for hours, no doubt about it. He could feel sludge running down in his ears.

Giving on last shake, he attempted to remove some of the muck off of his fur. Shaking his thick coat definitely lightened his fur, but it probably made him puff up like an owl. But even with the thought of him looking bloated, he was satisfied that he at least gotten some of the remaining mud off his wet coat. He nodded to the guard, blinking warmly, meeting his identical eyes. "I see you later then, Art. Maybe next time we can keep our fur clean." He joked.

Despite the fact that they had a bizarre first meeting, Aeiro couldn't wait to see the green-earth again. It was fun to, like he put it, 'let loose and laugh'. He turned around flicking his tail back and fourth, as he padded back to the forest, but he paused as he came to his soggy herbs. The once full purple petals were sodden with the same brown murky-colored water. He slowly placed his paw over the herb, thinking about how he was first coming by the river, to find coneflower and witch-hazel. A squishing noise sounded, when he placed his paw onto the un-sturdy ground. With each step, was the sound of squashing mud, but as he drew closer to the dense forest, the ground became firmer. The forest floor gave way to growth and multiple types of floral vegetation. The plants flourished with life and colors. He came here looking for herbs, but was leaving with a friend. It was a good trade. He thought to himself.