CLOSED Going West

[Meany]

Jazz, a gatherer of CityClan, was with a group of cats. One was a cat from his Clan (Jace), two were from something called a 'Tribe', and one was from DarkClan, some mountain Clan, and there was Spottedfern, from MoonClan - a WAY mountain Clan. And she didn't know what a train was. That bothered him.
The group had walked down a ramp, onto a platform, walked around some building edgings, and had made it to the ground.
One or two of them had nearly fallen - it was weird, but there had been a bunch of big birds and Jazz had thought he was going to die so he panicked. He couldn't be blamed!

Though, Spottedfern still thought he was an idiot.

OOC: Ls...

[Longstorm]

The Tribe cats and Jace all walked in silence, each in their own little worlds.

Icepaw, though, was thinking about more than himself.
The voice in his heart had returned, and it was still pointing things out to him.
When I joined the DarkClan rebellion, I guess I was better at things...I had Redstar and the other apprentices to point out stuff to me. But ever since the whole 'dream' thing had happened, Icepaw had been feeling lost. Like, he wasn't sure what to do. Then he had, somewhere along the line, decided that he needed to be more like he had been when he'd lived by himself, as a loner. Icepaw thought it would have worked out, but being a loner in a group of Clan cats was a lot harder than most would think.
Icepaw was an apprentice. He had to listen.
But I didn't listen...Blackfire knows more than me. He's a warrior. Warriors know things, which is why they're warriors. Which is why... Icepaw gulped. He wanted me to stay close to him. But I didn't. Then bad things happened. Bad things happened, because I didn;t listen. All of this, his whiskers, ears, and tail all drooped.
Is all my fault. It's ALL my fault. It's all MY fault! Icepaw squeaked very quietly and kept walking, mortified and sad and, most of all, very ashamed of himself. He didn't know how to fix this. Icepaw didn't know what to do, what could he do, What do I do? I like being in DarkClan - I have friends there, Bluepaw, Goldpaw, Redstar, Will they kick me out of DarkClan? Redstar said I had to obey the rules and prove that I'm worth something...but all I do is make bad things happen, so I'm not worth anything at ALL. I don't want to leave DarkClan! I want to go back to the Willow, I want to see Goldpaw, I want to hunt with Redstar, and I wish Bluepaw hadn't been eaten by the giant cats! WHAT DO I DO!?!?
The tom squeaked again, never having felt so very, very lost and alone in his entire short life.

[Meany]

Spottedfern heard Icepaw's squeaks. She discreetly slowed her pace until she and the DarkClan apprentice were walking side by side. Something about motherly instincts, she murmured comfortingly to the apprentice. Spottedfern wanted to hear what was wrong, but she would wait.

Jazz looked to where the she-cat had gone to. He'd gotten used to her walking with him, so he joined her again.
He smiled when Spottedfern nodded briefly to him. Oh - I guess we're becoming friends now. I like friends. Jazz walked on, feelling very content with his current situatin.

[Longstorm]

Icepaw lifted his head boldly when he realized that Spottedfern and Jazz had converged on him. I'm not a kit, he thought kit-ishly. He sighed, though, glad for the company.

Jace was thinking about Cold and Dark and Scorchpoint and Tala and Joyless - they were his kin, each and every one of them. He knew that they would support him, and he was obligated to support them.
But the Burnsky...She was different. He felt as though he would support her - like it was an obligation greater than kin - but he felt conflicted because he knew she wouldn't always support him.
Why does she have to be so different, he thought angrily. Why did she have to be born to a different life? Why...
He sighed internally. Why does she have to stay?

The Burnsky was thinking similar thoughts. For the first time in her life, she found that she felt that perhaps her Tribe wasn't her everything. Could Jace become that? No. He couldn't, she knew. Her life was her Tribe and vice versa. The Tribe of Endless Hunting had given her great purpose, and she would see it through until her death.
She would stay.

Brush was looking at Icepaw. An interesting tom, he was sure. Though, the 'apprentice' seemed to be conflicted. The brown tom decided that he may ask about it later - though he might not.

They all kept walking.

They made their way through alleyways and across streets, dodging two-legs and steering well-clear of dogs.
Unbeknownst to them, they passed K-ELK HQ, where the radio programs were broadcasted from.
"These cats are everywhere - there go some now! I see some tabbies, some spotted cats - looks like they have a mission. Gotta wonder what a glaring of cats have for a mission, right? That's right, folks, 'glaring' is a term for a group of cats..."

Not too far off, the pilot was walking to the vet with the body of Stormstar in his arms.

The cats had flattened themselves to the rough walls of the buildings, many of their pelts fluffed out in fear as two-legs went by, though they went mostly unnoticed.

[Meany]

Spottedfern looked to the west, though she couldn't see beyond the strange dens that were in the way.The sun was moving quickly, it seemed, much faster than she was. The kits she was carrying made a fuss and she sighed when she thought about Talltree, her mate.
I wonder if he's worried, she thought absently. They'd never had the strongest relationship.

Jazz exhaled and watched his breath steam. He wasn't looking forward to winter. Most snow turned to gray slush in his City.

OOC: We should skip.

[Longstorm]

OOC: Works for me.

IC: Some time had passed. The sun was now high in the sky and still the cats continued heading west. Was there really something that would help them that way? What was the MoonClan saying anyways?
Icepaw sighed, feeling physically and emotionally tired.

Jace shared the sentiment but kept quiet. In his head he was formulating and postulating and scheming, as he would. He wondered if he would be seeing Mosspaw again soon. She was a nice she-cat with an eye-catching pelt. Perhaps she would be able to take his mind off of the Burnsky. She definitely burned me, he thought grumpily.

[Meany]

And even more time passed, not a lot of things happening, and they just kept on keeping on heading west. Whatever would be over there.

Jazz was humming a song. It went "rum-tun, tun-tun-tun-tun, tum-dun-dun, dun, dun, dun-dun-dun," and other variations.
The way the Gatherer saw it was that each cat here was dealing with something in their heads. The Burnsky was dealing with something in her head - probably her own Clan Tribe thing that she lead, worrying about them and stuff. The Icepaw cat was worrying about stuff - maybe he was feeling guilty or something; Jazz would have felt a little guilty if he figured that he'd brought down a mountain. (For obvious reasons Jazz found that he didn't like mountains being so close to him, and knew that when he got home he wouldn't go near them again.) And everyone else, heck, they were just worried about the people they knew and they place they were in. How did Jazz figure? He was worried about the same things.
But he kept walking and didn't speak. No one seemed too interested in speaking.

Spottedfern was feeling very, very tired, even though she'd had a long rest on the top of the structure thing. Ah, kits.
But she kept walking, though her paws dragged a bit and her tail was low to the ground.

[Longstorm]

Jace and Icepaw kept to their current mindsets, one of attempted distraction from pain, and the other kept in guilt and weariness.

The Burnsky also felt that she was trapped in guilt and attempted distraction - her ancestors knew that she had only known Jace for but an evening, but still she felt that she was betraying him by stating that she would not be going with them whenever they left for wherever it was they were going.
I wonder what their lands look like... Is it as something I've seen in dreams? Is it anything like my home by the many streams that become a river? You spoke of a place like this, but far larger and different, Jace. I cannot imagine a place like this - I never knew places like this existed before. Not of two-legs, or of dogs, or 'kittypets.' What more do I not know?
She sighed internally, a wry smile on her lips. It is not my place to wonder, she decided. My Tribe is all the wondering I need in life. With that thought, again she felt the sting of Jace in her heart.
The Burnsky looked to the horizon instead of towards Jace, and saw...

OOC: Meany?

[Meany]

A break in the buildings. Sure, there were some trees, but there was a lot of open flatland, too. And in the distance they could just make out, past the trees, a building. A building that looked different from the others.

"Well," Jazz cat-whistled. "I'll be." He looked at the MoonClan queen. "You're Clan sure knows its stuff."
Spottedfern smiled slightly and nodded. "Sky-Moon," she said quietly, partly in thanks to her ancestor, partly as an explanation.
Jazz's ears pricked forward in interest, cat-brows rising. "Oh, really now?" He looked back at the building in the distance. "Really now." The City tom looked back at the others. "We're heading west!" He smiled at them, and Spottedfern couldn't help but be affected by his infectious smile. She looked back at the thing in the distance to partly conceal her slight smile.
Jazz nodded up and down, up and down, again and again. He liked it whenever something a Clan cat said that seemed a little strange turned out greatly. It was always a marvel to behold.
They had all kinda stopped.
"Well? We going?" Jazz was quite jazzed about the situation, even if he was tired and very hungry.
Speaking of which...
Jazz could smell something nice. Oooooh... Beeeef... Beef meatball and swiss marinara sandwich...leftovers... The Gatherer lifted his nose and breathed in the sweet fumes.
"You hungry?" He looked at Spottedfern. "I'm hungry."
Spottedfern looked at the tom in interest and scented the air. "I don't smell prey," she meowed, giving him a bemused look.
"Oh, I don't know about your eating habits, ma'am," he meowed kindly, "but where I'n from we know where to find feasts..." He glanced at Jace. "Jace can tell you true!" Jazz nodded in the direction of the wonderful smell he smelled.
Spottedfern raised a cat-brow. "What about," she flicked her tail in the direction of the distant building.
"Spottedfern, ma'am, wouldn't you like something to eat before we make that long walk that-a-ways, especially considering your condition?"
"'Condition?'" Spottedfern was far from impressed.
"Your little ones," Jazz went on, his tone apologetic. "I'm sure they and you would appreciate what's only a short walk away." He looked in the direction of the smell - looked like a normal alleyway, and he didn't smell any dogs. That made the thought of food all the better!
"Just a little while. It'll be something new!"
Spottedfern sighed. She knew she'd never win the debate, and she was tired and very, VERY hungry.
"Fine, fine," she meowed tiredly. "What are we eating?" She thought he may have smelled some exotic bit of prey that she didn't know or couldn't pick out in the strange smells of this 'two-leg place.'
"Oh, the best..." He looked back at the others...

[Longstorm]

Jace snapped out of his thoughts when they had pointed out the building in the distance. That looks a little familiar. Something I've heard about or seen?
Jace glanced over at the wayward Jazz as he was telling Spottedfern about the wonders of twoleg food. Am I hungry? Could I eat? On one paw, Jace had no idea what was going on with his stomach right then and there. On the other paw, wouldn't Jazz have usually asked him if he was hungry first? They had worked together for a while - whatever. They'd never been close anyway, and the intelligent MoonClan she-cat seemed plenty of reason to forget that. I wonder if Jazz realizes that he's interested in her... (OOC: Subplot, lol.)
For a few very long, simple moments, Jace's focus had been entirely off of the Burnsky - until she spoke. "What food are you talking about," she asked Jazz. Jace's gaze flashed over to the handsome she-cat, and again he felt a stab of sorrow and resentment. Even Brush, that stoic tom, had an expression of what could be perceived as interest on his vague face.
"Food?" Icepaw's ears perked up for the first time in hours. "There's food? Prey? What? Where?"
Jace rolled his eyes and wondered if it was even remotely possible for the DarkClan apprentice to speak without sounding like a complete idiot.

[Longstorm]

BUMP

I edited.

[Meany]

OOC: Jace is funny.

IC: Jazz nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! Food, good food, only the best..." He rambled happily about food as he padded into the side alley, towards the delicious scent from the garbage bins that belonged to what only could have been a sub-sandwich shop. "Aaaaah..." He beheld the tall trash cans in front of him with fierce concentration. The trash cans had raccoon-proof locks on them. Jazz knew them well. The raccoons and the locks, that is. "Okay..."
Spottedfern gingerly followed Jazz into the alleyway, wondering what sort of prey - prey that the tom insisted on only referring to as "food" - would even want to hang around a damp and dank place like this.
Jazz braced himself and leaped atop the trash can. He stared down at the lid-lock that was now beneath him, and he considered it. It was a lot like the ones he'd see back in Belleford, but also had a lot more moving parts. Brain, don't fail me now, he thought, there's food involved!
Spottedfern joined the City tom and looked up at him. "What in the name of Sky-Moon are you doing up there?"
Jazz glanced down at the MoonClan queen. "Ah - now, see, there's food in here - " he jumped with the last two words to make his point - "and there's this thing," he flicked his tail at the lock, "that's trying to keep me out. But I'm to smart for any twoleg around here, ma'am." He hoped. Jazz unsheathed his ragged claws and set to work on the mechanism. If all else failed, he figured, he'd get Jace to do it. Jace had a head for puzzles, anyway, unlike Jazz did...

[Longstorm]

OOC: That was a pretty open-ended post, Meany.

IC: Jace watched Jazz as he fiddled with the anti-pest lock on the trash can. Like Jazz, he'd yet to see this sort of lock on a trash can, so he watched with great interest. He padded closer so he could look at it from below. Locking mechanism, was a discernible phrase in his rapid-fire thought process.

The Burnsky cocked her head in confusion. Why would there be food in there of all places? What is that?

[Meany]

Suddenly, it clicked in Jazz's head. With a deft flick of a claw, the lock popped open and the lid was suddenly shifting off of the trash can and onto the ground, taking Jazz with it. "Yeah! Uh - WAGH!" He landed gracelessly.

OOC: INCOMPLETE

[Meany]

OOC: BUMP - instead of editing the incomplete post so people see it.

IC: Spottedfern looked down at the crumpled heap that was Jazz the CityClan tom with amusement. "Well done," she meowed, even if she wasn't exactly certain what it was that Jazz had done well. "But you mentioned 'food'?"
Jazz suddenly sprang up. "Yep!" He spun around and looked at the un-lidded trash can. "Eh-uh, Jace?" Jazz looked back at Jace. "Wanna help me tip it over onto those bags there?" He flicked his tail at a pile of trash bags not three tail-lengths away from the trash can. "Considering the 'trajectory' and 'angle' and all," he meowed in a 'I-don't-really-know-what-I'm-saying' way with a waggle of his cat-brows.
"Is that all," Spottedfern scoffed. Just knocking it over? Please. Spottedfern could knock anything over. She was an Eagle for Sky-Moon's sake. Besides, her added weight gave her greater mass and therefore could be used to easily knock over this thing that was keeping food from her. And it was obvious that Jazz wanted to knock the thing onto the "bags" because they looked so soft and it would be like a boulder falling into the forest as opposed to onto a hard surface. It would be quieter. No point in alerting these so-called "two-legs."
Spottedfern found herself standing behind the trash can. The ginger and white she-cat stepped back a couple of paces, paused, then gave a heavy, weary leap at the trash can with her front paws up. Given the height she guessed that it had to be sort of heavy - but it was tall, so that wasn't a huge problem to her (unlike herself, she griped for a moment). She just had to hit it at the correct angle.
And presto! It fell onto the bags with hardly a sound.

Jazz watched Spottedfern with a sage expression while nodding. Yes. The Force was strong with this one. Whatever that meant (he'd heard it mentioned somewhere, and he supposed it must mean something pretty darn good.)
When Spottedfern met his sage expression impatiently he snapped into action. "Yes, yes, yes," he meowed enthusiastically. "Here comes the semi-difficult part..." He stuck his big head into the trashcan so far that he sort of ended up kinda falling in just a little bit. "Finding the good stuff!" He called from inside, his voice sort of muffled and tinny. "But it'll take a moment!" Spottedfern sighed.
Inside, Jazz used one of his longer fangs to pull a slit into the side of one of the open-ish bags. Naturally the smell had to be coming from one of the bags that had openings in them. That, or it was under on of the bags. He paused. Yeah, that made more sense. Jazz shoved aside a larger bag and a smaller bag, and booya! A samich.
"SUCCESS!"

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