Pale eyes flickered across the forest floor, the moonlight guiding his otherwise darkened journey. His body pressed low against the cool flooring, belly fur dampened thanks to the dewy grass. His nostrils filled the the scent of multiple cats swirling around him, causing the fur along his back to stand on end. Pagan was used to the scents of strangers but it was never so concentrated into one spot, swallowing the tom stepped over, what he would soon learn was an invisible border, his muscles stiffening as he placed his paws on the other side. “Rules won’t hold me back.” The tom wasn’t sure why he wanted to see the clan cats, the only reasoning he could think of being that he was told to stay away, which just piqued his curiosity even more. This wasn’t his first time visiting the, what he would soon discover if the Thunderclan border, but this was his first time feeling rebellious enough to take the plunge into the forest. His creamy white fur made him stick out too much to come during the day but at night he noticed it was less active the perfect time for him. He didn't mean any harm by coming to the territory, he was just a curious cat and wanted to know what was so good about living in a structured colony with so many rules it hurt his head. Pagan would never obey such a ridiculous way of life, smirking to himself he cautiously traveled further and further into Thunderclan territory. His ears twitching as the small squeaks from the rodents and chips from the birds, he would never have thought that there would still be so much prey rustling about with the amount of mouths to feed in the clans, at least form what his mother told him, the clans were usually quite large. It's not like they had a shortage of food where they lived, but still it was hard to find a constant source of food.
The sound of two giggling voices pulled the large tom cat's attention, his body instantly dropping to the ground, ears tightly pressed against his skull, Shit. Pagan knew he should turn back and head home, but the sweet voices only drew him closer. He silently thanked his mother and father for all their lessons as he carefully crawled under a bush, just before the felines the voices belonged to reached the area. Holding his breath he watched as the small clan cats from the bush, knowing he'd look like a creep and a jerk if anyone were to see him now.
"Alright Bunnypaw, time for a lesson on bravery from your dear sweet bigger sister." Applepaw chriped, bouncing around her calico sister. Applepaw was an expert at sneaking out of the camp at night by now, her adventures in Windclan as a young kitten giving her a larger ego than she already had. The peach cream molly brushing up against her sister, "Alright Bunnypaw, you wait here, count to 20 then come try and find me. The moon is resting above the treetops now so lets say if you haven't found me by the time the moon touches the treetops lets meet up at the large oak tree." It took a lot of convincing to get her little sister to join her on midnight training, she was so excited that Bunnypaw finally made the decision to join her. "Good luck sis."
With that the peach colored apprentice took off quickly, the silence settling in as now just Pagan and the calico molly, apparently called Bunnypaw were left. The large grey point tom cat laid there quietly under the bush, his breath steady as he waited for the apprentice to leave, knowing there would be no way for him to sneak back to his home until the she cat was done counting to 20. His icy gaze was filled with nothing but Bunnypaw, he saw her often when he came to the Thunderclan border and wanted to meet her, but she was always accompanied by 3-4 more warriors. Pagan refused to take his eyes off her knowing if he let her leave his sight now he would never see her again. He needed to meet her, but he knew if he showed himself now she would be scared and call for backup.
The sound of a loud owl hooting echoed through his large ears, the sudden sound erupting through the silence catching the tom off guard. A small yowl falling from his muzzle, launching himself into the air. His claws digging into the dirt as he landed, heavy breathes escaping him as he tried to calm himself down from the sudden fright. Remembering he was now in full view of the calico molly Pagan scrambled towards her, the fluff of his tail swiping over her muzzle to quiet her, "Please don't scream." His rushed words followed his motions. Making eye contact with Bunnypaw, he spoke softly, "I'm not here to hurt anyone so please dont scream."Slowly removing his tail so the molly could speak.
It was much later than Bunnypaw's normal bedtime, that was for sure. Normally the small apprentice was tucked away in her nest, dreaming of mice and friends and the sunny days ahead. Her sister had managed to haul her from her cozy nest on a late night cruise, and it was only when Applepaw proclaimed her grand idea did Bunnypaw realize what was going on. "Okay, it's just you? No tricks right?" she mewed nervously as her older sibling sprinted off without a word, her giggles disappearing into the night air. "Applepaw!" she called to no avail, shuffling her feet beneath her.
There was something oddly calming about the forest at night, especially during a warm green-leaf night. If it was a dreary night, however, the young molly might've gotten a bit too nervous and had an episode. Stormy nights seemed to trigger Bunnypaw's anxiety, worsening her heart defect symptoms. Flicking an ear, the apprentice sat beside the tree Applepaw deemed her counting spot and waited, ears straining against the quiet breeze to catch her sister's pawsteps. Applepaw could be a bit much at times, but the young she-cat wanted nothing more than to be like her sister. She was brave, intelligent, and didn't have any fear in her body. I wish I was like that...
The screech of an owl shook her from her thoughts, and the sudden of appearance of Pagan made Bunnypaw freeze in fear. His unfamiliar scent hit her nostrils, fur fluffing up instinctively as she took a pawstep backward. She parted her maw to challenge him, but she was greeted by his fluffy tail, nearly choking her in the moment of surprise. She spluttered and backed up, nose scrunching up in distaste at his harsh scent. It wasn't bad, just... different. Taking in his appearance, the dilute calico realized he couldn't be older than apprentice-aged himself. "Can I help you?" it came out awkward and forced, as if she was unsure where to proceed from this point. She couldn't exactly chase him off, he was massive. Besides, would he even run if she did?