[Split x Lostpath] Are We Friends?

[NatiStorm]

Hatred coursed through him as he stalked the scent line of the RiverClan territory. It had almost been a full moon cycle since the incident at the boarder of the two clans but Split hadn't calmed down at all. He swore every day that he would never forgive the clans for stealing a loner kitten. On top of that, when he tried to get the kitten back so he could return it, they attacked him. Some without even hearing reason!

The chimera tom paused in his boarder hunt to lick some of his still healing wounds. Most of them had healed within a few days passing, others were still scabs. As he licked and bit at some of the more itchy scabs, he replayed his vow to hunt down any clan cat that left their territory in his mind. It was a vow he planned to carry out, even if it killed him. Those clan cat's would regret the day they messed with him! The first cat to cross that boarder would never return, he was going to make sure of that!

Resuming his patrol of the boarder, searching for cats reckless enough to leave their lands, he caught the scent of a clan cat. With his fur bristling, he lowered himself into a crouch, ready to attack the moment the cat stepped one paw too far. After a second sniff however, Split realized the main smell was familiar. It was a scent he hadn't smelled for many moons now. Not since green leaf or maybe early leaf fall? Definitely before the incident. He stopped again and sniffed the air once more.

"Lostpaw?"

belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

Lostpath had been doing her best to keep a level head within the Clan, but with greencough in the Clan and many mouths to feed... She found herself taking more frequent trips out to the borders to patrol, but more importantly, to hunt. With snow and ice crunching softly underfoot, she found herself making the long trek out to the border. Her territory seemed so different now that it was coated with snow. She shivered as a gust of wind swept beside her.

I should get back soon, if there's nothing to find. Don't want to catch sickness out here. She frowned. Or maybe it's more likely that I'll get sick if I return home... She thought and glanced back the way she came, her paw prints visible in the snow, despite her best efforts to hide her tracks with her swishing tail.

She shivered again, but pushed forward. She wondered how much things would've been easier if LightningClan had taken the kit.
At least Split didn't take Foxkit, or else he would've gotten sick too. She thought. She hadn't seen the loner since his brief fight with the Clans. She'd been too busy cowering to do anything, but she'd later done her part to fight the fox with her mentor. I suppose I ought to thank ForestClan I didn't get sick like Flamedapple did. She'd done well to stay away from Foxkit while Flamedapple nursed her.

Preoccupied with her thoughts, she missed the obvious scent on the breeze, until her name was called from ahead. Well, her former name. Raising her head sharply, she opened her mouth to scent the air and her eyes lit up as she turned a corner.

"Split?" She answered, her eyes scanning for the dark and striped pelt. For those unmistakably beautiful eyes. "Are you here?" She mewed, unable to keep a soft purr from her voice.

Natitsuri

 

[belloblossom]

Remainder from a Discord log.

Split

As a familiar voice reached his ears, Split raised himself from a crouch and took a few steps closer to the boarder of RiverClan's territory. For a moment, all of his anger for the clans vanished and Split eagerly looked around for the first cat he had ever even considered being his friend.

"Lostpaw, I'm here." He called quietly to her as he scented the air to make sure she was alone. Relief washed over him as he smelled that she was by herself. Thankfully none of those other nasty RiverClan cat's were out this far. Good thing too. Split's fur bristled for a moment as his anger at the clans swelled up within him. It disappeared again as the one-eyed she-cat came into view.

Split flicked his tail in greeting as he sat down outside of the other cat's territory. A hundred questions filled his mind as he looked at the stripped warrior before him. Instead of the questions in his head Split simply locked eyes with the younger she-cat and stated, "You look well."

Lostpath

Lostpath approached readily when her suspicions were correct and she surged forward, before remembering who it was she was coming to meet. Split hadn't exactly been friendly when they'd first met all those moons ago when she was an apprentice, but she still remembered him fondly in her memories. Even after the fox scuffle. She thought and pushed it from her mind.

Curling her tail over her back with delight, she announced proudly.
"I'm Lostpath now. I became a warrior a not too long ago." She explained. "Now I can finally eat before the apprentices." She said with a smile, but it wavered. "Though, there's not much to eat these days, between the weather and our cats not being well enough to hunt..." She quickly went on, "Oh, but I'm not sick! So you don't have to worry about getting sick from me." She said, trying to sound reassuring.

"B-But enough about me, how've you been? It's been a while since we've seen each other; has life been treating you well?" She glanced over his shoulder, beyond the borders. What would happen if she'd ask to go with him? She thought of her Clan mates that were relying on her to bring back food or protect their borders. No... She couldn't even spare a day when the Clan was sick. She looked back at Split with a smile. "Did the feather bring you good luck after all?"

Split

Split closed his eyes and shook his head for a moment. Clan cats and there silly naming thing. But he knew it meant a lot to her by the way she held herself as she declared her new name. His ears pricked forward at her quick change of mood. Leaf-bare was hard for everyone but there was an edge to her voice that betrayed something beyond the normal prey shortage was happening to her clan.

His eyes narrowed at her at mentioning of sickness. So that was it, her clan was sick. Split knew that one of the clans had the loner kit but he still wasn't sure which clan had ended up claiming it. With the way Lostpath was looking, he hoped that the small kit was not in RiverClan. Finally his curiosity won over.

"Congratulations, Lostpath." He said trying to ease into the conversation to ask his questions. "It did, I think. Good fortune has been with me." Kneading the packed snow beneath his paws his features hardened. "Sounds to me like you need a good luck feather. Is there a sickness in your clan?" The answer was obvious and Split didn't wait for a reply before continuing on. "The kit," His eyes flashed as he added that the clans stole to himself, "Is it in RiverClan?"

Lostpath

Lostpath laughed softly at his comment about her needing a good luck charm of her own. "Yes... well, that would certainly be welcome. I can only pray to ForestClan that we'll be getting some luck sooner or later. Honeystar and Direstar won't let me down, of that I'm certain." She said, but sounded more like she was trying to convince herself than of anything else.

At the mention of the sickness, she nodded and at the question of the kit... She glanced down at her paws.
"Foxkit, Shadowstar named her." She replied softly. "She... She had the sickness prior to her entry to the Clans, Stonebelly says. He thinks she had it when the fox was with her, too." She looked up at Split, dismay clear on her face. "And now so many cats have greencough and Stonebelly and Flamedapple and Foxfur are all looking after Foxkit, but everyone else is getting sick too." She kneaded her claws anxiously into the snow underpaw. "I'm not though. It's a miracle I didn't get it, especially because Flamedapple used to be my mentor..." She sat, curling her tail close around her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring the mood down with all of that. I'm sure everyone will be fine. Stonebelly is a good medicine cat. It's all he's really good at." She rolled her eye, trying not to reflect what a poor father he'd been to her. "He'll find the cure for this sickness and ensure no other cat gets sick. I'm sure he will. He has to." She looked over to Split, feeling like more of a burden on him than anything else with all the bad news she was giving him, even with her hopeful ideals. "But... enough about RiverClan. How've you been? Keeping warm, I hope?"

Split

Split tensed as Lostpath talked about the sickness in her clan that Foxkit had apparently brought to them. A part of him couldn't help but feel that the rampant sickness was a just punishment for stealing Foxkit. The most selfish part of him was glad the clans had taken the kit instead of leaving it to him. He did not have the means to deal with greencough or the strength to feed another mouth this leaf-bare.

As Lostpath spoke, Split's expression softened. The worry for her clan was clear in her voice and her exhaustion clear in her features. Though he hadn't known her long or spent much time with her, Lostpath was one of the only friends Split had. He did not like seeing her so unhappy. Sure, he got a bit of satisfaction at hearing the clan suffer for their wrong doing but the poor lost kit didn't deserve such a terrible fate, nor did he want any of Lostpath's clan mates to die.

"As long as your clan is still sick, you risk catching it." Split said, his eyes narrowing again to their usual look. Of course, Lostpath was well aware of how at risk she was. Deciding that telling her to try not to get sick wouldn't be helpful, Split changed the subject by answering her questions.

"I'm as warm as I can be." His tail twitched nervously behind him for a moment. Internally he debated whether or not he should tell Lostpath that he had company back in his den keeping him very warm. After a slight hesitation he decided to keep his personal life to himself. "Prey has been plentiful and no sickness has reached me this leaf-bare."

Split couldn't help but sit up a bit straighter as he talked about his life as a loner.

"My biggest complaint is a few of my wounds that are still healing." He shifted uncomfortably as he stared at Lostpath. "I wasn't sure you'd still talk to me after what happened."

Lostpath

Lostpath nodded in agreement.
"That's true, of course." She mewed. "But it's not as though I have the option to leave... Heh. I'd thought about it once or twice, when I was very young, but no longer." She admitted to him. "I have to look after my family, even if it means getting greencough in the process-though I sincerely hope I manage to stay clear of the sickness for as long as possible." She added with a half-smile. Her eye had a vacant look as she reflected on her situation, but brightened as the topic changed.

"Well, that's good to hear." She said, before her expression turned to one of bewilderment. "What? How could you think something like that?" She asked him, but quickly went on. "Split, I'm always going to want to talk to you. As far as the fox situation... Honestly, I was too scared to process much of what happened, until the vixen came to attack the cats in our actual camp." She shook a little, remembering the large jaws that snapped and the hoarse cries. "But... I don't think any worse of you for wanting to protect a lone kitten. In fact, quite the opposite. I wouldn't have otherwise thought you'd like kits or would volunteer to have your own."

Grateful of her fur to hide how warm her cheeks felt, she stammered out. "Well, uh, that-that came out weird. B-But you know what I mean, anyway. I hope you do. Wait," She looked from her paws to Split and hesitatingly took a few steps further. "Your wounds are still healing? They didn't get infected, did they? I... I could go back and see if I can't find something for them, if you'd like, from Stonebelly." She offered. "It pains me, seeing that you're still hurting from recent events... and that I couldn't help you through any of it." She said, shame evident in her voice and expression. She was a poor excuse for a friend.

Split

For a minute, Split envied Lostpath's dedication to her family, to her clan. He felt like it was something he'd never know, even if he had a family.

His eyes widened and he stood up ready to flee as Lostpath changed her tone. At first he was confused. Why was she so appalled at his question? He had stood against the clan she so dearly cared about. As she explained, he relaxed and lowed himself. A chuckle nearly escaped him as the young she-cat over explained her words.

"No, they're not infected, I just take awhile to heal up I guess." Split tried to look as nonchalant about his injuries. "I don't think your clan would like you doing that." It pained him to see his optimistic friend looking so downhearted.

"You helped me by not attacking me." He attempted to give Lostpath a positive spin on the situation but came up short. Quickly he tried to change the subject. "I didn't so much want to raise the kit myself, but having followed it so far in unclaimed lands I just couldn't stand the thought of clan cats deciding it's fate."

As he spoke, he lowered his gaze. While he knew Lostpath loved her clan, he had never kept his hatred of the clans from her. This time however, he felt slightly ashamed of his outspoken hostility. Was he starting to value her opinion of him and her feelings that much? His ears flicked in annoyance as he banished the shame from his thoughts.

Lostpath

Lostpath let out a sigh of great relief.
"That's a relief. Stonebelly's told me that an infected wound can be just as dangerous as a proper illness." She explained. "And... while I know you're right, about my Clan mates not being exactly thrilled about the idea..." She looked to him and smiled. "If you ever need help like that, whether it's herbs or something else... another feather maybe," She laughed a little. " I do hope you know that you'd be able to ask me. I don't think I'd mind bending the rules for you." She flicked her ears. "But don't let that get out, if you can help it. I can only handle one handsome loner at a time." She waved her tail. "Um, anyway, I'm glad you're alright. I hope they continue to heal, but at a pace that you are more comfortable with."

"And I won't attack you, ever, either." She added. "We're friends. And my code specifically says that if it can be avoided, that you needn't attack friends. Not that I would anyway, even if my code said we had to." At the change of topic, she flicked her ears. "Um, well... I can't really speak on to what will happen to Foxkit. But I'll keep an eye out for her." If she survives. Lostpath thought grimly.

"If... If it's okay to ask... What made you hate the Clans so much?" She asked softly. "It's okay, if you don't want to talk about it to a Clan cat." She lowered her ears a little. "Honestly I'm just happy we can call each other friends still." She sat down and curled her tail in close around her paws.

Split

Split couldn't suppress the low purr that rumbled in his chest. He had never stopped to consider the benefits of having a cat on his side in a clan. Thinking back, he found that he couldn't remember a single time where a cat had offered him any help like Lostpath was offering now. She would risk trouble with her clan mates to help him. With almost a smile, he blinked his thanks to her.

It was nice to know that he would never have to choose between hurting Lostpath or fleeing a battle. Especially right now with his current vow of vengance against her clan as well as LighteningClan, Split knew that his days of scuffling with both clans weren't over. The thought that Lostpath would not turn against him in a fight with her clan gave Split a warm feeling that the grumpy tom was not familiar with.

He lowered his head at her question. Usually he was very guarded with what he reveled to clan cats but Lostpath was different. Split decided to risk opening up a bit to her. "Clan cat's are always mean." Hoping that she would understand he thought of her differently than the rest of her clan he lowered himself into the snow, wrapping his tail around him as he continued.
"I was barely of an apprentices age when I found myself in a deep wide cove in the mountains with clan boarders all around me." His eyes were cloudy as he gazed at a fixed point, seeing into his past. "I was young, tired, weak, and starving. My choices were turn back and go the way I came, which I knew had no prey or good shelter, or I could try to sneak through one of the clan territories."

For a few long moments he was quiet as he sat without moving with his eyes closed. As he broke his silence, he looked to Lostpath with a deep sadness in his mismatched eyes. "I chose to cross into the clan territory. It did not end well. Every clan I have interacted with has always treated me the same. If I come up to the boarder for whatever reason, I am turned away or attacked." He held her gaze for a minute as his expression hardened. "It has always been everyone else who hates me so much."

Lostpath

Lostpath’s heart broke for her friend. A film of silver washed over her eye as tears filled it and her head lowered. Was he talking about RockClan or LightningClan? Though beyond their interaction, did he hate RiverClan that much too?

“I had no idea.” She had speculated occasionally, but she never would have thought of something that horrible could be a possibility. “I-I’m sorry.” She stared at him. “I don’t blame you for hating us, as a result.” She wondered for a moment how Foxkit would grow up. Maybe they brought her into the Clan at such a young age, that the orange kitten could be spared from the hatred that Split felt. She hoped so with all her being that that would be the case.

She took a deep breath and then moved across the border to settle down beside Split. She gently laid her tail tip against his flank.
“Well, I do not hate you. And I will never turn you away if you need me.” She glanced away, fur ruffled with embarrassment. “N-Not that you would. I know that you are more than capable of handling yourself. Just... just in case, though. We’re friends, after all.”

Split

"I do not hate you." Split said as he slowly blinked at the clan warrior next to him. The warm feeling returned as Lostpath went on about them being friends. He was happy she accepted him as a friend even if he didn't want to admit it out loud.

"If that's the case, then I will not turn you away if you need me." He sighed as he thought about his vow against his friends clan. "I can not offer you anything for healing as you have done for me, but I can offer prey and protection for you when you leave your territory."

Lostpath

Lostpath’s fur brushed against Split’s and she nodded.
“Thank you, Split. That gives me great assurance. I’m much relieved that we are friends.”

For a brief moment, she lay her head on her paws as she considered what she would ever do outside her own territory. “I’m obligated to stay within the borders of RiverClan, or at the very least we aren’t meant to cross over to LightningClan unless there is a prey shortage, but... I wonder if one of these moons I might be able to see what it’s like to live as you do. Though preferably when it’s not so cold.” She added with a shiver and leaned closer to him.

“I will look after Foxkit where I can. If we meet again, I will be sure to let you know of her continued fate. If you’d like that is.” She paused and then settled more firmly where she lay. “Is it selfish to ask that we may sit like this for a little while longer? I could use the comfort of a friend, if you are not opposed to it.”

Split

For a brief moment Split narrowed his eyes suspiciously as Lostpath settled closer to him. Though they had just declared their friendship and terms of said friendship, Split still couldn't help being wary of the closeness of the she-cat. He believed that Lostpath wouldn't attack him but he couldn't help but wonder what she would do if she was found like this by her clan. Her clan who attacked him when he crossed their boarder to retrieve a lost loner kit. Her clan who he had said some pretty nasty things to.

Blue and gold eyes scanned the she-cat with a hint of amusement. Split wondered if Lostpath would look embarrassed when asked about her affiliation with the loner or if she would get defensive. Maybe one day he would find out. For now, however, it was probably best that he leave her clan alone.

"Closer to new-leaf." Split agreed. "You can come hunt with me and tell me all about Foxkit." He suppressed rolling his eyes at calling the kit by her clan name and settled down fully next to Lostpath. A low purr rumbled in his chest as he closed his eyes and enjoyed the silent company of his best friend.