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There was really nothing that could possibly justify the fact that the young she-cat was once again out and about in the territory, lost in a whole world of her own mind's creation. Nothing could give a good reason to her doing this instead of the chores assigned to her by Wapatofur. There were hungry mouths to feed back at the camp and the clan needed all of its focus on making sure everyone had food in their bellies and adequate shelter from the cold leaf-bare winds.

Mind you, the young tortie was not one whom was known for keeping her paws in the ground and head out of the clouds. This was nothing out of the ordinary. The whole rules and strict lifestyle had never really sat right with Applecrisp - then again her head was filled with so many stories and worlds of her own. Ones where she had found her true love and was whisked away from all of the hardships that came from being a warrior in a clan. Not that this had ever stopped her from making sure to pull some weight. She wasn’t about to sit back and let everyone else work themselves to the bone - she was perfectly capable of bringing back food for the hard working warriors.

Then again, maybe that was something she could be doing. Something more productive.

As her mind started to wander back down to earth, where it was much less fun, she stopped in her tracks for a moment. Allowing the seeping cold of the snow beneath her paws register and cause a quick shiver to run along her spine. Right, it was painfully cold and hunting would not be nearly as easy.

However as her jaws parted to taste the air to hopefully pinpoint something living that could be brought back from her little adventure - something else caught her attention. Her golden orbs widened a tad as she noticed it was a cat, but no one who was familiar. Why did she always have to run into these strangers, she was not the best choice for handling intruders.

Flattening her ears to her head she followed the scent until the cat in question came into sight. Keeping herself close to the little sheltered brush in the moors she narrowed her eyes and put on her brave face,

“Hey! You know you’re trespassing on Galeclan territory, right?” she snapped, hoping to sound a lot more confident then she really felt.

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"Yes, I'm quite aware this territory belongs to feral cats, like you." Oh great,, it couldn’t just be some kitty pet or lost loner - this cat had come here intentionally. They had come here with the very purpose of hoping to find one of them, and poor Applecrisp was the lucky cat to have stumbled into their path. Hoping to keep up some kind of facade, she let her tail lash behind him - trying to seem very upset with having found the grey tabby trespassing in their moors.

“Are you some lost Kitty-pet? Why would you come here intentionally?” She pressed, watching as the other she-cat made herself more comfortable and sat down. Was this some kind of trick to lure her into a false sense of security? Applecrisp may not have been the best fighter, or the one with the best mind for strategy - but she wasn’t born yesterday either! She wasn’t going to let a stranger get the best of her.

Fighting off the chills that trickled along her spine as the wind blew past. Her fur was shorter than some of her clanmates and she was not built for these colder days. However she kept her honey gaze fixated on the other, trying to mentally prepare herself for however this event may turn.

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With her pathetically short coat trying to puff out to one, make herself look somewhat bigger, and two, to try and shelter herself from the chilling winds that whispered by - Applecrisp was sure she looked an absolute fool. As if this stranger was going to find anything about her intimidating, heck she couldn’t even scare off a Shoreclan cat. Let alone someone she knew nothing about. Was the she-cat some kind of fierce fighter? Was she a peaceful soul just drifting by? Perhaps a starving loner desperate for their next meal. Any of these would gravely change the situation and she really wasn’t ready for that.

No, thankfully no. A pampered life isn't a purpose I wish to chase after," welp, that ruled out kittypet. So clearly the scared lost kitty was out of the question. Not that she particularly looked scared, or lost for that matter. However her train of thought was snatched from her as the other suddenly moved, causing her to tense up in response, watching carefully as she stretched. Clearly unphased by being caught in known clan territory.

“Well if not to steal our prey why are you here? You think we’ll just share our secrets with an outsider?” she huffed. The nerve. Like they would roll over and expose their bellies cause some random cat asked for some knowledge. That would just be absurd. Giving a quick glance around the area to make sure there were no other cats accompanying her today.

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Noticing the lack of others and lack of anticipation from the loner, the she-cat decided to give herself a tiny bit of slack, her ears were still alert and eyes observing - but she allowed her body to relax slightly. She was not one to be mentally present this long, she was normally far off in her own little world, this was starting to take a mental toll on her. She was capable - but this was not something she would consider herself very good at. Let her hunt and feed cats, she wasn’t one to be the muscle, who in their right mind would find her scary?

“You realize if you’re not a Kittypet, that also makes you a wild cat. We’re Clan Cats.” she noted with a curious glance at the other. Was she unaware of their proper names, clearly she might not call herself a Loner like they would - but surely, she was aware she was also ‘wild’.

“I wouldn’t share anything with an outsider. Unless you are looking to join - you’ll have to take your business elsewhere.” she snorted. Standing taller she flexed her claws into the cold earth below her paws, “And I suggest that you take you leave before a patrol comes and make sure you are gone.” she warned. She wasn’t the brightest in the clan, but she wasn’t foolish enough to give away any information that might come back and bite them some day.

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It really wasn’t fair that this completely random cat was fighting back with actual logic. Shoot, it would’ve been easier if she hadn’t been aware of how some of these things worked out. This was something a smooth talker or heavy hitter should’ve been handling - not her. Geez Starclan sure had it out for her these days.

“Well I can’t just let you wander around doing nothing. Even if I leave you be - a patrol will eventually find you and run you out.” she noted, mostly talking aloud for her own comfort. “I am also sure there are some warriors who won’t be nearly as talkative - they will bite first and ask questions later.” she warned.

Her tail started to flick carefully, not in an overly threatening manner - more in an absent minded manner. It was clear that the gears of her mind were turning as she tried to figure and plan out what to do next. She was in no way a fighter, she could hold her own and survive - but her skills were hunting. She just didn’t have the heart to harm another - not unless it was for survival.

Looking the other she-cat over she tilted her head carefully as she continued to mull the options. It might not be the best course of action, and there was always a chance Basilstar would claw her ears, but maybe Wapatofur would back her up? What was the harm in trying, worst case she was denied, or lectured - best case they could have a good warrior, and this she-cat could learn all the things that her mind desired.

“If you are serious, I can show you the camp and you can speak with Basilstar - the rest would be up to the two of you. There could be room in the clan, but we aren’t providing shelter and prey for free.” she mulled, wondering how the other would react to this very idea.

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Applecrisp listened intently as the other she-cat refuted and defended herself. She had to admit she was a tad envious to how she could just stand her ground without having to constantly second guess herself. That was an air of confidence that she admired in so many of her other clanmates. How they could all just blindly follow the code and keep their mind on the task at hand. How they could put their paws down and hold true to whatever it was they were standing behind. And then there was her. So often finding herself lost in thought and over thinking and second guessing herself, was this really -

With a shake of her head, Applecrisp forced herself to reground herself at the matter in front of her. She had just welcomed a complete stranger into the heart of their clan without really thinking about the consequences. Really she was just trying to find a safe way out of the situation in which she had stumbled upon. Well she already made it this far. Was Basilstar gunna claw her ears in for this? Oh Starclan, she hoped not.

“Well it’s this way. I don’t know how the clan will react, so I wouldn’t advise any sort of hostility. If it goes south they will only run you out - unless you provoke them of course..” she muttered, letting her thoughts seep past her filter again. Granted it was true. No one in Galeclan was inheritly violent. They were proud, they wouldn’t stoop to levels as low as a rouge, but defending their Clan would be a completely different story.

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She could basically sense the excitement that was rolling off the other she-cat, though she managed to keep a very collected demeanour as she padded after her. How someone could be so excited to walk head first into any sort of potential danger was beyond her. This she-cat was out of her mind dreaming of all of this. She had all of the choices she could want, she could go and do as she pleased without having to worry about every little action somehow affecting a whole group of cats.

Applecrisp wasn’t able to share the excrement as the tip of her tail twitched quickly with nerves. Heck she was feeling enough for the both of them, but she kept on pace leading the forward. Glancing back she looked the other over quickly before her ear flicked, “my name is Applecrisp - if things go well you’ll need to have at least one friend in the clan” she mused softly before returning her gaze forward.

The smell of water was close and the small stream that would lead them to the camp was now in their travels. Not too much further now and they would find the little bit of shrubs that sheltered and kept them all safe from the harsh prairie winds. As the soft bubbling of the stream grew, the smell of Galeclan was also getting stronger by the minute. Only a matter of time before the pair was faced with reality and choices would need to be made.