shock me like an electric eel! (open)

[green ! [old ghost]]

At this point, there were two ways this expedition could go. Merlin could gather up some courage and march into the clan's territory, all the way to their base; or he could hover around the border and wait for a cat to catch his scent. The latter would require patience- something he was a little short on at the moment- while the former meant risking his tail. Not that he really minded. If it meant getting his questions answered, Merlin would be pleased as pie to barge into the clan and demand some answers.

Then again, he was small and alone, while the clan cats were large and numerous.

The small tom breathed in a sigh of sharp, pine scented air. From what he could recall, this particular clan was PineClan. Appropriate enough, given the numerous pine trees that scattered the marshy ground. Of all the clans, he knew the least of this one. There just wasn't enough detail to come to conclusions about. MeadowClan was open aired and spacious- Merlin could assume they were lithe, agile cats. They were also far more defensive about their leader, which led the tom to believe that something had happened to a majority of them before. Something harsh. StreamClan were swimmers, that was obvious. And their leader didn't hold himself as the others did. So he was foreign. FogClan had been smelling tense and fearful lately. So they held a secret, one he was sure to find out sooner or later. But all he knew about PineClan was they lived around pine trees.

They probably had sharp noses because of it.

So, without further thought, Merlin stepped over the invisible border. He took a few minutes to get used to the muddy ground beneath his paws. Maybe these cats were webbed pawed, the loner thought with a snort.

[Slug]

Roll out the red carpet,
And get out of the way.

Snowflower's raised his head, his pink nostrils flaring as he sniffed at the gentle breeze, his amber eyes narrowed in concentration. What was that smell? It was different, but not unpleasant. However, it did not belong to any animal he had ever hunted, nor any Clanner he had met. What was it? It was a delicate scent, but not faint. Oh, no. Most certainly not faint. It was delicate in a fashion that it didn't hurt his nose to smell it, unlike the pine forest around him.

Now he had to investigate, if only to settle his growing curiosity.

He creeped across melting snow and fallen pine needles, following the scent with silent, swift paws, while doing his best to ignore the cold air that was biting at him through his cream and white pelt. Snowflower was on a mission, now. There was no stopping him from seeking out that strange, though nice scent. In fact, he felt a little compelled to find it, because he had never smelled something quite like it before.

What he found was not exactly what he had been expecting.

"You-- you there!" Snowflower snapped, ears swiveling back and his lips curling to show fangs. "You have no business here in PineClan! Leave now or forever hold your pieces!" He was more bark than he was bite, truth be told.

But as far as Snowflower knew, the other tom didn't know that.

Because Snowflower's in the camp,
And he's planning to stay~

[green ! [old ghost]]

That didn't take very long. Merlin was prepared to go all the way to camp, yet here was a cat right in front of him. PineClan, of course, because not only was he protecting the territory, but he smelled of the sharp pine trees that Merlin had just finished cataloging. Ah well, this had to be beneficial in some way. Dealing with one cat instead of a clan would save his tail. And it would be easier to manipulate this frilly tom instead of the leader, who would probably be trained against soft interrogation.

Merlin turned his full attention to his challenger, recording and analyzing each bit he could pull off the white tom. First, his fur. Such a pure color, yet it was completely clean. The tom had good hygiene- that was unexpected. Merlin always thought warriorhood came before hygiene. So maybe... this was a conceited cat who was obsessed with appearance? Very likely. Two, the tom was quick to react. Quick, good reflexes, jumpy- maybe not supposed to be out here. Or was looking for something else? Wait... of course he was looking for something else. It would be madness to say he was looking for Merlin. Three: the cat was putting on far to much of a show. Would he really attack? Shouldn't warriors ask questions before threatening? Perhaps it was a male dominance thing...

Plan of attack was easy enough, then. Show submission, act younger- confused, lost, dazed. Naive. It would do.

“G-gosh! Sorry! I didn't know what- who?- no what? Yeah, what this place was- PineClan? I uh... don't have pieces, I'm sorry sir, I'm whole- Oh! Y-you mean to... Oh... Uh.” Maybe a little too much, but at least he hadn't moved. Not yet, at least. “Yeah, I-I'll go now. S-sorry.” Soft steps, just a few backwards. Wait for response. Engage in conversation.

[Slug]

“G-gosh! Sorry! I didn't know what- who?- no what? Yeah, what this place was- PineClan? I uh... don't have pieces, I'm sorry sir, I'm whole- Oh! Y-you mean to... Oh... Uh.”

Well, this would be easier than he thought. Clearly the tom feared him, so it would be simple enough to chase him out. Really, really simple.

“Yeah, I-I'll go now. S-sorry.”

Snowflower eyed the other tom as he took a few steps backward, then glared. "Well, what are you waiting for? A new moon? Get going!" He hissed, fur fluffing out as he took a menacing step toward the other.

"Or so help me you won't live to see another new moon, by the stars!"

[green ! [old ghost]]

Oh. Fantastic. A stubborn one. Just another unpleasant attribute to add to his analysis of this stranger. Merlin, being a stubborn cat himself, hated to deal with another stubborn cat. Butting heads got no one anywhere. And working around another cat's stubbornness took time and patience, which, again, he was running low on. Was it that hard just to gain some information about this clan so he wouldn't feel so stupid? He knew enough about the others, but PineClan was so empty! And surely he couldn't make assumptions off this one cat. Not only would that come up with uneven results, but Merlin was pretty sure this tom in particular was... unique.

And there was the good part of being stubborn. He wouldn't give up.

"Sorry.... yeah, no, waiting for a new moon would be stupid... y'know. It'd take a lot of time, c-cause y'know, the new moon just happened a few nights back... heh." He paused, taking a brief moment to compose himself. "O-or maybe it's not long to you... I mean you clan cats like your starry gods, r-right? So waiting a moon for a special night wouldn't be... y'know hard. You'd look forward to it- I should stop talking." Even if the tom didn't mean good on his threats, Merlin didn't want to risk it.

[Slug]

"Sorry.... yeah, no, waiting for a new moon would be stupid... y'know. It'd take a lot of time, c-cause y'know, the new moon just happened a few nights back... heh."

Snowflower was beginning to wonder if this tom had something wrong with him. By the stars, he just wouldn't stop talking! He was afraid, right? He had to be afraid--he should have been running away by now! Was he insane? Snowflower was a warrior-- a monstrous, kit-eating, beast!

"O-or maybe it's not long to you... I mean you clan cats like your starry gods, r-right? So waiting a moon for a special night wouldn't be... y'know hard. You'd look forward to it- I should stop talking."

An insult! This cat had the gal to insult not only Snowflower, but PineClan! Starry gods, his furry hide! What nonsense-- what nerve. How-- why-- it was madness! Absolute madness-- stark-raving madness!

"How dare you," Snowflower gritted, his amber eyes flashing. "PineClan does not bow to such silly kit tales! StarClan-- pah! Those who believe in dead cats are fools-- fools, I say! Fools!" He spat, hackles rising.

"You have nerve, No-Clanner, to say such things." Snowflower closed his eyes, and then took a deep breath. Calm. Calm. Calm. "However, I will let it slide. This time." He opened his eyes and gave the No-Clanner a cold look. "I will not report this... trespassing to my Leader, because you seem.. to not be in your right mind." Snowflower said slowly-- almost cautiously.

"But do not do this again. Ever." Snowflower grimaced suddenly, and added "I have clanmates who wouldn't think twice about ripping your throat out if they were in my paws."

Like Bluefur. No, especially Bluefur. Knowing him, Snowflower wouldn't be surprised if that... that fuzzy, blue cannibal did worse than ripping the No-Clanner's throat out.

With a sigh, Snowflower said "Go home, No-Clanner. To wherever you belong, go home. This is no place for you."

[green ! [old ghost]]

Now that was a response. Full of lovely little things that connected the pieces one by one. Perhaps finishing the PineClan puzzle would be easier than he thought. Especially if the cats were going to be as easy as this dramatic fool. Didn't his mother ever teach him manners? Keeping yourself in check- regardless of the scenario- could prevent... future causalities. Not that Merlin was going to kill some cat- gosh no. Casualities was meant in a purely metaphorical way here. After all, just the slightest slip of the tongue could lead to ones downfall. Hypothetically speaking, if Merlin got himself captured by some other clan, he wouldn't hesitate to use any information he ever gathered to get him out of a sticky situation. Like the whispers of discontent he was hearing from MeadowClan, or the odd scent patterns coming out of FogClan.

But not now. Right now Merlin was quiet, keeping up his naïve front as he listened to the clan cat snap at him and advise him all at once. How peculiar, Merlin mused, that a cat would. This cat must not be so used to people listening to his advice if he had to make a big deal about it. Then again, considering how dramatic the tom had been so far, Merlin could have assumed that.

He digressed. The point of this was the root of the matter. The tom was offend by the mention of the starry cats! Fascinating, Merlin was convinced all of the cats here believed in “StarClan”. And it wasn't just this one tom, either! All of PineClan were non-believers. How that felt, Merlin mused, must have been extraordinary. Being the only atheistic clan in a forest full of them. So many questions now! And to get them all from this one, particularly noisy, tom? Merlin was in for a rough time.

“Y-You don't believe?” He exclaimed, changing from scared to curious naturally. Looking curious was far more easier, and this time it was natural. “I thought... Don't all clans believe? You guys have... A code thing-y from your gods... Right? I-I mean I guess not, 'cause you don't believe... Do none of you really? That's pretty cool...! You gotta be pretty brave to do that, I think...” Flattery, that would work. “Being non-believers must be tough... You're probably all so strong...” And that was a enough, too much would be bad.

And now, the pièce de résistance. He'd put a final spin on his act. Just to ensure... Pity. "I can't... Go home," he muttered slowly. "Not when there is no home."