[cult] THIS IS HOME.

[tymid]

The young, chocolate pelted female had been tentatively exploring the land outside of the Orchards. The Hoppers she had so loved had gradually disappated, leaving her to a variety of different smells, sights, and places. She had encountered many new faces, as well, though she found herself hesitant to greet them in lands where the grass wasn't so forgiving as that of the Orchard. She had discovered the hard way that there were places where she was the intruder; they were called territories. She had learned how to scent the trees and the ground for others, and if there were others...she stayed away. It was a simple lesson. Finding places to sleep and things to eat were difficult, but finding a place to get a cool drink of water were even harder to find. Mostly, all she found were stagnant pools of rain-water that should have long since dried up. The water in those puddles were foul and bitter, and often made her stomach ache. She was now following the scent of fresh water, a scent she had been tracking for a few days. Each day, she was reassured as the scent got stronger, and the grass and leaves got greener, and more lush. She began to regain a slight spring to her step, some of her energy restored by the prospect of a cool fresh drink. However, the closer she got to the wonderous smell of water, a newer, more formidable scent began to crawl into her nostrils. Others. Canine and Feline scent both became evident on the winds, and despite the warning in the back of her mind, the instinctual urge to drink was far more present in her brain, and so, she kept onwards. Despite the fear of ambush or attack, she pressed onward. Her nose was beginning to dry. It was late in the evening when she finally heard their voices. Her heart fluttered as she heard the vast amount of mewlings and yippings inside. To her surprise, all of the voices, or many of them, at least, seemed to be female. Her pinnae swivelled forward, erect and alert for any sound of danger, and she held herself low to the ground, creeping nearer for a chance to see this curious group. As she neared, the smell of female was evident, and for a moment, her hopes lifted. Perhaps...perhaps they would be kind to her plight, and allow her just one, long drink? Whisper finally crept to the outreach of where she knew they were. Her young mind had not yet considered the threat of her scent being on the wind, and she thought that her spot behind the bush would render her invisible, at least until she could see if the threat she was about to take would be worth her life. Indeed, there was a good number of canines and felines both inside the area; one feline looked particularly intimidating. She was talking to a canine, and Whisper could distinctly tell from the way his frame was built that he was a male. She pondered to herself if he was in some sort of trouble. She inhaled deeply; the smell of fresh water was near. Could she really take the momentous step into this den of lions and wolves? They could kill her. Little did she know...the wind had shifted. tagged, The Cult words, 570 notes, Ruh-roh. xD

[ironic]

Sitting and listening to this conversation was confusing and upsetting. Ognina had never wanted to control girls, and he didn't think of himself as bigger or stronger. Something seemed wrong with their reasoning, and a low whine under his breathe was given in response. Even so, he wouldn't argue with his leader. She knew more than him. He was a newborn. His gender was bad. Ognian refused to be bad though. Tail stopped wagging and head would tilt slightly to the side as he heard the ladies talk. It wasn't his place to intervene. Instead, he'd just stand there and be observed like a lab rat placed on a new medicine. Fresh meat for the slaughter. The boy didn't mind. Too much innocence flowed in his veins for him to notice the flawed judgement of his leader, or the wrongs in which their stereotype brought.

His head would turn towards Apani at the sound of his voice, and tongue would droop from his mouth as he panted slightly, trotting towards her and wagging his tail in response to the tone of her voice and the smile. He couldn't help but be pleased by it. The boy responded far better to positive sounds than negative ones, and was easily trained in such a way. Scolding just resulted in him being upset, yet a smile, a friend voice, and some words could easily convince him to do almost anything.

At the question, he stopped and considered his time in the Cult. It had been short, but it was better than the kloneliness that surrounded him in the outside world. The world was large, but Oggie just wasn't one for loneliness. It truly bothered him. Having a large world all to himself was not quite desirable in his mind. Head would tilt to the side and he'd think of how to word it.

"I love being in cult. It's nice. The members are nice, and it's better than being alone. I don't like being alone." The last sentence would be said in an almost scared way. The boy was still basically a newborn, and depended on others, for at the very least, mental stability. The boy was far too dependant to be alone for too long.

His tail would continue wagging behind him, and he'd stay there until dismissed. The head ladies were to be obeyed, and in his mind, it would be disrespectful to leave without being told to do so. It was just cruel. Oggie would not be disrespectful to the lady. He would not be purposefully disrespectful to anyone in truth. Child-like male didn't want to be hated or disliked. In all of reality, he rather insisted on being liked and would do almost anything to be appreciated by those around him.

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PUPPET, ognian
TAGGED, cult members
WORDS, four hundred, eighty nine
MUSE, five out of ten
COMMENTS, nope

[Deleted]

Nerah lay down on her stomach and curled her tail around her left side, but she kept her head lifted to show she was still alert and paying attention. She kept quiet for now, waiting to see what would happen and hoping things weren't quite as...well...iffy as they sounded. Surely there was a good reason for all this male hate, but her own experiences contradicted what she was hearing. yamir and Antares were her equals, and even the male in their presence seemed to be nice. They couldn't all just be exceptions to the rule, could they? But then... Knowing three males didn't necessarily mean she knew how the gender as a whole worked. Why would the two leaders go through this much effort for something they simply assumed or made up?

A new scent traveled her way, and she turned to see a new face. She smiled at the unfamiliar creature. "Hello!"

[Hazelstar]

Kayalee padded through some thick trees, and then paused when she spotted an unfamiliar thing out of the corner of one of her eyes. She padded towards it and poked it with her delicate silver paw. Her paw sunk into. SUNK. INTO. IT. She leaped back in surprise. What is this strange thing? A scaly creature skidded underneath the glassy surface. Fish. Water. River. All the words came to her in an instant. She stuck her tongue into the water and lapped, it tasted great and was very hydrating. She sniffed at the air, her eyes widened and she retreated into the trees. She smelled many other creatures here. She sunk her claws into the bark of a tall tree, of which she didn’t know the name, and scrambled up to a relatively low branch. She looked down, her blue eyes cut through the clearing. She didn’t see anyone. Yet.

[ooc: Just a visit ]

[Deleted]

((Joooiiin uuus...you know you want to. XD))

[mysteryfaith]

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[atrb=background,http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/pikachu59013/apanitablemid.png] Apani acknowledged that Ognian, the canine she had previously taken interest in, had replied - but now, there were more important matters to attend to. "That's nice," she muttered breezily to the creature, before getting up and moving away. There was something in the air - a scent. Except that would be preposterous, since word had spread in the time the Cult had been formed; now, almost every creature was aware of the fact that this was a Cult territory. Anybody who strayed here was either bravely idiotic, or idiotically brave. It was at this time that Apani spotted someone lingering in the trees; canine, she realised, but female. Any female intruder would fare better than a male one - and yet it was still not acceptable to be interrupted on a cool, warm evening such as this. She had business to attend to, and this supposed to be her night off - her one chance to relax, lying down with her Cult, rather than off doing business deals. A snarl forming on her lips, Apani straightened her back, preparing herself for a challenge or even a fight. "Stranger!" Apani yowled out; with any luck, Arya would be around, or some of the lower-ranked Cult members would come out to support her. She was independent, of course - she didn't need support, especially not with a single intruder who clearly couldn't be posing much of a threat if all she did was hide in the bushes - but it was vital to enforce the fact that this was a Cult, not one feline's sad fantasy. "Stranger on Cult property!" Eyes forward, chin up, ears twitching with irritation, Apani stopped a few metres short of the canine. She was a cocoa shade in colour, and seemed to be rather young; just out of the orchard, Apani observed, scoffing to herself. It was just her luck to get planted with a useless intruder - why couldn't she have any fun around here? Why weren't there any battles? "You'd better explain yourself, canine," Apani growled, hackles raised in a show of spite. "This is territory of the Cult - although maybe you're too young to understand that. You haven't learned much about life yet, have you?" The sand-coloured female let out a short, low laugh, her mouth barely even twitching and her eyes staying narrowed at the intruder. "Let me teach you a lesson you won't forget . . ." She was about to go on - perhaps keeping up her malicious act, perhaps giving the young canine a 'guided tour' of the Cult camp and then deciding what to do with her - when she spotted something moving in the trees. Was there someone up there, watching over them? Fury flared within her, but she couldn't let it show; keep your cool, Apani, she told herself sternly. Striding out into the centre of the clearing so that every Cult member could see her, she shot a glance up to where she'd seen the movement, and grinned. "It seems that we have someone watching over us," she announced in a loud voice, beckoning the brown canine who she had just discovered forward with her tail. "We have an overlooking presence . . . someone who is higher, more almighty, than us mere mortals . . ." Her tail lashed with anger; how dare someone sit up in the trees, spying over her Cult? "Is it a god?" she asked slowly, casting a glance towards the creatures of the Cult. "Is it a deity?" Once more, she paused for effect. "No!" The bellow soared out of her mouth and into the crisp night air, so loud it even made her skin crawl. "It is a worthless, slimy intruder!" Apani bared her teeth, her claws ripping into the ground beneath her, digging up whole chunks of earth and sand. "If you don't come down here right now, I shall come up there and tear your heart out!"

[Hazelstar]

Kayalee stiffened as the large, sandy canine rushed into her sight, which was obscured by leaves. She was alarmed when she knew she was spotted. She almost fell from the tree as the sandy canine bellowed 'No!'. She couldn't hold back a huff as the canine threatened to climb the tree after her. She poked her head out of the leaves of the tree, enough to be seen and to see. She looked down at the canine that threatened her. "By all means, try climbing this tree!" Kayalee hissed down at the canine. Her shy nature was automatically shoved into the back of her brain at the challenge from this canine. Her blue cat-eyes flashed down at the canine. How could any idiotic creature be in a group with someone as eager to kill as that retched excuse for a canine. Kayalee thought, her eyes darkened slightly. She sunk her claws into the thick bark of the tree, knowing the canine would do something to try and get her down. Her eyes flashed to a nearby tree which she could easily jump to, and another tree a slightly larger leap away. She knew to plan if escape was necessary, more then likely it would be.

[tymid]

Whisper had allowed herself a small smile at the site of the seemingly...simple...canine's response. He didn't look to be in too much trouble at all. However, her smile quickly faded into a look of fear as one of the residents, who seemed to be friendly, smiled at her and offered greeting. Whisper slowly shook her head as if to say "No...I'm not here...", but it was late. Far too late. She was soon approached by the Feline whom she had identified to be particularly intimidating; she was right. Whisper, despite her desire to run, tail tucked between her legs, or simply wet all over herself and beg for forgiveness, rose to her feet and stood firm, looking down at the sandy female with her amber eyes unwaveringly calm. This was rare for the female, due to her high-energy. This sense of calm had only showed itself once...with a young, male feline named Orad, whom had helped her to see that she needed to leave the Orchard and find her own life. After the feline quit spitting her words, after the last of which Whisper braced for an attack, there was a welcome distraction that only seemed to add gasoline to the fire of the feline's ire. To her surprise, the feline beckoned her over with her tail, and Whisper, heart pounding within her breast, came over and stood slightly behind the leader. As Whisper's eyes darted up to the tree, and as if on cue, a single leaf fell from where the feline had directed. Whisper felt mildly sorry for the creature up in the tree. The welcome it was receiving seemed made hers seem like a party had been thrown. However, what happened next was truly surprising, especially to Whisper. Words trickled out of her mouth that any who had met the frisky, energetic canine wouldn't expect. As they fell from her muzzle, Whisper could hardly believe what she was saying, or why she said them. With her eyes still directed up to the tree, she stated: "I am young, but I know about life. My paws have touched this earth for mere days, and yet I know about life. Do not insult my intelligence simply because I have not heard speak of your organization, whatever it may be. You risk losing potential allies and comrades. I am Whisper, a canine who simply came treading this direction for the prospect of fresh water. My legs are weary, and my tongue is dry, and should you wish to send me on my way without a drink to fill my belly, then I shall go in peace, never to return. ...However, you are a creature to be respected. You command it with claw and mind, and because of that, I will not hesitate to state that you plant fear within my heart. And yet, here I stand. Will you take me as an ally to whatever cause you fight for, or will you turn me away for my youth? The sap may still linger on my fur, but my mind is just as fresh, and sharper than many claws and fangs I've seen...and felt." The last words were spoken with a shaky breath, her mind still whirring with the boldness of her statement. The energetic, spunky side of her was crying out in the depths of her mind: "Why did you do that, Whisper? WHYWHYWHY?! They'll kill you!" and yet, Whisper's expression remained calm and focused on the tree, her amber eyes unblinking. Whisper winced slightly with the stinging challenge of the creature in the tree. A soft sigh escaped her nostrils, and a little of her...normal, personality began to show itself. "Not the friendliest feline." she murmured, squinting to see if she could see the offending feli-...ah, there it was. It looked rather puffy and angry, and more-likely than not was going to bolt if any attempt was made to go after it. "The offending feline will most likely run." she murmured to the sandy-feline in front of her. "If any units are available that are swift enough for a capture, I would opt for that. Otherwise, it will escape, and you will remember its scent." She paused for a moment, and dipped her head. "If...I may be allowed to speak freely." ~*~*~*~ tagged, The Cult words, 670 notes, Ohdear.

[Deleted]

Nerah watched the interactions between her leader and the newcomers, and anyone who looked at her would be able to clearly see that she was horrified and a little frightened. The concept of defending a territory and keeping out outsiders was foreign to her. Why keep anyone out? It seemed so mean... But that was their leader...she'd have to back her up. But...but...but Nerah didn't want to fight anyone! All the two had done was show up. Many creatures showed up and they weren't reacted to so harshly.

Then both creatures spoke, one justifiably (to Nerah) angry, and the other peacefully. She had to respect the other canine's ability to look danger in the face and confront it bravely but without a fight. She was worried, though. What was she to do?

[mysteryfaith]

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[atrb=background,http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/pikachu59013/apanitablemid.png] The feline sucked in breath, and then, slowly, let it back out. Sucked in breath, let it out. Sucked in breath, let it out. Finally, her senses came back to her - her vision was not blurred any longer with red, and her claws did not tear furiously into the ground beneath her. Though fury still bubbled deep in her belly, she could contain it, for the sake of showing her many colour - for the sake of showing these insufferable oafs exactly what they were worth to this world. Taking one step forward, Apani let a smile stretch across her feline maw. At first, her laughter began as a tiny giggle, slipping out of her mouth so subtly that only those closest to her would be able to hear it. Gradually, it grew and grew, until it was echoing around the clearing like a witch's cackle. It was shrill and loud, and hurt her own ears as she let it escape from her mouth. Finally, when she let it die down, and let her Cult drop back into uneasy silence, she allowed simply her small smile to remain on her lips. Both of these insolent creatures had proved themselves to be . . . undesirable. However, at least the female canine to her right appeared to be brave enough to show herself to Apani; the other one cowered in the trees like a lonely squirrel. "This situation is rather funny, I find," the feline murmured in little more than a whisper; it was only just loud enough to reach where the canine in the trees was hiding. "You are just so . . . funny." One, two, three . . . swift and without hesitation, Apani carried out the plan she had been planning mentally since she first spotted the intruder in the trees. The rhythm of her paws beating hard against the ground was music to her ears, and as she propelled herself towards the trunk of the tree where the smug intruder was sitting, she felt a rush of adrenalin throughout her. This was a surprise attack - too swift for the feline in the trees to expect it, let alone run from it, she hoped. Now, her claws were connecting with bark, and she pushed herself up the tree, using the notches in its trunk as clawholds. All of this had happened in a space of a few seconds - and now, as she launched herself on to the branch where the intruder was sitting, she could feel her blood boiling. This is it, she told herself mentally, grinning maniacally at the feline. She had a quick glance around her; a few branches lingered nearby, close enough for the intruder to jump on to them and escape, but she wasn't worried about escape. This stranger seemed too proud to leave a good fight without at least proving herself. "Go on then," she encouraged, indicating with her tail towards the closest branch, not breaking eye contact with the intruder. "Run. Leave this place. Flee. Prove yourself to be a coward." Her tone was icy, acidic, mad; and who was to say she was sane? She had been crazy enough to start up this Cult; she had been crazy enough to propel herself up this tree and challenge this intruder a good ten, fifteen feet off the ground. If either of them fell, it could prove fatal, but she wasn't scared - she had skills, and she had wits, and she had a mind built for criminality. Anything she wanted to do, whether it was honourable or not, was in her grasp - to kill or maim, to give this stranger a slight push so she wobbled and fell, down down down to her demise. Sharper than the night's crisp air, the feline let out a shriek: "What are you waiting for?" Her eyes were wide, her grin fixed. "Run. Escape. Don't stand here and fight me; run away, and prove yourself to be the coward that you are." Her smile faded; taking one, two, three steps towards the intruder, she lowered her head close to the feline's ear, and whispered: "You keep your health, or you keep your pride. It's your choice." She retreated slowly, carefully; she was calculating her next move, and somehow, she had a gut feeling that the feline before her wouldn't run. Too much of her pride was on the line - if Apani was in the same situation, she would stand her ground and fight.

[Hazelstar]

Kayalee watched, surprised as the canine propelled herself up the tree. Kayalee's claws dug farther into the tree as it shook from the weight of the canine. She hopped to a branch on the other tree, and sat there staring at the sandy canine. As time passed, Kayalee's anger eased slowly out of her. Her claws sunk into the bark of the new branch she was sitting on. The only reason she had moved is because both of them on that branch would cause it to snap, and they would have both fallen. "I admire your courage to climb that tree." Kayalee meowed flatly, then added. "I will neither fight, nor flee." She continued eyeing the sandy canine. "I wish to keep my honor, and I wish to keep the code I live by. I will never strike first." She meowed, standing up straight, her tail held high. Her eyes began to loose the fire that had begun in them, but her shyness didn't make an appearance. "I don't care if you find me a coward by my words, because striking second is not the act of a coward. It is the act of someone who desires keeping battles in words, not in claws and teeth." It seemed to Kayalee that messages were sent better with words, not tooth and claw. She didn't mind that this would account in her getting clawed by the over reactive canine. The fire in her eyes was completely drained, she held her head high, waiting for the blow the would undoubtedly come.

[mysteryfaith]

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[atrb=background,http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/pikachu59013/apanitablemid.png] This feline intruder seemed to be a brave one - and though Apani had a deep desire to launch herself over to the branch that the stranger was now sat on, she held herself back. Bravery could be valuable to the Cult, and this feline had shown that she had it. This didn't stop Apani's fury from baying for the feline's blood - on the contrary, discovering this intruder could be more than worthless was a bitter disappointment to her - but somehow, she found the ability to control her claws at the right moment. Slowly and painfully sheathing them, she forced a tiny smile on to her maw, and let out a small, controlled sigh. "You do make this hard upon yourself," she commented in a small voice, keeping her emotions under control: if she couldn't do that, she would be raging around the clearing right now, cursing and attacking this stranger. "You could simply let your fury out . . . you could attack me, or you could run away. It would be simple, and it doesn't require much thought; you could have chosen one, and played by my code." The urge to fight was rearing its competitive head within her again, but she swiftly patted it down. "However, I will give you this single exception. Normally, I would flay trespassers like you without a second thought . . . in fact, I could still do that, so you'd better watch out." She paused to flash the feline a small smile; she was only half-joking. "You have proven to be annoying, moronic, and wasteful of my time," Apani informed the female, feeling a snarl rising to her lips again, "but you could be useful to the Cult. So for that reason, I am offering you the chance to be a part of this group. Should you accept this offer, then you are welcome to leave this . . . hiding place you have here, and join us in the clearing. However, should you decline it . . ." She unsheathed her claws. "Then I will not hold back." The feline didn't wait for an answer; whatever this stranger thought, she could shout it down to Apani, rather than making the Cult co-leader wait for her. The feline swiftly leaped from her branch, clinging on to the tree trunk and slowly making her way down it, using her claws for maximum safety. As soon as she was back down on the ground, she approached the canine she'd left earlier - the insolent one, who had challenged her authority with her long-winded comeback. "You," she snarled, heading towards the female canine with narrowed eyes. It didn't take her long to cross the clearing and reach where the canine was stood. "How dare you challenge me? No speech can affect the way I will treat intruders - you were trespassing on Cult land, and for that reason, I could treat you however I liked. That being said . . ." Perhaps the feline was in a merciful mood tonight. "You do show potential. You had the strength to challenge me. Me!" She laughed, as if even the idea of the act was preposterous. "My invitation to the Cult is extended to you, canine." She had no time for answers; if the creatures she had spoken to wished to join, then they simply had to come and find her, to let her know. If they didn't - well, she would emerge from the cave, where she was now headed, and chase them off if they didn't leave quickly. Settling down in the shallow cave, where she could stay warm and still have a clear view of the creatures gathered in the clearing, Apani rested her head on her paws and shut her eyes, just for a moment. It wasn't that she was desperate for members - but the more support the Cult had, the stronger it would be. She didn't want to host an army of five or six for her entire co-leadership of this community; no, she wanted a proper army, one that fought with teeth bared and claws unsheathed. Males were undesirable, but they would do if she needed cleaners; she had proved her authority, asserted her leadership, and as far as she could tell, no other male in the surrounding territory had done anything similar. Together with Arya, they would rule this clearing, this territory, this entire world without a single paw of help from a male.

[tymid]

Whisper carefully watched the discourse in the tree, and she was rather...shocked, by the outcome. She had fully expected to witness a fight; perhaps this feline leader was all bark, and no bite. She felt her muscles relax, even as the angry-looking feline made her way over to where she stood. She proceeded to tell Whisper that she had challenged her, and such and so-forth, and Whisper found thoughts stirring in her mind about how insecure she must be. To take a calm speech from anyone, stranger or not, and turn it into a threat seemed proposterous, at least to Whispers eyes. As she opened her mouth to object, she found that instead of being swatted at or reprimanded more for things she hadn't intended to do, she was instead being invited to join the group. Whisper had half-a-mind to scoff, but the logical part of her mind told her to stop, and think. Fortunately, she had the opportunity to do so, since the feline had walked off, without even waiting for a response. This confused Whisper. Were she in the same position, she would have waited until loyalty was sworn or until the intruders were driven off, not simply walked away. But this was not her place to give advice; apparently, that was construed as a "challenge". Whisper stood there, her amber eyes darting to the various members of the...Cult. Her mind whirred, what should she do? It was true, her first impressions of the leader were not high, but this could be a chance for her. A chance to prove that she was better for more than just chasing Hoppers (though she would not stop doing so by any stretch of the imagination). She could be safe here, surrounded by creatures she knew, and not have to travel from place to place simply to survive. With a decision made, Whisper slowly turned to go to the area in which the feline had ventured. She saw the sandy-cat, who had been so riled up a moment ago, now relaxing with her eyes shut. She decided to make this conversation short, and sweet. After all...if she was to go places in The Cult, it would be nice to have approval from the Leader. "Pardon the interruption. Let me first make it clear that I had no intention to challenge you. You command my respect, and I ask you to forgive a young canines tresspasses. Secondly, I accept your offer. I will do all that I can to ensure that the cause of the Cult is met, and won." she stated calmly, before turning around to leave. She paused, turning her head so that one amber eye was on the Leader. "You will not regret this decision." tagged, The Cult/Apani words, 470 notes, YAY SHE LIVED.

[Hazelstar]

Kayalee pondered for a moment. Then sniffed the air, a surprised expression played on her face. She smelled Arya. The canine she had encountered very early in life in the Orchard. She pondered for a moment, weighing the positives and negatives of this Cult. Even the word sounded evil to her. Cult. She already knew Arya, she didn't seem like one who fought often. This other leader, the sandy feline, seemed to be much to rash and hot-headed for Kayalee to trust. If the code of the Cult was kill first, ask questions later Kayalee couldn't join it. It was against her nature, and a cruel way to stand as someone who fought. She did like the idea of a family, but it seemed from looking at the clearing males were treated worse then females. It sickened Kayalee that anyone would think of joining a group with a lust for power over a desire for family. She felt this wasn't a Cult, it was more like a group of low creatures that only wanted to kill those who were against them. She silently padded across the branch and leaped to one below her, then another one below that one. She stood on the edge of the clearing. She knew what she was about to do would end in most likely a cruel beating, but she had to set the record straight that she would have nothing to do with this Cult. Ever. "I regret," Kayalee meowed toning her voice so regret sounded slightly sarcastic. "To inform you that I cannot join this... Cult." Kayalee stood perfectly still, awaiting a thrashing. "Do what you may to me, but remember this." She meowed in a slightly icy tone. "Every scratch, every tooth mark you lay on me will just show how weak you are to thrash at someone who causes no harm." She continued, her voice low in pitch. She closed her eyes and stood as still as a statue, the only thing she could hear was the constant beating of her heart. She was unafraid of this Cult, no matter what happened to her. She was determined to keep her cool.

((360 words, a new record for me!))

[mysteryfaith]

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[atrb=background,http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/pikachu59013/apanitablemid.png] Apani found her temper being tested beyond her control; before, she could just about keep herself steady, but now, the tell-tale signs of anger were rising within her. Her vision was streaked with red and white, blood pumping fast in her veins; with this fool stood before her, this crazy, cocky sprout of a feline, she had no choice but to lose control. It took her a second to make a plan, and a second more to put it into action: rising from her place, she swiftly darted towards the stranger who had refused her offer, and bowled her over; the stranger had made it particularly easy for her to do this by standing stock-still, apparently facing up to her mistakes. And this was a mistake, oh, how big a mistake it was - the intruder would grow to regret this mistake, and would learn the error of her ways. Pinning her down to the ground, Apani let her head lie close to the stranger's. "I didn't catch your name - sorry," she whispered in a sickly-sweet tone. "But I can tell that you're not from around here. Anyone who was from around here would be able to tell you that you are wrong." She smirked; her claws were flexing as they pinned the feline down, preparing for a flurry of attacks. She was ready for the intruder to fight back, although she doubted that very much; from the way she spoke, she would stick with her pacifism, and stand through the pain. "This is your fault," she reminded her in a level tone, although her heart was beating faster and faster. "This is your fault for being wrong - because I am strong, and you are weak. Until you learn that, then you are no hero, no matter how much you try to be." Lifting one paw from pinning the feline down, she slashed it quickly across the stranger's face. She didn't care what damage she'd done - whether she'd left a scratch, or whether she'd completely torn the female's eye - but she hoped there would be blood involved. She could go on, or she could stop - no, she has to learn that she is prey, and I am the hunter. She has to learn that there are no heroes, and if there were, she wouldn't be one. A few more attacks - ferociously battering her belly with her hindlegs, digging her teeth into the stranger's shoulder - and she was satisfied with her performance. She was a strong fighter; she had known that ever since she broke free from her pod, and took her first steps. She had felt a fire within her, and today, this insolent stranger had been burnt. There was little more to do now; the attack was over, and though Apani was barely panting, she was done for the moment. "My name's Apani," she murmured into her victim's ear, "and I don't stand for intruders." She stood, shook herself off, and took a deep breath. "Now get out of my territory - or do I have to remind you of how much I hate trespassers?" Arya wouldn't like what she'd done - she seemed to be the more level-headed of the pair of them. Arya was the bark, and Apani was the bite - but she didn't mind that. So long as they could rule in harmony, they were a good pair; besides, all Apani had done was ward off trespassers. She had given the feline enough warning, and when the female hadn't left, well, what was Apani to do? Ignore her? No. She had to rule with a firm paw, and she had done just that when she left her victim battered and bruised on the clearing floor. Without another word, Apani slunk back into the cave, and lay her head down once more. She sincerely hoped, for the intruder's sake, that she ran away now, and didn't come back; to stay here would be to throw herself on to the fire, to practically commit suicide. "Run away now," she muttered quietly, shutting her eyes and not caring if the intruder heard her or not. "Run away now, and save yourself before I have to stain my claws with more of your blood."