right place, right time

[kestrel]

The grass was soft underneath the delicate paws of the lithe snow-splotched tabby she-cat. Her claws unsheathed and dug into the moist earth, tearing at the grass slightly with supressed excitement. The weather was perfect. It had just rained but the sun was coming out and Kessa knew that it was only a matter of time before a rainbow became visible in the sky. She loved this sort of atmospehere. Everything was damp and green and refreshed and even though you could still feel the water particles hanging in the air, droplets had stopped falling and her fur was beginning to dry out in the new sunlight. She gave it a quick shake, twisting her head back to smooh down some of the fluffier parts with her tongue and then straightened up again, kneading the earth with anticipation. The few human children that were at the park still were just leaving now. Humans interested Kessa to a certain extent - they were so different from cats but yet easily boring as well. It was a toss up, really.

But in any case, they were leaving now and soon she would have the park all to herself. Her green hues narrowed, gaze following the humans until they were gone. Stretching her legs out - forcing herself to remain calm - Kessa padded out from the bushes, giving her fur a quick shake as she did. She stretched out again, mewing contently to herself in the warm sunlight. So nice. With a little shake of her head, she darted forward, her paws sinking ever so slightly as she ran across the sand. Then it was only a matter of jumping up adeptly onto the first wooden step of the play structure, her muscles bunching before she sprang fluidly upwards. There were a few more steps which she hopped up until she reached the top platform. It was an old structure - not all new and shiny like the other structure in the park. She liked the wood better - much better. Easier to dig her claws into and so much more real.

From there Kessa glanced around at the park, annoyance rising up in her as she realized that the sides of the platform designed to stop little humans from falling off prevented her from seeing as well as she could. Narrowing her eyes, she gave a little stretched and sprange up onto the post, scrabbling slightly for a second as she got her balance. Her tail swung out behind her, waving back and forth to steady her. Her paws inched close together, claws out and digging into the wood of the post - exactly why the wood was preferrable. She kept her head low for a second, balancing herself for another second before straightening up proudly and glancing out across the park. Perfect. Beautiful view of the neighborhood from here. It was strange that she would want to get up high - she'd lived in the hills her whole life and the view from up there was astounding but you eventually got used to it. Maybe it was just nice to see a different view. A different height. There were so many different things to see in the world and so many different perspectives to see them all from. Maybe Kestrel was just trying to soak up as much of that as possible.

{{ jay stormwind

[jay]

The breeze felt great as it tore through Jay Stormwind's short brown-and-white tabby fur. He was running at high speeds, reveling in the way the soft, damp grass pressed against the pads of his tiny feet. This part of not living at home was wonderful--the running, the freedom. Unfortunately, the rain wasn't quite as much fun. Not at all. However, if it was really that bad, he would just go back to his sister and mother, April and Autumn. They would eagerly welcome him back, he knew that much.

But he had set out on a mission. He would not return until he succeeded. He was going to find his father, Wind.

April knew, but she had promised that she would not tell anyone. It was their secret. Originally they had planned this with their other siblings as well, but then they had been taken to new homes. That had effectively ended their plans. Or so the kittens thought.

When April and Jay were the only kittens left, they began to talk about finding Wind again. They desperately wanted to meet their father. He was their Hero, and he had done so many good things. Well, in their games he had done many notable deeds, but Jay, April, and all the other kittens were nothing short of positive that he was just as wonderful in real life.

It was because of this hero worship that Jay was currently not at home. April had made the decision to stay, to not look for Wind. Jay couldn't not go, he just couldn't! It didn't feel right. He still checked in with April now and again, to see how she and Autumn were. Though, now that he thought about it, he hadn't paid her a visit recently. Perhaps he should? She would like that. She always did.

For the time being, however, that didn't really matter much. As Jay all but flew across the ground, he couldn't help but feel that he could be happy without another in his life as long as he got to keep running. He sighed, then and was about to turn to exit the park (maybe continue his run in the woods?) when he caught sight of a familiar figure on top of the wooden play structure.

April.

Panic immediately flooded through him. What was she doing? Why was she out here? There was nothing wrong with her being here, but why had she not waited until Jay's next visit. Oh. Oh. He'd taken too long since his last visit. She'd come looking for him. Shoot!

His sister was going to get herself hurt! She hadn't been out here as long as he had, she would into trouble! "April!" he wailed loudly as he took off running towards his sister. "April, stay put!" His paws nearly lost footing beneath his small body and when he finally reached the structure below April he desperately clawed his way up.

"April," he said breathlessly. He'd never run that fast before. Though he felt admittedly better now that he was with April. "April what were you think--" He stopped. He was now balanced precariously on a small wooden beam between the post that "April" was on and another post. His mouth dropped open, and his eyes widened. Shoot. As quickly as possible (and almost slipping while he was at it) Jay turned around and clawed his way over to the opposite pole, where he could sit without worrying about falling.

"You aren't--you're not April?" It came out like a question, though he meant it as a statement. Now that he was close, this she-cat was most definitely not his sister. Although she was about the right size and age, similar fur pattern. "S-sorry," Jay stammered out. "I-I thought you were, um, someone else."

Did he ever feel like an idiot.

Out of curiosity, what do you think of this signature? And the avatar, for that matter. xD I'm too obsessive sometimes.

[kestrel]

"April!"

The wail tore through the park suddenly - and Kestrel's peace of mind. Tail flicking irritably, her gaze shot down automatically to the source of the obnoxiously loud cry. It was a young kitten, roughly her age. Male, brown tabby with white splotch. Similar markings to her own. Not that Kessa would ever actually call anyone "like her." Pfft, no, she was special. His markings weren't even as pretty as hers - or as dazzingly white, were they? And did he have vibrant emerald hues? No. So he clearly did not look like her. Everyone always tossed around terms like that as if they meant nothing and Kessa was abruptly relieved that no one else was around to see this strange cat. Because surely they would have made some comment about how he "looked just like her" or "was the male version of her" or "almost identical" or blah blah blah. Point is, none of that would have been true. She was the more attractive one, she concluded, giving a small, satisfied nod. Even if he might have been sort of cute if he wasn't making such a racket, she deigned ungraciously.

"April, stay put!" April, April, April! Jeez, what was his problem? Did he not realize that him and precious April weren't the only cats in the park? Hello? She was here too! And how had he not seen her, she was perched at the highest point of the park (excluding trees) and clearly in plain sight. He was even running right in her direction, for godsakes. Was he blind? Kessa felt a flutter of confusion as the other cat began climbing up the structure, no longer just running in her direction but seemingly headed straight for her. What the - Did he think - "April." Again with that stupid name but Kessa was too surprised to even feel annoyance - or at least, that much annoyance. And then he went off again, only confirming her suspicions. "April, what were you think-" Oh, he was so clever. He'd caught on then? That Kestrel Wintertrap was not some nobody losercat named April! As if! Her eyes flashed angrily and she opened her mouth to speak but suddenly he was talking and she snapped it shut with a hiss, furious that he was the one still talking.

"You aren't - you're not April?"

Oh yeah. Definitely clever. Rolling her eyes scathingly, Kessa's mouth opened again but before she could deal a cruel retort the stupid kitten was talking again. Did he ever shut his mouth? "S-Sorry, I-I thought you were, um, someone else." Her eyes narrowed, almost challenging him to open his stupid little mouth again. "Unlike you," she began faux-sweetly, "I actually have a modicum of intelligence - quite a bit more than that actually-" she smirked "- And had therefore caught on by your ridiculously frantic cries of 'April! April!'-" she mimicked "-that you were clearly lacking in intelligence or, at the very least, severely mistaken." Her eyes flashed again and she pursed her lips for a moment before talking again. "You see, I don't know who this little 'April' is but for one thing, she's probably several degrees more unnattractive than I could ever be and well, generally inferior in many other ways." Smirking again, she arched one brow but continued talking, not giving him any opening. Payback, after all. "But I'm going to choose to not be as offended as I might normally be that you chose to confuse me for some lowlife and instead just take it as a sign of your stupidity." She gave a sniff, shifting her small weight more comfortably on the post and then raised one eyebrow at him in question. "Excuse me, what are you still doing here? I was telling you off, you moron, not inviting you to stay for tea." She rolled her eyes. "Surely even you aren't that thick, or do I have to repeat myself all over again?"

OOC: They're really cute - I love the textures on the avatar and the sig looks great too. Same pic I used for Kessa's bio! Lol

[jay]

Jay had always been loyal to a fault when it came to those he loved. Always. It was just how he was. The loyalty had always been centered around all of his siblings and his mother--he didn’t want any of them to get hurt. He’d never worried too much though, as there were humans around, as well as Autumn, and the siblings were all taken care of. There was nothing to fret about.

When everyone except April and Autumn were gone, the feelings changed . . . Became stronger. All of a sudden Jay wasn’t just loyalty, it was protectiveness. He was the only male left in the family, and so he had taken it upon himself to care for his sister and mother. Suddenly it was his duty to make sure that they were okay. They were the only two in the world that he had left, he had to make sure that they didn’t get hurt.

When he saw “April” sitting on the wooden play structure, the pure terror that struck him was alarming. April was out here! She could easily have hurt herself, or maybe she was hurt! His fear was only fueled by these thoughts, and when he finally found himself sitting near the “April” cat, his paws were shaking just the slightest bit. Oh, the relief of knowing that April was okay. He sighed.

Even at eight months, he had grown into a protective cat, but not just of his family, of everyone. Sure, he put his family before everyone else, but he put everyone else before himself. As long as the rest of the world was happy, Jay could care less how he was feeling. He believed that no matter what, everyone would be given a second chance should they want one, and that there was good in everyone. That was probably how he managed to listen to the “April” cat’s next words without being infuriated like most others might.

“Unlike you, I actually have a modicum of intelligence--”

[/i] the green-eyed “April” cat’s words were sweet, but there was danger and irritation woven through. Jay suppressed as shudder. Definitely not April. The voice was too intimidating. His ears flattened against his head, and he lowered his amber gaze to his paws. He hardly registered what she was saying as guilt flooded through him. He felt guilty for mistaking her for his sister. “--quite a bit more than that actually, and therefore caught on by your ridiculously frantic cried of ‘April! April!’ that you were clearly lacking in intelligence or, at the very least, severely mistaken.”[/i]

Jay had always lacked self confidence. When he and his siblings played games when they were younger, there had always been one of them who got to the the “hero.” Jay was rarely the hero. All of his siblings seemed to be so much better than he was, at so much. It had just worn away at his esteem for himself. With all of them except April gone, he supposed he felt a bit better, but the tongue-lashing he was currently enduring had struck a sore spot. “You see, I don’t know who this little ‘April’ is but for one thing, she’s several degrees more unattractive that I could ever be and well, generally inferior in many other ways. But I’m going to choose to not be as offended as I might normally be that you chose to confuse me for some lowlife and instead just take it as a sign of your stupidity.”[/i]

While this she-cat had made it blatantly obvious that he was not particularly intelligent, it wasn’t that suggestion that annoyed Jay. It was the suggestion that his beloved sister was. April. April was not dumb--she was extremely smart! And pretty, for that matter, though Jay hadn’t made much of an opinion as far as that was concerned. A small shred of assertiveness came to the small tabby-and-white-splotched kitten, and he growled lowly. “Maybe I am stupid,” his voice was weak compared to how he wished it could be. He had to be more like his father, his hero. The cat he had never met but felt like he knew. “But April is not! My sister is just as pretty and smart as you,” he looked up and met the green gaze of this stranger.

“Excuse me, what are you still doing here? I was telling you off, you moron, not inviting you to stay for tea. Surely even you aren’t that thick, or do I have to repeat myself all over again?”[/b][/i] No, she didn’t have to repeat herself, Jay had heard loud and clear. Very loud and very clear.

“N-no,” he stuttered out. “That’s okay. I’m looking for a cat named Wind. Have you seen him?” Jay tried to shove aside how down he was feeling now, after being told off by this cat. “I’m Jay, by the way, and Wind is my father.” Jay had only ever heard about Wind from his mother and from his and his siblings imagination. They had vivid imaginations, and through how they envisioned their father through their games, he had become their idol. “He’s big, white, with blue eyes. And he’s a hero!”

Jay was so proud of his father.
[/blockquote]

XD Nice and yay!
I'm watching CSI while I type this, it's so intense! 8DD Ooh, drama![/blockquote]

[kestrel]

Maybe. Maybe. Oh dear lord, that had to be one of the biggest understatements of the century. Not that Kestrel had been around anywhere near that long but... well, that's how big of an understatement it was. She was nearly positive that nothing had topped it. Then again, she'd learned not to overestimate others' intelligence - they had a sad way of proving her wrong. Wrinkled her nose with distaste, she gave her head a small but proud toss, rolling her eyes emphatically at the tom. "Yeah, maybe you're stupid," she sneered. Snorting, she gave her head a disbelieving shake and muttered "That's a good one," under her breath. Maybe. Whatever. It didn't seem like that was the point of what he was trying to say here so - "But April is not! My sister is just as pretty and smart as you!" Kessa raised one brow, resisting the urge to leap at the idiot and claw his fur out for such a ridiculous statement. But that would be giving him far more attention than he deserved.

So instead she continued with her cool nonchalance, allowing merely the slightest hint of a smirk to come to her lips as she spoke. "See though, you just admitted yourself that you're stupid so... Why ever do you think I would believe any claims you want to make? Even if they were the slightest bit possible, which they clearly are not. No one - especially no one that shares a gene pool with you - is smarter or prettier than me." She flashed a smirk now, showing it up. Sure, she was being unbelievably arrogant but she believed in honesty. Ha. Of course she didn't - lies were often much more fun. But it was her opinion nonetheless. She might not have been the most travelled cat but she'd still seen quite a few others of her species - none with the looks to rival her own. As for the intelligence department, well, she was only eight months so she wasn't going to assume that she knew more than any other cat alive. But the adults in her life were so easy to manipulate, making them idiots in her mind.

"N-no." She rolled her eyes at his pathetic stutter but interjected nothing. "That's okay. I'm looking for a cat named Wind. Have you seen him?" Kestrel rolled her eyes again and cut in quickly, talking over the other kitten. "Wind? Oh yeah, that's a unique name, surely just giving me that alone is enough to differentiate him from any other cat out there. And have I seen him? Well-" "He's big, white, with blue eyes. And he's and hero!" Kestrel rolled her eyes again. What a ridiculous tom. "Oh well now you tell me what he looks like. It would have been difficult to answer your question otherwise. Let me see... Have I seen a white tom cat, with blue eyes, named Wind?" She pursed her lips, seemingly running through her recent activities and thinking about whether or not she had indeed run into this idiot's father. Then her eyes lit up classically and she leaned in closer to the tom - had he said his name? She'd been too busy talking over him - with a conspiratory grin on her face. Although really, she was conspiring with herself, not him. But he didn't need to know that. Summoning up a hushed voice, she questioned, "Wait, did you say he was a hero?"

As if that was the final qualification. As if she'd indeed some blue-eyed, white-fured (probably unintelligent too if his son had inherited any genes from him) tom cat prowling around saving everyone and would be only too grateful to show the idiot over to him. Ha. As if. Had Kestrel actually seen any such tom? Of course not. Was she perhaps being cruel in stringing this other kitten along, making it seem as if she could deliver him to the father he searched when she really had no freaking clue and didn't even care? Yeah, she was. But he was just too easy to play with. And since he'd disrupted her and then whined about his "pretty" sister, well, she was going to get her payback in whatever form she could. After all, payback's a bitch... And so is Kestrel Wintertrap.

OOC: Eek, sorry it's kinda short.

[jay]

What was with this she-cat? Obviously he had done something to annoy her, but he couldn’t quite figure out what. Well, he could, but what was so wrong with mistaking her for his sister? They did look unsettlingly similar. Of course, this she-cat didn’t seem to think so, although Jay wasn’t sure how she could have an opinion on it. She’d never met April. Had she?

What if she had?!

The idea struck Jay hard--this cat didn’t seem to be the type to travel into Nenbrook too often which would mean that . . . April had left the house. The panic returned as quickly as it had evaporated when he caught sight of the green eyes of this cat. Her next words seemed to confirm his fear: “See though, you just admitted yourself that you’re stupid so . . . Why ever do you think I would believe any claims you want to make? Even if they were the slightest bit possible, which they clearly are not. No one--especially no one that shares a gene pool with you--is smarter or prettier than me.”

[/i] The cat smiled, and Jay felt his already large amber eyes widen even more.

“No,” he whispered. Then his voice grew stronger as he continued. “You can’t make that judgement without having met April so . . . You and her . . . Where is she?!” The panic was now edging its way into his voice and he fought to keep the slightest bit calm. He was prone to overreacting to things at different times, but at this point it didn’t feel like an overreaction. He had to keep April and Autumn safe! Autumn wouldn’t leave the house, she knew better, but April. So what if April was originally going to come with him to find their father? She wouldn’t make it alone! “Where is she?” he begged her to tell him. “Where’s my sister?”

When Jay declined her offer to repeat what she had said, the cat rolled her pretty green eyes. She may not be the kindest cat he’d ever met, he did have to admit that she was pretty. Though he’d never say it out loud--he had to protect April (because his sister was just as pretty as this sarcastic she-cat!)

“Wind? Oh yeah, that’s a unique name, surely just giving me that alone is going to differentiate him from any other cat out there. And have I seen him? Well--”[/b][/i] another eye roll. Sure was a common action for her. “Oh well now you tell me what he looks like. It would have been difficult to answer your question otherwise. Let me see . . . Have I seen a white tom cat, with blue eyes, named Wind?”[/b][/i]

Jay nodded eagerly. Yes, that was what he had left his home to learn. That was what he wanted to know, more than anything. Well, that and why this she-cat was so pissed off at him. What had he done? Suddenly, the she-cat’s pretty green eyes lit up, much like Jay’s did when he was happy--which was always--and she leaned forwards. Her voice was quiet, secretive, and Jay was now all the more interested. “Wait, did you say he was a hero?”[/b]

Jay leaned back away from this cat, annoyed. “No,” he scoffed. “I said he is a hero!” All the same, Jay couldn’t help but to be excited. It sounded like she knew where Wind was! Maybe she could take him to his father, and then the two could go home. April would be so thrilled! Autumn would be proud, it was a win-win situation. Well, perhaps he should get this she-cat’s name (which she hadn’t given when he introduced himself) because then, someday, when he was a hero, he could repay her.

Because someday, he would be a hero. He would be the most noble hero in the world, and all of his siblings would know that they had been wrong to not really give him the chance to practice being a good-deed-doer in their games as little kittens. He would come to their rescue, and they would be proud to have him as a brother. ‘Yup, that’s our Jay,’ they would proudly boast to anyone who would listen. And everyone would know who Jay was.

And all heroes had to start somewhere, so why not with this cat? “I’m Jay,” he repeated, trying to sound important. He drew himself up to full height (just a tiny bit taller than the she-cat) and smiled at her. “What’s you name?” he chirped happily.
[/blockquote]
Oh, that's no problem! It wasn't short at all! [/blockquote]