Intruder At Dawn // OPEN!

[PHARAOH]

By now, Pharaoh was past the point of alarm at newcomers - so when the new cat approached, large as he might have been, she simply blinked mildly at him, somewhat intrigued but not altogether concerned by his arrival. If Pharaoh was one thing - besides stubborn, overconfident and maybe a bit of a nuisance - it was fast, and she was sure of this; she felt certain that were these cats to decide to attack her again, even all three of them, she could simply turn tail and evade their claws by fleeing. Of course, two things were true of this - one, to flee would go against every value that Pharaoh held (she was not a coward, nor did she ever back down from a challenge - stupid as it might have made her!), and two, it was very likely that her beliefs were misinformed. A little scrap like her versus three Clanborn and well-trained adversaries - even simple escape might not be possible. Still, Pharaoh would not let even the mere concept of failure or injury cross her mind; instead, she regarded the dark tom cat who had arrived with mild interest as he praised her.

She relished in it just a bit - that he was praising her, after all the criticism she'd endured up to this point. Finally a cat with sense! Except... she didn't think that, not quite. For the leader cat herself seemed sensible and intelligent, despite her aversion so far to Pharaoh's attempts to win her over; though the little tabby was unable to hold back entirely her sheer, childish indignance at being so easily spurned, she also still had to admit that the leader seemed wise to be doing so. After all, it was like she had thought - any Clan worth its weight in mousetails wouldn't be a Clan to just accept in a newcomer so easily. She would have to try her hardest to get these cats to accept her in - and Pharaoh was determined to do so.

The slender loner got the feeling, however, that the words the cat spoke, though they filled her with some degree of pride, were out of turn. She had thought the first adult cat she met to be the leader, but now this other cat spoke as her equal. Pharaoh tilted her head, wondering if the leader would rebuke him; but before that could happen, the new stranger had asked her a question - "What is your name? And the name of your father and the clan he came from?"

Pharaoh's ice blue eyes narrowed as she considered what he'd asked. She knew for a fact that her father was not of this Clan. Would answering as such be enough for them to chase her out on the spot. She sniffed, turning her gaze from the tom to the she-cat then back again, as if deferring to both with her answer, before speaking, her voice still shrill and young-sounding despite her brevity. "Why should it matter what Clan he was from?" she mewed, choosing her words carefully and slowly, and giving her tail a slight flick that betrayed her uncertainty at the question, despite her expression and word choice being composed. "ShadowClan is the Clan I wish to join." There. She was satisfied with that - she'd even recalled the Clan name the other young cat had mentioned. She would let the leader stew on those words, too, then maybe...

Oh. The leader cat wasn't paying as much attention to her, it seemed - instead, it was as Pharaoh had briefly entertained the thought of: she was rebuking the other cat for ... insubordination, she supposed? Huh. The little cat perhaps should have felt out of place or awkward after the exchange, maybe made some move to appear she wasn't listening - but she did not, on all accounts. Instead, she simply blinked owlishly up at the two adult cats, as if intensely interested in their exchange - and as if very intently observing it.

[ashstrike]

Ashstrike seemed to be pondering a few things before he was somewhat shaken from his thoughts. Blinking his ice-blue eyes, he would hear Frozenstar's edged words and in response, bow his head in deference. A part of him felt that it was justified perhaps. He should not have spoken out so blatantly, but his presence here entirely was a bit more justified. He heard fighting, and moved to intercept the situation before it became clear there was not any fighting here after all. Perhaps he also felt the need to ease the tensions here, because it was clear that they were not going to immediately run her off. If they were entertaining conversation with her, then the tom thought he might as well point out a few things.

However, Frozenstar wanted to take charge of this situation herself, and Ashstrike could respect that. However, she was young, and seemed to build up a harsher persona that wasn't as necessary as she thought. Then again, a harsh leader was better than a soft one. His lower jaw would move somewhat before he nods one more time, simply meowing, "My apologies Frozenstar. I did not mean to give that impression." He did sound sincere, though a perceptive ear with the hearing for social intrigue would feel out how carefully he crafted each fluctuating tone in his voice... As if the tom was crafting words she wanted to hear more than how Ashstrike would have actually worded the apology.

For a split second, he would fix Pharaoh one last look before standing up. Tilting his head at Frozenstar, he would go on to say, "I was stopped on the way here by the sounds of fighting. I will finish up my run along the border. The noon patrol will have its report to give you when you return back to camp." He would nod once more in respect as he would set up to leave before the early noon chill set in... And would head off unless ordered to stay or was further addressed.