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The day started off like any other day. Split was traveling the woods, alone. Usually the fact that he was alone didn't bother him but for the last few days it had weighed on him. As the day went on he felt himself craving companionship and it helped to sour his already negative mood.

Many times he had been lost in his thoughts and wandered into another cat's territory. Today however, the scent of another cat quickly dragged him from his thoughts. He stopped mid-step, all of his senses heightened and on alert. Slowly, carefully, he crept around a tree and under a bush to get a better look at the cat he smelled.

He caught sight of a young she-cat with a wonderfully nearly solid coat. It was the kind of pelt he wish he had been born with. So perfectly simple, no reason to get made fun of or bullied. Split found himself almost instantly jealous of the cat before him. He hadn't been there long before the other caught his scent.

For a moment, he hesitated and didn't move. There was no way of knowing if this she-cat was friendly or not. There was always the possibility he had wandered into clan territory. After a quick debate within himself he decided to at least make some contact to know if he was invading a territory. Slowly, he did move out from the shelter of the bush and into the open to show himself.

After stepping into view, Split stood still for a moment to let the she-cat see him. As she started talking however, he didn't stay still long. The dual-coated tom sat down with a deep huff at her first comment. Split fell into a crouch with her second comment. By the time she had finished, he had become a tight, tense, little crouch of fluff as he tried to make himself as small as possible. His dark ear flattened and his eyes narrowed as he looked at the light pelted warrior who had insulted him.

"Is that how cat's greet each other these days?" He asked, curling his tail around him. "Fine then, you look plain. The color of your paws looks like you've got sand in your fur." Split tried to copy the she-cat's tone that she had used to describe him. His tail twitched side to side, annoyed. He'd had this reaction so many times. The best way he'd found to react to others was by talking back to them in the same tone, saying the same things. It always showed the other cat's true colors; if they backed off they were normally okay or if they became more aggressive they were normally not someone he wanted to associate with.

Time to see if reason or anger would dominate their interaction. Though he thought she had been rude thus far, Split was a bit curious to see how this meeting was going to go.

"You're boring." Split said in a lighter tone, though his eyes were still narrowed and his ear still flat. "Boring in a good way." There was a good chance the she-cat would take his remark in a negative way, he realized that, but to him honestly, it really was a compliment.

"No." He replied to the question as he sat up. For a moment he looked away and licked at his paw. His reply had been short because he did not care for the rudeness of this female and had little respect for her thus far. Looking back up at the she-cat in front of him he asked, "Do you?"

A quiet sigh of relief escaped him. This young warrior was no thread to him. She seemed defensive, possibly a little nervous, but not aggressive and Split was glad for it. Though he was in a sour mood, he really didn't feel like fighting to get out his frustrations. As the female warrior began to ramble, Split began to relax. He sat there quietly, his one ear perked to listen, until Pigeonflight was finished.

"Sounds like an adventure you didn't want." Split said looking at the expression Pidge was wearing. He hesitated for a moment but decided it was probably for the best to answer the clan cat's questions. His time as a wandering loner had taught him to always try and stay on the good side of clans.

"I don't live in any one place, prefer to travel around. From what I know of these woods, there are a some other lone cats but no nearby clans. Your clan should be able to travel these parts with little hassle." He didn't smile as he talked but his posture did relax. Until he realized that Pigeonflight had given her name and he should do the same. Other cats tended to react to his name the same way they did when seeing him. It annoyed him greatly but maybe this cat had learned her lesson on being rude? Only one way to find out. Split sighed deeply.

"Split." He said holding back another sigh. With a flick of his tail, he looked away. "My name is Split."

Split raised a brow as he looked back to the Pigeonflight. What did she think he was, a mentor? It was not his job to teach her about things outside of her clan. For a brief moment he thought about just walking away from the curious clan cat and her questions. He thought about it hard but it had been awhile since he had last interacted with anyone and decided showing Pigeonflight around was better than another day of loneliness.

"Alright." He said trying to suppress another sigh. With a slight air of agitation, Split stood and started to walk off in the direction he had originally come from. There was a tree on a small hill nearby that, when climbed, had a far reaching view of the woods. It was a scouting point, a land marker, and not to far away; the perfect place to take the curious clan cat.

The she-cat's questions rattled around in his head as he walked.

"If I get in trouble, I have to find my way out of it." Split said after a small silence. "I tend to get into more trouble around others. Staying away from everyone has worked out better for me." His mind drifted back to his younger years and the fights he had gotten into. It seemed to him that he just wasn't cut out to be around other cats.

"It is lonely..." His ears drooped as he spoke, "..sometimes." He added as an afterthought to make himself not seem desperate for company or unhappy about his situation. It surprised him a bit that he actually admitted that his life as a loner has been, well, lonely.

"Do you not get overwhelmed with so many cat's around? Do clan cat's fight often or disagree ever?" Split attempted continuing the conversation. If Pigeonflight was going to learn about non-clan life, he might as well learn more about clan life.

As they walked, Split began to relax a bit. It was nice to talk to a cat that didn't automatically assume he would be their friend or join their clan. There was something about the way Pigeonflight acted and talked that put Split at ease. Though the start of this interaction had him tense, the more he learned about her, the more he seemed to not mind her company. She seemed as gentle as the color of her pelt.

"Not you necessarily." Split said giving the young cat next to him a quick glance. "I just seem to get dragged into fights or danger when I'm around others for any amount of time and it never ends well for me." He let out a light sigh as he thought back. When he thought of his family, the first few cats he interacted with once he'd left home, anyone from his past, all he could remember was being upset or hurt. True, it had been lonely traveling by himself all those moons but he had much rather be alone than be picked on for his appearance.

"All about working together? So your opinion doesn't matter if it's not what the group wants?" Split asked curiously. Being a loner for so long, he was not good at working together with anyone and couldn't really imagine a large group of cats being able to achieve such a feat. The talk of families sent a shiver through him. Split had been beyond distant to his own family. He wasn't even sure he knew what it meant to be part of a family anymore.