Unicorncob

"You heard voices too?" Jinx asked, sounding a little surprised. "So did I. They said I couldn't hear them and that I was... making things worse." Her ears lowered. Why did she suddenly feel bad about making trouble for other cats? Maybe it was more making trouble for the one who turned out to be her brother...

Jinx looked at her brother, feeling just as helpless as him. "I know... I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I was just frustrated too. I have no idea what's going on either." She looked up at the clouded sky, unaware of the meaning behind it, and then back to him. "You looked really freaked out just now, what happened?"

If Slumberfur looked up at Jinx, he would see in her eyes that she was just as confused and scared as he was. She was being kept from going home by other cats, not him. "Well," she began, quietly and awkwardly, "I wasn't being so nice to you, snapping at you and everything. You didn't deserve that." She took a deep breath. "I'm... I'm sorry too," she murmured, like the words were foreign to her.

"Hey, were you even listeni--oh," Jinx began, but quickly saw saw the red glistening on Slumberfur's ears. "That looks painful. Maybe we should head to your camp and get that looked at?" Then she blinked in surprise. Why was she suddenly feeling so compassionate? Just moments ago she thought Slumberfur had abducted her from her home for some amusement, and now she wanted to help him? Then again, he looked just as confused and frightened as she felt. And he was her brother, as difficult as it was to take in. Out of instinct, she padded closer to him and gave one of his ears a lick. The tang of blood made her scrunch up her face in disgust, but she thought the gesture might help.

Jinx halted when the voices spoke up from... somewhere? She couldn't pinpoint where they were coming from, almost like they were in her head. "What-- who is--?" she stammered, but the voices went silent. "Hey!" She turned around to try and find anyone, but only saw Slumberfur cowering on the ground. This took her by surprise--he was usually so confident as far as she knew, now he was doing what she'd been wanting to do for a while now. She thought about how she'd yelled at him, and realised that if he wanted any harm to come to her, he would have done it himself. He definitely looked strong enough. Plus, he seemed to have some idea of what was going on. She needed him, and she was close to admitting it. With a sigh, she padded back over to him and laid in front of him, giving him a nudge. If he looked at her, he could see the fear in her eyes. "I'm sorry for snapping," she murmured. "Everything's just happened so quickly and... now I'm hearing voices in my head. I think I'm losing it out here..."

"When did this have anything to do with kits?" Jinx pointed out, lashing her tail. "Besides, I didn't just let myself in here. You told me to come here, and now I'll be killed if I try to go home?" She narrowed her eyes at him, looking as if she had just put something together in her head. "Now I see what's going on. This is some cruel feral cat trick, isn't it? You led me out of my home and fed me some star nonsense, and now I'm stuck here! You're all in on this!" She hissed. "That's why you won't explain anything to me--because it's not real, is it?!" She lashed her tail and stomped toward the twoleg nest. "And you even had me believing we were related, too." "When did this have anything to do with kits?" Jinx pointed out, lashing her tail. "Besides, I didn't just let myself in here. You told me to come here, and now I'll be killed if I try to go home?" She narrowed her eyes at him, looking as if she had just put something together in her head. "Now I see what's going on. This is some cruel feral cat trick, isn't it? You led me out of my home and fed me some star nonsense, and now I'm stuck here! You're all in on this!" She hissed. "That's why you won't explain anything to me--because it's not real, is it?!" She lashed her tail and stomped toward the twoleg nest. "And you even had me believing we were related, too."

"I just wish I was at least able to walk home in peace without those other cats trying to kill me," Jinx sighed, lazily stretching herself out. "If you had to go away from here and cats tried to kill you for going home, you wouldn't be happy either. Besides, at least you have help."

"No, and I doubt you would if you could," Jinx hissed quietly, sounding rather bitter. Considering how she had been treated by everyone since she got there, she wouldn't be surprised if no one actually wanted to help her. She lashed her tail on the ground. "Hmph."

"That's exactly why I'm prisoner!" Jinx hissed, narrowing her eyes at him. "How would you like it if some strays tried to kill you if you tried to run back here from wherever they live, hm?" It wasn't clear what she was more upset about; the fact the other Clans would kill her if she just tried to go home, or that Slumberfur didn't seem to care.

"That's stupid," she huffed. "How come you get to have easy food while I have to work for it out here? While being kept away from my own home, no less." She lashed her tail on the ground. "I'm practically being kept prisoner here!"

Jinx slowly padded toward Slumberfur, licking her face in self-satisfaction. "Somewhat, I got myself a bird," she meowed. She still preferred being in the comfort of her home being served food, but this would have to do for now. She yawned and flopped down next to him. "Just eating is more trouble than it's worth out here."

Thankfully it didn't take too long for Jinx to find something--a bird was preening itself on the floor. She prowled after it, making her steps as light as possible. Granted, her lack of training and general lack of grace made the bird nearly escape, but she pounced it just in time. When she was finished, she yawned and cleaned herself before plodding back toward the twoleg nest.

"I suppose," Jinx admitted with a shrug, then added, "but does it matter? Both kits will be helped anyway." She huffed and stood back up, lowering her ears. She hated that part. "Fine, fine..." she hissed as she padded off to find something preferrably slow and easy to catch.

"I meant kits can get sick too," Jinx pointed out, swaying her tail. "That's all I'm saying." She glanced around at the clearing, and stretched out slowly while letting out a leisurely yawn. "When is food coming? I'm starving."

Jinx nodded slowly. "I suppose that makes sense, kits do need attention from what I've been told." She tilted her head. "But don't your Clans have kits anyway? Medicine cats would be taking care of them either way, so what does it matter if some kits happen to be theirs?"

Jinx nodded slowly, starting to understand all this. It was beginning to make some kind of weird sense to her now. "So they can't fight or be attacked, but they can't mate either?" she summarised. "That's rough, but I suppose it's a fair trade. Why can't they have kits though? Does something happen to them?"

Jinx sat down next to the twoleg nest, having listened to Slumberfur's explanation, and flicked her ears slightly. "So you all do have ways of getting along? Since you mentioned every clan's medicine cat goes there." "I mean, you all must have gotten along at some point?"

Jinx listened quietly as Slumberfur explained. In some strange way, all of this was starting to make some kind of sense to her. She tilted her head and looked at him upon his mentioning the last part. "What's a Moonpool?"

Jinx didn't see a bad side to only letting the leader know about what was happening. That made sense. Though, she was somewhat curious about this StarClan he kept going on about. "So how do they only speak to two cats? They their favourites?"

Jinx decided not to question the logic of only specific cats able to speak to this StarClan--she supposed it made some sense in some way. "Yes, they definitely don't seem normal," she agreed, flicking her tail uncomfortably. "Should we let anyone know this is all happening? Your leader maybe?"

"I never said I didn't believe it," Jinx countered, raising her chin proudly as she tried to regain the high ground, "I said I'd believe it when I see it." She glanced at him. "You practically grew up with all this, I only arrived yesterday. I think it makes sense that it's difficult to take all this in."

Jinx glared at Slumberfur, lowering her ears. "Let me have this, won't you," she snarked. She padded alongside him, rolling her eyes. "If you're sure then. I shall remain in the dark about everything as you prefer."

Jinx flicked her tail and looked back at Slumberfur. "Well, did I?" She tried to think what a cat could do that was so bad they'd end up in such a place. She never really dealt with anything worse than sneaking into her garden. "You're right though, I can't imagine how bad they are."

"Ah, so you were just trying to squeeze some more amusement out of me?" Jinx assumed, raising her chin and looking aside indignantly. She then realised something he'd said, and turned to look at him. "Dark Forest? So there is a place for those bad cats of yours?"

"Believe me," Jinx muttered, "I'm trying to." She tilted her head, pricking her ears as she mulled that over. She'd never thought about it before, but that was a good question. "It's certainly not normal, I know that much. Maybe they're from a StarClan for bad cats?" She added with some amusement in her voice.