ORIGIN

It had been a while since she'd gone off and done anything for herself so she decided to give herself a little reward. There would be a meeting at Monoceros soon to deal with traitors and possibly get new members so why not relax before all that drama began. A girl deserved a day off, right? Right. So the tiny queen wandered through Eridanus with her usual getup of the vine belt, the dagger sword at her left hip, the poisoned spear at her right, and a satchel thrown over her shoulder in case she saw anything worth nabbing while taking her mini vacation.

So far the only thing she grabbed was a pawful of Iceberries which she held covetously in her one paw. It was clasped up to her chest while she used her other three paws to waddle over the ground awkwardly. She'd be happy when she found a place to rest. None of these places seemed good, however, one tree was too tall without enough branches and another wasn't tall enough. It took a while before she finally managed to plop herself down at the base of one tree with enough climbable limbs and good view to look out over her surroundings. Being so small she liked to have a vantage point when she wasn't around her cronies. She was certainly cocky but she was no fool. Even if she was a queen that wouldn't mean anything around other creatures that didn't know her from the dirt.

Whelp, there was only one way to get up to her perfect view and that was hard climbing. Whether it was due to the fact that she only had three free paws or if it was from some other reason the queen didn't manage the climb. She put one paw up and tried to shimmy the rest of the way but only managed a couple of feet before sliding back down.

With an irritable snort she sat on the root of the tree and reclined against the trunk. Ah well, she'd eat her berries first and then try again. No stupid tree would get the best of her!

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"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

Dovefeather's dainty paws carried her through the damp undergrowth, the moisture in the dark, rich soil familiar to her. Sometimes, the humidity made her curly, twisty fur fluff up and look even more silly than it usually did, but looks hardly mattered to a cat who was too busy looking out to look back towards herself.

Today she was feeling, surprisingly, pretty good. The familiar purr that signaled she was around was vibrating at full one hundred bees purrcent, and it would take some sort of conniving jerk with an extortion pressuring her sisters and her to ruin it. Purrhaps it was a good thing that the particular mongoose just down the path was taking a vacation day instead.

Whiskers twitching, her pale golden eyes landed on a fiery, russet creature settled down on a root, nibbling away at some berries. Her first thought was that the gembound reminded her of Booker, although a bit less hunched over and a bit... More slick, elegant. More cattish, though not quite a cat.

It didn't really matter.

"Greetings, Sister,"

She called out, raising her half-long tail in greeting, her purring settling into a calm undertone of a rumble as she spoke over it.

"I am Dovefeather, Daughter of the All Mother, and what brings you to Her Home? Is it your first time here, or perhaps you already know of my other Sisters. What is it you Seek, Sister?"

Dovefeather was feeling particularly charitable, but this was more than just an honest question. As a kitten, she might have assumed, drawn conclusions, and rambled them out. Now that she was grown, she was a bit wiser to the cunning of sharper minds... And so, when she reached out with her words, they were prodding. She wanted to Seek the answers to her thoughtful mind, and there was only one way to do so. How the mongoose reacted would be enough of an answer in itself.

The feline smiled, her top teeth shimmering with a pearly glisten. She could feel the prickle, sharp and almost metallic across her tongue, as the All Mother reached out and touched at her gifts, urging them... But Dove held back. No sense in revealing her cards too soon, and she bowed her head, swiping her tongue over her teeth; her pale, watchful eyes never left the newcomer's form.

One berry down her throat then another and another. Good thing she'd picked quite the handful of the things and she still had quite a few to go. A happy hum exited from her throat as she munched on the sweet Iceberries. Who cared if she couldn't climb the tree at the moment? There was always another time to try. Like after she finished her berries... Or after she finished talking with this buzzing newcomer. Her sly silver gaze followed the feline as wandered up. Her eyes flitted first over her monochrome fur and then to her eyes and finally to that pretty glowing feather. Hmm... Wouldn't that be pretty fitted behind her own ear? A crafty smile edged its way onto the vixen's face as her eyes darted from the feather back to that golden gaze of the cat's.

"Greetings, Sister,"

The reddish female inclined her head briefly before resting it in its old position, her only expression by way of greeting. Sister, eh? Whatever floated the cat's boat. She could be sister, friend, cousin, boss, whatever... So long as she got what she wanted.

Fang's normal grin, the one that looked like she was the biggest eater of shit, came across that pointed muzzle of hers. The mongoose popped another berry into her mouth while she listened to the rest of the cat's speech. Something about an All Mother and this being Her Home... Sounded like a load of rhino crap if you asked her but she wouldn't say that out loud. She wanted that feather and no need to make an enemy while trying to do it. Oh... wait... Wasn't she supposed to be on vacation? Well, a thief never went on full vacation. Not when there was goodies to be had.

After the feline finished and her berry was properly chewed and swallowed the mongoose extended a paw in an elaborate and exaggerated motion of politeness. "Well, hey there Dovie. M'name's Fang an' I hail from Monoceros. I've been t'this place before once upon a time but I have t'admit that I don't know nothin' about any other 'Sisters' but ya could always educate me." Oh yes... If they all had lovely feathers or treasures like this "Dovefeather" she'd love to pay them a visit. "An' as for what I seek... well... nothin'. Just restin' an' gettin' a lil' vacation away from home. Haven't ya ever wanted a girls day out all to yourself, hmm?" Her words were nonchalant, comradely as she tried to lull the cat into a false sense of security... To make her think they were actually "sisters".

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"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

The thin, feline-ish creature put another berry in her mouth before reaching out a paw towards her, a gesture that was lost entirely on the actual cat. She sniffed curiously at the dainty paw, noting how it was indeed similar to Booker's own. If she was not a cat, she could easily have been related genealogically to the tiny rodent.

She listened to Fang's words carefully, picking them apart and noting them quietly to herself. She took a step back from the gembound, giving her due space, and began to purr a bit louder.

"Why, it would be my pleasure to tell you about the All Mother and my Sisters, Fang."

There was, however, a delicate pawse between her words here. The length of her tail twitched, and she flicked an ear, as though batting away a particularly annoying imaginary vine hanging down beside her. Her feather seem unperturbed, as though she was quite used to it hanging daintily there, and she raised her own paw to groom for just a moment.

Reaching back to bathe her ear, she continued her speech.

"It is the job of my Sisters and I to spread the word of the All Mother, and it is not a position one takes lightly. Even when I do venture from my home, I am still doing her work."

She eyed the mongoose again, forcing back some of her less pleasant thoughts. It was easy enough to keep a light tone by humming with the song of hundreds of bees, but the fact of the matter was that Dove was plagued with the precise fear of straying from her path.

"One does not lightly take rest from an important mission such as mine."

She could not imagine laying about as Fang did without good reason, though she often took naps as cats do. That was different, anyway; felines needed to conserve their energy and absorb in the warmth of the lamp light if they wanted to stay healthy and strong. Just like the plants of the All Mother.

The vixen nodded her head and said, "Splendid!" Patiently she waited for the feline to continue on with her words. It didn't bother her how long she took to gather her thoughts. Why, Fang had all the time in the world to collect that feather. So she just popped a few more berries into her mouth while she waited. Her own tail began to twitch as the pause stretched on and all but one of the blue berries was eaten.

Still, while she waited on those words the queen couldn't help but eyeball that feather. The feline just so carelessly wiped at her ear with a paw as cats were wont to do. The mongoose half hoped that it would loose itself all on its own and she could swoop in easily and snatch it but alas, it held onto the fur stubbornly. It would take more than a false swipe to dislodge that glowing prize. The thief would have to get in close and grab it when the cat was least expecting it.

Soon... For now she must be patient.

The mongoose's ears twitched as the cat spoke, detailing her oh-so-important duties. The mongoose nearly rolled her eyes. Yeah right, "important duties". Staying in a pretty little forest worshiping a silly "All Mother". Those duties seemed like nothing compared to her own. Coordinating an entire outlaw group, in her mind, trumped the cat's little make believe session and self-important talk. Still, Fang managed to keep that smile on her face pretend to act interested. She even finished off her berries and sat up on her haunches, silver gaze peering intently at the cat like her talk was the most important thing in the world.

"Oh yeah, I can imagine tendin' to this ah-- All Mother, is it?-- must be really important," About as important as a bug on the bottom of her footpaw. Only the Queen of Thieves was important enough to be tended to. "But surely she wouldn't mind ya takin' a break, I mean, if I was in such a position of power I'd allow my servants t'take a break t'recharge themselves. I mean, just servin' day in an' day out would just get soooo taxin', don't ya think?" She inclined her brows. Ball was in the cat's court now. Perhaps she could even dissuade this feline from her Mother and still take that feather. That would be double fun.

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"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

Dovefeather's fur began to prickle as Fang seemed to insist that taking a break was a wonderful idea. More and more she was starting to decide that this Booker-like Sister was not worthy of the All Mother, though this was not up to her. She wouldn't dare allow herself to decide such a thing.

Still, she wasn't about to admit to this lax, lounging stranger that her plans were so much bigger than the All Mother. It was one thing to tell Giggle about it in Canis, far from the All Mother's reach... But here, where the plants literally grew up into her fur, she abruptly found it important to not brag about what she really wanted. Especially since the All Mother was... Ah, sick, as of late.

The feline instead perked her ears up high and gave her paw another lick before answering, settling the fur back down on her neck with a fiercer vibration of purrs. Calm and collected, just like her sister. If only Dove had ever been calm.

"To take a break from the All Mother would be like taking a break from breathing, Sister Fang,"

She mewled simply, settling down into the grass. She could feel the weeds weaving around her paws, holding her back. She wondered what the All Mother would whisper to her, if she could hear such a thing. The feline eyed the tools at the mongooses' side, wondering how she had made such things, and just what the purpose of such sharp stones and sticks could be.

"... By the way, what exactly are you taking a vacation from, if I may ask? What do you do in... Monoceros, you said?"

Fang's sharp little eyes watched the feline, seemingly carelessly but behind that disguise was a keen mind. It was futile wanting to get away from Monoceros to take a break. The temptation to steal and pilfer were too much within her. Perhaps one day there would come a time that she would be able to just sit and relax without thoughts of thieving but that day was certainly not today. Not when self-righteous bee-cat wanted to flaunt her goods right in her face. She was just begging to be burgled. Fang could feel that itch in her paws. She had to have it...

"Oh no no no, Dovie, don't be so dramatic. Imagine, if ya just stopped for one day I don't think you'd kill over an' die. Now, if you wanted to just stop breathin'..." Her voice trailed off into a laugh at her own joke for that was how serious the All Mother was to her. Breathing was necessary. A silly religion was not. It was then that she dusted her forepaws off on her red coat and leaped from the tree root to the ground. On her rear paws she could look the cat straight in her golden eyes on an even level. Her silver gaze slide from those golden orbs over the cats body, this time she was sizing her up. The cat was larger, weighed more, but she was swift and stealthy plus she had her tools... This could swing her way easily.

"Why, from leadin' my friends in Monoceros... Ever heard of the Merrymen?" She'd been swaggering up to the cat, slowly but clearly and now she stopped about a foot away. Her smile turned into a smirk as she stared at the cat haughtily. "Y'see, I'm the Chief Bandit also known as the Queen. An' well... I was tryin' t'be a good lil' mongoose but I can't help myself." The vixen pointed with her right paw up to Dove's feather while her left paw slid over to her spear to rest at its handle. "I like your feather a lot, in fact, I think I'll be takin' it. We can do this one 'a two ways... The easy way," She tapped the spear with her left paw, "Or the hard way. Which will it be?"


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"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

Dovefeather sat quite still, her only movement the occassional flick of a tail and a twitch in her whiskers amid her constant, dull vibration from her purring. She blinked slowly as the mongoose let an idle threat slip through her teeth, breaking off into a laugh. The feline did not see what was so funny, however. Her pearly teeth grinded against her bottom ivories, trying to keep the fur on the back of her neck down.

Calm, collected, just like Blackfeather. She knew she could do it. Silver met gold and Dovefeather's expression hardened, her eyes narrowing as she let the sly, white pawed fiend to mosey right on up to her. The cult cat was waiting on one thing-- her answer. When Fang finally let it slip who she was, a so-called Queen of Bandits, Dovefeather felt a flash of aggression slip through her limbs and her claws unsheathed, sliding into the tangle of grass at her feet.

"Are you so sure you want this, particular, feather?"

Came her simple reply, a soothing calmness running in her voice like butter. The feline channeled her sister, relaxing her body into the grass, letting her eyes turn in to wide, pseuodo-surprised pools of golden. The faintest trickle of a smile twitched on to her jaws, her teeth baring just slightly into view.

"This feather is a gift of the All Mother, Sister Fang. To take it from me would mean provoking a very powerful force indeed."

Her tail curled around her paws, her legs brushing together in front of her form, making a perfect blotch of darkness between them. Her sisters had always shied away from fighting-- it simply wasn't the way of the All Mother-- but this pipsqueak was threatening something too dear to her. If she had to fight tooth and claw to keep her feather, she would.

Yet for now, she made not a single movement, as if encouraging Fang to just try and snatch the feather from her ear.

The crafty little mongoose never lost the smile on her face as she faced down the feline. Her tail twitched behind her, moving about in the dust as it helped her to keep her balance. The single glittering pink fang was exposed as she smirked at the cat. It seemed something had shifted in the air... There was a sort of tension as she finally revealed who she was and cat seemed to take on some sort of defense. There was hardly an outwards sign of this but Fang could sort of just feel it.

Fang laughed at the cat's question but it wasn't exactly a mirth-filled laugh... It was full of cruelty. "Quite sure! I want it. Now." Still that smile never faded. Truly she wasn't just being crazy or cruel, she was actually enjoying this. Reaping seeds of discord and discontent wherever she went, it was fun. Just like with the pup who invaded her territory, she would meet out punishment where it was die and smile while doing it.

Still, even while she was being threatened the cat seemed to be smiling and trying to be calm and confident. She liked that. Cowards were fun but bravery was also amusing in its own way. Perhaps she didn't understand the real danger or perhaps she was just bluffing. "Ah, what a brave kitty. Do you honestly think I care about this 'All Mother' that you an' your sisters made up? How funny!" She laughed again, this time seriously amused by how convinced this stupid cat was of some mystical being. The only thing that had to believe in were things you could touch. "I'll take my chances with your feather but thanks for your concern. Now," The mongoose pulled out the poisoned spear and advanced more, putting the tip almost on her throat in an obvious threat.

Still smiling she said, "I'll be havin' that feather now..." Her voice was low... deadly. If she didn't get it now she would meet out her threat.



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"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

Dovefeather's curly fur started to puff up as the mongoose held out her spear, raising it towards her throat in threat. Perhaps if Blackfeather was there, she could have come up with a solution, but for now, Dove knew it was either fight or lose the feather that gave her a name, a purpose.

"The All Mother can only guide our paws,"

The cat meowed softly, her purring falling off as she drew back her lips to reveal her shimmering gem teeth. Her body shifted just slightly as she focused, trying hard to summon the gift the All Mother had granted her. She needed this to work...

"She cannot force us down one path."

The light flickered in her teeth for just a moment as she sprang to her feet, leaping back into a defensive position. Her back arched, her head low-- protecting her throat-- and she got ready to be stabbed by the illegible Queen of Thieves.

"I'm sorry you've picked the wrong way."

{ FIGHT STATISTICS }
DOVEFEATHER v. DIAMONDFANG
I II III IV V

{ ATTEMPT }

~ blinding light in fang's face

{ DEFENSES }

~ back arched, head low, legs spread and ready to dodge

{ INJURIES }

~ prior injuries;;

• damaged tail, mostly healed

~ current injuries;;

• none