Misto's Morning || Rp with Misto/Riven

[icyreflections]

Misto awoke just as the summer sun was beginning to rise and cast its glorious radiance down upon the cats of Gweillan. The spectacle that unfolded in front of him was nothing short of spectacular as the dark colors that shaded the sky when Misto shut his eyes the night before were blotted out of existence but glorious shades of pink and orange. The glow of the sun was seemingly divine as it vanquished the darkness that clung all around him, blanketing him in nighttime, only a few hours before.

His dark amber, almost brown, eyes blinked slowly as he gazed upon the sunrise’s mystifying power, silently his mind was in awe of the magic of nature and was curious how everything seemed to work ‘just right’ without a visible witch or warlock casting hundreds and thousands of spells to make it so. After a few moments’ time, the young black and white tom rolled over onto his side, his back facing the sunrise and he looked around the clearing where his sleeping family members set up camp. In a large circle, each cat from the exotic caravan situated himself or herself for the night, where one cat lied; another cat’s head began at their feet. Misto thought about his kithood and how he and his sisters used to sleep in the center of the circle, which formed a warm, protective barrier around the small and defenseless kittens (his grandfather, he recalled, also slept in the middle of the circle when his health began to fail.) Where the kittens and frail elderly usually slept, there was a withering fire instead.

Not particularly interested in poking at the soon-to-be-dead flames, Misto quietly sat up and crept away from his spot of the circle. He wanted to explore the town while everyone would most likely still be asleep. Of course, he wouldn’t object to greeting any cats that may be about this early in the day- Misto liked meeting new cats. He was just curious if the town looked different if the hustle and bustle was gone.

He padded gingerly away from the caravan, his paw sinking slightly into the beach’s cool sand as he walked. He grimaced softly and thought (through clenched teeth and jaw) how much he disliked traveling over the beach’s sand as the small grains rubbed uncomfortably on and between his paw pads.

When he reached solid ground, Misto took a moment to sit and wash his paws. Once satisfied, he traveled into the South Quarter of the town, tail and ears perked with both anxiousness and excitement as to what- or who- he may find.

[Howlkitty]

Her pawsteps making no sound against the forest floor, Riven slowly emerged from the trees, an apparently dead squirrel dangling from her jaws. As always, the she-cat had gotten up shortly before the sun rose above Gweillan to disappear into the forests of Rithengar - over the past months she'd observed that the humans were less active in the mornings, and thus provided her with some safety while she tried to concentrate on hunting. Setting one paw after another, the tanish colored she-cat made her way through the trees - and let out a small sigh of relief as the familiar lands of Gweillan revealed itself in front of her sight. The sun was already rising; the yellow and orange tones of the sky reflected into her eyes as Riven glanced overhead, observing the surroundings.

The she-cat slowed her pace down slightly, deciding to just enjoy an early morning walk through the kingdom, inhaling the fresh morning air and pricking her ears at the songs of birds in the trees nearby. She possessed a great love for early mornings - it was almost as if the whole kingdom belonged only to herself - the streets were empty, for most of the cats were still asleep at their home. Although, it seemed that not everybody was asleep at this hour; as she made her way past the beach, Riven spotted a black and white tom nearby. "Hello there," the she-cat meowed a greeting with a slight smile, as soon as she freed her jaws of the squirrel the she-cat was still holding.

[icyreflections]

The air still smelled crisp, like nighttime despite the fact that the sun was rising. Misto lifted his black nose casually to breathe in the cool scent. Normally, the summer time air was hot and humid- especially near the sea and Misto didn’t quite approve of it. He enjoyed the scents that bathed and soothed him at this time of day- the lingering scent of the night.

As he padded through the town, his nose caught the scent of another cat and his ears perked when he heard her voice calling to him. Misto cast his amber eyes in the stranger’s direction. She was a tan-colored cat with striking light blue eyes. Misto couldn’t recall a time in his life in which he encountered another cat with eyes like hers. He was entranced by their color for a moment, curiously registering them into his memory when he mewed his reply his a friendly grin, “hello to you as well.”

He padded closer to the she-cat before sitting a fair distance away, not really sure how close was ‘too close’ for her taste. He blinked and smiled, “good ‘morrow to you, fair lady.” His nose and whiskers twitched as the smell of her freshly caught prey wafted past his nostrils. He glanced at it longingly- none of his family members were very good hunters and they were living on a rather poor diet in the meantime. They were lucky if they caught a squirrel- it could feed a good number of the younger family members on its own. At the moment, his diet consisted of whatever they could get their paws on from the ocean and anything that they may be able to purchase with the schillings they managed to obtain for their dancing, music, and fortune telling.

“Lovely catch you have there,” he said, pointing to the squirrel with his tail and nodding his head slightly.

[Howlkitty]

With a blink of her eyes Riven sat down as well, wrapping her tail around her paws - she, for sure, was up for a chat or a longer conversation. "A good morning it is indeed," She grinned a little, her eyes set on the toms'. "Fair lady?" She chuckled, "Feel free to call me Riven," The she-cat meowed a short introduction.

Riven couldn't help but notice the longing look the tom gave her squirrel - she knew that there were many families of cats that weren't so rich - just like herself. But she at least knew how to hunt and survive into the wild - thanks to her fathers' teachings. "If you're willing, we could split it," She suggested; the she-cat usually sold her prey at a tavern or the merchant market; but this cat certainly needed it more than she herself.

[icyreflections]

“Riven,” Misto purred with a grin. He dipped his head respectfully and did a small, curt bow. “You may call me Misto~ it is a pleasure to meet your acquaintence, my dear.” He dropped to four legs and then sat before her. He blinked his amber eyes and, looking quietly at the squirrel once again, he asked, “so have you been hunting long? You seem to have an excellent technique.” He silently admired the way the squirrel’s body seemed undamaged or unharmed by the killing blow. He deduced that Riven was very skilled with a bow and a respect for her abilities bubbled within him. He never really learn to hunt, he didn’t have the time or the means to learn really. The concept always mystified him though- as much as he loved the plants and animals of the forest- he wished he knew at least some techniques to take care of himself should he get lost in the forest one day.

Upon being offered some of the squirrel, Misto’s eyes grew wide. “What?” he blurted, looking down at the prey. It was a clean kill and would have probably sold for a good amount of money. How could Misto possibly take away this cat’s livelihood? It wasn’t her fault that is family could hardly afford to eat. Of course, growing up as a gypsy, he was often told by his relatives to take what he could get. If this cat was offering him a bit of her squirrel he should take it.

He looked at Riven, shaken by her generosity but his voice was exceedingly cheerful and did not allude to his state of shock. “Thank you ever so much, my dear Riven!” He suddenly felt as light as a feather and full of energy. He jumped to his feet and did a cartwheel, a pleased purr growing louder and louder from his vocal chords. He dashed over to her, not worrying about the trivial issue of personal space any longer and shook her front right paw enthusiastically. “You have no idea how much this mean to me, my dear, my generous, fearless, talented lady.” His smiled grew as he decided how to repay her for the prey, “I am a performer around these parts- you are more than welcome to visit my family’s caravan on the beach.” He let go of her paw and straightened up, he stretched his back vertebrae tall and stood on his tip-toes with his right front paw folded over his chest as he mewed proudly, “I play the violin for my lovely sisters and cousins to stun the passer-byers with their marvelous dances. You can come and watch or listen or join in anytime. Or if you’d like, I could give you a reading.” He winked as he reached for his deck of playing cards that were stashed within the folds of his maroon belt.

“I also do magic tricks,” he said picking one card off the top of the deck in his free paw. He showed Riven the jack of clubs and quickly turned it towards him and then back to her. Soon, the seven of spades took the place of the previous card. Misto tucked it back into the pile and grinned. “Thank you again,” he mewed, more subdued and controlled this time.

[Howlkitty]

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Misto," Riven meowed, returning a smile. "Why, thank-you!" The she-cat seemed happily surprised - not a lot of cats actually admired her hunting skills - all most of them did was buy the prey she offered at the merchant market - and though it had always been enough for her, it was still nice that somebody actually seemed to admire it. "Years of practice is what it takes to learn how to hunt properly. I was taught by my father," She responded. It was true - her father had once been an excellent hunter, before he reached the age of an elder and was forced to stay at home - but he had never traveled as far into the lands of the humans as Riven herself - quite reckless the she-cat was - some might even call her crazy. But the forests and kingdoms of Rithengar were filled with plenty of prey.

Riven blinked at Misto's surprise at her offer. Actually, she herself was surprised by her own kindness - if she wasn't in the right mood, she most probably wouldn't have been so nice - not even close to the cat Riven was right now. "You're very welcome, I'm glad to help," She voiced with a small laugh as the tom shook her hand so enthusiastically. She reached for her knife that was attached to the belt she was wearing - and carefully split the piece of prey, attempting to spill as little blood as possible.

Listening with interest to Misto's words, Riven's curiosity slowly grew - she loved music and some good performance, though the lack of shillings or time often prevented her from affording such things. "I'd be more than glad to visit your family's caravan and see a performance of yours," She meowed with a grin, then letting her eyes grow wide with curiosity at the mention of magic tricks. She straightened up and carefully watched the card trick. As the tom finished, Riven clapped her paws a couple of times. "That was great!" She voiced - the she-cat didn't have the chance to see cats do card tricks that often - and all kinds of magic seemed interesting to her, for she wasn't that educated in the magic stuff and knew just a single barrier spell the Elite wanderer had taught her once. "No problem," She finally smiled and handed him the half of the squirrel.

[icyreflections]

Misto reached out a white paw and gratefully accept the offered piece of fresh kill. He clenched his share and looked around his personal effects and was suddenly aware he lacked a proper items bag. He looked back up at Riven and winced slightly with a tiny, uncertain grin parting his lips. He hoped she wouldn’t be offended if he placed the kill on the ground for a moment, until the two were ready to depart from their conversation. He really didn’t want to stand around, holding onto a bloody squirrel- which incidentally, was soaking into his paw’s white fur and staining it a brilliant shade of scarlet.

Motioning with his eyes his regrets in the event of offending the she-cat and trying to somehow communicate to her that he was indeed grateful for her offer, he slowly bent down and carefully placed the prey at his feet. He stood up straighter, looked at it and then turned his attention back to Riven.

“Sorry about that,” he mewed with a nervous chuckle and rubbing the back of his dark-colored head and his ears twitched under the she-cat’s gaze. “No pockets, I’m afraid. Don’t worry, though, it is going to a good home.” He grinned and his paw dropped from his head to his side once more.

By now the sun had risen and the dawn’s colors were fading from pink and orange to a brilliant sky blue. Soon, the village would be busy with cats going to work or doing other necessary errands. He was glad to hear that Riven enjoyed his magic trick and was looking forward to the prospect of seeing her again when he was actually performing for gold- although, he wouldn’t press her to pay him. Being a poor gypsy, he had to take what he could get and most of the time, his family didn’t receive many donations for their talents.

“There are plenty more where that came from,” Misto said in reference to his magic tricks, puffing his chest out slightly with pride. “I taught them all to myself- mum never seemed to think I could do more than play the background music for the dancers.” He shrugged, “I always liked magic- I often asked mum about it but she always shushed me up and insisted talk of that sort would bring us bad luck. So I learned how to do simple tricks, nothing as impressive as casting a fireball or stopping time or anything like that. The audience seemed to like it, so mum couldn’t object to me teaching myself.” His whiskers twitched with a mischievous sort of amusement.

“It must have been nice,” he reflected after a brief pause. “You’re father teaching you to do something as important as hunting. He must have been a wonderful teacher- or you were an exquisite student.” He smiled, looking at her. “He must have been very proud of you.” He briefly thought of his grandfather teaching his to play the violin, but he pushed this thought away. His grandfather didn’t live very long after Misto actually learned to play the instrument well. Though he knew his grandfather was proud of him, he never really got the chance to bask in the warmth that was his teacher’s pride. Shortly after that he turned to trying to learn magic but his mother was so skeptical that she turned her back to him whenever he asked questions about the subject or tried to show her a trick. Misto never really had a mentor to look up to and the thought of having one seemed pleasant to him.

[Howlkitty]

Riven felt greatly embarrassed by the situation - the she-cat hadn't thought of all the blood that was the cause of her cutting skills. Since she was the kind of cat you can't just easily offend - if you even can - she shook her head a little at his words. "I should be the one to apologize. Didn't think 'bout the blood, eh," Riven meowed, grinning sheepishly - she surely was ashamed of all the mess she'd caused.

"All by yourself? That's impressive." The she-cat blinked - she wouldn't have ever learned how to hunt or do anything else useful, if not her father's teachings - if she would've tried herself, Riven would've just probably get lost in the forest, for she once used to have a really bad sense of direction. "Magic indeed is a great thing," Riven agreed with a nod, "I'm very fond of all things related of magic." She indeed was - sometimes the she-cat peeked out of her window to glance at the road next to her home - she lived fairly close to the Witches Hollow, so there was a possibility of meeting many strange cats - witches, assassins, and unfortunately thieves as well - although if a thief decided to invade her house, Riven was quite sure she could take care of it.

"My father was an excellent teacher - not sure if I was a particularly good student, but an enthusiastic one for sure." She voiced with a chuckle. At the mention of her father, the she-cat's eyes darkened a little - the cause of it was most probably the fact that her father was old, and spent most of his time at home, grieving over his lost mate and the sibling of Riven's that had died of an unknown cause.

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[icyreflections]

“I think mum is unsettled about it,” Misto began thoughtfully, “what with all this chatter about witches and what have you.” He lifted his chin and his eyes stared out into the distance at nothing in particular as he thought about fables of witches dancing in the woods and throwing toads into cauldrons and summoning dark magic to torture innocent cats that strayed too far onto their territory. Misto never really believed that witches were all like that but they made interesting stories that stuck with him since he was a kit. He often marched into the Witches’ Wood with his sisters and cousins and never saw anything- although, they were all a little weary and careful not to really go looking for a witch; no one wanted to admit how uneasy they were about witches. Of course, Misto was different from the others in that, he always silently wished to meet one- just to see what a witch looked like and what kind of powers she had. He was often told he was foolish due to this secret longing and learned to eventually keep his thoughts to himself- he got tired of hearing how much younger he was and thus was unable to think rationally.

“You know, there are rumors that my grandmother was a witch,” he prompted suddenly. “I never got to meet her and mother always denies it. I wish I could have met her all the same,” he said glumly. “It would have been neat to learn a few spells from her rather than settling for these trivial tricks and illusions.” In Misto’s mind, his card tricks were ‘fake magic’- they didn’t require any sort of energy or real training… Just the slight of hand and a little practice. He would have given anything to have had a magical mentor. Once he thought his mother might have possessed some white magic abilities for he saw her heal a wounded rabbit that he found in the woods and wanted to keep for a pet. When he asked her to teach him, she claimed she had no idea what he was talking about and dropped the matter completely.

“Oh well,” Misto sighed after a moment’s pause. “Maybe one day I will be able to pick up something on our travels. It would make quite an act.”

He grinned as Riven began to describe the lessons she shared with her father. “Grandfather used to say that enthusiastic students were the best kind. Even if they weren’t really that talented- they at least had spirit~” He was warmed inside to think of his grandfather, he was the only cat to really take him seriously when he was growing up. Everyone else treated him like a kit because he was the youngest. His grandfather was the first cat to teach him how to contribute to their act so he could help his family make a living. He cast a sideways glance over to Riven and noted her darkened expression. He suddenly felt a twinge of sadness as he realized that her father was probably no longer in her life- she either traveled far away from him or he sadly passed away. He took a moment to silently reflect upon this by mewing softly, “they both seem very similar- my grandfather was a great cat. I miss him everyday.”

Then, after a brief pause he tried to lighten the mood.

“It looks like it going to be a glorious day,” he looked up at the blue sky and then to the road, which was now awakening as cats emerged from their homes. “But I suppose I should let you go enjoy it- can’t be chatting your ears off all day can I?” He laughed a good natured laugh and picked up his piece of fresh kill.

[Howlkitty]

The she-cat pricked her ears in interest as the tom mentioned that his grandmother had been a witch. "Interesting indeed." She muttetered, while her thoughts trailed off to the day she'd met the Elite she-cat in the woods. She doubted that the she-cat would've wanted her telling everybody about it, but hey, a long time had passed since they last met.

"Yeah, definitely." The she-cat agreed with a small nod. "I once met a cat in the woods," She spoke with a thoughtful expression, her eyes set on the sky above their heads. "She wasn't a witch, though possessed some magical abilities," Riven continued with the same thoughtful expression upon her features. "It was a long time ago, though." She finished and glanced back at Misto with a small grin.

"Yeah.. it's okay, though - my father's still here." She spoke with a shrug. "I'm sorry for your grandfather, though. He indeed sounds like a great cat."

Standing up, the she-cat gave her pelt a small shake. "Oh yeah - got work ta' do." Riven had completely forgotten about her plans today - she had planned to attempt to cook some food with the ingredients she bought the other day at market with Zahara. "Was nice chattin' with you, though." She voiced with a grin.