here i am [apprentice thread]

[D a R K - R a H]

Her brown pelt had darkened slightly. It was richer now, resembling her dead father further. Her kit-stripes were almost completely hidden now. Cometpaw saw noted it with a hint of anger. The stripes had been one of her few-remaining links to her mother. When she was younger, the she-cat had boasted pridefully that she took heavily after her father, but now she wished it wasn't so. Raccoonpelt hadn't been dead very long. The queen had never been very close to her daughter, and Cometpaw now regretted that.

A sigh escaped the thin brown apprentice. She rested just outside the apprentices' den, her sharp amber eyes locked on her paws. Once again, she couldn't help but feel utterly alone. Her littermate Bearpaw was the lucky one of their litter. Sure, he was blind in one eye and a slow learner because of it, but he still had friends. Young Dreampaw whined to her mentor to go hunting with the tabby tom just about every day. And Bearpaw's mentor, Brownspot, saw to it that they spent time together often as well. Phantomsun, Cometpaw's mentor, was the deputy, and therefore often busy. Don't forget Hawkshadow, she thought to herself. The deputy, Cometpaw believed, spent more time with her mate than her apprentice. Such an observation could have been easily wrong, but the young apprentice was so washed in self-pity to see otherwise.

Cometpaw was like two completely different cats in one. Quite often, she was very bosy and arrogant, but there were other times when she'd stay off on her own, not wanting to be around her denmates out of her declining self-confidence. The two sides of her hated eachother. Cometpaw hated when she moped about, and yet she still hated when she bossed the other apprentices around, even older Rootpaw.

Raising her eyes, the young she-cat wondered if her denmates would wake soon. It was still early morning, the sun rising overhead. She felt certain that Waterpaw and Dreampaw would spend another day being pampered by their medicine cat "uncle," and Cinderpaw would spend another day whimpering on his brother's grave. She let out a small snort, her arrogant side taking over once more. Moping or not, at least she hadn't sunk that low...

[__ S K Y E]

The best portion of a good man's life -
his little, nameless, unremembered
acts of kindness and love.

___ The young apprentice padded back into camp, an eased and content smile playing across his face. The wind brushed his coat softly as the sun shone brightly down on his small frame, making him glow like the morning sun and breathing in the crisp morning air, all weariness from a few moments beforehand gone. Yet again Cinderpaw had woken up early - not because he had to, mind you, but rather because he had felt rather restless lately - and had a sudden feeling of nostalgia overcome him. Perhaps it had been the foggy dream from the night prior, one that he could barely remember with the exception of the clear sound of brilliant laughter, bright smiles and happy memories, that did it.

His first thought had been, Was I dreaming of Talonpaw again? and without thinking much, stepped out of the den with the thoughts of finding his brother's grave. Having successfuly side-stepped any other balls of fur that preoccupied his way, Cinderpaw rushed to Talonpaw once again. It had been early in the morning, before the sun had risen even, and now, padding back and feeling fresh, the young apprentice couldn't help but wonder where his mentor was. 'With Phantomsun probably', he couldn't help but think. It wasn't that he was bitter, or had formed any kind of grudge against the warrior -- but the small tabby probably though it because he hadn't been out training in quite some time and couldn't help but wonder if his mentor was unhappy with him. Was he letting his thoughts get the better of him and drowning in past memories? Come to think of it, he had been quite distracted lately and Hawkshadow must've noticed.

Sighing sadly at this realization, the normally bouncy apprentice padded into camp in somewhat of a sulky mood and slumped [with a 'poof'] into a soft pile of leaves just across from the den, vivid green eyes closing tiredly -- even if just a few moments ago he seemed quite lively, the young apprentice felt suddenly exhausted, but then again, waking up early to talk to Talonpaw took up most of his time and energy -- seeing as it was pretty far away from camp. Talk to Talonpaw, you're thinking, wait isn't he dead? The nine-moon old apprentice didn't have anyone to talk to - he was either angry at them for not remembering the beloved Talonpaw or they were angry at him for thinking to much of him. Northwind and Tallstone were concerned for their son, of course, but thought it was best to leave him be -- he was intelligent and would be able to pick himself up easily if he took the time to notice it.

They didn't do anything and he certainly couldn't talk to them about the strange things happening in his life. Just yesterday Hawkshadow had caught him staring into thin air and flushing as he realized it, Cinderpaw had been thinking of a she-cat. The growing affections that he had begun to feel for the fellow apprentices were rather bothersome because they interfered with his training and as modest as he was, the young apprentice still had that fiery ambition to be better than his brother - live for his brother, maybe.

Rolling around in the makeshift nest, eyes still closed, he let out a soft sigh and breathed softly, a poof of air escaping his nimble frame. Not everything was so bad -- today he had grown a little. Knowing that he was shorter than most of his den mates, lankier and certainly unfit, he measured his height with a tree bark each day and this morning, when he passed it, he nearly smacked into it head first where as he could pass easily under it before. His eyes blinked lazily open and a goofy smile on his face, his thoughts began to wander once more when he realized something.

His vivid green eyes suddenly met sharp amber ones.

Shoot!, he cursed and stumbled to his paws once he realized that he wasn't the only one awake at this hour. Sure, he had waltzed carelessly into camp and hadn't thought about who was in or not -- but geeze, it was freaking early in the morning! What was Cometpaw doing while everyone was sleeping? Was she a lunatic?

" Uhm, " he mumbled as he tried to retain his composure and heart still beating rapidly for an unknown reason, the young cat began to lick his ruffled fur down -- wanting to look presentable. Sure, Cometpaw wasn't exactly the number one cat he wanted to be around since they quarreled often and her arrogant attitude annoyed him quite a lot, but he was humble and had some self-pride. " What are you doing awake?", he asked in a soft, though slightly akward, voice and he grinned, though forcibly as a paw reached behind his head.

After all, everyone in the clan knew that they dislike - even hated - each other.

comments;; my first post.
status;; fini
word count;; 827

[/blockquote][/color][/blockquote]

[Raven-chan]

It was early in the morning, far too early in Rootpaw's opinion. He never had been one for springing wake and starting in on life's adventures. Then again, he never was very adventuresome. Not yet, anyways. He hadn't slept well last night- (he never did)- but he shook his small head slightly, trying to bring wakefulness. He was awake, and wouldn't fall back asleep any time soon.

Still curled up in his nest, Rootpaw blinked his ice blue eyes, twitching his tail behind him. He finally sat up, Flower's urging annoying him. She was bouncing around him, her blue eyes excited for the day.

"Awww, Flower." He muttered, his tabby pelt ruffled and out of place from sleep that had been less than helpful. His sleek, gray and white body stretched luxuriously, unsettling itself from the warmth of the nest he had just vacated. Quietly slipping out of the den, the once-fluffy now almost sleek tom realized that Cometpaw and Cinderpaw were close. He shuffled his paws awkwardly, wondering whether to leave or not. Flower had giggled her way out of camp, totally unhelpful, as usual. Sighing, Rootpaw sat down, licking his paw in an effort to brush down his fluffed fur.

[Fang]

My how time passed...

Waterpaw reflected on this as she lie awake in her nest. It seemed rather empty in the apprentices' den for such an early hour of the day. But, then again, Waterpaw was never up this early. Until that day, of course. She had had a terrible nightmare, of being caught by twolegs and being thrown into a dark, pit-like cage away from any source of light. And the worst part was that in that nightmare she would never see her family again.

Or, at least the family that remained. She hardly saw her sisters anymore, and her beloved father... He all but disappeared from RavineClan. Was he alive even? Waterpaw didn't want to speculate.

She did remember a story he had told her one time, when she was barely old enough to remember. He had been captured by rogues and was thought to be dead. Maybe that happened again. It was wishful thinking, though, and Waterpaw knew it.

Waterpaw had grown into quite the intelligent she-cat and was a fast learner for her mentor, but she had also grown cold. She often insulted her clanmates, out of habit and without even realizing it sometimes, while in the middle of conversations. Her motivation for training had all but dried up over the past few weeks. Was she a terrible apprentice? Maybe. Maybe on her bad days she was...

And today was a bad day. Waterpaw could sense it. Today was a bad day, so she'd just get it over with. Forcing herself to her paws, she slipped out of the den. Ignoring the other apprentices that were up, which she had already predicted, she debated on her options of things to do at such an early time. She could eat, but quite thoroughly she had no appetite this soon in the day. With a noise halfway between a groan and a sigh, she decided to engage in a conversation with the others that were awake. Better than nothing, she supposed.

Pretty much dragging her feet, she approached the others, her ears tipped downwards to show her distaste. "Good morning," she meowed, painfully uninthusiastic. She hesitated to sit, for she didn't want to seem too interested in the happenings in that general area. "What's..." she paused to sigh lightly, "...going on?"

[Wazo]

Bearpaw stirred from his nest at the sound of voices, his ears pricking slightly. What he lacked in seeing, he made up for with sharp hearing. Still, it was sometimes hard to rest in the apprentice's den. It was brimming full with cats right about now and often it was hard to fall asleep. Brownspot must have noticed that occasionally Bearpaw could hardly keep his eyes open, which probably hindered his already slow learning because of his handicapped sight. Still, Brownspot was an extremely patient mentor and Bearpaw was lucky to have him.

He shifted his weight slightly, yawning to reveal pearly white teeth, and he flattened his long gray fur with a large paw. He turned his lime green eyes towards Cometpaw, Cinderpaw, and Waterpaw and braced himself for a fight. Tempers seemed to be on edge lately and Cometpaw was looking for a fight more then ever. He realized that their mother's death must have hit her harder then she was letting on. Bearpaw had loved his mother, but her distance had fostered in him a sense of independence and he was used to looking after himself. Besides, Brownspot treated him better then his mother did and Bearpaw was started to regard him as more of a father figure. Cometpaw was the only family he had left and she seemed to often lose her temper at him. He took it in stride, her sometimes harsh words never beating him down. Perhaps she was jealous of him or embarassed to have a handicapped brother. But he didn't think he would ever know why.

He stretched in his nest and padded over to the others, sitting down without saying a word. That's usually how he was. Quiet, the listener, not really offering his own opinions unless asked for them or goaded into it. It seemed only Dreampaw understood his quiet patience and rational. She actually liked spending time with him, unlike so many of the others easily frustrated with his laborious movement. He shook himself out of his thougts and proceeded to listen to the conversation.

[D a R K - R a H]

She was starting to feel sure that StarClan had something against her... She was snubbed by everyone and everything! None of the warriors were good friends with her, not even her own mentor, and yet half the other apprentices were very good friends with Brownspot, Gryffinwing, or Hawkshadow. Hell, Waterpaw and her sisters were practically the medicine cat's god-kits. Everyone knew Silverhawk showed them an obvious amount of attention. Cometpaw didn't even have any friends amongst her denmates. Waterpaw didn't seem too bad, but she was younger than Cometpaw and still had her sisters to play about with. Cometpaw's brother was more Dreampaw's sibling than her own. But that wasn't all; oh, no. Then there was Cinderpaw.

Not only had Cinderpaw had a pretty awesome brother and respected parents, the entire clan paid attention to him. They all worried and fussed over him, acting as if he could just drop dead at any moment. Cometpaw had lost her dad, her mum too now, but you didn't see anyone glancing at her worriedly (or even Bearpaw, for that matter). Even six-moon-olds Waterpaw and Dreampaw had lost their mother Darkrain. But whimpy Cinderpaw was the only one with the entire clan tending his wounds. Cometpaw couldn't help but frown as she thought of her own mentor sighing in a soft concern at the sight of the young tom "sneaking" off to sob on his brother's grave. His life seems easy to me, the brown she-cat thought to herself. Much easier than mine...

Shifting her chin on her paws, she blinked in surprise, finding her gaze lock with the green gaze of another. Just my luck! Trying not to jump in surprise or give any sign that she hadn't known he was there, Cometpaw pulled herself up into sitting position, her sharp eyes flashing darkly at the smaller apprentice. His stripes are still visible. The thought popped into her head. And she looked away with a small snort. The site of any of the clan's four tabby apprentices made Cometpaw wince inwardly. Bearpaw was still very much covered in their mother's stripes.

"What are you doing awake?"

She looked back over at him. There was a goofy grin on his face, completely opposite of Cometpaw's current state of mind. For a split second, she froze, a surprised look covering her face. There was actually a smile on his face... and he was looking at her. No one ever smiled at Cometpaw anymore (or so she saw it). Phantomsun was too busy flashing flirty smiles back towards Hawkshadow, and Dreampaw was giggling with Bearpaw. Everyone took one look at the brown she-cat and didn't spare another. They passed their eyes right over her, never sure what to say to her, so they never said anything. Cinderpaw was one of few who'd actually look her in the eyes. And that was only to argue with her. But this was different. His awkward grin was actually directed at her! Her look of surprise was gone again so fast it would be difficult to tell if it had ever really been there.

"I could ask you the same thing," she said, but paused, thinking of something better to say. "What's it any of your bussiness?"

Great! she yelled at herself. Someone actually smiles at you, but you just snap in return... She was furious at herself inside. Perhaps she would have said something else to him, but then three other RavineClan apprentices decided to make their morning appearances. Rootpaw came first, giving them little attention. Waterpaw came next, looking still half asleep. Cometpaw resisted the urge to wince as she saw how much the spotted apprentice looked like her father. Why did everyone have to look like their parents?! Bearpaw came last, looking at them as if he actually expected them to start rowing at that time of morning...

Frowning down at her paws, Cometpaw purposely tried to make herself disappear. It probably didn't work, because she didn't hear any of the others leaving...

[__ S K Y E]

The best portion of a good man's life -
his little, nameless, unremembered
acts of kindness and love.

___ It wasn't completly true though -- the 'it' referring to the rumors that the two cats, Cometpaw and Cinderpaw, utterly despised each other. Well, actually, if the bracken-colored apprentice were to be completly truthful with himself, it was more a one-sided hatred than anything else. It was easy to see how much Cometpaw despised him, or perhaps was annoyed by him might've been a better way to describe her feelings, but even if the older by-one-moon she-cat wasn't exactly his favorite cat, he wouldn't go as far as to say he hated her.

The reason being, despite the fact that they would constantly throw harsh jibes at each other with the purpose of injuring the other's feelings, that the soft-hearted tom didn't understand the concept of hatred very well -- meaning that he didn't know how to hate either. He knew that the act of loathing another was a very strong feeling indeed; but then again, so was the act of loving and for some reason, he was sure that those two emotions didn't exactly compliment each other.

Cinderpaw blinked tiredly, fighting back the yawn and the exhaustion that clung to his pelt like the leaves in early leaf-fall, as he waited for her answer, his grin fading into a quiet smile. Ivy pools turned away from the brown she-cat, once realizing that she was probably ignoring him since his entrance had been so clumsy and pathetic that she didn't dare use the amount of energy needed to respond, and lifted his gaze up towards the sky, the cloudy-blue sky reflecting in his green pools. Breathing out softly as the wind brushed against his coat, soft leavves swirling around his ivory paws, the young apprentice turned his sparkling hazel gaze towards Cometpaw -- this time intentionally meeting her shocking amber gaze with his own.

Why didn't he like her, anyway? From what others said, she seemed like a fairly nice cat and, even though he wouldn't say it to her face anytime soon, she was quite pretty. A cogitative expression crossed lean features, eyebrows furrowed deep in thought, as he reflected on the idea. Suddenly she spoke, much to his surprise, and he couldn't help from twitching his whiskers in amusement [or perhaps it was content that he had finally beaten her, but he wouldn't sink himself that low and say it to her face] at the rememberence of the shocked look that crossed her face a few moments before.

As the meaning of the syllables reached him, he stiffened and shoulders tense, he clenched his jaw in frustration. The tabby tom felt the familiar feeling of agitation, mingled with rumbling anger, ripple through him like the beginnings of an earthquake and he sharply turned, not wanting to give into her snappish retort with one of his own this early in the morning, as he tried to compose himself. The calm, though slightly awkward, feelings that had surrounded them moments before suddenly vanished like a foggy mist and was replaced with a tense, indignant emotion that would doubtlessly be the start of another fight. If he wasn't so preoccupied in controlling his boiling annoyance and anger [that was directed at her jibe, or maybe her ignorance of her words], he would've groaned in frustration. 'Not so early in the morning!'

He clawed the dirt to try to vent his growing anger and after a while, the fiery light in his eyes seemed to dim to a subdued green. Letting out a soft sigh of relief, not really wanting to start a row in the morning, he finally calmed down -- although, he didn't turn around for he was still fearful that the moment Cometpaw said something again, he would yell at her and start another argument that she would, no doubt respond just as fiercely to. Most of the time he had fun arguing with her and found it positively joyful to poke fun at the usually arrogant she-cat, but he knew when to stop -- that is, most of the time. When she riled his anger, bringing up his sorest spot, not even the wrath of StarClan would be able to help himself calm down even if a part of him still wanted to for the sake of his clan-mates. They had suffered so much already and they didn't deserve it anymore.

Turning slowly around, his hazel eyes reflected the mental exhaustion that stabbed him like a thorn, Cinderpaw forced a wry smile at her and took a deep breath as he opened his mouth to speak, but then suddenly hesitated. He had suspected that when he watched her again, the flaring anger would suddenly spark and he would feel the irresistible urge to respond with some nasty jibe again, but - strangely enough - he didn't. His eyes softened as he watched her struggle, probably yelling at herself mentally for a reason that didn't concern him after she tuned him out, and a subdued smile crossed his face. "Cometpaw, " he murmured softly, feeling terribly guilty as he watched her try to make herself vanish.

Flicking his ears, the young apprentice realized that they weren't the only two cats in camp anymore and flushed noticeably, his green eyes shifting quickly to observe the cats around him. First was Rootpaw, who had followed soon after a giggling she-cat, and seemed somewhat unhappy as he tried to clean his ruffled fur. Waterpaw wasn't too far off, still holding that striking resemblance to her father, and the tabby tom smiled brightly, green eyes sparkling with barely-contained amusement at her half-woken up state.

His eyes finally flickered over to one-eyed Bearpaw, the brother of the very cat that seemed to hate Cinderpaw's guts and guilt clawed his belly as the tabby apprentice realized that the labored tom might have blamed young Cinderpaw for making Cometpaw so riled up and angry in the morning. Bearpaw was okay, and the bracken-colored tom was one of the few cats that wasn't annoyed by his slow movements, but Cinderpaw didn't spend all that much time with the tom since it was quite likely that the older tom might just as well hate him as much as Cometpaw did.

He cleared his throats, trying to free the awkwardness that trapped the four like a bear in a cage, and flashed a bright, easy-going smile towards all three of them, ears flicking happily as he acknowledged all of them. " Nothing, " he responded to Waterpaw's question and finally turned his gaze to Cometpaw, unknowingly letting a soft look enter his eyes again, as he let out a dramatic sigh. " I think I may have just upset a grumpy Cometpaw, though, by asking why she's awake at this hour, " he mewed and his eyes twinkled as he forced a serious look on his face.

" Do you think I've annoyed her into submission? " he asked hopefully and pranced over the the brown she-cat, a wide smile on his face as he tried to hold his laughter, to prod her uncertainly in the chest.


comments;; sorry for the lateness. eew. D;
status;; fini
word count;; 1179

[/blockquote][/color][/blockquote]

[Raven-chan]

It was definately going to be a long morning. Why was it that his mornings were always insufferably long? Come to think about it, nights were intensely annoying as well. Afternoons and evenings weren't much better. Wasn't there a time when Rootpaw enjoyed being...alive? When was it? When did it start, when did it end? Rootpaw had no answers to any of these questions. All he knew was the fact that now, in this moment, he was unexcusably shy.

Weird. Around Flower he was so free, so outgoing...then again, Flower was imaginary, so it wasn't all that hard for him to be himself around her. Sighing, the older apprentice watched Cinderpaw's antics with a small, crooked, almost becoming smile. In nearly a fraction of a second, it was gone.

How could Cinderpaw do it? Oddly enough, Rootpaw admired the other tom. So easy-going, so carefree...Rootpaw wondered if it was a ruse. He knew that Cinderpaw harbored bitterness and sorrow over his brother's death, but how could he cover it up so easily? Especially with a bully like Cometpaw?

That thought led Rootpaw to another question- why did he let Cometpaw bully him around all the time? Because he was a wimp, that's why. A mental sigh ocurred. He was so small, so weak, and so timid of spirit. Why was that? He didn't know. The gray and white tabby tom looked around briefly, his bright blue eyes sparkling intelligence and grace, until they were overshadowed by that timidity that always lingered.

His tail twitched languidly behind him, his ears flicked back and forth. He couldn't help but smiling again, a little bit bigger, casting his unusal features and coloring into a handsome appearance. His pelt ruffled a little as he twitched some of his muscles, easing the sleep out of them, getting them ready for another day. Doing what? He had no clue.

Then it hit him; surviving. Every day was a new battle, a new trial, a new beginning. But today, this morning, he shoved the grim thought away, and just smiled at Cinderpaw's ridiculous yet appealing antics. A new thought ran around in circles, chasing him, taunting him in his mind, where he couldn't escape from it. Why can't I be more like him, like them? Why can't I be more normal?

[__ S K Y E]

[bumps. <3 ]

[D a R K - R a H]

))Sorreh, Wazo & Fang, but I'm gonna skip you for now. Bearpaw wasn't responding to anyone yet anyways, so you can throw him after anyone.((

Her sharp amber eyes twitched upward, not watching his face, but more so his forepaws and lower chest. Her pointed ears were still pointed slightly backwards. Her heart quickened for a moment, expecting a sharp remark in response. Was that what she wanted? The awkward pause to go away, filled instead with angry voices? Somewhere deep in her, she knew the answer: no. She was tired of being angry, almost as much as she was tired of feeling sorry for herself. Cometpaw was tired of thinking about herself, even. It was so much easier to just live in the day, not every doubting herself. In that way, she envied Dreampaw and the other young apprentices, who seemed to see little beyond their training. She let out a small, almost-unheard sigh, bracing herself for Cinderpaw's sharp reply.

His shoulders tensed. Yep, here it comes. Without glancing up, she knew his eyes would be darkened with anger and frustration. His claws slid out and sank into the dirt. A strange sort of disappointment sank into the brown she-cat once more-- the same she'd felt right after speaking. Whatever possibility there had been, it was gone now. Perhaps he'd snap about how rude she was, or how she never said nice things. Maybe he'd huff angrily and not say anything. Or, worse yet, maybe he go to the other apprentices and ask them to go hunting with him-- without her. Cometpaw felt she couldn't stand spending another day all alone. RavineClan didn't have any elders right then, but that didn't mean that Phantomsun wouldn't have her off on some stupid petty task so she could sit and chat with Rainstar or go hunting with her precious mate. Even spending time with Bearpaw would be better than hunting alone [which she technically wasn't supposed to do].

Glancing back up at his shoulders, Cometpaw was surprised to find he still hadn't said anything. She blinked lightly as his shoulders fell back into their usual position. He wasn't going to say anything? She had thought she'd be glad, grateful even, but... she wasn't. Her gaze lowered back to her paws, a curious expression on her face. Why wouldn't she be happy that he wasn't saying anything to her? Wasn't it a good thing that they were arguing once more, especially at that horrible time of morning? In all her confusion, Cometpaw felt herself thinking, Just say anything! Suddenly, she understood. Even if his words were angry, speaking meant he was at least looking at her. It was at least companionship. A frown bent her face. Would it be awkward if she talked to him? Cometpaw felt she might do anything for company, if at least for a little while.

"Cometpaw..."

His voice surprised her. Her amber eyes were openly shocked. Sure, he had spoken, but it wasn't at all as she had expected. His voice wasn't sharp or angry, and his words weren't hurtful or frustrated. In fact, he even sounded kind of sad or guilty. What's he done wrong? she wondered suddenly. A flash of guilt struck her as well. I always talk to him like he's done something wrong. Surely he didn't actually take her words to heart! Cinderpaw could be clueless and stupid at times, but he wasn't genuinely dumb. He had enough pride to have a better oppinion of himself than Cometpaw's words might make out, right? But there was something else in his words. Something that made Cometpaw's heart ache strangely. She didn't want to argue with him anymore. He knew pain as much as she did; why did that mean they had to fight? Wouldn't it be so much easier to be friends? He'll never wan't to be my friend... He was already kind of friends with the others, but her? She'd said rude things to him since they were in the nursery. Suddenly being kind to him would probably just scare him off.

Her thoughts off somewhere else, the young she-cat's golden eyes moved off to her other denmates. There was Rootpaw, the eldest apprentice and seemingly less skilled than six-moon-old Waterpaw. He was nearly fourteen moons old, but he showed no signs of nearing his ceremony. Treepaw hadn't been around lately, so Cometpaw had no idea if the white and tabby tom's sister faired the same. She had heard from Willowleaf that their father had once been Rootstripe, the deputy of BrookClan. Some of the warriors had spoken of the dead deputy before, too. Darkrain had mentioned him with a sense of respect. Apparently he had been a very great warrior. Then why were his kits lagging behind?

Then there was Waterpaw. She was indeed the spitting image of her father. Dreampaw looked somewhat like their mother, but there was no denying Waterpaw was Cheetahthorn's daughter. With the elderly tom missing more and more often, Cometpaw wondered how the younger apprentice was fairing. She had recently lost her mother, too, even if they had never been very close. The spotted apprentice's personality made her think that Waterpaw would grow into a strong fighter, while her sister seemed more destined for hunting or kits. [Indeed, Dreampaw certainly was soft and kind enough to be stuck in the nursery all the time.] Waterpaw's mentor was Rainstar; she would no doubt grow into a rank of power, as her father had held.

That left Bearpaw. It seemed to Cometpaw that he had grown stockier over the last few moons, perhaps following after his name. His movements were still stiff and slow and his training labored, but she had no doubt that her brother would someday become a respected warrior. He had made it so far with only one eye, after all. Rainstar had been wise in giving his training to Brownspot. The two would probably end up shaped similarly. Both also had similar personalities: fairly quiet and shut off, but still kind. Brownspot also seemed to have little sense of how slow his apprentice learned. The large warrior showed a strange sense of patience, repeating himself without raising his voice and gently instructing. Cometpaw imagined both her parents looking down her tabby brother, perhaps very proud of the improvements he was making.

Where did that leave Cometpaw? Her muscles had grown strong and sleek in her four moons of training. Her fur had taken on a soft sheen, looking very nearly full-grown. Her legs had grown longer, but her shoulders had never really filled out, leaving her fairly lithe and thin. She had recieved several minor wounds in her time training with Phantomsun, but all had faded away without scarring [perhaps thanks to Silverhawk's excellent healing skills]. But she had yet to find a true place in her clan. Although Phantomsun did pay her little attention, Cometpaw had made few attempts to change that. She didn't want to have to wait until she was made a warrior before really knowing her clanmates. I don't even know my denmates that well! A small frown filled her face, and she realized that her prediciment with Cinderpaw had been put to the back of her mind. An idea suddenly came to her. Perhaps two squirrels with one jump...

Without thinking the entire thing through, Cometpaw stood, stretching her long brown limbs. "The warriors won't be up for a while yet. Why not show them that true warriors get up with the dawn?" She took a few steps, slipping lightly past Cinderpaw. "We could go hunting and be back just as they're waking up." Her eyes flickered around to each of her denmates-- even Cinderpaw. In fact, her gazing lingered on him. "What about you, Cinderpaw? Going to wait for slow Hawkshadow to slink from his den?" Her words weren't much softer than before, but her eyes glinted with a strange sort of competitive playfulness. Her voice wasn't nearly so sharp, more teasing.

Her paws carried her towards the entrance to the camp, scarcely glancing back to see if anyone was following. Sure, it would be lonely out hunting alone, and Phantomsun would probably scold her, but at least she'd return with prey. Besides, the others would most likely follow, Cinderpaw at the very least.

[Raven-chan]

Rootpaw hesitated, his slender paws scuffling the dirt. He really wanted to go hunting, but he also knew that Cometpaw wasn't very fond of him. Truth be told, she probably hated his shy, wimpy guts. He wasn't all that popular. Sighing, Rootpaw stood, shaking out his limbs and jogging out of the camp. He didn't realize that his long strides carried him out of camp quicker than he thought, and soon, he was nearly caught up with Cometpaw. Opening his mouth for the scent of pray, he caught a whiff.

Weaving around the trees, and incidentally passing Cometpaw, (though he didn't realize this,) he heard a rustle in a low-branched tree. Hmmm...a bird of some sort. He crouched down, his tail held low, his ears perked for more sounds of movement. He was there, stock-still, alone. The bird's movement was louder, closer this time. Rootpaw didn't even flinch; around his mentor, his "friends," anybody really, he would have twitched, or moved, out of fear. But he didn't think that anybody was watching, so he wasn't racked by nerves.

The bird shot out of the tree, at a low height, and Rootpaw leapt upwards, his lanky paws outstretched, grabbing the bird easily within them and throwing it to the ground in one easy movement. He twisted in the air in order to land on the bird, claws extended, digging into its neck, his full weight and the sharpness of its claws killing it. Burying his prey quickly, Rootpaw continued on, not realizing that he had just made a superb catch.

A mouse darted across his path, and his paw shot out. He missed. Foxdung. He continued on, his ice blue eyes troubled. He hoped that nobody saw his miss. I'm terrible. I should just be a...a... He didn't even know what he could be, other than a lousy Warrior. Maybe an early Elder, or an honorary Kit for the rest of his life. (He still didn't realize that the bird catch was fabulous compared to the mouse-miss.)

Another scent wafted to his nose- that of Cometpaw. He wondered if she saw his terrible try at catching a mouse; he really hoped not. He missed his mother. Acutely. She had never mocked him, made fun of him, or anything. The memories of his mother were faint, but they were loving and true. Looking back, the striking yet shy tom-cat wondered if anybody had followed Cometpaw but him...surely Cinderpaw had, if only for the fact that he could outshine everybody else there. Another small and quiet sigh escaped Rootpaw.

[Wazo]

Bearpaw watched his sister leave the camp with his pale green eyes and breathed a sigh. She was always acting before she thought anything through and Bearpaw didn't even want to think about what would happen when her mentor found out. He proceeded to lift himself off the ground and brush off his gray striped coat to join her, when, to his utter surprise, Rootpaw followed her first! Shy Rootpaw, even quieter then him. Bearpaw had always been very patience and accepting of Rootpaw, after all, he understood what it was like to have cats frustrated with him too.

Bearpaw watched for a few more minutes when he made up his mind to follow them. Despite Cometpaw's irrationality, she was his sister, and he would never live it down if something happened to her when she was alone. He lumbered after them, following them out of the camp. He was painfully aware of his slow pace and he shot a look over his shoulder. He really should go tell Brownspot, but by the time he went all the way back, they would lose her. He turned back around and continued his laborious pace.

He didn't expect this to turn out well. He wished Dreampaw was up coming to join them. She seemed like his only friend here. Cometpaw, impatient and usually ignored him, Cinderpaw he knew so little about, Rootpaw was often lost in his own world and Waterpaw seemed cold towards him as well. Bearpaw flicked his tail in thought and finally caught the sight of his sister's rich brown pelt.

[__ S K Y E]

The best portion of a good man's life -
his little, nameless, unremembered
acts of kindness and love.

___ And if any cat would bother to look past his playful banter, eyes seemingly turned away from the she-cat that unknowingly captured his admiration and perhaps affection, they would see a different - a new - emotion enter his usually dancing emerald pools. It was far different from the hatred and fury that usually sparked his anger when faced with a situation about his dead brother that everyone failed to recognize. It was nothing like laughing, joyful gaze that he struck so many cat with on a daily basis, so far from the sparkling jade pools that seemed to abundant every single day that it - to cats like Cometpaw who hated him for it - would most likely seem anything but natural.

This new feeling - unrecognized by so many, including himself - was softer, kinder and gentler. He had watched her somewhat warmly, eyes still twinkling with mischief, to see what her response would be - torn between the eagerness to hear her sweet voice again and want nothing to do with her because of her harsh reply only moments before. He didn't know why, but he suddenly remembered the strong pang of guilt and something else hit him when she hadn't said anything to him -- as if she wanted nothing to do with him. He had always admired her, Cinderpaw would admit that, but it seemed that she always thought of him as something silly and stupid and perhaps worthless with the way he so often sulked over the death of his lost brother while wanting to surpass Talonpaw, now in StarClan, at the same time. In all honestly, even in the days when they spent frolicking in the nursery, he wanted to please her -- and this determination to do so even succeeded his own determination to hear Hawkshadow's seldom praise, gain his warrior name, or be better than Talonpaw had, to leave his own mark when he finally left.

Because even she, he could faintly recall, had been fond of Talonpaw. Hadn't she? And somehow that made him feel weird -- almost jealous, but that couldn't be right. Cinderpaw was never jealous; envious maybe, but never jealous.

" I - " he started upon hearing her voice, nearly sighing in relief that she wouldn't completly ignoring him. He had been waiting, just like her, for the snappish. angry, or annoyed voice that always seemed to erupt from her every time she spoke to him -- never laughing, never smiling, but always angry. It confused him, and hurt him to some degree, why she always treated him like he wasn't good enough; that he had always done something wrong -- and as to what it was, he didn't know. Her sweet scent filled him as she strode past, ever so lightly, and briefly blocked the young tabby's thoughts. What was wrong with him today?

" Of course not! " he meowed defensively when hearing her address him. Ignoring the strange feeling in his chest and the happiness that came with her simply signaling him out to say something, he huffed in slight anger at the mention of him being so obediant and lazy -- although, he couldn't help but admit the truth in his words. He was about voice a retort when he noticed the light twinkle in her eyes, softer though teasing, and he felt his ears go red with embarrassment, wondering why in the world of StarClan had he become so embarrassed? And why he always seemed uncomfortable, except when they were fighting [when he enjoyed the arguments flowing smoothly out without another thought], around her and not anyone else.

" I meant - " he started again, his voice softer and he turned away, throughly embarrassed now. Taking a deep breath, the young tom calmed himself and eyes sparkling with renewed energy, bounced to his paws. " Let's go! " he suddenly meowed, eyes dancing with eagerness as he ran past Cometpaw, unaware of the tinging sensation that came when his tabby pelt barely brushed her brown one, and followed both Bearpaw and Rootpaw into the forest. The young apprentice wasn't worried, either, about Waterpaw; if she didn't want to come, she didn't have to, but the attentive tom had a feeling that she would. Anyway, his mind was currently concentrated on the task at hand.

What was that? Pleasing her, of course.


comments;; yay! my turn. 8]
status;; fini
word count;; 733

[/blockquote][/color][/blockquote]

[D a R K - R a H]

Truth be told, she didn't really care if Rootpaw or Bearpaw followed her. Sure, she'd admit she needed to work on having a better relationship with her brother, and Rootpaw would be a warrior soon. But her ploy to get all of them out hunting was really only towards two purposes: A.) to get herself into the forest, where her strange looks and even stranger feelings could go unnoticed and B.) to have an excuse to spend a little more time around Cinderpaw. Of course, her reasons were a little less obvious as more cats came with them. A sudden heat rushed up her ears and face as she realized that her intelligent brother could probably already see through her plan. She cursed silently to herself, furious for not remember that, while she had the fighting skills in the family, he was still as [or more] intelligent than she was. She cast a glance back in his direction, grateful his usually-quiet nature would probably keep him silent. [Although she wouldn't be surprised if he took the time to tease her about it later.]

It was strange to think that, as close as all RavineClanners were, most of the siblings in the clan grew apart. Bearpaw and Cometpaw had never been close. Even in their youngest days, they had clashed like a pigen and a hawk. Dreampaw and Waterpaw were another example of littermates separated. Of the two, Dreampaw had always been very close to her mother, while Waterpaw had bonded instantly with their father. When both parents had slipped away, Dreampaw turned to their godfathers Brownspot and Silverhawk. Waterpaw, however, seemed to be trying to forge her own path. A small wave of pity rolled through Cometpaw's heart. She knew, if anything were truely wrong, Bearpaw had heart enough to stand beside his sister. She wondered if Dreampaw would even notice her sisters problems. Perhaps the only siblings in all of RavineClan that had stayed very close were Brownspot and Silverhawk. The only physical similarity between the two brothers were their amber eyes and their tabby stripes. Besides that, Brownspot had much broader shoulders than his brother, while Silverhawk was slightly taller and certainly had longer legs. Where Silverhawk was playful, outgoing, and comical, Brownspot was quiet, distant, and dreamy. Nonetheless, they spent time together almost everyday, sharing either their morning or evening meal. They made it seem so easy! Cometpaw struggled each just to not snap at Bearpaw.

And then there was Cinderpaw and his now-dead brother Talonpaw. Cometpaw would admit, she had admired Talonpaw. He was skilled, handsome, and fairly kind. She hadn't really started noticing toms yet, so her feelings towards him were little more than admiration and vague friendship. Her amber eyes watched her paws move silently forward. How must Cinderpaw have felt, hiding in his brother's shadow? It was obvious he'd cared for his brother dearly [evident by the way he still cried on his grave], but what else? Had he been jealous that everyone had loved his brother more than him? Upset that he paled so greatly in comparison? Cometpaw shook her head lightly, unable to keep guessing. However he had felt, it was obvious he was starting to recover now.

There was a movement ahead and Cometpaw's thoughts fell away instantly. Her pupils grew larger and she moved forward in a stalk. It was a bird, quickly getting far out of reach. She frowned lightly and sat back. The second she did, anothe cat shot from the undergrowth. The brown she-cat's jaw dropped open. It was Rootpaw! He pulled his muscles tight and sprang high into the air. His paws smacked it clear out of the air, and then he twisted in-air to land on it with claws extended. It was a complicated and skilled move, and Rootpaw had pulled it off without even flinching! She sat there staring at the spot where he'd stood for a moment after he'd continued on. As Phantomsun's apprentice, she knew Rootpaw's assessment was quickly approaching... Perhaps she should advise whoever was doing it to assess the white-and-tabby tom without telling him. It seemed Rootpaw was very nervous around other cats, but, without others watching, he excelled. But how would he function in battle? You couldn't hesitate then, just because someone was watching... She pushed it out of mind, reminding herself to keep and eye on the older apprentice.

Her lithe form turned in a different direction, heading away from the others and in the direction of the TealClan border. She didn't go far, though, her mouth open to catch passing scents. Her soft paws moved forward silently and with ease. Her muscles rippled smoothly and gently beneath her sleek fur. Spots of sunlight came down through the trees and shown on her pelt in patches of brilliant gold. Her dark eyes flashed lightly, catching sight of a small forest rabbit. The creature had no idea she was there. Silently slinking forward, she cut the distance between her and her prey in half. Then she paused, carefully hidden in shadows as the creature glanced upward warily. It's whiskers twitched as it breathed in the scents surrounding it. Downwind, Cometpaw's scent was undetectable. It turned around, going back to whatever it was munching on. A grim smile spread across her face. She took only a few silent steps farther before coiling her backlegs tightly and preparing to spring. A twig snapped on the other side of the rabbit, and it looked up in fear. Swearing madly, the brown apprentice launched herself from her hiding place, praying her paws would still be swift enough to make the kill. The rabbit turned sharply, heading off to her left. Cometpaw continued forward for another step, then leapt up, using a boulder as a springboard to launch herself after her prey. She had overshot, and the small rabbit ran into her backside. Blinking in surprise, she whirled around, claws flaying madly. One caught the rabbit's ear, but it still pulled away. Grinding her teeth together in fury, she made one last lung, clapping her paws down over the creature. Terrified, it bit her right paw. She growled and returned the favor by digging her long canine fangs into its neck and ending its life swiftly. As soon as it feel completely still, she released it and stepped back, panting. "Should have gone for a mouse..." she muttered angrily to herself, lifting her right paw to inspect the bite-wound. Now that would be embarrassing to explain...

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Wazo]

Bearpaw sat down for a few more moments, his broad shoulders moving up and down lightly with his breath. The sun warmed his gray tabby stripes and he watched the other apprentices. He wasn't sure if he wanted to hunt in front of them, he didn't want to made fun of or ridiculed, especially in front of these cats he barely knew. Aside from his sister, he really only knew Dreampaw and Brownspot in the clan. And even though he wasn't close to his sister, he knew her. Which he supposed was why when other clan members had gotten fed up with her, he still stood by her. He knew her sharp words were usually ill-conceived and not actually meant to hurt. He knew that their parents' death hit her hard. He knew much about her, without actually having a close relationship.

Which was why he was puzzled she had gone out to the forest and wanted Cinderpaw to accompany them. She usually scoffed at his emotional ways, so why was she actually being, StarClan forbid, nice to him. Bearpaw was almost slightly jealous that she was nice to Cinderpaw rather then her own brother, when it hit him. She liked Cinderpaw, not as a friend, but like Racoonpelt had liked Woodstripe or like Brownspot liked Gryffinwing. This was news to Bearpaw and he mulled it over for a few minutes. It was strange to think that Cometpaw could be developing a crush. They still seemed so young to Bearpaw and he glanced at his sister with curious green eyes. He would never voice his suspicions, that was her business, and he wouldn't betray her trust. He thought about asking her, but realized it would most likely get him a few sharp words.

He continued to watch the others with his one good eye. Rootpaw seemed particularly skilled and he knew that Cometpaw was getting better. He wondered how Cinderpaw would fare or even himself. Bearpaw wanted to be a warrior just like the rest of them, but he didn't know how long Brownspot's patience would last.