here i am [apprentice thread]

[__ S K Y E]

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

___ Cinderpaw - on the other hand - was, of course, blissfully oblivious to his rivalsslashcrush - uhm, Cometpaw's thoughts. Much too absorbed at the task at hand, the young tabby tom slid forward on silent paws - a goofy smile adorning his childish features - as he tried to, maw open, scent the air for prey. After a few moments, the young tom sat down on his haunches and heaved a sigh, ear twitching nonchalantly as he waited -- not, though, for the prey to come out so he could sit on it, but rather until they would present themselves to him in some way, whether it was by movement or scent. He wasn't going to go wandering about if there was no reason too -- no, he couldn't risk that, not when she was surely watching his every move.

Warm gaze growing more at ease, the vivid tints of ultramarine that usually occupied his bright verdant eyes fading to a duller emerald hue, Cinderpaw sat back as his silent thoughts fell back into the inner folds of his mind.

He wasn't aware of it really - or that he would be in the near future - but some part of him yearned to go off and find that she-cat, no not Cinderpaw [though he certainly wouldn't mind spending time with her either], but the one that had been haunting his dreams. Somehow, even in the darkness, he was quite aware that she was pretty and as strange as it was, the faded feature that always appeared, her warm voice and sweet lyrics still a soothing sound to his confused mind, was the same. It also didn't help that she reminded him of someone else -- although, he couldn't quite grasp who.

Grumbling softly in frustration, young Cinderpaw heaved himself to his paw and a floppy grin on his face, narrowed his eyes in concentration -- this time dedicated to find some source of food for his clan. His mentor's words ringing valiantly in his years, the tabby figure lifted his muzzle to the air, sensitive ears twitching, before, eyes flashing, hearing something - though faint - in the distance. Immediately, the young apprentice crouched down, his ivory chest brushing the soft grass at his paws, as a warm smile crossed his face and placing one paw after the other he advanced forward, strolling - as if - each movement was precise and he had a goal -- and indeed he did. Need he say it again? It was all for Cometpaw.

A flicker of movement caught his green gaze and the young tom swerved his head to meet the creature, a young rabbit, though unfathomably plump, nibbling carefully at a seed - that it held in it's tiny, bracken paws. Smiling, Cinderpaw crouched down further, making sure that his tail was slapped against the ground - not too loudly, of course - as Hawkshadow had instructed him in the early moons of his life - and slowly crept forward, paw steps barely making any sound as his chin, his pale neck inclined downwards, brushed the floor beneath his milky paws.

In a single motion, the young tom shot forwards with a speed that would have rivaled the quickest of WindClan cats and caught the unexpected rabbit with a swipe of his unsheathed paw, sharp ivories piercing it's neck before the defenseless creature had a chance to voice so much as a squeak.

Suddenly, looking at the lifeless form at his paws, his eyes clouded over with a sort of hidden pain. 'Just like Talonpaw', he nearly whispered and swallowing, his eyes suddenly brightened considerably. 'That was a long time ago. Forget it,' he tried telling himself, but he knew that was just a lie. Shaking his head, letting himself emit a sigh, and pulling himself up, limbs groaning in complaint - as he, seemingly, stayed too long in that crouched stance, Cinderpaw gingerly picked up the dead rabbit, making sure - at the same time - that his teeth were gentle enough not to delve into the soft flesh.

Mouth set into a bright grin - or at least, as much as he could manage with the plump rabbit gangling from his jaws - the young tom padded back into the forest, the chirping songs of the birds in the treetops filling his ears, only to stop suddenly -- her - no, silly, not the dream she-cat, but Cometpaw - sweet aroma drifting around him and nearly suffocating him to a point that he had no choice but to drop down his prey. "Cometpaw, " he murmured, stepping to her side in a few - surprisingly - graceful steps as soon as he noticed the wound on her paw. Brow furrowed in worry, jade pools shrouded with confusion, he - not really thinking, his concern for her had already flooded all rational thought - gingerly touched his muzzle to her wounded paw, an almost angry frown adorning his usually grinning features. " What did you do to yourself?", he mumbled, clearly unhappy, but the worry that laced his voice was much more apparent -- as if he was scared.

She hurt herself, his mind was screaming, and it was all his fault because he hadn't been there -- but, another part of his mind meowed wisely, you're just enemies - just last sunrise you were screaming at each other in another heated argument - so why would such a thing be your fault?

Because everything is my fault, he finally whispered to himself, although - he didn't know this, of course - but Cometpaw could probably hear him -- after all, they were incredibly close. Enough that, he would realize in a flurry of embarrassment, he couldn't think correctly as her sweet scent was wreathing around him in a way that was surely illegal .

In other words, his pelt was - almost, but not quite - pressing against hers.


comments;; so cuuute. <33
status;; fini
word count;; 992

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[D a R K - R a H]

))Should I wait for Ravy, or not?((

[Raven-chan]

))I is here, I is posting!((

The forest around him was peaceful, and for once Rootpaw was feeling similarly. No torment was pressing against his soul, no acute embarrassment was haunting his thoughts, and he wasn't entirely aware of other presences around him.

He always felt like this, in the forest. Alone. His paws were silent against the forest floor, and his tail was held low behind him, almost as if to sense prey. Ice blue eyes were fixed intently ahead, though they took in all of his surroundings with astounding peripheral vision.

He halted, smelling a robin not far off. Another bird...how exciting. Crouching down, still as a statue, Rootpaw waited. As he waited there, in the forest, quiet and sure, thoughts ranged through his mind once more. He had been so peaceful, but then he had made the mistake of not moving, of not distracting himself.

He really was alone, when you thought about it. His siblings weren't close to him, they barely tolerated him any more, and the fellow apprentices thought him as weak and helpless. His mother was gone, Flower had disappeared, and his father was dead long before he was born. Rootstripe...that's all he knew about his father. That he was named for him, that he was supposed to be some sort of legacy. He didn't know what his father did, or even who he had been. All he knew was that he, Rootpaw, was a terrible letdown.

He leapt forward, instinctively, the instant that the robin began to fly. He tackled it to the ground, breaking its neck in one, swift, easy movement. Quickly burying his prey, the 14 moon old apprentice moved on, when two- no, three smells assailed him. Opening his mouth to assure himself that he wasn't wrong, he padded forward a little bit more, still close to the ground, before his acute vision caught the smells in sight.

Cometpaw, Cinderpaw, and...blood? Were they alright? He didn't move, didn't dare, for they were obviously...well, close. Cometpaw was the one bleeding- it was her paw. Rootpaw duly noted that it was not a fatal wound, and decided to let Cinderpaw take care of her. He almost sighed, but didn't want to give away his presence. Quickly backing away, the apprentice looked away from them, and trotted back into the peaceful forest, letting the quietness and the calmness of the looming trees take the throbbing loneliness and heartache away.

[D a R K - R a H]

The noises of the forest buzzed around her. Her dark brown ears dropped back against her head as she leaned forward to lick at her paw. It throbbed in pain, and her breaths became shorter. She clamped her teeth together and narrowed her eyes, struggling to keep herself calm. But the blood freaked her out. She'd been minorly injured before, but that was when there were others around to help and take care of her. This situation seemed much more frightening. The thought of trying to limp back to camp while carrying her rabbit seemed rather terrifying, truth be told.

Cometpaw pulled in a deep breath and slowly pushed it back out. She silently kept telling herself to keep calm and to not panick at all. After all, plenty of her clanmates had been faced with much worse injuries. Silverhawk had once told her about the time when Brownspot had been mauled by foxes as an apprentice. The scars weren't visible beneath his striped fur, but on cold days she sometimes saw him limping on his back left leg. It's just a little cut, nothing too bad, she told herself. It'll heal in just a few days. She was slowly calming back down when she thought of something and swore noisily aloud. Phantomsun. They didn't have permission to be out hunting. And it would have been fine if everyone had come back in perfect condition. But Cometpaw had gotten herself hurt. She chidded herself for her own stupidity. Silverhawk would probably not wanting her out training in case she got an infection in the cut. That meant she'd probably be stuck fetching clean moss for Gryffinwing and checking the pelts of everybody in camp for ticks. She frowned to herself, glaring down at the cut as if it might just disappear on it's own.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She whirled around quickly, sensing someone was near. It was Cinderpaw. He had a small rabbit hanging from his mouth, blocking out most of his sideways grin. The smile faded from his face, though, as he saw her. She felt her heart quicken again, though she knew she should have been glad. Part of her wished it have been Bearpaw to find her first. After all, he would just help her no questions asked. But, her brother might tease her once he found out how she'd gotten the wound. Cinderpaw, on the other hand, probably wouldn't. Her eyes remained glued on him as he came up close to her side, green-tinted eyes staring down at her paw. He leaned forward slowly and touched his nose to it. She winced lightly, a tiny pain tingling around her paw-pad. She lay in silence, glancing between him and her paw. He actually seemed to care that she'd gotten herself hurt.

"What did you do to yourself?"

She felt her ears heat up, emotions suddenly flowing in her once more. She kept them back in discomfort. He was so close! Her flank seemed to itch where his pelt brushed hers. She blushed beneath her fur, unable to understand why she felt so strangely. The only she'd ever felt towards a tom was resentment. Well, she supposed she felt minor fondness towards Bearpaw, but that was different. Bearpaw was her brother. And Cinderpaw most certainly wasn't. She turned her gaze away from him, not wanting to get caught staring at him. "I..." she started, but was cut off as he spoke again. This time his words seemed more towards himself, quiet and whispered.

"Because everything is my fault."

This time, emotions didn't hinder her. Her uninjured paw shot out and caught him across the muzzle. Her dark brown eyes were narrowed slightly as she glared over at him. "Stop being such a fool. Even StarClan can't control everything. Get your head out of the clouds and drop the pity party." She glared at him a second longer before standing slowly, careful to keep her injured paw off the ground. She nudged her rabbit towards him. "You carry that." She openned her mouth slightly, catching another scent nearby. She turned awkwardly in that direction and called, "Rootpaw! Rootpaw!" Feeling sure he could hear her, she also called, "Could you do me a favor and tell my brother we're heading back to camp?" She didn't wait for a response, flicking her tail to Cinderpaw. "Come on, then."

She limped slowly from the small clearing, shaking her head as she did so. "Phantomsun's going to kill me..."

[done!]

[__ S K Y E]

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

___ The sun had not failed in serving them as a bright, flaming warmth while is stared upon the two cats, the pale beautifully filtered through the trees as it stared unwaveringly down at the small meadow in which Cinderpaw stood, who was in seemingly deep concentration as he tried to examine his rival's wound. Even with the foliage that was might've lessened the sunlight on any other normal day, the ground was steadily warming from the exposure it was given. Perhaps because it was still quite early in the morning, many of the animals had escaped underground from the sun's bright face and only a few small creatures peeped out from their holes to intrude on the private scene between the two, something that would surely cause the small tabby to blush in discomfort if he were to know.

The sky was a clear, blue color, and away on the distance were small splotches of white; clouds. Wind stirred the grasses every few moments and provided a breeze for the relief of the creatures that lived in the meadow. The rays that hugged the tabby tom's lean frame - which had, thankfully, grown into the purposeful and yet childish cat he was transforming into - were going unnoticed by the young apprentice, but even as the heat seeped into his frame, anyone could tell that the rosy hue that sprinkled his cheeks now was not because of the sun. Cometpaw.

His brow was crinkled in confusion as he stared at the small blemish on - in his eyes - her flawless dusky coat. An odd smile quirked the end of his lips as he tries gathering his mind together to form a good excuse for something like this -- why in the world his brilliant, headstrong, beautiful Cometpaw would do something as stupid as... wait. His?! She wasn't his and would never be; she wasn't anyone's.

Quietly reprimanding himself for letting such a irresponsible, though deeply confusing and utterly bewildering, thought cross his mind, young Cinderpaw was unready for the sudden paw that flashed across his eyes before punching right in the jaw, sending him tumbling backwards. He had to give her some credit; she was stronger than he had thought, but then again, this was Cometpaw.

Rubbing his muzzle with a paw almost painfully, the young tom flickered his ivy-green to a small sputter of movement [one that, having recognized the scent, was surely Rootpaw] as he stumbled to his paws, a soft sigh escaping him, and listening to her words - that were suddenly harsh, unforgiving and downright dissapointed - he snapped his head around to watch her, the young she-cat's sweet, sweet voice suddenly registering in his mind, his green gaze smoldering.

His jaw clenched and his limbs tightened considerably, gaze suddenly becoming dark and angry. This wasn't the happy-go-free apprentice that everyone had come to no and love, this was some cat so detached from everyone else, having to have experienced a pain that no one else had to have felt because only he could be so vulnerable and quiet and defenseless. Moments before, he was closer to Cometpaw than he could have ever imagined; now he was as far away from her as ever. It seemed even worse than all those meaningless fights that they held together; it hurt him even more. Why? Because now he knew that he almost had her - her trust, her warmth, and maybe even some tiny amount of affection - but lost it. It wasn't agony, quite yet, but it wasn't exactly peaceful. He didn't know quite what to call the separation.

"Who's fault is it then, Cometpaw?", he seethed, his paws shaking in what he could only recognize as rage. She didn't know what he had to go through, what he had faced. Did she know what it was like to watch someone you loved, you cherished, and you adored helplessly die, all the while knowing that if you could have been stronger, smarter or quicker and just better in general, that cat wouldn't have to die? She had lost both her parents and his own were still alive and living, but - really - had she watched them die and see them just writh in agony as you stood on the sidelines, too surprised and darn weak to do anything. She didn't know; she never would.

"Tell me, I'd just love to know the answer." The growl was soft, his eyes narrowed in her direction, and he refused to move at all, the anger now consuming most of his brain. If he couldn't blame himself for doing these things and he certainly couldn't blame StarClan, who's fault was it for his brother's death and his own weakness? He shook his head slowly and jaw clenched, prepared fully to walk away and leave here there before murmuring, "You're the one who treats me like I've done everything wrong."

His eyes flashed up again as she called for Rootpaw and suddenly looking at her, feeling his heartbeat quicken just by looking at her even in this anger, he felt the adrenaline that had been flowing through his veins moments before dim and fade away, leaving all but a love-sick tom in it's wake. Was he really angry at her? No, I'm not, he sighed. He was angry at himself and his inability to do anything correctly. "I don't - " he started, his voice a quiet whisper as he watched her carefully, and his green gaze smoldering, " Ignore what I said; I'm just angry at myself for not being able enough. Sor-"

In the middle of his apology, the young apprentice made a movement to pull back from her - suddenly aware of their close proximity as his face burned - and although a part of him nearly groaned at the loss of warmth once he started to move, he felt a much stronger - though definitely stranger - emotion shock him faster than a bolt of thunder. He had, trying to back away, accidentally tripped; this caused their fur - smoldering amber and melted chocolate, to press against each other as he leaned against her, trying to regain his balance. On his way up, his muzzle brushed against hers. It was a feeling that seemed to shudder through him, making him flush in both confusion and discomfort at the same time, and send a blissful feeling tingling through his entire frame, from the tips of his ears to the bottom of his paw pads.

Caught off guard by the strong emotion, he gathered himself, somewhat successfully, before speaking again. "Uhm - yeah. Sorry, Cometpaw. ", he stuttered before feeling his voice get more confident, yet somehow more gentle and softer as he brushed past. " And, for the record, Phantomsun won't kill you, " he mumbled softly, his breath a flush of cool air - most likely - against her ear as he strolled forward and picked up the rabbits, his and hers. It was time to get back to camp and Hawkshadow was going to kill him, but even knowing that, an entirely different thought blocked everything else out.

Did he really love her? Was there even such a thing?


comments;; love it. x]
status;; fini
word count;; 1206

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[Raven-chan]

Rootpaw turned, knowing that Cometpaw would hear him, see him, smell him, but still slightly dissappointed that she had. His bright ice-blue eyes looked her directions and he sighed. Once again, the lackey. Once again, easily bullied. But he really didn't mind. He was heading in that direction anyways.

He hadn't turned away quickly enough. His heart seemed to stop beating, but he heard nothing they said. Then he turned and fled, jealousy raging in his body. They have everything! He fumed inwardly, mouth open to find Bearpaw.

They have everything and still they aren't satisfied! I have nothing, nothing and they think that I'm ungrateful? What do I have to be grateful for!? Rootpaw glided through the forest, tail whipping behind him in pure agitation.

[D a R K - R a H]

<sup>But it was too late to take back his words. She'd only been a few steps from him when Cinderpaw's words made her stop dead. She'd never heard him use that tone before, certainly not to her. He was usually sweet, soft, and only occasionally all stubborn and angry. But never that furious. And it made her mad, too. Not because he had used that tone with her, but his words. They made rolling angery bubble up in a way that rarely overcame the dark she-cat. She felt more resentment towards him than she'd ever felt before. Her dark eyes narrowed.

What was worse yet was that he tried to apologize. As if nothing had happened. As if he could just take back what he'd said! His apology was even more pathetic than his words of anger. 'Not able enough'? She ground her teeth together, pulling back her lips to reveal a darkened grimmace that had spread across her face. Her ears were back against her head once more. Her tail had fallen low to the ground, tip flicking back and forth. Her injured paw suddenly felt numb. In fact, she didn't even notice as she put it on the ground to whirl around and face him. Her gaze shot daggers at him. "Did you not hear a word I just said? You're more of a mousebrained fool than I thought you were!"

Her tail was now all fluffed up, hair standing on end. It lashed back and forth in apparent rage. The claws of both of her front paws were extended into the ground beneath her. She was about to yowl further about how furious she was with him when he tripped over seemingly nothing. His body fell against hers. For a moment, she was merely confused, wondering what had happened. Then she took a step away from him, her anger returning anew. His mistake seemed to her more like another attempt to right things as if he hadn't said a word. She spoke again, her voice low and filled with deep rage and something like watered-down hatred. Her eyes glared at him even more fiercely. When she spoke, it was as if she had no control over her words at first... Her words came out quick and heated, covering his second apology.

"How dare you say that to me?!" Although he made no mention to Raccoonpelt, Cometpaw still felt like he was hinting something about her mother's death. Surely he wasn't implying that it was her fault her mother was dead? Even if he hadn't said a word of it, she still felt burning betreyal sweep through her entire body. "I... I don't have to defend myself to you! Foxdung to that." She turned back away from him, taking steps away from him quickly. As like most of RavineClan's territory, the ground beneath her was covered in pine needles. One just happened to catch her paw right in her cut. She gasped aloud and pulled her paw quickly from the ground, nearly tripping. She hadn't even realized that she'd had the open wound down against the dirt. Her bloodied paw was now covered in soil, bark, and pine needles. It burned stronger than before, making her eyes water. But she refused to look back at Cinderpaw. Instead, she continued away from him, heading back to camp as quickly as her three-legged limp would allow.</sup>

[Wazo]

Startling himself out of his thoughts, Bearpaw realized that his sister and Cinderpaw were nowhere to be seen. With a sigh, he decided that he should probably go check on them. No doubt he would find Cinderpaw with his ear ripped off. The gray striped apprentice heaved himself to his feet, and turned his one good green eye in the direction of their scent.

He was even more surprised when he arrived upon the scene. Cometpaw hobbbling back to camp with an injured..paw...ah yes, he would see it now, and a surprised/angry/worried Cinderpaw further back. Had he hurt her...no, Bearpaw doubted that the gentle apprentice could hurt anyone, much less his fiery sister.

So she had mostly likely hurt herself, plus she looked fit to kill, most likely from the shame of having caused her own wound. He opened his mouth to ask but quickly shut it tight. That didn't matter right now. She was hurt enough to have to go back to camp and the dirt in the cut didn't look any better to him, even without one eye.

"Need any help?" he asked, his ears twitching. And without waiting for a reply, he pushed his should against her body as if to steady her and help her back to camp. She would probably shrug him off. She always did if he tried to help.

He glanced over his shoulder with questioning green eyes. If Cinderpaw had hurt her, even gentle Bearpaw wouldn't be kind. But somehow, he didn't think that was the case.

[Raven-chan]

Rootpaw had been heading to fetch Bearpaw, when he appeared by Cometpaw's side. Looking back, the older apprentice looked at Cinderpaw, wondering if he should say something. Probably not, seeing as Rootpaw would have nothing useful to say anyways.

Scuffling his white paws on the ground uncertaintly,(sp) the tabby tom calmed his shaking nerves before padding to Cinderpaw, his voice surprisingly steady and calm as he meowed, "Are you coming, Cinderpaw?" He didn't just want to leave poor Cinderpaw behind, and he wasn't really in the mood to deal with Cometpaw's fraying temper.

It surprised him that he was this bold to ask Cinderpaw if he was coming, for ordinarily he wouldn't even have gotten this close to the other tom. Then Rootpaw remembered that he still had to collect his prey- Cinderpaw probably wouldn't want to come with him.

"Cinderpaw, if you go back to camp now, you might not get caught." He meowed impulsively, before adding, "I have to get my prey to take it back to camp before it turns into crowfood." He didn't add that he might pick up Cometpaw's as well, depending on how much she had and how much he could carry. He twitched his tail behind him, waiting for a response from the other tom, his ice-blue eyes shining.

It didn't really trouble him that he would get in trouble when he returned to camp, it's not as if his mentor paid him any mind at all. The tom he most admired, Brownspot, was busy anyways. Brownspot was such a good hunter, so calm, self-composed, and he had a pretty she-cat to boot! Sometimes life wasn't fair...

[__ S K Y E]

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

___ He bit his lip, but as she yelled at him some more, he still felt his heart tear even further. When verdant-green pools lifted to watch Cometpaw, the pretty apprentice that had - unknowingly - stolen his heart, and see that she didn't have the same effect that their touch, obviously, had on him, a part of him seemed to break -- how had he let himself believe - hope so much - that she liked him? Plus, all they ever did was fighting - not that he had ever lead her to believe that he thought anything more of her other than pure rivalry - so why would she even think of him - an ordinary, average apprentice who could do nothing special at all - as anything more than that? He pursed his lips; all he had just been living was a horribly false hope to lie to himself.

His head snapped up when she spoke again - suddenly forgetting her curses of what a mouse-brain he was [worse than that, actually, she said] and would always, he knew, be - and he indicated a burning anger - something deeper than the obvious frustration and annoyance that constantly boiled between them - bubbling beneath the surface of her hurtful words. Cinderpaw narrowed his eyes; did she think that he was implying something else -- perhaps that is was her fault that her parents, namely Racoonpelt, had died? Bearing a scowl, the young apprentice was about to voice another argument as he jumped to his paws and mouth ajar, a growl starting behind his throat as a colorful range of vocabulary almost unleashed beneath his tongue, the young cat cast a dark glare at her, hating that she would dare accuse him of such a thing. However - surprising even himself - he promptly shut his muzzle, and turned away from her, shoulders stiff with uneasiness. His ears suddenly burned as he delved himself deeper into the thin folds of his mind; why did he always have to say - do - the wrong thing?

The bracken apprentice stared at his paws, tears threatening to fall as the memories came haunting back. The wind whisked around him, the brittle cold breeze feeling frosty despite the fact that it was green-leaf against the melted bronze blanket that hugged his frame. It was just like that day - he remembered bitterly - the day had been unexpectedly warm, every cat was out of the confines of camp, until it suddenly started raining. Hard. He hadn't known it then and neither had Talonpaw, but it would - soon - become the tragedy of their lives - his life - all because they had acted rashly, unthinkably. Sorrow tugged at his pelt once more as Cinderpaw glared at his paws, eyes burning with contempt - at himself - and sorrow, unforgivable regret, for his brother. Would he always be so useless?

'Heyheyhey!', the younger tom had snapped his head up to watch Talonpaw come lumbering back with a bad paw and despite the grin playing across his face, it was obvious that he was hurt.

'H-mp-uphm?', Cinderpaw mumbled, his mouth full of a juicy rabbit and seeing his brother laughing at him, amber eyes bright, his ears burned in embaressment before swallowing his prey. He tried again. 'Yeah?'

'I saw this cool thing. Tallstone showed me this morning -' he began babbling hurriedly in a hushed whisper, eyes dancing with eagerness. He left out that their father had only taken him there, quite reluctantly so, because Northwind had told him to take his talkative son out for a walk. Talonpaw had heard, wanted to go and the warrior didn't have the heart to say no to his son. Ah, the brave apprentice had learned everything he needed to know; they would make their own secret hide-out there where no one could find them! So what if there were badgers living there? He wasn't scared! He'd chase them out.

'I don't know...", the younger tabby murmured reluctantly, putting aside his prey to stare at his brother. Hawkshadow hadn't taken him out today, to be quite truthful, and his paws were itching for an adventure -- but Talonpaw was hurt! They'd get into some trouble and miss the gathering and everyone would blame him for it...

'Aww, come on! Don't act like a coward,' his brother taunted, his voice lower than a hiss. It was easy to see that he was just joking, the laughing light still in his eyes, but that didn't mean his sibling would take it that way so the handsome tom sighed and softened, " I mean, don't be scared. It's nothing to worry about. "

" .. really? W-what if some badger comes and attacks us, Talon?"

Talonpaw hesitated. He couldn't tell Cinderpaw that they just might be ambushed; that would take out the fun! Instead he placed a comforting paw on his brother's soldiers and flashed a heart-melting smile, " I promise I won't let them hurt you. "

The younger cat bristled indignantly. " Not me! You're injured."

" Silverhawk said I'd be better in no time and that I should get some fresh air, " he partly lied; the medicine cat had said no such thing, but honestly, he could have implied it. Talonpaw had been in camp for a moon already, he needed it. Nothing would hurt them.

"Tell father, " he pleaded, eyes hopeful. Maybe Tallstone would object too.

" I did," he lied again. So many lies! Holding back a sigh, the young cat watched his brother carefully; why did he have to be so cowardly? Was there something else he was hiding?

" I'm not hiding anything, " Cinderpaw protested, as if reading his mind. " Let's go, but we hafta be careful, okay? ", he mewed, finally giving in. The younger tom watched his brother brighten and as he dragged him out of camp, the younger tom felt a sense of foreboding shadow them. Would something go wrong?

Something would go wrong -- something did go wrong. And too busy staring at the ground, too engrossed in the painful memories of the past, he did not notice the happenings around him as soon as Cometpaw began to leave the clearing for as soon as the pretty brown she-cat was past a fox-length from side, he felt a certain loss - as if a part of him had left with her too, yet not quite - when she did. He didn't feel like himself anymore with her gone, her pressing against another tom - even if Bearpaw was her brother - that wasn't him, that would never be him.

Suddenly, the sky was a threatening shade of blue, with large puffs of dark gray rolling in. The air rumbled with the distant soundings of thunder, and when he finally decided to lift his gaze up, taking a deep breath as he did so, to see her padding away, Cinderpaw could have sworn he saw the clouds flash with far away lightning. The perfect storm,' he almost murmered, feeling the familar pang of guilt when he remembered his brother's death and the exact details of it, the tangy taste of their surroundings still feeling bittersweet on his tongue. The air smelled like rain, a sure sign that it was coming. Even with the threatening conditions, birds and other prey still roamed the territory. Their resonating calls reached the senses of all, and their shadows flickered across the ground, but Cinderpaw did not pay attention to it.

"Wait, Cometpaw!" he suddenly screamed, shaken out of his state of frustration and anger, as he clambered after her, immediately forgetting the needle-infested floor at his paws the moment his eyes found her, vivid green pools scorching her dark frame. He opened his mouth to scream again, another meaningless and defenseless protest, when the words suddenly died on his tongue, small dewdrops of rain splattering on the ends of his muzzle. The young apprentice forced himself not to look back up at the sky and let all those raging memories come crashing back; this was not like before, he could fix things now. "I didn't - ", he yelled again, gathering his voice, before flinching in discomfort when Bearpaw turned back to focus his one-eyed gaze on him; it made him feel bare, as if the lumbering - though wise - tom knew everything -- his feelings and the strength of them and how they were all worthless. He turned in an effort to escape that knowing gaze.

Suddenly unbearable pain struck his milky pawpads and Cinderpaw, the agony washing over him, stumbled -- this time tripping over his paws so that he fell completly, tumbling against the sharp thorns that were scattered against the forest floor. The pain burned his flank - a few more thorns and brambles had made homes on other parts of his lean frame - so he could only watch as Cometpaw dissapeared from his sight, a guilty frown adorning his features. Knowing he could do nothing else and that she - probably hating him even more for his stupidity - wouldn't care, he stopped to watch the blood oozing out of his two forepaws and the back of one of his limbs. Despite this, her words continued to ring in his mind. 'I'm worse than foxdung to her,' he almost mumbled out loud before mentally hitting himself -- wasn't that exactly what she said not to think about? Why was he becoming a starstruck fool who listened to her every word? What was wrong with him? "Mouse-brained fool," he quietly mumbled, shaking his head with a sigh.

" I'll get in trouble anyway, " he mumbled, leaning down to wash his wounds, in response to Rootpaw's question. Any other time, the younger cat would have questioned the older cat's shyness, his self-criticizing, when he really was much better than everyone around him. He would have wondered why Rootpaw wasn't a warrior yet or marvel at his calmness and throw some laughing comment about it, in an effort to encourage the tom to think better of himself, but with the pretty brown she-cat - one that was furious with him - floating around in his mind, he could not think of anything else but her. The young tom pressed his paw hesitantly to the ground and wounds soaked with rain and mud, any normal cat would have decided - smartly - to limp. However, the young apprentice - probably having gotten some stubbornness from his late brother - refused and padded forward on all four paws, almost flinching each time the thorn dug itself deeper into his flesh, to pick up his rabbit and Cometpaw's -- she had told him to take it, hadn't she?

"Let's go pick up yours, " he murmered through the prey, his ivy-green orbs still off and faded ever since Cometpaw had left his side -- it was even worse that she probably hated him and was definitely furious at his rash, incredibly stupid words. Oh god, he was such a moron. Was this love, he still couldn't help wondering, when all you thought about was them, couldn't consider life without them and was in pain every time you were apart? Am I in love? No, he chided himself. He was too young for it and besides, such strong emotions would have to be with two cats -- cats that felt an equally mutual feeling for each other, but if it wasn't affection he felt for his former-rival, then he wasn't quite sure what to call their relationship. He wished he knew what it was like to be in love. Perhaps he should go ask Tallstone later.

"Come on, Rootpaw, " he mumbled, taking another step forward and wincing as his paw hit the grass. His pelt was wet with rain and smudged with mud, looking darker than ever, but what hurt more than the physical wounds he had just gotten was not the regret of Talonpaw's death or the guilt that he could never live up to his brother, but the emotional pain that Cometpaw had inflicted on him.

That was what hurt the most.

comments;; huhr. did i go overboard on that?
status;; fini
word count;; 2038

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[D a R K - R a H]

<sup>The limp back to camp would have taken her quite some time. She moved slowly, wincing as each step sent a new bolt of pain throbbing over her paw. And, on top of that, rain began to pour down from dark storm clouds. The she-cat jumped in surprise as the first one hit her ear. She turned her gaze upward, taking in the forboding horizon. A drop hit her shoulder and another on her nose. Frowning in deep distaste, Cometpaw turned her body back to the task at hand: getting back to the dry safty of the camp. She kept her ears back against her head and her front right forepaw pulled close to her body. Her pelt soon clung to her skin and left her cold and shivering.

She didn't allow herself to think beyond moving. Cometpaw forcibly shut down any attempts at thinking. She refused to reflect on the situation she'd just found herself in. What was the point, anyways? She'd just end up disappointed, frustrated, and angered further. Better to ignore it all, at least for the time being. Besides, she had better things to focus on, such as keeping her paws under her as the ground grew muddy, or keeping her fluffed tail from remaining caught in a thistle. All her efforts had to be centered on merely moving.

She would have reached camp about sunhigh had a strong wall of fur not suddenly appeared at her side. She turned her eyes in that direction, blinking in surprise. At first she thought it was Cinderpaw. Although her emotions and pride told her to pull away from him, Cometpaw knew she'd have to give up and accept his help back to camp. Much to her surprise, though, it wasn't the skinny tabby. The thick fur beside her belonged to her brother, Cometpaw's nose told her. Bearpaw! She certainly had not expected him to come out of nowhere and help her. But she wasn't complaining. He pushed his shoulder close to her. Without thinking, the weak she-cat let her weight rest against him. Although normally her pride would never allow her to openly rely on her tabby brother, Cometpaw resigned herself to the truth: she'd never make it to camp without his help.

What seemed like an eternity later, the camp's entrance rose up before them. It was pouring now. Most of the clan would be safely tucked away in their dens, refusing to come out in such horrid weather. Any warm nest was sounding wonderful to Cometpaw. She didn't care if she had to curl up in the nursery, so long as it was dry and warm. She paused as they entered the camp. Her dark amber eyes were tired, and she closed them slowly. Turning her head, she rested her muzzle against her brother's shoulder, breathing in his strong scent for a moment. It was reassuring and strong, very similar to their mother's. For a moment, it gave her strength. She turned away from him and limped for Silverhawk's den, hoping for StarClan's sake that he'd take her in without question.</sup>

[Wazo]

It had begun to drizzle when a delicate she-cat made her way back to camp from a patrol. The rain had begun to pool into puddles and Northwind gracefully avoided them, finally reaching the entrance of RavineClan. Her chocolate brown coat was sleek and shiny from the rain dripping off her pelt and she purred at the thought of resting in her den after seeing her son.

Not that the rain bothered her. It was a glorious transition from the days upon days of sun that had blessed RavineClan. It reminded her of Castro in a way, how quickly a storm could come, throw everything into chaos, and leave with guild, without remorse. You could build back up, fix everything, but never forget it.

Not that she had any regrets. With it had come two beautiful sons and a supportive mate who had raised them like his own. And perhaps they were. Only StarClan knows, but whatever the case, they were her sons. Talonpaw's death had struck her a mighty blow, her one task, and she had failed miserable. Nothing could cause this stunning she-cat more grief, rack her body with more sobs, then the death of her son.

Cinderpaw was the most important thing in her life now. She couldn't imagine how hard his life was and that was why she loved Cinderpaw the most. Things were not handed to him, like they were to her, like most likely Talonpaw would have lived his life. Cinderpaw worked for his blessings and life would work out for him.

Northwind had finally arrived to the apprentice den. She shook her coat slighly, ebony swirls mixed with chocolate brown movings effortlessly around her, and settling down smoothly. Vivid emerald eyes flecked with blue hues scanned the apprentice den once...and then again. She had thought he would be in his den, especially in this weather, but her tabby son was nowhere to be seen. In fact, several of the apprentices were gone. Quiet Rootpaw, wise Bearpaw, along with his stubborn sister, Cometpaw. But that was impossible...Brownspot was with his mate and Phantomsun was still at camp. Northwind's chest heaved with anxious breath. If Cometpaw was missing...Cinderpaw would be as well.

She bolted out of the apprentice den, delicate paws barely skimming the ground as she ran out of camp. Once out, she pushed her nose to the ground, frantically searching for a scent..anything. The rain has washed any pawprints away along with the scent and she pulled her head up with terrified frustration.

Flashing green eyes scanned the horizon and fixed upon an image, moving closer and closer. Gray fur mixed with rich brown, and even in the hazy distance, the figures became clearer and clearer. Cometpaw moving slowly...no, limping on a hurt paw and supported by her brother. Panic gripped Northwind as she came upon them, soaked to her skin, her lovely eyes a mixture of fear, worry, and a good dose of anger.

"Where's Cinderpaw?" she demanded, her tail flickering behind her with fury. Images terriorized her, his body ripped apart by bloody claws, laying in a muddy rain-soaked ditch, while the storm howled above. "He was with you wasn't he?" she asked, but didn't paused for an answer. "And you left him behind?! He could be dead, for all I know! Who's mouse-brain idea was it, to go off alone in the woods?" Northwind asked, trying to keep the fury out of her normally soft-spoken voice, as rain fell gracefully down her elegant face. "Was it you, Cometpaw? You knew Cinderpaw would follow you anywhere and you just abandoned him?!"

The rain fell harder now, in thick dripping sheets of icy rain. Northwind paused, regaining her composure, and the fear once again returned to her eyes, large almond eyes struck with the thought that she might not see her son again. "I need to find him," she whispered, her voice barely heard over the wind.

[Raven-chan]

Rootpaw wasn't an idiot. Cinderpaw was...well, hurt and confused. He wanted to step over to the tom, comfort him, say something wise and true that would impact him for the rest of his life, but he couldn't think of anything. Fur plastered to his slender form, displaying muscles lean from many days out hunting in the forest alone. He wasn't the typical 'muscular,' but his body was fit and well-proportioned for his age.

The gray of his silver and white pelt had darkened, and his fur had smoothed out instead of being fluffy, nearly pokey, as it had been in his kit and early apprentice moons. The rain brought his features out in stark conrast to Cinderpaw's more muscular frame, but Rootpaw didn't even care at this point. He stepped forward, not saying anything to Cinderpaw, but touching his "friend's" shoulder with his white forepaw in comfort, a silent show of sympathy...empathy? What was it that he showed? It didn't seem to be either, seemed to be something akin to support...

Rootpaw, with his piercing ice blue eyes, stepped back, his slender form melting in the shadows, disappearing into the storm. He knew very well how to return to camp- he had traveled through this forest enough to know it by heart, with his eyes closed, with his senses dulled. He instantly traveled in the direction towards his prey. Would it be ruined because of the rain? No, he had buried it well. Once he got there, though, he would have to hurry back to camp. The rain beating down on his back was uncomfortable, but not oppressive to the tom, who merely trotted at a fast pace through the forest, heading towards his first prey. He wanted Cinderpaw to go straight to camp, not to follow him; that would be foolish in his mental condition. No, it was better this way.

It was better that he go alone.