New Hopes

[Wazo]

The morning had hardly begun, but the sun beat down on the inhabitants of TealClan, promising a hot day to come. The clan was already starting to stir out of their dens, coaxed out by the sun's rays, and beginning to go about their daily tasks.

The sun peeked its head into the leaders den, warming the stone ground, and dancing on the ebony pelt of Loststar. His black coat seemed to absorb the sun, rather then reflect it off in shine. He stirred from his sleep, blinking the sleep away from his mismatched eyes. He got up, stretching his large legs and paws. It was strange to call this den his own, and even stranger to imagine that someday, he might be the leader of TealClan. Ever since he ran away from his old home, he had shunned the idea of power and ambition, seeing how easily his father was corrupted by it. But he owed it to TealClan to be the best leader he could be.

He stepped out of his den, pleased to see that the clan was already alive, even in the early morning. The air tasted of promise and his ears flickered back and forth, catching the sound of his clan. This was their home and he was pleased to see how his clan was thriving. Many warriors and hopefully kits to come soon. He had given up the idea of his own kits a long time ago. He walked over to the pile of fresh kill and selected a mouse, hoping that this day was as good as he intended.

Sunstreak was already out and about, her ginger pelt reflecting and bouncing back the shimmering sun. She adored days like this as she went about her work with a smile. She was pleased at her recent hunting sucess, two mice and a thursh, and she added them to the pile with pride.

She was feeling better and better about his clan lately. True, they had a new leader, Loststar, but he seemed to radiate a quiet confidence and strength that TealClan needed. She was learning more and more about how to be a better warrior. And then there was Wolfstep. It was akward, but the akwardness sent butterflies in her stomach and she felt like a silly kittypet. She hoped it would eventually get better between them. The future seemed to hold much promise, for her as a warrior, and maybe even eventually as a mentor. She smiled at the thought of a scowling ginger apprentice with her first mentor, Eveningrain. She would always hold a special place for him, her mentor and friend.

[Stormeh]

A small she-cat stretched in the warriors' den. She hadn't been
there for long--no, she was a younger warrior, a proud one. The
little daughter of Eveningrain was practically a spitting image of him.
Her pelt held the same tabby stripes, the same light gray
underneath them, but her eyes were her trademark alone. The
brilliant green depths that were held in those eye sockets were
even different from those of her mother.

Still, little Eclipsedmoon was her own cat, despite what any cat could
think. She was wry and fiery, but sweet and gentle when she
chose to be.

As she stepped out of the den, her pupils immediately contracted
into tiny slits to let in the minimal amount of sunlight. She could see
that most cats were already awake and beginning to get on with
their days and tasks. While the sun was heating her fur, she was
contemplating the day's agenda.

Today...today... Which would be better, a little hunt
or a nice swim in the lake...? Her mind was lazy. To
be only considering these two options was all she would let it do on
this hot day.

Besides, beautiful days like this were meant for laziness, weren't
they?

She shook her head gently, flicking a bit of dirt out of her fur. I just
need someone to come with me, she thought, tabby-
striped tail flicking thoughtfully.

[D a R K - R a H]

He twitched in his sleep, slowly waking with a yawn. He slowly opened his dark brown eyes-- and instantly wished he had stayed asleep. Even under the ledge of the rock where most of the warriors made their nests, it was baking out! The sun hadn't been up long, he could tell by the amount of sound in the camp, but that didn't stop it from being very hot. The young warrior rolled onto his side, letting out a deep breath. His thick fur kept all heat very close to his skin, making these hot greenleaf days unbearable. Where he loved his coat on cold winter nights, he absolutely loathed in during the baking greenleaf days. He sighed, shaking his head lightly. Hiding under here isn't helping. Might as well get up... He rolled over and pulled himself to his feet, slipping out into the camp and the heat of the day.

Instantly, he let out a deep breath, the sun's heat pressing heavily down upon him. Only after standing there a moment did he look up to survey the camp's current on-goings. Loststar was settling down with his breakfast, Eclipsedmoon just waking, and Sunstreak returning to camp with fresh-kill. In a heartbeat, the gray tabby tom's ears dropped to his head in discomfort, and his heart quickened its beating. Just the sight of the beautiful ginger she-cat made getting up in the morning bearable, even if it sent butterflies beating around his stomach and quivers down his whiskers. He quickly hid all signs of his feelings though, definitely unwilling to let his sister see them. She wouldn't be quite so bad as, say, Cloudpaw, but he doubted she'd keep such news all to herself. Wolfstep's family was probably the only one in TealClan that remained close as they all grew. Of course, this particular son had never been very close to either parent, let alone his littermates. At least I have siblings, he told himself, thinking of the way Sunstreak had grown up in TealClan with only her mentor for company.

The fluffy tabby's paws itched to be doing something and the heat burning in his pelt was starting to get horrid. He took another glance in Sunstreak's direction and made a quick decision. He paused to breathe in deeply and let out the breath. Then he gave his chest a few good licks and stood once more. His paws felt numb as he padded closer to her side. "Er... S-sunstreak?" She was the only cat in all of TealClan that he ever had trouble speaking around. Even around Loststar, his voice was quiet, but still strong. But Sunstreak... She made his stomach flop back in forth in both eagerness and worry. He tried to breathe in, but there always seemed to be a lack of air around her. He decided to just get it out and over with. "W-would you like to go fishing with me?" He struggled to keep his words from flowing together in a single word. Wolfstep hoped she didn't have other plans already. Then he'd just feel like a fool, trying to get her attention. Dispair had already filled him, even though she hadn't said anything yet. He was almost ready to just turn around and go back to his nest... But he made himself stay there, brown eyes eagerly awaiting an answer.

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[__ S K Y E]

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✫☆ -- The deputy had sat in nothing but undisturbed silence as the rising sun cast it's glow over the entire camp, the tranquil light showering all in it's path as it bathed even the coldest felines in it's warmth. The bird chirped peacefully above the beautiful feline, empty to his ears. In his world, everything had seemed quiet, past all the soft chattering of the warriors and the playful scuffling of nearby apprentices, but he knew better. And as the sun stretched farther into the horizon, the darker indigo's and scorching ebonies of the late night sky being replaced by the soft pastels of honey and amber that often occupied the morning air, the real world seemed to quiet down with his own -- as if, while they marveled at the beauty of the quiet tom, something was amiss. Something that, delving deeper into his thoughts as time passed, Crowflight couldn't quite place.

The beautiful tabby tom usually occupied himself by guarding the camp each night, his brilliant cobalt pools a near-perfect reflection to the glittering stars that had sparkled above his head and tonight had been no different. A product of the hateful memories and dreadful nightmares that often plagued his dreams, the young tom had taken to sitting in the shadows in complete silence and usually it was not long before his inner thoughts were captured in the thin folds of his mind.

' L-liar! S-shut - ' she fumbled with her words, her quiet face flushed with distress, as she stumbled backwards.

' ' I'm

[/i]not!'[/b] he protested, his normally serious and bitter voice breaking to a pleading tone, and his blue eyes flooded with truth, already watering with unshed tears.[/color]

" Y-yes you are! " she was crying now and at his heartfelt gaze, his eyes were so truthful and warm and loving -- she couldn't stand it... " S-st-stop it! Even if you were telling the truth, I would never love you; I [/i]can't love you."[/b] She did thought -- she truly did, but she couldn't tell him that. He had never loved her, not the way he had loved - so unconditionally and fully - that d**ned Lightpool..[/color]

"But you do! ", he was desperate now and as hes stepped froward, tumbling as she fell and his smooth moon-washed pelt touched her own softer, frailer frame. " Can't you understand? I love [/i]you, not Lightpool!"[/b][/color]

" I - I c-ca -"
"I love - "
" No, she yowled, trembling now. " I [/i]hate[/u] you! "[/b] Lie, her mind screamed, but there was no going back that she had said it.
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And he felt his heart crumble for the second time when she fled. [/center][/i]

His heart throbbed painfully as the images of their last argument - and the last time that he had ever saw her alive - flitted through his mind; it took all of his strength to not break down and cry. Lightpool, a beautiful she-cat with a warm soul, was his first love -- but his affections back in his apprentice days had been nothing more than a foolish crush. It had been a mistake to fall in love with a cat who had never loved him back -- but he had made that same mistake twice; once with a she-cat that had only cared for him as a little brother and the other with a cat that had loved him but was too tired - tired of crying and being pitiful and dying inside - to say it. The pain he had felt with Lightpaw - and when she told him that their small fling, the short span of moons that they had spent together, was nothing -- had never been anything at all but simple friendship was so miniscule compared to the agony and distress that constantly plagued him whenever he was reminded of Oceansong and his love and their fights -- and most of all, her death; a death that he, he knew, had caused. Just because he could never properly fall in love.

However as the sun beat overhead, the unbearable heat pressing down on him like a huge boulder, Crowflight had no choice but to release himself from his most inner thoughts, pale blue pools still ablaze with silent pain. Licking his dry lips, the young tom stretched his aching muscles - he had been in the same position all night, what would you expect? - and jaw opening to reveal sharp ivories as he let out a soft yawn, the moon-washed feline lifted his ocean-blue pools toward a flicker of movement at the corner of his eye. Loststar, he recognized and dipped his head respectfully to acknowledge his leader before flicking his tail in the direction of Sunstreak to welcome her as well. Crowflight wasn't anti-social -- it was more that cats decided to stay away from him, but whether it was because his coldness or beauty was intimidating, he honestly had no clue.

"Mornin', " he mewed softly, tiredness and exhaustion still clinging to him like a burr caught in his fur, to the cats joining those who already occupied the clearing and forcing a smile as he shook away the agonizing memories that plagued him not that long ago, he turned around to face a shaded tabby she-cat with ivy-green pools and darker ebonite stripes that mirrored his own. For some reason, his thoughts - which were usually smart and smooth and always knowing - were at a standstill. He hadn't felt so... useless since Lightpool or Oceansong and for some reason his insides twisted uncomfortably -- what was he feeling? Surely just simple companionship between clan-mates?

".... Eclipsedmoon?" he murmured half to himself, as if not sure if that actually was her name -- he faintly remembered a ceremony taken place not all that long ago, perhaps it was before Loststar's reign, concerning the pretty femme -- before he continued forth, his face smooth and perfect, not giving away any of his confusion from before. " Loststar, " he began, suddenly turning away from the silver-line she-cat that made him feel so uncomfortable, and looked up at his leader, admiration lighting his brilliant ocean pools, with a respective flick of his tail. " Would you like to join the dawn patrol? I think it's best that we leave soon, then. " He paused, waiting for a response and ear flicking nonchalantly, he realized that he hadn't really notified any of the cats he picked. " I'll be leading it. I'd prefer if Sunstreak and Wolfstep could come or find some other warriors to be their replacements. And aside from you, Loststar, the only other cat that will be coming is... " he hesitated, his blue gaze flickering over to the pale gray she-cat to the side, before saying firmly, ".. Eveningrain." He bit his lip uneasily -- how was it that she did that to him - who acted with a calm head all the time, but was suddenly feeling butterflies flutter about inside?

It wasn't fair -- she wasn't playing fair.
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_{Silence is the universal refuge,
the sequel to all dull discourses
and all foolish acts,
a balm to our every chagrin,
as welcome after satiety
as after disappointment.}

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notes;; <3 Hope you don't mind me ruining your plans for 'alone time' Darkeh.
status;; complete
word count;; 1163
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[Stormeh]

((Eclipsedmoon, luff, not Eveningrain. x3))

Eclipsedmoon looked up as she heard her name muttered,
but instantly lowered her head after she saw who it was. Crushes
were silly things, she had told herself over and over, that no cat
could possibly find a necessity.

So why was she?

Why was her stomach feeling like a bird was inside it, its wings
flapping at an abnormal rate, trying to get out of the organ? And
why did a smile dance across her face as she ducked her head and
turned away? What was it about the tom that made her feel
this way? Sure, he was handsome. She didn't even really know
the cat!

...But wasn't that the point of a crush? Were they not merely based
upon looks and not personality? Lust at first sight, she supposed.

She turned her head back up as he padded away and stared after
him as he went to speak to Loststar. Suddenly, she bristled slightly
as she heard her name grace the tom's tongue once more. To go on
a patrol...with him... Her ears perked. Perhaps they could go alone?
But then she remembered that she had heard Sunstreak's and
Wolfstep's names. A scowl crossed her face. Why them?

But then a sly smile replaced the scowl. They had said
something about fishing, not a hunting patrol...

She stood after he had finished speaking and padded over to
Crowflight and Loststar slowly. "I'd be happy to join
Crowflight on the hunting patrol," she meowed smoothly. I
believe it would be a nice thing to do this morning." She
glanced at Crowflight, then back towards the nothing that she
had nervously trained her sight on.

[Wazo]

Loststar turned his head at the arrival of his deputy, his mis-matched eyes registering Crowflight's words with an approving blink. His sharp ears caught the stumbling words of Wolfstep and he almost nodded sympathetically in his direction. He wouldn't be a leader for nothing if he didn't know what was going around under his nose in his own clan. When he heard their names, he racked his brain for a substitute. Eveningrain was talking to Inkpool, most likely about the kits. Cindernose/Littlefeather had informed him that Inkpool was expecting again. Loststar would rather not take him if he could help it and he did want to give Sunstreak and Wolfstep some time alone. He remembered the difficulty of young love and for Wolfstep to have plucked up the courage was remarkable. He remembered his own fleeting feelings for Morninglight and wondered what she was doing now in RavineClan. There hadn't been much communication between the clans since the move.

"Well if Wolfstep and Sunstreak plan on going fishing, then that is a fine idea. We could use some more fish, especially when they are so plentiful. How about taking Whiteshadow with us?" he suggested, suddenly thinking of the black tom. "I think a patrol with me, you, Eclipsedmoon, and Whiteshadow would be satisfactory," he added, nodding slightly as Eclipsedmoon came closer. His eyes registered a flicker of confusion between Eclipsedmoon and Crowflight, but then it was gone. Loststar waved it off in his mind. "Once Whiteshadow joins us, we can leave. Sunstreak and Wolfstep can go on a later patrol."

Sunstreak hadn't set down her prey for more then a minute when Wolfstep came over to her. At first she could hardly register it, usually he made up some excuse and ran away like a scared mouse. She was pleased that he came over to talk to her, but she was dumbfounded when he asked her to go fishing with him. Even under ginger fur, she could feel her skin heating up like fire. As if it wasn't hot enough already...

Before she could open her mouth to say yes, the sound of her name made her turn her head. Crowflight wanted to take them on a patrol and her chocolate brown eyes flashed with frustration. She silently cursed her respected deputy. And she did respect him, he did a good job and he was handsome to boot. Handsome, but he didn't make her insides dance like Wolfstep did. And right now he was spoiling the only alone time she had with Wolfstep.

Just as she was about to say something, anything to salvage it, Loststar stepped in and offered a suggestion. Thank StarClan, Sunstreak could have thrown herself at her leader with delight. Her rich brown eyes shone and she dipped her head respectfully in his direction.

She turned back to Wolfstep, her ginger tail flicking back and forth with excitement. "I would love to go fishing with you."

[D a R K - R a H]

His eyes were only briefly pulled from her. He saw the tabby deputy padd about camp, his deep blue eyes moving from cat to cat. But Wolfstep noticed something else... He noticed a strange glint in Crowflight's eyes as he cast his gaze over Eclipsedmoon. He was just wondering about it when Crowflight began speaking to Loststar. The two dark toms were both fairly new to this whole leading thing, but they were already doing well. However, their words brought a wave of dispair over the young warrior.

Crowflight wanted him for a patrol? No... He had wanted to talk to Sunstreak alone, perhaps finally get the awkwardness out of the way. But with a group of other cats joining them as well... It would be much more awkward! A deep frown came to his face as something similar to anger bubbled about in his stomach. There were plenty of other TealClanners he could take with him, why them in particular? He was about to open his mouth and protest when dark Loststar stepped in. There was something about the way the leader spoke that made Wolfstep guess he knew all about how he felt for Sunstreak. It made the young warrior feel embarrassed as a young apprentice again. Hopefully Loststar's suggestion didn't make things too obvious...

Sunstreak's voice snapped him out of his thoughts in a heartbeat. He felt his ears warm up like they'd been set on fire. Even though Loststar had approved of their fishing patrol, she might still say something against it... A word against it now would be an outright rejection. Or, if she invited someone else to come with, it would say she liked him as a friend, but nothing more. Dread and worry replaced his anger and embarrassment. But her words didn't come out as an apology or even as an angry rejection. Instead, they were bright, slightly surprised, and very much pleased.

"I would love to go fishing with you."

His heart soared and he couldn't stop a smile from spreading across his face. He tried quickly to hide it, but it took effort to keep it off his face. "A-alright. There's a f-few logs that have floated over from the Far Shore a few days ago. M-maybe there's a few fish caught in there..." He finished it as more of a question, wondering if she'd rather go to a more usual fishing place, like out to the little penninsula or to where the water was deeper just below the rocks of the shore. But he waited in silnce for her to answer, eager to have her oppinion on it. He showed no signs of caring anymore if his sister or other littermates saw him. After all, he had finally gotten a chance to spend time alone with Sunstreak. It this went well, he wouldn't care if his siblings found out. And if it went badly, it wouldn't matter anyways.

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✫☆ -- The young deputy quivered slightly, the movement barely noticeable, as she padded up to him and paws twitching uncomfortably, he quickly turned away from Eclipsedmoon [her wonderful, enticing and sweet scent wreathing around him as she stepped closer, he couldn't help but notice] before briefly closing his eyes to regain his senses. Great StarClan! What's she trying to do to me?, he wondered and after contemplating it for a moment, coming to no real decision, Crowflight - somewhat warily - faced the two felines once more.

His face blank, that same emotionless mask of emotions shrouding him once more, of any of the feelings he had felt moments prior, the beautiful tabby sat in silence when she spoke, her sweet, angelic voice ringing in his ears that was so painfully familiar. Blue pools glazed over in pain at the memory of that certain she-cat, the same one that had been plaguing his nightmares for moons to come, before the tabby tom quickly shook his head of the thoughts and focused his calm gaze upon the two cats, ears strained as he tried to catch air of the conversation -- this certainly wasn't a time to be wallowing in the guilt of his actions in the past.

Blinking in confusion as the words of his leader reached his ears, the young deputy simply stared at Loststar with a quizzical expression, eyebrow raised delicately as if questioning the motives for his words. Cobalt orbs quickly flickered over to the pair before recognition flashed in the pretty tom's brilliant pools and turning back to his leader, eyes dancing with suppressed laughter and whiskers twitching with warm amusement. " I see, " he meowed, his voice quiet and solemn as always, but still holding that same air of authority and respect that was needed to hold the position as deputy. " A wonderful idea, " he agreed and hiding a smile, the young tom dipped his head to go find the warrior -- suddenly eager to be away from the only she-cat that made his insides tumble and yet, at the same time, made him feel as if he was the most important cat on earth.

" Whiteshadow, " he called softly into the warrior's den, the sun's warm rays a slight hindrance upon his shoulders as the warm pastels bathed his beautiful frame in a brilliant light. Cerulean optics searched the den for signs of the black warrior, mouth curved into a simple, though determined and serious, smile as he found the sleeping frame of the said warrior. " I hope you had a nice nap, Whiteshadow, but" he told the raven-hued tom sarcastically, and stepping out of the den already, he called again, " We need you for a patrol. Now, please." Waiting for the tom, Crowflight's dark pools involuntarily flickered to the pretty she-cat on the other side of the clearing and feeling his insides twist once more, a pained look entered his eyes.

What would Oceansong say to this?

_{Silence is the universal refuge,
the sequel to all dull discourses
and all foolish acts,
a balm to our every chagrin,
as welcome after satiety
as after disappointment.}

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notes;; oops. xD;; icky post. -stabs-
status;; finished
word count;; 500
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[Stormeh]

Eclipsedmoon couldn't help but to let out a little snicker as she
turned away from Crowflight. She padded slowly over towards the
entrance of the camp, tail flicking as she thought about the tom. She
knew the effect she had over some cats, but what was up with
this tom? Never before had a cat acted so...so...so much like a
kit as he had. The she-cat couldn’t help but to let her mind wander.

No cat had shown this much interest in her, either. She wasn’t
much, once you got down to it; her claim-to-fame had been that she
was born the daughter of the loyal warriors Eveningrain and
Inkpool. She was slightly arrogant because of this, yes, but how
could she not be? Did the cats from long ago not feel this way when
they were born the sons and daughters of cats who actually
mattered? Cats like the sons and daughters of leaders and
senior warriors. Did they not feel like they were of a higher rank as
a warrior than others did? Did they not consider themselves to
be…special? To be of a greater importance?

Eclipsedmoon let out a small hiss of annoyance. She let her eyes
travel where her paws were about to: to the beautiful grounds of
TealClan’s territory. She sat at the entrance, tail still flicking, though
now more in a state of wonder. What was wrong with him, anyway?
She sighed. He was attractive…okay, okay, handsome. Beyond
handsome, even. That was a possibility. She enjoyed letting her
green eyes caress his pelt, to let her mind trek where his paw steps
were. She was pretty (she knew that), but her looks didn’t sum up
to how some others looked. They were much more beautiful than
she, and he was a bit older than she was, too. Certainly he had met
some other she-cats who had attracted those gorgeous eyes?

The annoyance crept into her pelt once more as he was asking for
Whiteshadow to accompany them. Weren’t two cats enough?! It
wasn’t like any Clan was actually planned on attacking right
now. Everything was nice. And besides, it was a hunting patrol.
They could certainly manage the forest part while her brother and
Sunstreak hunted by the lake.

The little gray tabby padded impatiently over to the warriors’ den to
Crowflight’s side. "With all due respect," she
managed, amazed that her voice wasn’t coming out as a hiss,
"it’ll be past moonhigh if we keep waiting for all of the
warriors in the camp to join us. Shall we leave or not?"

Her green eyes narrowed slightly before she turned away and
padded saucily back to the entrance of the TealClan camp, which is
where she sat, her tail tip flicking.

[Raven-chan]

Dreams of clouds drifted lazily across his mind, the blue sky stretching out for miles and miles beyond him. There were no characters in this dream, no cats, no Clanners, no foxes no Journey no nothing. Just clouds and sky, and the sunlight streaming through, like a beacon of light to beckon the young warrior on.

Then, a sarcastic if quiet voice entered, bursting his bubble. I hope you had a nice nap, it said, with a ring of silent authority. But we need you for a patrol. Now, please. He sighed, already half-awake, and not really enjoying the sensation. Even though the dream consisted of clouds and sun and sky, there seemed to be a rising action, something that was coming, the epitome of his existence seemed to be somewhere in that lazy daisy dream.

He muttered something incoherent, but still jumped to his paws and shook out his black pelt, the action waking him up considerably. Bright emerald eyes sparkled with wakefulness, and he grinned, a vibrant, easy smile, one that came naturally to the tom.

"Patrol time? Well, gee, what a shock." He meowed sarcastically and quietly to the deputy, nudging Crowflight playfully on his way out of the den, his tail twitching behind him pleasantly. He had no lover to keep him busy, no mate or no companion to keep him occupied, so he was constantly on patrols, sunrise and sundown, though rarely sunhigh. They generally gave him time to rest and eat.

Generally. To Whiteshadow, it seemed that everybody was pairing off, and quickly. Wolfstep and Sunstreak, and now...He kept his suspicions quiet in his head, to himself. He was oddly observant for being so outgoing, but this was nothing in stone, nothing in concrete as of yet. Just a suspicion floating around in the back of his mind.

Padding over to his leader and sister, he dipped his head respectfully to Loststar and meowed to Eclipsedmoon, "Good morning, sister of mine."

[Wazo]

Loststar watched his deputy pad away to get Whiteshadow as a small shadow graced his features. He never used to smile, but all his time at TealClan had shaped him into something better then the hulking silent tom he had come here as.

He was fortunate to have such an observant and quick-thinking deputy, that immediately caught why he wouldn't want Sunstreak and Wolfstep to join them, without calling attention to that fact. Although, it seemed that Crowflight would be having some romantic issues of his own soon. If Eclipsedmoon had truely caught his eye, then he would have his paws full. Loststar watched Eclipsedmoon stride confidently over to Crowflight and supressed a bark of laughter. That she-cat was as fiery as they came and Loststar supposed she could have Crowflight wound around her paws sooner then they could blink.

Loststar shook himself out of his thoughts upon the arrival of Whiteshadow. He nodded back and said, "Sorry about this, but we need one more for the dawn patrol. I'll let you get some rest later, "Loststar stated. He understood what Whiteshadow was going through, both of them were bachelors here and before Loststar was leader, he too went on many patrols and hunting parties.

Sunstreak thought for a moment, furrowing her face before relaxing. "I'm fine with going to the new place, it could be a nice change of pace," she mewed, her tail flickering back and forth with excitement.

It would be a nice change of pace too. Much of the life of a warrior is routine, patrols, hunting, resting, again and again and again. The opportunity to hunt with Wolfstep was a blessing that could have made Sunstreak dance around the camp.

He still seemed akward, hesitant, but eagerness was apparent on his face and he seemed relieved at her answer. Another thought fell into her mind with a crushing thud. What if she embarassed herself? The idea was horrific and she pushed it out of her mind almost as quickly as it had came. This was her one chance and she refused to mess it up.

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✫☆ -- The moon-washed tom had been simply standing there, eyes clouded with anguish as he stared of into the distance, when her scent wreathed around him once more - almost making him dizzy, if not for the tone of her voice. A low unappreciative growl rose from his throat, barely audible but there nonetheless, before the tom narrowed his eyes at the younger she-cat and cobalt optics smoldering, he stared at her retreating frame for one more moment before turning back to wait for Whiteshadow to emerge from the den.

'I knew it, " he sighed -- his thoughts breathless with the relief he felt, though it also seemed to be reflecting some regret and hints of confusion too. ' She could never compare to Oceansong, anyway.' Shaking his head, the young deputy rose to his paws and the sun bathing his lean frame in it's bashful glow, muscles rippling underneath his metallic coloring, the young tom raised his blue pools, deeper than the stormy depths of an ocean, to see the faded outline of the shaded tom arising form his sleep. The edge of his lips twitched in the beginning of a smile, whiskers twitching. Whiteshadow never failed to be happy, when he really shouldn't be - being pulled again out of what must have been a pleasant dream - and the handsome tom, his shoulders sagging with relief, blinked thankfully at the tom as he emerged. At least he wasn't grumpy about this whole ordeal.

Hiding a smile as he was nudged playfully by the cheerful warrior, Crowflight slowly retreated to follow the other warrior, his eyes hard with determination as he tried to rid his mind of the strange thoughts clouding his usually sharp thinking. 'I don't really see why you're upset,' a voice whispered to him, the familar scent making him light on his paws again and making him tingle all over ' I mean, you never actually loved me to begin with so...' And still somehow [miraculously even, he would muse later] maintaining his calm composure, his eyes flashed furiously and he fought back the urge to scream at the cat that was - clearly - intruding his thoughts. "No," he whispered furiously to the she-cat - he was sure - that had dropped down from StarClan just to torment him, " I loveyou, Oceansong. Only you." His voice was nearly inaudible, and only those who had been staring at him for longest time, stalking him perhaps [and he hadn't a doubt that some she-cat was]. Honestly, the moon-washed tabby tom did not care who was listening to his most private thoughts at the moment -- as long as she knew the truth; that she held the true key to his heart and most possibly, the last one who would ever have it. Great StarClan couldn't she understand? He had - and a part of him still did, even though his gaze had taken to lingering on a certain fiery she-cat - loved her. Really.

Suddenly realizing that he had been lagging behind the black warrior - he actually had, unknowingly, skidded to a complete stop as soon as the sweet voice of the StarClanner had rung in his ears - Crowflight quickly, though undoubtedly gracefully, strolled over to the gathered cats in a few motions, his milky paws barely grazing the sandy substance that covered the floor beneath his paws.

"Loststar, I think we should leave now -- if you don't mind, " he dipped his head respectfully and lips pursed, her horrible accusation ringing in his ears and her [perfect] smirk still flashing before his eyes, he watched his leader for one more moment for any signs of rebellion, none-to-eager to disobey any orders the other tom might issue. Content that the tom would say nothing of the sort, Crowflight glided forth past the camp entrance towards - what he supposed, but one could never really tell in the pained state he was in [after all, he wasn't perfect] - the RavineClan border; they had been up to odd things as of late.

And throughout all of this, he purposely ignored Eclipsedmoon -- not even supplying with the icy glare that he wanted to. He couldn't risk her, who was surely watching her love with pained and disbelieving eyes as he fell for another she-cat uh- patrolled, thinking that his words weren't the the utmost truth. He - good gods - loved her and for some odd reason, even in death where she was able to prob the inner folds of his mind, refused to admit it -- that he had loved her more than any cat. Even more than Lightpool.

... and certainly, he forced himself to believe, more than that darned Eclipsedmoon who was - has he already said this? - not playing fair again. More than half the clan was acutely aware of his love affairs with Lightpool and Oceansong -- was she not aware of it or purposely trying to hurt er- anger him?

He closed his eyes briefly; that was just too much pain to bear and he took a breath before strolling onwards.

_{Silence is the universal refuge,
the sequel to all dull discourses
and all foolish acts,
a balm to our every chagrin,
as welcome after satiety
as after disappointment.}

[/color]

notes;; uhm, it's a border patrol -- aren't dawn patrols always border patrols? =o Hunting patrols are just called... hunting patrols. x3 Oh and just in case you didn't know, Oceansong bears a striking resemblance to Eclipsedmoon, 'cept she's lighter. Lightpool was his first love, though it was really a lie for them both, and because of that - if you haven't figured it out - when he fell for Ocean later on, she was too broken to believe him.
status;; done
word count;; 854
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[Stormeh]

((My goodness, this is so much better than Neo. I can't imagine how many times over the last few days I've been trying to post and I've had to redo my posts so many times... --' Geez. I'M FINALLY POSTING!! Bwahaha. Sorry if this post is suckish like I think it will be. =P))

Eclipsedmoon's fur was beginning to rise. This tom was taking up
their precious time! It wasn't going to be dawn forever like he
seemed to be pretending it was!

She smiled warmly at her brother, however, and gave him a little
headbutt in the shoulder. "And good morning to
you, too, my brother...or should I say, 'Good
afternoon'?" she added playfully. She adored her family, her
siblings, her mother, her father. She couldn't ask for any better cats.
"How were you not already up and ready, excited for
the first patrol of the day?" She let out a mrrow of
laughter and her smile widened.

It immediately disappeared, however, when she turned around to
get into the group. As she padded past Crowflight, she heard him
murmuring. ...Love? Who could love him? He seemed to be
so...so...well, strange. And he had loved some cat? She
snorted. Surely not in this lifetime!

However, she found that she had to pull her eyes away from him to
keep herself distracted. She knew she had to focus on something
else, some other cat... He carried baggage, apparently, and that
baggage wasn't supposed to be hers. She didn't want for it to be.
Not if they were... Wait. Where did this talk of they come from?
There was no future for them, not now, not ever!

The she-cat moved towards the edge of the group, troubled. She
furrowed her brow slightly as she thought about this whole thing,
though she tried to convince herself that there wasn't anything to
think about as far as he went. He apparently had problems.
Shouldn't she have known that? Handsome, smart, the deputy...
Yes, she was sure he had met other she-cats in his lifetime. Just
because she hadn't met any other tom who had caught her
attention didn't mean that it had to be the same for Crowflight...with
the exception of her toms being his she-cats. A little grimace came
across her face. Oh, StarClan, don't let him be
interested in toms, she prayed foolishly, almost mockingly.
She shook her head. This was silly. There was nothing and
there never would be anything! She could find some other
TealClan tom to set her eyes upon. There were many who were just
as handsome as he was, just as astonishing, with a better
personality, even...

But as she thought this, no cat came to mind.

Why in StarClan's name do I have to be interested
in him?

The she-cat sighed. This couldn't be love. It didn't exist...or did it?
Apparently he had found it, as he had been speaking of it...

She decided to push these thoughts to the back of her mind and
just forget about him...but that would be hard to do when she was
on a patrol with him.

She sighed.

That would be hard to do forever.

[D a R K - R a H]

A small purr ran its way up the gray tabby's throat. He allowed a small smile to light up his face as his dark brown eyes danced in the direction of the beautiful warrioress. His eagerness swelled once more, and he turned towards the camp's entrance, too caught up in Sunstreak's soft voice to notice the strange tension between his sister and the clan's deputy. His pale gray paws moved gently over the sloped ground as they left the camp.

As she so often did, Sunstreak filled his mind. Her beautiful scent danced about his nose in an almost intoxicating way. He couldn't stop himself from glancing in her direction, a strange sort of emotion filling his eyes. It was something like happiness, excitement, and longing all wrapped up into one staggering emotion. He pulled his eyes away from her, though, not wanting to seem to overly desprate. All the same, it was a thrill just to walk beside her. Although their hunting trip was sure to be awkward, hopefully it was fun, too. And it was his first big chance to get her attention, or maybe tell her how he felt. That thought left anxiety in its wake. What if she didn't feel the same? Then their relationship would be ruined, and she wouldn't even want to be friends with him... Why would she agree to this if she didn't feel something? And, with that thought, the hope returned to him.

Perhaps I should say something... But, as much as he wanted to, the words just wouldn't come. He could comment on the weather (yeah, awkward and overused), tell her she looked beautiful (never worked very well on anyone who wasn't a kittypet), or maybe even make small talk about what fish he hoped to catch... But even that sounded lame. Instead, he let them pad on in silence for a few moments before finally mustering up something to say. "S-so, did you h-hear about my mother? Sh-she's expecting." As ever, his words came out in a stutter, and he silently scolded himself for saying anything at all...

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[Wazo]

ooc: yea its a border patrol...at dawn..hehe XD sorry if im interchanging those at will

Loststar's mismatched eyes flickered between Eclipsedmoon and Crowflight, whiskers twitching in amusement. Whatever was going on between them, they would hopefully work it out. He needed his deputy to not shrink his duties or be constantly distracted by a tempting she-cat. He was confident that Crowflight was an able and responsible cat, but even the best of cats can be dumbfounded with infaturation.

The irony of Loststar's situation was both amusing and sad to him. He, the confirmed bachelor, leader of the CoupleClan. And he didn't blame them. He had no doubt he had earned his clan's respect, but no she-cat was particularly eager to spend time with this quiet and contemplative black tom. Not when handsome Crowflight was around, Loststar reflected, following after his deputy. Loststar never minded surrendering the leadership for awhile. The huge tom was a humble cat, willing to be the leader when necessary, but not arrogant or dominating about it. Besides, Crowflight would need practice if he was someday leader...

Death had never scared Loststar much. He had his nine lives, but even before, death was simply the start of a new journey, out of this life that had given him such a strong dose of pleasure and pain. With death, there would be no boundries that would separate him from Beestripe or even Morninglight, the only two he really called his friends. But he still had much to do here.

The sun was now sailing higher into the sky and basking the patrol with bright light. Loststar brushed the dirt out of his coat, his pelt hot to the touch and certainly doing him no favors, and followed the others to the RavineClan border. He wished to know what was happening with the other clans, RavineClan mostly, but ever since the move, there hadn't been much contact between clans. A clan gathering was long overdue.

Instead of keeping his thoughts to himself, as he usually did, he decided to voice his reflection. "A gathering would be nice about now," he stated. "We don't know much about the two clans at all at this point."