[The Cannibal]

Originally Posted by Beau

Cloudstrike's ears perked at the sound of the two friends' laughter mingling and ringing through the air. Personally, she wondered if there were any noises that sounded better. After debating silently for a moment, Cloudstrike decided that if there was, she'd yet to discover it. Her eyes were calmly focused on Duskfeather, not exactly staring, but just watching. After a moment, her mind wandered to the point where she hardly saw Duskfeather anymore, instead looking into space as her thoughts ran wild. Her sandy colored companion brought her back and Cloudstrike blinked the residue of her thoughts away from her eyes. The ivory feline smiled and responded, "True. I can't swim like you, but I can do other things. It doesn't bother me. I like that every cat is different. If we all had the same talents, the world would be rather boring. Not to mention the fact that I'm pretty sure it wouldn't work." Cloudstrike finished her thought with a gentle laugh, punctuating her sentence with the melody of joy. Cloudstrike fell quiet as she flopped onto her side, keeping her eyes lazily pointed at Duskfeather and watching between languid blinks and long eyelashes as the Riverclan warrior dipped her paw into the water. The stream was so calming and so refreshing that the thought of having to go back to her own territory, which was sorely lacking in the stream department, made Cloudstrike's chest clench. But, as always, her mind was quick to sweep away that bad thoughts, and the feline was soon at peace again. Her bright eyes absorbed the warmth on Duskfeather's face and reflected it, displaying her ownjoy at being able to call this kind, helpful molly her friend. It was nice to call anyone a friend. Cloudstrike held friendly feelings towards every cat in the forest, even evil and rude cats, but it was different from the kind of tender feelings one gets from being near an actual friend. It was also nice to have those friendly feelings reciprocated since she was naive, but not foolish enough to think that cats who didn't know her could be her friend. Cloudstrike chuckled at Duskfeather's remark, mewing, "I wouldn't mind if you did." The Shadowclan cat liked her friend the way she was, but she had a sense that she would like her even if she was a rambler. Duskfeather had so many good qualities that rambling wouldn't detract from her personality or their friendship whatsoever. This thought comforted Cloudstrike for a moment before it too slipped away. Once again, the unpleasant thought that she'd have to leave eventually popped up, but Cloudstrike forced it away, trying to focus instead on the time she had with her friend.


Duskfeather's joke got a vibrant laugh out of Cloudstrike and she replied, "How do you know I'm not? Maybe I'm just hiding it!" Her eyes sparkled with amusement and her wide smile gave away the fact that she wasn't likely to be a psychopath, but it wasn't like Cloudstrike had actually been trying to fool Duskfeather. Her shining eyes were watching the sky, but movement caught her attention and the white feline turned to watch as Duskfeather moved her paw, sending shimmering droplets of water spinning onto her fur. Cloudstrike had to admit to herself that it looked like it felt good. The sun was nearly at it's zenith and it's rays beat down hard on the long-furred warrior. Casting her eyes in the direction of the sun, Cloudstrike found herself missing the cool shade of the Shadowclan pines.


The she-cat nodded, noticing that the rocks below them did appear as if they could harden some paws if cats weren't careful. Cloudstrike also leaned in to view her friend's paw, noting that it looked just as undamaged as her own. The sheer silliness of the moment brought a smile to Cloudstrike's face but it turned to a more thoughtful look as she pondered Duskfeather's musing. She honestly didn't know the answer, but Duskfeather shrugged soon after and Cloudstrike let the thought go as well. Cloudstrike's gaze followed Duskfeather as the warrior stood and her ears perked in excitement. Leaping to her paws, the ivory cat chirped, "Ooh, fish! I've always wanted to try it!" Where one cat may have been disgusted by the idea of trying something new, Cloudstrike was intrigued and excited. She moved closer to Duskfeather, staying back from the water's edge so she could watch without getting in the way.

Such a beautiful day. And not just because the weather's nice. Thought the she-cat momentarily to herself with a soft, pleasant smile stuck on her face as she looked up at the sky for a few seconds. The sound of their combined laughter, it now held a special spot in the morbid she-cats heart, a sound that she could rely on when she was feeling lonely, or unhappy, a memory that could make her happy even on the darkest of days. And for that, she would have to thank Cloudstrike. Her eyes traveled from the sky to her friend again as the white warrior spoke her thoughts aloud, thoughts that Duskfeather most certainly agreed with, causing her to purr and nod her head. "That is a very good point, and a point I agree with Cloud. If only some cats could understand that simple logic." The thought in itself nearly aggravated the Riverclan warrior, the thought that cats couldn't understand that it was good to be unique, and to not be good at everything, that if everyone were uniform, all their skills the same, the world would be boring and useless. No one would be able to best one another because they'd all be the same, there would be nothing interesting, nothing at all. The fact that Cloudstrike was able to get this just made her like the Shadowclan warrior even more.
Raising a brow as she heard the she-cat make mention that she could possibly be a psychopath and that she could possibly be hiding it, a smirk appearing on her muzzle. "I think one psychopath would be able to sense another in their presence! After all, great minds think alike, right?" There was a playful look in her eyes before a grin spread her lips and the sun glinted on her teeth.

"Great, because I'm hungry and could go for some fresh fish!" As the white warrior hopped to her paws, Duskfeather would stand up, peering further out in the stream before shaking her head. "But we'll have to go somewhere else, this is more for swimming than fishing, follow me, I know the perfect spot for fishing!"
Batting playfully at the she-cat as she passed by, she would go jogging right into a swath of tree's and quietly letting loose a sigh of relief as the suns harsh rays were halted by the canopy above. The other stream she had in mind was a bit smaller than the lazy one they were at, but held much more fish and generally was easier to fish in because if it's small size. Not only that, but it was under the cover of trees so they would have to fish out in the heat, she knew that Cloudstrike had to have been hot in that thick, long pelt of hers, especially because Duskfeather herself was beginning to get hot!

Several minutes would pass by before finally the muddy colored warrior settled at the edge of a small stream of water, looking over her shoulder for her friend before looking back at the water as it glimmered with the dappled sunlight that the leaves let through. "This is probably one of my favorite spots to fish in the territory." Mewed the she-cat after Cloudstrike had made herself comfortable wherever she deemed fit, fixating her dull yellow gaze on her for a moment before turning her gaze to the body of water. There was more bird chatter here, but by the sound of it they were up high in the canopy where no Riverclan cat dare dream of going. There were some bold cats that may have tried, but Duskfeather herself wouldn't risk it, knowing that one wrong pawstep could cost you your warrior career or even your life. She would much prefer to swimming like Riverclan cats were meant to do. After a long pause of just looking at the water, she would speak up, almost as if a mentor to an apprentice.
"Do you see anything in the water?"