RiverClan Clearing

[TheTalisman]

Originally Posted by Silentshade

Silenshade swished her tail lightly over the floor of the clearing. She wanted to hunt but with her not speaking to Brackenheart, the sorry excuse for a warrior, and with Clovershine being well, Clovershine. She had no one! then, she spotted one of her clanmates, Skywatcher, survey the camp. Silentshade didn't know Skywathcer that well. "Well, maybe this is the time to start getting to know her! " the gray and white she-cat mumbled to herself as she walked over to Skywatcher. " Hi, I'm Silentshade, do you want to hunt with me? If you don't that's fine but if you do I can go hunting with you!" great job Silentshade! you are blabbering again! when can learn to control your mouth?! she thought as she waited for Skywatcher to answer.

Hmm, this one looked interesting. Enthusiastic, friendly, eager to learn. Skywatcher padded over to Silentshade.
"Skywatcher," she mewed in greeting. Then, on closer inspection, the she-cat before her looked familiar. She remembered a face like that from a day or two before.
"Hey, I know you. Weren't you the cat who was looking after those kits? I could tell you have a way with them."

[rascalcats]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Her first thought was 'that's awful!' Thankfully Blossomkit didn't just blurt out the first thing that came to mind, or else she would really have no friends. And then her second thought came out before she could help it. "R-really?" Really and truly? He wanted to... help her? Blossomkit hadn't thought that she needed that much help. She was a good cat! A... a fine cat, at least. She was getting along alright in the nursery. Couldn't she just stay here for the rest of her days? Perhaps someday she would have some kits of her own. Though, no one would want to if she still had her old 'kit' suffix. Alright. Maybe she would go through training. But, she absolutely refused to become a warrior forever. It was too scary. Too risky for her. "Well... well th-thank you, I guess... I mean... that, that, uh... that means a lot." There wasn't much more she could say then that. 'That means a lot' was all that came out of her maw, and it seemed perfect to her. It was all that she could think of to say at the time, but perhaps it was all that she needed to say. It was the absolute truth... just like she had been taught to speak.[/CENTER]

"Of course." Ravenkit purred, touching his nose lightly to his new friend's ear. "Every cat deserves to be treated kindly, like I said. Now," he paused, drawing away a little and tilting his head. "should we bring this moss to Geckoleaf? Or maybe see if the Elders want it? Or the Queens?"

The little tom tilted his head at the scraps of moss, realizing how important the spongy green plant was to life in the Clans. He wondered for a moment if his mother still slept on a mossy nest, but dismissed the thought. She probably didn't even go outside anymore.

[Gusty]

Originally Posted by Aluminumstrike

Aluminumpaw, being the curious and spacey apprentice she was, had only heard a fraction of the annoyance in the tom's words. "Are ya unhappy?" She asked a bit causiously, though her amber eyes were burning with apprehension, for she didn't know how this cat would react to her comments. Most cats got annoyed with her persistant questions and the spacey atmosphere around her and would start to ignore her until she left.
(I'm so sorry for being so late in replying)

[its okay, I take a while too sometimes]

Waspwhisker's ears drooped. "Yes, quite, actually." Because it was true: the tom was sometimes in a state of melancholy- depression, almost, but not as severe.

It wasn't like Wasp wanted to be sad... (who does, after all?) But it was inevitable. He could just see all of the flaws in the world so easily... everything was so tough, there were too many mysteries, life was much more complex than the clans made it out to be. With all these problems and no solutions, how could Waspwhisker be truly happy?

Some cats could. They were the lucky ones. Aluminumpaw was probably one of them.

[AbsurdJinx]

Originally Posted by Raine

[ SO! SO! SO! Sorry. Also I'm very sorry it's just a sloppy post. Not even sure what daisy is feeling anymore. ]

It was almost like tumblestep walked to a melody. Like a rehearsed dance he takes such delicate steps, making up this little mind dance. One step forward and one back. Two steps forward and one step back. She shut her eyes and released a sigh. She hadn't expected to see him come. In fact it was like she was daring him with her occasional glance. Though she could see it in his visible struggle she often disregarded it and began to get used to it. Now it was all the more unusual to see it on the outside view. She lowered her gaze to her meal suddenly feeling this drop on appetite. It occurred to her whenever tumblestep was near she lost all will to accomplish the task at paw and would rather talk. It made her annoyed how much it made sense that she grunted. Audible enough to be heard by tumblestep.

Now he was a tail length away. No chance he was turning and veering off. No. This was it. But she couldn't lie how proud she secretly felt. Guilty and proud. Than she raised her head. Matching his gaze. Both greens compelling a deep meaning between them. Now she found herself unable to break their stare. Than he looked away. An internal sigh echoed through her soul and she began to tuck her tail behind her legs. Just as she lost hope in him actually talking his soft voice scared her slightly. She jerked her head back towards him looking hostile even though that's not what she meant it to look like. She stares directly at him. She had been anticipating this with low expectations. Now. Now in this moment. She felt a relief flood through her chest.

It had almost been like she was holding her breath, so dependant on him that she wasn't able to be herself without him. It was strange how she was feeling about this moment, still relieved, proud, angry or depressed. He was actually talking. So that was like a good thing. But he was hesitating. That wasn't as preferred. She looked back at him who didn't seem to be intent on returning the glance she wished to exchange. When he was done she shut her eyes for a moment. Re opening them to him a moment later.

"Tumblestep" she paused for a moment. Than sighed again. She was surprised by her voice. It had been a long while since she talked to him, like this. "I- I-" she than paused a second time. Tears beaded in her eyes and now she felt hopeless to explain how she felt now. Seeing him ready to cry, feeling like she was going to burst any moment. She couldn't quite capture the words and pin them down.

Than. As if on random she began to cry. The pain and agony of this prolonged silence bursting from between her maw in muffled cries. She sank, her tail pulling in between her legs and curling into herself. Attempting to be smaller, to sink into the ground and disappear into oblivion. This was certainly not part of her plan. She looked up at tumblestep, the tears streaking through her eyelashes and down her cheeks. Her claws had slid out and pricked at the ground, her eyes darting from him to the gro to him. What was wrong with her?

"I... Th- is was all my fault" she suddenly broke out. She sniffles and sucked back Asia her eyes shutting tight as the tears continued down her cheeks. She looked back at him opening her eyes to stare at him from her submissive expression. "I.. I moved to quick.. I just... I'm sorry this was me... You do- don't ha- have to do anything... Plea- please" she whimpers. Her whole body shook with the fear he would flee.

[ Don't worry about it! Your post was great, and honestly, I've been a bit inactive anyway xx ]

Tumblestep was shocked when Daisyshade crumpled to her belly, completely vulnerable. She had placed the image in his mind that she was a confident, stoic molly. Now, she was falling apart at his paws, and he didn't know what to think. She was meant to guide his pawsteps, not the other way around. He couldn't take lead; he'd only fail her like he had before.

He stepped back nervously, the urge to turn tail and run off nearly overcoming him. However, he knew he had to make it up to the she-cat before him, and he wouldn't be able to do that if he ran away. Besides, he'd already proved himself a coward to her, and that had almost destroyed their friendship. Could one more cowardice act completely demolish them? He didn't want to find out.

With a huff of mental strength, Tumblestep stood his ground, placing his paws firmly against the ground. Yet his tail-tip flicked anxiously at his side. He continued to avoid eye contact. He had taken a peek at Daisyshade, and only further upset himself at the sight of her distraught self. If he looked at her again, he was sure he'd be in the same puddle as her. And right now, he had to be the strong one - even if it terrified him.

His ears moved as Daisyshade spoke, claiming fault. Immediately, he began to shake his head wildly in disagreement, but allowed her to continue speaking. After she finished speaking, he let a moment pass before talking. ``I... am at fault.`` His words, though so simple, could be considered strong. His tone was guilty and persistent as he insisted everything that happened was caused by him.

His fault.

[Aluminumstrike]

Originally Posted by Gusty

[its okay, I take a while too sometimes]

Waspwhisker's ears drooped. "Yes, quite, actually." Because it was true: the tom was sometimes in a state of melancholy- depression, almost, but not as severe.

It wasn't like Wasp wanted to be sad... (who does, after all?) But it was inevitable. He could just see all of the flaws in the world so easily... everything was so tough, there were too many mysteries, life was much more complex than the clans made it out to be. With all these problems and no solutions, how could Waspwhisker be truly happy?

Some cats could. They were the lucky ones. Aluminumpaw was probably one of them.

"What would cheer you up?" Aluminumpaw asked. She had never liked seeing cats unhappy even though most thought she didn't notice. The curious she-cat had always had a wild imagination, and a large one at that.

[Ever]

Originally Posted by RedHead

Spicepaw had had enough of this kit. Scared of my dad? Pssshhh.
He's as kind as a plump rabbit on a green-leaf afternoon. Spicepaw was starting to grow a deep remorse for even taking notice of this small bundle of annoyance who bounded up to him. All she was causing him was annoyance and grief. Spicepaw usually could tolerate that, but right now? He was under a lot of emotional stress, and it had started to affect his mind and health. He definitely hadn't been eating enough, but the main reason was because he still was not used to eating that much due to living as a loner for so long. Spicepaw just wanted support from someone, someone who wasn't part of his circle of family drama, someone who might understand him. But then again, That was probably just wishful thinking. Spice usually didn't rely on anyone.
"I'm not scared of my father. And I am definitely not going to sit here and tolerate you being rude and disrespectful. So, you can either stop it, or walk away now." Spicepaw growled to Graykit, his temper boiling at the surface. You could clearly see that Spicepaw was ready to blow over.

As youngsters do, Greykit hadn't realized the impact her teasing had had on the older cat and recoiled when he suddenly growled at her. She wasn't used to be growled at and her ears tipped to the sides as her eyes went wide. She hadn't really meant to hurt him, she just wanted to get her own way. The growl had surprised her and she could feel tear immediately well into her eyes. She was still sensitive despite her attitude and lack of manners, she was still young and simply didn't yet understand the impact of her actions. Though she was slowly trying to. Something in her chest hurt and felt a tinge of fear. She scuttled back a few steps and lowered her gaze from his angry one. Without her father around to be angry at her, she had never really experienced true chastising. "Sorry." She whispered to the mucky ground. Her eyes darted back up long enough to reveal it was meant to be true before darting back to the sides, looking for a sort of escape route. Her ears burned hotly with embarrassment at the fact that she'd teared up in front of an apprentice. Greykit felt put in her place and it was a rather uncomfortable pill to swallow. Though the act had seemed to snap some sort of politeness in her as she awaited dismissal from Spicepaw. Though honestly, she didn't want him to accept her apology, then she'd have an excuse to continue with her bad attitude. It would happen either way, something like that wasn't easily scoren. Though his response could perhaps settle some sort of guilt in her whenever she continued the behavior.

[lone]

Originally Posted by Airabelle

"Of course." Ravenkit purred, touching his nose lightly to his new friend's ear. "Every cat deserves to be treated kindly, like I said. Now," he paused, drawing away a little and tilting his head. "should we bring this moss to Geckoleaf? Or maybe see if the Elders want it? Or the Queens?"

The little tom tilted his head at the scraps of moss, realizing how important the spongy green plant was to life in the Clans. He wondered for a moment if his mother still slept on a mossy nest, but dismissed the thought. She probably didn't even go outside anymore.

"I--I think the... the elders will pro-probably want it," Blossomkit mewed shyly. She never liked voicing her own opinions, but he had asked her a question and the best way to avoid concern and attention was to respond as quickly as possibly. Wasn't it? And yet, when under pressure, she still responded awfully slowly, almost too slowly for anyone to really know what she was saying. Though she didn't know whether that was true or not, it was what she believed of herself. At least she'd spoken at a decent pace this time. "H-hey Ravenkit, um... you, uh... you think y-you... you could... well, we could... we could do some, some... some playfighting later?" Oh come on! Why was she so nervous all of a sudden? It wasn't like he could ask her one question and her entire world would fall apart just randomly, was it? She liked Ravenkit. And she believed he could help her for later in life.

[rascalcats]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

"I--I think the... the elders will pro-probably want it," Blossomkit mewed shyly. She never liked voicing her own opinions, but he had asked her a question and the best way to avoid concern and attention was to respond as quickly as possibly. Wasn't it? And yet, when under pressure, she still responded awfully slowly, almost too slowly for anyone to really know what she was saying. Though she didn't know whether that was true or not, it was what she believed of herself. At least she'd spoken at a decent pace this time. "H-hey Ravenkit, um... you, uh... you think y-you... you could... well, we could... we could do some, some... some playfighting later?" Oh come on! Why was she so nervous all of a sudden? It wasn't like he could ask her one question and her entire world would fall apart just randomly, was it? She liked Ravenkit. And she believed he could help her for later in life.[/CENTER]

When Blossomkit said that the Elders would probably like the moss, he nodded. "Sure, let's go deliver it to them! Or-" he paused, tilting his head. "maybe they'll be sleeping, should we just leave it by the entrance? Elders can be grumpy if they're woken up." he ended the sentence with an amused purr.

When Blossomkit asked if they could play-fight later, he nodded eagerly, scooping the moss into a pile with his front paws as he spoke. "Of course! That would be a lot of fun!" he enthused as he rolled up the spongy green material. "Did you want to practice moves, or just mess around?"

[SuspiciousMindz]

Originally Posted by BluBunny

Fogleap thought he saw a hint of sadness in the she-cat eyes but she quickly looked away so he wasn't sure if it was just him or not. He bowed his head towards Lotusheart, "It's nice to meet you, although I wish we would've met under better circumstances." he chuckled. "Is it strange that I knew your name? I am sorry. I've just heard your name from others thats all." He said.

Lotusheart gave him a shrug. It really didn't bother her that he knew her name. It just meant the clan was doing well as a whole. Cats could talk about each other and know each other without conflict anymore. She could only thank the new leadership for that. Well... sort of new leadership. Russetstar had been around for a while now, but he was all around friendly and the clan seemed to be taking on that feeling as well. "I don't mind. It just shows I have a secret admirer!" she teased slightly, giving a small chuckle before turning her gaze to the nursery. So far, her kits were behaving, staying in the nursery while she was away. Lotusheart hated leaving them alone, but she needed to accept they were growing older. For now she'd baby them. They knew she didn't like it when they wandered away without telling her. You could say it was a precautionary thing since the death of her mate.

[Clover]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

It was a cold day. Normally the type of day that would have everyone finding warmer areas, trying to discover a sheltered place where they would be safe and have company, so there would be a conversation going on as well. But the ebony tom didn't want company. It had never been a strong point with him. And it never would be. He had a few close friend, scattered friends, but as far as walking up to someone and just saying 'hello, how are you, my name's Jasperpelt' went-- no way. Not unless he could sense that they might need some help... or company.

The dreaded seven letter word that seemed to haunt his mind.

One cat was nearby... the only one that he could see out at the moment. Wait-- was she crying? Don't. That was the first thought that entered his mind, 'don't.' Don't. Again, like a soft whisper or a cricket chirping, it spoke. DO NOT. That was louder. And yet, in the end, his drive to help overpowered his desire to stay away, knowing it probably wouldn't end well for either one. "I don't, um... I don't mean to bother you... but, uh, is there... is there some way I can help you? You seem really... really upset...." There. A full sentence.

And now it was time to see what she had to say about that.

"I-I..." she choked out, throat still constricted, eyes still watering, mind still racing. She closed her eyes, hiccuped against her will, let out another soft sob. "No-no... You can't help me... I've seen too much... Felt too much... Done too much. Lost too many friends and had too few family. I appreciate the offer, though. Really. But the only one who can console me is.. gone. Please, just leave me be... Or, you can stay, I guess. At this point company is anything," Cloversplash replied, her words muddled and rushed, an indistinguishable blur of words that tumbled from her mouth messily, her simply gushing whatever thought came next to her mind. She finally looked at the soft-furred black tom, her normally clear green eyes muddled with emotion. She let out a huff and looked away, embarrassed and miserable; she was annoyed to have been caught like this, but couldn't change what had happened.