ShadowClan Territory

[Celanawe Stormwalker]

Originally Posted by Liquoris

The calico jumped up when she saw her friend. "Bane! I'm so happy you're still here! I thought you had left.." she said, nuzzling him when he got close enough. "I prayed to Starclan you were still here," she whispered, tears starting to form in the she-cat's eyes. She then realized what she was saying to the tom and sat back a bit.

"S-sorry, I.. Uh.. I just.. You know.. Missed you.." she said, studdering every word. She couldn't help it. "I'm so sorry I didn't come back sooner, but our medicine cat wouldn't allow me to leave the camp until my wounds were healed enough," she admitted.

Ivythorn nuzzled Bane again, taking in his scent. It calmed her, made her feel like she belonged. Maybe, now that Shadowclan was back to normal, maybe she could... 'No, Ivythorn, he would never join Shadowclan, especially for a mousebrained she-cat like yourself,' she thought.

"Bane, I want to ask you something," she said nervously. "Something important..."

Her explaining made his gaze look over her, trying to see this wound. He found it along her side, the toms eyes grew in sympathy. He knew how bad wounds like those were but she had a medicine cat and then only had himself.

Bane of Hunters would have asked what happened but such a line of questioning blurred away from the instance she nuzzled him. A deep purr came from him though he almost choked in embarrassment. He would return the nuzzle, taking in her scent, the very one he tried to smell for everyday. The freshness of it caused his purr to deepen, his mind to calmed as he imagined the day that they met and their meeting the next day.

He had so many questions to ask of her, but she asked something of him. He perked his ears, canting his head. "What Ivythorn?" He asked, confused by her nervous tick of her mew.

[Teza]

Originally Posted by Celanawe Stormwalker

Her explaining made his gaze look over her, trying to see this wound. He found it along her side, the toms eyes grew in sympathy. He knew how bad wounds like those were but she had a medicine cat and then only had himself.

Bane of Hunters would have asked what happened but such a line of questioning blurred away from the instance she nuzzled him. A deep purr came from him though he almost choked in embarrassment. He would return the nuzzle, taking in her scent, the very one he tried to smell for everyday. The freshness of it caused his purr to deepen, his mind to calmed as he imagined the day that they met and their meeting the next day.

He had so many questions to ask of her, but she asked something of him. He perked his ears, canting his head. "What Ivythorn?" He asked, confused by her nervous tick of her mew.

"I was wondering if you, maybe, wanted to travel together?" she asked nervously. "I don't know if you'd like Shadowclan, or if they would like you very much, so I'm not sure if you'd want to stay here with me, but, I know I've always dreamed of traveling and exploring new places. I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I want to be around you more than just on t he border of my clan's territory."

The entire time she spoke, she was playing with a twig, not looking him directly in the eye. She only did that to maybe not be so nervous. Maybe then her words would be clear enough to understand. As soon as she was done talking, she looked the tom directly in the eyes, curling her tail around her paws as she sat.

[The Cannibal]

Originally Posted by Duskflight

Why am I telling her all of this? She doesn't need to know about it, no one needs to know about it, it's foolish. Stick to your job, you're just here to teach her what she needs to know to become a warrior, not pour all of your secrets and everything out onto her. Besides, by doing this, you're just letting a cat into your life, it's only going to get you hurt, they'll use all of it against you to destroy you. A somber look started to darken his face as they walked along, his jaws clenching tightly together as he thought about this. You've never liked other cats so why are you starting to do that now? This is stupid and you need to stop.
His ears swiveled slightly as he heard her response to him telling her about his mom and the fact that he never knew her, his face seeming to soften slightly before he forced himself to look away and back forward, tempted to say something, but simply letting the conversation drop.
I might not know who she is, what she does, where she's at, but she knows me, she named me, she loved me. But I can't find myself to love her. She left me. She left Shadowclan. How could I bring myself to love a cat that I never got to know? One that left the clan, left her family? A snort of anger escapes him and he almost seems to glare for a moment until he slipped back into that stony mask that he wore, blocking any sort of thoughts and emotions that dwelled beneath it.
Nonetheless, silence ensued before eventually being broken again by the apprentice, asking about his mentor, rousing him from his thoughts once more in order to answer her. Despite him mentally berating himself for it, he just couldn't bring himself from stopping himself to answer her questions, even if he hated the fact that he was opening up, exposing himself in a way.

And so he had answered and a bit of silence fell between them, surely Sweetpaw thinking it over, whatever it is she decided to pick out of his answer, he was mostly trying to block it out, the idea that she was nitpicking and processing everything he said, he didn't like it. He didn't like the thought of another cat analyzing him like that, he just didn't like it, and yet he felt like every cat did that, they all judged him and that further led to his general dislike for others and his desire to be alone most of the time.
His ears flatten as he hears her reply and his head turned slightly, his yellow eyes harsh as he almost seemed to glare at her for a long moment before turning his head away again. You shouldn't even answer her, just let silence fall. You don't socialize with other cats, shouldn't that be obvious? Shut up.
Snorting again, he shook his head a bit to clear his thoughts before bellowing out a quiet sigh and flashing a glance over at her.
"Look, Sweetpaw, I can't just socialize with other cats. That's not me, you know why? Because I don't like other cats. They're too slippery, too judgmental, and too ready to kill those that are weaker than them. I don't like other cats, I never have. So it was just for the better that we didn't socialize a whole lot, alright?" His voice was harsh, but it was unintended and he immediately regretted it, blinking and looking over at her apologetically. "Er.. Sorry." Heaving out a breath, he shook his head again and looked back forward. And I'm just not good at talking with cats either.

All Sweetpaw received in response to her comment was a small grunt, his ears flicking a bit and his gaze drifting over to look at Thunderclan territory as they padded along the border. Ibisprowl wasn't the best tom with comedy especially considering he always saw the worst in cats, always thought they were joking him, judging him, all sorts of negative things like that. He just couldn't take a joke, thus why most cats avoided him. Part of him was desiring for this training session to be over so he could just be alone again, this was draining him of his energy and he hated it.
"What do you mean?" Questioned the tom, allowing his gaze to momentarily rest on the young she-cat before looking back ahead, his white paws pressing into the frozen ground rhythmically as they moved along. To think they still had two borders to go until they could finally get back to camp, the thought of talking most of that time was nearly exhausting him just thinking about it. But with his stony mask, Sweetpaw wouldn't be able to tell that he was growing tired of talking, she wouldn't be able to tell if he was tired at all, he'd look just as normal as he did the second he took her out of camp to begin this little journey.

{Just a small bump for @Lonestar23 in case you forgot about it c:}

[lone]

Originally Posted by Duskflight

Why am I telling her all of this? She doesn't need to know about it, no one needs to know about it, it's foolish. Stick to your job, you're just here to teach her what she needs to know to become a warrior, not pour all of your secrets and everything out onto her. Besides, by doing this, you're just letting a cat into your life, it's only going to get you hurt, they'll use all of it against you to destroy you. A somber look started to darken his face as they walked along, his jaws clenching tightly together as he thought about this. You've never liked other cats so why are you starting to do that now? This is stupid and you need to stop.

His ears swiveled slightly as he heard her response to him telling her about his mom and the fact that he never knew her, his face seeming to soften slightly before he forced himself to look away and back forward, tempted to say something, but simply letting the conversation drop.
I might not know who she is, what she does, where she's at, but she knows me, she named me, she loved me. But I can't find myself to love her. She left me. She left Shadowclan. How could I bring myself to love a cat that I never got to know? One that left the clan, left her family? A snort of anger escapes him and he almost seems to glare for a moment until he slipped back into that stony mask that he wore, blocking any sort of thoughts and emotions that dwelled beneath it.
Nonetheless, silence ensued before eventually being broken again by the apprentice, asking about his mentor, rousing him from his thoughts once more in order to answer her. Despite him mentally berating himself for it, he just couldn't bring himself from stopping himself to answer her questions, even if he hated the fact that he was opening up, exposing himself in a way.

And so he had answered and a bit of silence fell between them, surely Sweetpaw thinking it over, whatever it is she decided to pick out of his answer, he was mostly trying to block it out, the idea that she was nitpicking and processing everything he said, he didn't like it. He didn't like the thought of another cat analyzing him like that, he just didn't like it, and yet he felt like every cat did that, they all judged him and that further led to his general dislike for others and his desire to be alone most of the time.
His ears flatten as he hears her reply and his head turned slightly, his yellow eyes harsh as he almost seemed to glare at her for a long moment before turning his head away again. You shouldn't even answer her, just let silence fall. You don't socialize with other cats, shouldn't that be obvious? Shut up.
Snorting again, he shook his head a bit to clear his thoughts before bellowing out a quiet sigh and flashing a glance over at her.
"Look, Sweetpaw, I can't just socialize with other cats. That's not me, you know why? Because I don't like other cats. They're too slippery, too judgmental, and too ready to kill those that are weaker than them. I don't like other cats, I never have. So it was just for the better that we didn't socialize a whole lot, alright?" His voice was harsh, but it was unintended and he immediately regretted it, blinking and looking over at her apologetically. "Er.. Sorry." Heaving out a breath, he shook his head again and looked back forward. And I'm just not good at talking with cats either.

All Sweetpaw received in response to her comment was a small grunt, his ears flicking a bit and his gaze drifting over to look at Thunderclan territory as they padded along the border. Ibisprowl wasn't the best tom with comedy especially considering he always saw the worst in cats, always thought they were joking him, judging him, all sorts of negative things like that. He just couldn't take a joke, thus why most cats avoided him. Part of him was desiring for this training session to be over so he could just be alone again, this was draining him of his energy and he hated it.
"What do you mean?" Questioned the tom, allowing his gaze to momentarily rest on the young she-cat before looking back ahead, his white paws pressing into the frozen ground rhythmically as they moved along. To think they still had two borders to go until they could finally get back to camp, the thought of talking most of that time was nearly exhausting him just thinking about it. But with his stony mask, Sweetpaw wouldn't be able to tell that he was growing tired of talking, she wouldn't be able to tell if he was tired at all, he'd look just as normal as he did the second he took her out of camp to begin this little journey.

Sweetpaw kept quiet; not because she wanted to, but because she was unsure of what to say now. To be honest, she was beginning to grow much more confused in what she thought of Ibisprowl. He seemed like a nice cat sometimes, and then other times he just...she wasn't sure how to explain it. All she knew was that she wasn't sure of anything right now, and she didn't know when she would be. The cream she cat glanced at Ibisprowl uncertainly, her blue hues flashing for a moment with some unreadable emotion of anxiety and then stopped, looking back down at the ground. The cold air didn't seem to bother her; thankfully for the young she cat, she had quite a thick pelt that kept her warm in all sorts of weather. However, in the warmer seasons, this pelt made her dangerously warm not to mention uncomfortable. Her tail twitched as she continued onwards, running out of things to say...and besides, even if she were to think of something, there was no guarantee that he would answer her.

The cream she cat cleared her throat a little, shifting from paw to paw uncertainly as she continued on behind him, keeping her pace a little slower now, as she was nervous to get closer to the larger cat and to speak to him since he didn't seem like he was as anxious to talk to her. She had this strange way of...beginning a conversation and then just letting it hang, as though she didn't want to continue it but was too polite to say so. In all truthfulness, Sweetpaw had been enjoying their conversation. She liked getting to know him, but from his expression he wasn't enjoying it half as much as she was. The white covering of snow seemed to have almost destroyed all of the thick vegetation covering ShadowClan Territory. It had appeared to make it...nearly covered in ice, as though something had come along and swept over, freezing everything in it's path. Sweetpaw flicked the tip of her tail, her expression calm and analyzing, as she glanced around, trying to look everywhere at the same time and failing to do so once more. "But that's not true of everybody! I would never do that, and- and Cedarpaw wouldn't have either! Why don't you give other cats a chance, you might be surprised! I was terrified of anything new until someone showed me that there wasn't so much to be afraid of! All along, everything that I had been so scared of...everything that had terrified me so badly...was nothing to be afraid of at all. You'll never know whether all cats are the same or not until you at least try to be friendly with them!" Sweetpaw exclaimed. This sudden outburst seemed to surprise her, as she wasn't used to trying to make another cat be more...friendly, she supposed was the word for it. It wasn't in her nature...but somehow, some way, it had come out upon hearing Ibisprowl's words.

She glanced down at the ground, feeling just a little embarrassed. She had caused quite the scene, and she could almost feel other cats watching her, although she knew there weren't any other cats...which made her all the more embarrassed. "No- no, don't apologize, it's fine. I'm sorry, I had no right to go off like that." Sweetpaw mewed, seeming to shrink back into her shell. For one brief moment, she had done what she had always wanted to do. For just a heartbeat, she had been like Cedarpaw...the mention of her friend had seemed to spur her words onwards. She could feel her throat constricting and felt as though she were about to cry. Just as she had two moons ago when she had received word that her best friend was...gone. Disappeared. No one knew what had happened to him or if he would be back, and Sweetpaw had been so sure back then...but now she wasn't sure at all.

If he really cared about me, he would come back. Unless he's d-dead...but even then, wouldn't he maybe visit me from StarClan? I don't k-know...but, but I...I hope he's alright, wherever he is. StarClan or someplace else. Sweetpaw thought, but a flicker of doubt began to cross her mind. For the first time since Cedarpaw's disappearance, she began to wonder if he had ever really cared. Surely he would at least have told someone, somewhere that he cared about her if he really did...right? But of course, she had no proof that he was even dead. She was still wondering whether or not she was doing the right thing by thinking about him. If she really cared, shouldn't she do something about it? But what can I do? Nothing, that's what. All I can do is wait for Cedarpaw to come back, and be a good little kitty...all sweet and quiet...doesn't that sound just lovely? Sweetpaw thought, the tip of her tail twitching in frustration. She was angry with herself and with Cedarpaw for leaving like that. He hadn't even said goodbye! And the worst part of it was, no one knew how much she really cared. She had never gotten to tell him and she never would now. There was no point in moping about it, as Sweetpaw had always thought growing up without him, but...now she was beginning to believe that there was a point in moping about it. What else could she do but wish that he would come back and think about him? The only friend she had ever had...her best friend...and now he was gone, he had been taken from her by some cruel twist of fate. Something had taken him away from her and he would never come back, no matter how much she wished for him to. Somehow, she could feel that he was alright, wherever he was...but he would never return to ShadowClan. That she was fairly sure of.

Sweetpaw didn't know exactly what to do. "Oh! Um, well...s-sorry, I was just thinking. I meant like a high rank, or do something more...I don't know, more exciting rather then mentoring me? I'm not really exciting, as you've probably been able to tell...anyway, didn't you ever have any ambitions? Or dreams? Didn't anyone ever urge you on or tell you that you were really good at something?" Sweetpaw asked, glancing up at him. She then realized she had just asked a lot of questions to a cat who didn't seem to like talking very much. "Um...feel free to ignore any- or all of those questions...if-if you want to." She added a little awkwardly, looking down at her own cream paws. The constant movement seemed to send her into a sort of trance, and she continued onwards, just looking down at the ground and at her moving paws.

She wasn't sure what was so interesting...perhaps she just liked watching them moving on, and on, over and over...it seemed to calm her rapidly racing heart now, slowing the war anthem that she could hear beating inside her chest and pounding against her brain over and over again. The she cat glanced at Ibisprowl again; just watching him. She was trying to see if she could see who he actually was. Her intuition was telling her that he wasn't as cold and calculating as he wanted her to believe. After all, he was tolerating her, wasn't he? He had answered most of her questions so far, and he had been a great mentor for this much of the day...so there was no reason he wouldn't continue to be a great mentor for the rest of the time that they were training. Perhaps she would get her dream. Perhaps, over time, she would have the strong relationship she had always wanted. She felt a little sad, knowing that Ibisprowl hadn't gotten that sort of relationship with his mentor, but perhaps...perhaps she would be able to make up for that. The one thing that she knew how to do and did very well was being a friend. It seemed to her that Ibisprowl needed a friend more then anything else, and that was something that she would be able to provide very easily. If he wanted to, that was. She wasn't sure whether he really wanted companionship or if he would prefer to be alone for the rest of his life. No one really wants to be alone though, right? It's just a cover. A cover for someone who got hurt and doesn't want to get hurt again. Everybody wants a friend...and everybody needs a friend. So maybe- maybe Ibisprowl will cheer up more once he gets a friend. Sweetpaw thought, glancing at him for the fourth- or was it the fifth?- time since they had continued the conversation. She was still trying to figure out if she could see who he was.

Of course, her efforts were in vain...and pretty soon she went back to the usual, looking down at the ground as she continued onwards. Her small frame was tense now, almost too tense for the tip of her tail to continue it's light swishing motion. Her blue hues were looking down at the ground and she seemed to have no interest in looking back up again. She was enjoying this more then she thought she would have, especially since...well...Ibisprowl wasn't exactly the friendliest cat. Despite that, she was confident that someday her efforts would pay off and he would become much friendlier and someone that she could count on and trust. Right now she was pretty sure she could do both of those things, but she didn't want to be hurt and she didn't want to accidentally hurt him in the process. He's really nice. I can just feel it. She thought, continuing on, but this time she was looking around at the snow covered trees and vegetation.

(Sorry for the late response, this post took forever! x3)

[Casual Scribbles]

Originally Posted by EclipsemoonXD

Burrpaw nodded in agreement with his mentor's words. Swiftfang sounded like he was trying to challenge Burrpaw, but this didn’t sound challenging. Then again, stalking hadn't sounded challenging before he started training either.

The histories of the other Clans? That, he didn't know. He knew their names and their sents. Maybe a little about the techniques they each used, but not a lot. "No, sorry. I don't know the histories. I wish I did, though."

(Bump for @Gusty)

[JaxenAmethyst]

@Stormiiix @Cedar @EclipsemoonXD
Mudpaw skipped towards a large tree, when she recognized a fluffy, familiar pelt. "Shadowstorm? Why are you just.. sitting..out here alone?" Mudpaw slightly tilted her dark brown head.

Shadowstorm looked up at him. "I..thought Cherrypaw would be back by now with a few warriors! Don't tell me Cherrypaw...." Shadowstorm's limbs went weak and she slammed down on the icy, stone cold ground, tears falling down her cheeks.

Mudpaw nosed her flank, instantly pulling away at her touch. "You're freezing cold! You need to go back to camp!"

Shadowstorm pulled away. "No! We need to search for Blizzardpaw..NOW!" The dark grey warrior demanded Mudpaw, her apprentice. "Please start searching for ANY clues."

Hey...Burrpaw and Mudpaw could have crushes on eachother.. But in order for that to happen, they'd need to hang out more. You could RP /w/ me. Mudpaw is looking for Blizzardpaw clues right now because Blizzardpaw is about to DIE OF HYPOTHERMIA, by Stormiiix's choice, of course)

[The Cannibal]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Sweetpaw kept quiet; not because she wanted to, but because she was unsure of what to say now. To be honest, she was beginning to grow much more confused in what she thought of Ibisprowl. He seemed like a nice cat sometimes, and then other times he just...she wasn't sure how to explain it. All she knew was that she wasn't sure of anything right now, and she didn't know when she would be. The cream she cat glanced at Ibisprowl uncertainly, her blue hues flashing for a moment with some unreadable emotion of anxiety and then stopped, looking back down at the ground. The cold air didn't seem to bother her; thankfully for the young she cat, she had quite a thick pelt that kept her warm in all sorts of weather. However, in the warmer seasons, this pelt made her dangerously warm not to mention uncomfortable. Her tail twitched as she continued onwards, running out of things to say...and besides, even if she were to think of something, there was no guarantee that he would answer her.

The cream she cat cleared her throat a little, shifting from paw to paw uncertainly as she continued on behind him, keeping her pace a little slower now, as she was nervous to get closer to the larger cat and to speak to him since he didn't seem like he was as anxious to talk to her. She had this strange way of...beginning a conversation and then just letting it hang, as though she didn't want to continue it but was too polite to say so. In all truthfulness, Sweetpaw had been enjoying their conversation. She liked getting to know him, but from his expression he wasn't enjoying it half as much as she was. The white covering of snow seemed to have almost destroyed all of the thick vegetation covering ShadowClan Territory. It had appeared to make it...nearly covered in ice, as though something had come along and swept over, freezing everything in it's path. Sweetpaw flicked the tip of her tail, her expression calm and analyzing, as she glanced around, trying to look everywhere at the same time and failing to do so once more. "But that's not true of everybody! I would never do that, and- and Cedarpaw wouldn't have either! Why don't you give other cats a chance, you might be surprised! I was terrified of anything new until someone showed me that there wasn't so much to be afraid of! All along, everything that I had been so scared of...everything that had terrified me so badly...was nothing to be afraid of at all. You'll never know whether all cats are the same or not until you at least try to be friendly with them!" Sweetpaw exclaimed. This sudden outburst seemed to surprise her, as she wasn't used to trying to make another cat be more...friendly, she supposed was the word for it. It wasn't in her nature...but somehow, some way, it had come out upon hearing Ibisprowl's words.

She glanced down at the ground, feeling just a little embarrassed. She had caused quite the scene, and she could almost feel other cats watching her, although she knew there weren't any other cats...which made her all the more embarrassed. "No- no, don't apologize, it's fine. I'm sorry, I had no right to go off like that." Sweetpaw mewed, seeming to shrink back into her shell. For one brief moment, she had done what she had always wanted to do. For just a heartbeat, she had been like Cedarpaw...the mention of her friend had seemed to spur her words onwards. She could feel her throat constricting and felt as though she were about to cry. Just as she had two moons ago when she had received word that her best friend was...gone. Disappeared. No one knew what had happened to him or if he would be back, and Sweetpaw had been so sure back then...but now she wasn't sure at all.

If he really cared about me, he would come back. Unless he's d-dead...but even then, wouldn't he maybe visit me from StarClan? I don't k-know...but, but I...I hope he's alright, wherever he is. StarClan or someplace else. Sweetpaw thought, but a flicker of doubt began to cross her mind. For the first time since Cedarpaw's disappearance, she began to wonder if he had ever really cared. Surely he would at least have told someone, somewhere that he cared about her if he really did...right? But of course, she had no proof that he was even dead. She was still wondering whether or not she was doing the right thing by thinking about him. If she really cared, shouldn't she do something about it? But what can I do? Nothing, that's what. All I can do is wait for Cedarpaw to come back, and be a good little kitty...all sweet and quiet...doesn't that sound just lovely? Sweetpaw thought, the tip of her tail twitching in frustration. She was angry with herself and with Cedarpaw for leaving like that. He hadn't even said goodbye! And the worst part of it was, no one knew how much she really cared. She had never gotten to tell him and she never would now. There was no point in moping about it, as Sweetpaw had always thought growing up without him, but...now she was beginning to believe that there was a point in moping about it. What else could she do but wish that he would come back and think about him? The only friend she had ever had...her best friend...and now he was gone, he had been taken from her by some cruel twist of fate. Something had taken him away from her and he would never come back, no matter how much she wished for him to. Somehow, she could feel that he was alright, wherever he was...but he would never return to ShadowClan. That she was fairly sure of.

Sweetpaw didn't know exactly what to do. "Oh! Um, well...s-sorry, I was just thinking. I meant like a high rank, or do something more...I don't know, more exciting rather then mentoring me? I'm not really exciting, as you've probably been able to tell...anyway, didn't you ever have any ambitions? Or dreams? Didn't anyone ever urge you on or tell you that you were really good at something?" Sweetpaw asked, glancing up at him. She then realized she had just asked a lot of questions to a cat who didn't seem to like talking very much. "Um...feel free to ignore any- or all of those questions...if-if you want to." She added a little awkwardly, looking down at her own cream paws. The constant movement seemed to send her into a sort of trance, and she continued onwards, just looking down at the ground and at her moving paws.

She wasn't sure what was so interesting...perhaps she just liked watching them moving on, and on, over and over...it seemed to calm her rapidly racing heart now, slowing the war anthem that she could hear beating inside her chest and pounding against her brain over and over again. The she cat glanced at Ibisprowl again; just watching him. She was trying to see if she could see who he actually was. Her intuition was telling her that he wasn't as cold and calculating as he wanted her to believe. After all, he was tolerating her, wasn't he? He had answered most of her questions so far, and he had been a great mentor for this much of the day...so there was no reason he wouldn't continue to be a great mentor for the rest of the time that they were training. Perhaps she would get her dream. Perhaps, over time, she would have the strong relationship she had always wanted. She felt a little sad, knowing that Ibisprowl hadn't gotten that sort of relationship with his mentor, but perhaps...perhaps she would be able to make up for that. The one thing that she knew how to do and did very well was being a friend. It seemed to her that Ibisprowl needed a friend more then anything else, and that was something that she would be able to provide very easily. If he wanted to, that was. She wasn't sure whether he really wanted companionship or if he would prefer to be alone for the rest of his life. No one really wants to be alone though, right? It's just a cover. A cover for someone who got hurt and doesn't want to get hurt again. Everybody wants a friend...and everybody needs a friend. So maybe- maybe Ibisprowl will cheer up more once he gets a friend. Sweetpaw thought, glancing at him for the fourth- or was it the fifth?- time since they had continued the conversation. She was still trying to figure out if she could see who he was.

Of course, her efforts were in vain...and pretty soon she went back to the usual, looking down at the ground as she continued onwards. Her small frame was tense now, almost too tense for the tip of her tail to continue it's light swishing motion. Her blue hues were looking down at the ground and she seemed to have no interest in looking back up again. She was enjoying this more then she thought she would have, especially since...well...Ibisprowl wasn't exactly the friendliest cat. Despite that, she was confident that someday her efforts would pay off and he would become much friendlier and someone that she could count on and trust. Right now she was pretty sure she could do both of those things, but she didn't want to be hurt and she didn't want to accidentally hurt him in the process. He's really nice. I can just feel it. She thought, continuing on, but this time she was looking around at the snow covered trees and vegetation.

(Sorry for the late response, this post took forever! x3)

{It's fine, and I can see why it took forever o.o"}

And Ibisprowl, he kept quite because that's exactly what he wanted to do, he felt as though he'd done enough talking to cover for the next five days and truly didn't want to speak any more. He didn't like how it made him feel and he didn't like how easily he was opening up to another cat, he didn't like it at all because that wasn't normal. He never spoke to other cats and there should be no reason he's talking to this apprentice other than to teach her the things she needs to know from him. That's it. And yet.. He just couldn't find it in himself to outright ignore whatever questions she throws at him.
Just like it always did, the black and white tom's face slowly returned to that stony look, an impenetrable mask that let no emotions slip through, in a way, trying to seal off the idea of continuing conversation even though it would surely be broken seconds later when Sweetpaw tried to continue talking.

The tailless tom noticed that she was slightly behind him, but he didn't make a motion to slow down this time, he decided they were already going as slow as he would allow, besides, they were nearly done walking the stretch of border they shared with Thunderclan, he could see the lone oak tree that marked the very edge of that border, his yellow eyes focused on it as he instead delved into his thoughts.
What is wrong with me? This isn't the first cat that's tried to open me up and get me talking, so why is it that she's the one that makes me do it? Why should I care about her anymore than I care about anyone else? Is it because she's my apprentice? Why would that have anything to do with it? This just doesn't make any sense and yet I can't find the reason to truly make me stop talking. It's almost like I want to keep talking, but at the same time I don't. I just don't get it. And I hate it. I understand nearly everything I come across, why can't I understand my own mind? Real frustration showed on his face and turned his muzzle into a scowl, his bob of a tail twitching and thrashing with that same frustration. The only thing that sort of distracted him from that was his apprentice's voice speaking to him again, his head turning to look at her, his eyes still hard with his internal frustration before he realized it might look like he was glaring at her in which he immediately made his face soften a bit. Hearing what she said, he merely snorted and shook his head, closing his eyes so he wouldn't snap at her, for once, he actually made a conscious effort not to snap at someone.
"Look, I get what you're trying to say, sure it makes sense but that's not me. I'm done with trying to connect with cats because you know what? I'm tired of being left behind." He practically snarled these last words, his lips curling back and his eyes glaring daggers before he snapped his head forward as they finally reached the oak tree, the tom plopping his rump on the ground. "Take a rest, we're halfway through." He mewed sternly.

Ibisprowl seemed to take no notice of her next words, instead, focusing on calming himself back down after getting so worked up, maybe that's why he was the way he was. He always felt like he was being attacked or left behind and lashed out in a desperate attempt for.. Well for what? Was it attention? Possibly. He never really got any attention and more than likely he just ended pushing it away now because he was just tired of being left in the dust by other cats and would rather be alone than hurt like that again. He didn't have friends very likely because he was scared they'd simply leave him like everyone else in his life. Part of him, a very tiny part, wanted him to think about other cats in a good light, that they were there to help you and be nice and provide support but every time that part of him tried to speak.. The heavily pessimistic side shoved it out of the way, reminding him of his mother and his siblings he hardly knew and really, of his father even though his father was still here, he was just too busy to pay him any sort of attention at all.

He probably doesn't mean it.. Maybe you just remind him of your mom, and it hurts him? Maybe he's ashamed of not telling you who your mom is and can't even build the courage to talk to you. No.. That's not Badgersong, he's a strong, good-working member of Shadowclan and has been for a long time. He's not scared of anything, but he may be ashamed. Or maybe he just forgot that you exist. It's not the first time it's happened. Flattening his ears, the black and white warrior looked in the direction they would be heading next, one of the borders that bordered loner territory, the part of the territory that never really needed to be patrolled but they patrolled anyways.
And you know why too don't you? You just don't do anything to fix it because you're scared. You're a bloody coward. Shut up. I'm just saving myself from more pain, that's all. See what all of this talking to another cat does? It makes me question myself? Relive memories that don't need to be brought up again, remind me of things I don't remember. But what Ibisprowl has failed to realize is that a bit of weight has been lifted off his shoulders, that it actually felt nice to get this off of his chest.

He was slowly brought out of his thoughts again at the sound of his apprentice's voice, his yellow eyes blinking and his head turning to look over at her as she clarified what she was asking earlier. Dreams? Aspirations? His gaze fell slightly as he tried to recall his life as a kit, days he didn't want to remember because he was raised with a foster mother since his mother left so early on.
"I..."
A tiny sigh escaped him and his shoulders sagged. "I wanted to be deputy when I was little. I always said to my dad that I'd become the great deputy of Shadowclan, that they'd call me Ibisheart because I cared about everyone and wanted everyone to be happy.. And during my training as an apprentice I was complimented on my intelligence during battle and my ability to focus my emotions to make my attacks stronger even though I'm not physically strong." There was a dull look in his eyes as he recalled wanting to be deputy as a kit, and the big heart he had when he was younger. Only to have it seemingly shrink the more he found out, that he had siblings that didn't care or even know him, that his mother left and he had been raised by a foster mother, his father being too busy to really spend any time with him anymore. He wasn't Ibisheart. He was Ibisprowl.

Clearing his throat, he shook his head and stood up. "Enough rest, let's keep moving, maybe we'll get back before sunhigh if we're lucky. This is one of the two borders we share with no clans so I guess you could call it loner territory. We mainly just patrol it to make sure there are no predators taking up home here or that there's any loners or rogues roaming about nearby."
There was a pause before he decided to ask a question.
"Do you know what kind of predators we have to watch out for? And an you describe them to me?" His gaze flickered over to her as he asked this and remained there until she responded in which it would drift back to looking ahead of them. This was sort of analysis to see what she knew already about the creatures that could possibly pose a danger to her or her clanmates, but it was also a desperate attempt to get her to stop asking about his past so that he could stop being reminded of these painful memories, not that he knew if it would work or not, for all he knew, she could simply continue asking right after answering him.

This is mentally exhausting. And yet, I can't just not answer her. I just don't understand. Heaving out breath, he shook his head again. Maybe focusing on it was not the best idea, just ignore it. You always get frustrated when you don't understand things and you don't need to get frustrated around her, it's already happened once and you might have even scared the poor thing.. Wait.. Why would I.. I care? Blinking a little, he flicked an ear.
Is it because I don't.. I don't want her going through what I've gone through.. Is that the answer to my question? He couldn't tell, but he was beginning to feel like.. Like that was it. That's why he couldn't stop himself from speaking to her. Ibisprowl didn't want her feeling like he had, he wanted her to have a better experience with other cats than he's had. Perhaps his heart wasn't as small as he thought it was.

[NightWarrior4Life]

Aria tripped over a particularly solid fern as she struggled to keep herself up. She kept telling herself "I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die here..." As she lay on the ground, feeling defeated, she closed her eyes and sighed. "If I don't get caught by a ShadowClan cat, I'll die here, of exhaustion...fleck won't care...he's forgotten I exist..." She felt sad. He was her best friend. She remembered when fleck was just a kittypet...and she lived on the streets. She belonged to some fierce two legs that didn't have dens...they abused her...they gave her these earrings...and the nose ring...one more step too far and they would've drawn on her with a sharp pointy thing that had different colours on the end. She remembered when the syndicate had recruited her and kidnapped fleck...she felt bad for bringing him with her...but now...now he was leaving her to die...

[NightWarrior4Life]

She woke up a while later, not realising she'd fallen asleep. Feeling slightly more refreshed, she pulled herself up and trotted through the undergrowth until a camp came into sight. "Oh StarClan help me..." She threw up a little in her mouth. [I] StarClan?! [I] are you serious?! That's disgusting! But she continued on until she reached the camp entrance from which she could hear conversations and bustle among the clan and the cats.

[JaxenAmethyst]

@Stormiiix
Mudpaw gasped and ran up to Blizzardpaw's lying body, and pressed her nose against her flank. Her pelt is practically frozen solid! She instantly removed her nose from her pelt and ran back to Shadowstorm, who was waiting impatiently for Mudpaw, utterly hoping that she would bring back hopeful, enlightening, AMAZING news that Blizzardpaw is just on a long walk after hunting for a while.

Shadowstorm looked up at Mudpaw. "S-She's alive, right?! TELL ME YOU FOUND HER ALIVE!" She screeched in pain. Mudpaw bowed her head with depression. "Follow me.." She urged Shadowstorm quietly. The Dark grey warrior padded aside her apprentice, Mudpaw, in urge. She saw a helpless body lying on the frozen, icy, stone cold ground. "BLIZZARDPAW! GET UP!" She shouted while running towards the respected apprentice. Once Shadowstorm arrived at Blizzardpaw's body, she pressed her nose against her pelt. "Blizzardpaw! This isn't the end! Get..." She tried lifting her up on her side to give her support. "...up! I'm going to take you back to ShadowClan camp where you'll be nice, warm, and cozy!" Mudpaw ran to Blizzardpaw's other side to provide extra support.

Shadowstorm and Mudpaw arrived in the middle of ShadowClan's Clearing.

(READ THE REST IN "SHADOWCLAN CLEARING" AND RP THERE WITH ME, @Stormiiix)