Meadowclaw smiled before looking onwards dramatically, a trait she'd inherited from their mother.Her fur ruffled in a slight breeze. Tentatively, war and peace incarnate stood side by side and said it was time to fight."May StarClan bless our claws."(Sc-Ecc- Meadowclaw's already been busy!)
Valleystorm gave a small smile, "Let's do it" she said, standing up next to her sister. She was grateful that her words had some effect on Meadowclaw. It warmed her heart to know that she could help in any way. She was grateful that the outcome of this emotional mess was that the two were closer now, than they ever were before. Possibly the closest relationship that Valleystorm had had with any cat, and that thought made her happy.
Meadowclaw's mind was a fuming chimney of ideas about herself, but the fire was quelled to a manageable volume by Valleystorm's concerned words. The she-cat was pacified and turned towards her sister, clarity startling. The world snapped into focus.
Starclan, she thought, I thought I was the one that had a way with words.
"Valleystorm," she said, the moment touching and soft, "thank you so much- I-I think I know what I need to do." she looked to the west, towards Raven's Fortress. "I-I just have this awful feeling that I need to go and help. If-if you'd like, I'd love it if you would come with me," she said, spur of the moment. She realized after the words left her mouth what she was asking and snapped her jaw shut.
The question was quite a shock, and left Valleystorm speechless for a few moments. It took her another few moments to think of an answer, "I think, that while she might not have showed it very much, she liked you a lot. When you left with Pricklegaze, she was pretty sad, and you coming back made her very happy. She didn't realize what she had until she lost it" she tried her best to explain. "And you having kits with Pricklegaze made her so happy as well, because she was seeing her two favorite cats together." she smiled, leaning against her sister a little, "And the logical reason is that she choose you because you could continue her legacy, and I couldn't, because I never found a mate, but i think there is a lot more reasons behind why she choose what she did, more than we could ever imagine" she finished
Meadowclaw had lost part of her stealth when she'd lost her forelimb; her lunging gait in its staccato rhythm ensured that birds moved away before the two had even a chance to set chase- a fact Meadowclaw was oblivious to.
"Must be a quiet day," she said, frowning, "Maybe we need to go further?"
"I don't know, but we need to hurry. They'll want it regardless and it's better to be early or not needed at all, than to make them wait." Grousethorn replied, picking up a stick in his teeth and pushing it down into a knot in the roots of a tree. When he pulled it back out, it was coated in a few strands of cobwebs and he tried again in another spot.
Slushgaze started to search for the drier areas where rain couldn't reach. "How much time do you think we have?" He pawed at the mud, "Before they run out back at camp?"
"StarClan light our paths..." Grousethorn muttered under his breath as the old, bleached-white tree came into view through the gloom of the stormy forest. He started to nose his way through the underbrush, searching for still-standing cobwebs through the puddles.
As they got closer, every dip, every hill- everything started to become familiar. There it was, the majestic tree, illuminated by the light of the moon. He started to crawl through the forestry, there had to some dry cobwebs somewhere!
"I think so, when I was younger, the time that Buckstar ruled the clan. I frequently came here to explore." He ran faster, every breath was a challenge. "We should almost be there," every step made them closer to their goal.
"Do you know where we are?" Grousethorn panted, looking around them with his ears pricked forward. They were clearly in the northern portion of their territory -the dense conifers revealed as much- but he couldn't pinpoint their spot.
As Slushgaze ran, he closed his eyes and reoriented his view, no he wasn't on the ground. Right now Slsuhgaze had a birds eye view of the territory. Adjusting the course of his paws, he kept on as Grousethorn stopped, quietly hoping the his sense of direction was correct.
"Maybe..." Slushgaze racked his mind for an answer. "Maybe the lightning tree is dry, there's tons of growth there." The tom unsheathed his claws. There had to be some there!
Slushgaze leaped through the dense bushes, just barely tailing Grousethorn. Just a bit farther out, where it wasn't so wet, maybe they would be able to find something that would help. Just a bit farther. "Where do you think would be a good place to start?"
Rattlepaw strode alongside her new mentor, the image of reckless youth. Dark circles were formed under her golden eyes from insomnia and her curled fur was trapping dirt and leaves with every step as she walked behind her new mentor. The entire clan seemed to be concerned for her once the dead had been brought back from battle, Juniperspring among them. Her mentor's death had not effected her the way the clan thought it had- they mistook her aloof personality as denial. They mistook her unkept pelt as depression. They mistook her insomnia as grief.
She felt them all, in very small amounts, but it was not separate from her role as a teenager. She was filled with angst. Her white paws padded on the floor with conviction as she strode by her new mentor, just as aloof and almost uncaring as ever. Her head was high and her eyes were lidded, her tail high as the sun highlighted the splotches covering her coat.
She looked up at the tom next to her, "How long are we going to keep walking for? We're going to reach the loner territories soon," she said, refusing to make eye contact.
Blazingpaw smiled at her brother, but then turned her attention toward the the Moonclan-Eclipseclan border. She knew that place well, after all, that's where she had seen her mother murder a cat who hadn't been much bigger than herself. She knew her mother was currently on a patrol headed in that direction, a slight sense of foreboding overcame her. Something was wrong, she could feel it in her bones. The young Cornish Rex turned back to her brother who was already staring at her. She wondered if he felt it too.
----
Blossomstar was grateful for an escape from camp, even if the reason he left wasn't a happy one. He was sympathetic toward the queen for having lost her kits. It was sad the little ones hadn't even lived long enough to experience the wonders of clan life. His golden eyes were trained on the ground, mind cluttered with clan matters and politics. He stopped once he thought they were far enough away from camp. He glanced sideways at Endlessdream, his heart fluttering at the sight of the she-cat. Starclan forgive me.
"And if you keep this up, you're going to go the way of Buckstar. I'm not saying that to be insubordinate, I'm saying it because it's true. You serve your clan, not the other way around. If you want to be treated like royalty, you'd be better off trying your claws in the city," Juniperspring snorted, taking an entirely different tact that Meadowclaw. "This clan can't take more instability, the last thing we need is a deputy who lashes out at whoever is close by because he's upset about something else entirely."
"I would say i'm probably better at hunting. While I have practiced some fighting, its harder to do when your alone, whereas hunting is something you can do alone. And I cant exactly measure my fighting skills, because I have never actually fought someone. I have caught a few pieces of prey though, so that at least says I am learning something" she explained to Stormblaze, trying her hardest not to be confusing.
At least he can keep things going... Juniperspring reflected as they headed out of the camp for Midnightstorm's border patrol.
"If you're quick about it," She whistled, staring up at the tree to try and catch sight of the sparrow that was bothering Meadowclaw so much. "We don't have that much daylight left."
The grey and white warrior stayed at the back of the patrol, mostly because he was distracted by the scenery. He hadn't been able to slip out of camp and enjoy Moonclan's territory in a long time. Stormblaze felt like he knew it like the back of his paw. He played with the dirt as he walked, clawing at the ground and even pulling out grass along the way.
Sometimes he acted more like a kitten than a warrior, Hiddenstrike had always been on his tail about that. The thought of his brother almost pulled a frown out of him. He had learned of his brother's disappearance from Tidebreaker soon after they new Fadewhisker was stable and would live to see another moon. At first, he'd been angry. Why had he left and not said goodbye? Was his family just not that important? But as Stormblaze continued to fret over his brother, he started to realize that Hiddenstrike hadn't been happy in Moonclan. The long-legged tom-cat would never no why, unfortunately, Hiddenstrike seemed to dislike talking about his feelings.
Stormblaze huffed, shaking himself in order to get rid of the sad memories. He needed to focus on the hear and now. His ocean blue eyes focused on Midnightstorm and Meadowclaw, following their gaze upward and landing on the small body of a sparrow. His signature toothy grin spread across his face. He loved the sound of the bird's call and made a game out of locating where the birds were when they sang.
"Have you been outside camp before?" He questioned Stormpaw, but his eyes remained on the trail ahead. He might as well get a few lessons in while they check borders.
She stood and apologized and watched him leave. Once he was out of sight she turned and went back to hunting. She caught scent of an eastern cottontail. She quickly tracked it down and killed it, taking the scruff into her jaws, padding back to camp [MC Camp] thinking about Midnightstorm and his dead kits.
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Nov 23, 2018
Midnightstorm followed the faint scent trail that was left of her, alarmed when he caught the scent of dried blood as well. His pawsteps quickened, and soon, he was running through the trees, worry ripping through him. Mouse brain, why did you let her come out here on her own?! He yowled at himself, beating himself up about letting himself get distracted. The scent led him to a tree, and he could see the red blood on the forest floor before he got there, but no Cottontail. His worry spiked, and he slowed to a walk, turning his head in every direction to look for her before spotting them - motionless in the middle of the blood. Three kits, all still covered in red, but very clearly bear resemblance to both Cottontail and himself, and he rushed towards them.
The scent of death hit him like a monster, and he knew before he reached them that there wouldn't be any saving them. They'd been gone for a while. He looked around, making sure he was alone before letting his anguish out, the tears streaming from his eyes as he crouched beside them, gently tugging them together and curling around them for a few minutes, as if to keep them warm. He gently cleaned the blood from their fur, not caring how long it took him, until their beautiful coats were revealed. He only wished he could see what their eyes would have looked like. Wished they could have lived so he could have seen them grow up into strong warriors, or whatever they wanted to be.
He let himself sob, the tears falling into his kits' now clean fur as he nuzzled them. then got up and started digging with his claws. He had just dug a hole big enough and deep enough for all three of them when another couple stale scents hit his nose: one was Hiddenstrike (What was he doing here?) and the other was EarthClan. He knew immediately who belonged to that scent - it must be the warrior Blacknose, and it broke his heart even more..had she snuck out of camp to be with the EarthClanner..? Why..? Had he done something wrong..? He shook his head slightly, sniffling and trying to focus on burying his kits, gently picking them up by their scruffs and lowering them into the hole, placing them sort of in a circle and posing them as if they were sleeping so that they'd be comfortable. He gave each one one last lick on the head, lovingly whispering goodnight to them before starting to push the dirt back to cover them gently.
Midnightstorm packed the dirt in, not wanting any predators to scent them and dig them up to prey on them, and glanced around, finding three nicely shaped stones that he picked up, eyes still streaming, and placed in a circle in the middle of the grave, marking them so that he would know where to come back if he wanted to visit them. The constant scent of Blacknose and Cottontail mixing together around him just made his grief worse, and when he was finished, he threw his head back and yowled at the sky, letting his grief and anguish out, collapsing to the ground and letting himself cry until there were no tears left and he was dry heaving. Only then did he put himself back together, slowly, and start heading back to camp, icy walls forming around his heart and blocking out all other emotions except indifference and authority. His heart was protected now, and he wouldn't let someone in as easily anymore. He couldn't.
The large black and white tom-cat smiled at Cottontail, relieved she was actually going to come home with him. He was afraid of her rejection, especially because he'd been rejected once before by her. "Earthclan will welcome you with open paws." He nodded at Hiddenstrike, beginnging to walk while the she-cat leaned on his side.
Hiddenstrike held the small kit in his mouth, his mind cluttered with thoughts of Moonclan. He felt bad for leaving. He knew Fadewhisker would rip him a new one for leaving without saying a goodbye. He followed after his father, making their way to Earthclan's territory.
"You're right about the mud, but you should try and ignore that. Only pay attention to scents that you don't recognize or which could signify danger or prey. MoonClanner and mud? You'll always smell those out here, especially this close to the camp," Cedarclaw explained. "You're right about the mouse, though. It's stale-- good job for picking up on it. Can you tell which direction it's coming from?"
Blazingpaw trotted along, a little behind the patrol. She knew she'd probably be yelled at for not keeping up, but she was so absorbed in her surroundings to think of the repercussions. It was beautiful. The trees towered over her, covered in the sparkling white powder her mother told her was snow. She couldn't wait to see what it looked like in the spring. She wanted to know what flowers looked like.
The young Cornish Rex gulped in the air greedily, so many scents filled her nose. It was different and similar. "It smells..... earthy?" She was dissatisfied with her description. Blazingpaw was unsure of what Cedarclaw wanted from her, but she breathed in again. "Moonclan, mouse.... " She trailed, a scent hitting her that she knew all too well. Starclan, she lived in the nursery for crying out loud. "It smells like blood and new life?" She was questioning her own nose at this point, amber gaze glancing toward her mentor. Confusion was written all of her face.
Blacknose approached Moonclan’s border with hesitation, golden eyes washing over the snowy landscape. His breath fanned out in front of him, disappearing into the cool night air. He’d visited this border more than he should, always a small sliver of hope in is heart that he’d get to see Cottontail again. The large feline knew he had been used to get arise out of Midnightstorm, it hurt, but such is life.
He’d been heartbroken when he heard of Ripplestream’s death. The love of his life was gone and he hadn’t even gotten the chance to really tell her he loved her. Sure, they had kits together, but Blacknose was never the type of cat to talk about his feelings. He showered her in love in his own way. And now, he’d lost another cat he loved. A cat he barely even got to know before she was gone. His kits ignored him too. Hiddenstrike was the only one who continued to visit him anymore. Blacknose wasn’t able to dwell on this fact for too long because his son came crashing through the underbrush. His yellow eyes filled with urgency.
“You need to come with me now!” He was off like a rocket, not waiting but knowing his father would be right behind him. While lurking in Moonclan’s territory, he’d come across Cottontail sitting in a pool of her own blood. Hiddenstrike knew of his father’s affections toward the she-cat, so it was no surprise that Blacknose had been waiting by the border.
Blacknose and Hiddenstrike approached the small hollow Cottontail was wedged into. The scent of blood slapped him in the face, the sight of her was even worse. Three kits were dead and frozen to the ground, Cottontail's usually snow white fur was stained red.
"My dear." He murmured, stepped into the makeshift den to sniff at the kitten by her belly. She was alive, barely breathing, but alive. Strong, just like her mother. The white and black furred tom-cat glanced back to Hiddenstrike, a silent question passing between father and son.
Ocelotstride's eyes seemed to dim in a way when the words slipped out of Hiddenstrike's mouth. She looked to Tidebreaker and knew that instantly would make him upset. Families always seemed to split apart just like hers from the beginning. Nothing ever seemed perfect. Her voice fell silent as the brothers spoke. 'He had a choice...Just like my father. I hope that Hiddenstrike won't regret it,' she thought with a frown tugging on her muzzle. Something inside of her screamed that he wouldn't be coming back anytime soon. Ocelotstride touched her nose to Tidebreaker's shoulder comfortingly then stared towards the way they had come, not certain if she was ready to face Fadewhisker's sadness or the flaming anger that was bound to show on Stormblaze. They were all like family to her, she couldn't deny it. "A-alright." Was all that Ocelotstride stifled as they began to head to the camp. (MC camp :3)
The thick-furred tom-cat dipped his head toward Ocelotstride, he never really was one for long drawn out conversations. He knew his brother had deep feelings for the she-cat and he was glad Tidebreaker had found someone. Always such a romantic.
Hiddenstrike was pulled from his thoughts at his former clan-mates questions, his lips finally falling into a frown. He'd hope to disappear without talking to anyone. "I'm leaving for awhile. My own personal mission."
Tidebreaker was taken aback by Hiddenstrike's words, matching his brother's frown. "What?" It was hard to believe that his litter-mate, someone he'd grown up with, was just going to leave without saying goodbye. "You didn't even talk to Stormblaze or Fadewhisker did you?" Anger flared in his chest.
"No, but it's better this way. I could come back." He could feel the other tom-cat's anger, not even surprised by the reaction. "Besides, there isn't much for me here. I'm not fit for the clan life."
The delicate looking tom-cat shook his head and scrunched his nose. "Fadewhisker is having kits. She was excited to have all of us be there for their birth."
"She isn' gonna miss me. Like I said, this is something I need to do." And with that, Hiddenstrike ended the conversation. He flicked his brother's shoulder with his tail and headed straight for Moonclan's border.
Tidebreaker's gaze focused on his brother's paw-prints, a mixture of anger and sadness bubbling at the surface. You better come back. He thought, looking back at ocelotstride. "I think we should head back. My sister's probably a wreck and in need of some comforting cuddles." He smiled although it didn't reach his eyes.
Of course he wanted a family, but it wasn't something he thought about often. He knew his sister, fadewhisker, was expecting which wasn't really surprising, but Tidebreaker would have thought she'd be with Midnightstorm and not Yellowthorn. That tom-cat gives me a bad feeling. He shook the thought away in favor of picturing little obnoxious kits of his own terrorizing the nursery. That thought pulled a warm smile from him, gaze lingering on Ocelotstride. He knew he wasn't ready to be a father at the moment and he wasn't entirely sure he'd be a good one. His own father lived in Earthclan, the only parent figure in his life had been Ripplestream. Sadness flashed across his face for a second, before it was placed with his signature grin. The sound of her laugh made his ears hot. Starclan, she's perfect. "I can't survive the cold!" He yelped, swiping his paw across the ground to throw snow in the she-cat's direction. "You wouldn't let me freeze to death would you? I didn't trick you, I won fair and square." Tidebreaker pouted, acting as innocent as possible.
Sandbreeze's eyes narrowed as she listened to her sister's explanation, her mind not comprehending the selfishness of another person interfering with her own plans. She knew she was destructive, and a retort rose to her throat regarding Milfoilcloud's relationship with Hiddenstrike. But Sandbreeze stopped it through sheer force of will, standing steadily and with a slight glare.
"Fine, Millie. To the border you walk me, I'll go to EarthClan," she purposefully left her thoughts hidden- she herself was unsure if she hated Millie or not.
The black and white tom-cat couldn't help but stare at Ocelotstride. Her smile made his stomach flip, even though she knew how he felt, he would never lose that butterflies in his stomach feeling. "I'm definitely not a clutz. No embarrassing things to see here folks." He stated. He finally noticed how cold he was, his muscles screaming in protest at the slightest movement. Tidebreaker nudged her shoulder as he stood, a yawn stretching his mouth open. "I am frozen," He jumped around a bit to try and wake his body up. "Wanna try and catch something before we head back?" The young warrior wasn't sure what they were now. They may have admitted their feelings to each other, but does that make them mates?
(Repost for Stormblaze)Ocelotstride formed a small, however prominent, smile filled her face with warmth when their pelts pressed together affectionately. She still couldn't believe how crazy Tidebreaker drove her mind. The molly laughed, breaking off from such a romantic moment, and gave the black and white tom's ear a teasing lick. "You could never make a fool out of yourself, Tidebreaker, that's clearly impossible," She rolled her glistening eyes and meowed with sarcasm, playing around just enough.
"It can't be as terrible of a life as they all make it out to be, they're just... well... you know how MoonClanners can be, sometimes. They're so caught up in their traditions and their history, sometimes they just can't fathom that their way of life isn't the only one." Milfoilcloud sighed. "You might be happy as a kittypet. If you don't think you will be, well, you could try your paw in EarthClan. They aren't as strict as MoonClan, I hear."
Sandbreeze looked at each of her four dirtied paws and then down at her chest before looking up to Milfoilcloud, "No, I suppose not," she said quietly. "But I'll never be able to go back there again. And I can't go back to the city life, either. Where should I go, Millie? I'm better off just wandering into twolegplace and becoming a kittypet than trying my luck as a clan cat . . ." she looked over her shoulder, dejected.
Milfoilcloud gave Hiddenstrike a grateful nod and trotted ahead out him and Proudpaw at a quick pace. She slowed as she neared the gully and called out, pacing around at its edge until she spotted Sandbreeze's huddled form. She gasped and carefully picked her way down the icy stone ledge to her side, "Are you hurt?"
Sandbreeze pelted through the territory, muck sticking to the bottom of her silky belly, icy forming on her whiskers as leftovers from the leaf-bare freeze. Fear was in her gaze- her clan had just kicked her out. She didn't even know where she was running to.
And then, a gully opened up at her paws and the she-cat tumbled into it head-first, coming to a slow stop at its conclusion. She found herself groaning, looking up through the silver-maple leaves, at the white-blue sky, pondering her very existence.
How dare they, she thought. But in the very breath, how dare she? Milfoilcloud- Sandbreeze grieved for leaving her sister behind. And their brother, Shellstorm, but he was another matter entirely. The three had come so far together- from kits in the city to proud warriors of MoonClan. And now? She was nothing. No purpose. No chance-
Sandbreeze began to sob like a kit in the bottom of the pit.
Hiddenstrike had followed after his patrol members, grumbling slightly at the fact that Proudpaw had run off by himself. The large warriors had planned to take Proudpaw somewhere to train for a bit and let Milfoilcloud speak to her sister alone. He picked up there scent almost immediately and tracked it back to them. "Proudpaw, next time you wait for a warrior to company you out into the territory." He scolded the tom-cat, turning his gaze on Milfoilcloud. He felt bad for her, but there really wasn't anything he could say to make the situation better. "We'll leave you alone, I know you'll need some time to grieve, but I'm here if you need to talk."
----
Tidebreaker was taken aback by her words, completely surprised she felt the same. He had expected to be, well, rejected. It was his first time ever truly likely someone as more than a friend and he thought something would have gone wrong. Honestly, he didn't know where to go from here.
He could feel the heat flush his cheeks at her touch, a soft smile spreading across his face once the surprise wore off. He shifted closer and touched her pelt with his own. "That was nerve-wracking, I'm glad I didn't just make a fool of myself." He joked, ocean blue eyes meeting her blue-green gaze.
"Wait, Proudpaw, you're too young to be going off on your own. Stay with me and we'll look together," Milfoilcloud meowed and raised her muzzle to try and catch Sandbreeze's scent. She walked in a wide circle before catching it, much more easily recognizing the scent of her sister than Proudpaw was able to. "Here, she went this way. Just stay close to me."
Ocelotstride knew that this was coming, it absolutely had to have happened with everything the two had been through, but she didn't expect their feelings to progress so quickly. Everything suddenly hit her like a tidal wave running through her head and it did become rather overwhelming. The lovely bengal knew that her face began to show a bit of concern, however Ocelotstride tried to brush it off, giving Tidebreaker a withered smile. "Odd? No...Not even close... Everything I've said is-well-exactly how I...how I feel about you." The molly stated with a vulnerable voice and placed her tail over his tail, the simple touch almost immediately felt like electricity running through her veins. Ocelotstride's face caught on fire again and she found her gaze getting lost in his eyes. Those dangerous, blue eyes.
Ocelotstride looked up at the sky when the hawk screeched again. She wished to hold onto Tidebreaker's alluring blue eyes for a moment longer, however the pretty bengal found it hard to meet his gaze again. His question concerned her in the slightest, but she remained still. "Love is...Well...confusing, but wild-," Ocelotstride stifled a small laugh as she tried her best to answer. "It's like a fire that never burns out...That moment where you can feel your heartbeat raise is only the beginning...When you look into someone's eyes and see sparks fly...It's loyalty and trust through the good and bad times too..."
Ocelotstride had forgotten their conversation the very second Tidebreaker commented. Her cheeks turned a tender shade of scarlet when he began to explain to her such glorious words full of emotion and even more important, the edge of love. Her heart skipped beats as she found her vulnerable self staring up at the tom after he finished. The lovely bengal was at a loss for words, for not a single cat had spoken that way to her before, not how Tidebreaker could do so easily. Ocelotstride shook her head at the end of his sentence slowly, as though she were still mesmerized by the sound of her voice. "If I'm the moon, then you are my stars. You keep me company when I'm alone and shine at my side during the most darkest days. You motivate me to be stronger than I could ever believe myself to be. You're all that I see and all that I'd ever want to see." Ocelotstride held a small smile on her muzzle, however she bit the bottom of her lip nervously, only wishing that Tidebreaker really felt that way and that she wouldn't have made too much of a fool of herself. 'You are so much more than I deserve.' The bengal decided silently to herself, realizing how close they were as with every breath, the molly breathed in his intoxicating scent.
Tidebreaker listened to his den-mates story, his smile growing. He found it cute that she started to ramble whenever he commented on her beauty. She was, in fact, the prettiest she-cat he'd ever seen. It wasn't just her looks that drew him to Ocelotstride. She was funny in her own right, the little comments she mad to him about her mentor or cedarpaw were gold. He didn't out-rightly laugh in front of her, partly because he hated his own laugh, but if he did the entire clan would look at him like he was crazy. He loved the way she'd scrunch her nose up when he called her beautiful, it was down right adorable. Tidebreaker would never admit this to her, but he got lost in the blue-green of her eyes. It was so hard not to stare at her. The warm feeling in his chest was just too good to ignore. "You're adorable when you ramble." He chuckled, shaking the snow from his pelt. He liked to antagonize her with little sweet comments. The black and white tom didn't want to make her uncomfortable, and for a moment he was scared he'd push her away because he was, in fact, a hopeless romantic. "And i'd have to disagree. You're not the sun, because if you were I'd have to squint my eyes in order to witness your beauty," He stared, shifting his ocean blue eyes to the sky once more, "You're like the moon because you're beautiful to look at, you're shy, but you also have this feisty side to you. The sun only has one side; Blazingly bright. But you, the moon, have so many different sides. You're a mystery, and I'm glad I've gotten the chance to know you. I don't know where I'd be without you." He paused to think and then finally turned his gaze back on his clan-mate. "I'm sorry if my words make you uncomfortable, but it's hard for me not to tell you the truth."
Ocelotstride jumped at the sudden screech, her blue-green gaze just managing to see the creature fly past her as Tidebreaker fell into her, knocking what little breath that she had left as she landed on her side. The she-cat studied him for a moment, watching how his ocean eyes flashed up at the sky. "Wait...How did you even-...?" The russet brown bengal tipped her head in somewhat of confusion with a staggered meow. Flustered by the sound of her own voice, Ocelotstride pressed a paw onto his shoulder, the touch making her ever so slightly more flushed. Although she tried to her best to contradict it with a sarcastic meow. "Of course, your Highness, how could I not bestow a gracious mouse to you?" Her voice was smooth as silk, drifting in the wind.
The delicate looking tom-cat didn't have to wait long before Ocelotstride dashed into the small clearing. She seemed so happy to have 'won' their little race. He held his breath, waiting a moment for his den-mate to turn around before he crept up behind her. Tidebreaker rose on his hind-legs, fore-paws outstretched.
He didn't get very far in his attack, however, because the loud screech of a hawk caused him to stumble. He fell into her, knocking them both to the ground.
His breath left him in a strangled gasp, heat flushing his cheeks in frustration and embarrassment. His ocean blue eyes gazed up at the cloudy sky, "I was here first by the way." He stated once he was able to catch his breath. "I would like a mouse if you can find one."
Ocelotstride bounded through the forest, not dare looking back to see what had happened to Tidebreaker. The bengal's blue-green gaze widened when she saw the Lightening Tree in sight. 'Yes! I'm gonna win!!!' Excitement washed over her in waves as she slowed down, touching the base of the tree for a moment. "I hope he catches me something good..." She thought aloud, her breath wrapping around her lovely face. Ocelotstride sat down for a moment, her ears flicking back and forth as her eyes looked around the snow flooded place then back to where she had ran out from. 'He couldn't be that far behind me, could he?' The russet brown she-cat's smile slowly turned to a worried frown, so she stood again to try and smell him. The frigid air ran inti her nose, but at last, that was all.
Tidebreaker made sure to disappear as soon as he slipped out of camp. He'd trained some with Hiddenstrike, and he may not be as good at hiding, but he did pick up some techniques from his hard-headed brother. As soon as he made it to the lightning tree, he hide in one of the bushes praying that the cold would mess with Ocelotstrides sense of smell. He wanted to terrify the she-cat out of her fur.
Meadowclaw smiled before looking onwards dramatically, a trait she'd inherited from their mother. Her fur ruffled in a slight breeze. Tentatively, war and peace incarnate stood side by side and said it was time to fight. "May StarClan bless our claws." (Sc-Ecc- Meadowclaw's already been busy!)
Valleystorm gave a small smile, "Let's do it" she said, standing up next to her sister. She was grateful that her words had some effect on Meadowclaw. It warmed her heart to know that she could help in any way. She was grateful that the outcome of this emotional mess was that the two were closer now, than they ever were before. Possibly the closest relationship that Valleystorm had had with any cat, and that thought made her happy.
Meadowclaw's mind was a fuming chimney of ideas about herself, but the fire was quelled to a manageable volume by Valleystorm's concerned words. The she-cat was pacified and turned towards her sister, clarity startling. The world snapped into focus.
Starclan, she thought, I thought I was the one that had a way with words.
"Valleystorm," she said, the moment touching and soft, "thank you so much- I-I think I know what I need to do." she looked to the west, towards Raven's Fortress. "I-I just have this awful feeling that I need to go and help. If-if you'd like, I'd love it if you would come with me," she said, spur of the moment. She realized after the words left her mouth what she was asking and snapped her jaw shut.
The question was quite a shock, and left Valleystorm speechless for a few moments. It took her another few moments to think of an answer, "I think, that while she might not have showed it very much, she liked you a lot. When you left with Pricklegaze, she was pretty sad, and you coming back made her very happy. She didn't realize what she had until she lost it" she tried her best to explain. "And you having kits with Pricklegaze made her so happy as well, because she was seeing her two favorite cats together." she smiled, leaning against her sister a little, "And the logical reason is that she choose you because you could continue her legacy, and I couldn't, because I never found a mate, but i think there is a lot more reasons behind why she choose what she did, more than we could ever imagine" she finished
Meadowclaw had lost part of her stealth when she'd lost her forelimb; her lunging gait in its staccato rhythm ensured that birds moved away before the two had even a chance to set chase- a fact Meadowclaw was oblivious to.
"Must be a quiet day," she said, frowning, "Maybe we need to go further?"
Grousethorn stuck close on Slushgaze's heels as they made the journey back to the camp, his teeth clamped firmly around the stick.
"I don't know, but we need to hurry. They'll want it regardless and it's better to be early or not needed at all, than to make them wait." Grousethorn replied, picking up a stick in his teeth and pushing it down into a knot in the roots of a tree. When he pulled it back out, it was coated in a few strands of cobwebs and he tried again in another spot.
Slushgaze started to search for the drier areas where rain couldn't reach. "How much time do you think we have?" He pawed at the mud, "Before they run out back at camp?"
"StarClan light our paths..." Grousethorn muttered under his breath as the old, bleached-white tree came into view through the gloom of the stormy forest. He started to nose his way through the underbrush, searching for still-standing cobwebs through the puddles.
As they got closer, every dip, every hill- everything started to become familiar. There it was, the majestic tree, illuminated by the light of the moon. He started to crawl through the forestry, there had to some dry cobwebs somewhere!
"I think so, when I was younger, the time that Buckstar ruled the clan. I frequently came here to explore." He ran faster, every breath was a challenge. "We should almost be there," every step made them closer to their goal.
"Do you know where we are?" Grousethorn panted, looking around them with his ears pricked forward. They were clearly in the northern portion of their territory -the dense conifers revealed as much- but he couldn't pinpoint their spot.
As Slushgaze ran, he closed his eyes and reoriented his view, no he wasn't on the ground. Right now Slsuhgaze had a birds eye view of the territory. Adjusting the course of his paws, he kept on as Grousethorn stopped, quietly hoping the his sense of direction was correct.
"Maybe..." Slushgaze racked his mind for an answer. "Maybe the lightning tree is dry, there's tons of growth there." The tom unsheathed his claws. There had to be some there!
Slushgaze leaped through the dense bushes, just barely tailing Grousethorn. Just a bit farther out, where it wasn't so wet, maybe they would be able to find something that would help. Just a bit farther. "Where do you think would be a good place to start?"
Rattlepaw strode alongside her new mentor, the image of reckless youth. Dark circles were formed under her golden eyes from insomnia and her curled fur was trapping dirt and leaves with every step as she walked behind her new mentor. The entire clan seemed to be concerned for her once the dead had been brought back from battle, Juniperspring among them. Her mentor's death had not effected her the way the clan thought it had- they mistook her aloof personality as denial. They mistook her unkept pelt as depression. They mistook her insomnia as grief.
She felt them all, in very small amounts, but it was not separate from her role as a teenager. She was filled with angst. Her white paws padded on the floor with conviction as she strode by her new mentor, just as aloof and almost uncaring as ever. Her head was high and her eyes were lidded, her tail high as the sun highlighted the splotches covering her coat.
She looked up at the tom next to her, "How long are we going to keep walking for? We're going to reach the loner territories soon," she said, refusing to make eye contact.
Blazingpaw smiled at her brother, but then turned her attention toward the the Moonclan-Eclipseclan border. She knew that place well, after all, that's where she had seen her mother murder a cat who hadn't been much bigger than herself. She knew her mother was currently on a patrol headed in that direction, a slight sense of foreboding overcame her. Something was wrong, she could feel it in her bones. The young Cornish Rex turned back to her brother who was already staring at her. She wondered if he felt it too.
----
Blossomstar was grateful for an escape from camp, even if the reason he left wasn't a happy one. He was sympathetic toward the queen for having lost her kits. It was sad the little ones hadn't even lived long enough to experience the wonders of clan life. His golden eyes were trained on the ground, mind cluttered with clan matters and politics. He stopped once he thought they were far enough away from camp. He glanced sideways at Endlessdream, his heart fluttering at the sight of the she-cat. Starclan forgive me.
(Repost for Midnight and Storm :) )
"How far can you follow it?" Cedarclaw asked Burningpaw, openly impressed by how knowledgeable the cats here. "Meadowclaw's taught you well."
"He'll realize it one day," Meadowclaw said with an unreadable look towards Juniperspring as she obediently followed. (Mc-Ecc border)
"And if you keep this up, you're going to go the way of Buckstar. I'm not saying that to be insubordinate, I'm saying it because it's true. You serve your clan, not the other way around. If you want to be treated like royalty, you'd be better off trying your claws in the city," Juniperspring snorted, taking an entirely different tact that Meadowclaw. "This clan can't take more instability, the last thing we need is a deputy who lashes out at whoever is close by because he's upset about something else entirely."
"I would say i'm probably better at hunting. While I have practiced some fighting, its harder to do when your alone, whereas hunting is something you can do alone. And I cant exactly measure my fighting skills, because I have never actually fought someone. I have caught a few pieces of prey though, so that at least says I am learning something" she explained to Stormblaze, trying her hardest not to be confusing.
At least he can keep things going... Juniperspring reflected as they headed out of the camp for Midnightstorm's border patrol.
"If you're quick about it," She whistled, staring up at the tree to try and catch sight of the sparrow that was bothering Meadowclaw so much. "We don't have that much daylight left."
The grey and white warrior stayed at the back of the patrol, mostly because he was distracted by the scenery. He hadn't been able to slip out of camp and enjoy Moonclan's territory in a long time. Stormblaze felt like he knew it like the back of his paw. He played with the dirt as he walked, clawing at the ground and even pulling out grass along the way.
Sometimes he acted more like a kitten than a warrior, Hiddenstrike had always been on his tail about that. The thought of his brother almost pulled a frown out of him. He had learned of his brother's disappearance from Tidebreaker soon after they new Fadewhisker was stable and would live to see another moon. At first, he'd been angry. Why had he left and not said goodbye? Was his family just not that important? But as Stormblaze continued to fret over his brother, he started to realize that Hiddenstrike hadn't been happy in Moonclan. The long-legged tom-cat would never no why, unfortunately, Hiddenstrike seemed to dislike talking about his feelings.
Stormblaze huffed, shaking himself in order to get rid of the sad memories. He needed to focus on the hear and now. His ocean blue eyes focused on Midnightstorm and Meadowclaw, following their gaze upward and landing on the small body of a sparrow. His signature toothy grin spread across his face. He loved the sound of the bird's call and made a game out of locating where the birds were when they sang.
"Have you been outside camp before?" He questioned Stormpaw, but his eyes remained on the trail ahead. He might as well get a few lessons in while they check borders.
She stood and apologized and watched him leave. Once he was out of sight she turned and went back to hunting. She caught scent of an eastern cottontail. She quickly tracked it down and killed it, taking the scruff into her jaws, padding back to camp [MC Camp] thinking about Midnightstorm and his dead kits.
Midnightstorm followed the faint scent trail that was left of her, alarmed when he caught the scent of dried blood as well. His pawsteps quickened, and soon, he was running through the trees, worry ripping through him. Mouse brain, why did you let her come out here on her own?! He yowled at himself, beating himself up about letting himself get distracted. The scent led him to a tree, and he could see the red blood on the forest floor before he got there, but no Cottontail. His worry spiked, and he slowed to a walk, turning his head in every direction to look for her before spotting them - motionless in the middle of the blood. Three kits, all still covered in red, but very clearly bear resemblance to both Cottontail and himself, and he rushed towards them.
The scent of death hit him like a monster, and he knew before he reached them that there wouldn't be any saving them. They'd been gone for a while. He looked around, making sure he was alone before letting his anguish out, the tears streaming from his eyes as he crouched beside them, gently tugging them together and curling around them for a few minutes, as if to keep them warm. He gently cleaned the blood from their fur, not caring how long it took him, until their beautiful coats were revealed. He only wished he could see what their eyes would have looked like. Wished they could have lived so he could have seen them grow up into strong warriors, or whatever they wanted to be.
He let himself sob, the tears falling into his kits' now clean fur as he nuzzled them. then got up and started digging with his claws. He had just dug a hole big enough and deep enough for all three of them when another couple stale scents hit his nose: one was Hiddenstrike (What was he doing here?) and the other was EarthClan. He knew immediately who belonged to that scent - it must be the warrior Blacknose, and it broke his heart even more..had she snuck out of camp to be with the EarthClanner..? Why..? Had he done something wrong..? He shook his head slightly, sniffling and trying to focus on burying his kits, gently picking them up by their scruffs and lowering them into the hole, placing them sort of in a circle and posing them as if they were sleeping so that they'd be comfortable. He gave each one one last lick on the head, lovingly whispering goodnight to them before starting to push the dirt back to cover them gently.
Midnightstorm packed the dirt in, not wanting any predators to scent them and dig them up to prey on them, and glanced around, finding three nicely shaped stones that he picked up, eyes still streaming, and placed in a circle in the middle of the grave, marking them so that he would know where to come back if he wanted to visit them. The constant scent of Blacknose and Cottontail mixing together around him just made his grief worse, and when he was finished, he threw his head back and yowled at the sky, letting his grief and anguish out, collapsing to the ground and letting himself cry until there were no tears left and he was dry heaving. Only then did he put himself back together, slowly, and start heading back to camp, icy walls forming around his heart and blocking out all other emotions except indifference and authority. His heart was protected now, and he wouldn't let someone in as easily anymore. He couldn't.
The large black and white tom-cat smiled at Cottontail, relieved she was actually going to come home with him. He was afraid of her rejection, especially because he'd been rejected once before by her. "Earthclan will welcome you with open paws." He nodded at Hiddenstrike, beginnging to walk while the she-cat leaned on his side.
Hiddenstrike held the small kit in his mouth, his mind cluttered with thoughts of Moonclan. He felt bad for leaving. He knew Fadewhisker would rip him a new one for leaving without saying a goodbye. He followed after his father, making their way to Earthclan's territory.
"How far can you follow it?" Cedarclaw asked Burningpaw, openly impressed by how knowledgeable the cats here. "Meadowclaw's taught you well."
"You're right about the mud, but you should try and ignore that. Only pay attention to scents that you don't recognize or which could signify danger or prey. MoonClanner and mud? You'll always smell those out here, especially this close to the camp," Cedarclaw explained. "You're right about the mouse, though. It's stale-- good job for picking up on it. Can you tell which direction it's coming from?"
Blazingpaw trotted along, a little behind the patrol. She knew she'd probably be yelled at for not keeping up, but she was so absorbed in her surroundings to think of the repercussions. It was beautiful. The trees towered over her, covered in the sparkling white powder her mother told her was snow. She couldn't wait to see what it looked like in the spring. She wanted to know what flowers looked like.
The young Cornish Rex gulped in the air greedily, so many scents filled her nose. It was different and similar. "It smells..... earthy?" She was dissatisfied with her description. Blazingpaw was unsure of what Cedarclaw wanted from her, but she breathed in again. "Moonclan, mouse.... " She trailed, a scent hitting her that she knew all too well. Starclan, she lived in the nursery for crying out loud. "It smells like blood and new life?" She was questioning her own nose at this point, amber gaze glancing toward her mentor. Confusion was written all of her face.
Blacknose approached Moonclan’s border with hesitation, golden eyes washing over the snowy landscape. His breath fanned out in front of him, disappearing into the cool night air. He’d visited this border more than he should, always a small sliver of hope in is heart that he’d get to see Cottontail again. The large feline knew he had been used to get arise out of Midnightstorm, it hurt, but such is life.
He’d been heartbroken when he heard of Ripplestream’s death. The love of his life was gone and he hadn’t even gotten the chance to really tell her he loved her. Sure, they had kits together, but Blacknose was never the type of cat to talk about his feelings. He showered her in love in his own way. And now, he’d lost another cat he loved. A cat he barely even got to know before she was gone. His kits ignored him too. Hiddenstrike was the only one who continued to visit him anymore. Blacknose wasn’t able to dwell on this fact for too long because his son came crashing through the underbrush. His yellow eyes filled with urgency.
“You need to come with me now!” He was off like a rocket, not waiting but knowing his father would be right behind him. While lurking in Moonclan’s territory, he’d come across Cottontail sitting in a pool of her own blood. Hiddenstrike knew of his father’s affections toward the she-cat, so it was no surprise that Blacknose had been waiting by the border.
Blacknose and Hiddenstrike approached the small hollow Cottontail was wedged into. The scent of blood slapped him in the face, the sight of her was even worse. Three kits were dead and frozen to the ground, Cottontail's usually snow white fur was stained red.
"My dear." He murmured, stepped into the makeshift den to sniff at the kitten by her belly. She was alive, barely breathing, but alive. Strong, just like her mother. The white and black furred tom-cat glanced back to Hiddenstrike, a silent question passing between father and son.
Ocelotstride's eyes seemed to dim in a way when the words slipped out of Hiddenstrike's mouth. She looked to Tidebreaker and knew that instantly would make him upset. Families always seemed to split apart just like hers from the beginning. Nothing ever seemed perfect. Her voice fell silent as the brothers spoke. 'He had a choice...Just like my father. I hope that Hiddenstrike won't regret it,' she thought with a frown tugging on her muzzle. Something inside of her screamed that he wouldn't be coming back anytime soon. Ocelotstride touched her nose to Tidebreaker's shoulder comfortingly then stared towards the way they had come, not certain if she was ready to face Fadewhisker's sadness or the flaming anger that was bound to show on Stormblaze. They were all like family to her, she couldn't deny it. "A-alright." Was all that Ocelotstride stifled as they began to head to the camp. (MC camp :3)
The thick-furred tom-cat dipped his head toward Ocelotstride, he never really was one for long drawn out conversations. He knew his brother had deep feelings for the she-cat and he was glad Tidebreaker had found someone. Always such a romantic.
Hiddenstrike was pulled from his thoughts at his former clan-mates questions, his lips finally falling into a frown. He'd hope to disappear without talking to anyone. "I'm leaving for awhile. My own personal mission."
Tidebreaker was taken aback by Hiddenstrike's words, matching his brother's frown. "What?" It was hard to believe that his litter-mate, someone he'd grown up with, was just going to leave without saying goodbye. "You didn't even talk to Stormblaze or Fadewhisker did you?" Anger flared in his chest.
"No, but it's better this way. I could come back." He could feel the other tom-cat's anger, not even surprised by the reaction. "Besides, there isn't much for me here. I'm not fit for the clan life."
The delicate looking tom-cat shook his head and scrunched his nose. "Fadewhisker is having kits. She was excited to have all of us be there for their birth."
"She isn' gonna miss me. Like I said, this is something I need to do." And with that, Hiddenstrike ended the conversation. He flicked his brother's shoulder with his tail and headed straight for Moonclan's border.
Tidebreaker's gaze focused on his brother's paw-prints, a mixture of anger and sadness bubbling at the surface. You better come back. He thought, looking back at ocelotstride. "I think we should head back. My sister's probably a wreck and in need of some comforting cuddles." He smiled although it didn't reach his eyes.
Of course he wanted a family, but it wasn't something he thought about often. He knew his sister, fadewhisker, was expecting which wasn't really surprising, but Tidebreaker would have thought she'd be with Midnightstorm and not Yellowthorn. That tom-cat gives me a bad feeling. He shook the thought away in favor of picturing little obnoxious kits of his own terrorizing the nursery. That thought pulled a warm smile from him, gaze lingering on Ocelotstride. He knew he wasn't ready to be a father at the moment and he wasn't entirely sure he'd be a good one. His own father lived in Earthclan, the only parent figure in his life had been Ripplestream. Sadness flashed across his face for a second, before it was placed with his signature grin. The sound of her laugh made his ears hot. Starclan, she's perfect. "I can't survive the cold!" He yelped, swiping his paw across the ground to throw snow in the she-cat's direction. "You wouldn't let me freeze to death would you? I didn't trick you, I won fair and square." Tidebreaker pouted, acting as innocent as possible.
Sandbreeze's eyes narrowed as she listened to her sister's explanation, her mind not comprehending the selfishness of another person interfering with her own plans. She knew she was destructive, and a retort rose to her throat regarding Milfoilcloud's relationship with Hiddenstrike. But Sandbreeze stopped it through sheer force of will, standing steadily and with a slight glare.
"Fine, Millie. To the border you walk me, I'll go to EarthClan," she purposefully left her thoughts hidden- she herself was unsure if she hated Millie or not.
The black and white tom-cat couldn't help but stare at Ocelotstride. Her smile made his stomach flip, even though she knew how he felt, he would never lose that butterflies in his stomach feeling. "I'm definitely not a clutz. No embarrassing things to see here folks." He stated. He finally noticed how cold he was, his muscles screaming in protest at the slightest movement. Tidebreaker nudged her shoulder as he stood, a yawn stretching his mouth open. "I am frozen," He jumped around a bit to try and wake his body up. "Wanna try and catch something before we head back?" The young warrior wasn't sure what they were now. They may have admitted their feelings to each other, but does that make them mates?
(Repost for Stormblaze)Ocelotstride formed a small, however prominent, smile filled her face with warmth when their pelts pressed together affectionately. She still couldn't believe how crazy Tidebreaker drove her mind. The molly laughed, breaking off from such a romantic moment, and gave the black and white tom's ear a teasing lick. "You could never make a fool out of yourself, Tidebreaker, that's clearly impossible," She rolled her glistening eyes and meowed with sarcasm, playing around just enough.
"It can't be as terrible of a life as they all make it out to be, they're just... well... you know how MoonClanners can be, sometimes. They're so caught up in their traditions and their history, sometimes they just can't fathom that their way of life isn't the only one." Milfoilcloud sighed. "You might be happy as a kittypet. If you don't think you will be, well, you could try your paw in EarthClan. They aren't as strict as MoonClan, I hear."
Sandbreeze looked at each of her four dirtied paws and then down at her chest before looking up to Milfoilcloud, "No, I suppose not," she said quietly. "But I'll never be able to go back there again. And I can't go back to the city life, either. Where should I go, Millie? I'm better off just wandering into twolegplace and becoming a kittypet than trying my luck as a clan cat . . ." she looked over her shoulder, dejected.
Milfoilcloud gave Hiddenstrike a grateful nod and trotted ahead out him and Proudpaw at a quick pace. She slowed as she neared the gully and called out, pacing around at its edge until she spotted Sandbreeze's huddled form. She gasped and carefully picked her way down the icy stone ledge to her side, "Are you hurt?"
Sandbreeze pelted through the territory, muck sticking to the bottom of her silky belly, icy forming on her whiskers as leftovers from the leaf-bare freeze. Fear was in her gaze- her clan had just kicked her out. She didn't even know where she was running to.
And then, a gully opened up at her paws and the she-cat tumbled into it head-first, coming to a slow stop at its conclusion. She found herself groaning, looking up through the silver-maple leaves, at the white-blue sky, pondering her very existence.
How dare they, she thought. But in the very breath, how dare she? Milfoilcloud- Sandbreeze grieved for leaving her sister behind. And their brother, Shellstorm, but he was another matter entirely. The three had come so far together- from kits in the city to proud warriors of MoonClan. And now? She was nothing. No purpose. No chance-
Sandbreeze began to sob like a kit in the bottom of the pit.
Hiddenstrike had followed after his patrol members, grumbling slightly at the fact that Proudpaw had run off by himself. The large warriors had planned to take Proudpaw somewhere to train for a bit and let Milfoilcloud speak to her sister alone. He picked up there scent almost immediately and tracked it back to them. "Proudpaw, next time you wait for a warrior to company you out into the territory." He scolded the tom-cat, turning his gaze on Milfoilcloud. He felt bad for her, but there really wasn't anything he could say to make the situation better. "We'll leave you alone, I know you'll need some time to grieve, but I'm here if you need to talk."
----
Tidebreaker was taken aback by her words, completely surprised she felt the same. He had expected to be, well, rejected. It was his first time ever truly likely someone as more than a friend and he thought something would have gone wrong. Honestly, he didn't know where to go from here.
He could feel the heat flush his cheeks at her touch, a soft smile spreading across his face once the surprise wore off. He shifted closer and touched her pelt with his own. "That was nerve-wracking, I'm glad I didn't just make a fool of myself." He joked, ocean blue eyes meeting her blue-green gaze.
"Wait, Proudpaw, you're too young to be going off on your own. Stay with me and we'll look together," Milfoilcloud meowed and raised her muzzle to try and catch Sandbreeze's scent. She walked in a wide circle before catching it, much more easily recognizing the scent of her sister than Proudpaw was able to. "Here, she went this way. Just stay close to me."
Ocelotstride knew that this was coming, it absolutely had to have happened with everything the two had been through, but she didn't expect their feelings to progress so quickly. Everything suddenly hit her like a tidal wave running through her head and it did become rather overwhelming. The lovely bengal knew that her face began to show a bit of concern, however Ocelotstride tried to brush it off, giving Tidebreaker a withered smile. "Odd? No...Not even close... Everything I've said is-well-exactly how I...how I feel about you." The molly stated with a vulnerable voice and placed her tail over his tail, the simple touch almost immediately felt like electricity running through her veins. Ocelotstride's face caught on fire again and she found her gaze getting lost in his eyes. Those dangerous, blue eyes.
Ocelotstride looked up at the sky when the hawk screeched again. She wished to hold onto Tidebreaker's alluring blue eyes for a moment longer, however the pretty bengal found it hard to meet his gaze again. His question concerned her in the slightest, but she remained still. "Love is...Well...confusing, but wild-," Ocelotstride stifled a small laugh as she tried her best to answer. "It's like a fire that never burns out...That moment where you can feel your heartbeat raise is only the beginning...When you look into someone's eyes and see sparks fly...It's loyalty and trust through the good and bad times too..."
Ocelotstride had forgotten their conversation the very second Tidebreaker commented. Her cheeks turned a tender shade of scarlet when he began to explain to her such glorious words full of emotion and even more important, the edge of love. Her heart skipped beats as she found her vulnerable self staring up at the tom after he finished. The lovely bengal was at a loss for words, for not a single cat had spoken that way to her before, not how Tidebreaker could do so easily. Ocelotstride shook her head at the end of his sentence slowly, as though she were still mesmerized by the sound of her voice. "If I'm the moon, then you are my stars. You keep me company when I'm alone and shine at my side during the most darkest days. You motivate me to be stronger than I could ever believe myself to be. You're all that I see and all that I'd ever want to see." Ocelotstride held a small smile on her muzzle, however she bit the bottom of her lip nervously, only wishing that Tidebreaker really felt that way and that she wouldn't have made too much of a fool of herself. 'You are so much more than I deserve.' The bengal decided silently to herself, realizing how close they were as with every breath, the molly breathed in his intoxicating scent.
Tidebreaker listened to his den-mates story, his smile growing. He found it cute that she started to ramble whenever he commented on her beauty. She was, in fact, the prettiest she-cat he'd ever seen. It wasn't just her looks that drew him to Ocelotstride. She was funny in her own right, the little comments she mad to him about her mentor or cedarpaw were gold. He didn't out-rightly laugh in front of her, partly because he hated his own laugh, but if he did the entire clan would look at him like he was crazy. He loved the way she'd scrunch her nose up when he called her beautiful, it was down right adorable. Tidebreaker would never admit this to her, but he got lost in the blue-green of her eyes. It was so hard not to stare at her. The warm feeling in his chest was just too good to ignore. "You're adorable when you ramble." He chuckled, shaking the snow from his pelt. He liked to antagonize her with little sweet comments. The black and white tom didn't want to make her uncomfortable, and for a moment he was scared he'd push her away because he was, in fact, a hopeless romantic. "And i'd have to disagree. You're not the sun, because if you were I'd have to squint my eyes in order to witness your beauty," He stared, shifting his ocean blue eyes to the sky once more, "You're like the moon because you're beautiful to look at, you're shy, but you also have this feisty side to you. The sun only has one side; Blazingly bright. But you, the moon, have so many different sides. You're a mystery, and I'm glad I've gotten the chance to know you. I don't know where I'd be without you." He paused to think and then finally turned his gaze back on his clan-mate. "I'm sorry if my words make you uncomfortable, but it's hard for me not to tell you the truth."
Ocelotstride jumped at the sudden screech, her blue-green gaze just managing to see the creature fly past her as Tidebreaker fell into her, knocking what little breath that she had left as she landed on her side. The she-cat studied him for a moment, watching how his ocean eyes flashed up at the sky. "Wait...How did you even-...?" The russet brown bengal tipped her head in somewhat of confusion with a staggered meow. Flustered by the sound of her own voice, Ocelotstride pressed a paw onto his shoulder, the touch making her ever so slightly more flushed. Although she tried to her best to contradict it with a sarcastic meow. "Of course, your Highness, how could I not bestow a gracious mouse to you?" Her voice was smooth as silk, drifting in the wind.
The delicate looking tom-cat didn't have to wait long before Ocelotstride dashed into the small clearing. She seemed so happy to have 'won' their little race. He held his breath, waiting a moment for his den-mate to turn around before he crept up behind her. Tidebreaker rose on his hind-legs, fore-paws outstretched.
He didn't get very far in his attack, however, because the loud screech of a hawk caused him to stumble. He fell into her, knocking them both to the ground.
His breath left him in a strangled gasp, heat flushing his cheeks in frustration and embarrassment. His ocean blue eyes gazed up at the cloudy sky, "I was here first by the way." He stated once he was able to catch his breath. "I would like a mouse if you can find one."
Ocelotstride bounded through the forest, not dare looking back to see what had happened to Tidebreaker. The bengal's blue-green gaze widened when she saw the Lightening Tree in sight. 'Yes! I'm gonna win!!!' Excitement washed over her in waves as she slowed down, touching the base of the tree for a moment. "I hope he catches me something good..." She thought aloud, her breath wrapping around her lovely face. Ocelotstride sat down for a moment, her ears flicking back and forth as her eyes looked around the snow flooded place then back to where she had ran out from. 'He couldn't be that far behind me, could he?' The russet brown she-cat's smile slowly turned to a worried frown, so she stood again to try and smell him. The frigid air ran inti her nose, but at last, that was all.
Tidebreaker made sure to disappear as soon as he slipped out of camp. He'd trained some with Hiddenstrike, and he may not be as good at hiding, but he did pick up some techniques from his hard-headed brother. As soon as he made it to the lightning tree, he hide in one of the bushes praying that the cold would mess with Ocelotstrides sense of smell. He wanted to terrify the she-cat out of her fur.