A Moment Alone (Open)

[~Storm~]

An icy drizzle was sweaping over the land leaving every creature, cat and prey alike, wet and cold. Not many dare stray from the camp and the cats of Skyclan were no exception. Thistepool had given her the day off and it seemed like the perfect oppritunity to explore some of the territory she hadn't been to before. The outskirts of the twoleg place was her destination.

Nightpaw made her way across her territory, not at all bothered by the frigid weather. As a large tree appeared up ahead, she decided to get in a bit of practice. She scrambled up the trunk, slipping once or twice, before pearching atop one of the lower hanging branches.

Spotting another tree branch only tail legnths away from the branch she was on, she bunched up her muscles amd made the leap, landing gracefully on the other branch. She continued to do so until the twoleg place was in sight, but even then she remained atop her branch, watching as twolegs passed by odd, invisible walls.

She remembered, though she'd rather forget, that this was where they'd found the dead body of the missing warrior. Better yet, the dead body of her father's victim. Perhaps he'd done his business out here in hopes no one would find it until his scent washed away. The body was gone, though, buried like any warrior would be. Well, any good warrior.

She gritted her teeth and found her claws digging into the bark of the tree. It's all his fault... she growled silently. He ruined everything mom had worked so hard to achieve. And now everything I'd ever hoped for is gone...

Tears begin stream down her face and, swinging her gaze towards the clouded sky, she screamed, "Can you hear me now, you worthless peice of fox dung?! I hope you rot in the dark forest like every flea bag like you does!"

[.:Lion:.]

The morning was miserable, to say the least. The chill in the air was sharp with the frosted drizzle and whistling wind. The prey was retreating after a brief sunny period, making this the last foreseeable moment to get good hunting in. This was what had brought Briarpaw out of camp; the promise of prey and the opportunity to practice his skills. He crouched into the snow, shivering as he felt the cold wet against his belly fur. He crept forward, his ears flicking. He peered around a bush, seeing a thrush picking at seeds revealed beneath the patches of white. Briarpaw readied himself to spring, and just as he as about to leap a voice rang out over his head, making him and the thrush start in alarm.

"Can you hear me now, you worthless piece of foxdung? I hope you rot in the dark forest like every flea bag like you does!"

Briarpaw looked up at the tree, seeing a fellow apprentice perched in the branches.

"I would ask you what you're doing up there but I think the better question is why you are yelling?" He said loudly, blinking. He tilted his head to one side, twitching his whiskers thoughtfully at her.

[Magicheart]

Moonpaw had slipped out of the camp...again. He would come out at night free from taunting eyes to practice what his mentor, Summitstorm, showed him during the day. Out here, when everyone else was asleep, he could be free. He could be a tribe cat again, and pretend that the canyons were his mountains. That he would ever have a chance of seeing his family again. The pain tore at his chest like claws. I'll never see them again. he thought bitterly. At least he had found Skyclan. As much as he missed the tribe ways, it was comforting to have so many other cats around him. The only terrible thing was how the other cats would make fun of his- and the tribe's- way of life.

His fur was plastered with mud to keep the icy rain from penetrating his short, thick fur, and to keep the heat in. He leaped on top of some rocks and focused on a smaller stone below him. He pretended it was one of the great winged birds of the mountains, and made a tremendous leap into the air, landing square on the rock like he had practiced back home. If only they had more of those large birds here. he thought, That would wipe those smirks off their faces!

Moonpaw padded on further, practicing the leaping skills that the Skyclan cats used to hunt. Why don't they let the prey come down to them like we do? he thought stubbornly. He walked through the trees and froze when he heard a cat yowling.

"Can you hear me now, you worthless peice of fox dung?! I hope you rot in the dark forest like every flea bag like you does!"

Moonpaw twitched his ears, but he couldn't remember whose voice it was. He hadn't been part of the clan long enough, and spent more time trying to avoid the other cats than befriend them. It sounds like a younger cat...probably another apprentice. he thought to himself. He sighed. If whoever it is sees me covered in mud like this, I'm sure to get an earfull. he thought irritably. Still, the she-cat sounded angry at someone, and Moonpaw would feel even worse if she was in trouble and he didn't do anything about it.

You should mind your own business! a voice in his head yowled. The young tom ignored it. "Hello? Is everything alright?" he mewed softly. Moonpaw suddenly heard another voice, one of a tom cat. Shoot! he thought. Someone else is taking care of it. Who in the clan would want my help anyway? he turned away to pad back to camp, feeling stupid and hoping that no one heard him.

[~Storm~]

((I don't know if I'm posting this in the right order... If I'm not, I'll delete this and type up a post when it's my turn.))

The fur along her spine bristled as she heard a voice. She had to strain to here it, but when she turned, sure enough, there was a small, pale brown figure staring at her. She felt herself turn red underneath her pelt. How often does someone hear someone screaming at the sky?

The cream and brown she-cat opened her mouth to say something when another voice, louder, caught her attention. If she could get anymore embarrased, she did.

"Well, I... uh... This bird came and... yeah..." she stuttered. It was then that it hit her-the two cats speaking to her were both toms. She suddenly bared her teeth at the two and dug her claws deeper into the bark of the tree.

"What are you doing here?" she growled.

[.:Lion:.]

Briarpaw looked up at the she-cat skeptically. A bird? He was pretty sure birds didn't go to the Dark Forest when they died. And even if they did, what had the prey done to deserve such an emotional outburst? He was sorry that he'd embarrassed her, for he could see she was uncomfortable. But just as he was going to say something to calm her down, she seemed to change towards him, flashing her teeth and growling at him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, and Briarpaw couldn't help the sarcastic expression from crossing over his face.

"Hunting, actually. Trying to feed the Clan. Speaking of which, your little outburst scared away the thrush I would have caught otherwise." The whiskers above his eyes rose slightly, as if expecting an explanation or apology from her. He really wasn't, since she seemed to dislike him for some reason, but he thought he'd try to make her see her irresponsibility if he could. He knew that neither of them, being apprentices, should be out alone. But he had lived his life alone, had fended for himself for moons before joining SkyClan. He wouldn't let their stupid rules stop him from doing as he pleased. Even so, the apprentice before him had grown up in the Clan - or she had to his knowledge, any ways. Why would she blatantly disobey the code? He couldn't say, but he was biding his time before asking.

[~Storm~]

Nightpaw snorted at the tom's reply. "That's fine with me," she snarled. "Any prey caught by you tom's filthy paws is no more then crowfood to me. And I bet you were going to eat that bird on the spot since even the most loyal warriors can do that." She said 'loyal' through gritted teeth.

Part of the cream and brown she-cat was glad that he wasn't clan born. He wouldn't doubt her loyalty or mock her for her father's actions. It was as though no one in the clan trusted her anymore. It wasn't like she was suddenly going to turn disloyal because her wretched father had broken the warrior code so many times.

She looked closer at the tom and for a heart beat, she wondered if he could be different, if she could trust him. No! she cried silently. All toms are the same! They're lieing, cheating, heartbreaking fools!

Nightpaw scampered down the tree trunk, however, and looked at him face to face. "Why are you hunting here? I'm sure that there are better hunting places all over our territory."

[.:Lion:.]

Briarpaw listened to her ranting with a neutral expression on his face, his quick mind going over all the facts he knew about her. Her name was Nightpaw, her mother had gone crazy as a result of some fiasco, and her father had tried to kill SkyClan's leader and take over the camp. Somehow, though, when Briarpaw looked at Nightpaw, he didn't see the son of a traitor. He just saw a wounded cat that was lashing out at the world because of the unfair circumstances she'd been forced into. Her words seemed to reinforce his theory. You toms'... She obviously held a grudge against her father. So instead of being snippy with his reply he cocked his head to one side and waved his tail languidly, gesturing to the forest around him.

"This is the type of territory I like to hunt in. I grew up being forced to hunt in stuffy Twolegplaces and nests. So now I like the open forest where there's a taste of freedom on the air. I'm sorry if my inner turmoil interrupted your insults to the birds." He meowed, his whiskers twitching slightly. He examined her for a moment with calm, pale green eyes. Then he inclined his head.

"Although, if I may say so... you're not the only one who has cause to hold a grudge." He turned his face slightly, and the sunlight illuminated the scarred flesh that ridged his torn ear, a constant reminder of his painful past. No cat in the Clan knew the sorts of feelings he kept to himself, feelings that belonged with much older, more bitter cats.

[Magicheart]

Moonpaw listened to the two cats quarreling. His mind kept telling him to go back to camp, but his paws seemed rooted to the spot. Why was Nightpaw so edgy?
Good, let her claw his ears off instead of mine. I wouldn't put up with it anyway. he thought to himself.

You're not the only one who has cause to hold a grudge.

Moonpaw twitched his ears. Whose voice was that? Maybe I'm not so different from the others after all. Maybe much fewer of these cats are clanborn than I thought. Moonpaw had been with the clan for such a short time. He only knew that he felt like an outcast compared to the others due to the way they looked at him because of his tribe customs.

[~Storm~]

"I know I can't catch enough prey to feed more then a cat or two here," Nightpaw explained. Surely he wouldn't actually want to hunt here, so close to the twoleg nests-there were rumors going around that rats still remained in the barn from the battle when Skyclan was starting out.

"That's right," she realised as he spoke. "You're not clan born, are you?" There was no hint of suspition or hatred, well, at least not any more then there was before. She bristled at his next comment and realised how mousebrained her excuse must have been. "Listen you..." she hissed, threateningly, but she never did finish her scentance.

Her ears pricked, however, when he mentioned a grudge. "What do you mean...?" she asked, her anger boiling down a bit. She didn't like talking to toms, but this one seemed... okay. "I know you're there," she said after waiting for Briarpaw's reply, another cat's pelt catching her eye. "You can come out. We won't bit-well, maybe."

[Magicheart]

Moonpaw let out a hiss of irritation under his breath. He should have been more careful. Or I should have gone back to camp. he thought, angry with himself. There was no backing out now. He stepped out into the moonlight and gazed at the cats. He recognized them, but still didn't know them by name. He stood staring at the other apprentices, unsure of what to say.

[.:Lion:.]

Briarpaw returned his eyes to the she-cat's face. He tipped his head a little, wondering why she was so curious about what had happened to him. Could she imagine what it's like? I suppose her parents must not have been kind to her. But I wonder... He twitched his whiskers and looked away again, towards the sound of another cat. He didn't care who was listening.

"At least us toms caught prey. She'd just sit there and scratch me all the time." He muttered as the other cat emerged. Briarpaw shifted uncomfortably, sensing Nightpaw's hostility and suddenly feeling nervous because of it. He'd grown up around vicious cats, back when he was just Bary and the world was simpler. Eat, feed, sleep, survive. Now, things were better. But he still heard the echo of his mother's voice taunting him, its dark resurgence telling him he'd never amount to anything at all. That he'd always be alone. That he would have been better off if he'd stayed put like a good kit. Briarpaw clenched his jaw. Nightpaw wasn't the only cat that could hold a grudge. If Briarpaw wanted to, he could take out his mother's actions and apply it to every she-cat he came across. But Briarpaw didn't want to live that way. Even if he'd faced betrayal time and again, he didn't want to judge every cat before he met them just because of their gender. That was how he'd decided to live. But he could see that Nightpaw hadn't made that choice yet.

[Magicheart]

Moonpaw felt the bile begin to rise in his throat. This was starting to sound like a giant pity party. And what did she have against toms anyway? "At least we're doing something besides yowling at the stars!" he growled. "You're not the only one that's had things tough. At least we try to make the best of it!"

He didn't like the way that Nightpaw looked at Briarpaw just then, and he didn't like the way that it made him feel. "I'm going back to camp!" he yowled over his shoulder, filled with emotions he didn't understand as he ran blindly on the path he had come, feeling so free and relaxed on the way there.

No one's going to like you if you keep acting like that/ his better voice told him. "I don't need anyone to like me! They aren't the tribe. They aren't my friends and family!" he huffed, angry that deep down he knew better but couldn't act on it.

[~Storm~]

Nightpaw nodded her head, almost approvingly, as Moonpaw came into sight. She didn't like it when others snuck around-it reminded her of him. She expected him to say something. Anything. But the apprentice remained silent.

As Briarpaw spoke up again, she couldn't help but feel a bit... shocked. Aren't mothers supposed to care about their kits? Not like mine does anymore, but still... she said silently. "You mean she didn't even hunt for you? At all? What about when you were to little to hunt? Did she hunt for you then?"

She had believed that she was alone. The only one in the clan who had ever felt unwanted. Hated. Maybe not... she thought. But that doesn't change the fact that all toms are peices of fox dung, even if we do have something in common!

Her ear flicked at Moonpaw's angry meow; a mixture of irritation and anger. "What, you think I'm not doing anything?" she spat, furiously. "I work my pelt off for cats who see as nothing more then a monster because of something I didn't even do! And, I might not be trying now because I have before! It doesn't help! Being perky and fun isn't going to make all your worry go away, no matter how much you want it to!"

The cream and brown she-cat felt her rage boiling over, but she didn't care. As her clanmate turned and began to walk away, she called after him, "And running away doesn't help, either!"

[Magicheart]

Moonpaw ignored the she-cat and let out a hiss of annoyance, speeding up into a brisk run.

[.:Lion:.]

Briarpaw turned away, his eyes darkening. He hardly listened as Nightpaw yelled at Moonpaw. He turned when the tom ran off into the bushes, his ear flicking once. He wasn't excited at the prospect of being alone with Nightpaw. Maybe it was just because she seemed to hate cats - not that he could blame her. From what he'd gathered via her ranting, the Clan didn't like her for some reason beyond her control. Boy do I know what that feels like. He thought darkly.

"To answer you question," he meowed finally, his voice curt, "My brother fed us until we didn't need her milk anymore, then she told us to feed ourselves. She didn't teach us to hunt, we had to learn on our own. And if we didn't catch enough food..." His shredded ear moved, as if he were self-conscious about his scars. They covered his back, mostly, and his shoulders. But his ear was his most obvious mark, which he'd received near the time he left. Briarpaw didn't like to talk about his family. He didn't like to remember.