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Post by .:Lion:. on Jan 30, 2011 16:25:11 GMT -5
The distant hum of a Thunderpath echoed through the forest, like a haunting reminder of the reason the Clans had left their old homes seasons ago to live beside the lake. The sun had peeped out and was bathing the earth in its brilliant light. Twittering birds bounced in the trees, their dark eyes as distant and expressionless as the lake's surface, never giving up their secrets. A tortoiseshell tom padded out of the dense forest undergrowth, his piercing yellow-amber eyes glancing at the nearby border. The old thunderpath that marked part of the territory near ShadowClan was silent and almost lonely, its unnatural cuts in the earth like tears across the surface of a heart, never to be fixed, never to feel complete.
Fadeout often felt that way about Firefly. His best friend was the only cat in the Clan that he felt this way for. She was beautiful and kind and had always listened to him when no other cat would. She understood him. Fadeout sighed. He wished he could understand her somehow, but the cold distance between them these days made his heart ache and his mind wander. Perhaps this was the reason he had snuck out of camp alone to hunt. He didn't want to wait for Smokestripe to assign him to some patrol of warriors that would inevitably make fun of him for his inability to behave like a true warrior. They didn't understand how he felt. But Firefly did. Why couldn't he see her the way he saw other cats? Why couldn't he understand her heart the way she unknowingly did his? Fadeout glanced back at the tall pines of ShadowClan territory. It was their dark, shadowy presence that spurred his deepest and dreariest thoughts. Perhaps he should leave? Fadeout closed his eyes, replacing his surprisingly sharp yellow gaze with a black nothingness, his gaze consumed by the dark patches that stretched over his face, claws curling against his nose and around his ears, mingling with soft light brown tabby and piercing white fur.
"I wish you'd understand a little more. That way I wouldn't have to say it." He muttered aloud, his thoughts on Firefly as he stood, distracted and distant, his heart and mind troubled.
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Post by sly on Feb 8, 2011 13:00:30 GMT -5
Silversoul"Silence is the golden opportunity of reflection."
The sun was beginning to arch over the mountains, lighting the world in its brilliant light. The perfect time to spend hunting alone, before the Clan began to awake and become active. The air was crisp, slightly chilled from the night, but for Silversoul, it was the perfect kind of morning. The light breeze dusted her whiskers with warmth, while the cooler air around her gave her crystal-clear focus.
So on this blissful morning she had set out, hoping to be able to double her normal prey catch. Silversoul was the kind of cat to think things like this over logically. She walked through the forest, chilly moss beneath her paws. She trotted along, spotting a bird up in a tree, and quickly scampering after it. She missed, and unhappily slumped down on the ground.
Dragging her tail along, she failed two other attempts at catching prey. When she managed to catch a mouse, she reluctantly admitted that she was doing better than she usually did. She growled at the mouse as she buried it, cursing her luck. "I'm a shameful cat." She muttered, stalking off in frustration.
As she stalked along angrily, she began to think about her mother. She'd lived such a good life, without having to work considerably hard at anything. The easy life was more suited to a cat like Silversoul. Sighing, she plodded along until she spotted another small mouse. Chasing it, she leaped, landing and tripping over the furry form of another cat. As she sat up, she looked over apologetically.
"So sorry, I'm afraid I didn't look where I was headed."
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Post by .:Lion:. on Feb 8, 2011 18:38:04 GMT -5
Fadeout was just about to get up and leave when something crashed into him, sending him toppling over. The breath left his lungs in a painful gasp and left him desperately sucking in air, trying to gain it back. He got to his paws, his body trembling a little. He shook himself out, trying to look like he hadn't been affected by the incident when in reality he had.
"Don't worry... about it..." He meowed, still trying to catch his breath. You idiot! He thought, Does a real warrior get so easily winded? He was ashamed of himself, but he didn't know what else to do, it was just how he was. He looked closely at the she-cat that had pounced him. He'd patrolled with Silversoul a couple times, maybe. He didn't remember much about her, except that her mother had been a kittypet and who knew where her father was. She and her sisters had been born in the camp after a fire that had destroyed her Twoleg's Greenleaf Nest. Or so Fadeout had heard, and he put great pride into knowing the circumstances of many cats.
"So," he meowed, regaining his composure, "What are you doing out here so early?" He asked, honestly surprised to find someone besides himself out and about by themselves before Smokestripe even had a chance to wake up.
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Post by sly on Feb 8, 2011 19:54:51 GMT -5
Silversoul[/size] "Silence is the golden opportunity of reflection."
Silversoul sighed, her eyes filled to the brim with her apology. She tried not to look too embarrassed, but grew hot underneath her silvery fur. She felt doubly ashamed of herself as she'd seemed to have almost killed her Clanmate. She scolded herself again, trying to keep the red-hot that was burning her from showing. While the tom, by the name of Fadeout, was looking better, Silversoul couldn't help but still feel a deep-rooted horror at what she had done.
"Me?" She responded to his question, sitting down and thinking. Honesty was the best policy, Bluebird always said, and so reluctantly Silversoul had to admit truth. "I'm trying to improve my hunting skills. So far I've caught one mouse after three misses, which is a shameful new record for me." She sent a blade of grass flying with an angry paw, wishing she could have had a more interesting reason to be awake. Alas, she couldn't.
"I was never a good hunter. Or fighter. Sometimes I think I got a Warrior Name just because I was pitied. I don't think I'm well suited for helping my Clan at all." Silversoul freed another blade of grass and followed its flight until it landed in silence. She shuddered, thinking about how the mouse had done the same thing. It was eerie, really, to be a hunter. Killing things and staining claws was not Silversoul's cup of tea, by any means.
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Post by .:Lion:. on Feb 8, 2011 20:22:11 GMT -5
Fadeout listened intently. It was one of the few talents he possessed, listening to others. As Silversoul spoke, he was suddenly aware of his own pitiably work. He'd been told by some other toms to go to the Nursery where he belonged, since he was about as tom-like as a flittering butterfly. Fadeout heaved a sigh, letting his hindquarters sink onto the ground as he nodded his head.
"I know what you mean," he meowed with a solemn expression on his face, "I'm not much of a fighter at all, and I don't like hunting much. I don't like..." He twiddled his paws, staring down at them while feeling flushed and embarrassed. Silversoul might not understand how he felt, since most cats didn't. Firefly was the only cat that had ever listened to him and accepted his views. He didn't want to be made fun of. But he figured he'd give it a shot.
"I don't like killing things." He stated simply and truthfully.
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Post by sly on Feb 8, 2011 20:35:54 GMT -5
Silversoul"Silence is the golden opportunity of reflection."
Silversoul laughed, feeling the tension in her ease a little.
"Is that all?" She asked, the smile still spread across her beautiful face. "Why, that's nothing to be ashamed of! I just lack the talent to be able to hunt at all, though killing things is a minor disturbing setback. But you, it shows you have a heart." Silversoul offered him the wisdom she could manage to scrape up.
"Bluebird always says, 'Respect must be shown to all living creatures, no matter their size.' At least, I think that's Bluebird. She says a lot of things, so sometimes, I mix it up..." Silversoul's voice faded as she realized how stupid she must sound to Fadeout. She hated sounding like a fool around anyone. She felt the uncomfortable embarrassment returning, and she tried to conceal it further. She was beginning to wish she'd never woken up, and had to suffer this painful moment. "I'm silly sometimes, I know, but you shouldn't hide who you are in shame. Just because you value life doesn't make you a bad Warrior. It makes you better than the rest of us." Silversoul hoped she was repairing any damage in Fadeout's eyes, because she certainly wasn't in her own.
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Post by .:Lion:. on Feb 8, 2011 20:42:58 GMT -5
Fadeout watched her face, studied her expressions, as she spoke. Silversoul's feelings were pretty much laid out to see in the features of her beautiful, finely bred face. She was beautiful, but her emotions seemed to get the better of her and displayed an expression that Fadeout thought was not befitting her. He smiled in response to her words, chuckling softly.
"You're not silly," he meowed, "You're unique. Like me, I guess. And as far as having a heart goes..." He looked up at the sky and sighed. "Sometimes I feel that to be a Warrior you shouldn't even have one."
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Post by sly on Feb 8, 2011 20:59:03 GMT -5
Silversoul"Silence is the golden opportunity of reflection."
Silversoul shook her head again, still in disapproval of his words. Still, she could not help it as a small grin crept across her face. "You're starting to sound like a ShadowClanner, and I expect you to cut it out. Without a heart, would we ever have friends? Ever smile and laugh? Love anyone?" She asked, looking deep into his eyes. A strange silvery glow seemed to come over hers as she thought. They gleamed a bit brighter, and her mood had lifted.
"Besides, you are who you are, and you shouldn't change yourself." Suddenly, the strength of her words hit her as well, leaving Silversoul slightly mystified. "But if you are who you are..." She muttered, looking up at a distant monster as it roared down the Thunderpath. She looked back at Fadeout as it passed, and she felt herself begin to sigh again. "If I am to be who I am, I wouldn't be a Warrior. I'd be a Queen, or a Kittypet."
Both options sounded equally appealing to Silversoul, though nobody ever thought her worthy of loving and she wasn't about to give up her family to become a kittypet. "I hate conflicts." She admitted to Fadeout, completely unaware that she probably spoke in riddles to him. After all, she was only saying half of the conversation in her head. Realizing this with despair, she began to wonder if she was just a crazy cat.
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Post by .:Lion:. on Feb 8, 2011 21:11:46 GMT -5
Fadeout sat with his eyes intent on her face, that look that told other cats he was considering them, listening, trying to understand. The mention of becoming a Queen irked him a little, since he'd been insulted with taunts of being a "queen" before. But he would rather Silversoul live as a queen than leave the Clan.
"You would do well in the nursery, I have no doubt, if that's what you want and what will make you happy. In the end, that's what's important." He meowed, smiling at her in a friendly manner. "Either way," he continued, "I'm here if you need someone to talk to." He said cheerfully.
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Post by sly on Feb 8, 2011 21:16:51 GMT -5
Silversoul"Silence is the golden opportunity of reflection."
"First help me find someone who thinks I'm half decent." Silversoul said with a laugh, picturing herself as a Queen. She wouldn't mind it, especially if there was someone out there who actually liked her for who she was. Maybe she could foster kits too. That'd be a nice life, she decided with a nod. She could stay with her family, live an easy life, and be treated specially just for having kits to help the Clan grow and prosper.
"Which sort of reminds me, why are you out here?" Silversoul asked, her mind having come to a complete halt on the thought of her life. She grinned, expecting an answer such as he was thinking. Which he was obviously doing. Though she could not begin to understand why he would need to be thinking. Fadeout seemed like a cat who had his priorities straight.
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Post by .:Lion:. on Feb 8, 2011 21:24:40 GMT -5
Fadeout looked at her, a bit surprised. Any tom would have to recognize her beauty, and her character was admirable in his opinion, though he might not be the best judge of such things. When she asked him about what he was doing, he just smiled and said;
"Just hunting. Thinking. Run-of-the-mill stuff." He mewed softly, not really wanting to go into his personal life at all. Not that he had much of one. He was pretty much the lamest cat in the history of the Clans. He couldn't fight, didn't like to hunt, and couldn't even muster the gall to tell the she-cat he loved how he felt. Heck, he didn't even have the courage to ask her what she was feeling. But who wanted to hear his sob story? He wouldn't want to.
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Post by sly on Feb 8, 2011 21:33:35 GMT -5
Silversoul"Silence is the golden opportunity of reflection."
Silversoul laughed. "So I expected. Well, I don't suppose your thinking isn't run-of-the-mill?" She supposed it was, but she was actually having a better day thanks to Fadeout, and hated to think that he might get up and leave. She wanted to keep talking, so that she would keep feeling that she might just be okay as a Warrior. After all, Fadeout didn't care that she was a failure, so he was already a nicer cat than most of the other Warriors in the Clan.
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Post by .:Lion:. on Feb 8, 2011 21:41:18 GMT -5
Fadeout glanced at her and then away, trying not to let his thoughts stray, trying to keep himself concentrated on the moment.
"My thoughts are... well..." He shifted, feeling uncomfortable. He didn't like to lie, but what could he say? He shook his head and sighed.
"I'd rather not lie, so I'll just say I don't want to talk about those." He meowed, his expression sad. Then he gave her a half-hearted smile, "Nothing too serious, just... personal."
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Post by sly on Feb 13, 2011 18:54:42 GMT -5
Silversoul"Silence is the golden opportunity of reflection."
Silversoul laughed uncomfortably. "Okay then..." She let the words ring out and the awkward silence envelope her, making her feel even more out of place. She didn't have a soul for her in the whole Clan, and even Fadeout knew she wasn't smart enough to help him with his issues or even be bothered to tell what they were. Which was smart; she wasn't, and she didn't blame him for wanting to internalize things. Unfortunately, Silversoul wasn't smart enough to make a hasty retreat and leave Fadeout to personal matters, and so stood dusting the earth with her paws and waiting for something to happen.
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Post by .:Lion:. on Feb 13, 2011 19:17:00 GMT -5
Fadeout saw that she was feeling uncomfortable, but what could he do? He had no words to say to her that would tell her what he was feeling. Or even if he did, how could he share with her what he couldn't tell the cat he loved? He shook his head and twitched his whiskers.
"It's nothing against you. I can hardly talk to a tree about my problems. I'm... weak-hearted, I guess you could say." He meowed, the corners of his mouth tilting downwards slightly in the beginnings of a frown.
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Post by sly on Feb 15, 2011 15:45:00 GMT -5
Silversoul"Silence is the golden opportunity of reflection."
Silversoul laughed. "Why would you talk to trees anyway?" She laughed, thought about what she said briefly, and realized that once again, she'd said something dumb. "I mean, what I mean is... umm... your problem is that... instead of talking to someone who could help you, you... talk to... trees?" She tried to make it sound reasonable, decided it did, and repeated it for good measure.
"You talk to trees, which can't help you. Though you know trees, always gossiping." She laughed again, but her smile faded as she looked at him. He probably thought she was as ditzy as everyone else, and she felt discouraged from even trying to make him feel better. She was only making herself seem worse.
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Post by .:Lion:. on Feb 15, 2011 16:33:54 GMT -5
Fadeout listened without much expression on his face, wondering if Silversoul was trying to make him feel better or making fun of him. He shrugged, deciding he'd just keep neutral so he wouldn't hurt her feelings if it was the former and he wouldn't seem comittal if it was the latter.
"Talking to trees is a better alternative to never saying anything at all I guess." He meowed gravely.
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Post by sly on Feb 16, 2011 18:58:08 GMT -5
Silversoul"Silence is the golden opportunity of reflection."
Silversoul shook her head, speaking with a tone much harsher than necessary. "No, I think that's wrong. If you don't talk at all, that's who you are, but if you talk to trees, then you're just afraid to admit your feelings to anyone. If you only talk to trees, you're a coward. If you don't talk at all, that's nature." Silversoul stopped, frowned, thought over what she said, and then looked a bit lost. "I think." She admitted, just as puzzled by what she said as the next cat. After all, inspiring words never came from her mouth, and she couldn't tell if this was a first or not.
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Post by .:Lion:. on Feb 17, 2011 18:28:36 GMT -5
Fadeout glanced at Silversoul, feeling a bit offended by her words. What did she know? How could she possibly comprehend the pain that he felt, being ostracized by his own Clan by every cat but one, the one he loved but was drifting farther and farther away from him? How could she ever believe she knew him just because he'd been friendly with her, had confided what little he had with her? Apparently it was a mistake to trust her. He should have known. Fadeout turned away, his eyes looking frosty and cold.
"You'd know, then, eh? You'd know what it feels like to have everyone shun you? To have the only cat you care about as far from your reach as the stars? Do you know what it feels like to never have a voice, to keep everything inside and smile at everyone all the time, never once saying how you feel? If you could in any way possibly understand the agony I'm in every single day, then maybe I could say you knew me. But you don't know me. So don't judge me based on what little you think you know about me." He meowed, his voice angry as he turned to leave.
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Post by sly on Feb 17, 2011 20:09:11 GMT -5
Silversoul"Silence is the golden opportunity of reflection."
Silversoul was at first hurt by his words. Mainly the tone in which he spoke, seeming so broken and cold and unbelievably empty. He was a shell of what she'd seen earlier at this point, and she quickly morphed from pain to fear. Then, of course, anger. And finally, she understood. Not often did she understand cats, but somehow, she knew what Fadeout meant when he spoke. And instead of feeling as if attacked by his thoughts, she did something else.
"You have no idea." She said, not a hint of ice in her voice. Then, a little harder, she added, "But unlike you, I'm going to do something about it." She smiled, nodding her thanks, and set off before he had a chance to leave. She'd seen what being a tormented soul meant, and she did not want to end up like Fadeout in any respect. So she was going to do what she'd always questioned, and it was all in good regards to her now dear friend Fadeout. Because no matter how little he thought she knew, she felt the full force of his problems in her own way herself. And she was doing something about it.
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Post by .:Lion:. on Feb 19, 2011 13:41:12 GMT -5
Fadeout frowned, wondering what Silversoul was talking about. But he was too tired to be really curious. His anger had drained what was left of his energy, and he just wanted to go back to camp and sleep. With a deep sigh, the tom turned his face homeward, taking his time through the dense undergrowth and down the slope into the hollow. The smooth stone beneath his paws was like a salve, reminding him where his home was, even if his heart was nowhere to be found. Fadeout glanced around, wondering where Firefly was, wishing he could just tell her the truth. But he wouldn't lose her. Not for anything. So he sat down with a small mouse he'd caught at his paws, eating it half-heartedly as he watched the goings-on around him.
OOC: Should we wrap this one up or is there something Silver needs to do? x3
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