Always Alone (Open)

[.:Lion:.]

The sky was overcast with dark clouds, threatening a storm. SkyClan's territory was still damp from the recent rainfall, and the bark of the fallen tree was slippery under the paws of the young SkyClan warrior. He was making his way back towards camp, a single blackbird lodged between his teeth. His cold blue eyes stared out before him, uninterested in the world around him and yet as observant as a hawk. Even though he had lived his entire life within the Clan, the tom looked uncomfortable and suspicious of his surroundings. But then, when had he ever felt comfortable? There had been a time, once, but now... he was always alone.

Ravenfeather preferred it that way, though. Solitude was the one thing that allowed him time to think. And if there was one thing Ravenfeather did well it was think. The tom glanced up at the dim clouds and narrowed his eyes. He felt the cold rush of wind brushing against his dark fur, and he flexed his jaw in frustration. The bad weather lately was not appealing to him. It only served to remind him of the lack of shelter around him, the cold stone of his den within SkyClan's camp, with his nest set away from the others'. The chill made him more surly than usual. He just wanted to get back to camp, dump the dumb prey on the fresh-kill pile, and clock out for the day. Loyalty towards his Clan was not always a priority for him. But what else did he have? The tom dropped his gaze and stared down at the ground between the bird's feathers. What else, Raven? He asked himself silently, his gaze filled with regret as his thoughts wandered far away from the gorge and the forest...

[Magicheart]

Gatheringclouds padded along, his ears drooping and his tail dragging on the ground in neglect. His eyes focused somewhere between the ground and the horizon, unseeing. In fact, Gatheringclouds didn't even notice Ravenfeather until he had almost run into him. The presence of another cat snapped the young tom back to reality somewhat. Gatheringclouds fumbled awkwardly out of the way of his clanmate, clearly not his usual bright-eyed self.

[.:Lion:.]

Ravenfeather sensed another cat and turned to see one of his Clanmates trudging towards him. The tom watched, expressionless--though his blue eyes were sharp as ever--as Gatheringclouds almost ran into him. The tom seemed out of it, which was odd. He was usually pretty cheerful, the sort of happy-go-lucky cat that wasn't given to moodiness. Ravenfeather didn't feel very curious about whatever chip on the cat's shoulder was making him this depressed, but he didn't like seeing one of his Clanmates look so miserable. Despite the common belief about his indifference and arrogance, Ravenfeather really did care for his Clan and the cats in it.

"Watch yourself there, clumsy-paws," Ravenfeather meowed in his usual arrogant way. Then his ear flicked back and he squinted at Gatheringclouds in a suspicious way.

"So," he meowed. "What's got you in such a stupor?" He asked, not unkindly.

[Magicheart]

"Oh!" Gatheringclouds flattened his ears in embarrassment. "I'm sorry." He meowed sincerely, backing up a few paces. The young tom sighed and lowered his head at Ravenfeather's question. "I was out with Lilithnight and she fell from a tree. We were climbing together and I can't help but feel that it is my fault. I'm just really ashamed and disappointed in myself for not being able to keep her from falling...she's quite injured." he concluded miserably.

[.:Lion:.]

Ravenfeather listened with the solemn sort of indifference that is often preferred in listeners. He didn't make faces or look all concerned or sputter out a bunch of stupid questions. He merely drank in the information and thought over it carefully before speaking. When he had considered the tom's words long enough, Ravenfeather tipped his head to the side and regarded Gatheringclouds thoughtfully.

"Sounds to me like it's more her fault than yours," he meowed coolly. "And even if it wasn't, it certainly isn't your fault that she fell. Unless of course you left out anything about pushing her out of the tree." Ravenfeather's cool eyes and sarcastic voice may have offended some cats. But he was one to speak his mind and didn't give two mousetails what other cats might think of him because of his openness.

[Magicheart]

Gatheringclouds bristled, his fur on end. "Push her!? Never!" he meowed, before realizing that the tom was being sarcastic. "I...I wouldn't say it was her fault. It was an accident. It was slippery with the rain...any cat could have fallen." he meowed, suddenly realizing that maybe he was putting too much blame on himself. "You make it sound so simple...but what happens if she doesn't recover? Does it really matter how it happened? I'll feel miserable regardless." the tom admitted, his true feelings showing through.