+Why+ |So| *Serious*?

[[.___Paije] !]

Breath in. Breath out. The sound quietness of the camp was...blissful. It was love. He could sleep forever. Under that mass of warm white fur that he called his own. Tail shuddering and quivering. His own dream disturbing his real life movements.

Come to me...little mouse... was the only words that ran through his mind as he crept through the leaf-covered ground. Moistened from the rains of last night. His light golden eyes were focused on his moving target. The small dusty colored rodent scampering among the tree roots. Occasionally nibbling on the small seeds on the ground. A few feet back Grousefeather sat, watching her son proudly, watching him hunt with a small...smile gracing her beautiful face. Look at him...he's just like his father, the small feline thought with a light purr. It was so wonderful to see her son growing up. Tail swishing back and forth, eyes straining to focus on the mouse. And just the mouse. Creeping forward with light paw steps. Coming closer...closer...closer. Now only about two feet away now. Here little mouse...I'm not going to hurt you...a lot, With another smirk, he let the muscles in his back legs tighten. Ready to pounce. Standing completely still. For what seemed like a life time. Leaping into the air and diving for the mouse. The rodent letting out a squeal of alarm before trying to scurry away. BAM! Cloudpaw landed right upon the small rodent, his white claws digging into the flesh. Then digging his canines into the flesh, tail flicking in pleasure. Ah. The lovely taste of fresh mouse meat. Raising his head and looking back at his mother, tail still flicking. "Hey mom! I caught it!" he meowed, proud of himself. Padding over to his mother and dropping the dead rodent at her delicate paws. "I'm proud of you Cloudpaw," Grousefeather purred lightly. Cloudpaw puffed out his chest in pride, trying to make himself look like the big man of the hour. The small tabby she-cat chuckled lightly and licked the top of her son's head--only to have him jerk back. "Mom, stop." he hissed lightly. It was one thing to get praise from her--but he drew the line in the sand at her licking him. It was...a pet-peeve of his. "Can we go back now? I caught something like you wanted!" he pointed out, gesturing to his catch at her paws. Hiding her own hurt, Grousefeather just nodded. "Yes. You can go back. I'm going to stay back." she meowed distantly, not even watching Cloudpaw pick up the rodent and hurrying back for camp. Immediately making it to the fresh-kill pile as soon as he made it to camp, dropping his catch into the pile and looking around camp, watching the other cats walk around, share tongues, and share news of the day. Not even noting the fact that his mother was still outside of camp alone, near the graveyard place for the dead. Next to his father's grave.

It was easy to remember. His parents were both dead. His father dead before Cloudpaw was even born. Grousefeather on the other hand just passed away. It upset Cloudpaw a whole ton. You know, he and his mother were extremely close. If it were not for the fact that he tried to pretend to dislike every single being around him. His weakness was most likely females. He couldn't quite...well. Be extremely rude or harm a female. He just could not. It was hard. Loosing his parents...how could this happen to him? He's had an all right life...but yet...he still suffered from two deaths in the family. His mother and father. Opening one golden yellow eye, Cloudpaw just shuddered from the dream. "My mother...it was her." he whispered under his breath. It was his mother. It was a memory from the first two weeks of his training. How could he remember that proud moment with out being upset about it? Not possible. Breathing in a large sigh, he heaved himself to his paws, blinking his eyes to adjust to the sunlight that filtered into the apprentice's den.

[laur]

Unnaturally bright green eyes bore into the pelt of the snow white cat standing in the den. A lithe, light brown she-cat silently stood up, stalked over to the tom, and twitched her thin tail in pure contempt.
"What do you think you're doing," she hissed maliciously, "other cats are trying to sleep. Just because you lost your family," the she-cat mischeviously added, "does NOT mean you get to strut around and get away with everything."
Sparrowpaw, letting out an almost silent growl, shouldered Cloudpaw roughly and padded out of the den, lashing her tail. Her tiny, striped paws were soundless on the cold clearing floor as she gazed around the MeadowClan camp, her blindingly blue eyes squinted in disgust at the surroundings.
"Ugh, the life of a Clan cat," she muttered, "what a waste of my time."

[Rolo]

((Claw is karma'd for starting a new thread))

[Pie]

Bearclaw stretched his limbs, back legs finally reaching their extent. Closing his eyes the large tom relished in the feel of his muscles constricting back once he placed his legs firmly on the ground.

Everything was quite, again. The air was still and sharp thanks to the cold weather. Letting his large jaws spread in a great yawn, Bearclaw's breath rose in a warm cloud around his head.

"Uh-ah." Letting the yawn escape loudly he heard a stir from the apprentices' den. Sparrowpaw emerged in a huff,

"Ugh, the life of a Clan cat, what a waste of my time",

being spared from her lips. Eyes furrowing low, the massive tom made his way toward the ruffled she-cat. "Someone step on your tail this morning?" The tom's voice was low in the sense of keeping quiet but full of laughter.