The Fields

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"Go father?!" He gasped again, heart fluttering like a bat in his chest. "B-but--!" He couldn't say no to her pleading; or her expression. "I've had enough excitement for one day, Darkpaw-- can't we just go back to camp?" Willowpaw returned Darkpaw with his own pleading expression-- and exasperated.

"What if we get lost? It is the unknown!! And--and-- and we could eaten by foxes, or dogs-- or badgers!" Now Willowpaw was on a roll, sputtering this way and that, gasping and wheezing; near to hypervenalation.

"W-w-we co-could DIE!" He finally cried, tail, ears, and whiskers quivering violently in fear. After a few moments of retaining his breaving, Willowpaw gave the softest sniffle.

"B-but o-okay..." He whispered, head lowered and giving Darkpaw a worried, baby look. "Y-you'll protect me, w-won't you?" His eyes were the size of saucers, giving Darkpaw a rather innocent stare.

[Whiskers]

Darkpaw was actually scared for a moment-- scared for Willowpaw's health! The poor cat was wheezing, his eyes darting around like, any moment, something would come out of the ground and swallow him whole! Maybe she should have just gone alone. She didn't want to force Willowpaw to do something he didn't want to do!

But then he was saying he would, though he looked pitiful and kit-like as he did. Y-you'll protect me, w-won't you?"

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Her voice was gentle and smooth like water when she finally answered-- it was the way a mother would speak to a kit. "Of course, Willowpaw. I'll protect you with all I have. You're my clanmate. That's what clanmates do for one another."

The strength returned to her tone though as she went on, her tail high in the air as she trotted out. "Besides, no fox or badger would DARE mess with me! They'll run the instant they see me coming! So don't even give it another thought Willowpaw. Just think of all the stuff we'll discover. Secret hollows, maybe new herbs. We could even hunt if we like."

She flicked her tail, motioning to him to follow her. "We haven't a moment to lose!"[/center][/size]

[Slug]

"That's what clanmates do for one another."

A strange feeling welted up inside Willowpaw's gut. Admiration? Maybe. Anxiety? No. Not this time. It was.... content. He fet safe. Something that didn't happen often. No. That wasn't it.

He felt safe with Darkpaw.... "Thank you, Darkpaw. Thank you so much." He whispered to himself. He then smiled at her boasting, standing up slowly from his haunched position. "N-not a mo-moment to l-lose!" He repeated, fur unprickling and smoothing out; blotchy under a mix of sunlight and shadow patches, speckled iron here, gray there-- he looked like a make-shift calico until he stepped out into the sunlight fully; iron colored fur glinting and mint green eyes like sharp emeralds.

"I'm rea-ready when y-you a-are, D-darkpaw!"

[Whiskers]

Darkpaw waited for him to speak again, hoping that he wouldn't change his mind. Despite how cowardly Willowpaw was, and how his stutter was so annoying it made her want to rip out her fur, she really did enjoy being with Willowpaw. He made her feel stronger than she actually was. He was super-duper nice--and he never said no! Darkpaw was totally aware of how she took advantage of that sometimes, but really, she had good intentions for the cat.

She was determined to make him a little braver. If she had any say in it, Willowpaw would grow up to be one of the bravest, strongest warriors ever! Maybe even deputy and leader someday. But even if that didn't happen-- even if Willowpaw stayed as nervous as a kittypet-- talking with him was still fun.

"WELL I'M READY NOW LET'S GO!" she yowled to the heavens before dashing off through the long blades of grass, tail waving around happily as she zigzagged. The bicolor she-cat didn't even think about slowing down for Willowpaw, even though he might be slower or clumsier than her. In fact...

Darkpaw skidded to a stop and made sure Willowpaw was following. It would be terrible if she left him behind, after all that pleading she had done!

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[Slug]

Willowpaw had been by her side the whole time, raceing for what seemed to be his life as they tromped through the feilds; darting this way and that, zigging and zagging everywhere.

Until he got lost, that is.

The she-cat had been too fast, and a sudden turn had left Willowpaw-- poor tom-- dizzy as he tried to copy her; only to end up twisting his paw in a painful angle-- sprained, most likely-- and tumbled over into the tall grass, sending some stray sunflowers crashing down all over the place.

To give some credit, Willowpaw hadn't even made a noise as he hurt his paw, bless the clumsy apprentice's heart-- which was now beating a thousand miles and hour, so it seemed.

As he layed there, stunned but breaving quickly-- and silently as possible-- Willowpaw gave a croaky whisper: "...D-...Darkpaw?"

[Whiskers]

Darkpaw searched for the white tom. Her gaze darted from one point to another as she grasped for a sign of his fur. Surely it would be noticeable, even if it was a little dark out (and getting darker by the minute). But as she searched, she grew a little scared. She couldn't find that silly cat!

Darkpaw bounded a few cat-lengths forward and then slowed to a walk, still looking diligently for her comrade. "Willowpaw? C'mon, bud, protecting you is gonna be a little hard if you're hiding from me," she joked, trying to keep herself calm. "Help me out here. Can you hear me? If you can hear me say 'aye' or ... my name... or something? I don't care, croak like a frog if you want!"

Darkpaw's whiskers quivered as the worry deep in her grew, creeping up her throat.

She spotted a small movement and she darted for it, hoping that it wasn't a mouse.

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[Slug]

Willowpaw was slowly becoming...insane. Frightend beyond belief. For his paw? No. Being out alone, and when it was slowly becoming darker and darker? Yes. With a sprained paw? Even worse.

Willowpaw, with as much dignity as possible, weakly stood-- only to give a sobbing gasp and collasped to the ground-- fire! It burned up and down his front leg like a army of red ants; gnawing through the skin, muscle-- all the way to the bone. Suddenly, his imagination got to him: ANTS?! RED, FIRE ANTS!

He shook his forepaw wildly, crying out; screwing his eyes shut as more pain washed over his appendage-- heart near to exploding. They were going to eat his leg! He was going to be devoured! Help! Help! HELP!

"HELP ME! HELP ME, DARKPAW! HELP!"

Suddenly, a shape darted toward him; with a caterwaul, he realized: It was the queen ant! Comeing to eat him herself! And she was huge! The biggest ant he ever seen! Big... big as a cat!

It happend so quickly-- his sprained paw flying out, claws unsheathed, as he tried feebly to protect himself what was about to come.

His end....

Instead of meeting the hard exoskeleton of an ant, claws met fur-- ...Darkpaw?!-- and weakly pricked the skin of the she-cat; Willowpaw would have done no better if he had a stick, or a toothpick, for that matter.

"O-oh Starclan!"

/Dramatically lame. D:

[Whiskers]

ooc: ... AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. XDD I LOVE Willowpaw. -dies-

bic//

Darkpaw closed in on the squirming figure, and as she got closer, she heard the yowling that was coming from it. It almost made her want to draw back, but she had never been one to follow her instinct. No, she indulged her curiousity and ran toward the spastic, flailing creature, her eyes sharpening-- and she noticed that it was Willowpaw a few feet before she got to him and she wondered what had attacked him that had made him so frantic. She didn't smell a fox, or another cat. There were no badgers around either. She opened her mouth to sooth him with a few words but she didn't have time--

A sudden pain on her muzzle made her jump back, but it was gone a few seconds later. Darkpaw could hardly even feel the dull throb of the teeny cut. It probably wasn't even bleeding, and so she didn't really pay attention to it that much. She was mostly stunned that Willowpaw had attacked her.

"Willowpaw, shh, chill, buddy! It's okay!" She spoke, taking a small step toward him. Now she was worried that she of all cats, was going to scare him. "It's just me. Darkpaw. Are you alright? Did something happen to you?

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[Slug]

ooc: Ikr? How can you NOT love him? He's so... so... so feeble it's cute. x3
--x

Willowpaw gave a hiccup, ears back and ready to cry-- if cat's could cry, anyways, he would have-- tears buldging in his eyes but never falling.

"Dar-da-d--*hic!*--Darkpaw!" He wailed, covering his shamed face. "The ants! They-- they were-- there! I s-swear!" Raising his face from his tear soaked paws, Willowpaw sniffled a little more.

"And m-my paw-- it hurts! I thi-- I think it's broken!!" He babbled some, going on about his paw-- rambling complete nonsense.

"I just want to go home!"

/short and lame. D: *brick'd*

[Whiskers]

Darkpaw's shoulders slumped and her tail drooped to the ground. She tried-- oh she tried and tried and tried-- not to be disappointed in Willowpaw. She wanted to have fun with him. She didn't want to feel like this-- like his parent, like he was dragging her down. But she did feel like that, and it caused her entire stance to change. Darkpaw knew she should have just gone on her own! But now she really didn't have a choice. Not only was Willowpaw begging to go home, but he had injured his paw, perhaps severely. She was no medicine cat, but she trusted that the pain was real.

Darkpaw let out a long, heavy sigh and then glanced longingly at the dark unknown that she had been headed for. Adventures awaited her there. But those adventures would have to wait. She had to play mentor now. She smashed the voices that were telling her to just leave Willowpaw where he was, and then licked the tom of Willowpaw's head, trying to get him to stop wailing like a sorry little kit. They would attract attention if they weren't careful.

"Okay, Willow. We'll go home." She told him softly. "And Hailstorm and (medicine cat apprentice's name) will look at your paw... I'm sure it will be fine. We'll just tell everyone you tripped while trying to catch a mouse." There was no disguising the disappointment in Darkpaw's voice. It was leaking out, pooling around their paws.

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