cherish life's [simple] pleasures

[Pyro]

"Rabbitheart,"
"Please head down river quickly and catch a fish for Dappledflower."

Aha! A chance to prove himself, and reclaim, in a subtle and non-confrontational way, the dignity that had been stolen by Rookfang. Luckily, the season was a warm one, New-Leaf, and the water would be pleasant. If it had been leaf-bate or Leaf-Fall...Well, Rabbitheart wouldn't have been caught dead by the river, much less fishing.

"I'd be happy to." He replied to the order with a quick nod of his head.

The warrior padded up to the edge, but not so much as to let his shadow fall upon the water. The minutes ticked by as Rabbitheart waited patiently, as if he had all the time in the world, for a fish to dare come back up that side of the river after all the commotion. His patience was rewarded just as it seemed he'd have to go elsewhere for Dappledflower's fish.

A striped paw lashed out at the water, tossing the fish expertly into the air. Rabbitheart had learned long ago that diving head-first into the river was not an efficient manner of catching dinner. For a moment it looked like he was going to attempt to catch it in his mouth but then it seemed he had thought better of it. As the fish approached the ground he snagged it out of the air to slam it onto the ground, stunning it. Unable to flop around and be a general nuisance, the dazed fish was quickly killed by a bite from Rabbitheart.

Pleased with himself, though he dare not show it lest Rookfang start on him again, he took the fish to Dappledflower. At the very least, he had managed not to sham his clan.

[Whiskers]

Just a moment ago, that atmosphere had been tense, ready to break any second. If Rookfang had reacted with as much hostility to Dappledflower as Dappledflower had reacted to the word "badger," then she could just feel a fight on her paws. But she didn't show it, she just readjusted her position, inching a little closer to Dappledflower to reassert her position as protector. Her green eyes scanned over the three Streamclan cats. Yes, Rabbitheart was a bit... of a comical guy, but he wasn't that bad and neither was Cloudstar, who was perfectly calm. It was only Rookfang who was getting so worked up.

But then again, she was passionate. Mistystream studied Rookfang for a few minutes with her calculative eyes and a small smile tickled her muzzle. Now she saw why she was being oh so protective. The way she pressed her fur against the leader... and they were just splashing in the stream. Either they were very close friends-- a relationship that she found unusual for a warrior and a leader-- or there was something else brewing under their fur.

But enough speculation! She was no match maker, she was a warrior, and she turned her head to watch Rabbitheart fish, so she could copy him later. It all seemed very easy, and that's what surprised her. She supposed it would be much harder if she tried... Rabbitheart made it look very, very easy.

She did desperately want to try...

Rabbitheart came back with a large fish in his muzzle and layzed it down by Dappledflower's feet. The smell was overwhelming, yet Mistystream felt her mouth watering. "That was excellent, Rabbitheart," she complimented without thinking, it was nature to her to reward those who did a good job. "I wish I could fish like that... probably wouldn't have the patience." She smiled at the warrior and then looked at Dappledflower. Now that they had what they came for, there was really no reason to stay. Even if she wanted to try her paw at fishing.

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[laur]

Rookfang glared at the dappled queen a few fox-lengths before her. "If you even knew how to be a warrior, you would not have just said that." Her voice was almost as cold as her eyes. She decided, however, not to press the matter further. It was bad enough she flipped, even if she had the right to. This dumb beetle-brain had no idea how to live by the warrior code just yet. Not all cats did, she figured, but to do something like this was just incredible. Incredibly foolish.

Rookfang would try to be better, however, and was content to do the opposite of what she had been doing before and ignore Dappledflower. Her ears twitched as her leader told Rabbitheart to get the annoying queen a fish, but she said nothing nor moved a muscle. Rookfang sat like a statue, perched on her leader's left side and refusing to budge even the slightest. Her sleek black fur didn't even seem to rise in fall with her breathing; her thin, long tail didn't twitch once. If she were to keep her cool now, she needed to keep still as well.

Taking her gaze off of the intruders, Rookfang decided to watch her leader instead. The look on his white face made her think, I definitely screwed this up for him. Fox-dung! and she hoped to catch his eye to convey her apologies. As a splash from the river sounded nearby, and Rabbitheart returned with a decent-sized fish, Rookfang gave up trying to silently speak to Cloudstar and turned towards the intruding she-cats once more.

She flicked her black ears dismissively at them, as if saying, "I'm some-what sorry. But leave now, so I don't take that back." She huffed a loud sigh again, yawning and flashing dazzling white teeth compared to her other jet black features. Feeling a mixture of the most abnormal emotions to be paired together, Rookfang didn't know what to do with herself, and ended up turning her back on the rest of the cats with a loud sigh, and sitting by the edge of a forest near a bush. She stared out towards the river, vaguely paying attention to the other cats.

We'll probably have to be the ones who eat the fresh-kill they brought, she thought disgustedly, what will the rest of the clan think if their leader brought back prey that reaked of a different clan? She couldn't help but shake her head. Yuck. MeadowClan.

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[Crowzerplorodon]

The tense feeling that had been growing in his muscles began to fade, the atmosphere around the cats had definitely lightened up some and hopefully they rest of the meeting would go by without a hitch. After all, Dappledflower and Rookfang had calmed down some (so Cloudstar hoped) and Rabbitheart didn't stall in getting the fish. In fact, the tom was quite good at it, Cloudstar noted with a thoughtful look on his face.

He nodded his thanks to Rabbitheart as the laid-back tom returned. This would hopefully be the end and the two patrols would go their own ways. He was just about to wish them good bye and say his thanks when he caught the look in Mistystream's eyes. He winced, the action almost unnoticeable. He had seen that look before, mostly in newcomers to StreamClan.

"I wish I could fish like that... probably wouldn't have the patience."

"It can be difficult," he found himself saying. "But practice makes perfect, like with anything." MeadowClan had a bit of the river in their territory. Sure they might not be used to fishing or hanging in the river anyway, but they could get somewhat used to it. It would help during those times when normal meadow prey was low.

His attention drifted from the MeadowClan warrior to his own warrior who had yet to move from her spot. Cloudstar found it strange that Rookfang could hold so still for so long, not even her tail twitching. Then the black she-cat got up and padded over to a bush, gazing out at the river. He made a note to talk to her when Mistystream and Dappledflower left. She seemed upset (seemed? What, was he blind?)

"Good luck with your kits, Dappledflower," he said, slowly turning back to the MeadowClanners. "And it was very nice to meet you."

[Whiskers]

Mistystream looked at the river one more time, a small bit of longing lingering in her eyes. But there was a stream in Meadowclan and so she could practice there... despite the need to try now. She shook off her fur a little bit before bowing her head respectfully to the Streamclan leader. They were being dismissed so they might as well obey before Rookfang and Dappledflower decided to get their fur in knots again. Urgh. She-cats.

... though she couldn't really say that because she was one. Mistystream hoped that she never acted like that.

"Thank you, Cloudstar, for trading with us," she bowed again, trying her best to be as respectful as possible. Perhaps she was overdoing it? "We'll be on our way now. Goodbye..." she nodded at Rookfang and then smiled a little at Rabbitheart before abruptly turning and ushering Dappledflower out of there.

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[Pyro]

"That was excellent, Rabbitheart,"

Rabbitheart nodded his head, unusually humble. "It was nothing, really." Perhaps he was so civil...because he had never seen a cat be so still and cold as Rookfang was as he came back. The she-cat had either taken to heart the saying 'If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all'. Of course, the saying didn't say you had to stand like a rock in Leaf-Bare.

The tom remained surprisingly quiet as pleasantries were exchanged. His tongue itched to make a joke on Meadowclanners attempting to fish...But why invoke the wrath of Rookfang again? Though he would definitely be prepared. And then there was also the matter of Cloudstar, whom he did respect. AND if he looked better than Rookfang in the situation, then perhaps some face could be regained.

So as the Meadowclan cats left he smiled in farewell. "Best of luck learning to fish, Mistystream. You'll get the hang of it!" he called as she turned to leave with Dappledflower.

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[Crowzerplorodon]

"Safe journey to the both of you," he called to the retreating she-cats, green eyes locked on to both of their figure until the dropped out of his site, back on the MeadowClan side of the border. He had a feeling Mistystream would end up being a wonderful hunter, the she-cat definitely had the right build for it. His eyes drifted to the prey the she-cats had left before they moved to watch Rookfang.

Obviously the she-cat was upset. Cloudstar wasn't oblivious; he could tell the visit from the strangers struck a nerve in the black she-cat. It was probably the kits thing-- but Cloudstar hadn't been aware Rookfang had once had kits. That would be a story for another day, though. He didn't want to anger the she-cat anymore.

Silently he padded over to where she sat. He followed her gaze out into the river, watching the water flow steadily downriver and splash against the banks. He wasn't entirely sure what he would say to her, perhaps thank her for being so ready to defend StreamClan. He did take that as a compliment after all.

"Hey," he finally got out. "Are you okay?"

Maybe he should've spoken to Rabbitheart first.

[laur]

Rookfang just barely noticed her leader padding toward her before he spoke. "What? Oh, yeah, fine," she said distractedly, watch a vole scuttle along the opposite bank. She turned to look in his deep green eyes. "Mousebrains, MeadowClan. Aren't they?" she scuffed a tiny black paw in the dirt. "Really, parading around someone else's territory and requesting food. It's as if they don't even know what the Warrior code is!" Rookfang was beginning to get herself worked up; her fur was beginning to rise again. She tried to lick it flat before looking up at Cloudstar with a guilty expression.

"I'm sorry for over-reacting, Cloudstar," she mumbled, once waving tail now flat and lifeless, "I couldn't restrain myself. I'll try not to let it happen again." She watched his white face for any signs of anger, annoyance, or disapproval. Getting slightly nervous, she bowed her head. "I really am sorry for embarrassing you."

ooc:// -short- Dx

[/center]

[Pyro]

"What's mouse-brained is how some cats can't be friendly to save their life." Rabbitheart murmured under his breath. He was careful to make his grumbling soft enough that Rookfang wouldn't hear unless she was really listening. No way he wanted to get into another little spat with her.

Slightly louder, his voice just below his normal speaking one, he said, "It wasn't like they were stealing prey. I mean...They did bring a little something in return...The request was certainly odd, but is it really something to get so upset over?" Rabbitheart still didn't understand what the big deal was. The Warrior Code was...well...for him, more of a set of 'guidelines', rather than the law. As long as MeadowClan wasn't attacking or encroaching on StreamClan territory...Well there wasn't any real reason to get so upset, right? Cloudstar didn't seem extremely bothered by what had just happened.

[/size]

[Crowzerplorodon]

His eyes shifted between his two warriors as they both spoke, nodding slightly as if he was agreeing with both of them. It wasn’t like he actually could though, the two warriors spoke from different views; one finding the whole ordeal stupid and the other accepting it. Cloudstar himself was content at a medium between the two forces. Yes, MeadowClan was quite silly for doing something like this for a queen. But it had been a fair trade and had given Cloudstar a chance to study the pregnant she-cat for a bit. He hadn’t been able to at any time before and he was grateful for the chance.

Now he knew what to expect if any she-cats got pregnant in StreamClan.

Quietly he hoped they would be a bit… more agreeable than Dappledflower had.

But that wasn’t the issue. The issue was the small she-cat in front of him. Oh, the warrior behind him too, though he was sure Rabbitheart didn’t feel like he embarrassed the clan in anyway. In fact, the warrior had the right to be a little proud – he had done a swift job catching the fish for Dappledflower.

“While they did bring food for a fair trade,” he said after a moment, glancing between the two warriors, “it was rather silly.” He paused again, rolling his words in his mind before speaking once again. “I feel a little bad for Mistystream, having to accomplice Dappledflower on this task.” He made a note to greet the she-cat at the next gathering; he assumed they were on good terms now.

“And Rookfang you did not embarrass me.” He spoke a little lower this time, really addressing his words only to the black she-cat. “It’s wonderful to see a warrior defend their clan so readily, no matter what the circumstances are. It’s nothing to be upset over or to dwell on, we should continue our patrol.” And now he was hit with another dilemma; it wasn’t like he needed one so soon after the Dappledflower incident.

Should he invite Rabbitheart to join them?

ooc|
I imagined Cloudstar making a “Dx” face at his last thought. xP