[why yes. it is a pebble] CoyotexGoose

[Pyro]

"Yes, yes, Pebble. I know I should try, but you just don't know what it's like. They're all so...Well, I don't think they like me so much."

A fully-grown warrior was talking to a pebble. With a voice as vulnerable as a kit's. This in itself was enough to be shocking...without the knowledge that it was Coyotenose. But for Coyotenose of all cats to be talking to...to a pebble? What the hell was this? And worst of all, it couldn't be disguised as talking to herself, or even just musing out loud. She was talking. To a pebble. With actual breaks in the conversation. Like it was talking to her too.

Coyotenose, the flawless tracker, Coyotenose, whose ears were never wrong, was hearing a pebble speak...Well they say even the talented have secrets. Coyotenose's just happened to be that she talked to a pebble.

"I'm not going to change just so a cat will like me. If they can't like me for who I am, then screw 'em." she said heatedly. The...ah...argument seemed like one...they...had had before.

Yes, I know that. I know that too. Well I know it because we've gone over this before. Let's face it Pebble, I may be apart of a clan, but you're the only real friend I have."

It was true enough. Her family had been as sick as Brownstar. It was only natural some of that diluded sense of pride wash off, no matter how much she tried to get away from it. She hated her tracking ability. and yet she couldn't help but swell with arrogance and...and...pride whenever she found something with ease that would suggest she knew exactly where it was all along. But she didn't. She never did. She didn't know where things were. She just found them.

But for all her tracking talent there were things you just couldn't find.

Friends. A real family. Acceptance.

Friends. When was the last time she had friends? Bearwhisker didn't count. He was her mentor. Her siblings, especially Stripedfoot, all but loathed her. And why shouldn't they? She had gotten 'special treatment'. Even when she tried to down-play her ability, even when she faked failure, her fellow apprentices still didn't take to her. She was different. Outcast. Too talented. A freak.

And in StreamClan? The ForestClanners there knew she was a freak. And everyone else knew how she was willing to abandon others on the journey. Hey just didn't know why. Whey didn't know she had to get away from her family. From that clan. From the tradition that ruined her life.

So she hadn't had any friends. Stripedfoot...he was her friend once...but damned tradition separated them. So no real friends. Just pebble. All her talent and all she had to show for it was one friend. One pebble. That was all she could find.

[Whiskers]

Goosefur was out and about again, but this time, there was no spring in her step. She walked with a plod, her steps unusually heavy and clumsy for a cat of her talent and size. Her usual pixie-like gait and happy-go-lucky giggle had gone, knocked out of her the moment she had wiggled her way out of camp. The smile had dropped then, as she realized her loneliness, felt its murmur on her pelt. It was always there, but while in camp, it was too quiet to be heard, swallowed by the words of her clanmates. She really did love being with others. She really did love Streamclan. The territory was gorgeous all year round, the water a perfect escape or a perfect hunting spot. Mates often went down to one of the streams too, to swim in and share tongues. One day, Goosefur hoped she could take her own mate down to the stream. Then she could enjoy the beauty with someone else, someone special and close.

And there was the problem-- she had no one special and close. Streamclan was perfect and the cats, well, they were wonderful. But she had yet to forge a strong connection. All of her friendships were a shallow puddle, and she longed for deeper waters. She longed for them but they were not in Streamclan. And the longing just made diving in all that much harder, because it pulled her away from camps, reminded her of her loneliness, and sent her to forbidden borders.

She was going there now, actually. To the Meadowclan one. She had seen Loonstep recently and as much as she wanted to see him again, she also thought a trip to her sister might help her with her problems. Half-way there, however, she had scented a patrol and turned heel. There would be no illegal activity today; she would just have to stay within the confines of Streamclan, entertaining herself elsewhere.

By one of the streams of course.

She headed that way and when she heard a faint voice, she stopped, her curiosity instantly running rampant, tugging her paws over. A friend! Goosefur thought to herself. But as she thought this, she fell into a smooth crouch and slid closer in a secretive manner. When she came close enough, she smelled none other than Coyotenose, and knew to give up sneaking up on the cat. She was by far the most talented tracker in Streamclan-- maybe in most clans, though some rivaled her talent. Goosefur didn't really come close. Coyotenose would have heard her and scented her by now-- right?

Well, if that was the case, why wasn't she acknowledging her presence? And by Starclan, who was it she was talking to?

Goosefur couldn't help it. Realizing that Coyotenose was thoroughly distracted, she eavesdropped, and being a pretty smart cat, she also realized that Coyotenose was talking to, well, herself. Her words were sad though, forlorn and lonely. Like me, Goosefur murmured inwardly and she gasped. Another she-cat inside her very own clan was lonely like her and she hadn't even noticed! This was a perfect opportunity to branch out. It was time to let go, little by little, of her old life, and she would do that by pursuing a relationship with the talented Coyotenose.

So she revealed herself, making it very obvious beforehand that she was coming, rustling around in the bushes before hopping out of hte bushes and landing with an awkward little thump. She resisted the urge to exclaim "TA DA!" because that would have just confused Coyotenose. Or scared her.

She acted surprised. "Oh! S-sorry Coyotenose, I was just-- well--not...doing anything actually," a nervous giggle passed from her lips and she shook her head. How silly she was being! "Just wandering...y'know. Playing tag with myself."

Now where had that comment come from? Goosefur grew a little hot under her fur and smiled bashfully, deciding it was best to just leave it at that.

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[Pyro]

Coyotenose's ears flickered as she eard the approach of a cat. She might have noticed sooner if she hadn't been so focused on her pebble. She sighed as she realized the cat had have been close enough to hear at least one part of her conversation with pebble. She resisted the urge to sigh again as the sounds of the paw-steps became closer...and closer. Coyotenose scented the threads of smell on the slight breeze. So who would be the one to call her out for being crazy? To taunt her. to mock her. To tell everyone else she was as crazy as a rabid mouse?

Goosefur.

A cat she had...well, it was hard to say who she had met. Not many, to be sure. Most she had just seen in passing, being one to keep to herself.

Coyotenose turned slightly as Goosefur spoke, just enough to show she was paying attention to her words. And...what words they were. Playing tag with herself? Was she a kit or a warrior? But those words hit her even deeper the her natural contempt for the actual thing. Playing tag with herself...As if there was no one else to play with. Was she...just like her?

'Does she lack what I do?'

She wished it was right, however mean it was to think so, because perhaps here she had found comradeship with someone. Someone who was as alone as she was. But of course, that could have just been some random excuse. Or perhaps Goosefur like to act like a kit when she thought no one was watching.

"Playing tag...with yourself?" Coyotenose forced curiosity to be the only thing present in her questioning statement.

[Whiskers]

Oh now look what she had done! Goosefur felt so, so, so embarrassed-- all she wanted to do was curl up into a little ball, right then and there, like the teeny little bugs did when she prodded at them. What were those called again? She remembered Cranetail used to call them "Rolly-polly-olly" or..something strange like that. She was positive that Loonstep had known the real name and he had probably told her before...

Well, no matter what they were called, Goosefur wanted their ability to hide. Or she wanted a do-over. She wanted to dip her head politely, ask that Coyotenose let her do her entrance over again, and then nonchalantly stroll by, rather than bumble and make a fool out of herself. Would Coyotenose let her do that? Loonstep would. Well Coyotefur isn't Loonstep. So no more do-overs. You shouldn't GET a second chance to make a first impression anyway! Then it wouldn't even be a first impression!

She would just have to recover from this first blunder; she was determined to be friends with Coyotenose after all. She was a really nice cat and some thought she was funny-- and she was an an okay tracker, plus a fantabulous hunter, so she and Coyotenose could be a good team on that front. So there was a bunch of good stuff that hopefully Coyotenose would see behind her awkward, goofy, stupid persona that she was currently radiating.

"Yes...just me," She forced herself to lift her head and meet Coyotenose's eyes, letting her natural smile perk up her face. "Not very fun actually. It's better with two cats. Have you ever played tag before?"

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[Pyro]

Coyotenose flicked her ears. She probably should be more sympathetic to Goosefur, being almost in the same boat as far as how they had met. Goosefur had caught her looking crazy, she had caught Goosefur acting foolish. A smile tugged at the edges of her muzzle. A Loon and a Fool. What an excellent combination. She glanced at Pebble. He was right. She really should make more of an effort to be friends with cats. But...Coyotenose glanced at Goosefur again. The other she-cat was smiling full on. Did she always smile? The tracker resisted the infectiousness of the grin by glancing away again.

She jumped at her question. Tag? Had she ever...Of course not. She had never been allowed to be a kit. That wasn't productive. Tag was rushing and rolling about, two no-no's when it came to learning the 'family trade'. Her kithood was preparation. Her apprenticeship was learning. Her life as a warrior had been nothing but doing. Breaks? Fun? She envied those who had experience with those frivolous things.

"I've never...played anything like that before." 'I've never played any games' would have probably been a more accurate response. Even her mentor, Bearwhisker, had expected her to absolve from kit-ish activities when she became an apprentice. He probably assumed she had gotten enough silliness-time as a kit. She didn't even know if she could manage something that wasn't serious. Playing was as foreign to her as...well, being sociable. Which was only natural. The two went with tails entwined.

Coyotenose turned her muzzle to the sky and a sort of wistfulness entered her voice. "Is it fun?"

[Whiskers]

Never played tag before!

Goosefur looked startled-- her ears pulled back and her eyes grew even brighter-- but inside, she felt a shift in her mood as she recognized that this should not shock her at all. After all, she and Coyotenose were Forestclan cats together. She remembered now. They had even been kits together-- but she had been tied to her sister's side, absorbed in the comradeship she shared with Loonstep and Cranetail. Had there ever been a time she had played with other kits? Well-- yes. She had entertained them and the queens when her group had performed their own little mission impossible. But that had been once.

And even that one time, which Goosefur could actually recall quite visably, Coyotenose was not there. She let her thoughts drift back to those distant Forestclan days and she managed to recapture Coyotenose's image. She had her own siblings and a very strict mother...and she did not do much playing at all, from what Goosefur could recall. What a sad kithood! It made her want to cry! How could Coyotenose not know the joy that she had experienced, the wonders of carelessness?

This just...couldn't do. The image of a sad little Coyotekit were consuming her whole now. She needed to fix this.

"Fun!" she nearly burst, though she was trying to desperately stay calm and normal. It wasn't working of course-- it was clear that she was baffled and yes, sad for Coyotenose. "Very fun!"

She swallowed down all this sadness and determination flitted into its place. Instead of exclaiming "How could this be?!" as if it was an accusation, she fell into a playful crouch, her behind in the air, her tail waving back and forth.

Her smile returned, her eyes glinted in that very Goosefur-like way. "You want to try it out?" she asked, slipping forward teasingly. "I promise I'll go easy on you-- you see, I'm an expert when it comes to tag."

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[Pyro]

Play? The thought was rather daunting. They were both warriors, emblems of respect, composure...What if they were seen? How would she explain it away? How could she walk away with all the dignity she had amassed over the seasons?

But then...how could she walk away from a challenge? Tag couldn't be too hard. It was a kit's game. She'd master it in no time and beat the self-proclaimed master, Goosefur. And then her day would be complete. Sure she'd be being a kit...but then, she'd never really gotten the chance to be. Better late than never, right?

"Alright...so...how do you play tag? Are there rules?"

[Whiskers]

Coyotenose asked a good question. What were the rules of tag anyway? Goosefur found herself at a loss as she opened her mouth, then closed it again, finding no answers, only drawing in a big, big breath. She let his breath fill her up so she could let it out in a thoughtful little "Hmmm....

Well, if she recalled, there were no real rules, were there? Didn't you just run around like a crazy squirrel on catnip (did that even make sense?), flailing this way, squealing and squeaking and taunting? That's how she did it when she was younger. But it had been a long time since she had played. When was the last time? On the journey, probably, when she was an apprentice, probably. Oh my! That was more than ten moons ago! It was crazy to think that it had been long, but Goosefur couldn't pinpoint a sooner time.

To think she had been deprived herself of a game of tag for ten moons. How pathetic.

And because it had been so long, and she only had a weak grasp on a few fading memories of the game, she supposed she'd have to make up her own rules this time around. That was okay with Goosefur. In fact, that was fabulous.

"You chase me, or I chase you. If I manage to 'tag' you-- which means if my paw hits any part on your body-- then you have to chase me. Vice versa. Very simple. The rules are..." she paused, mostly for dramatic effect of course.

"...there are no rules." she finished with an eyebrow wiggle and a devious edge to her smile. "This is our game now, Coyotenose. We're kits again. And as kits, we have the right to make up rules, destroy rules or ignore rules, along with the right to have fun."

She sauntered up to Coyotenose then, managing to keep her giddy giggles at bay. "Soooo," she couldn't help it; she giggled. She swiped a paw across Coyotenose's ear, then sprang back. YOU'RE IT!"

She raced around the cat, catapulting her body into the river, already paddling to the other side.

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