practice.* [laur&ghost]

[laur]

The forest at dawn.

It was not like any other time of day. As Kestrelstorm padded quickly through the undergrowth, his pale yellow eyes watched the feeble rays of sun patterning the ground beneath him. With birds chirping happily above him, Kestrelstorm couldn't help but get distracted from his thoughts. He meandered towards the border, lazily flicking a dark-ringed tail back and forth while giant sandy-brown paws took him closer and closer to unclaimed territory.

Sometimes it was nice to get away and enjoy the surroundings. A leisurely walk by himself was not something Kestrelstorm enjoyed often. He wanted to enjoy it as much as possible -- the scenery, the sounds, the time away from busy clan life.

Slinking around a thick bush, the large tabby found himself in a small clearing. The earth was simply dirt, with a few tufts of grass every few fox-lengths and a fat stump towards the middle. Eyes half closed, he padded slowly to the stump, lean haunches propelling him to the top. He lowered himself to cover the stump, thick tail wrapped carefully around his toned body.

Kestrelstorm shut his eyes, taking in the smell and sound of the forest. it was like paradise.

[ghosteh]

Quiet, all was very quiet.

It was your typical morning for Deadwing, wake up, get a piece of fresh-kill, plod lazily out of camp, sleep on some rocks in the sun, go back to camp repeat. But today was different, Deadwing wanted to change her schedule, and shake things up a bit, and spice up her dull and boring life. Even as a Warrior, even with all the special treatment she recieved from her twisted paw. It never changed.

She was bored.

She limped slowly thoughout the forest, hunting, and also doing a sort of border patrol thing. Deadwing could be a fierce and wily warrior when she wanted to be, and if her Clan was endangered any cat could bet their juciest piece of prey that she would kick their tails back to the Clan or wilds that they came from. Never underestimate a Warrior with an injury, backed into a corner and with the passion to fight for the Clan that gave her the strength to never back down or give up. Yeah, she would kick their hides.

Upon thinking all of this, Deadwing soon found herself in a small clearing. The small space was confined, and free of any dirt, and the birds sang as if they had never heard of the word, 'prey'. She found herself swept up in the serenity and the tranquility, only giving a slight surprised trill when she saw Kestrelstorm.

She just stared at him.

[laur]

Kestrelstorm snapped his pale yellow eyes open just in time to see the she-cat pad out of the bushes. Ears pointed and eyes now alert, Kestrelstorm raised himself to sitting position, looming ominously over the new she-cat. He could easily tell she was smaller than him, but then again, most cats are. Defined eyes scanned the she-cat's bodice. A twisted paw? the tom thought to himself, Well. This will be interesting.

The giant brown tabby straighted his portrait to look even larger than before, but kept his facial expression nonplussed as he addressed the unfamiliar cat. "Hello." His deep, booming mew echoed around the clearing. He was on clan territory, right? Or did he go too far?

A long sniff told him he was, in fact, outside clan borders. Thoughts clustered Kestrelstorm's head. A glance at the she-cat, he should probably say something more. "I am Kestrelstorm," he practically chewed on his words while thick haunches heaved his striped torso up until he was standing, "and you are?"

He wondered if his words were too friendly. The territory he sat in could easily be hostile, and this she-cat could have been sent to deal with him. He found the idea less plausible, however, due to the fact that she was injured. He flexed sharp white claws and studied the she-cat's face, waiting for a response.

[[.___Paije] !]

The early morning sunrise had always brought comfort to this aging cat. One more sunrise, and one more day. During the early morning barely any cat was awake, except for the cats that went for patrols or early morning hunts, that is. All that the old cat could hear come from the camp is soft breaths of her clanmates. She began her morning as usual, stretching then bringing herself to hobble out of the den, warming her thick pelt with the faint rays of sunshine that entered the camp. Then to her Medicine Cat duties. Redclaw was a slow cat, yes. Also she was very hesitant to wander out in the forest on her own, due to past trauma from the forest. On normal occasions she would bring along the young and eager-to-learn Medicine Cat apprentice, Crowpaw. However today the elderly cat wanted to take on the duty of gathering herbs on her own. That and she wanted the young cat to rest; a future medicine cat needs his rest. Unlike this insomnia-ridden cat. Spending many of her nights up, contemplating things and generally unable to sleep.

Slowly the old ginger cat limped out of camp, not looking back like she normally would. She had to think about things. Walking with her head lowered and shoulders haunched, she continued on. Not particularly paying attention to the direction in which she was heading. In the back of her head she could swear she heard the breathing of something, but she was just hearing things. Don't be scared, coward. she scorned herself, her own breathing slowing down, deeply inhaling, then exhaling, seemingly frozen in this single spot, for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality it was only mere moments before she shook herself and continued to hobble forward; scenting the air for herbs. "Poppy seeds, marigold..." she mumbled out the names of the plants as she smelt them, closing her eyes and limping forward, rustling against the bushes. Then the next scent that entered her nostrils was the scent of a Clan member. Redclaw opened her bright green peepers and gazed ahead, seeing Kestrelstorm just ahead of where the three-legged tabby stood, and then there was someone else. A cat outside the Clan. Redclaw couldn't quite recognize her by scent, but she didn't feel too concerned. Deadwing's twisted paw as as obvious to her as the sky was blue.