[Mousenose & Dovepaw]

[glowlynose]

Dovepaw bit back the initial sarcastic reply that had come to mind, and instead looked down and murmured her agreement. Mousenose had said that they were warriors. Well, she was merely an apprentice. Her reply would have amused her, but it would have most likely offended or upset her mentor, even if she had said it with a joking tone of voice. A sudden gust of wind rattled through the trees, sending a chill down Dovepaw's spine. It had been so unexpected, and there was even a bite to the little bits of wind that snuck through and teased her pelt. There was a promise of coming frosts riding on those tiny gusts. Her pelt fluffed out, but her ears burned with shame. How riduculous she must look, and in the face of Mousenose! Her kithood nickname echoed in her mind with resounding certainty... Marshmallow. She was nothing more than a soft, squishy, weak puff of gooey white stuff. Of all the times to be thinking about her kithood, now was probably the worst. The little she-cat, against her will, was remembering her siblings. She'd abandoned them. They'd been so weak, so helpless... they probably had not even survived the next morning. If she hadn't gone off and left them there, they wouldn't be dead right now. They might have even joined FogClan with her. Ah, all the adventures they could have had were playing themselves in her mind's eye.

No. Now is not the time to think about Sugar and Vanilla. They are the past, live for now, live for the future. Stop it. You're being so obscenely weak. It's disgusting. Don't give in to their memories; don't cave under the temptation to be weak. Weakness can only bring you to ruin. Stop it and grow up already. Dovepaw squared her shoulders. Of course, she was right. She could be weak later, when no one was watching but her own conscience and StarClan, if she must be weak. When the sun had run away with the daylight and the stars came out to play, yes, that was the best time to be weak. No one but the inhabitants of Silverpelt and herself would know about her pathetic flaws then.

"Well, are we going to go, then?"

[/b] she mumbled in a defeated tone. Despite her best efforts, Dovepaw had given in to her weakness. She had allowed herself to become sad, depressed even. There was nothing she could do about it except let it pass and then move on. When she got this way there was nothing anyone could do. However, she was willing to give something a shot. After all, attempting something is better than not attempting at all. "Mousenose, cheer me up?"[/b]
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[ZEBRA ! [used to be toasty]]

Mousenose felt a breeze come in. The air ran through his not so long fur, making his skin cold. Ugh. The cold is coming. He sat down and tried not to lick his paw. It still felt like fire, but he tried to ignore it. Licking it would make it colder. He got up, and moved in circles. He wasn't ready for the cold. Warmth was the only thing on his mind. He puffed out his chest, and squared his shoulders. Keep warm. Keep warm.

Then, Dovepaw's question hit him.

"Um. Yeah. Let's go."

He stopped moving, and signaled Dovepaw by moving his head. He started to walk. Maybe hunting would keep him warm. As long as he ran fast enough. He took a deep breath for any prey. Nothing.

Then another question came.

How could Mousenose cheer her up? Make jokes? Pretend to get hurt? Maybe let her catch something and cheer her up by telling her that she was great. Maybe catch something and pretend to be whatever he caught..

He liked that idea.

He smelled the air once more, and found a scent of a squirrel. He followed the inviting smell, and soon saw it. It was cracking it's food with it's teeth. It was very focused. A perfect time to get it.

He took one step. Then the other. He was as slow as a snail until he was a mouse tail's length from it. He jumped on it, killing it with one swift bite at the neck.

"Ah ha! I got it. Did you see how it's body just.. Fell? Wonderful. It was like.."

He fell to the ground on purpose, and pretended to twitch, quickly stopping, like when the squirrel got bit. He laid there until the earth from under him went freezing cold. He jumped up.

"Like it?

He asked.

[glowlynose]

Dovepaw sauntered along, doing not much more than walking. The breeze was now constant, and her pelt was fluffed to try and keep her body heat in. Her eyes were downcast; she could not face what little sunshine managed to sneak through the leaves and illuminate her surroundings. She was guilty, and the sunshine taunted her. "Look, see how pure and good I am. I never let anyone down. Ah, but you... you are a murderer. You let them down, Dovepaw. The blame is on you," it whispered in her ears. Her ears went flat against her head, but still the words invaded her consciousness, ingrained themselves in the deepest places of her psyche, and still then they echoed. The words caused her to trip a few times over roots and brambles, but thankfully Mousenose seemed not to notice. Sugar, Vanilla, I'm... I'm sorry. I should have waited to explore. Please forgive me, if you are in StarClan! You should have made it. You were good cats. StarClan, forgive me for what I have done to them.

Dovepaw shivered. The breeze seemed to have gotten even colder than before in the matter of a heartbeat, and then it returned to the normal temperature. Was it StarClan sending a sign, or just some random fluke of nature? It could have been either. Mosenose's meow snapped her out of her strange reverie, and her full attention was drawn to him. Oh, he'd caught a squirrel. Now he was... impersonating it? What a ridiculous thing to do! A mrrow of laughter burst forth from the she-cat, and she smiled at her mentor. That had been exactly what she'd needed. Laughter was even better than herbs sometimes.

"Yeah, that was great! The way you just went limp was... perfect!"

[/b] Dovepaw padded over to Mousenose and sat down. The echoing of the taunts was diminishing more and more with each passing moment, and it was not long before she could breathe without feeling like guilt was pressing on her chest.
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[ZEBRA ! [used to be toasty]]

"Yeah, that was great! The way you just went limp was... perfect!""Yeah, that was great! The way you just went limp was... perfect!"

Perfect? Really? No one ever said that to me! No one said good job, or thank you, or anything. Happiness whirled inside his head. Thank you, Dovepaw. Thank you. Suddenly, greed was the only thing he felt. He bowed, trying to make her laugh more. Laugh, please!

He though. No. Don't laugh. I hope you didn't see that!

"Thank you! Wow. I have never been told that I was perfect. Thank you..."

Yes, thank you. And that is it. No greed. No greed. I want her to think that I am not weird, or just trying to show off. Because I am not! Or maybe that last second, but I didn't mean it.

Sorry Dovepaw. I am being a show off.


/short. .-. sorry

[glowlynose]

Dovepaw lifted a quizzical brow. Mousenose seemed to be afflicted with a strange guilt. His mood had changed drastically in the matter of a heartbeat, and it left the she-cat surprised and floudering for a response. He had gone from goofy to serious to oddly humble before she could have opened her jaws to say mouse. Was he alright? He appeared to be quite confused to her, and she glanced around nervously. He was acting more like his normal self again, that frightened, quiet tom. What had caused this sudden change? Was it something she had done?

"Erm, you're welcome. Nice catch, by the way."

[/b] Dovepaw smiled, but did not meet her mentor's eyes. She couldn't meet the eyes of such a frightened tom.

/shorter. sorry. D:
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[ZEBRA ! [used to be toasty]]

"Th-thank you. He was slow so I.. It was that hard."

Fright interrupted him. Her voice knew that Mousenose was scared! Then greed hit him again. Don't be scared, Mousenose. She will know. She will make fun of me. She won't like her.

Right then, he felt something bubbling in his chest. More greed was in his mind. I want.. I want.. He wants what? Is it.. To show off? To be funny? Or maybe.. Just.. Maybe he wants.. Dovepaw? He knew the feeling now. The bubbling was love! He was in love with Dovepaw. An apprentice? But.. How? She was too young. And what about her made Mousenose want her? She was nice, and she was awfully pretty. He put his head on his shoulder, in a confused matter. He liked her? Wow. You pity cat! Falling in love with your apprentice.. The means words came back to his thoughts. No. He was brave, and a strong cat. He loved her. And nothing could stop him. He was brave to finally tell him self, but he was still in shock!

[glowlynose]

"Mousenose, are you alright?" Dovepaw had been about to tease her mentor when something inside her mind told her not to. He's upset enough already. Leave him alone. She padded up next to him and sat down, curling her tail delicately around her forepaws, as if to fend off the dirt that clung to the white hairs of her pelt. She couldn't help but wonder what was the deal with him. Just a few moments ago he had been so... so... not like himself, not like the scared, whipped tom that he usually was. The little white she-cat decided that she much preferred the other cat to the usual one. I wonder what I can do to make this new Mousenose come around more. Hmmm... She trailed off into her own private thoughts with a thoughtful expression.

And here is where my muse ends. I've got absolutely nothing. Had Mousenose not been there, Dovepaw would have sneered at herself in utter disgust. It wasn't like her not to be able to come up with a plan. Instead, she just sniffed and twitched her ears.

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[ZEBRA ! [used to be toasty]]

"Um. Yes. I am fine. Just fine- No! I am not!"

The sudden out blast shocked him. How could he say that? What was his excuse now? To.. Say that his paw hurt? Or that he is cold? Or to say that.. He liked her?

No. I must say it. I must say that I like her... But I can't! What if another cat hears them? Or Dovepaw hates me afterwards?

He bit back the urge not to. Just say that his paw still hurts. Maybe later. When Dovepaw is a warrior. Or is supposed to be a warrior.

He looked at her. She was right next to him. He felt scared. What if he made a mistake somehow?

He suddenly smelled the fear coming from him. What if Dovepaw smells it? Then she will know that I like her...

Oh Starclan! Please help me.

[glowlynose]

Ooc: Oh wow. I really haven't looked at this thread in a while.

I'm super, super sorry about this. You've read my hiatus thread, yeah?
I will try to get a post done for this asap. Oh Primus, I feel like a dirtbag. Dx

[glowlynose]

Dovepaw tried to ignore the mental jeers that echoed in her mind, but to no avail. You let him down, and now you're about to let Mousenose down too. You really can't do anything right, can you? See, you've gone and upset him again. is that all you can do, make the cats you care about upset at you? Imagine how your mother must have felt when you- The little apprentice let out a low hiss. The voices quieted, but still their messages resounded throughout her bones. All she had ever managed to do was let others down. All she was good for was upsetting things, making them not work the way they should. See, she shouldn't be smelling her own fear right now... or was that Mousenose's scent? Oh, it didn't matter anymore. She was cursed beyond the point of caring about fear, and she would be cursed until she could finally do something right.

Bushes crackled. Twigs snapped. A ferocious snarling came from somewhere deep in the forest. Before Dovepaw had a chance to react, the sickening stench of fox overwhelmed her nostrils. Her fur stood up on end, but still she rose to her paws and braced herself for the emergence of the villian. Judging from the sound and scent, the russet-pelted canine should be emerging just to the left of Mousenose.

"Mousenose, look out! Fox!"

[/b] she shrieked at her mentor. The fox was right beside him, but it was ignoring the tom. Its crazed gaze was fixed on the white she-cat. She made the mistake of letting her eyes make contact with the fox's; the canine's malicious gaze mirrored the look of her brother's from her dream perfectly. Down to the most profound and obscure emotions, she could see her brother in that fox. So. This is to be the first stage of my redemption. So be it. With that thought, she flung herself at the stinking dog with all she was worth. Claws flashed, teeth snapped, hisses and yelps sounded from the flurry of fur until a sickening cry sounded from the jaws of the little apprentice. The fox had clamped its jaws around her ribcage and was slowly crushing her lungs. It was almost as if it wanted her to feel the torturous pain she was feeling in the last moments before she died, like it had revenge on its mind for some past wrong she had committed against it. Her attempts to free herself from its grasp were becoming weaker and weaker. With a low growl, it started to thrash its head to and fro, bringing Dovepaw's limp body with it.

Before the blackness overcame her, Dovepaw had one final thought. It wasn't supposed to end like this! I'm still cursed! And for the first time in her entire life, the she-cat was terrified for herself. It was then that she passed out on consciousness, but not out of existence. No, it was not Dovepaw's time to go yet. She still had amends to make.
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