It's all in how you see things(OPEN!)

[Pyro]

"Listen, kiddo. I'm not in the mood for your insults, and you were the one who crashed into me."

Eh. Harepaw didn't really have the heart to make a sharp retort, after all, she had been the one to bump into him...And Shrikewhisker had been hinting on her being more polite...

"Shouldn't you be with your mentor?"

Whoops, the heart was back. "Please. As if I wan' be kitsitted ba Shrikewhisker 24/7. A lady needs time alone occasionally to gather her thoughts." even if the tom she needs alone time from is one of the most polite gentletomly toms in camp...and one of the most talkative. Sometimes she needed a break from his tangents, especially when they weren't being used by her to stall.

"You wouldn't tell if I ate this lil scrap, right?"

"Do I look like your mentor? What do I care if you eat a little early. Jus' don' be makin' no scenes if you get caught and get an earful at camp." She probably should care more. After all a warrior, one of the pillars holding up the warrior code, was practically asking her permission to break it. But, truthfully she couldn't care less. It wasn't her skin that would be on the line if he got caught breaking it...Besides, the catch was so small it probably couldn't feed a kit.

Still...He could be testing her. She mentally kicked herself. If he was, she had just shown herself to be uncomfortably lax in view of the warrior code. Harepaw couldn't exactly rewind time and take back her words...But maybe if she showed some interest in keeping it up?

"It's such a small thing anyway...As long as you bring something better back to camp, I don't see the problem." Haha. Good. Covering up by suggesting that he still provide for the clan, but still keeping her uninterested tone. Perfect. If he was testing her now he wouldn't know that she had just said her last bit under the suspicion that he was. Perfect.

[thistle.]

He snorted at her amusing reply. Harepaw wasn't really like any other apprentice he knew. A lady, my foot. You're barely older than a kit. He was glad that she wouldn't be a warrior for many moons yet; being older had its privileges, you know. And bossing apprentices around was one of them.

"Do I look like your mentor? What do I care if you eat a little early. Jus' don' be makin' no scenes if you get caught and get an earful at camp."

Barktail pawed at his catch, a thoughtful expression resting on his face. Should he...? The little devil inside him cried "Yes, eat it! Nobody'll notice," but logic told him that he had already broken the warrior code by attacking a Clan mate today, and he would be as good as dead if Gingerstar found him walking back to camp, his belly half-sated with a tiny mouse. Swallowpelt's kits were growing fast and the rodent lying before him would be a nice meal for one of them. The copper tom shook his head regretfully. But hey! He could just go straight back to camp to resist the temptation and grab a plump vole from the fresh-kill pile. "I'm going to camp," he announced, leaping up to his paws. He swiftly unearthed his other kills. "I'll take the bird and the fish; you grab that mouse." He glanced at the young she-cat. "Pretend it's yours if you like. I don't mind having someone else taking credit for that shrimpy thing."

ooc: muse fail.

[Pyro]

"...you grab that mouse. Pretend it's yours if you like. I don't mind having someone else taking credit for that shrimpy thing."

Well...He hadn't jumped on her for knocking the code aside...Besides, it was Barktail she was talking to. And now, she wouldn't have to hunt. Everyone would probably be amazed that she actually caught something, but not shocked that it was only a shrimpy mouse.

"...Well thanks. It's rare that I come back with anything better...or anything at all for that matter...So I guess it's not a problem."

A thought crossed her mind. "You won't tell on me will you? That I couldn't catch anything?" Nevermind that she had bumped into him before she could really try. But then again, it wasn't like she was just going to magically be good at hunting today or any day for that matter. Of course she could at least try.

Harepaw looked at the rest of Birchtail's catch. A bird and a fish...A fish? Maybe she'd have more luck with fishing than with prey of the ground and air. However, she didn't even know where to begin and she didn't like the idea of flopping around like a fool in the water. And it wasn't like Birchtail would be the slight bit interested in teaching her, especially when she had ol' Shrikewhisker for that.

Maybe he'd just tell her? "Say, how'd you catch that there fish?"

ooc: additional muse fail. Dx

[thistle.]

ooc: Barktail, not Birchtail. x3

bic:

"Seriously?" He smirked. "Poor Shrikewhisker, having an apprentice who can barely bring back one piece of fresh-kill each day. Good thing I'm not a mentor; I don't have to put up with squabbling little mouse-brains for six moons." Six moons was a horribly long time for the copper warrior, who considered nearly all the apprentices stuck-up brats. He wasn't really different when he himself was an apprentice, but now that he was a warrior, he understood why some of the unfortunate ones that had been given hot-headed youngsters to train always complained.

Barktail let out a loud yawn, barely listening to what Harepaw said next. "Wha'? Oh, sure, I will, unless you keep doing your duties right. 'Cause when apprentices don't do their jobs, you know who comes next? The warriors, and I definitely don't feel like checking elders' ticks again." A cat who was nostalgic about his childhood obviously had forgotten those dreary chores.

There was a few seconds of rather awkward silence between the two as Harepaw inspected his catches. But when she asked her question, the tom puffed out his chest with pride, deciding not to tell her about his first feeble (and embarassing) attempts. "Well... so there was this huge fish, y'see." He poked the lifeless thing with his forepaw. "It was a vicious thing, thrashing around in the water and splashing water all over me and Ashsto- I mean, me. Then I lunged at it and, while it tried to escape my sharp teeth-" at this point he flashed his fangs, "-I snapped its neck and killed it."

This exaggerated version of his hunt was going quite well, in his opinion.

[ZEBRA ! [used to be toasty]]

[size=1
Ashstorm seemed happy. That was good. And he offered to have a chat. That was also good. Jaypaw also was not in the mood to ruin a good mood by doing something like say something mean, or annoying. He purred, and nodded. He would love to chat!

"Oh yes. I would like to chat."

He thought for a moment. Something to start the conversation. Like.. How he was doing. Nah. He pretty much already asked that.

"Catch any thing fun? I would sure like something exciting to eat tonight..."

That was weird. Fun prey. How can something you eat be fun? Maybe something big, or juicy. Something that is really good.

He sighed. Oh why did he say something like that?
[/size]

ooc|| Hehe. I love Jaypaw. xD "Catch anything FUN?!" Sorry. xD It was short. I am brain dead. D|

[Cloud of Diamonds]

OOC: 'Tis fine. o3o

The small gray she-cat chuckled quietly. Typical Jaynose, asking random questions. Well, she could certainly provide an answer, anyway. "Yeah, if you consider a fish fun." She looked at him and smiled a bit, but her grin faltered at the memory of catching fish with Barktail.

He hadn't been so bad then - arrogant, sure, but who isn't once in a while? The copper tom hadn't been that bad of company - until he'd attacked her, making her side sting like fury...forget it, she thought. He's not your friend now and never will be. Ever again, because nothing could compensate for that. He's a danger to his Clan, the faintly striped PineClanner thought furiously. Her face contorted with hate and suspicion as she thought, forgetting Jaynose was probably watching her. Ashstorm wondered idly if she dare tell Gingerstar.

Would it be worth it? It would probably enable her to have revenge on him, which was most tempting, but...she reluctantly admitted to herself that he was still a warrior of PineClan, (possibly dangerous though he was) and if Gingerstar decided to exile him, they would be weaker for it. Also, she might be seen as a tattle tale. Or what if Barktail denied it? She could be seen as worse; a liar. No, the green-eyed she-cat decided, it wasn't worth it. However, if he did something dishonorable in plain sight with witnesses besides herself, she would certainly tell on him with no qualms.

So, she decided, I'll just act cold and polite around him for now. I won't be mean, but I don't have to be friendly to that piece of fox dung, the petite gray cat resolved.

[ZEBRA ! [used to be toasty]]

Fish.. Where kinda exciting. Sparkly and kinda rare in Pineclan. Probably was fun. He purred at Ashstorm's reply. Jaynose loved how people replied to him.

"Oh yes. Of course it is fun."

He studied Ashstorm. He seemed upset. His face was full with pain. He looked angry, and hateful. Jaynose trotted toward Ashstorm. Jaynose purred and licked Ashstorm on the cheek. Making Ashstorm feel good was probably what he needed, with that look on his face.

"What is wrong, Ashstorm?"

Then something ran through Jaynose's mind. Jaynose is usually mean and annoying. He is being kind now. Maybe he should stop being kind, because if he keeps it up, they will think otherwise of Jaynose. He wasn't a soft cat. He was strong and powerful.

He sat up and looked Ashstorm in the eye.

[Cloud of Diamonds]

OOC: Ashy's a girl. x3

She smiled again faintly after his assurance that of course it was fun. Jaynose was almost more like an apprentice than a warrior. But this comforting somehow- it almost made him feel like like someone not so serious as a fellow warrior, someone more light-hearted that she could easily confide in. Couldn't she?

A dark thought slipped into the little she-cat's mind. If she told Jaynose, would he betray her? Would he say she, Ashstorm, had turned mad and was a liar? Would he believe her? Might he tell Gingerstar?

Then she heard his request.

She exhaled deeply, her claws ripping the soft ground, pale green eyes seemingly illuminated by the frenzy of emotion in the PineClanner's mind. As the gray tom shifted and his gaze felt like it was piercing her mind, she knew she couldn't keep her mouth shut. She had to tell, to let it out. Why not do it now?

"Ok. I'll tell you, Jaynose. But you have to promise not to tell anyone else, ok?"

She took a deep breath, and meowed,

"I was hunting with Barktail. We caught some fish, of course. But he was going to take credit for the fish I caught, so I spoke sharply to him. So he...injured my side. Not badly enough for it to bleed, but it aches something awful."

Suddenly, she felt her rage pouring out, regardless of a cat watching her.

"That STUPID mouse-brained excuse for a tom! Who did he think he was, attacking me like that? I'm his CLANMATE, for earth's sake! Is he completely devoid of intelligence?"

She was shaking, tail lashing, paws trembling. Her own anger scared her a little, even though she felt it was right.

She muttered, sorry Jaynose had to hear all that..."Sorry. It just....irks me."

[ZEBRA ! [used to be toasty]]

ooc|| o.o Sorry.



The story spilled out of her, just as if blood spilled from an injured cat.

He gasped, and felt the soft spot for the she-cat coming back.

Poor cat.. They where clanmates! Wouldn't it be forbidden to attack somebody like that?

Jaynose sat down again, and licked her ear. Fear was a strong scent on her. She didn't deserve to be hurt like that, and Jaynose understood why she was so angry! Jaynose felt bad for Ashstorm. But he also felt that Ashstorm should stick up for her self. Barktail wouldn't be so pleased to be attacked himself. It was only fair.

"You should hurt him somehow. Just like he hurt you. It is not fair that you have to suffer this way. Let him suffer."


Guilt washed over him. Maybe that wouldn't be so good. But something had to be done to him. Maybe not hurt him.

"Okay. Don't hurt him. But.. You must do something to him, to show that you aren't a helpless kit. He will just do it more if you let him!"

Anger sparked at him. The more he talked about it, the more he wanted to shred the warrior into pieces. He inhaled, to calm himself down. He looked around the surface, and saw a leaf. It was a bit unusual, for a leaf to be here while pines ruled the territory. It probably got blown from another clan. He used his paw to drag it towards Jaynose, and looked around for another leaf. There was another one. And two more. He got up, and threw himself at the crunchy leaf. Claws slid out from his paw, and he tore the lead up. He picked another one up, and put it at Ashstorm's paws.

"Tear it up. I bet you need it."

The other leaf will be for the kits to play with.

[Cloud of Diamonds]

The petite warrior raised her head, a sense of relief spreading through her. Of course, it wasn't pure relief, there were other feelings mixed in - but relief that Jaynose understood and didn't think she was lying was so, so good. She relaxed her shoulders, which until about then she hadn't realized were hunched with anxiety and pain. The stinging was still there, but it wasn't unbearable. It was almost symbolic, she mused. The pain was receding as her anxiety did too.

Lucky her.

His first words...she felt a dark thrill at taking him at his word, seeking out the multicolored tom, making him pay. But she reluctantly agreed with his hasty words meowed soon after. If she hurt him back she was no better than him, and she'd be breaking the warrior code. Part of her wanted to snarl who cared about the code, she was a loner at heart, ready to do what she wanted for vengeance...for a dangerous few moments she was ready to go tear his flesh off...then the Clan cat part of her snorted. Idiot. Descending to his level, are we?

She almost didn't notice as the gray tom pushed a leaf towards her. The small PineClanner blinked in slight surprise, her toes twitching a bit and she sniffed. Ashstorm smiled at him. This was perfect. She could rip the leaf and imagine it was Barktail's fur. Jaynose had thought of a great solution. "Thanks, Jaynose." She said in a warm voice, then proceeded to shred the leaf savagely, satisfied.