kerosene and a lighter [Stork x Stripes]

[Pyro]

Mmkay. So. His last venture for herbs hadn't turned up anything particularly useful, other than conversation, so once again he was out to find herbs. It was getting closer and closer every day to newleaf, and the chances of finding usable medical plants was rising...or at least he thought it was. If the grass was already coming up, herbs couldn't be far behind, right? The apprentice made a mental note to ask Badgernose about it. "I'm sure she knows when the different herbs grow..." Storkpaw was also sure that it was something he should know as well. He'd gotten too used to just relying on Badgernose for information like that. She sent him out for a specific herb and off he went, not even thinking about if the seasons she asked him mattered. Or maybe she had told him and he'd been too busy daydreaming to pay attention to her. The tom flicked an ear in worry. Was he getting negligent in his studies? Did his mentor think him lazy? Did Cloudstar think he'd be a horrible replacement for Badgernose if she ever died...well...StarClan willing, she'd live to be moons upon moons old...but what if she retired? What if he was unprepared to take on the mantle of medicine cat. Storkpaw shook his head. Less paranoia, more herbs. The medicine cat apprentice was slowly wandering close to the StreamClan border, treading the line before he even knew it. His conviction to stay focused on finding herbs left him aware of the plants around him but not of anything else...so of course, when he heard something snap near him and nearly jumped out of his skin. "Wh-who's th-th-th-there?" Speaking [bg=a3ae9c][atrb=width,380,true] [atrb=border,0,true]

[[ hardyrex ]]

Stripes was sure Tobias was around here somewhere. This was “StreamClan's” land, according to Tobias and the awful, fish stink that seemed to cover the place. He was supposed to meet Tobias around on the edge, but the tom was nowhere to be found. Stripes was sure he'd be ordered to do some hunting “Were the cats too lazy to do it themselves?” or walk around in a circle making sure the circle was still there. Clan life didn't make sense. He huffed and stopped, staring into the trees. He had half a mind to march in there and drag Tobias out by the tail. Why did he even live this life in the first place? He was always complaining about, always sneaking off to get away from it, and always wanted to be with himself. But no, he stayed. Stupid stubborn tom. All he had to do was just leave. But if he wanted to stay in and torture himself, then who was Stripes to tell him otherwise? The tabby padded nosily around the border. He was frustrated, and needed to find something to take it out on. Maybe a unlucky tree would get a good scrap or ten, or maybe he'd be lucky enough to find a cat. And what luck Stripes has. Some black and white cat was blissfully skipping right towards him, unaware of pretty much everything. Stripes grinned, showing off sharp, yellow teeth. Fun time. The tom crept around to the side of the cat, trying to keep slow and steady. The thought of a fight made his heart race and paws itch to tear some fur away. Stripes increased his pace, carelessly stepping on anything in his path. A twig snap made Stripes freezes, along with the young tom now in front of him. The tom stuttered something; Stripes didn't catch it. Not like it mattered. The tabby waltzed out from the cover of a bush, grinning. "Hello there." Speaking [bg=bc9d81][atrb=width,380,true] [atrb=border,0,true]

[Pyro]

Well if he didn't jump out of his skin before, now he was going to have to find it and put it back on. His eyes grew wide as they rested upon the cat who addressed him. Could a cat even get that big? Storkpaw flinched at the grin, edging backward. What if it was some vengeful spirit from ris'rako, come to kill him for abandoning them for StarClan. He prayed to those starry ancestors that it wasn't...He probably should have been praying that he just plain wasn't about to be killed. "H-hello, s-s-sir." The frail tom caught the larger's scent-definitely not StreamClan. "You're uhm...y-you're not really supposed to b-b-be here. U-U-Unless you want to j-join StreamClan...b-b-but no one's done that in a while...a-a-and you'd have t-t-to talk with Cloudstar...b-b-b-but it'd probably be better if you...uhm...just left." Where was a patrol when you needed one? Storkpaw glanced nervously along the border, hoping to see one of the trios of cats that could usually be found stalking around the territory. His heart sank when he didn't see any approaching...and it sunk lower when there was no fresh scent on the wind to signal that they were just around the corner. Speaking [bg=a3ae9c][atrb=width,380,true] [atrb=border,0,true]