|
|
Post by Wolf on Jun 7, 2008 7:42:43 GMT -5
A huge brown and white tom was bumbling around near the Wide Lake. He saw a butterfly and began to chase it playfully, his mouth open in a wide, dopey grin. He tripped and tumbled head over paws and landed on his back laughing dumbly and waving his paws. Brokenskull then rolled onto his paws and began chasing after the butterfly again. "Come...back!" He meowed as it flew away from him in panic. "I just want... to play!"
|
|
|
|
Post by SHADE. :D on Jun 8, 2008 4:53:29 GMT -5
haloheart if only time
flew like a dove
we could watch it fly
and just keep looking up
The snall pawsteps that belonged to Haloheart sounded near a band of tall willow trees. The sun was throbbing against her short, ginger-striped pelt, which happened to be soaked. It seemed she had taken the short way out of camp; swimming through the stream which circled the CloudClan camp. The small warrior padded, quite happily, the grass tickling her white paws. Her light blue eyes glittered with reflection. She hoped all the cats that had lost their lives in the recent battle were at peace.
A familiar scent made Haloheart glance upward. She couldn't help smiling when she noticed Brokenskull tumbling aftera brightly-coloured butterfly, his large paws flipping this way and that. Haloheart trotted across to join him as he lay on his back, batting at the air with his paws as though hoping this would will the butterfly back to him. Haloheart sat over him, looking down into his eyes. "Hey, Brokenskull," she mewed, her voice friendly and optimistic. It was a new day, summer had arrived. Nothing could possibly go wrong now, could it...? [/size] |
|
|
|
Post by Wolf on Jun 8, 2008 4:59:43 GMT -5
Brokenskull let out a meow of shock as Haloheart appeared, but it quickly turned into a squeak of glee. "Haloheart!" He meowed happily, sitting up. He brushed against her side, glad to have more company, since the butterfly that he had thought was his friend had decided to leave. He sat panting happily for a few moments, then said, "This.... is my.... favourite place!" He grinned lopsidedly at her.
|
|
|
|
Post by SHADE. :D on Jun 11, 2008 10:25:32 GMT -5
haloheart if only time
flew like a dove
we could watch it fly
and just keep looking up
Haloheart smiled at Brokenskull's obvious glee. It made her feel oddly warm inside her; oddly needed. She had never felt needed before. It wasn't like she had any kits of her own, and her youngest relatives had their own mother, Ribbontail, to care for them. Haloheart shook herself out of the dream and smiled, her light blue eyes rekindling with happiness. "Hello," she repeated. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"
The she-cat flicked her ears as the large brown tabby tom commented about their surroundings. Her eyes swept the Wide Lake. She had never been much of an fan of wet places. This was due to having fallen into the river which ran around the CloudClan camp as a young apprentice. She shivered a little. This was why she always took the longer, but drier way in and out of camp. Haloheart dragged herself back to reality. "I suppose it's..." she trailed off. "Quite... Quite nice here." She tried to sound casual but the memories of endless water, choking away her air, her life... They terrified her. [/size] |
|
|
|
Post by Wolf on Jun 11, 2008 10:40:27 GMT -5
Brokenskull nodded floppily, smiling down at Haloheart. Then his soft face creased into a slight frown. "What's....wrong?" He asked, prodding Haloheart gently with a large white paw.
|
|
|
|
Post by SHADE. :D on Jun 14, 2008 8:46:51 GMT -5
haloheart if only time
flew like a dove
we could watch it fly
and just keep looking up
Haloheart scuffled the grass with her own, far smaller white forepaws. She was ashamed that Brokenskull had noticed her obvious weakness around water. "It's nothing, I just..." she trailed off, light blue eyes fixed downwards. The small ginger tabby she-cat then raised her head and looked the tom straight in the eye. If he laughed at her she'd tell him exactly where to go, just like she had done with Eaglefeather. "I havn't liked water since I was six moons old," she mewed seriously. "I fell in the river before I had learnt how to swim. I nearly drowned."
Haloheart shuddered. Remembering it was chilling. She had had nightmares about it for moons and moons - she still did, occasionally. Haloheart found her thoughts drifting back to Eaglefeather. Where had he been, when this had happened? With Midnightlove, then Midnight, of course. Haloheart gritted her teeth. She still hated the tabby tom and disliked Midnightlove - even there kits irritated her with great intensity. [/size] |
|
|
|
Post by Wolf on Jun 14, 2008 8:53:54 GMT -5
Brokenskull stood for a while after Haloheart spoke, with his mouth hanging slightly open. Then he blinked a few times, licking his lips. Then suddenly he wrapped himself protectively around the small she-cat, resting his head on her shoulder. "I...won't let the water...get you." he meowed seriously.
|
|
|
|
Post by SHADE. :D on Jun 15, 2008 8:51:26 GMT -5
haloheart Haloheart sat perfectly still, trying not to give away her distress. She then heard the shambling pawsteps of her companion on the grass, and suddenly his large striped body was wrapped tightly around her. The small ginger tabby she-cat hesitated, then rested her head on the tom's shoulder. Emotion pulsed through her. Gratitude, and something else. Something she remembered from her days pursuing that wretched tom Eaglefeather... Haloheart's light blue eyes opened wide. No, she couldn't think of Brokenskull like that! He was a friend, nothing more... Wasn't he?
Haloheart drew away from the large tom after a long moment. She smiled gratefully at him, hiding her confusion behind her eyes. "Thanks, Brokenskull," she mewed, her voice shy but happy. She was glad to have made such a good friend. She had thought she would be alone all her life, after making such a fool of herself as an apprentice... Was that all about to change? |
|
|
|
Post by Wolf on Jun 15, 2008 9:23:12 GMT -5
Brokenskull let out a rumbling purr as he felt Haloheart rest her small head on his huge shoulder. He licked her ear before she pulled away. He sat with a content expression on his face until Haloheart spoke, then he smiled lopsidedly. "That's....ok, Haloheart." He meowed.
He tilted his head at something behind the she-cat. He blinked, then his face split into a huge grin. "A...a...butter...fly!" He meowed happily, pointing with his paw.
|
|
|
|
Post by SHADE. :D on Jun 16, 2008 9:42:49 GMT -5
haloheart The small ginger tabby she-cat smiled as the jewel-bright butterfly flitted past her nose. She nodded at the big tabby tom's exclamation, and wondering whether he would try to pursue and catch it again. Haloheart was about to advise him not to, when a scent drifted towards her. The warm, fresh scent of a rabbit. Haloheart's mouth watered, and she swallowed carefully. The slender sun-coloured tabby rose. "I'll be right back," she mewed to Brokenskull, before slipping back into the tree cover. She cast around for the scent again. It hit her smack on the nose, and she blinked. Haloheart spotted the fat brown shape of the rabbit, picking at some grass. She leapt, her claws pulling it back. A bite secured her prey. She threw it down, drinking in the forest scents. The urge to hunt had grown, and hunger had slunk in with it. But she could not eat without feeding the clan first.
Ah-hah! A second scent slid into detection. A mouse. Haloheart was not surprised at the abundancy of prey. It was hot, and everything was plentiful. After silently slinking underneath some ferns, the ginger tabby discovered the small grey-brown shape, and pulled it out from beneath a small spruce tree. Soon she was padding trimputhantly back to Brokenskull, dragging the rabbit with her. She dropped it by his feet. "Here," she mewed. "We can share it. I caught a mouse for the clan." She flicked her tail at the trees, to indicate that she had buried the mouse there. [/size] |
|
|
|
Post by Wolf on Jun 16, 2008 9:52:08 GMT -5
Brokenskull sat with his mouth slightly open, watching the butterfly in fascination. He nodded to Haloheart as she spoke, then went back to staring and giggling at the butterfly. When Haloheart returned he looked down at her and smiled. "Thank...you." Brokenskull meowed.
|
|
|
|
Post by SHADE. :D on Jun 16, 2008 10:51:40 GMT -5
haloheart Haloheart flicked her tail in reply to Brokenskull's thanks. The small ginger tabby she-cat wondered whether the tabby tom would want to take the first bite. When he did not, she dithered for a moment, before sinking her teeth into the fur and flesh to avoid an embarrasing cliche. Haloheart chewed silently, the meat singing with flavour on her tongue. She swallowed and took another bite, her hunger making her stomach ache. She had to constantly remind herself that Brokenskull was here, too, and she was supposed to be sharing. When roughly half of the kill had disappeared into Haloheart's mouth, the ginger tabby stepped back. She nodded at the rabbit, before lying back, her paws resting on her chest.
Haloheart's eyes were the very same hue as the sky she was peering at. Snowy clouds drifted across the expanse. Her eyes followed them idly. It was such a beautiful day. She expected the kits were out back at the camp, mucking around in the warmth. Haloheart always felt strange around kits. She loved them and their antics, but then remembered her vow. She would never have her own, would she... Unless she defied her own promise.. Was there really someone out there special enough to make her do just that? |
|
|
|
Post by Wolf on Jun 16, 2008 10:55:51 GMT -5
Brokenskull waited patiently for Haloheart to finish eating, then when she had stepped away, he wolfed down the rest of it. He looked up when he was finished, jiggled his head happily, licked his lips, then came and sat down beside Haloheart. He looked at her, at the sky, then back again. He blinked a few times. Then after after a few moments, spoke. "Your...your eyes are...sky colour." He paused huffing slightly. "They're...very pretty." He finished a few moments later.
|
|
|
|
Post by SHADE. :D on Jun 16, 2008 11:24:44 GMT -5
haloheart Haloheart turned over at Brokenskull's words, embarrasment exploding inside her like one thousand bubbles on the lake's surface. She hesitated for a few moments, the orange fur on her shoulders bristling very slightly. She wasn't sure what to say. Had it been a compliment? Or just an observation? Hard to tell. Haloheart turned back over, pulling her small, slender body into a sitting position. "Your eyes are..." she looked a them. The hazel colour reminded her of moss. But that wasn't exactly complimentary. "They're like everything the forest means."
Her finish had been awkward. The compliment hadn't been great, either. She wasn't exactly brilliant with words. The she-cat scuffed the earth with her paws, then turned her head away, pretending to be licking her shoulders. [/size] |
|
|
|
Post by Wolf on Jun 16, 2008 11:30:44 GMT -5
Brokenskull sat blinking for a few moments, then his face split into a lopsided grin, and he started to laugh. "That's....a bit dramatic...for a dumb dumb....like me....don't....you think?" He meowed, smiling softly. "But....what does the....forest mean?" He asked, tilting his head to one side and grinning again.
|
|
|
|
Post by SHADE. :D on Jun 16, 2008 12:07:01 GMT -5
haloheart Haloheart turned to look at Brokenskull as he spoke. She smiled. Yes, it was dramatic. Her blue eyes softened at his next words. "You're not dumb, Brokenskull," she mewed, touching his soft cheek ith her nose. "You're far smarter than most cats I know. I mean, take Indigohaek for instance. Really good fighter, really good hunter, no common sense. Just the other day he was trying to climb a tree just to get at a squirrel..." She trailed off, realising she was babbling.
Haloheart took a deep breath at Brokenskull's next question. What did the forest mean? "Well," she mewed. "It means life. For us, for prey, for predators. But it also means death. We kill the mouse. The fox kills us. The twoleg kills the fox. Simple as that." Haloheart shook herself exasperated. "It means a whole load of different things, I guess," she finished. |
|
|
|
Post by Wolf on Jun 16, 2008 12:15:22 GMT -5
Brokenskull listened intently as Haloheart spoke. When had finished, he smiled shaking his head, "I am...dumb." He looked around before speaking again. "I think.....the forest means...different thing...depending where...you are and...how you look at...it." He nodded floppily before continuing. "The....trees mean...shelter sometimes...but if...they fall...they hurt. They're...not nice anymore." He paused, wondering if he'd made any sense at all. He blinked a few times, then said, "What...I'm trying to say...is that... the forest is our...protector and provider...but also...our destroyer."
|
|
|
|
Post by SHADE. :D on Jun 16, 2008 12:58:32 GMT -5
haloheart As Haloheart sat, ears pricked, listening intently to Brokenskull, she wished the large brown tabby would speak like this in front of the rest of CloudClan. He was not dumb, no matter how many times he said it. When she had finished, Haloheart nodded in agreement. "The rapids feed our rivers, giving us water," she mewed. Her voice turned quiet and sad as she continued. "But they also take us away, sometimes. Like Lemonzest..." Haloheart ducked her head for a moment, mourning for the dark brown tabby she-cat who had been like an aunt to her.
Haloheart lifted her head after a while. She looked awkwardly at the scar on Brokenskull's head. "Brokenskull," she mewed after an awkward pause. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but... What actually happened to... Well..." She half-gestured to his head then thought better of it. "You know..." |
|
|
|
Post by Wolf on Jun 16, 2008 13:08:22 GMT -5
Brokenskull nodded solemnly at what Haloheart said about the rapids, then waited patiently as she mourned. When she spoke again, asking about the scar on his head, he paused for a moment, shuffling his paws. Then he spoke, "When...I was an...apprentice,...a dog attacked...the camp...it hit...me...on the head...with it's paw...At least...that's what...I was told...I can't really...remember...properly." He explained.
|
|
|
|
Post by SHADE. :D on Jun 16, 2008 13:16:04 GMT -5
haloheart Haloheart swallowed. She wished she had not asked now. A video was playing, over and over, in her mind. A younger, much smaller Brokenskull, skittering away from a dog. A paw flashing out... The young Brokenskull crumpling... Haloheart shook away the images, shivering. She pressed her nose to his chest. "I'm sorry, Brokenskull," she mewed sincerely. "I shouldn't have asked." The small ginger tabby she-cat fluffed out her fur slightly, looking up at the sky. Though evening was falling, the sky had not yet begun to darken. It was odd but strangely soothing.
Haloheart stretched. The heat was making her sleeping. She found herself thinking of her soft nest back home. She shook the thoughts away light cobwebs clinging to her mind, yawning. She then blinked. "S-sorry," she mewed drowsily. [/size] |
|
|
|
Post by Wolf on Jun 16, 2008 13:21:14 GMT -5
Brokenskull purred, licking Haloheart's ear. "It's...ok....It was my fault...it happened...anyway....and what...I can't remember...can't hurt me...much, right?" He smiled.
Brokenskull sat in silence for a while, feeling content. When Haloheart yawned, he laughed, and nudged her gently with his paw. "Wake..up Halo..Heart! It's...not sleep...time yet!" He meowed jokingly.
|
|
|
|
Post by SHADE. :D on Jun 16, 2008 13:34:10 GMT -5
haloheart Haloheart blinked. "I'm awake, I'm awake," she mewed, getting to her paws as though to illustrate the point. The small ginger tabby she-cat padded to the water's edge. The she-cat stared at her reflection. She could see the weed swaying on the bottom of the lake. It was not very deep here. Haloheart shut her eyes and placed a paw in the water. She shuddered. It was cold. After a moment it felt quite pleasent on her hot pelt. She placed the other paw in. Haloheart stood, both forepaws in the shallow lake. She had not set paw in water since her near-drowning as an apprentice.
Haloheart stepped forward so that all four paws were firmly on the bottom of the lake. She stood still, the cold water swishing around her body. A fish thrashed nearby, splashing her with droplets. The ginger tabby she-cat blinked. "Why don't you join me, Brokenskull?" she mewed. Her voice was not shaking, as she had thought it would be. [/size] |
|
|
|
Post by Wolf on Jun 16, 2008 13:42:42 GMT -5
Brokenskull watched as Haloheart walked over to the lake, and placed her paws in. He was mildly suprised when she stepped into the water completely. His ears pricked up as she asked him to join her, and he bounded over to the edge of the lake. He was about to jump in, when he thought better of it; the splash he would make would probably be so huge that it drenched poor Haloheart. He swished his tail gently, then stepped as gracefully as he could into the water. However, gracefully for Brokenskull still involved tripping slightly, and he ended up with his legs slightly splayed beneath him and his chin in the water. He stood normally again, shaking his head slightly and trying to make it look liek nothing had happened.
|
|
|
|
Post by SHADE. :D on Jun 16, 2008 13:50:13 GMT -5
haloheart Haloheart's confidence was growing as Brokenskull began to pick his way towards the water. She gritted her teeth as he slipped. A wave of water slid towards her, and crashed into her flank. The ginger tabby drew her legs inward, sucking in her breath. She shut her eyes. Soon it was over. And it felt... It felt strangely good. She lifted her paw, flicking a spray of water into the air. It landed between her shoulders. She then thrashed her legs a bit. The water bubbled around her. She was having fun!
Haloheart began to kick her legs. She moved forward through the water. The small ginger tabby she-cat swam forward. She was swimming. Really swimming. She had grown up being the only cat in CloudClan who could not swim, but now she could. She realised the skill had been locked deep inside her the whole time. She had just needed to dig a bit to find it. [/size] |
|
|
|
Post by Wolf on Jun 16, 2008 13:56:32 GMT -5
Brokenskull watched as Haloheart began to splash around, and then, finally, start to swim. He swam after her. "Hey...I didn't...think you liked...the water...How am...I supposed...to not let it...get you...if you're in it?" He laughed, paddling after her. Brokenskull, despite his size, was a suprisingly good swimmer, since he had such large paws.
|
|
|
|
Post by SHADE. :D on Jun 17, 2008 12:31:57 GMT -5
haloheart As she splashed with her paws and tail, Haloheart tried to pluck up the courage to duck her head under the water. She had watched her clanmates, even cats younger than her like Indigohawk. Hailthunder and Stripedfeather, swimming. They had moved in a smooth, almost liquid up-and-down motion, like an otter. She couldn't do that without putting her head under the water. The ginger tabby exoerimented, ducking in her chin, then her lips, then her entire muzzle. She then shot up quickly, almost forgetting that she could not breathe water.
Haloheart took a deep breath, and ducked her head beneath the surface. She kept her sky blue eyes open the entire time. It was like... Like a different world down here. Sea-green, with weeds and small fish darting in and out of crevices. The sandy floor did not seem to be utterly certain and solid; it rose and fell like blood in the water. Haloheart pushed her way back to the surface just in time to hear Brokenskull' words. "I guess it's not so bad," she purred, flicking water from her ears. |
|
|
|
Post by Wolf on Jun 17, 2008 12:38:10 GMT -5
Brokenskull splashed about after a few fish that swam away from the huge cat in a flurry of panic. "Noooo...ooo!" The warrior wailed, "Come back....fishies!" He stopped as Haloheart spoke again. He nodded. "I...like the...water. It's...splashy." He said, smiling and jiggling his head. He prodded a fish that had swam near him with a large paw and giggled.
|
|
|
|
Post by SHADE. :D on Jun 17, 2008 13:04:36 GMT -5
haloheart Haloheart heaved her drenched body back into the shallower waters, her ginger fur sagging in it's wet state. She shook herself so that fur flicked back out of her eyes. The warrior smiled as she watched her friend bat happily at the fish. "I've never caught a fish in my life," she mewed honestly, eyes filled with embarrasment. "I never wanted to go near the water. Everyone else has caught a fish, but not me. I eat them all the time, but never catch them. Maybe I could catch one..." She trailed off, climbing out of the water.
Haloheart shook her water-filled coat at length, waterdrops scattering everywhere. The small striped she-cat then began to groom herself rapidly, flattening her sodden fur. After it had been tamed somewhat, Haloheart croached by the water in wait. As a shadow slid past her, she darted out a paw, but caught nothing but a spray of water, that promptly landed on her face, drenching it again. The she-cat spat out a mouthful of water, her eyes screwing up. "Mousedung," she cursed in irritation. |
|
|
|
Post by Wolf on Jun 17, 2008 13:22:13 GMT -5
Brokenskull stood as still as he could and watched while Haloheart attempted to catch a fish. When she had failed, he padded out of the water and shook himself. After a few moments, he spoke. "I...used to be a... good hunter...when I... was an apprentice." He meowed. "But...after the...accident...I can't...think fast enough...to react...in time...so I'm...not good...anymore." He continued.
|
|
|
|
Post by SHADE. :D on Jun 18, 2008 10:31:35 GMT -5
haloheart Haloheart narrowed her sky blue eyes at the water, her mouth pursed. She was determined to catch a fish now that she seemed to have beaten her fear of water. The small ginger tabby she-cat nodded to Brokenskull's words, though her gaze was still fixed on the water. She touched her nose to his shoulder. "That's not your fault," she mewed, before turning her head back to face the lake. She crouched, still as stone, her paw at the ready. A dark shadow flickered through the water...
Splash! The fish flew through the air in a high arc, struck Brokenskull's shoulder, then flopped onto the bank, where it struggled feebly, eyes rolling. Haloheart killed it with a bite then held it trimputhantly aloft. She let it fall from her teeth onto the sand and mewed; "Yes! I catch a fish!" [/size] |
|
