i'm N O T gonna write you a LOVE song ! ! !

[SHADE. :D]

avenspaw

The long fronds of grass danced, betraying the presence of a cat hidden beneath it. A pair of ears, covered in tufty grey hair, poked out among the waving fronds. A lean silver tabby cat slid from the dew-drenched grass. It was Avenspaw. The tom shook himself. At nine moons old, he was beginning to look more and more like his father, Secretcalling. They had the same lithe structure, the same wiry frame, the same shimmery pelt and indigo eyes. Avenspaw gave his long, coal-striped tail a twitch to remove an irritating dewdrop that was trickling down it's length. Avenspaw could see the Silver Rocks in the distance. He trotted towards them, holding his paws high. The shorter grass was not as wet as the longer, but still wet enough to drench his paws.

Avenspaw leapt up onto one of the flat silvery rocks. His pelt blended with the colour, so that only two indigo eyes could be seen. He lay down, his striped body looking like a rippling growth on the rock. The apprentice was glad that this rock, at least, was dry. He had been sent to watch the EclipseClan border. He wouldn't have been surprised if the roguish clan tried to invade their arch enemies' territory, despite their recent allegiance.

// Reserved for Kuri. <3

[KURI. (happy birfday to me :D)]

[ I love that song. :3 ]

Maplepool was unusually lonely today. All her life, she had been used to being alone and - well, outcast. Outcast by her siblings, outcast by most of the other cats she had grown up with. The she-cat supposed she had never been the apporoachable type. Cats liked speaking to her a little at a time, but they knew how much she had teased and tortured Crowtalon. They didn't want to be her friend because they thought she would do the same thing to them, perhaps? Whatever the reason, she didn't really mind being solitary for the most part. But after the battle... After Crowtalon... She still wasn't close to her sister. And that bothered her.

So lonely young Maplepool had gone for a walk. Her paws carried her to the MoonClan border, a place she had long known for it's shade and darkness. The slender tabby waited as her eyes adjusted to the change in light. Seeing a rock that looked like the perfect spot to rest her paws, she headed towards it's smooth gray surface. As her paws crossed the border the she-cat hesitated, tasted the air - there was a faint trace of MoonClan - and shrugged. What was a few foxlengths across the border, anyway?

She had only been up on the rock a few minutes when she spotted a MoonClanner, only a few moons younger than herself. She breathed in, knowing that she could win a fight with him but her actions would not go unpunished. Maybe she could talk her way out. "Hello there," she meowed sweetly, jumping down from the rock and towards the MoonClanner. "What's your name?"

[/blockquote]

[SHADE. :D]

avenspaw

Avenspaw turned his head, scanning the apparently blank border. Everything seemed innocent enough. But he knew enough to realise that danger could be lurking unseen. The silver tabby shifted his position on the rock, feeling quite important. This was the biggest task he had ever been asked to do for the clan, and due to his parentage he was surprised they had asked him to do it. Not that he condoned that sort of discrimination... Like he, Avenspaw, would ever fraternize with an EclipseClanner like his father had done.. But then, he thought, if he had not, he would not be around. Deciding not to think this much in the future, Avenspaw turned his attention back to the seemingly quiet border.

There was something moving on the horizon. The young silver tabby apprentice got to his paws, stretching as high as he could go. He narrowed his indigo eyes. He could just make a cat-shaped figure, covered in sleek brown and black tabby stripes. Avenspaw sucked in his breath. An intruder. And they smelt like EclipseClan. He wondered whether or not to attack. He decided not to. The she-cat was quite a bit bigger than him, though she didn't look that much older. Adopting a wary stance, Avenspaw scrutinized her from where he stood. "Avenspaw," he mewed nrvously. "What are you doing here?"

// Same. =]

[KURI. (happy birfday to me :D)]

Licking her lips, Maplepool decided it was time to get into character, like an actress preforming at a play. She wasn't truspassing... she was just having fun, no harm in that. She smiled slightly at Avenspaw, the small silver tomcat locked in her gaze. "Hmm? I guess..." her mew was innocent and somewhat like that of a kit that got seperated from it's mother, trying to win over the sympathy of the MoonClanner. "I guess I didn't notice the border, eh?"

Another smile crossed her face as she leapt back onto the boulder, this time trying to distract Avenspaw from the fact that she was across the border. She had a whole artilerarary of these kind of tactics, each tested at least once to get her out of things she hadn't wanted to do as an apprentice. She had been foolish... but for times like now, they could still come in handy. "Come up here - you can probably see the border easier from this rock."

[/blockquote]

[SHADE. :D]

avenspaw

The lithe tabby cat stared at Maplepool in a vexed manner. He could imagine what Firestar would do in this situation - pounce on the she-cat and give her a beating that would warn her never to set paw on MoonClan territory again. But Avenspaw wasn't Firestar. The silver tabby watched, his narrow eyes curious, as Maplepool patted around the rock he was stood on. Didn't notice the border? He couldn't help smiling. That was an excuse if he ever heard one. Guilt tasted bad in his mouth as he imagined this she-cat being a spy. But as the slender warrior pointed out another of the silvery rocks that would be a better spot to watch from, he doubted it.

Heeding her words, Avenspaw pounced from his rock to her's. He then turned to look at her, his angular face shrewd, but a chink of amusement in his indigo eyes. "I should drive you away," he mewed thoughtfully, before sitting down, tail curled over his forepaws.

[KURI. (happy birfday to me :D)]

Maplepool had to think fast, and think fast she did. "Meh, but how much fun would that be-e?" she asked, a hint of an immature whine in her voice. This was becoming a silly little game now, she could tell, and if she could keep the conversation going in that direction she could get back to her own Clan scat-free. She felt like was still the same cheeky, sly apprentice the whole Clan had known and... well, disliked, per say. She didn't care that warriors were supposed to be valiant and ruthless. That wasn't her. For the first time since her ceremony, Maplepool realized that maybe - just maybe - she didn't have to be the same as the others. She could be different, no matter how much trouble it got her into. She always liked the freedom of being a kit and an apprentice, anyway. She didn't care to grow up.

She was an apprentice with a warrior's name and training, most likely. She enjoyed that. It didn't mean she had to pull pranks on the elders and only be friends withj cats younger than her... she just had to be herself. She had been too self-cautious lately. Time to let loose. Looking back at Avenspaw and smiling slightly, Maplepool shrugged and managed to catch a peek at the sun through all the trees. "Hey! The sun it set-ting!" she meowed, poking her paw in the direction of the decending sun. It was beautiful... She couldn't help but giggle as she imagined a stuffy senior warrior completely missing a sunset because of his duties. That would be funny!

[/blockquote]

[SHADE. :D]

avenspaw

Avenspaw could almost imagine his father's voice in his ear as the she-cat's words spilled from her mouth. Warriorhood isn't supposed to be fun. But Avenspaw thought differently. This warrior was an EclipseClanner, but she wasn't anything like the EclipseClanners he had ever encountered. They had always been fierce and mean and vengeful, killing even the innocent of MoonClan. But this she-cat was bubbly and loud and a bit obnoxious. He liked her immediatly, though he knew striking up friendship's with an EclipseClan cat would be utterly unwise and somewhat idiotic. The silver tabby smiled at her childish antics, rather than raising an eyebrow, which could've been expected from a more serious audience.

"You never told me your name," he mewed calmly, his indigo eyes sparkling slightly. The lithe silver tabby apprentice thumped his tail tip lightly on the brightly-coloured rock on which he was seated, his ears perked forward with interest.

[KURI. (happy birfday to me :D)]

Maplepool looked at him for a moment before replying. "Maplepool." she smiled once more before turning back to the sky. She was in a good mood, better than she had ever been... She hadn't thought that anything or anyone could make her feel better after her brother's death. But somehow, a MoonClanner who she barely knew did. She felt less judged and pressured... instead, she felt kind of careless. No one was here. No one needed to be. She found now that she was more happy by herself... with a little bit of company, that is. She let her mind drift off contentedly, her tail flicking back and forth in a steady beat.

"Hee, it's funny to think that I'm breaking the warrior code right now." Maplepool commented, giggling when she realized that she was probably the only cat in the forest that would - or could, even - laugh about that. She felt at ease with Avenspaw. EclipseClan wouldn't miss her for a few hours or so, she wasn't some big-shot warrior who went on patrols every second of the day. They'd just assume she was doing something important.

[/blockquote]

[SHADE. :D]

avenspaw

Avenspaw nodded as the EclipseClan she-cat spoke her name. Maplepool. The silver tabby apprentice looked at her, his indigo eyes narrowed. Yes. It suited her. The young tom began to casually groom his grey flanks, flattening the slightly ruffled fur with his tongue. Avenspaw had a vague thought hatching at the back of his mind, fighting to be free, like a young animal struggling to escape from an egg. He knew that he should drive away this EclipseClanner, that she was an intruder. But something else slammed into his mind, crushing the egg and all guilty thoughts. Why? What was the point? Avenspaw had always been like this, a deep thinker. If left to his own devives he would probably work out, alone, exactly why the sky is coloured blue.

Avenspaw flicked his small ears at Maplepool's words. "Hilarious," he mewed. The single word would have been taken the wrong way, had it not been uttered by Avenspaw's well-practiced tongue. Yet he said it in a light, genuine way, as thought he seriously thought it amusing. "But if you don't tell," he paused, raising a paw and licking it. "And I don't tell, then nobody will ever know."

[KURI. (happy birfday to me :D)]

The silver tomcat seemed deep in thought for a moment, and although Maplepool considered bringing another subject up it didn't seem proper to break his concentration. When he finally spoke, Maplepool's timber-hued ears pricked, but Avenspaw had magically made a usually-sarcastic comment rather light and kindly. She smiled a bit, she had only known the MoonClanner for a few moments and she already found that he had a certian kind of... charm about him. And even as he continued she noticed a spark in his voice that Maplepool had always wanted to hear. Someone... someone who didn't want to report every little break in the warrior code. Someone like her, maybe. But naive as Maplepool was, she knew that she couldn't trust just anyone.

"Yep," she agreed, blinking. A little bit of weight lifted from her chest. No one would know. She sighed as a cool breeze ruffled her fur, crouching down and resting her chin on her paws. Avenspaw was a friend, she decided. And to solidify that she smiled at him. For all she knew, he might have been one of the first cats she'd smiled at since her warriorship...

[/blockquote]

[SHADE. :D]

avenspaw

The silver tabby felt a light breeze blow on his face. He shut his eyes briefly, enjoying the cool wind. The apprentice blinked them open, looking down at Maplepool. "So, what have you been up to?" he mewed calmly, as though conversing with an old friend he'd known for years. "Burying your dead, healing the wounded, naming warriors?" The young silver tabby licked one of his slender forepaws. He had never been one to get involved with that sort of thing. Clarypaw was more the kind of cat to do that. He had drifted away from his sister as he had got older. He loved her, but knew that they couldn;t remain joined at the hip all their life.

"I don't get imvolved in all that stuff." He wasn't ashamed to admit it. He preferred to just patrol or hunt alone. MoonClan was too stiff for him, too many rules. He liked to just be easy, hunt when he wanted to, go wherever he wanted (within the territorial boundaries.) And he liked to have friends, too. Avenspaw returned Maplepool's smile. Friends in other clans, too, it would seem.

[KURI. (happy birfday to me :D)]

_**Sorry for how late this is. x____x

"Yes," she meowed, lowering her head for a moment. "My brother died in the battle. I wasn't close to him or anything, but..." she shrugged, blinking the tears away from her olive-green eyes before looking back to Avenspaw. Somehow it didn't feel odd talking to him about her routines and thoughts. He would listen fully, without having to rush off to do something or without brushing her off just because of her past. "Anyway, it's not really the worst thing ever. A lot of cats lost mothers and fathers, so I shouldn't really be sulking." She looked up once more, seeing that the stars of Silverpelt were watching her. Was Crowtalon angry at her? Did he forgive her? "I'm sorry," she murmured before she even realized what she was doing. Had Avenspaw heard that? Did he think she was crazy? Why did she even care what he thought...?

... Because he was her friend, probably.

[/blockquote]

[SHADE. :D]

avenspaw

Avenspaw dipped his head respectfully at Maplepool's words. "I'm sorry," he mewed, his eyes shining with sympathy. He had never lost a relative that he had known, so he did not know how it felt. The silver tabby tom noticed the she-cat's eyes flick upwards. His own gaze followed her's. He often quizzed StarClan, wondering if they saw him differently because of how he had come into the world. Sometimes he thought yes, when random chance had resulted in his punishment. But other times, he remembered that the current deputy of MoonClan was of the same parentage as him. So surely StarClan could not disapprove of him? It wasn't his fault that his father had fallen in love with an EclipseClanner, was it?

The tom snapped out of his daydream as Maplepool murmured. Though the words were barely audible, the apprentice caught them - he had particularly sharp ears. "It's okay," he mewed gently, understanding immediatly. Avenspaw jumped down from the rock and touched his nose to the warrior's shoulder. "Your brother will have forgiven anything you ever did. StarClan have the power to show you what really matters."

[KURI. (happy birfday to me :D)]

"Y'think so?" she asked, looking at him with wide, curious eyes. Did StarClan have all the answers? She didn't. Despite the fact that she had only known him for a short, short time, she felt more open to Avenspaw than any other cat, save for Sunflowerpaw. Was Sunflowerpaw watching her, too? She felt so lonely, so insegnifigant. It was just her and Troutcatcher now, but her sister and Brokenheart... they had something. Why else had Crowtalon died for them? Crowtalon had been quiet but he and Troutcatcher had been like... like what brothers and sisters should have been. She was the odd one out, the pesky third one who should have died in that bear trap instead of Sunflowerpaw. She suddenly wanted to tell Avenspaw about that chilling day - but she knew that there was no reason to tell him about his sister's death, too. Was she looking for sympathy? ... Maybe. Avenspaw just seemed to always know what to say.

"Maybe he's happier there. He was never very talkative, save for with my sister. He was the only tom of four she-cats, it's a wonder he got along with one, at least!" she laughed a little, her heart lifting ever so slightly. "Do you have any siblings?" she asked while they were on the subject of family.

[/blockquote]

[SHADE. :D]

avenspaw

Avenspaw watched Maplepool closely, his indigo eyes slightly narrowed. He noticed a flash of pain in her eyes, and wondered what she was thinking about. He knew better than to ask her, though. If she wanted to tell him what was troubling her, she would. The silver tabby tom lifted a paw and scratched absent-mindedly behind his pointed ears. At her words, the apprentice lifted his head again, his mouth open slightly, to listen. "You come from a big family, then?" he mewed. "Me too." Avenspaw nodded at her question about siblings. "Yes. I have two sisters," he mewed. "But it's complicated." He mused for a moment, his eyes thoughtful. He wondered about telling Maplepool the story of his birth, but thought it might bore her. Ah, well. She had asked, after all.

"My mother is called Limestone," he mewed. "Moons ago, she fell in love with a MoonClanner called Secretcalling - my father. They were mates secretly for ages. Then Limestone had kits. Two went to EclipseClan, but both of them later died. The only she-cat went to MoonClan. She was Wovenkit. She's Wovenknot now." He wondered what Maplepool would think now that she knew that the deputy of MoonClan was in fact half-clan. "The whole clan found out about Secretcalling and Limestone when Wovenknot was an apprentice. She accidentally let it slip. Secretcalling attacked her in his anger, then fled." The words sounded odd. He couldn't imagine his father getting so angry that he would attack his own daughter. "He and Limestone disappeared. Moons later, they returned, and Limestone was heavily pregnant. She gave birth two two kits, Avenskit and Clarykit. Eventually they were allowed to stay in MoonClan, but all of them are still treated as outsiders by some."

Avenspaw smiled in a twisted, bitter way. "Does that answer your question?"

[KURI. (happy birfday to me :D)]

Maplepool listened somberly to Avenspaw's story. And somehow it made her feel closer to him, knowing that he was half-Clan and that his past wasn't something he was proud of. It wasn't like her life had been a cakewalk, either. But somehow Maplepool sympasized more for Avenspaw than she did herself. Was that unusual? It didn't matter. Avenspaw was living with the weight of cross-Clan blood on his shoulders... and it would never, ever go away. "Avenspaw..." she murmured, suddenly feeling guilty. She had been the one who had made him tell her. She lightly moved closer to him, not caring that she was on his territory and that the warrior code said he could attack her at any time. The warrior code may say that, but common sense did not.

"I'm... sorry, Avenspaw," she mewed, resting her muzzle on the top of the tom's head, his ears grazing her cheeks. Maplepool then sighed. It wasn't fake. She really felt... horrible. It seemed so odd, to suddenly become truthful after so long of hiding behind crude, plastic emotions. It also felt odd to be feeling this sad for another cat after greiving mindlessly for so long. But she could forget that... she could hope that Crowtalon forgave her. That was the best she could do. Her mind turning back to the MoonClan apprentice whom she was heart-thumpingly chose to, she continued. "I shouldn't have forced you. I won't ask again," she promised him, even though she knew the damage had already been done.

[/blockquote]

[SHADE. :D]

avenspaw

The silver tabby tom stared at his paws. Suddenly he felt soft fur brush his. He glanced up to see Maplepool padding towards him. He exhaled deeply as she rested her muzzle between his ears, before licking her downy chest. "No worries," he mewed. "There's no point pretending it's not true." The silver tabby drew back and licked the brown warrior's nose, before pouncing back onto one of the silver rocks. He rose onto his hind legs briefly, and looked around. No disturbances. The tom then slipped back onto the grassy earth and sat before Maplepool. He thought about his family. He was glad that he had inherited nothing but his appearance from his father. Avenspaw loved Secretcalling less and less every day. He was looked upon as a traitor just because he looked like his father's twin. He had inherited his mother's gentle touch and kind ways, but he had no idea where his thoughtfulness and patience had come from. Both his mother and his father were hotheaded and would boil over very easily.

Avenspaw looked at Maplepool briefly. "Y'know, your the first friend I've ever had," he mewed honestly. The words were not warm and gushing, but plain and stark - the truth. Avenspaw had always been a outsider, even in his own family. The cat he was most like was Wovenknot, but she wanted nothing to do with any member of her family - even those that had done nothing to hurt her.