[we must] BREAK! this --> "silence"

[(aurora) of the problematique]

Alderpaw This addict ^just starved again asphyxiated

<sub>He had been thinking about Palepaw. He didn't know why. He didn't know why he swallowed a fly. Perhaps he'll die. It was awkward seeing her, more so since she was gone for some reason, probably for the same reason as Eastfrost. The black and white tom seemed a bit perplexed about this. He hadn't voiced this to his mentor, Lastfalling, but then again he rarely spoke to begin with. Secretive, inquisitive Alderpaw. That was him.

This was also the reason he wasn't rushing around to get things done. To be honest, he already knew how to hunt and patrol and all that nonsense. Giving him Lastfalling might have been the best thing Ghostlystar had done for him, besides naming him an apprentice to begin with. Lastfalling was so lax and absent-minded about things. Alderpaw constantly questioned the tom's leadership capabilities. Surely someone like Grainpelt would be a better candidate for his mentor. However, he never spoke of this to anyone else. They wouldn't understand his thoughts. "Alderpaw, you're reading too much into it," they also said. If it was natural to him, he would have laughed. He didn't know how to laugh. It came out croaky whenever he tried, like a bullfrog that had been stepped on in the past.

The black and white male figured he should stop musing to himself and get up out of bed before he rotted there. His pure-ebony tail unfurled from the rest of his body like an awakening fern frond. Dull green eyes opened murkily as Alderpaw stepped up to attention, stretching half-heartedly and yawning. His tongue ran subconsciously across his chops as he realized he was quite hungry. However, apprentice duties came first.

The morning wasn't humid like the previous day had been. It was cool and cloudy, almost like the beginning of Leaf-fall. Alderpaw meowed out loud and grabbed some chow, eating some to start his day before making his way to the elder's den. He dipped his head to them respectfully, answering discreetly when they asked him questions before moving on to the queens and their kits. He almost smiled for a moment there behind a mouthful of fish that he gave to Northrain. He gave three mice each to Gracewhisper and Frostedwing, dipping his head to the ladies before making his way back to the apprentice's den to groom himself and get some new bedding for the queens. He noticed Frostedwing's was sort of raggedy. He fixed her nest efficiently and then decided to do the other queens' just for the hell of it. When that was all done, he rolled up the old bedding and dumped it in a rotting log.

When he made his way back to the apprentice's den after all his work was complete, it was mid-morning and he was bored.

ooc;// Open for one or two cats only. Alderpaw doesn't like crowds and doesn't speak much.</sub>

[[xoxo] shard. :)]

Destinykit

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to ^fly
I'll do what it takes til' I touch the sky, oh
I'll make a wish, take a chance, make a change
And ^br_ea^ka_wa^y[/center]

Sleepy eyes blinked open. Four, no wait, three legs stretched. Wait a minute--three legs? Who's this with three legs? Oh, right, we're talking about Destinykit here. You know, that ugly little Rex kit in the corner of the nursery over there, all alone? Yes, that's her. Well, you can hardly classify her as a kit. She's getting larger, and her time to become an apprentice is coming up soon. Plus, she's been mentally mature for quite some time now. She's already developed the mind of a full grown cat, excluding the knowledge of a warrior.

Timidly enough, she peeked out of the nursery. There he was, Alderpaw. She hadn't talked to the apprentice very much, if she ever had. But she'd always admired that how he wasn't as fiesty as other apprentices. He was a bit more self-kept, a bit like her. Perhaps...yes, she wold make an attempt to speak to him today. Slowly, she crept forward until she was about a fox-length away. "Uh, hi there," Destinykit mewed, her gaze on her paws.

[ooc]:// I'm really sorry that I haven't told you this, but she needs to become an apprentice very soon. ^^; Sorry, that's my fault.[/size][/blockquote]

[&&R.A.V.E.N :3]

Leafpaw

i'm going home
gonna load my shotgun

Gunpower and Lead

[/color][/i] She continued to ask herself, even as she came into camp half way through the night. She never went into the apprentice's den, wanting to be alone and think. It was harder to do then she thought. Still, it bothered her. She had seen how the other mentors had treated they're apprentices. Runespell was different. He treated her....like a father treated his daughter. Her eyes widened as she thought of this. She remembered him speaking about his daughter, Pecankit, and how she acted like her.....

"No!" Leafpaw cried, jumping to her paws outside the apprentice's den and looking around. Her eyes were wide as she looked to the warrior's den. She would ask Runespell later about her thoughts. But before that, she might as well get something to eat. Her paws were shakey as she started towards the fresh kill pile, the mouse and vole she had caught were still lying there. Grabbing one, she trotted back over to the den, laying down infront and letting her green eyes slip back towards the warrior's den. Her ears pricked as she heard another voice. Turning her head, she noticed the three-legged kit, Destinykit, and her denmate, Alderpaw.
[/ul][/size]

[(aurora) of the problematique]

Alderpaw This addict ^just starved again asphyxiated

<sub>He blinked from his position straight ahead to look over. Alderpaw's ear twitched slightly as he looked down, green eyes narrowing slightly as he turned his pointed muzzle down to look at the kitten near him.

He contemplated on asking Who are you? but that would give her the impression that he had some interest in what was going on. However, due to the fact that, no, he did not have such an interest, he decided to go with the reply of "What do you want?"

He barely associated with those on his level and never with those below him. His tail flicked up and down as he turned his gaze away from her. He sighed and swallowed a lump in his throat, remembering what his mentor said about not dismissing people right off the bat. Alderpaw hung his head and growled to himself before forcing himself to look over at the female with a kinder reply than the last one. He decided to go with the response he had considered earlier.

"Who are you?"

Damn his conscience.

He noticed Leafpaw in the background but didn't say anything.</sub>

[[xoxo] shard. :)]

Destinykit

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to ^fly
I'll do what it takes til' I touch the sky, oh
I'll make a wish, take a chance, make a change
And ^br_ea^ka_wa^y[/center]

Destinykit's eyes drifte dup towards the tom, but his uncaring response flung her gaze back to her paws. She'd always admired him, but she'd never seen this side. "I'm sorry, I, um, eh..." Her voice trailed off, and she began to regret speaking to him. She could sense another cat's presence in the clearing, but she paid no mind. The Rex was slowly beginning to lift a paw to return to the nursery when he gave a new response. It brightened her a bit, and looking up, she mewed, "I'm Destinykit." Her voice couldn't be described as joyful, or sad, or excited. Just indifferent, with a sliver of happiness.[/size][/blockquote]

[(aurora) of the problematique]

Alderpaw This addict ^just starved again asphyxiated

<sub>"Oh," he murmured.

He didn't know what else to say, and he wasn't much a conversationalist to begin with. He really didn't like to talk. The tom shuffled his paws together and noticed she was staring at him expectantly. Alderpaw cleared his throat and curled his tail around his paws.

"What are you doing around here?" he asked in a rather strained tone. Basically, he wanted to know why she was talking to him. His dull green eyes quirked downward, taking in her odd form.</sub>

[[xoxo] shard. :)]

Destinykit

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to ^fly
I'll do what it takes til' I touch the sky, oh
I'll make a wish, take a chance, make a change
And ^br_ea^ka_wa^y[/center]

Her eye blinked, and she stared down at her paws. "Oh, well..." The she-kits gaze drifted towards the nursery. "I don't really have any friends, because all of the other kits think I'm weird..." She motioned with her tail to her missing leg and her missing eye. The optic that remained looked up woefully towards Alderpaw. "Not to mention that they don't like my quietness..." Destinykit sighed. "It's wonder that our world is not in ruins with all of the prejudice it contains..." She sounded quite wistful right then, sighing once more and her eyes clouding with sorrow.[/size][/blockquote]

[(aurora) of the problematique]

Alderpaw This addict ^just starved again asphyxiated
<sub>"You'll be in the apprentice's den soon, so you'll get new friends," he shrugged. "You just have to accept that not everyone likes you." The handsome tom flicked his tail boredly.

"You shouldn't sigh like that either. It's annoying." Alderpaw scowled. "And y'know, you're not much better when it comes to prejudice, thinking that everyone here hates you." He stood up, rolling his shoulders back and stretching. He ran his tongue across his paw and then that paw over his ear.</sub>

[[xoxo] shard. :)]

Destinykit

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to ^fly
I'll do what it takes til' I touch the sky, oh
I'll make a wish, take a chance, make a change
And ^br_ea^ka_wa^y[/center]

Destinykit shrugged and nodded at the tom's first statement. That was true; when her apprenticeship arrived, it might be easier for her to befriend the other cats. But everything went downhill from there. At first she was okay with. Perhaps she would have to accept it. "I suppose..." Her sighing? It could be annoying I guess... Even so, she was a bit irritated. But her admiration for him kept her clinging on. "Oh...sorry..." She prejudiced others? Alderpaw did have a point there, but she couldn't help but feel a bit disgruntled. Her single optic on her paws, it shone with hurt, but she shoved it away and hid the emotion before she looked up, although not at his face. Instead her gaze rested on his paws, then on the ground near them; anywhere but his visage.[/size][/blockquote]

[(aurora) of the problematique]

Alderpaw This addict ^just starved again asphyxiated

<sub>Alderpaw stared straight ahead but then his opaque green eyes flickered down. "Now what's that for?" he said irritably. His long tail zoomed out and touched Destinykit under the chin, forcing it up to meet his knife-like gaze.

"Let's get something right. If you're trying to talk to me for some reason, then you better do something about it or else I'm just going to go about my business." She was lucky he didn't just dismiss her but Lastfalling had taught him to not do that to people. Now that he thought about it, it was a bit mean but it was boring and demeaning to talk to people below his level, especially ones who wouldn't carry on a conversation of silence with him. Alderpaw was that time of cat. He simply held your awe by his silence before walking away, someone you'd admire from a distance.

Alderpaw blinked. Did she? Did she like him or something? "Kid, do you think I'm some type of rolemodel? Look, I swear I'm not that type of cat. I'll just break your heart. You should look up to someone like Grainpelt...not me." Oh StarClan, had he seriously just talked that much?

He froze, figuring that she was just going to yell at him and storm off.</sub>

[[xoxo] shard. :)]

Destinykit

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to ^fly
I'll do what it takes til' I touch the sky, oh
I'll make a wish, take a chance, make a change
And ^br_ea^ka_wa^y[/center]

Her emotions swirled in her eye as her gaze was forced up to her superior's. She couldn't tell what was there herself. There were so many that you couldn't really tell. A flash of hurt here, a dash of anger there, and then - wait, what's this? Admiration still lingered in her optic, despite his scowling. But the moment she realized that she'd let it through, it vanished, along with all of her feelings. Her eyes became glazed and dull, indifferent.

Destinykit was silent for a moment after his first statement. The she-kit didn't really know what to say. Biting her lip, she thought about his next words. It was true, she actually did sort of look up to him. But it was a little different than that. She was sure what it was, but she was aware of whatever it was. "Grainpelt is too...normal," she mewed. She thought it was nice that the warrior was a loyal cat, but that was just run of the mill. "I look up to cats who are different. You're different...but not in a bad way. Difference is a good thing to me."[/size][/blockquote]

[(aurora) of the problematique]

Alderpaw This addict ^just starved again asphyxiated

<sub>His scowl dropped slightly and he sighed, shaking his head. "Fine, kit," he said, shrugging a bit before slipping his slender tail around his shanks. Alderpaw stretched and ran a scratchy tongue across his shoulders and forelegs. "If that's how you see it, I won't try to change it." He knew it would be hopeless to try and fervently change this she-cat's dreams and admirations. The black and white tom would just have to accept it and get over it.

The dull green occs turned away and Alderpaw came to his paws, stretching a bit. "It's obvious my mentor isn't coming.... I'm going to go take a nap." His ear twitched as he turned and faced the apprentice's den before going inside.

It took a few heartbeats before anyone could hear the "It was nice meeting you, Destinykit" mumble.</sub>