please don't ;; let your heart fall for me.

[SHADE. :D]

rosemarypool

// I know the Rose, Broken and Lonely thread isn't over yet, but Aurrie and I need to speed the Ravericksong plot along... So this is reserved for Aurrie and Mavvers. <3

Her green eyes snapped open as though she had been struck by lightning. The willowy she-cat gasped in a breath, suddenly aware of her mortality. She couldn't believe what had just happened. She had just seen her brother, and her mother. The mother that she had never met before now. Rosemarypool drew in a shaky breath, thinking of everything that had passed between them. Everything about her father... How could she be the kit of a clan leader and not know? How come Cormorantstar had never even tried to find his kits? Did he not care? Rosemarypool felt tears fill her green eyes, and a soft sob escaped her lips. She pressed her face into her snowy white forepaws to stem the tears and drown the sobs, but still they came. Sadness seeped over her like rain falling from the skies. Sadness for her mother. Sadness for Brokensoul. Oh, Brokensoul. They had lost so much. Why did life have to be so difficult?

[/size]

[(aurora) of the problematique]

:: [ Time ^after time ] ::

Mavericksky

:: [ I'm _{going in} blind ] ::

<sup>Green shutters flickered open, blinking briefly before staring down. Mavericksky had made his bed up in the rafters of the Warriors' Den. He didn't like company much but that was beyond the point right now. What on earth was wrong with Rosemarypool?

The reclusive tomcat frowned slightly and hung his paws on the edge of his bed. "Babe, you okay?" he murmured softly in that signature deep voice of his. Mavericksky stretched and stood up, crouching and then lunging down to the ground beside her with a phunnnf! noise as his white paws touched down. "What's wrong, Rosemarypool? A nightmare?"</sup>

[SHADE. :D]

rosemarypool

The longhaired dark brown tabby she-cat felt her tears seep through her fur, cold and bleak. She felt desperately alone, and suddenly realised just what she had lost. Her mother. Her father. Brokensoul. Sure she had Stonesky and Cloudsteps, but most of the time they acted like she didn't exist. Razortomb was more like family to her than any of her blood relations. How sad was that? The she-cat lifted her head, her tearful green eyes wide as a voice hit her ears. Soft, but deep. Mavericksky. The she-cat felt a flush of embarrasment, as she always did, when she saw the tom. "I... I..." The warrioress shuddered as the tom spoke the word nightmare. "I... I saw m-my mother. And Br-Brokensoul. And he... And I..." The she-cat couldn't hold back her sobs. Rosemarypool suddenly pressed her face into Mavericksky's shoulder, leaning against his strong chest. Tears dripped into his fur. In her misery, the she-cat did not consider that Mavericksky might push her away. She simply pressed her tear-stained cheek into his warm fur, feeling more reassured and safe than before.

[(aurora) of the problematique]

:: [ Time ^after time ] ::

Mavericksky

:: [ I'm _{going in} blind ] ::

<sup>Startled at first, the tom's beautiful kiwi orbs blinked and he slowly stared out in front of him before looking down at Rosemarypool. Mavericksky gradually pushed himself to smile. A deep exhale left his maw as he rested his head atop hers with a gentle murmur of her name. "Calm down," he said quietly, his mouth brushing slowly against the outer rim of skin that formed the horn of the she-cat's ear. His tongue slipped out as he then ran it across her fur, starting to delight in this foreign feeling. He smiled against her skin, his bushy tail flicking up and down. It occasionally ran across her back.

"So you saw your mother and brother. Are they okay? Are they in StarClan now? Now that Mottledsnow has returned, it means that the Tribe was defeated. I hope the stolen souls went to their proper destinations." His heartbeat did not fluctuate when she threw herself against him. He was her friend; certainly he would not waver in her time of need. The ginger tom sighed softly, his breath brushing against her ear.</sup>

[SHADE. :D]

rosemarypool

The she-cat felt reassured as Mavericksky comforted her, her green eyes shutting so that more tears spilled from beneath the lids. His soft voice soothed her troubled mind somewhat. It was as though a barrier between them had suddenly been broken. They weren't just fellow warriors anymore, Rosemarypool terrified of what he might think of her, but friends. As he questioned her, she exhaled, her breath brushing the fur on his chest. "Y-yes.. I saw them. I.. Yes, they're in StarClan," she mewed, her voice still husky from crying. She sniffed delicately. "I... I expect they were." She suspected that Mavericksky was thinking about Sunheart, so she licked him on the cheek, mistaking the look in his eyes for affection for his lost mother. Rosemarypool then rested her head on his strong shoulder again, waves of calm rushing through her. It was okay. Nothing could hurt her.

[(aurora) of the problematique]

:: [ Time ^after time ] ::

Mavericksky

:: [ I'm _{going in} blind ] ::

<sup>It had clicked in his head many moons ago the level of what he felt for her, ever since she gave his brother a tour of the apprentice's den and he stood staring in silence. But now, he was older and much more mature. He supposed it would behoove him to tell her. He smiled faintly when she licked him on the check. Did she feel the same way, as she lay her head on his shoulder?

"Ah...Rosemarypool, what are your feelings for me?" he asked breathily, his muzzle resting between her ears. The larger but younger ginger tom bent his ears, bracing himself. Did she...did she already like someone else?</sup>

[SHADE. :D]

rosemarypool

The longhaired she-cat felt waves of reassurance fill her body. Until Mavericksky spoke. Her insides felt as though they had suddenly been doused in icy cold water. She pulled her head away from him, her green eyes guarded. It's a perfectly innocent question. The dark brown tabby she-cat looked into her friend's eyes. "Well... You're... You're my friend. Aren't you?" The she-cat blinked her wide eyes uncertainly at the ginger tom. Maybe she'd been too close, maybe she'd put him off. Embarrasment drenched her and she stepped away from the younger warrior, looking bashful and shy.

// Sorry. v___v Failure.

[(aurora) of the problematique]

:: [ Time ^after time ] ::

Mavericksky

:: [ I'm _{going in} blind ] ::

^{When she pulled away, he advanced, holding out his paw and snagging one of hers. "I love you," Mavericksky blurted out a half-second before she finished her sentence. "But...I want to know...how you feel." This seemed the only time he was being uncertain, like he had gone back to being a kitten. His adult personality was being shaken. "Because if there's someone else, I...I can go." He swallowed a lump in his throat and let her hand go, resting his own onto the ground and staring at them. The ginger tabby's tail swayed, awaiting her answer.}

[SHADE. :D]

rosemarypool

Rosemarypool gasped as he caught hold of her paw. She turned, her green eyes wide with fear. What was going on? Why was she slowly growing frightened by the intense expression on his face? She whipped her tail between her legs and flattened her ears. At his words, shock smoothened her features. Her pretty eyes widened. Her tail flew upwards. Her slender, willowy body seeming to sag. "Y-y-y-you what?" she blurted, her eyes round. She took a step away from him, her tail swinging awkwardly from side to side. "How I feel? But I... But you..." She was so confused! Mavericksky always seemed to be so much better than her. He couldn't love her. This was a mistake. She couldn't even begin to decipher her feelings for the tom. Somewhere, tangled inside, she felt a vein of attraction. But when she probed it, it send waves of emotion through her body. It wasn't an entirely unpleasent feeling, but... Then she turned to Silentsong. She felt safe with him. Not wild. Not carefree. But safe. She turned back to Mavericksky. Did she love him? A small seed of passion, maybe... But he had not given it enough time to grow. Her eyes softened. "I... You're perfect in every way," she choked out. "And perhaps in time, I could've... But... B-but.. No. N-no. I don't love you." The words sounded so harsh, so unwelcome in her mouth, like a despised flavour. She hated this.

[(aurora) of the problematique]

:: [ Time ^after time ] ::

Mavericksky

:: [ I'm _{going in} blind ] ::

<sup>He trembled visably at her reply, as if her voice was a hurricane wind beating down his palmetto frame. Mavericksky swallowed again and nodded. "I...I understand," he murmured. A deep inhale and exhale passed through him, and the tom pulled himself up to his white paws. He steadied himself, regaining his majestic composure and swinging his tail side-to-side. A small faint smile crossed his face as he walked past Rosemarypool, his fur brushing eeriely against her as the sun shimmered onto him before he paused.

"Clear your thoughts before you sleep. Then, you will be dreamless," Mavericksky said softly. His tail flicked like a salute as the smiling tom exited the warriors' den. That smile didn't seem right; it was...a total sham.

He made his way over to Fernpelt's den and paused, lifting his paw and tapping the side before meowing to get her attention.

ooc;// can this be before Fern leaves?</sup>

[fernie. (:]

fernpelt.

The tortoiseshell she-cat was flattened against the forest floor, eyes locked on an unsuspecting rabbit a few tail-lengths away. As she sprang, her eyes widened in shock as the rabbit started to morph into that of a feline shape. Brackenkit! Her paws opened, ready to hold her kit close, but her paws closed over thin air, and suddenly she was back in her den, alone.

As Fernpelt shook the dream from her head, the leader heard a short tap-tap on the wall outside her den. "Come in!" she called shrilly, her paws still shaking from the memory, the realness of her dream. She stood up and stretched her front paws before turning to look at who was at the door. "Mavericksky. What can I do for you? she asked, padding towards him.

[/size]

[(aurora) of the problematique]

:: [ Time ^after time ] ::

Mavericksky

:: [ I'm _{going in} blind ] ::

_{The smile didn't fade, that fake smile. "Fernpelt, I don't think Clan life is right for me. I think I'm better suited for life beyond the Clan, the life of a loner." Mavericksky sighed slightly and looked down at the leader-to-be. "My name will be Maverick now. I'm no longer an EclipseClan warrior." He leaned in and licked Fernpelt's ear affectionately to tell her that she had his respect as a leader, and that he was the reason he was leaving, not her. "Don't tell my sisters and Toweringheart... We...were never close anyway..." He turned away, making a move to exit the den and then the camp.}

[fernie. (:]

fernpelt.[/colour]

Fernpelt's eyes widened the slightest bit as Mavericksky voiced his wish. She took in what he had to say, and finally, nodded once. She caught him as he left the den, tapping him with her tail. "If that is what you want, Mavericksky. I understand why you want to do it, and it is out of my power to stop you, but you are a great asset to EclipseClan, and you shall be dearly missed." she paused for a second, then, "You do realise that I cannot refrain from telling Toweringheart and your sisters anything. They will worry, and I shall tell them that you chose a path that did not lead you towards Clan life. I will not tell them anything more, if you do not wish. At least they will know you are safe, not lost somewhere, against your will..." she said, thinking again of Brackenkit. She sighed deeply, then smiled at Maverick. "May StarClan watch over you, wherever you choose to go." she said, then turned away, padding back into her den.

[/size]

[(aurora) of the problematique]

:: [ Time ^after time ] ::

Maverick

:: [ I'm _{going in} blind ] ::

<sup>He paused, his back to her. "Very well. Tell them," he murmured. White paws padded forward two steps.


"Fernpelt...if I find him, I will kill the ones who took him," Maverick said, his voice suddenly as dark as it was deep. There was no mistaking who he was speaking of. The ginger tom looked back and his green eyes glinted, pupils down to pin-pricks. "I promise..."

The ginger tom turned away and began walking to the entrance of camp, not looking back once but only staring down at the ground. He probably would never seen this place again unless they needed him for some reason.</sup>