All of my memories [keep you near]

[Wolf]

Wolfpaw trotted beside the acid stream, looking at it with a faint look of disgust on his broad face. He sniffed the air, hoping to find the scent of his mother, but only wrinkling his nose in disgust at the stench of the stream. He sighed, plodding on, head down and examining the ground. He had only been a kit when his mother had gone, but his memories kept her near and he still remembered everything about her.

[SHADE. :D]

rio.

in a crooked ^little town
they were lost and never found
fallen leaves fallen leaves

fallen leaves on the ground

[/right]

The steady bubbling of the sluggish Acid Stream drowned out the soft pawsteps of a delicate she-cat as she walked at the side of the small river. Her long tail swished slowly in time with her swaying steps. Her beautiful slender body was a pale, ochre colour, this darkened with blots of bark-brown. Her chin, paws and chest were all as white as freshly fallen snow. Her eyes, an odd, soft indigo colour, were fixed ahead of her, her ears perked forward. Rio was out for a stroll.

Rio lifted her nose as a new scent drifted towards her over the river. The young tabby she-cat smiled, showing her perfect, pearly white teeth. The rogue shecat rasped her pink tongue over her paws a couple of times before sauntering on. Soon she caught sight of a young tom in the distance, also trailing alongside the Acid Stream. She smiled a twisted smile. Good. She could have some fun here. Rio hurried on, her pawsteps dainty on the earth. She stopped a few tail-lengths from the tom, her smile still curling her pretty lips. Rio sat, her tail curving around her neat white forepaws.

"Hello young one."[/blockquote][/size]

[Wolf]

Wolfpaw jumped up in surprise, but managed to make it look like he was just turning to face Rio. He stared at the she-cat for a while, before speaking. "What do you want?" he asked calmly, although his body was tense.

[SHADE. :D]

rio.

in a crooked ^little town
they were lost and never found
fallen leaves fallen leaves

fallen leaves on the ground

[/right]

Rio watched the young cat's expression as she slunk forward. She smirked. She had caught the flash of shock in his fiery-amber eyes. The brown tabby she-cat blinked at him, her eyes slightly narrowed. She arranged her features into a look of slight hurt as the kit spoke in a barbed, guarded voice. She tutted gently under her breath, the sort of noise a pigeon might make to it's chick. "No need to take that tone, young man."

Rio sniffed him, leaning forward so that her angular muzzle slightly brushed his dark brown dappled fur. He stank of hunger and worry. She wondered if he could for himself. The thought of this young cat stumbling around, looking for prey, made her want to laugh. But she held back her mirth like a caged bird. Rio drew back, her eyes softening once again. "You look thirsty," she mewed, her voice kind but her mind calculating. "Why not take a drink? The water is perfectly safe, young one."[/blockquote][/size]

[Wolf]

Wolfpaw pulled away slightly as she leaned towards him. He nodded slowly. "Yep. I'm really going to drink it when it stinks of death." He blinked. "I may be young, but I'm no fool." He said.

[SHADE. :D]

rio.

in a crooked ^little town
they were lost and never found
fallen leaves fallen leaves

fallen leaves on the ground

[/right]

Rio would not let the tom's persiverance irritate her. She knew that she could outsmart him. It worked every time. She was just too good for them. The thought filled her with satisfaction and confidence. He was barely more than a newborn, squealing at his mother's flank. She flicked her tail and smirked, her indigo eyes darkening slightly. "Ooh, we have a clever little boy here, eh?" she mewed, voice soft and light. "Well, as you're such a clever little boy, I'll help you out." Rio dipped her head and drank several mouthfuls of the water. The rank taste did not bother her any longer; she was used to it.

"There, see? Perfectly safe," she mewed, flicking sparkling droplets from her whiskers. The pretty tabby shook herself, the smile never leaving her lips. She then fixed Wolfpaw with a pleading expression. "Now please, dear, have a drink," she wheedled. "I do hate to see a youngster in distress. Come on now." Rio watched Wolfpaw, her eyes large and persuasive. She flicked her tail, the white tip flashing like a neon light through the gloomy surroundings.[/blockquote][/size]

[Wolf]

"I'm not in distress. I'm looking for my mother. Now I have to go." Wolfpaw said determinedly. He was about to turn and walk away, but instead began to shuffle away sideways so he could still see Rio.

[SHADE. :D]

rio.

in a crooked ^little town
they were lost and never found
fallen leaves fallen leaves

fallen leaves on the ground

[/right]

Rio narrowed her beautiful eyes as the tom turned away. A tricky one, eh? Oh well. They were always more fun. The tabby she-cat took a couple of steps backward, her nose down and whiskers twitching. "Fair enough, dear," she called after him. Out of his sight, her eyes twinkled maliciously. "Oh, youngster, you're looking for your mother? But I have smelt a cat like you near my territory. Not you, of course. But like you. I could take you there, but..."

Rio shuffled her slender white paws on the skant grass. "I refuse to take you to my home unless you have a drink first. You look dead on your paws, and don't want anybody thinking that I did anything to you." The beautiful ochre tabby she-cat stepped back gracefully, her ears flat. "If you're self-conscious, I won't watch. Come on dear, you can trust me." Rio waited a moment, then added wistfully. "And I have been lonely these past moons... I'd love to help you find your mother, dear, but please... Have a drink."[/blockquote][/size]

[Wolf]

"Haven't we all been lonely these past moons?" Wolfpaw shook his head slowly. "Why should I trust you? If you really wanted to help me there wouldn't be any of this 'oh have a drink'. I mean, for all I know, you might push me in." He meowed.

[SHADE. :D]

rio.

in a crooked ^little town
they were lost and never found
fallen leaves fallen leaves

fallen leaves on the ground

[/right]

"You speak as if you know my pain." The words were tight, her eyes narrowed. She snorted at the young tom. He looked, what - six, seven moons old? And he was talking about loneliness. As if he knew, as if anybody knew... Rio remembered the look of terror on the striped white MoonClan warrior's face. She smirked. Yes. She would have them soon. All of them. All of those scum that murdered her family.

Rio regained her composure, remembering that Wolfpaw was there. She glared at the tom. She had scented a cat a lot like him, but not that recently. Besides, she couldn't be bothered to pretend any more. "Alright, you've annoyed me now, kid," she hissed, voice silky and dangerous. This was the voice she used when murder was lurking in her brain like a pike in waterweed. "You've got me all riled up. So, I suggest you scram, before I get really angry."[/blockquote][/size]

[Wolf]

Wolfpaw blinked. "Ok, I'll go." He said quickly. He began to scamper away, then meowed over his shoulder. "I'm sorry!" His large paws pummeled the earth beneath them as he continued to run.

[SHADE. :D]

rio.

in a crooked ^little town
they were lost and never found
fallen leaves fallen leaves

fallen leaves on the ground

[/right]

Rio watched the young tom go. She sat, licking dust from her snowy paws. She snorted as he scrambled into the distance. His yelled apology surprised her. What had he to apologize for? Yes, he was an ungrateful little boy... The brown tabby she-cat shook her pretty head, her indigo eyes briefly shutting. She ruffled out her striped tabby tail and yawned widely. She had had her fun for today.[/blockquote][/size]

[Wolf]

Wolfpaw slowed down until he was trotting along as he had been before. He was rather confused by the strange rogue, but he shoved those thoughts to the back of mind. He was tired, and his paws were starting to ache again. He had been walking all day and hadn't been able to find anything to eat either. He thought of his mother, gritted his teeth, and carried on.

[SHADE. :D]

spectre.

a ghost of you
is all that i have ^left
it's all that i have left

of you to hold

[/right]

Standing atop a small hillock, a thin white she-cat stood, her pale tail raised. Her pink nose was raised to sniff the breeze. She could scent a newcomer. By the smell of him, young and scared. Spectre remembered how she had felt when she had first arrived from the icelands. Weird. Unwanted. Different. Now she was pretty much like everyone else. But for her extra-thick fur, off accent, rock-hard pads... Spectre dragged her thoughts back to the present. She could now see, if she narrowed her ice blue eyes to slits, a faint dark brown blob in the distance, padding slowly beside the Acid Stream.

Spectre scrambled down from the grassy lump and trotted towards the cat in the distance. When she was nearer to him, she sat down to clean her snow-coloured fur. It was streaked with dust from her short run to get here. Spectre then stood up and slipped out of the dense bushes to greet him. "Hi!" she mewed, extending a slim paw in her usual greeting. She flicked her ears to let him know she was a friend. "I havn't seen you around here before. I'm Spectre. Are you alright?"[/blockquote][/size]

[Wolf]

Wolfpaw fell over in shock as Spectre appeared out of nowhere. Then he regained himself a little and got to his paws. "I'm fine. My name's Wolfpaw." he replied.

[SHADE. :D]

spectre.

a ghost of you
is all that i have ^left
it's all that i have left

of you to hold

[/right]

Spectre smiled at the young tom. "Sorry, Wolfpaw, didn't mean to startle you." The white she-cat's eyes misted over briefly. His name reminded her of her former life, with the ice clans, when she had been Spectrekit. She remembered Inkkit, her brother, and Maykit, her sister. But she hadn't belonged there. The white loner shook off the memories like a heavy coating of river water. "You sure?" she mewed, eyes narrowing slightly in anxiety. "You look hungry."

With a swift nod, Spectre slipped into the bushes. A few moments later she returned with a chaffinch in her mouth. She tossed the dead bird at Wolfpaw's feet and stood back, licking blood from her muzzle and spitting out a feather. She then sat down and nodded at the fresh kill. "Go on, eat." Spectre then folded her paws beneath her chest and lowered her tail. "So, lost your clan then, Wolfpaw?"[/blockquote][/size]

[Wolf]

Wolfpaw shuffled towards the prey, then began to eat. He looked up when Spectre spoke again. He shook his head. "No, I'm not part of a clan. My mother is a loner." He said.

[SHADE. :D]

spectre.

a ghost of you
is all that i have ^left
it's all that i have left

of you to hold

[/right]

Spectre licked her chest as Wolfpaw began to eat. The scent of the meat would have made her hungry, had she not eaten before leaving her cave this morning. The white she-cat smiled at Wolfpaw's words. "I thought you were a bit too far out for that," she mewed, stretching her forelegs out in front of her. "Where is your mother? Your still a bit young to be wandering around alone. It's not safe here. There's some nasty characters."[/blockquote][/size]

[Wolf]

Wolfpaw shrugged. "I don't know where she is. I'm looking for her." He replied.

[SHADE. :D]

spectre.

a ghost of you
is all that i have ^left
it's all that i have left

of you to hold

[/right]

Spectre's eyes widened. "No!" she mewed. "You can't be staying out here all alone. It get's awful cold out here in the night, even in summer. You could come back to my cave with me, for one night. It'd be warm in there. Cursico and Muffin pop in and out, but they're perfectly friendly." The she-cat rose again, flicking her tail. "Please. I'd hate to think of you out here all by your lonesome. I know how it feels." Spectre shivered as she remembered the moon she had spent alone before meeting Cursico. She was a refular hear now, thank StarClan. The white loner looked up at the cloudy blue sky and wondered whether her starry ancestors were looking down on Wolfpaw. She still believed in them, despite having left her clan in the ice lands and become a loner. And it seemed Wolfpaw had clan ties, or he wouldn't be called what he was.[/blockquote][/size]

[Wolf]

Wolfpaw hesitated. "Um...well...ok." He mewed uncertainly. He wasn't entirely sure he should just trust this cat, but she seemed a lot nicer than the other cat he had met.

[SHADE. :D]

spectre.

a ghost of you
is all that i have ^left
it's all that i have left

of you to hold

[/right]

Spectre smiled widely. "Great!" The white she-cat frowned at the horizon. "It's not that long a journey, so we should be there by evening." The white she-cat sprang upward, shaking each paw as though to get the blood running. She shook herself, have her shoulder a couple of licks, then turned in quick sucession. "This way!" Her voice was loud and clear through the afternoon air. Spectre set off, her paws light on the dark green grass. The plants she passed did not look healthy, fed by the dirty waters of the Acid Stream. "So, got any family?" Spectre began to talk companionably. "What's your mother's name? Not so sure I can remember mine. I remember a Banditmask, though."[/blockquote][/size]

[Wolf]

Wolfpaw followed after Spectre. "I only know my mother. I don't think I met anyone else. She's called Serpentsong." He meowed.

[SHADE. :D]

spectre.

a ghost of you
is all that i have ^left
it's all that i have left

of you to hold

[/right]

Spectre nodded as Wolfpaw spoke again. She frowned at what he said. She had never heard of a Serpentsong before, but... Wolfpaw claimed to be nothing to do with the clans, but both he and his mother had clan-type names. The loner she-cat decided not to mention it. This was a lost, scared young cat who needed help, not interregation. Spectre's paws plodded steadily against the grass. She narrowed her ice blue eyes, staring into the distance. A smile curled her lips. She could see the stone wall and the yawning black hole that was her cave. Her home. She increased her pace, glancing over her shoulder to see if Wolfpaw was still keeping up.[/blockquote][/size]

[Wolf]

Wolfpaw noticed Spectre speed up, and sped up too. "Are we nearly there?" He asked.

[SHADE. :D]

spectre.

a ghost of you
is all that i have ^left
it's all that i have left

of you to hold

[/right]

Spectre turned around as Wolfpaw spoke again. The white she-cat nodded, her ice blue eyes bright. "Yes, it's that cave over there." She flicked her tail towards the dark hole, before breaking into a graceful run. The white she-cat shot like a bullet over the grassy fields, her chin raised against the warm breeze. Her paws seemed to skim the daisies as she ran. Her tail flew up behind her as she leapt over a large fallen oak tree. Spectre skidded to a stop as her paws touched the stone floor of the cave. She winced a little as the rough ground scraped her paw pads. The white she-cat then glanced around happily. "Welcome to my humble abode, Wolfpaw," she mewed, grinning.[/blockquote][/size]

[Wolf]

Wolfpaw slowed to a stop beside Spectre and looked around taking in the new surroundings.
He turned to Spectre. "Who else did you say lived here?" he asked.

[SHADE. :D]

spectre.

a ghost of you
is all that i have ^left
it's all that i have left

of you to hold

[/right]

Spectre sat down on her own nest, which was decidedly messy. It was a pile of fresh moss, but beneath the deep green fronds drier pieces could be seen. It became clear that Spectre was not the tidiest cat in the world. The white she-cat stretched out her forelegs, scratching at the stone underpaw with her silver claws. "Cursico lives here part-time," she mewed with a smilr. "He's my closest friend, he is. Big, ginger. Not that bright but ever so friendly." Spectre smiled before continuing. "And Muffin, his sister. She visits now and then. Same as him, really, but cleverer." Spectre padded to the back of the cave, where several piles of moss sat. She clawed them together to make a large, fairly comfortable-looking nest, and dragged it so that it lay beside her own. "Here you go," she mewed, winking. "Best service in the forest, eh?"[/blockquote][/size]

[Wolf]

Wolfpaw smiled. "Thankyou." He mewed, clambering into the nest. "Don't you get lonely when Cursico and Muffin aren't here?" He asked.

[SHADE. :D]

spectre.

a ghost of you
is all that i have ^left
it's all that i have left

of you to hold

[/right]

Spectre watched Wolfpaw climb into the nest, her blue eyes warm. She lay on her own, rolling onto her back so that her paws were in the air and her eyes fixed on the gloomy stone ceiling of the cave. "Yes," she mewed. "But I never miss my old life. It was too traumatic, to... Dangerous." Spectre blinked, her thoughts swirling inside of her skull like the northern wind. "There was this rogue, Carner. He wouldn't let us have any peace. He killed my father." The words scraped at Spectre's heart. She remembered her father, the only one who hadn't given up on her when she had been stolen away by AvalancheClan. "So, ehat about you?"[/blockquote][/size]