sugar, we're goin' down [lark]

[frostpaw - *]

Sleep? Oh, no. Sleep was for kits.

It would have been sensible for Frostpaw to get some rest, but the elder's stories had him wide-eyed and awake, his mind envisioning everything they told him. Minnowtail had said she had crossed over WindClan only twice and was amazed by the steep, rolling hills and crisp breeze that blew her whiskers against her face. Her longtime mate, Shellfang, had said that it wasn't great. Just a bunch of hills that tired out of his bones and made his paws sore. Then... they began arguing.

What did that leave Frostpaw to do? Form his own opinion.

Sneaking out of camp was easy enough. The triangle of land that RiverClan called camp was surrounded by tangles of reed and water. Instead of simply walking out of camp to avoid being questioned, Frostpaw pressed his way through the water plants and reeds that made up the apprentice den, escaping through a thin patch of brambles. The white tom promised himself to patch it up when he got back... it was hard to be graceful when there were tangles of ivy trying to hold you back and the only option was to tug harder. Thankfully, Starlingpaw hadn't heard his ruckus (and if she did, she didn't call after him) and he made it out all in one piece. You couldn't really count the plants and leaves that now clung to his fur.

It was pretty stealthy, after all.

He stayed close to the lake, just as Minnowtail said she had done. Although he wasn't supposed to be out this late and unattended, no cat could attack him as long as he followed that rule. Frostpaw was confident in his abilities, but he was sure that he wouldn't be able to take on the speedy WindClan cats in their own territory so he opted to keep safe rather than lose an ear and fur for his great adventures.

In the distance, he could see the horseplace. He'd been there on border patrols but never past it. Until tonight. He could make out the shadowy figures of the horses as they stood and Frostpaw couldn't help but to wonder if their legs ever got tired. "Stay close to the lake," He reminded himself, prodding himself not to become distracted and go talk to the huge creatures. If you didn't mind being stared at as if you were a giant two-leg monster, they made great listeners.

As he continued to walk, the moon finally rose to its highest point in the sky. And by then, Frostpaw was becoming tired. Already, he had crossed a few of the hills and he was hesitantly agreeing with Shellfang. The slopes were dreadful. His hind legs ached and the wind blown at his face made him squeeze his eyes shut. The apprentice's pace slowed down as he saw something that reminded him of home.

"The Greenleaf 'place?" His voice was but a whisper as he crept forward, belly dragging the ground as he remained crouched. As he got closer, he saw that it was nothing like the one at home. The boards creaked as he walked over it and the bridge was broken. The wood that had fallen probably ages ago was sticking from the lake, covered in lake moss and other things he couldn't put a name to. "Alright, break time."

He flattened himself with a 'oomph' and stared out at the lake, the hypnotizing, calm waves reflecting in his different colored eyes. His lids became heavy and he blinked... once, twice... Frostpaw lifted his head some and shook his head before blinking again. Once... twice... thrice...

Snore...

Still covered in reeds from his camp and worn from his late-night travel when it was way beyond his sleep time, Frostpaw had dozed... on WindClan territory.

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[---L a r k p a w ||]

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Larkpaw yawned, oh what a dreary day it had been. She sniffed though the moon was glinting high in the sky and only the faintest hint of a storm in the air, something just didn't feel right to the multicolor-eyed kit. Something was just out of place. Ah! She knew, it was her sister wasn't it? Mothpaw was absent from her den yet again. She sighed, she felt as if she was the only responsible cat between the two of them. Well, she might as well deem it to be an adventure!

She pushed herself to her paws, taking a few precious moments to groom herself. Knowing her sister, she was probably venturing outside of camp, and if she, herself, came across another clan cat, she could at least look good couldn't she? No, she wasn't one of those cats who groomed because that's all they were made of, but she should at least look a bit respectable right? What would her clanmates think if she were to go burling out into clan grounds looking like a lost hedgehog? She didn't think that she'd earn any more or less forgiveness anyway.

Licking her lips, she tried to look as inconspicuous as possible heading toward the dirt-place. Her mouth watered as she passed the fresh-kill pile, but she wanted to find her sister quickly, half to reprimand her for going out alone, and half for not inviting her along as well. How dare she forget her? Do she not count either?! Carefully, she picked her way across the dirt-place, wrinkling her nose at the small. and finally she was out of camp.

The first thing she did was stop and sniff the fresh air, well away from her starting point of course. Yes, a hint of a storm was coming she could assume. It made her feel a bit hesitant. Eeek! What was that? the noise of wood breaking and a shadow passing over her made her freeze. What the heck? turning around slowly, she saw a tree. Mousedung, I'm afraid of a stupid little tree? Grumbling, she let her paws guide her toward her sister's' scent. She had to admit, this place was a far too open How could WindClan cats ever stand not to have at least a bush for cover? No, what am I thinking? I am WindClan cat, I like it don't I? I mean, I belong here. I shouldn't want to live somewhere else, they'd scorn me in any clan anyway...She was loyal to WindClan, that much was clear. Something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye, the pale waxing moon beat down upon her pelt and sparkled on the nearby stream. Curious, she bent over so that his reflection glowed when she bent down for a quick drink. Small silver fish swam by, not enough for a meal, but enough for a small hungry she-cat. Her stomach rumbled just at the thought. Larkpaw circled, or rather jumped across the mini-stream back and forth. There was a small gully under the water where she could see the tiny fish. So beautiful, she murmured, So....different, the speckled fish swam in small groups, and unlike the usual gray-silver fish that she saw were brought back to RiverClan's camp, they were rainbow colored, glinting in the small rays of sunlight that snuck under the gully, welcoming them like a long lost friend.

She sat down, careful not to let her shadow fall into the stream like what the elders advised her to do if she ever went out fishing. Though, it was a bit uncommon for WindClan to fish, it wasn't banned and her eyes glinted; quickly claws unsheathed ready for a catch. She stared at the small fish unmoving. Her eyes were soft and filled with wonder at the weird way the fish acted. Weren't fish usually independent? Didn't they just, you know, fend for themselves? She never saw them in 'clans' like her own when she had traveled near a river or stream. Then again, she didn't usually come this way for hunting or border patrol so she never really would have seen it, and so far, she hadn't been this far out of camp in some time --well....except a few couple of days ago, but that didn't really count, did it?

The wind soared through the trees, making her pelt rustle. It was leaf-fall, and the creamy whiteness that covered the tree tops and grass at her feet, was slowly starting to gather. The atmosphere lost its density, making it hard to breathe. When one blew outward, one could see the steam from his or her warm breath, radiating in the air. She didn't understand why the fish were out. It was pretty cold, even if today was warmer than usual. Except for the drastic temperature change, everything was normal. Shee smiled at the image of soft coldness raining from the sky.

Snow.

That was what it was called right? Amazing. She had heard tales from the elders that the streams and rivers usually froze when it was cold, sure, it was leaf-fall, but it was still freezing. She shivered as she looked out across the territory. Oops, standing, she accidentally let her shadow fall into the water, scattering the fish. Larkpaw sniffed, she wasn't RiverClan anyway, but then again, it was nice to try.

Wait . . . she had to look for Mothpaw right? She continued to follow the trail; Suddenly, the wind picked up, whipping past her ears. Something seemed to be calling to her. She was alert now, cautions on all levels, her ears were pricked up for the slightest noise, and she kept her mouth open for the scents. What was she thinking? She narrowed her eyes and stalked forward, she was going out of WindClan territory! She should stop! But her paws continued forward.

The lake was drawing her in. Dammit, StarClan; why would they put her, a cat naturally drawn to water, in WindClan. Don't get her wrong; she loved her clan . . . but water --she was attracted to it too easily. She pricked her ears again, and when she was forty-five percent sure no cat was around she relaxed a bit and held her eyes to the lake. While her pupils were captivated and attentive; her ears and paws apparently weren't.

Snore . . .

It took all of her pride and willpower to not jump four fox-tails into the air was a sound rumbled almost directly below her. She looked down. She hastily swept back a few paces, and then a few more at the image in front of her. It was a cat; obviously not one from her clan. Her one blue eye and one green eye stared apprehensiveness at the tom, because there was no doubt, a male he was.

She started at his complex. His fur was stark white and from the few seconds of slightly stepping upon him, she knew it was extremely soft. Thank StarClan he didn't awake. He looked rather . . . strong. She sniffed . . . and smelled rather fishy. AH, no doubt as well, he was RiverClan.

Should she wake him up? She decided it was her best option. I mean, he was sneaking out as well right? They muse have something in common (she had forgotten all about stalking Mothpaw, who by the way was sleeping safely in her den). But what if he attacked her? She could run away quickly if she were out of reach.

She suffled back a few steps more. Checking her surroundings, she noticed a few small pebbles, light enough to flick with her tail. She tried it . . . . and they landed behind him . . . or in front of him . . . or beside him. Angered, she looked around once again, and spotted a relatively long stick. dragging it with her mouth, she shuffled over again. Angling it, she started poking him.

Alright, not her best, or brightest for that matter, idea; but, she had to say, it was quite interesting . . . but a little . . . awkward.

So there you have it. What a sight --under the pale waxing, crescent moon with a very pretty lake at her right, her territory at her left, the wind blowing by, and her poking a slightly random apprentice from RiverClan with a stick she had found near by. Interesting, no?

ooc. I . . . . think I was high on sugar when I wrote this. Oh, and, where'd you get the Thread Name? 0-0 Ahaha

--Evening

[frostpaw - *]

He was just laying down across the bridge despite his urge to scout the entire of WindClan territory as quickly as he could. If he remembered correctly, the bridge was broken so.. why was it whole in front of him? Frostpaw rose to his full height, back arching as he stretched, limbs pulling in front of him as sleep washed away from him. The moon was whole, brighter than the crescent that illuminated the night sky just a few heartbeats ago. The apprentice took no heed of it and began down the bridge, suppressing a shiver as the cool breeze tickled beneath his fur. The lake water shimmered beneath him as it lapped at the legs of the bridge and it continued to creak beneath him, almost eerily. Frostpaw cringed a few times at the noise, but suddenly, was more concerned with the sound of sudden 'clacks' - almost as if somecat was tossing stones at him. (If only he knew.)

Snorting, Frostpaw ignored it, continuing along his way until - "Ouch! Holy kittens, StarClan!" Some unseen object had scored him right between the ears and a subtle thrumming ran along his skull. Frostpaw whipped around, glaring behind him. He should have been worried, searching for the threat. but right now, the ache in his head told him to confront that furball head on and give them a pawful of claws. If he could find them, that is. Nothing was behind him, not even the bridge... where had it gone? "Wanna play kit-games, huh? Well alright, we ca-"

Something blunt prodded at his back, then his thigh, gentle at first, then with a little more force. Confused, Frostpaw whirled back around to find the lake swimming away from him, the bridge completely gone. The only plank left over was the single one that remained on WindClan land and soon, it vanished.

He went tumbling... sinking... falling...

The apprentice had long since rolled over onto his side after being poked with the stick. His paws flailed at the air and the side of face rubbed the ground. The white tom's eyes shot open finally and gasped, hurriedly jumping to his feet. The sleek, short fur on his back had stood up in a firm ridge and it was then that Frostpaw realized he was dreaming.

"Wait. That means I was sleeping."

Everything around him looked the same so he couldn't have been there long. The moon was still glowing high in the sky, none of dawn's colorful streaks painting the starry canvas. "Whew, that could've turned out a lot worse." The couple minutes of rest had done wonders and already, he felt as if he could traverse the rest of the hills and back through his own camp. If he was so awake, it was a wonder that he hadn't realized the she-cat behind him... until he turned around.

Frostpaw's expression morphed from one of pure content to shocked, confused, unabashed panic. His jaw dropped and he took in a quick breath of her scent, pairing it with the already strong WindClan smell that flooded his senses. It was no wonder he didn't know she was there, Frostpaw couldn't tell left from right here - everything was just so foreign. "I can explain," He started, giving the she-cat a quick once-over. A she-cat, obviously, from her small, lithe build. She had legs that looked made for running and her tan fur rippled lighter and darker in the moonlight and from the nightly shadows that hung over them. Frostpaw met her gaze, ready to continue, but seemed to be at a loss for words upon seeing blue and green. "Your eyes!" He shrunk back. That didn't come out right.

"Eh, that sounded rude. What I was trying to say was that... they're different! Like mi-" The stick in her mouth. She had been the one prodding at him like a kit would a leaf or bug. Frostpaw's expression took on one of smug amusement and he reached forward to paw the twig from her jaws. There was just so much going on right now. He still didn't know whether he should turn tail and dart back to his territory, ramble over the fact that they had similarities, or chastise her for stabbing him (well, not stabbing, exactly, but Frostpaw saw it that way). For now, he'd go with the latter. "Were you trying to kill me!?" Frostpaw finally asked, nodding down towards the stick. "You could have got me in the ear, or even worse, poked an eye out! Mines or yours!" Ever the dramatic, the white apprentice couldn't help but to let out a harmless smile. All the while, he had started to slink away, hoping to dart off when he got the chance.

"Say, your not with... anyone else are you?" Still, he hadn't taken his fixed gaze off the other set of odd-eyes.

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She had to stifle an urge to giggle as he tossed and turned at her poking. Ha! It was too funny; she continued her torture until he jumped up. It was so sudden that it was a wonder Larkpaw didn't drop her torture weapon, and instead she retreated a few more paces. He didn't seem to notice her, as it seemed he had been dreaming and was still groggy. While his back was turned, she had to admire the fact that someone like him would sneak out so late at night just to sleep near the lake. Well, he was RiverClan. She sniffed, and was startled when she heard his voice.

As her eyes focused, all she could see was the expression of complete shock, who knew someone could put in such emotion into an expression. She gripped the stick harder in her mouth. He started stuttering, letting out one of those common 'I-can-explain-even-though-I-have-no-real-excuse' sort of speeches. Oh how many had she heard that from Mothpaw and even had found it being uttered from her lips?

She tried to hold his gaze to show him that she was the one in right here, but his eyes moved quickly around her, as if he were sizing her up. Did he want a battle? Well, if he wanted a battle, she certainly wouldn't flee. He suddenly looked up and held her gaze --though she wasn't really paying attention, more like seeing through him, lost in thought.

Your eyes! he had exclaimed. Jolted out of her thoughts, she immediately looked away. What was wrong with them? Were they that weird? She blinked a few times; had he not seen a cat with multi-colored eyes? She certainly wasn't one to be surprise when cats started staring at her eyes. They were different --rare. She had never really liked them; she couldn't tell why, it just made her seem . . . out of place, even her clanmates now had trouble breaking their gaze away from her face. It was irritating, as well as embarrassing and shameful.

She felt as if she should go on offensive. How were his eyes better than hers? Though she really didn't get a look at them yet, his voiced seemed filled with shock. Even if he wasn't from her clan; it still hurt a little. They're different! That did it.

So what? she snapped, What's wrong with them? Just because they're different doesn't mean they're bad. She looked down, ashamed. She knew she was being stupid, but the reaction had stupefied her a bit.

She knew it wasn't good to fight, so she had kept any source of making her mad away from him; but when he had accused her of almost "killing" him.

Excuse me, she tried to make her voice calm, I'm not the one trespassing on some other clan's territory. You're just lucky I didn't decide to shred you on the spot! And thank you very much for your concern, but I am pretty sure I can hold a stick and poke an apprentice without getting either of us in the eye, which, by the way, I was poking your back there's . . . . she looked him in the eye (finally) and trailed off.

Oh look, they were multi-colored, gold and blue.

She suddenly felt ashamed. And although she was still mad, she calmed down a bit, softening her voice. I'm sorry, that was uncalled for . . . . no . . . . there is no one with me. I mean we don't usually do patrols at moonhigh to fight off RiverClan's spies, she offered a smile, that she couldn't help from escaping her mouth.

This . . . may sound weird, but I promise I won't tell anyone . . . . I mean, well, I'm bored, you see, and . . . um, she cleared her throat, Why are you here? Are you . . . bored, like me? she almost flushed, I don't believe it's just because you wanted to see the lake.

Ironically, that was her reason for her appearance here; but what was his? This strange multi-color eyed apprentice was too intriguing of a subject to just let off.

ooc. SUUUUUUUUUUUUCKS

--Evening

[frostpaw - *]

She snapped.

Frostpaw withstood the WindClan cat's verbal tirade, wondering just what in StarClan he said that made her react like that! He had said they were different, but different wasn't always bad. The white apprentice had meant it in a good way, referring to himself in the meantime. Apparently, she hadn't gotten the mention. As her head lowered, she seemed almost ashamed and Frostpaw inwardly cringed. Had he brought up some memory or insecurity? "I'm sorry, okay? I'm a fish-bellied jerk for even saying anything." It wasn't as if she was yelling at him, but making another cat feel bad - unless he was extremely angry - wasn't something that Frostpaw liked to have on his conscious. He had almost continued on with his apology until she had 'politely' excused herself.

The apprentice went rigid as she brought up shredding him and trespassing and being perfectly capable of poking other apprentices with sticks. "Oh? So this isn't your first time stabbing unsuspecting cats? Y'know, that's a really weird hobby." Frostpaw was hoping to avoid an confrontation and he laughed good-naturedly, eyes closing briefly as his jaws were parted with the sound. When he had opened them again, her multi-colored gaze had met his own and Frostpaw held the brief stare, having long since noticed that her speech had died down. Was that why? Did she finally understand his comparison now? He couldn't really blame her, if there was someone roaming on his territory, he wouldn't pay much attention to details like somecat's eye color.

Frostpaw was satisfied when her tone had calmed. He accepted her apology easily and closed the space between them once she confirmed there was no one else with her. His apprehension seemed to fade, the promise of running back to his territory absent from his paws. Now, he just wanted to finish his trek across WindClan territory and get to know the fellow apprentice. Frostpaw smiled at being called a spy. "If I was spying, you never would have found me! Then again, WindClan doesn't seem to have many hiding places so I came ready," He shook a few sandy colored reeds from his back, glancing down at the dried plant life. They were itchy and he honestly didn't know they were there until he felt like fleas had taken over his coat. That smile of hers was infectious and Frostpaw returned it with his own boyish grin.

This . . . may sound weird, but I promise I won't tell anyone . . . . I mean, well, I'm bored, you see, and . . . um,"

[/i] She paused to clear her throat throughout her stammers and Frostpaw eagerly awaited for her to continue, adding his own commentary in between - "Ooh, sharing secrets already, are we?" - before she finished, Why are you here? Are you . . . bored, like me? I don't believe it's just because you wanted to see the lake.

A promise was a promise and Frostpaw was holding her to it. He felt obliged to tell her why he was on her territory, however. Knowing that she wouldn't go running to the leader pushed him even more to come out with it. "Not exactly bored but two of the elders told me about WindClan. One said it was wonderful and the other said the hills were real hard on the legs." He shifted his own paws beneath him, remembering the ache he felt after traversing the first few slopes. His legs were thick and slender, but so much better for swimming rather running. "I couldn't leave it at just that so I came out here on my own. The lake's over-rated. I see enough water back at home. Try living in between two rivers." Frostpaw loved his home, but a change of scenery was nice after a while.

"So now, that leads me to you. Yeah, you were bored, but where were you heading to, strange she-cat of WindClan?" It was an indirect way of asking for another cat's name, but Frostpaw was pretty sure that it would get his point across. "I'm Frostpaw."
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