Pull me higher... [open]

[midnightstar]

Midnighteyes
| Shadowclan Warrior |

The young-looking, black she-cat was silent. She was never really social with many cats, which made others worried. She never talked to any cat. No one. It was un-natural for a cat not to talk to anyone. At least, that was what other thought. She just never had anyone to talk to, as no one came up to her. That was why she was so silent, and non-outgoing. She wasn't even that flirty. She was just... dull. With her plain, black fur. And her dark eyes. No one really wanted to hang around her either. Midnighteyes sighed as she padded over to the fresh-kill pile, her stomach aching for a crow. She took a large crow away from the pile of kills. Her eyes staring at the ground as she dragged the crow on the ground. She let out a small sigh as she sat down, not caring if anyone would come over to her or not. She took a bite out of the large prey, smirking as she tasted the warm body against her tongue. The crow was pretty fresh, since one of the hunting patrols had just went out recently. She wanted to share this large crow with someone, but she didn't know who exactly. Maybe the Cricketleap, the medicine cat of Shadowclan, would come over and share with her. But it was very un-likely since he was always busy with herbs and everything else. She yawned, taking another bite out of the crow, soon becoming full. So she pushed the crow to the side, laying her head on her paws and rolling over, staring up at the clouds blankly.

[cricketleap.]

"Cricketleap, there is something I need to tell you..." A whispery voice spoke. The gray-and-white tom opened his eyes and stared into the blackness. His pink dappled nose twitched. Something that smelled like death - but more mysterious - wafted past his nostrils, making his lips curl. He tried to speak, but no matter how hard he tried, his mouth stayed shut. It was like it was stitched together by something invisible. "Cricketleap, pay attention, you daft kit! There is danger among the Clans!" Still his mouth wouldn't open, but he would have liked to ask what it was that was so threatening. It was a necessity to know, for Cricketleap's life revolved around his Clan. ShadowClan. "Cricketleap, there are cats among you that wish to harm you! Kill you, even!" As soon as the cat spoke these words, ShadowClan's medicine cat was instantly shocked. Who would want to kill him? No, what? What had he done wrong? He was doing what was best for his Clan, and looking after his Clanmates better than himself! "Oh Cricketleap..." The cat growled impatiently. It sounded like he was talking to an apprentice, actually, instead of the medicine cat. "You still don't know who I am? Don't you recognize your own mentor's voice?" Suddenly, a huge tom stepped out of the shadows. He had a fire-orange pelt, with faint reddish stripes and big black paws. His colors and markings resembled a fox, plus his huge size. The way he swaggered over to Cricketleap made him shiver. Something about this tom was frightening, yet relieving. It was his own mentor, Foxtrot! There were scars on the old cat's muzzle from battles when he was still living. He had a limp when he walked, as if his leg had broken, but it never healed properly. "It looks like you finally know who I am. But this is no time for a happy reunion, Cricketleap. Like I said before, there are cats wanting your body dead. They wish to become the medicine cat. They are all around you, apprentice. Look." Foxtrot looked all around him, so Cricketleap copied his mentor by doing the same. Around him were bodies, but in the darkness, he could not tell who was who. Their eyes glinted with undisguised hatred, so sharp that it almost made him flinch. Some cats were the size of kits, some were even bigger than Cricketleap.

"W-who are they?" he stammered. Finally he could speak. As his words tumbled around him, the cats started to look around and growl. They grew madder and crazier, demon faces twisted with rage. The cats couldn't find their prey. Yet.

"Hush! Do not speak, or they will find you and kill you here, even though you are in a dream! Just listen to me, Cricketleap. Don't trust any cat. Not one. For they could be one of these cats that wish to kill you, and the moment you trust them... BOOM! You're dead. Be careful!" Foxtrot hissed, wildness glittering in his eyes. "I got this message from my former mentor a couple of days before I died, but I didn't have time to share it with you until now." The darkness, Cricketleap realized, was beginning to fade into light. The evil cats had disappeared, and replaced with white. Foxtrot was dissolving, but he slipped past a few words before he was gone. "Decoys. Cricketleap, these cats are decoys." And then his mentor was gone. The tom cay snapped away, his eyes sparkling with fear. Even though he was at his own camp, terror gripped his heart. Gulping in fresh, clean air, he stumbled to his paws and padded out of his den. A cool fall breeze ruffled his fur. He was glad that it was finally cool outside. A couple of stray golden-brown leaves lay in the center of the clearing. It was still greenleaf, but it was starting to feel like leaf-fall. Soon leaf-bare was going to come. Cricketleap wasn't looking forward to the day that greencough would invade the camp and steal lives, like it always did. There was a day that rolled by that Cricketleap didn't worry for his Clan. But they want to kill me! his mind screamed in his head. That was when he remembered his dream. He looked around the clearing, and saw a lone black cat, laying there and eating a huge crow. Cricketleap kinda felt sorry for her since she was all by herself, but maybe she was a decoy, and that's what she wanted him to think. But he decided to speak with his Clanmate, even though his old mentor had told him not to trust a single soul. Foxtrot was dead. He couldn't tell Cricketleap what to do anymore. He wasn't an apprentice - he was a full medicine cat. The lumbering tom strolled over to the she-cat, who was named Midnighteyes. Her pelt was dark as shadows, which only increased Cricketleap's fear of her being a decoy. It also reminded him of his dream. "Hi, Midnighteyes. How are you?" He laid down in front of the black-furred she-cat. He wasn't very hungry, but as he looked at the crow, his stomach growled very softly. As he looked around, he realized no other cat was around.

[Peachblossom<3]

~Sweetheart~Shy~Introverted~Quiet~Pretty
Peachblossom

Peachblossom didn't mean to intrude, but noticed Cricketleap laying by a crow near Midnight eyes. A blush creeped up to her whiskers, but she looked away. She didn't understand why she was nervous around the medicine cat. Was it because he was handsome? No. How about his intelligence? Nope. It was unknown, this feeling she had, and it made her uncomfortable. The sweet calico padded softly over to where the om lay, picking up a canary she had caught herself along the way. Yawning, she relaxed on the forest floor and took a tiny bite out of the delicious kill.

"Hello there Cricketleap, how is your day treating you?" Peach whispered, sweeping her delicate tail across the soft grass. Her green eyes twinkled and shined in the afternoon light. This rare speaking moment hardly ever occured, considering how near mute the shadowclan warrior was. but it felt, however, that something similar to courage was gathering up inside of her. Did it have to do with her strange unknown feeling? Taking a nibble of her bird's yellow feathers, she remained silent for another moment or two. A soft purr rumbled in her throught at the mere touch of Cricketleap's pelt agianst hers. Emerald eyes met emerald eyes, and she blinked slowly.

What is going on with me today...am I going insane? Peach wondered before she ventured at speaking to her clanmate once agian. "Would you like a bite of my canary? It is extremely delicous, if you want to give it a go." She looked away, and smiled while blushing even more. She had never felt like this before, even though she had known Cricket scince he was a 'paw. She nudged the fresh-kill closer to her friend and accidentaly brushed her tail over his. She moved it hastily, and blushed from nose to tail tip. Her calico pelt had some dirt splayed on it, so she gave it a few quick licks for good measure. Why do I feel like this?

[midnightstar]

Midnighteyes
| Shadowclan Warrior |

The lean, black she-cat was almost finished with her crow as she saw the medicine cat, Cricketleap, pad over to her. Her Greenish Yellow eyes were filled with warmth for the medicine cat, but her dark pelt showed nothing, no emotion. She looked up as Cricketleap sat in front of her and spoke. The tom looked troubled, which made her feel worried for the medicine cat. I mean, Cricketleap was the medicine cat of Shadowclan. She wanted to know what was worrying him. She soon meowed, "Greetings Cricketleap." She smiled soon after, hoping he would be less worried if she smiled. Her tail curled around her small paws.

The she-cat flicked her ears as another she-cat had come to join them. Midnighteyes sighed, pinning her ears back as the she-cat spoke to Cricketleap without letting her speak first. She soon heard the female offer Cricketleap a canary. She looked over at her crow, lowering her head as she saw only, about a quarter of the crow was left. She flicked her tail at the crow, looking back at the medicine cat. Her eyes still filled with warmth toward the tom. She kept her ears pinned against her head, her jaws letting out a sigh once again. She mewed to the tom also, "Mhm, how has your day been?" She then waited for him to answer, only if he wanted to. She blinked a couple of times before falling silent, so she could hear what the tom would have to say.

[cricketleap.]

Cricketleap laid down in front of Midnighteyes, hunger gnawing at his belly. But he was too shy to ask for the last bits of the huge black grow sitting between her black paws. Shyly looking away from her, when he turned his head a bit he saw Peachblossom approaching him. He sighed. Looking at another cat reminded him, once again, of his dream. Or rather, nightmare. Fear pulsed through his chest. Perhaps Peachblossom was just a decoy, but she was covering it up by being so kind to every cat? As much as he feared these new threats, he couldn't bring himself to believe that the sweet calico she-cat was a decoy. Midnighteyes, maybe. But not Peachblossom. Especially not her. He eyed her as she picked up a yellow canary from the fresh-kill pile. Much to his dismay, she started to carry it over to him and the black-furred warrior, Midnighteyes. Heaving a silent sigh of frustration, Cricketleap returned his gaze to the black bird a couple of mouse lengths from his nose. But he couldn't concentrate, because he felt something move next to him, and in the corner of his eye, saw Peachblossom. Her fur mixed into his until they were both one fat cat. Gray-and-white combined with calico patterns. Fear crackled and fizzed off of his pelt. He took in a gulp of clean greenleaf air. The green-eyed tom was starting to feel nervous around the two she-cats, unlike something he felt before. It was an odd feeling, sometime he hadn't felt in awhile. He disliked the feeling. No, not disliked it. He loathed it. And he wanted it to go away, no matter the cost. Not trying to be rude, he scooted away from Peachblossom, hoping that she wouldn't notice the sudden change of air and warmth. He didn't like the feeling of love. It had cost him his heart before. The medicine cat looked down and fumbled with his paws. Suddenly his appetite had vanished.

"Er, good, thanks." His voice had cracked. He cleared his throat. "Sure, t-thank-you, Peachblossom." The way her beautiful name rolled off of his tongue sickened him. It wasn't just because he was shy - it was something else, too. But he didn't know what yet. It reminded him of a feeling that he had long ago, only it wasn't exactly the same. Ruffling his thick coat, he leaned down and took a quick, sharp bite of the canary. In the process of doing it so swiftly, his neck hurt. He chewed the bird thoughtfully, then closed his eyes. He opened them a moment later when he heard Midnighteyes speak. "Greetings, Cricketleap," she mewed. The gray-and-white tom wasn't one for words, so he dipped his head politely toward her. Nervousness clawed at his gut when he did so. For some reason, it felt like he had done something wrong. He looked up to see the black she-cat smiling toward him. No way she could be a decoy with such a sweet smile like that. She's too nice! But still - Foxtrot told me not to trust a single cat. And I can't make an exception for anyone. Especially of one in my Clan. I trust him because he's my mentor, and he's in StarClan. But sometimes he won't always be right. Maybe this is the time where he is wrong. Even so, he knew he had to be cautious for the sake of himself and his Clan. "It's been good, thank-you, Midnighteyes. And how's yours been? What about you, Peachblossom?" As he said the patchworked she-cat's name, he felt that weird thing again. He didn't know what was up, but he knew it would lead to trouble. Just like the last time.


OOC: I'm very sorry for the shortness. I was rushing it because I'm tired, and I was motivated to post in this thread, so I did.

[hollowstep]

Hollowstep emerged into camp, eyes blank and incidentally, hollow. A lean squirrel dangled from his mouth, which he deposited on the fresh-kill pile quietly. The tom was never one for many words, often appearing detached and distant from his Clanmates. Many cats thought it odd, since Hollowstep used to be such an outgoing cat. Until the day he seemed to have had a nervous breakdown and flee from camp; which at that time Cricketleap had inspected him and speculated that he had suffered a blow to the head, which may have caused some minor memory loss. That had been approximately a moon ago, and since then, Hollowstep had grown accustomed to Clanlife. He had memorized the Warrior Code and understood how things were done around here, lying to rest any suspicions some cats held against him. He would rather adapt to the knowledge of this not being his life than facing hostility from the cats who were convinced he was the cat named "Hollowstep." So he'd taken on the name and played the part, although his silent nature remained. Despite what seemed like him not being aware of his surroundings, Hollowstep was quite observant, even strangely so. This was demonstrated by how his attention was acutely drawn while he turned, only to catch Cricketleap and two she-cats on the edge of his vision. The tom turned, and although his face was void of emotion, one may assume it was out of curiousity; otherwise he wouldn't bother. Hollowstep looked at the intriguing scene of kind Midnighteyes and shyly sweet Peachblossom: with poor, nervous Cricketleap between them.

A remarkable thing happened then. Hollowstep's formerly blank face morphed into one of expression and emotion, bringing everything to the surface. It looked out of place on him, causing his knowing grin to make him appear demented. It was a rare thing indeed, and one might even be shocked by Hollowstep's ability to show such emotion. The brown tabby drifted over, his steps soundless. Hollowstep was known for his near flawless stalking ability, since he took great care in being silent. In fact, it had become so natural for him that it was second nature; he didn't need to try at it, it just happened. He approached the three cats, dipping his head in greeting. Poor Cricketleap; only especially smooth toms could possibly handle this. Hollowstep was glad he wasn't the medicine cat right now; though somewhere deep down inside, a foreign feeling of longing and desire sparked. That seemed to happen a lot; Hollowstep experiencing feelings about a certain event that he had no clue about where they had came from. It was like there were two different cats in this body, both fighting for dominance. Mentally shaking these thoughts away, he refocused on the three before him. "May I join you?" The request may have been a surprising one to hear from Hollowstep, and even the tom himself sounded unsure. His voice was quiet yet steady, although there was a hint of uncertainty there, as if the speaker was not used to hearing his own voice. Without waiting for an answer, Hollowstep settled himself down so he was facing the three cats.

"So Peachblossom," he meowed, suddenly becoming more comfortable with hearing himself speak. "have you gone hunting recently? The forest is filled with prey, surprisingly. I only caught the squirrel because it had an injured back paw. Any time I tried to catch something a bird overhead would hear me or prey nearby would become aware of my presence and skitter away, scaring off my intended target as well. It's like they're relishing the cool air beneath the pines." The words just tumbled off his tongue like liquid, flowing and calm. Hollowstep had recently come to realize this talent for conversation, a hidden skill he'd discovered about himself. It may have been sneakily obvious to Cricketleap what Hollowstep was doing, although not so apparent to Peachblossom or Midnighteyes. Hollowstep, sensing the awkwardness of the whole thing, decided to try to keep Peachblossom's attention on something else other than Cricketleap for a little while. Not that the plan was foolproof, mind you, but it might make Cricketleap more comfortable to know the spotlight wasn't glaring down on him as much. Hollowstep's green-yellow eyes flicked to Cricketleap meaningfully, and a shadow of a smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. When it came to she-cats, sometimes toms had to stick together.

[Peachblossom<3]

~Sweetheart~Shy~Introverted~Quiet~Pretty
Peachblossom

Turning to Hollowstep, who had recently joined the three cats, Peachblossom smiled. The churning feeling faded slightly when she saw another tom, and that puzzled her. Was it only for Cricketleap she felt this way? Swishing her tail back and forth, her calico pelt ruffled and she gave it a couple licks for good measure. She brethed and replied to the other Shadowclan tom. "Well, I do enjoy a little hunting. I have excelled at tha since I was a mere apprentice. Ah, how I miss those days. So easy...nothing else to worry about..." Even though Peach's comment was directed at Hollowstep, her eyes flited back and forth from him to Cricketleap. A blush tingled on her muzzle and spread all the way down to her tail. She smiled at Cricket and blinked her yellowish eyes at him happily. The horrible churning feeling had faded into a strangly chipper one, and she felt filled with glee at the mere thought of the medicine cat. Is this feeling going to keep giving me mood swings? Am I sick? What the starclan is this feeling?! The pretty warrior shook her head slightly, but not too noticable. And, then she turned to face Cricketleap agian and smiled shyly, fiddling with her paws nervously. She realized she hadn't answered his question about her day. Hastily, she whispered in that delicate tone of hers, and blushed even redder. "My day has been fine. Not the best day, but good enough for me." Peachblossom was one of the only cats in Shadowclan that would come right out and admit when she has a bad day. Most would just stick with the old "fine" and be done with it, but the calico didn't like to decive her friends. It was quite rare that Peach was talking this much that day, considering how quiet she was normally. She guessed Cricketleap just brought out the best in her. She passed a glance at him as he was chomping into her canary she caught. She was glad he enjoyed it, and reached over to take a bite as well. White she nipped off a peice of flesh, their noses touched for an instant, and the warrior withdrew hasitly, hoping she didn't worry him. Then it hit her. This feeling...was a crush! No, no, no, NO!!! She thought worridly, her pelt heating up as fast as a cat wih fever. Not the medicine cat, not Cricketleap. Not anyone! He calico pelt looked perfectly fine, but she licked it quickly and stood up silently. She sat upright instead of laying down, and gave her paws a few licks while mulling her new crush over in her head.

Flicking her tail, she looked at Hollowstep. Why couldn't she like him? He was a nice warrior, handsome, kind. She attempted to look at him that way, but she couldn't bring herself to. Cricketleap was also handsome and kind, but he wasn't a warrior. She wished desperatly for these feelings to leave, but they wouldn't. She decided to act like everything was normal. Turning to Midnighteyes, she spoke quietly. "Um...how is your day Midnighteyes? I saw you coughing a little earlier, are you sick? I had a cough a couple days ago, I hope you didn't get it from me." It was true. Peachblossom did have a little cough, but she tried to ignore it the best she could. She attempted to take her mind off Cricketleap by talking to Midnighteyes, but it failed miserably. Talking about sickness made her think of Cricketleap, who healed cats and kits every day. Oh Cricketleap, do you feel the same way? Peachblossom wondered, and even though he was the medicine cat, she hoped maybe a spark or two could flow between them. But it was usless. Don't think the pretty she-cat didn't notice him scooting away from her earlier. But that didn't matter to her now. If healing and keeping away from her made him happy, she would cope with that. All she wanted was for the handsome medicine cat to be happy. Turning to Hollowstep, she smiled, but her gaze flitted back and forth from the gray and white medicine cat, to the warrior. Twitching her calico patched tail back and forth, she blushed, embaressed at her new crush. She felt like attacking something, to release her feelings. But she couldn't bear too. She was too sweet to think that. Laying back down, she sighed, knowing what she wanted could never be. Cricketleap, what have you done to me?

OOC: Sorry for shortness. I could do better.XD And welcome to the thread Hollowstep! Just so you know, I picture Peachblossom as sounding a little british and quiet. Ok? Hope that helps! And Cricketleap? Peachblossom is very, very shy and trying to contain her feelings. Keep that in mind when replying.:)

[midnightstar]

Midnighteyes
| Shadowclan Warrior |

The young she-cat was soon laying back down as she saw the others lay down. Her black tail curled back around her. She saw another cat join them, a tom by the name of Hollowstep. Her eyes looked like a dark brown at the moment as the sun had started setting. Soon, another tom had joined the group of cats. The she-cat was surrounded by cats almost, she didn't really like the feeling of being covered. She kind of liked being by herself at times, but she was glad some have come to notice her alone. Hearing what Cricketleap said, she answered him, "Oh, I guess my day is like usual.. bad." Cricketleap should know why she had replied with that answer. It was completely obvious. Her dark eyes soon showed nothing, nothing at all. They were... blank, like usual now. The only thing that she really did today was hunt, hunt hunt hunt.... nothing exciting has happened at all. Ah well, She guessed that was fine. But i'm sick of hunting, for once, I would love to just go explore, nothing more but to do that. She was sounding like a measly apprentice, not that all are like that..

Midnighteyes soon looked away from the cats as she put her head on her paws, letting out a soft sigh. They might have heard her, but she didn't care. She was a bit tired from hunting today and needed a rest, but she was fine at the moment as she didn't feel as tired as she actually was. She was just, well... bored. Possibly everyone was bored, maybe. It was a possibility. Ah well, she was fine for now, hopefully.

[cricketleap.]

Disgusted at the thought of being smothered by the two she-cat, Cricketleap suppressed a groan. He turned his head to take one last bite out of the canary, as much as he didn't want to. As he bent down, in the corner of his eye, he saw Peachblossom do the same. Before he realized what was happening, their noses touched. Quickly pulling his head up, he looked the other way, faintly embarrassed. Had Peachblossom pulled that stunt purposely? No. She couldn't have known that I was going to take a bite, unless... she's a decoy! In the corner of his emerald eyes, he saw the sweet calico she-cat. There was no way she could be a decoy, and Cricketleap felt frog-brained for even thinking it. She was too soft and weak and girly. He ducked his head down and laid it on his paws. He still refused to look at the two she-cats. Midnighteyes was okay, but Peachblossom was worse. The gray-and-white tom actually thought of Midnighteyes as his friend, but he didn't know if the sorrowful she-cat knew that, or felt the same way. Shoving his ears flat on his head, he looked up as his nostrils picked up a new scent. Another ShadowClan warrior had come to join them. Oh, please not another she-cat! I'll die! Cricketleap's mind went crazy. Curious despite his fear, Cricketleap turned his head and saw Hollowstep. A breath of relief escaped past his mouth. Thank StarClan that a tom had finally come to his rescue. He could actually hear emotion in the black-and-brown tabby tom voice when he'd asked him and the two she-cats if he could join them, which surprised him. It also made him happier that Hollowstep was joining him. He'd healed the tom when he was injured, and was full of delight to see the tom up and running again, even if he wasn't a full ShadowClan cat.

Hollowstep settled down to join them, and tucked in where he could face all three cats, which was closet to Cricketleap. "Thanks," he muttered under his breath so that Midnighteyes and Peachblossom couldn't hear. But it was so squeaky and quiet that he wondered if Hollowstep had heard him at all. Deciding not to worry on the topic, he listened silently as he carried on a conversation about hunting with Peachblossom. This made him even more thankful toward Hollowstep. He'd taken one of the she-cats off of his paws. It made him feel lighter, especially since this was Peachblossom. Midnighteyes was more of a tom than the calico cat, which is one thing Cricketleap liked about her. He could talk to her freely without worrying about if she would gossip about him or not. Of course, since he was socially awkward, he wouldn't. But maybe if he wasn't, he would. Hearing Peachblossom reply to Hollowstep calmed the medicine cat even more, making the fur on his shoulders lay flat. But as soon as she was finished, he felt eyes on him. Peachblossom's pretty gaze. Suddenly he was thrown into a pit of dogs. His heart pounded faster. The words were meant toward Hollowstep, so why did Peachblossom keep looking at him? Was there something on his pelt? I'll give myself a good, thorough wash after I've finished speaking to these three, just in case. Then he heard Peachblossom speak to him. He replied, "That's pretty good." His voice was quieter than he had intended, almost a whisper. Then the calico focused on Midnighteyes and her coughing, so Cricketleap decided it was his time to zone out.

Why did Peachblossom seem so... itchy around him? Like, unfocused? Would a regular medicine cat know these feeling sparking off of her, or would a warrior? Cricketleap was actually part both. But for some reason, he couldn't name the emotions coming from her. It surprised him, really, that she was so jumpy. Maybe he could ask her what was up later, when the other two cats were gone? Cricketleap decided to do that. Maybe then he'd know what was wrong. Switching his attention back to his Clanmates, he heard Midnighteyes answer his question. "I'm sorry, Midnighteyes... I wish I could help make your day better." Affection swept over him for the dark she-cat. Every other cat in the Clan didn't like her or just ignored her. He watched as, unhappily, she laid her head on her paws. Copying her, he watched the black she-cat through half-open eyes. Perhaps he could be her friend, since she was so lonely? He didn't forget that he needed to talk with Peachblossom privately after this.