When the storm breaks (Ashpaw)

[swiftpaw]

This is how the world ends.
Not with a bang, but a whimper. A whimper it was indeed. For generations, the forest, at least the old one, all cats for that matter, knew of the ThunderPaths. They were long stretches of black stone, rough and solid, and shiny twoleg monsters raced down it, screaming and snarling at the world with spite and danger written all over them. Yet, there was the small black and white apprentice, young, pretty, sitting in the middle of it all, staring down at the haunted abandoned road.

Swiftpaw had come out here early in the morning, and now, it was about sunhigh. The sky however, was dark, heavy grey clouds threatening rain. Her green eyes were locked again, focused hard, and lost in thought. A few days prior, she had gotten into, not only an argument with the one cat she wanted to consider a friend- Ashpaw, but had gone on and gotten into a fight with a badger. And won. In front of him. That had made her and Deathpaw look like supercats- not what they wanted if they wanted to stay as "normal apprentices" until the day came to destroy everyone around them. She had escaped the battle with only some bites to her leg, and Deathpaw, with only a nearly self-inflicted gouge to her side. It was necessary, but difficult to feign hurt for both of them.

Swiftpaw looked up at the sky, heavy and dark, and a cold wing whipped her black and white fur, although it didn't illicit a shiver from her, her eyes simply narrowed against it until it passed, her face to the wind. Sitting in the middle of what so many cats feared at one time, under the storm clouds, brought a sense of power in her. A storm was rising- rather, storms. Both the physical, weather brought one, and what the decoys would bring when they rose. A storm she would help bring. The question was- when would the storm break?

[[Ashpaw]]

Although dark black clouds covered the usually bright happy sky, Ashpaw’s clouded mind still forced him to take a walk outside the camp. The brown apprentice kept thinking about the incident that happened the last few days with his den-mates, Deathpaw and especially Swiftpaw. Who would have thought that only a group of half-trained apprentices could drive off a fully grown badger? If you think about it more carefully, only the two she-cats did most of the work, with Ashpaw just helping in their encounter with the ferocious animal with his own little ways. It sounds impossible for those who haven’t seen it, but Ashpaw witnessed how Swiftpaw and Deathpaw battered it till it ran away.

The day Ashpaw tried to regret the most was the day the two of them were assigned to make a hunting patrol with one of their other den-mates. The day started out as fine until they couldn’t find the third member of their small patrol. Due to Ashpaw’s lack of “communication skills,” the brown apprentice suddenly told Swiftpaw the wrong words. As the Swiftpaw split up with Ashpaw, the thing that every alone cat doesn’t want to happen happened. Ashpaw found a badger, normal-looking and all, and ran till he reached the clearing where Swiftpaw and Deathpaw were. And then the dreaded incident occurred. Up till now, Ashpaw was still clueless how they defeated it. It wasn’t too old, or which the badger wouldn’t be able to chase him. It wasn’t sick either, for a sick animal was always a weak one. However reasoning Ashpaw made, it didn’t made quite sense, unless the two cats were already trained like warriors or something.

A single drop of water from the sky woke Ashpaw up from his thoughts. The dark dense clouds were still there, threatening every creature from below with the incoming downpour it may give. The tabby tom stared at his environment. He was already near the Old Thunderpath, a place where large shiny creatures called monsters once roared. A long way from the camp just means that Ashpaw had been thinking too deep about the badger incident. He doesn’t even know if Swiftpaw or Deathpaw reported it to Wildstar. Might as well get wet this leaf-fall, Ashpaw thought grimly, At least I’d be able to stay in camp when I’m sick. Although he was trying to think positively, it still didn’t sway his thoughts away from the event that happened a few days before.

A combination of black and white in a she-cat’s pelt caught the attention of the tabby-patterned apprentice.

[/i]Why is Swiftpaw here? Wouldn’t she get sick if she stayed long when it rains?[/i] Even after seeing her drive away a badger, she still looked as sweet and pure by Ashpaw. Although a tint of suspicion about her grows deep within Ashpaw, he tried to cast it away every time he sees Swiftpaw. She’s still a regular ThunderClan cat, right? The tom quickly ran towards the black-and-white she-cat, ignoring the fact that she may still get irritated around him. “Why are you still here?” he asked. “It’s going to rain soon.” Awkward words came out of Ashpaw, but the tom doesn’t seem to mind it as long as he’s given his message.

OOC: Rambly XP. Haven't got much muse, thank you very much school~
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[swiftpaw]

Swiftpaw didn't stir when she heard Ashpaw's voice- it evoked anger in her. He had been so cold, so hostile when they were looking for Mousepaw- how could she not be angry? However, the icy look she wanted to turn on him failed when she actually did look at him. The expression melted before it formed, and a look of sadness instead crossed her delicate features, a quiet sigh rushing from her jaws. Ashpaw had been her friend when they were kits, but the tom had grown so distant- she may still consider him a friend, but what did he see of her? A nuisance? A noisy pest?

She eyed him carefully, the black rock under her frosty and cold. Ashpaw, even for a young cat, was handsome and he was the one cat she wanted to be closest to. And here he was, questioning why she was out here. Why was she? She wasn't certain herself, it was just a chance to get away from the swing of things, to stretch her battered leg and ease her aching mind.

"And I could ask the same of you, Ashpaw. What are you doing out here? She had somewhat meant to sound accusative or uninterested, but it came out playful, almost teasing. She cursed herself but couldn't change it. It was her nature, and Ashpaw was her friend, even if they had quarreled the day before.

[[Ashpaw]]

Ashpaw braced himself for the impact of Swiftpaw’s answer. He had not thought of what the she-cat might say before saying those words. He tried to help her the day the badger attacked them, yet he still hasn’t given a formal apology for opting to hunt rather than finding Mousepaw that day. He even asked her a question like he had not offended her. The brown apprentice was about to say something like ‘Sorry, you seem not to be in the mood so I’ll go now’ and turn tail if Swiftpaw had took a look at him and said something Ashpaw had not expected: words in a playful tone.

Why is she so good-mannered now? I thought she was supposed to be grumpy and mad whenever she talks to me. Did she forgive me already? No, that’s not it. She’s probably just in a good mood now, that’s all.”

“I, uh, asked the question first. You should answer mine before I answer yours.” Although he was forcing himself not to smile cause of their current relationship with each other, Ashpaw couldn’t help but feel quite happy inside of him because of Swiftpaw’s playful tone. This only meant that she was still comfortable around him despite what he had done a few days earlier. His tone was still calm but his eyes showed signs of hope that their relationship would improve to friendship. He was friends with her when they were kits and they could still be friends now that they’re apprentices till they were warriors if only it wasn’t because of his simple selfishness.

OOC: Short post :X

[swiftpaw]

She watched the mixture of shock and confusion register on Ashpaw's face, obviously lost as to why she was so bright and chipper. She would have explained, but she couldn't. She didn't even know why herself. Hope suddenly sparked in his eyes, and she felt guilty. Had he honestly been worried that she would hate him? It was impossible for her to hate her old friend- at least, she believed it was, and hoped it was true. Her gaze turned warm as she focused in on his face, turning her body so she was sitting in front of him, facing him while he spoke.

She giggled softly to herself and closed her eyes, sighing quietly. "Oh alright, I suppose you're right." She looked up towards the sky, "I just wanted to come out here, you know? I like the rain, even in leaffall, and the snow in leafbare is equally enjoyable." She started, then allowing her gaze to drift down to the dark stone beneath her. "The sky is beautiful before either one, and there are few trees marring the veiw on the Thunderpath... besides,this was once a dangerous place, before the twolegs stopped using it. Now it's just... there. No longer feared of respected. There's something about that, sitting in the middle of it... I don't even know." She shrugged her delicate shoulders and stood, closing the distance between them and moving to his side, brushing herself against him before walking behind him and to his other side, and butting his shoulder with her own playfully. "So now, tell me, why are you out here?"

[[Ashpaw]]

Swiftpaw had been here for a real reason, unlike Ashpaw, whose reason was just to clear his mind from all the trouble and waste time. The old and unused Thunderpath seem to inspire the she-cat. For most of the cats, including Ashpaw, the place was just another useless piece of land in their territory since not a lot of prey hide here. The smooth black surface wasn’t very comfortable to the paws either. Although Ashpaw did not understand what the she-cat had said, he respected it regardless of his beliefs and his current situation with Swiftpaw.

“Why am I here?” the apprentice repeated the question. “I was just, um, out for a walk. I kinda want to take a break from the busy situation at the camp. They were preparing for Leaf-bare, I think.”

He lied. Although he knew the right reason why he left the camp, he felt as if Swiftpaw wouldn’t want to hear what he will say. Ashpaw couldn’t possibly tell the she-cat that he was out because he was trying to clear his mind full of disbelief and suspicion. If Ashpaw would be the one hearing that Swiftpaw had not been trusting in him, he would be heartbroken at least. He couldn’t bring up the doubt he had during the conflict that happened in the past few days, especially now that the two of them are now capable of talking with each other since the day of the badger’s attack.

Blacker and thicker clouds soon cover the sky above them, looming over all of ThunderClan’s territory and giving shadows all over the place. Soon, it would dampen their surroundings and give all the cats in the open a wet and heavy pelt with a heavy downpour. “We need to find shelter before the rain falls,” Ashpaw stated. “Even if it isn't Leaf-bare yet, we can still catch a cold.” Ashpaw thought of it funny, as it was included to his plans when he left the camp. Still, he cannot just throw his life away just because of Emberkit and Sunkit. Just by rekindling his relationship with Swiftpaw again, he still has hope that he can have a good future ahead of him.

OOC: I want to change Ash's text color so bad but I can't think of substitutes...

[swiftpaw]

The she-cat seemed pleased with his answer, and for all of their issues and all of her fears, she believed him fully. "Leaf-bare is a hard time for the Clans, its a given." She shrugged her slender shoulders and stretched leisurely, surprised to find her legs stiff from sitting on the hard thunderpath. When he mentioned getting back to camp, she looked back up at the sky. The clouds were darker, and rumbled ominously. There was no way they would make it back to camp before the rain fell, and the bad thing was, they didn't know how long it would be until it stopped.

"You're right, but we'll never get back in time. Lets find somewhere to hide." Turning around, she bounded a few steps away from the thunderpath, motioned for her friend to follow, and began to look around. A cold breeze whipped through the trees, howling loudly, and she realized they would be out here for awhile- this was a storm begging to break with violent abandon. Ahead of her, however, she found a tree, its gnarled roots twisting and rising, creating a little cavern underneath of the old oak's trunk.

She debated actually stepping into it, but when the sky gave another crack and fat, cold drops of rain began to pelt down, instantly beginning to soak her, she spun around and called to Ashpaw. "Quickly, we can hide in here." She slithered into the hole, and was grateful to find it would be just wide enough inside for the two apprentices to squeeze together, cramped although, and wait out the storm.

[[Ashpaw]]

Ashpaw willingly followed Swiftpaw away from the Old Thunderpath as the two of them went back to the trees in order to find shelter from the rain. The rain, however, wasn’t like any other ordinary occurrence that happened that day. Strong winds buffeted against the thick and strong branches of the ThunderClan forest and the sky up above and the dark menacing clouds loomed above their heads and gave a warning of the incoming downpour with a light drizzle. In little time, the light rain would soon develop in a large downpour, capable of drenching their apprentice pelts into whitecough.

“Quickly, we can hide here.”

The tabby apprentice watched Swiftpaw slide into the roots of the old oak tree. He noticed that the black and white cat winced in the coldness that the frosty raindrops gave. Underneath the trunk, the space smelled musty and old, yet at the same time, smelled like fresh moss. The roots gave room for the two of them, making a small cave-like shelter for Ashpaw and Swiftpaw to temporarily hide from the nasty weather. Ashpaw felt hesitant to step in, like Swiftpaw at first, but when the rain started to grow stronger, the tom forced himself to squish with Swiftpaw with what space remained.

It’s cramped in here! There’s hardly any space for me to breathe in. Ashpaw complained to his heart’s content, though he had not said it so loud that Swiftpaw would hear it. But yet, it has a warm and fuzzy feeling in it. I think I can stay here for a while.

From the roots of the old oak tree they were taking shelter at, Ashpaw watched as the endless fall of raindrops cascaded from the rain. “Will this rain ever end?” he asked, half talking to him. He felt weak compared to the downpour, yet he also felt that he was being protected by it: protected from Swiftpaw running away. This was the right moment for him to apologize for what happened days before. The moment when he became too selfish that he hadn’t thought of Swiftpaw’s care about Mousepaw was the moment that their relationship suddenly turned sour. This is it!

“So Swiftpaw,” he begun, “I don’t know how to say this, but...” Ashpaw couldn’t find the right words to say to Swiftpaw. Any single misinterpretation could lead to what happened a few days before again. What if I get careless with my words? What if she gets angry at me? Getting nervous of the awkward situation, Ashpaw stared at the ground and mumbled. “Um, are you... um...”

OOC: Late post, sorry. I'm running out of muse and I'm not feeling good lately :<

[swiftpaw]

She felt Ashpaw slide in next to her after a moment's hesitation, his body warm and solid pressed into her side. It was a tight squeeze, but it fought off the cold, and they were going to be able to stay dry. She tried to relax on her side of the hole- Ashpaw was right about one thing, the rain didn't seem to want to let up, and so they were trapped, but he also seemed fidgety now, as if he had ants in his pelt, or needed to say something. Wait, did he? He began to stutter out an attempt at speech, but what was it other than some ramblings of a secluded apprentice? ThunderClan cats made her sick, and yet, it wasn't hard for her to tell herself now was not the time to kill him. She dwelled on that thought for a bit. Could she kill him?

She twisted her head around, looking at him speculatively as he stumbled over his words, his dark tabby fur, his bright eyes, and everything they were, had been and... could be? Friends, warriors, and what? Leader and deputy? The thought made her only stifle laughter- bringing amusement to her eyes that she hoped he see as amusement over his inability to get out whatever he was going to say. Swiftstar and Ash-something. She would always be -star however. She would refuse to be his subordinate- that and, should he ever rise to power, she needn't hesitate to know he'd must die.

Pushing her thoughts aside, and realizing her affection for her old friend, she sighed and, with what she could in the cramped space, butted his shoulder with her black and white head. "Aw c'mon Ashpaw. If you've got something to say, say it. I won't bite." Hard.

[[Ashpaw]]

Ashpaw noticed that his den-mate was waiting for him to talk. Her somewhat mischievous and curious look made the tabby think twice before deciding his words. He wouldn’t like to be prompted to talk, especially if he’s thinking about something important. Although he usually doesn’t take more than a heartbeat to think, he needed to whenever he’s with Swiftpaw. He wouldn’t allow his previous misconduct concerning what happened a few days ago to happen again and distance them with each other more. Not this time! It’s a make or break for Ashpaw. He just needed some time to reflect about what he’s going to say and perhaps rehearse in his mind.

Ashpaw tensed as the she-cat beside him butted her head to his shoulder and encouraged him to talk. He didn't like to be teased in order to force him to speak, especially if he's making a decision of a lifetime (exaggerated of course). Like what happened few days ago, a single mistake in his words could destroy their relationship. Not now. Not when she's being friendly to me again... Now that Swiftpaw is telling him to speak up, Ashpaw couldn't stall his time to prepare anymore. Any weird wordings and such wouldn't matter, as long as he told the message, right?

“What I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry for what happened a few days ago...”

There. He said it. There is nothing more in Ashpaw’s conscience that bugs him to tell what he truly feels about the incident with Mousepaw. He had finally said those words: words that he had not been able to tell for a long time. He had grown too selfish and independent that he had forgotten how others would think with his actions. “Think before you act”, his mother would always say. It just didn’t apply with important procedures such as battling, patrolling and hunting, but also with everyday events like friendship. He would rather tell this to Swiftpaw now than later, before their relationship gets more distant by each passing day.

OOC: Sorry! I feel so horrible that I posted so late again. I promise I will try not to post late again. Busy weekend is busy.

[swiftpaw]

After a few long moments hesitation, Ashpaw spoke, and his words shocked her. He was apologizing? She had never known him to apologize, not since he became a sort of a recluse from his entire clan- nonetheless, the apology was welcome, and as he fell silent afterwards, she began to purr, a warm, gentle noise deep in her throat. "You're forgiven." She purred, rasping her tongue over his ear affectionately.

A cold wind howled outside, and the rain seemed to fall ever harder. They were sheltered in the little hole, but as the wind shifted, a cold draft would occasionally work its way in, sinking right into Swiftpaw. She shuddered and chuckled slightly. "I'm starting to think we shouldn't have left camp at all." Came her murmur once the light laughter had passed. Of course, she had come out early to think, and had Ashpaw not shown, she probably would have gone home- but sadly, the tom would have still probably come out anyway. He had a deathwish sometimes, for reasons she may never understand.

Could I be the one to fulfill that wish? She knew all too well she was. She was a decoy, it was her job to kill- she killed petty apprentices every chance she got- but here she was in the perfect position to kill him, and she couldn't. She tried to tell herself her scent would be on him too heavily, but part of her knew better. Part of her knew this cat was a dear friend she cared for, and so she wouldn't be able to kill him- not now in cold blood like she had Redpaw, Crowpaw, Firepaw, mercilessly slitting their throats or slicing open their bellies- however one day, she knew she would need to, but she rather that not be now, or anytime soon. She gently lowered her head and cuddled up to Ashpaw, burying her face in his shoulder, escaping the sting of the cold draft that kept slipping in, closing her eyes and purring rather contently despite their situation.

[[Ashpaw]]

A happy Ashpaw smiled quietly underneath the old oak tree’s cavern-like roots. He was really happy, indeed. Swiftpaw was able to give him the forgiveness he had always sought after ever since the day he had sinned against her. It wasn’t like him to openly speak up his thoughts about a matter, or yet, to humble himself and ask for forgiveness. Ashpaw had a change of heart just for this occasion, although he doubted he’ll be doing this again soon. His pride was hurt just by showing humility and modesty, but it felt like a feather inside him; light and soft.

As a cold gust of wind blew hard against the freezing raindrops falling in a downpour, Ashpaw felt Swiftpaw quiver beside him. She gave a chuckle and told a little joke, but the hollow began to fall silent afterwards. It still felt awkward whenever he was near his den-mate. He had sudden personality changes and he acts weird at times. Sometimes, he feels like he wants to change just for her: the friend that was always beside him whenever he needs her. Ever since they were kits, the two of them had a friendly relationship but it went downhill from there since Ashpaw grew distant from the rest of ThunderClan.

He had been blind about Swiftpaw’s intentions throughout his life, starting from when he slept from the apprentice’s den. He was always sulking down on a corner or just sleeping the day away. And there he was, ignoring the she-cat’s objective to repair their broken friendship. At least, it all changed this day. The day when he finally acknowledged her wants to become friends again, like when they were little Ashkit and Swiftkit. Somehow, he thought that he had wasted those first three moons of his apprenticeship. He chose to laze around and make no progress when he could have strived to be the best warrior or at least remain to be Swiftpaw’s good friend.

The raging storm suddenly thinned out into a peaceful drizzle until raindrops no longer fall, and the strong and mighty gusts of wind turned into a gentle and cooling breeze. Everything was falling back to its place and the danger that the storm threatened was slowly fading into nothing. It was peaceful once again and they could finally come out of the cramped hollow of the oak tree. Excited, Ashpaw quickly squeezed his way, carefully not hitting Swiftpaw on the way out, and ran back to the old Thunderpath, where there were little trees and the view of the sky was clear.

A multi-coloured thing soon appeared in the blue skies above them. It was always the best thing to look for when it rains, just like how a beautiful thing could appear an ugly situation. “Look, a rainbow!” Ashpaw squealed, before suddenly realizing how he acted. He had never acted like this as an apprentice. He was originally a cheerful and brave kit, unlike what he acted like ever since he became a paw. He was embarrassed by his change of behaviour, but decided to just laugh at it. “Come on,” he invited, “Let’s go back to camp.”

OOC: Why do I always post a day late in this thread? D: