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Post by Frighteh on Sept 13, 2007 17:02:13 GMT -5
OOC: -bows- Why, thank you! I can't wait to start it! -smacks gently- And you're not brain-dead!
IC: Quickpaw tilted her head and squinted her eyes in thought. So all I did was help him be more social? Is that all I'm worth? she inwardly questioned. Shaking the thought away, she pasted on a too-enthusiastic smile and nodded. "Oh, it was nothing," she said softly. "Some other cat could have found you and led you through life..." she trailed off uncertainly, still thinking. Sleetpaw can't be using me, can he? That can't be right! She hopped off the rock and started grooming herself to stall for thinking time. On second thought, I really wouldn't blame him for using me, she spat mentally. No one wants to hang out with a traitor's daughter. I should be grateful that he let me help him be more social. She sat up straight and cleared her throat, glaring at her paws. "Let's hunt now," she mewed quietly, standing up and letting another false smile fill her face. She failed to notice the tenderness that was in her companion's voice as he spoke. As she trotted off into a denser part of the forest, she trembled angrily, cursing herself for letting herself get used.
§hOCKS
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Post by ~*Rainstorm*~ on Sept 14, 2007 17:45:15 GMT -5
Sleetpaw's eyes were blank, all traces of his earlier happiness disolved into their blue depths. What have I done now? he thought bitterly. Then, he froze. Could she have found out about that AirClan apprentice I saved--? he ventured guiltily. If she thinks I feel an ounce of compassion towards that cat... He trailed off angrily, letting the voices in his head fade, like darkness at dawn. Shaking his head, he looked up, embarrassed, realizing that Quickpaw was still there, and though she had not heard his inner struggle, he was sure that she had noticed him acting strangely. Would she put this on the AirClan cat, too?
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Post by Frighteh on Sept 14, 2007 20:57:41 GMT -5
Quickpaw tilted her head at him as she often did and twitched her ears. "Are you coming?" She asked. Her stomach was jumping in her throat and her heart seemed to have a harsh beat. She inwardly scoffed in disgust at herself. Why am I so worried about what some tom cat thinks? She asked herself. She shuddered in unrestrained emotion and whimpered quietly.
§hOCKS
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Post by ~*Rainstorm*~ on Sept 15, 2007 8:59:27 GMT -5
"Yes," Sleetpaw choked, his voice cracking with guilt and sadness. He wished he could tell Quickpaw he was sorry, but he wasn't quite sure what to apologize for. And, besides, right now, he didn't think that she would listen to anythinghe had to say. This was supposed to be fun! he scowled at himself, trying to figure out what had ruined the mood. Had he said something that was too much? All he could recall saying before Quickpaw got upset was how she had helped him get out of his shyness. But that couldn't have upset her--could it?
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Post by Frighteh on Sept 15, 2007 9:56:32 GMT -5
Quickpaw took a deep breath. "Um... We'd get better catches if we split up..." 'But I don't want to.' The unspoken words hung in the air. Despite being upset, she didn't want to be alone right now.
§hOCKS
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Post by ~*Rainstorm*~ on Sept 16, 2007 10:16:31 GMT -5
"Right," Sleetpaw mewed flatly, as he turned reluctantly to follow the scent trail of a vole. Almost instantly, he heard the distinct scuffling in the bushes, and saw a tiny pink nose, poking its way through the undergrowth. Normally, he would have been enthusiastic about catching prey, but right now, he showed little interest as he pounced on and killed the vole; his thoughts were elsewhere. Why had Quickpaw said they should split up, when he sensed that she was in no mood to be alone? She'd probably rather be alone than be with me, he thought bitterly. What ever happened between us?{/i]
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Post by Frighteh on Sept 16, 2007 10:59:25 GMT -5
Quickpaw watched him go and sat down on her rear. She narrowed her eyes in thought and just sat, staring at nothing. What was she supposed to do? Quickpaw had no focus when something was bothering her, so hunting was pretty much out of the question. She sighed and batted at a rock in front of her, eventually forgetting her unhappiness. She rolled onto her back and reached to claw at the rock again, recoiling with a hiss when a sharp part of it dug into her paw. She cursed loudly and licked away the dirt and was angry when she tasted blood. She growled and glared at the rock comically, kicking it away with her uninjured forepaw. "Stupid rock!" She yelled at it. "Not even something lifeless will be nice to me!" She wailed dramatically. She laughed slightly and decided that she could try hunting. The fleeting reminder of her argument with Sleetpaw passed in her head, but she pushed it away. She was hungry, and the sooner she hunted, the faster she'd get to eat at home. She left little wet spots of her blood where she'd walked and had another reason to get home: to get her paw checked out.
§hOCKS
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Post by ~*Rainstorm*~ on Sept 17, 2007 14:13:01 GMT -5
Sleetpaw sighed, digging a hole in the ground in front of him to bury his vole in. His expression was blank, as he stalked and killed a tiny starling, burying it in the same hole as he had the vole. However much prey he caught; whether what he had caught already was it, or if he killed half the prey in the forest, he still wouldn't feel a sense of accomplishment. Only emptiness. He realized that Quickpaw's unfriendliness hurt him a lot more than anything before this had. It was like he was being kicked and beaten repeatedly, like a limp piece of prey; only forgetting the pain when he got the sense of numbness. He decided that the numbness was far better than the pain; he'd rather feel nothing ever again, then feel the pain that welled inside him. He'd rather just give up feeling altogether.
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Post by Frighteh on Sept 17, 2007 16:11:05 GMT -5
Quickpaw limped around loudly. She didn't care about hunting anymore; it wasn't worth trying when she was feeling so sour. She grumbled to herself about the pain she felt in both her heart and paw before she realized that she had been so much happier when she and Sleetpaw had been friends. She'd felt so light and energetic when they'd been close. She smiled to herself as she remembered the fun they'd had, even if it had only been one day. Ruining a friendship like that so quickly was ridiculous! She stuck her head up and marched through the forest, determination at finding her friend making her prowl thorugh the bushes. She killed a few moles and birds on the way towards his scent and was elated to find him looking for prey not too far from her. She stomped over to him, faking an angry look. "Hey, you!" She yowled gruffly. "Come here!" They needed to talk, and Quickpaw was going to say what she wanted to. "I have to talk to you!" She sat in front of him and huffed. "You know, we were best friends a while ago, and we just became friends yesterday! Now, are you telling me that we're going to throw away a friendship like that because I'm being moody?" She laughed suddenly. "I'm sorry for being so...mopey," she said, looking at the ground in embarrassment and shame.
OOC: Here you could have Sleetpaw say he was sorry for befriending another she-cat from another clan, and then you could let it slip that he felt some sort of feeling toward her. Of course, Quickpaw wouldn't know all this, and she'd would be so sad and crushed that she'd hit him and run away from the clan and disappear for a day. The hit won't be hard; just a little push on his side. (:
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Post by ~*Rainstorm*~ on Sept 18, 2007 16:53:06 GMT -5
Sleetpaw nodded slowly. "You shouldn't be the one apologizing. You didn't do anything wrong. I was the one who saved that AirCLan cat... But I couldn't just watch her drown, you know? I don't feel an ounce of compassion towards her-at all. It hurt far more when you weren't talking to me for that short time...then it did when I left the halfbridge after I saved her. I haven't seen her since, and that doesn't matter to me, as long as I have you. And I have you back now, correct?"
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Post by Frighteh on Sept 19, 2007 6:43:12 GMT -5
Quickpaw's heart stopped beating. He saved an AirClan cat and had some type of feeling towads her?! She backed up a step, backed up another step, looked at the ground and finally looked him in the eyes. "I don't know why I ever trusted you!" She spat, brushing past him roughly and knocking him aside. She hissed at him as she breezed by and she ran away from her clan's camp and away from the tom who made her life confusing. She was angry and hurt and she wanted to know why the words he said hurt so mcuh. Our friendship doesn't matter if it causes me so much pain. It's just not worth it, she thought tiredly. Slowing down, she felt relief flood into her from the sight of the edge of her clan's territory. She bounded over onto the other side and sat down with a huff. Her life really wasn't what she wanted. She sighed and laid down by falling over onto the ground. She shut her eyes and started dozing to pass the time before night came. Quickpaw loved the night.
§hOCKS
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Post by ~*Rainstorm*~ on Sept 19, 2007 12:54:38 GMT -5
Sleetpaw watched her go with a hollow feeling inside of him. He felt as though his heart had been ripped out, and in its place was cold, black, emptiness. He wondered if he would ever feel anything ever again. Pain, yes, but what was the point of pain? It was just another emotion that would leave him beaten and staggering for breath. What was his life now? The answer seemed obvious enough; The way life was before Quickpaw. But that life was not something he wanted to go back to. That life had been full of loneliness and getting up every day just for the sake of doing something. No feeling, no emotion, just another day of tedious tasks, fading into the next. Tbose days had been long, hard, and feelingless;like he wasn't hungry, but had to eat just to stay alive. But what was the point of staying alive now, when there was nothing left for him?
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Post by Frighteh on Sept 19, 2007 19:45:39 GMT -5
Quickpaw rolled over onto her side. She'd woken up a while ago and had not been able to fall back into a nice, calm, dazed state. She glared at a tree and shot up angrily. "Stop thinking!" She wailed loudly. "It doesn't matter! He doesn't love you, so forget about it! No one cares about you!" She told herself fiercely. She huffed and stalked back into the forest, heading towards camp. She'd just ignore everyone. She'd sleep outside the camp, and avoid everyone, one tom cat in particular, and work silently. She'd be the best warrior she could be and she'd be happy with her life. She laughed hollowly. It was nice to dream. She couldn't forget about Sleetpaw if she lost all her memory. Sleeping outside of the camp every night would be lonely and frightening, and Quickpaw could never work silently. She swallowed thickly and ignored the wheedling thoughts in her head. Sleetpaw can still be your friend...just go back and apologize! Quickpaw hissed at the voices and started trotting through the forest, now zig-zagging through the trees. He's a ncie cat; he doesn't deserve this treatment... Narrowly missing a ditch, her paws slammed against the ground with more force and speed. He needs you. You need him... Her claws now dug into the earth underneath her and her sides were heaving. You love him! Quickpaw shook her head. "I do not!" She protested outloud. "It's...an extreme liking!" She finally stopped running and looked around. She was in another clearing in the forest. She frowned. Where was she? She could smell no scent markers and the only living things around were birds and rodents.
OOC: Hmm. I wonder what Sleetpaw will do...
§hOCKS
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Post by ~*Rainstorm*~ on Sept 20, 2007 13:25:35 GMT -5
OOC:// Well, try to commit suicide at first, because that cat is a wallower. But he may come across Quickpaw at some point.
Sleetpaw fought to keep his eyes open. He had spent the night as far from camp as possible; he didn't want to have to be around his Clan that night, it would only make what he was about to do harder. Stifling a yawn, Sleetpaw headed for the Halfbridge. Despite his tiredness, he continued on; what he had planned wouldn't take much effort, just to step off the edge...then all this suffering and hurt would go away for good. And the numbness would last forever...
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Post by Frighteh on Sept 20, 2007 16:47:37 GMT -5
Quickpaw peeked into the apprentice's den, releif and worry washing over her when she saw no sign of her friend. Despite the pain of betrayal, she still cared for Sleetpaw. Sighing, she trailed back out of the camp. She wanted to find him again, and she wouldn't even talk. She just wanted to see him. It would make the pain... Well, it would make the pain worse, but at least she could see him. Quickpaw picked up his scent trail and followed it quickly, not wanting to lose it. It looked as if it were about to storm, and Quickpaw wanted to see him and then get out of the rain. She managed to get close enough to actually smell his actual scent, and a warmth settled in her belly. She loved his scent. Shuffling forward silently, she found him heading towards the halfbridge. "Now what on earth would he be doing here?" She asked herself quietly. She maneuvered herself to see better and accidentally stepped on a twig, breaking it. It echoed across the bridge and Quickpaw flinched. No doubt he'd heard her.
§hOCKS
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Post by ~*Rainstorm*~ on Sept 23, 2007 6:16:20 GMT -5
Sleetpaw spun around, shock and anger pulsing inside him as he turned to see Quickpaw standing before him. "What do you want?" he said weakly. "Come to break me again? You won't get the chance. I've made my mind up. Goodbye." He turned his back to her, and started towards the edge of the halfbridge again.
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Post by Frighteh on Sept 23, 2007 9:02:46 GMT -5
Quickpaw's eyes widened. Surely he wasn't thinking of jumping off and killing himself? She sprung forward and flew at the bridge with more speed than she thought she'd had. She ran straight into him and knocked them to the middle of the halfbridge. She glared at him, breathing heavily. "Mouse brain!" She howled, worry now filtering into her green eyes. "I love you! Don't go and kill yourself!" She cleared her throat ad began talking in a calmer voice. "I don't want you to die. I want you here...alive...with me." She noticed that she was still sprawled on top of him and coughed lightly before standing up and hovering over his side. "I'm sorry I hurt you," she whsipered, looking at his stomach and not his eyes.
§hOCKS
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Post by ~*Rainstorm*~ on Sept 25, 2007 16:21:09 GMT -5
Sleetpaw's sides heaved with out-of-breath relief. He fought to speak, his words coming out in a slow and uneven slurr, "I...love...you...too." Then he let out a little cough and sat up, his eyes turning to look into Quickpaw's without his previous hesitation. Weakly, he lifted his head to brush his muzzle against hers, slowly and delicately, as if she were decidedly fragile. "So, what now?" he murmured. His voice was a lot stronger now, as if none of this had happened.
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Post by Frighteh on Sept 25, 2007 21:07:16 GMT -5
Quickpaw didn't answer at first, touching her nose to his cheek tenderly. "I don't know," she mewed honestly. She licked his maw and smiled brightly. "But I don't particularly care at the moment!" She tackled him and poked her nose to his lightly. "I missed you," she murmured warmly.
§hOCKS
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Post by ~*Rainstorm*~ on Sept 27, 2007 13:12:59 GMT -5
"Me...too," Sleetpaw murmured, letting out a sigh, his eyelids drooping as he lowered his head. Then, he drifted.
When he blinked open his eyes, he wasn't on the half bridge any longer, and Quickpaw's figure beside him had vanished. Instead, he was surrounded by dense undergrowth and tall trees. One question remained silently on his lips; Where am I? He shifted slightly, and noticed for the first time that he wasn't alone. A creamy cat that looked much like himself was standing beside him. His mother! "Am I dead?" he wondered aloud, remaining calm, in spite of himself.
His mother didn't respond, and he scrutinized her face carefully, but as soon as he looked close enough to read any expression there, she disappeared, leaving him alone in the strange forest. He tried to stand up, but his legs were stiff with exhaustion. Sighing, he lay down in the undergrowth, and let himself be consumed by darkness.
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