{i just want to freefall for a while}open

[Bast]

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[atrb=background,http://i55.tinypic.com/2qjvhg1.jpg ] 'DRAGONSTAR is going to be furious.' THE thought chased itself around in Daypaw's mind as the young tigress slunk through the foliage. He would skin her alive when he found her, drag her back to camp and make an exmaple out of her as to why apprentices shouldn't disobey their mentors. Her poor mother would miss her but at least Daypaw would be able to say she'd done something with her life. She'd been laying around camp all morning waiting on Dragonstar and once sunhigh hit and Blazeheart came back from patrol but Dragonstar wasn't anywhere to be seen, she'd asked Blazeheart to train her. Blazeheart had told her she'd have to wait for her mentor to train her and that if she needed something to do she could change the bedding in the elders den. Not the response Daypaw had wanted but it wasn't too surprising really. It was Blazeheart, one of TigerClan's 'best' mentors. His apprentices lived in his shadow and were supposed to be some the finest warriors in TigerClan. When she thought of it that way, Daypaw couldn't help but bitterly wish Blazeheart was her mentor. DRAGONSTAR, as of late, had developed this nasty habit of leaving Daypaw alone in camp when he went out. That was so not a good idea. Daypaw was sick of doing stuff around camp. She'd changed the elders' bedding, checked on the queens, taken prey to Nightshadow and bugged almost every warrior in camp and it was only just after sunhigh. That was why she had decided to go hunting on her own and practice some of the awareness exercises Dragonstar had taught her when he did take time to teach her anything at all. 'IT'S probably because he doesn't like me,' Daypaw thought sourly as she trekked through the undergrowth. 'Oh well. As soon as I find that rabbit I'll go back and he'll never know I was gone.' SHE'D chased a rabbit across the border from TigerClan into loner lands but she refused to give up her catch. Plus, why should she go back in a hurry? Dragonstar probably wouldn't even notice she was gone anyway. If he did he'd just assume someone had taken her out since Thistledown, Blazeheart and Copperpelt had all left on various patrols and hunts. He'd assume she went out with one of them to stretch her legs or whatever it was he thought she did. At least out here she could practice her stalking, tracking and get to know the land outside of TigerClan. It couldn't be all bad. If nothing else she'd go back to camp and tell Dragonstar that she'd yet again gone out without him against his orders. He'd be mad and then things would be normal again. IT seemed Dragonstar was always irritated with her in one way or another, even when he didn't stay it out loud. She tried to be good, she really did, but when she was being left at camp all the time it got hard to maintain her 'perfect apprentice' act. She knew how Dragonstar wanted her to act and knew how she should act. She should do what she could to make his life easier and show him she was a good apprentice. The problem was, it was just...so hard. She wanted to know how things worked, why things happened, how to be a good warrior. She had to know! You couldn't be stupid and become a leader, at least, not in Daypaw's mind. She had to know things and if Dragonstar wouldn't take the time to teach her, she'd teach herself. A twig snapped, bringing Daypaw out of her thoughts and making her stiffen. Spinning around, the young tigress dropped low and unsheathed her claws. Curling her lips back in a snarl, she glared into the foliage. "Who's there?!" she demanded, trying to sound as firm and strong as she could. Tagged;; open Word Count;; 650 Background Song;; "Wild at Heart" by Gloriana Notes;; I'd prefer a loner or rogue answer but I'm not too picky ^^

[`echo !?]

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[atrb=background,http://i775.photobucket.com/albums/yy35/BaileeDanielle3/hawk2.png] [scrolly:h(306),w(215),sy] Peering between some of the long grasses in Lionclan's territory, Hawkfeather crouched down, tail swishing back and forth eagerly in anticipation. There it was. A mother and young gazelle, grazing. The young one looked weak, and he figured it would not get far. He didn't quite like killing the young ones, they reminded him of the apprentices. Yet, he knew that was how it had to be. Muscles tensing, he dug his claws into the dusty ground, and launched himself forwards and after the gazelles. Their heads shot up from the grasses, their huge ears perked, and their eyes wide with fear and surprise. In an instant, the bolted, and that was when Hawkfeather realized they were faster than he thought these two would be. Sprinting after them, he kept going, intent on capturing one of them. He did not succeed though as they leaped into some thick brush that he would rather not go into, and burst out the other side, leaving him in the dust. With an irritated, but good-natured scoff, he reclined back on his haunches to lick his paws and clean his face from the dust he had kicked up and been coated in from the gazelle. Once he finished, he gazed up at the sky, figuring he should get back to camp. Lifting himself to his tired paws, he turned the way he had some from- at least he thought it was, and with a startled twitch of his whiskers he realized- he was in the loner lands. And completely lost. He would just follow his scent trail back. But there was no way his scent stayed with all of this dust. He wouldn't let this get him down though. Pacing for a moment, he turned, padding cautiously through the area, head low, and ears perked for any indication of danger. And that was when he scented a tiger in some foliage ahead. He knew it was a tiger at the least- he scented them at the border sometimes so he knew what they smelled like obviously. But she seemed pretty young, so probably not too dangerous. He approached her silently, in an almost 'hunter's crouch,' before he realized he had stepped on a twig. In a sign of 'defeat,' he stood up straight, stepping so that he could be seen. That was when he realized she was young. No more than an apprentice. "Sheathe your claws, I'm not going to hurt you and I am not here to fight," he urged, making sure none of his body language showed aggression. After all, he was being honest. He even lifted his paw a little so the other could see how his claws were sheathed. [/scrolly]

[Bast]

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[atrb=background,http://i55.tinypic.com/2qjvhg1.jpg ] PEERING through the foliage, Daypaw twitched her tail, anticipation humming through her tensed up frame. She knew she wasn't intimidating, being only an apprentice and all. It didn't help that even for her young age she wasn't very big. Being 'petite' as her mother always phrased it, wasn't all it was cracked up to be. It made guys think they had to protect her and made her enemies chortle and scoff. How could she be dangerous? She was a ball of striped fur! Puh. Yeah right. That was what Dragonstar thought too probably. Well, Daypaw kept her best defensive crouch as she listened hard for the thing she'd heard moving. At least, she tried to. Until it straightened up and she spotted what it was. IT was a lion. THE thing was though, if it hadn't spoken in a masculine voice and his scent didn't identify him as being male...well..Daypaw would have thought it was a lioness. Straightening up from her own crouch, not even listening to the lion as he spoke, Daypaw simply stared. Then she squinted. She tilted her head to the left. Then to the right. She narrowed her eyes until it barely looked like they were open. Sniffed the air, craning her neck toward the bigger cat, wondering if maybe she'd gotten it wrong. Nope. It was male alright. Sitting back on her haunches decisively with a bit of a thump, Daypaw stared long and hard at the older cat before her. SOMETHING was missing from this lion. What was it? Her mother used to describe other cats and purr with pride that none of them had the fine striped coats of TigerClan. She'd said LeopardClan and CheetahClan both had spots and that LionClan was so pathetic that they had no markings at all. His fur was unmarked so that couldn't be it. What else was there? She remembered Nightleaf saying something about a special thing male lions had that other big cats didn't. What was it? Oh! Realization lit up the young she-cat's hazel eyes, making her sit up a bit straighter. "UH...where's your mane? I thought male lions were supposed to have fluffy heads." THIS, of course, coming from a she-cat that had only seen a lion in her imagination when Nightleaf or elders described them in stories as clan enemies or occasional allies. She'd never gone to a Gathering and Dragonstar always insisted on solo patrols, so she'd only been to the LionClan border once in her apprenticeship. Still, the lions she'd imagined had been a lot less...funny looking. Maybe this was some kind of freakish lioness with a weird voice? Or maybe an enemy clawed their mane off? Nightleaf had once threatened to claw Daypaw's fur off when she'd been a kit because she had escaped from the nursery while her mother napped. She hadn't actually believed cats actually went through with those kinds of threats though! "DID somebody claw it off?" Tagged;; Hawkfeather Word Count;; 490 Background Song;; "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by Straight No Chaser Notes;; xD

[`echo !?]

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[atrb=background,http://i775.photobucket.com/albums/yy35/BaileeDanielle3/hawk2.png] [scrolly:h(306),w(215),sy] Looking over the little tiger apprentice in front of him, he found himself smiling and his whiskers twitching in silent laughter. Of course, he wasn't laughing at her in a complete sense, but just the sight of her being all fierce when she was so cute and small just brought that humor dancing in his eyes. He sat down, crouching slightly to be more her height, his tail curling contently around his paws. He did not feel threatened by her in the least, and that fact was obvious- yet his posture didn't scream it- after all, he wouldn't want to offend her. He watched her examine him, wondering why she was so far into the loner lands. It was awfully far from any of the clans, especially without a mentor around. About to ask her why she was out here, he heard that question, one he got often. He used to feel extremely insecure about his mane-less neck, but he just learned to accept it. Dwelling on what others stated about him or teased him about was not something he did. He was too goofy for that. Wanting to hopefully make the little tiger laugh, he crouched down, acting scared. "Yes. It got clawed off by none other than a CROCODILE," he said dramatically, unable to hold a straight face for long, but seriously trying. [/scrolly]

[Bast]

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[atrb=background,http://i55.tinypic.com/2qjvhg1.jpg ] "YES. It got clawed off by none other than a CROCODILE!" DAYPAW stared at the maneless male before her. And stared. And stared. She blinked once. Twice. Three times. What was wrong with this guy? Snorting and shaking her head in amazement, Daypaw couldn't help but think her mother had been right. Lions were silly. Sillier than the spot-pelted cheetahs and lions. They went around with big fluffy manes and lumbered around too fast to run for anything and they all looked the same. There weren't any stripes to tell them apart or anything. Well, except for this guy. Stand in among ten other lions, male and female alike, and she'd probably still be able to pick him out just because of the goofy grin and the weird ridge of longer fur along the back of his neck. Still, he was weird. "I don't think you've ever even seen a crocodile!" Daypaw countered with a smirk. "I bet you're just funny looking." THERE wasn't any malice in her voice, just teasing playfulness. Bouncing to her feet, completely unafraid of this 'enemy' warrior, Daypaw bounded toward him. Rearing up onto her hind paws, she put her front paws on his neck and playfully tugged on the longer fur on his neck. It was a gentle tug, not something he was bound to take as an attack. Smirking again, she leaped clean over his neck and bounded back to where she'd been sitting. AS she reclined back on her haunches though, it occurred to Daypaw how furious Dragonstar would be. He'd be mad because she was out of the territory, because she had lost her prey, because she hadn't waited in camp until he got back from another solo patrol and because she was in the company of a cat from another clan. A tom cat from another clan. Daypaw's ears laid back against her head as she realized it. Dragonstar would skin her alive and use her pelt for bedding. Standing up, Daypaw reminded herself that she'd promised Dragonstar to be a better apprentice. Straying was one thing, he'd come to expect it she was sure, but fraternizing with the 'enemy' was, well, forbidden for a good reason. Chances were she'd end up in huge trouble, not just with Dragonstar but also with Blazeheart and every other tiger in the clan. Even other apprentices would never let her live it down! "UH...I've gotta go," Daypaw said, shuffling her paws. WHEELING around, Daypaw began to bound away into the foliage. She'd be in so much trouble...Dragonstar would never let her out of camp again! And he'd make Blazeheart enforce the rule! And if she never got out of camp again she'd never train or get any experience so she'd never become a warrior. If she never became a warrior, she'd never be chosen as a deputy and if she was never chosen as a deputy, she'd never be a leader. Then what would she say to Grasskit when she joined StarClan? 'Sorry bro, I tried but I just had to make friends with a cat from another clan so, sorry, but I couldn't do what we planned.' No. That wasn't an option. TAKING a running leap, Daypaw threw herself upward onto a low hanging branch. Claws digging into the bark, the young tigress hauled herself up securely onto the branch. Curling her tail around her paws, Daypaw peered down, waiting for the maneless lion to leave so she could go home and jump in a stream to get rid of any scent he may have left on her. Tagged;; Hawkfeather Word Count;; 596 Background Song;; "Mordred's Lullaby" by....idk.... Notes;; :3

[`echo !?]

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[atrb=background,http://i775.photobucket.com/albums/yy35/BaileeDanielle3/hawk2.png] [scrolly:h(306),w(215),sy] Hawkfeather watched the small tiger with that goofy grin of his, tail swishing as he burst into rumbling laughter, raising back to his normal, sitting height. He was unable to hold it in any longer, finding her skepticism hilarious. Even when she practically insulted him, though he knew she was young and had no ill intent, he kept on laughing. Once he had calmed down, he wrapped his tail back around his paws, leaning his head down again. "How do you know I haven't seen a crocodile? As a matter of fact, I have. It just didn't claw my mane off. Though it did snap at me." He took on a sheepish look, chuckling softly. "I ran. Those things are mean!" Kneading the ground, grateful to have someone to talk to in this unknown place, he shrugged then. "I just never grew in a mane," he admitted. "Though I don't mind. I stay cooler this way. And it's less of a hassle." He allowed her, with no irritation, to crawl over his neck, not minding in the least. But it was when she was going to take her leave, that he spoke up again. He tried to hide his nervousness by questioning, "Do you know where you are going?" After all, he was lost, and had no idea how to get back, nor did he want to be out here alone. And maybe she didn't know how to get back. He wouldn't admit he couldn't find his way back just yet, and once he did, maybe she could help him. [/scrolly]

[Bast]

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[atrb=background,http://i55.tinypic.com/2qjvhg1.jpg ] UP on her perch, Daypaw laid her ears flat to her head. She felt bad, not wanting this tom's company just because he was a silly looking lion. He seemed like...like someone she could talk to. There was an easy smile on his maw and a light in his eyes that Daypaw admired. Not romantically but in a friendly way. He seemed open and good-humored. The kind of cat she'd want to make friends with. The problem was, the young tigress remembered her training. Dragonstar had told her cats of other clans were friend at Gatherings and not anytime else. Blazeheart had shown hearty agreement with the sentiment. Clan cats mingled, not mixed. If she stayed and talked to this guy, she might give away important information that she wasn't supposed to share about her clan. Then Dragonstar would be furious and so would Blazeheart. Then they would never trust her and she'd never get anywhere. She had to succeed, had to fulfill her mission. She had to live enough for two cats and fulfill her ambitions of someday hearing StarClan warriors name her Daystar. She had to! This guy, he could get her in loads of trouble and end all of that before she even had a chance to try. "I know how to get home," Daypaw said indignantly, sitting up on the branch and trying to look self-confident and strong. THE problem was, when she shifted, there was an unpleasant sound that split the air. A loud sharp crack! echoed around the forest and the branch Daypaw had scampered onto broke. WITH a yowl of fright, the young she-cat plummeted to the ground, landing with an unpleasant thud on the forest floor. You know that legend that says all cats land on their feet? Yeah. Not true. Daypaw landed splay-legged on her belly. The air in her lungs was forced out in a rush and pain rocketed along her spine at the jolt of hitting the ground. The branch she'd been sitting on was tangled up under Daypaw, her striped body laying half on the branch and half off. When she tried to sit up and move off the branch, unpleasant pains and jolts of discomfort shot through her limbs and through her battered ribs causing her to go limp again with a groan. Squeezing her hazel eyes closed, Daypaw tried to bite back another groan, not wanting to look pathetic in front of another clan warrior, but at the same time wishing she had just stayed in camp like Dragonstar had told her to. AFTER a moment of breathing heavy, despite the pain in her ribs, and trying to get her bearings, Daypaw managed to crawl off the branch so it wasn't further pushing on her ribs and twisting her in odd ways. She barely made it an inch away from the branch before she let herself simply go limp on the lush forest floor. She felt as boneless and weak as a kit. How humiliating...Daypaw refused to open her eyes because she knew that LionClan tom was still around. He'd probably laugh and go back to his clan just to tell them how stupid and clumsy TigerClan cats were. Oh Dragonstar would be so furious! Somehow he'd find out that the rumor was her fault, he found out anything that was her fault. Whenever anything went wrong he assumed she was involved. Sadly most of the time he was right and she had no chance of escaping the disapproving looks and stern frowns. Him as a mentor may be good for her future but Daypaw always felt like she was falling short, like he didn't like her just because she wanted to be playful and get to know him. CURLING into a ball as much as she could without her muscles spasming in protest, Daypaw bit her tongue to keep from mewling like a kit. Tagged;; Hawkfeather Word Count;; 649 Background Song;; "Angels" by Within Temptation Notes;;

[`echo !?]

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[atrb=background,http://i775.photobucket.com/albums/yy35/BaileeDanielle3/hawk2.png] [scrolly:h(306),w(215),sy] Nothing gave away Hawkfeather's disappointment when he heard the young tiger say she knew how to get home- except for a slight glitter of the eyes. At least someone knew how to get home. He still didn't have the slightest clue. Their territory was big, but so was the loner lands. He figured he'd run into someone eventually and get home if he just kept moving... But he wasn't entirely sure how that would work out. It was not his preferred tactic and he wanted to be home at least by tomorrow. His sister would probably be worried... And her kits were due soon! He was an uncle and he wanted to see his nieces and nephews! Giving her a sincerely friendly smile, his whiskers twitched in a sort of good-bye, regretting he hadn't asked her her name by now. He figured he shouldn't ask, he'd just look for her at a gathering. It wasn't strange for him to talk to apprentices so no one would suspect they had met like this. "Safe travels and may Star-," He was cut off from his farewell as he heard that crack. Bunching his muscles, he tried to leap forward to try and catch her before she fell, but was too slow- he had been sitting for too long and his reflexes were shot. He held his breath in fear, for a moment believing she was maybe dead, but then he noticed her breathing. He let out a sigh of relief, rushing forward to her. He crouched beside her after she rolled into that ball. He was no medicine cat. He would be lying if he said he knew what to do. Hesitating, Hawkfeather hovered over her for a moment, debating on what would be the best thing to do. He didn't even know where to go to try and contact a medicine cat. Holding in a frustrated huff, he lied down, facing the little tiger, his tail curling over her. That tail lightly brushing against her side in an attempt to comfort her. He didn't care if it was wrong to help her like this or comfort her. He didn't care if she didn't like it. He was going to do his best to try and help. He ran a hesitant tongue over her head and down her shoulder. "Are you alright?" he finally questioned, genuine worry dancing in his concerned eyes. [[Fff, I feel bad. I always write like half of what you do XDD]] [/scrolly]

[Bast]

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[atrb=background,http://i55.tinypic.com/2qjvhg1.jpg ] "ARE you alright?" DAYPAW bit back a groan until she felt fur brush hers. Hazel eyes snapped open but she didn't dare move more than that in case it hurt. She carefully turned her head just a bit to the right, just enough to see the solid dusty golden brown of lion fur. Oh no! What if someone saw? Oh she would be in so much trouble! Daypaw wanted to sit up and tell the male that she was fine and he could go away because she didn't want to be in anymore trouble with Dragonstar than she was already destined for but the instant she even thought about it, aches echoed through her body in time with her heartbeat. She didn't think she'd broken anything but she'd be sore and stiff for a moon and a half at least, especially if she didn't tell Nightshadow...Oh this was such a mess! SIGHING and resigning herself to her fate, the young apprentice went limp, trying to ignore the maneless lion laying next to her. "I'm fine," she mumbled, determinedly not looking at him. "You should go home. I'll go back in a second, I just need....need to catch my breath then I'll go home." IT was probably a weak way to try and shake off the maneless lion but she had to try something. She knew friendships between clans were technically allowed but they were sort of frowned on. At least, that was what Blazeheart had told her. It made you weak. What if she met this lion on the battlefield someday? If she considered him a friend, she wouldn't try as hard to defend her clan. It would be a disaster! If she wanted to be a leader someday Daypaw would have to make sacrifices and sometimes face things alone. Friends in other clans were a sacrifice and this tumble was something she'd face alone. She could do it because she was a tigress and she was TigerClan through and through and she was strong. She was going to be a leader someday! Things like this couldn't slow her down! PUSHING herself to try and sit up, Daypaw made it as far as getting her two front paws under her before she crumpled back to the ground with a groan. Squeezing her eyes closed, Daypaw cursed the fact that she hadn't landed on her feet. "And momma always said cats landed on their feet..." Daypaw muttered sourly. "That's a dirty rotten lie! I'll never tell my kits that..." OPENING her eyes again, resigned to her fate, Daypaw laid her head on her forelegs and stared forward. A fern was right in her line of sight, firmly rooted to the ground. Daypaw could guarantee it had never fallen out of a tree...lucky plant. Some things got all the luck. If Grasskit was here, he'd probably be fretting and flitting around her nervously, asking again and again if she was okay. He'd always been nervous and soft-spoken...Daypaw had loved him to death though. He'd been her best friend. She was almost glad he wasn't here to see this. He'd be so worried he'd probably lose his stripes! And then later they would laugh about it when the aches faded and the bruises and Dragonstar's fury went away... UGH! This just wasn't her day... Tagged;; open Word Count;; 551 Background Song;; "Crashed" by Daughtry Notes;; ugh dreadfully short >.<

[`echo !?]

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[atrb=background,http://i775.photobucket.com/albums/yy35/BaileeDanielle3/hawk2.png] [scrolly:h(306),w(215),sy] Despite Hawkfeather's goofy and childish behavior- he was great at reading others. He tended to be able to see many emotions just by glancing at a cat that many did not see. How he received that trait- probably his father. It was something not many suspected. So he he knew what the tiger apprentice was feeling at the moment. That this was wrong, that she was going to be in trouble. With a perk of his ears, and a wave of his tail, he quickly dismissed her words, letting out what sounded like a mixture of an amused purr and an almost frustrated rumbled caught in his throat. "Oh don't say that. You're hurt. I can see that. And I'm not leaving you here so something bigger or a rogue can get you while you are helpless. His right ear flicked in what may have been embarrassment. "`Sides, I have no idea how to get home. Kinda lost. I figured you could point me in the right direction once you're feeling better... I'm directionally challenged.. or something like that." Laughter rumbled in his throat. He would have offered to help her to her clan, but obviously she did not want to be seen with a lion- he could see that clearly. And she didn't want to get in trouble. He could relate to that, but he figured he wouldn't get in.. too much trouble when he got home hopefully. "What is your name? I never got to ask you," he spoke, hoping it would distract the little tiger from the pain and distress she was probably feeling. [[Sorry for the late response! Been getting ready for my trip x__x;;.. So nervous!]] [/scrolly]