you're not alone, dear loneliness [open]

[jinxeh ఇ]

Dawn was breaking over the valley of leopards. The hustle and bustle of the Clan was slowly picking up momentum as warriors and apprentices started rolling out of their dens, groggy yet ready for the day. Muffled sounds bounced off the walls of the apprentices den, finding their way to the solitary apprentice still deep within the den. The small creature showed no signs of getting up with the rest of the Clan. Her body was still tightly curled in the position in which she had fallen asleep: tail draped over her paws that were tucked close to her body, and her chin pressed against her downy chest.

Her mind was floating between reality and dream land. The dreams were more nightmares than anything, but they also held a calming feeling for her. There was always an unfamiliar smell that provided her with warmth, and she wanted to know what that smell was. It wasn't LeopardClan, nor was any other Clan, well, at least that she recognized. It was the fact that it was always in her dreams -nightmares rather- that intrigued her. Of course she had asked questions about the smell, but how can you inquiry about a scent that no one else can smell?

As the sounds of the camp escalated to the usual sounds of the day, she curled her head back and felt a knot nestling deep within his left shoulder blade. A soft mew acknowledged it and she gazed upon the empty den with one slate blue eye open to take in everything. Not that there was much to take in mind you, considering that most apprentices were quite keen and not tardy. Mistpaw had other things on her agenda, like sleeping. She had only been an apprentice for a very short time, but already she was exhausted from the training. It made her heart ache and long to be back in the nursery with her mom. Stretching out her hind legs, she felt her spine expand and in turn, a yawn broke through her maw.

Rolling onto her stomach, she looked out of the den into camp and sighed. I hate this. She thought to herself before forcing herself to her large paws. Loos moss fell from her pelt to the den floor and she dipped her head down. This was the last thing she wanted to do today. With a grunt and a groan, the speckled she-cat slunk out of the den slowly as she could possibly manage. Pupils dilating to nothing more than hair thin slits, she glanced around.

Why was she even an apprentice? She could barely hunt, or fight. Of course, she didn't take into account that fact that she had been an apprentice for less than a moon and only had one training session so that her mentor could assess the skills she already had, which mind you, were very few. She was a good tracker, but the hunting part, was going to need some polishing up. It was disheartening for Mistpaw, to say the least. And it wasn't like she was unwilling to learn, she just wanted to give up before she even began.

Forcing her paws to move, she made her way to the fresh kill pile. The grumbling in her stomach notified her of her hunger, but the poor excuse of an appetite seemed to have other ideas for the apprentice. Sitting down beside it, she looked over the pile hoping something would jump out at her and look appetizing.

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words: 588
muse: poor
tags: anyone
notes: horrible post -.-
listening to: talkin' 2 myself - eminem ft. kobe

[darkwatcher]

Freekit yawned, stretching. Gazing around the nursery, the snow leopard cub didn't know where she was for a moment. Then she remembered everything that had happened lately: the butterfly. The river. Oliver and mama nowhere to be found. She closed her eyes, blinking back hot tears. I've got to be strong, she told herself. Padding out of the den, the stocky cub gazed around the camp of the group called LeopardClan.
It was homey, that was good. Despite being a bit warmer, this place looked a lot like Freekit's family home. You'd have thought that this would have brought on homesickness, but instead it was strangely comforting. There were so many cats though! It had just been her her brother, and Mama. Freekit felt disoriented, to say the least. Still, you had to go on. She walked out of the den, gazing around her with wide eyes. I don't care how long I live here, I'll always be a stranger. What should she do first? Well, how about eating? At the thought, her stomach growled, reminding her that it was starving. Absolutely famished. Freekit padded over to the fresh-kill pile, staring at it. "Now, what to eat?" she mused. Besides her sat an apprentice-sized cat, who seemed to be having the same dilemma.

[dogtagxo]

INKSPOT

[/i][/color] Inkspot murmured, gently taking her paw and pushing the cub near her other leg, then pointed at where Mistpaw was, by the freshkill pile. "Come on, let's go over there, alright?" The leopard said with a nod, turning and walking over to the fresh kill pile, assuming that Freekit was following.

Upon arrival to the freshkill pile, Inkspot sat down, nodding at Mistpaw and looking at Freekit. "Mistpaw, you look bored." Stated the warrior.

[ notes; sorry dark, i wasn't sure who freekit was prodding at, mistpaw was over at the freshkill pile from what i can tell. o-o ]

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[jinxeh ఇ]

This was a much harder task than it should be for the little apprentice. Never before had she had such a hard time choosing between pieces of prey, she wasn't exactly a picky eater. But today seemed to be one of those days where her small stomach didn't seem to want to make up its mind, the worst part of it being how loud it was protesting the lack of sustenance occupying it. Mistpaw shuffled her paws, and flicked her tail, her eyes examining the pile many times over, wishing, praying, hoping to StarClan that something would interest her. But alas, nothing seemed to touch the appetite, or the lack there of. To say the least, she was on the brink of starvation, a lowly apprentice with nothing in her belly. Sighing heavily, she thought of the days when she was back in the nursery and how she was never hungry. Her mom always had something to give her to keep her strong and healthy and satisfied. Just another reason why she longed to be back with her mom.

While she was so transfixed on the fresh-kill pile and her own, rather selfish, and very naive thoughts, she failed to notice the kit approaching her. It was almost amusing, looking at the kit and then looking at the fluffy she-cat; the kit was about the same size, and Mistpaw had to be at least two or three moons older than the other leopard. The size of the kit didn't help in her noticing him though, her vision had blurred from starring at the same place for so long and she was completely engulfed in her own thoughts, all outside smells, noises, movement were lost to her, in an abyss she had no intention of delving deep into. No, she was gone, gone away from all reality, back to the dreams she used to have in the nursery, of a familiar yet alien cat that ravaged her every thought and dream.

"Now, what to eat?"

Mistpaw nearly jumped out of her skin. Fur standing on end and eyes going wide, Mistpaw stared at the random kit incredulously, trying to figure out how the heck she got there without the apprentice noticing. Heart beating in her chest like a thousand drummers in an orchestra, she tried to calm herself and steady her breathing. This wasn't the first time she had been scared out of her wits by a Clanmates; she wasn't exactly a stranger to disappearing into her thoughts for a few moments and shutting out the rest of the world. However, this one scared her the most, probably because she was still half asleep and not certain of anything that was going on in the camp really. Shaking her head, and feeling her lips turn into a sweet, and embarassed smile, she let her stoney blue eyes gaze upon the kit, whose name was taking a fair amount of time to occur to the new apprentice, though she was almost positive she was aware of it.

"You scared the fur off me!" Mistpaw giggled to the kit, not in anyway mad at her, it wasn't her fault that Mistpaw wasn't paying attention to what was going on around her! Bringing her paw up to her mouth, she ran her tongue over the top of it and then proceeded to slide it over her left ear to flatten the fur that was standing at attention atop her crown. "What are you doing out the nursery, Freekit?" The name finally dawning on her, Mistpaw cocked her head to the side and gazed at the black patterned kit with curiosity blossoming in her eyes. Ears twitching and flicking in the direction of another cat approaching, her eyes found another face to gaze upon, this time a warrior and one that she was barely acquinted with, her name coming much faster than Freekits' did.

"No, not bored Inkspot," She responded cheerily, the corners of her mouth turned up in a calm smile. "I just have no idea what my belly wants to eat this morning!" Shrugging her shoulders, she turned her attention back to the kill that was laying beside her body, emphasizing the choice that was stalling her whole morning.

-----

words: 715
muse: alright
tags: inkspot & freekit
notes: sorry for the insanely long wait! life caught up with me =S
listening to: nothing

[darkwatcher]

"I was bored," Freekit answered. "You're Mistpaw, right?"If she wasn't Mistpaw, Freekit had just made a fool of herself. Ah well. You needed to take some risks, right? That was what Oliver would have said.
Oliver....Freekit sighed. She missed her brother so much, with his lame puns and clumsy paws. She missed her mother, too. Their little home by the river....the games that Freedom and Oliver used to play together...the bedtime stories that Mother used to tell them to get them to quiet down at night. The fact was, LeopardClan wasn't home. The grove by the river was home to Freekit, and she was homesick.
The small snow leopard shook herself. No use wallowing in pity! Mother would be disappointed. With that, Freekit was back in action, ready to continue the charade of happiness.
"I know, right?" the leopardess mewed, faking good cheer. "I can't decide either."

OOC: Really sorry for the inactivity, I took a little enforced vacation from the computer.

[dogtagxo]

INKSPOT

[/i][/color] Inkspot said, attempting a more calm and wise sounding tone. However it still came out sounding slightly rude and the 'ess couldn't exactly help her bad attitude at times.

"Has Rowangaze been around, Mistpaw?" Asked the leopardess, curious of where the young apprentice's mentor could've gotten off to.

[ notes; sorry for the late reply D: ]

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[jinxeh ఇ]

The new apprentice could've rolled her eyes at the young kit sitting beside her. However, calling Freekit young was kind of an inappropriate thing to do, seeing how Mistpaw was barely out of the nursery herself. IF she could recall correctly, Freekit had been in the nursery for as long as she could remember, which would make her just a breath younger than herself. Still, the fact that she was bored in the nursery was a reason for Mistpaw to roll her eyes. Why would anyone be bored enough to leave the nursery?! The only reason she wasn't in it right now was because she was an apprentice and had no good reason to return to see her mom, other than she hated being an apprentice so far. Mistpaw restrained herself however, not really wanting to cause any drama. She merely let out a sad sigh and tucked her paw into the fresh kill pile and with her claws unsheathed, she pulled out a small morsel, a day old or so, but the smell was still sweet in the air. Letting her dopey eyes look to Freekit, she nuzzled it towards her before answering the cubs question.

"Yes, I'm Mistpaw." Her reply was cheery enough, though she was still rather shocked by the cubs boredom of the nursery. "And you are Freekit!" It was a childish thing to say, but she wasn't known for her witty conversation. Taking a small bite out of the piece of fresh kill, Mistpaw's stomach roared in approval as the mushy piece of prey hit her belly. Hearing the sound it made, her ears flared with heat, and she looked at Inkspot sheepishly. Of course, right when a warrior is around her stomach acts greedy. Not making eye contact she let her attention turn back to Freekit who for a second, looked very down about something. Mistpaw knew that look well, it was one that seemed to be always upon the apprentices face when she would wake up to find that she was still an apprentice and it was seeming like she would never become a warrior, and get away from the fighting and hunting and stay with her cubs. "Come on, share this with me!"

[/color] Mistpaw smiled largely, not comically, just her regular smile.

Fresh kill was nowhere near as satisfying as her mothers milk, she had decided. It wasn't as warm, or as filling and it only filled her up for a few hours unlike the nourishing taste of milk. Mistpaw would've loved to have that right now, but she knew she would have to put up with the fresh-kill that the warriors brought back for the Clan for the rest of her life as a Clan cat. It was a disappointing and sad thought to touch her mind and she felt her own face fall before she quickly erased the look from her face. She refused to show that she was sad, pushing the thought curtly from her mind and leaving happy ones, well relatively happy ones. Taking another nibble from the piece of kill, she pushed the rest towards Freekit, encouraging her to share it with her.. Mistpaw had lost the rest of her appetite, but that was okay. There would be more kill tonight to satisfy her. Hearing Inkspot's words, Mistpaw felt even more embarrassed than before she her ears fell down against her head.

"I don't like to think about that, Inkspot, It makes me sad." Mistpaw delivered the words with innocence and a touch of sadness, but also sincerity. She hated the thought of her Clan not being able to eat properly, it was scary. Mistpaw let herself give Inkspot a smile, not her usual, but a genuine one. "I'm sorry Inkspot. I will be more thankful of the food we have in the future." Cheerily, she transferred her stoney gaze to her paws, and let her tail lie flat upon her large paws. Ears flicking to a noise at the entrance to the camp, "No, I haven't seen him today. It's probably because I slept so late today ... He probably went out without me." Emitting a huge sigh that released all traces of air from her lungs, she shrugged her shoulders, her gaze still averted from either cat.

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words: 727
muse: meh
tags: inkspot & freekit
notes: gah..
listening to: nothing[/justify][/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[darkwatcher]

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[atrb=background,http://oi43.tinypic.com/14m58o1.jpg] [scrolly:h(271),w(419),sy] Freekit smiled at Mistpaw. "Yeah, I know," she mewed. Well, yeah, duh! Freekit shook her head, recalling what her mother had often told them: some cats are smarter, stronger, and faster than they look, and if you laugh at them when you're better, you'll be in loads of trouble when you're worse. Anyway, Mistpaw was nice. Not quite as cool as Oliver, but then no one was as cool as Oliver. He may have been a total spaz, but Freekit's brother seemed to secrete coolness. It was just-him. Oliver. Totally unfazed byanything that came their way. Be it bad weather, nasty rogues, or a lack of prey, he'd just nod his head and say, 'It'll blow over.' Oh, she missed him! Sighing, Freekit did her best to look cheerful. I don't want Mistpaw worrying about me, she looks like she's got enough on her plate. Instead, the snow leaopard cub beamed at her when she suggested sharing the food. "Thanks!" Freekit took a large bite, more to be polite than anything else. It's funny, how you can sometimes forget how hungry you are until you take a bite of food. Freekit gulped down several more bites enthusiastically, then looked up and remembered Mistpaw. "Sorry," she muttered, blushing under her pelt. Great, now the apprentice thought she was a pig. Her mood wasn't improved by Inkspot's criticism. "I'm not picky!" she protested] "Just a little selective, that's all." Freekit frowned as she heard Mistpaw report that her mentor had gone out while she was asleep."That's not nice! He could have at least waited for you." [/scrolly]

[dogtagxo]

INKSPOT

[/s] Mistpaw had said and it seemed almost sad in tone. However this didn't effect Inkspot too much as she picked a small hare from the fresh kill pile and ate it quickly. "I'm sorry Inkspot. I will be more thankful of the food we have in the future." The leopardess warrior nodded. "Good, I'm glad to hear that." She replied, tail wrapping around her paws as she licked her lips, finished with her meal and glancing around when Freekit's voice broke her quiet thoughts.

"I'm not picky!" Inkspot snorted, looking down at the young cub with skeptical eyes full of disapproval. Was the warrior ever so snotty as a kit like Freekit? Inkspot doubted it, exhaling heavily as if she was brushing the thought away. "Just a little selective, that's all." And again, the leopardess's temper flared momentarily, but she reminded herself that this was a young cub and nothing more, not yet, and had much to learn. "Be less selective." Grunted the she-cat, gaze moved over Mistpaw again.

"No, I haven't seen him today. It's probably because I slept so late today ... He probably went out without me."

"That's not nice! He could have at least waited for you."

Inkspot couldn't resist a chuckle as she got up to stretch. "Actually Freekit, I believe that Mistpaw's mentor had every right to go out and do his duty as a warrior to the clan. It's not his fault Mistpaw slept in so late." The warrior paused, looking around the camp and back over the two younger cats. The clearing was fairly empty at the moment. "I don't think Rowangaze would mind if I trained with you for a bit. Freekit, feel free to watch. I'd have you join in, but you're not an apprentice yet."

[ notes; omgomgomg im so sorry for the late reply ;_; ]

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[darkwatcher]

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[atrb=background,http://oi43.tinypic.com/14m58o1.jpg] [scrolly:h(271),w(419),sy] Freekit frowned. "Well, I think it was pretty rude," she mewed. "How would you like it if your apprentice went out because you were sleeping too late? I'd be mad!" Well, it was moot point anyway, as Freekit was an early bird and wouldn't be caught dead sleeping in. She suspected Inkspot had pretty much the same attitude. Still, it wasn't nice. Oliver was a slow slug, and Momma said we had to wait for him! The snow leopard cub brightened up, though, when Inkspot said she could watch them train. "Really, Inkspot? Thanks!" Freekit couldn't wait untill she was an apprentice. When I grow up, I'll be the best warrior ever!

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