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Post by á£Îmaý---♫♥ on Sept 18, 2008 3:22:31 GMT -5
"Are you okay?" Spider asked quietly, moving closer to Nightshade. Her brief nervous laughter had startled him and the fact she was now talking to himself had him now concerned. Have I done something wrong? Am I meant to say something? Do something? He frowned at himself, his own way of scolding his flustered behaviour. "Um," he meowed, for a lack of anything better to say. Spider pulled his gaze away from her and simply stared at the ground, embarassed.
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Post by Tiger on Sept 18, 2008 16:46:42 GMT -5
"Yes," Nightshade meowed in an offhand way, shifting her weight between her forepaws. "Absolutely fine." Her voice was going up in pitch as she talked--a far cry from her usual low, sarcastic tone--which she found to be a bit strange. Then again, the whole world is strange, isn't it? And it keeps getting stranger. She flicked her tail through the dirt, stirring up ash as she did so.
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Post by á£Îmaý---♫♥ on Sept 18, 2008 23:28:31 GMT -5
Spider began to giggle quietly and then fell into a coughing fit as Nightshade stirred up the ash again.
"You're voice!" he rasped in between laughing coughs," It was just really shrill, like mine was!"
He stopped walking and stood still, trying to stiffle his coughing. "Now I know why everbody laughed at me back in the Rogue Nest!" he meowed. His eyes glinted playfully as he tried to lighten the tense mood between them. He hoped she wouldn't find it offensive and run off, especially since she had confessed that she liked him. Maybe even...loved him.
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Post by Tiger on Sept 19, 2008 16:46:49 GMT -5
"They laughed at you?" Nightshade asked dumbfoundedly before breaking out into laughter herself. She was barely watching where she was going because she was laughing too hard. So, naturally, she tripped over a tree root and sprawled out on the ground, gray ash settling in her fur. She stumbled up and debated about shaking herself off, but decided against it because Spider might not want to be covered in the dust. The she-cat stifled a laugh as she looked down at herself and meowed, "I haven't changed color!"
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Post by á£Îmaý---♫♥ on Sept 19, 2008 20:38:37 GMT -5
Spider broke into hysterics as Nightshade fell flat on her face. "You should look where you're going," he scolded her, playfully. He skipped to her side, his paws kicking up more ash. "I think your paws are a little greyer," he commented," And my pelt is all gritty and itchy."
He shook himself roughly, trying to remove the soot that clung to his short fur. The soot made his usually glossy black fur a dark grey. "I look really old and grey now!" he laughed.
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Post by Tiger on Sept 20, 2008 10:48:42 GMT -5
Nightshade chuckled. "There are a lot of things I should do," she meowed, leaping energetically into the air. She stuck the landing, despite making clouds of soot explode from her paws. "A little grayer? That's like saying that AquaClan or wherever we are got a little hotter with the fire." She was quiet for a moment before commenting, "We should wash off once we get far enough upstream or downstream so that the river isn't ashy."
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Post by á£Îmaý---♫♥ on Sept 20, 2008 23:40:02 GMT -5
Spider snorted as he tried to stifle his laughter. This just resulted in making himself start coughing. Err..I hate this place he grumbled.
Eyes watering, he nodded in agreement with Nightshade. "We can wash off at the river which seperates BeachClan and AquaClan. Then we can say 'hello' to Quietshadow."
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Post by Tiger on Sept 21, 2008 11:51:12 GMT -5
"All right," meowed Nightshade cheerfully. "You okay? It's very ashy around here." She didn't seem to notice that she was stating the obvious and if she did, she certainly didn't care. "I'm surprised that I didn't get that much up my nose when I fell. Do you think the BeachClan--I think that's Quietshadow's Clan--will welcome us? I don't think they will. When I was back in MountainClan we were always chasing everyone else out." She was returning to her normal talkative self.
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Post by á£Îmaý---♫♥ on Sept 23, 2008 2:46:08 GMT -5
"Just a little tickle in my throat," Spider meowed, giving her a reassuring smile. "You have to be careful not to inhale much."
He looked up ahead, where the stream was curling around and joining the river. From his memory, BeachClan was just over there. "BeachClan? Probably not. Clans here don't welcome rogues either," Spider told her," Unless you are trying to join the Clan. I think that's where what's his name went. Grey tom? Shade! That's his name!" As Nightshade began talking again, Spider went back to his usual rambling self. The only difference was that he was being careful not to mention anything about what they had said earlier, how she had admitted that she perhaps loved him. Spider remembered Nightshade's stories about Lichenstar and how other toms had caught prey for her. He didn't want to be pushy or clingy. I'll stay around as long as she wants me...
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Post by Tiger on Sept 23, 2008 14:28:58 GMT -5
Nightshade nodded and yawned widely. "Looks like I forgot...heh...anyways, we'll just waltz in and hope that they leave us alone, unless you have a better idea, which I'm sure you do." She paused for a moment. "Who's Shade? I don't remember if you've mentioned him before or not--if you did, sorry--but I just have to be nosy like that." In mid-step, she leapt up and kicked her legs out before landing with a puff of dust. This time, she managed to avoid falling down.
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Post by á£Îmaý---♫♥ on Sept 24, 2008 0:28:34 GMT -5
"Me? Have a better idea?" Spider echoed, smiling. "I was going to do exactly what you said!"
He shook his head laughing. "No, I've never mentioned him before. Shade decided to join RainClan awhile ago. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I joined a Clan."
Spider arched his back and stretched out his front legs, his claws digging into the ground. Shaking more ash and soot from his pelt he began walking again.
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Post by Tiger on Sept 24, 2008 14:51:29 GMT -5
"Great, great," Nightshade meowed with a smile. "Mmmhmm. Well, if you like an organized system of power where you're probably not in charge and you have to rely and provide on a bunch of other cats who you're not related to and many of whom you aren't even friends with, then Clan life is perfect for you!" Her voice was falsely optimistic--as it often was--as she continued alongside Spider, practically skipping through the ashy blanket upon the ground.
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Post by á£Îmaý---♫♥ on Sept 26, 2008 23:26:58 GMT -5
"Ah yes," Spider sighed happily," I would probably end up attacking the leader or leaving everyone to starve to death in leaf-bare. It doesn't sound any better then the Rogue Nest really, although there's less chance of getting laughed at and having my ears raked by Cactus."
He frowned unhappily as he remembered the mistreatment he had suffered at the hands of the rogues.
"It seems I'm more suited to a solitary life," he announced. He smiled at Nightshade before adding," But that's just fine for me."
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Post by Tiger on Sept 27, 2008 12:31:42 GMT -5
"Same," meowed Nightshade. "There's probably more backstabbing in a Clan than there is here. They always get into wars over stupid stuff like trespassing. That's probably my favorite thing about being a rogue: No territory markers to worry about." She gave a wide, content, loud yawn before twitching her whiskers and exhaling softly. Life was good.
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Post by á£Îmaý---♫♥ on Sept 29, 2008 18:08:49 GMT -5
Spider nodded in agreement. No doubt about that, he had heard stories from both Burntstar and Faunus about betrayals in Clan's. It seemed like a regular occurence. "Life in a Clan seems more confined. No freedom to go wherever you please," Spider meowed. He kneaded his claws into the layer of burnt leaves and ash before giving a little skip and bounding to the river edge. "Imagine never seeing what lay outside the camp. Never knowing what it's like on the other side of the river."
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Post by Tiger on Sept 30, 2008 14:42:35 GMT -5
"Oh, yes. That too," replied Nightshade. "It really is. Like I said, you get in trouble if you tresspass so doing so is obviously discourage. Un-contrary to popular belief, Clan life is nothing compared to this." She smirked and gave a single, quick cough before sniffing and quickly mewing, "I'm okay, I'm okay." The ash carpet underfoot was beginning to thin ever so slightly as they trekked on.
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Post by á£Îmaý---♫♥ on Oct 1, 2008 22:25:18 GMT -5
"Well, now it is our turn to do a little tresspassing," Spider announced. "The quicker we are away from this ash and soot, the better."
Almost daintly, he began placing each of his paws into the murky waters of the river. He glanced back at Nightshade when he was suddenly struck by a thought. "Can you swim?"
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Post by Tiger on Oct 2, 2008 15:45:34 GMT -5
"Maybe," Nightshade meowed. "I was never really in any condition to learn how because the only time we had water was in snow-melt, and it was too cold to immerse yourself in. Our hottest weather in the middle of no-snow was about as warm as on of your mid-to-late--newleaf, I think it's called?--days." She placed a paw in the river at its very bank, so that the water wasn't even a mouse-length deep. The liquid had a certain icy bite to it, but it was not too different from the temperature in her native mountains. It felt like home...except that now her home was in the rogue nest or wherever she could find a den.
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Post by á£Îmaý---♫♥ on Oct 2, 2008 19:23:15 GMT -5
Spider's brain raced as he attempted to translate what Nightshade was telling him. He was familar with some of the words the Clans used here in the forest but the words Nightshade were using were completely new to him. He frowned and uttered at simple "Oh."
With the water now half-way up his legs, Spider waded back to where the black she-cat stood. "I'll swim beside you and help you across. It gets a little deep in the middle." He smiled at her showing that there was no way he would let her drown.
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Post by Tiger on Oct 3, 2008 16:34:57 GMT -5
Nightshade inhaled deeply. "Okay," she meowed, wading cautiously next to Spider. She placed each paw down in the water softly to avoid making a splash. Her fur wasn't sleek and waterproof; it was more on the dense, insulative side. But when her pelt was wet, boy, it got cold. The rogue have a halfhearted, inward sigh. So I get to meet Quietshadow and possibly evade an attack while I'm dripping wet. Great. At least I'm not alone in this... She sighed again and continued her meticulous pattern of walking.
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Post by á£Îmaý---♫♥ on Oct 3, 2008 20:23:31 GMT -5
"It's really easy," Spider meowed, using a soft reassuring tone. He had noticed that she didn't seem completely confident with the whole idea.
Water lapped at the fur on his belly and he shuddered. His pelt was still thin from green-leaf and it hadn't thickened for the approaching leaf-fall. He hadn't realised how cold the water would be.
Shivering, he moved himself closer to Nightshade until his side was brushing aganist hers. "The water's a bit nip-" His remark was cut off as the ground suddenly vanished from his paws and he sunk into the water with a startled meow.
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Post by Tiger on Oct 6, 2008 18:04:19 GMT -5
Nightshade smirked and tried not to laugh at Spider when she took a step forward. Although the ground remained beneath her, she moved her leg just a touch too forcefully and slipped in the mud, falling face forward into the chilly water. Sputtering with an occasional cough, she scrambled up and struggled to regain her footing. "It's freezing!" she hissed, repulsed at the river and the mud that now clung to her fur. "I hope BeachClan is warmer! Oh, and sorry...are you all right?"
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Post by á£Îmaý---♫♥ on Oct 6, 2008 21:29:01 GMT -5
Spider's eyes were wide with alarm as he resurfaced, his drenched fur clinging to his face.
"Might want to watch out there...," he spluttered, paddling back towards Nightshade. His paws managed to find ground again and he was relieved when he was no longer up to his neck in water. "I'm fine," he meowed, his voice shaking a little. "It's too deep there. Way too deep."
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Post by Tiger on Oct 9, 2008 15:39:54 GMT -5
"And watch out everywhere," Nightshade added, carefully testing the ground with her forepaw before she dared advance. "Do they have quicksand around here? I was chatting with a few ValleyClan apprentices at a gathering once and they said that one of their friends nearly sank into some of that stuff and they had to fish her out." She looked at Spider quizically as she waited for his answer, shivering from the cold mud and water that dripped from her fur, discoloring her white tuxedo pattern.
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Post by á£Îmaý---♫♥ on Oct 9, 2008 16:42:38 GMT -5
"Only in the Wetland's and the Marsh," Spider replied. He moved past Nightshade, keeping to the shallow parts to the river. He soon found what he was looking for, a crossing. A part of the river was shallower where large rocks had slowed the flow of water. "We can cross here," Spider called out," We should've probably looked for this before we got in the water." His own fur was sticking out in odd tufts, clinging to his thin frame and dripping water.
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Post by Tiger on Oct 10, 2008 17:11:19 GMT -5
"Okay," Nightshade meowed, padding to the ford and carefully stepping over the mossy, wet rocks. If there was any spot where it would be bad to fall, this would be it. The rocks could easily crack the skull of a careless cat. "Are we anywhere near those? I don't want to sink." She used her tail to balance herself as she lifted her paws high up with each step.
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Post by á£Îmaý---♫♥ on Oct 10, 2008 17:48:42 GMT -5
Spider was carefully moving from rock to rock, his claws unsheathed for grip. He copied the way Nightshade moved, using his long tail for balance and stepping lightly on his paws. He could feel the pads of his paws slipping on the thin layers of moss. One wrong move and, well, Spider didn't want to think about it. "The Wetlands? Um, no they are back the way we came. Our only problem here is slipping." He grimaced when he noticed that the rocks were becoming more spaced apart. They would have to jump to reach the shore.
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Post by Tiger on Oct 11, 2008 10:35:01 GMT -5
Nightshade gave a faint nervous laugh like she had earlier. However, unlike her previous one, this wasn't caused by feelings for Spider but from fear of slipping on the rocks. She had been stretching more and more to reach the next rock in her path until she realized that the next one was too far for her to reach without jumping. Ignoring a sinking feeling in her stomach, the black cat crouched to gather her strength and gave a huge leap. Water sprayed from the moss on the rock as her paws hit it. She scrambled to keep her balance and did just that. "It's not easy but it's possible," Nightshade meowed to Spider, afraid that being too loud would disrupt the precarious position she had put herself into.
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Post by á£Îmaý---♫♥ on Oct 11, 2008 17:31:08 GMT -5
Spider released the breath he was holding with a loud relieved sigh. For just a small second, he had thought Nightshade was going to slip and fall into the water that rushed around them. He could feel his heart still thumping loudly in his chest and he shifted uncomfortably on the small rock on which he stood. Fear fluttered in his stomach when he sized up the jump. He had jumped further distances before but there had never been rushing water, hard rocks and a pretty she-cat balanced precautiously on the object he was trying to jump too. "Is there enough room for me to jump across?" he whispered, his voice filled with uneasiness.
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Post by Tiger on Oct 12, 2008 11:38:08 GMT -5
"Once I jump to the next one, yeah," replied Nightshade softly, bunching up her muscles again and springing off of the rock. She landed a bit more smoothly on this once, as it was slightly larger (although still equally mossy.) Once again, the fine spray of water from the moss--almost as if the rock was giving of a burst of serein--erupted on her pawpads, sending a shiver rippling up her legs. "Okay, go!" she meowed, lower legs trembling uncomfortably. She would hate to slip off of the rock...or worse, see Spider fall.
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