Better to ask...

[Heathclaw]

"I shouldn't be doing this. I shouldn't be doing this. StarClan's sake, I shouldn't be doing this," Heathkit muttered under his breath. He was standing up to his chest in a tall, thick part of the grassy moor, glancing around furtively. Satisfied that he wasn't being watched, he darted across to the next patch of grass. "This was a stupid, stupid idea," groaned Heathkit.

Stupid, perhaps, but at least he wasn't sitting on his tail in the nursery right now. Kit. Kit. Darned clan rules. Who'd ever heard of a kit of twelve moons? His mother had already gone back to warrior duties; he was big enough to take care of himself, to eat fresh-kill, to hunt and patrol. And he would have been allowed to do that ages ago, if it weren't for that 'kit' at the end of his name.

He looked over his shoulder quickly, and then began to creep up the hill, keeping his belly low to the ground. He was tired of waiting, of sitting around and being told stories about the world outside of camp. It was only a matter of time before curiosity drove him to see for himself.

At last, Heathkit reached the top of the hill. An expanse of green spread all around from the hilltop, stretching all the way to the edge of the sparkling lake. Hills rolled, and clouds scudded across the sky. There, on the lake... could that be the island? He'd go there one day, at the gathering of all clans. He turned to get a look at the other territories. The dark pines far across the lake had to belong to ShadowClan. He could just make out the river that was the border to RiverClan. And of course, the treeline marked the border of ThunderClan. This... this was his world.

He breathed deeply, trying to catch as many scents as he could. Heady grass, sweet flowers, and faint scents of prey crossed his scent glands. Cats had been here too: he caught a few familiar scents, including his father's. His fur prickled uncomfortably. What would Rustlepelt say if he knew what he, Heathkit, was doing? But, then again, maybe Rustlepelt wouldn't mind. Better to ask forgiveness than permission, he had said.

Either way, it was about time that he headed back to camp. He turned reluctantly away from the hilltop, took a few steps, and then froze. He could swear that he heard a noise; a kind of rustling sound. What was it? Prey? Predator? Another cat? Heathkit sank low to the ground, the better not to be seen, and waited.

[Rainefrost]

{Cinder

[/size]paw}[/font][/center][/size]

' I painted your room at midnight
So I'd know yesterday was over. '

`` One might have called it foolish to meander about the lands without so much as a guide or companion; perhaps it was a tad bit off that Cinderpaw had no prior commitments on this fine Spring morning ..nah...
Who wanted to be tied down by a mentor anyway? In truth, she did deeply desire security. Friendship. And although she had a couple of supposed friends, they never had time for her. 'Course, maybe then should she not have time for them? A mentor might've been nice.. but she needed not a single sole to rely on. She had herself, after all!
.. But boredom was plaguing her. Her jaws cracked open into a yawn - a melodic sigh exhaled past her voice box and out into the stale air. It was too quiet out here.

`` Maneuvering in such a way that she was somewhat close to silent, the ashen she-cat slid through the sparse undergrowth of the Moor. The grasses just about covered her head, which made her feel invulnerable to danger - that is, until she stumbled over a large pebble and went crashing face-first into the earth. She was quick to rise, give a brief shake to clear her silver pelt of dust, and, angrily, took it upon herself to start heading in a different direction, a different locality where there was no potential suspect or witness to catch her out and about when she shouldn't have been. After a quick check-in with her internal compass, lively with pent up energy, Cinder scampered up an incline that which was a hill overlooking a stretch of beautiful green terrace. She brought herself to a halt at the top, crystalline eyes taking in the picture-perfect scenery before them. Then something moved; she suppressed any further movement, pressing herself to the ground. She was utterly petrified at first 'till the embodiment of another feline was detected a few feet away, ducked under the grasses for cover just as she. She laughed softly - only herself and anyone that was within a very close earshot would hear.

`` For a moment the apprentice's gaze was transfixed on the tom's crouched outline, but then she hopped to her paws and decided to pursue this being. She crept around, keeping low to the dirt sporting a playful smile of sorts. Then, when she had covertly circled him enough times, pounced out into his line of vision and skid out across the earth, tackling him. Standing over the kit (or to-be-apprentice), a bright expression flowered over her face as a small grin found its way onto her lips. "Hello, there."


Cinderpaw && post © Rainefrost .
Lyrics © The Crow & the Butterfly by Shinedown .
Word Count : 550.
Ooc : I'mma delete the ooc posts, just to make the thread cleaner. Thanks for your patience !~

[Heathclaw]

Standing still as a statue with his stomach on the ground, Heathkit checked for scent, but found nothing out of the ordinary. It was quiet, so quiet that he could hear the softness of his own breath. Strange that it should be so quiet.

Nothing was going to get done if he just stood there, he decided, so Heathkit took one cautious step forward. The moment his paw lifted off the ground, a ball of smokey fur exploded out of the grass to his right, cannoning straight into his side and knocking him onto his back.

Great, I'm fox food. Heathkit thought, scrunching his eyes up tight as he felt paws push against his chest. Wait a minute... foxes weren't grey! He opened his eyes.

"Hello, there," said an amused voice. Heathkit glanced up into the soft blue eyes of another feline, about his size, one who carried WindClan scent. "Erm... hello," Heathkit grunted, wriggling back onto his paws.

Who was this cat? She seemed to be only a few moons older than he was, so they must have been together in the nursery... Name... name... Oh! "Cinderpaw!" Heathkit exclaimed, lighting on her ashen-colored fur. "It's Heathkit, remember me?"

He shook himself, shaking dirt clods out of his fur. "Nice pounce. I almost thought you were a fox for a second." Strange. Cinderpaw was different now. The kit that had wandered into the nursery all those moons ago sure wasn't the pouncing type. And yet, he, Heathkit, had also changed somewhat from the bumbling, clumsy fluff-ball that he'd been at that time. Hopefully. He gave his paws and ears a quick inspection, making sure that the fur tufts from kithood had fully vanished.

"So, er... what're you doing here?" Heathkit asked. "You don't have your mentor with you, by any chance?" He hoped not. He hadn't planned on being caught so soon.

[Rainefrost]

{Cinder

[/size][/font][/left]

' I put all your books on the top shelf
Even the one with the four leaf clover. '

`` Cinderpaw purred inwardly as her brilliant optics sparkled with merriment. She could hardly stand the anticipation as she wondered just how the other feline would react. Flinch and squeal? She certainly didn't intend to scare the wits out of him. Turn and glare?

`` .. She half wondered why she was doing this, why one charged such calmness was inflicted with such a craving for amusement.
The kit, however, did none of what she was thinking; instead, he returned the greeting with a more uncertain hello of his own. The young, muted silver femme giggled and smiled softly in recognition when the tom took a few moments to contemplate her name. "Yes, Heathkit," she mused, half to herself, in remembrance of the face she'd seen in the nursery before.

`` As soon as he mentioned his thoughts on her having might have been a fox, a small bubble of pride swelled up in her chest at the accomplishment. She was covertly frightened by the creature itself, but amazed at the sort of talent it possessed. Leaping at heights unimaginable, striking right through the ice in Leafbare to capture waiting victims on the other side.. had her pounce really been that convincing? She was just about to thank Heathkit when he asked about her whereabouts.
"I dunno, I've just been a little sick lately of sticking around the camp. And what might you be doing here?" she inquired curiously, slipping up beside him. In immediate response to his next question, her words were, "..I don't have a mentor."
Another smile was dancing behind Cinderpaw's thoughts, as she knew the purpose of his inquest. She was almost positive no one else knew about her little expedition into the Moor.



Cinderpaw && post © Rainefrost .
Lyrics © The Crow & the Butterfly by Shinedown .
Word Count : 391 .
Ooc : This post is really short, and crappy. My sincerest apologies . n____n''

[Heathclaw]

(No worries. I don't think I did much better. ^^

"Well, it looks like I've caught the same sickness," purred Heathkit, falling into step with the blue-eyed apprentice. "I thought I'd go out and see the territory with my own eyes for once. Six moons is a long enough wait, right? I was just about to head back when you jumped me," he said, whiskers twitching.

A little yellow butterfly fluttered by at that moment, landing lightly on Heathkit's nose. He tried to look at it, going slightly cross-eyed, and then sneezed, making the insect dart away. In the same moment, the wind picked up slightly, causing the tall grasses to tickle and sway.

"So, er... how often have you been out of camp? Since you're an apprentice and all," asked Heathkit curiously. "Have you seen anything worth seeing?"

He wondered about that. If she didn't have a mentor, she might as well have been just like him, except for a slight change in name. Perhaps she was also mostly stuck in the clan?

"Hey, by the way, who d'you think you'd want to be your mentor?" Heathkit asked. "Betcha'd love to have Rustlepelt. Or maybe Duskfeather? Swallowleaf? I'm hoping for Rustlepelt, myself. Is it alright for fathers to train their kits, you think?"

[Rainefrost]

{Cinder

[/size][/font][/left]

' I took all your pictures off the wall
And wrapped them in a newspaper blanket '

`` Cinderpaw was flustered when the kit suddenly hurled at her inquiries of all sorts. She didn't know which to answer first, or how to answer them exactly; she pulled to a disjointed halt and had to think for a moment. The seas of her blue eyes lit on the fibrous young form of the apprentice-to-be, who was now a few paces ahead.

`` "Well, I guess being an apprentice is nothing special. I haven't seen anything I hadn't seen from the nursery as a kit. Rock. Tree. Grass. Another tree. Bigger rock... the usual. It's just a title, you know," the lithe she-cat explained, frontal limbs extending in a languid stretch. A throaty, feminine sigh slipped from her mouth as she straightened out, paws lining up nicely into two perfect rows. She then traipsed forward again, so not to keep him waiting, and continued from there.
"I don't know, really. I would accept any one of those warriors. For you, though, it would be nice to get someone you were familiar with. I'm sure it's allowed."

`` The grasses beneath caressed her gray canvas with wistful blades as she walked among them at Heath's side. "I'll consider you an apprentice. Mind if I call you Heathpaw outside of camp?" she asked, wondering if he'd like to hear his name in the respect it should have been.


Cinderpaw && post © Rainefrost .
Lyrics © The Crow & the Butterfly by Shinedown .
Word Count : 333 .
Ooc : This one's short again. My sincerest apologies. n____n''

[Heathclaw]

(You just made Heathkit's day. XD)

Heathkit stopped for a moment and glanced back to listen to Cinderpaw's reply and let her catch up. What she said made him mrrow with laughter, but it also opened up his eyes a little bit. To be an apprentice without a mentor was the same thing as being a kit. Just a title, nothing more. And yet... and still...

When Cinderpaw offered to call him Heathpaw outside of camp, it was all he could do to keep himself from jumping up with joy. But if he was going to be treated as an apprentice, then he'd supposed he should act like one. "I'd like that. I'd like that very much," Heathkit replied, picking the pace back up to walk side by side with the apprentice.

Heathkit walked on in silence for a little while- not an awkward silence, but a silence that comes from nothing to say. The grasses blew gently against him as he walked past, tickling at his underbelly and scratching at his sides, while the ground felt soft and springy underfoot.

After a bit, they rounded a hill and came upon a space of wildflowers, small white blossoms that bobbed and danced happily in the wind. Forgetting himself with a mroww of delight, Heathkit jumped forward, weaving through the flower patch, wriggling through the grass and sending petals everywhere. He ended up on his back with his paws on his chest, glancing over at Cinderpaw.

"You know, even if there's not that much to see around here, I'm really proud to call WindClan my home. No other cats ever get to see the rolling moors, or the wildflowers, or get to feel the sky above their heads and the wind through their fur. We're really lucky, don't you think?"

A moment after the words came out of his mouth, a large dollop of rain dropped out of the sky and landed on his chest. Heathkit looked up at a rapidly darkening sky. "Uh-oh."

(Irony! XD)

[Rainefrost]

{Cinder

[/size][/font][/left]

' And I haven't slept in what seems like a century
And now I can barely breathe '

`` Cinderpaw was gratified when Heathkit happily accepted her offer of slightly altering his name. As they walked the grasses brushed them in delightful spurts from the earth below, green and yellow weeds forcing their spindly necks up through tangled roots. The gray youth frisked into a quickened pace as they began their ascent up the hill, weaving in and out among the scattered boulders and tall grasses. At the top, the view was one far past magnificent; it was glittering with efflorescence, assorted wildflowers and budding blossoms. 'Twas like a seascape of swaying liquid blades, the atmosphere fresh and refined all around. She could only stare and wonder about the consistence of nature, and how it had created such a beauty.

`` As soon as the tom had taken flight down the opposite side of the esker, she was inclined to follow right after. She allowed a soft resonance of laughter to surface, for she felt so carefree with an amazing sense of freedom. His words were the truest, if only she could felt live enough to justify them. While Heath finally laid flat upon the ground a minute or so later, Cinder halted near and gazed down at him with resplendent frosted lenses and a smile.

`` The rain had failed to worry her. She lifted her ashen muzzle a few fractions of an inch higher as her mind faltered for a second, taking in the advancement of a downpour. Then her eyes flickered back to him, excitement ablaze like a young wildfire.
"I hope you're not afraid to get wet, Heathpaw," she teased, ear twitching as a heavenward raindrop landed upon it.



Cinderpaw && post © Rainefrost .
Lyrics © The Crow & the Butterfly by Shinedown .
Word Count : 360 .
Ooc : Yayyz~! 8D

[Heathclaw]

Heathkit's tail twitched in happy recognition of his new name, and then he darted upright as another drop hit him, splashing onto one of his pads. "Wet? Who's afraid to get wet? I'm not afraid to get wet, are you afraid to get wet?" teased Heathkit, dancing around comically from paw to paw to avoid the oncoming raindrops.

"It's a game, see?" said Heathkit as he took two steps backwards and rolled to the side. "To see who can stay dry the longest. The first one to get soaked loses." Another drop fell, landing right on the upright tuft of fur between his ears and sliding down to tickle his nose, pulling a sneeze out of the kit.

As the drops fell faster and the ground around them got wetter, Heathkit got an idea. Whiskers twitching, the young tom dabbed his paw in the wet grass, and then flicked the water droplets off towards Cinderpaw. Then, with a grin and a laugh, Heathkit hurried out of range, dashing away across the moor.

Suddenly, the ground beneath his paws angled downwards, and the kit found himself sliding down a muddy slope. "Aah!" he squealed, shutting his eyes as he tumbled.

At last, he stopped. Heathkit opened his eyes and glanced around. Everything was dark, and he could hear the sound of running water. He checked himself; he felt a little battered, but nothing was broken. A small, circular hole was above him; that must have been where he'd slipped from. Perhaps he could climb back up?

He tested the slope. His paw slipped a bit in the mud, but he could get a little traction, especially if he used his claws. Happy in that knowledge, Heathkit began making his way back up, calling out when he was about halfway through. "Hey, Cinderpaw! Check out what I found!" His voice echoed in the tunnel, bouncing all over the place and making Heathkit flatten his ears back at the strangeness of it. "Wierd..."