Patchpelt closed her eyes and bit back a curse. "I'm just concerned Shadowpaw," she meowed after a few long heartbeats, her eyes flickering. "Eventually we'll find a new home, and then what? If you're friends, or you love each other, or simply hunting partners, it'll come to an end and I can't bear to see another Clanmate hurt like that." Ducking her head with embarras.sment Patchpelt nudged Shadowpaw's shoulder lightly. "I don't have an issue if you choose to follow your heart, but I want you to think with your head too. You don't have to trade one for the other, but...balance is important."

-- 

Sweetpaw looked up quickly and bit back a startled meowr of shock as the big she-cat towered over her. "Oh!" she meowed. "I'm fine Scarlethaze. I just can't find Grayheart at all! I haven't seen him in a while now." Snorting derisively the apprentice hoped that Scarlethaze had some inkling of where her mentor was. She didn't want to fall behind in her training. Especially to Redpaw.

Shadowpaw blinked at Patchpelt in confusion, wondering what she was talking about. "There's nothing going on between Gingerstream and myself!" He meowed quickly, eyes wide with horror. "We're just hunting, thats it." He muttered, eyes flickering towards the ground. Yeah, just friends. Scowling at himself, he shook his fur out so it was fluffed up from the cold and shot his mentor a small smile. "I'll remember that Patchpelt." He promised, then chuckled. "Tell me, what do you know about 'following your heart?'" He asked slyly. "Some one your confused about?"

---

Scarlethaze poked her head up to try and peer over the other cats heads, for once grateful for her unnatural height. "I'm really sorry Sweetpaw, I have not seen Grayheart since we left the clan ground." She meowed sadly. "If you want I could help you find him." Not like she had anything else to do.

[Okay then. :P Tell me if I do something wrong. ^o^]

Now it was Patchpelt's turn to flush and turn away, blinking her eyes quickly with anxiety. "You...could say that. But then again, my situation is a bit different." Shrugging her shoulders Patchpelt licked her apprentice's head gently. "Want to go train or hunt? I think we need to take our mind of these kinds of things." Pausing Patchpelt glanced up at the sky, her eyes sorrowful. "Above all Shadowpaw, I'll just let you know that I trust you. I trust that you will do what you believe in."

--

"Would you? I haven't seen him around any other cats, and I'm nervous to go out alone in the forest." Chuckling nervously Sweetpaw hugged Scarlethaze's flank, keeping close to the brawny warrior. "It's just...there are so many things out there. Like foxes and badgers and wildcats! Which reminds me. Have you seen the new rogue that's joined us? I don't know if Rainstar accepted him, but he's been hanging around Swiftdarkness." 

ooc; You are doing a very good job with siri's characters, both of you. I can't take on there intenseness, but atleast someone(/people) can!

bic; 

Nightfall whipped around, with her eyes slightly blazing. Anger flared in a small place in her heart, and then she wished everything was normal. "Listen, I don't know what to do; so you can at least help me!" she sounded desperate as her voice faltered and began walking forward again. She wanted to apologies to Starpaw for snapping at him like that, but at the thought it felt like a violation.

"Just carry the cat-mint.." she murmured more softly, quietly, and with an echo of kindness. Something was going to come out sometime, and she knew that she could only wait till she got that desperate; to tell all her horrid secrets to an apprentice.

Shadowpaw almost instantly brightened up, but a nagging thought that they should continue this conversation persisted. He shook it off and stood up, almost bouncing on his paws. Though skinny and as malnourished as the next cat his mothers enthusiasm shined through. "The clan needs food more so then fighting skills at the moment; can we go hunting?" He asked hopefully. Though he knew it would be different then hunting with Gingerstream, the thought of being with his mentor one-on-one sounded really nice.

---

Scarlethaze nudged the apprentices shoulder gently, minding her size. "You never alone with clan around." She purred. "Some cat always close, so no reason to be scared." Glancing around the cats, she tried to find any sort of sign of Grayheart or someone who might know where he was. "Lets find Swiftdarkness, deputy might know where Grayheart is."

---

Starpaw flinched at Nightfalls' tone and words before taking a step back with his eyes slit in fear. What was wrong with his mentor? It was like he did not even know her any longer. I wish you could trust me Nightfall. He thought sadly, bending down to grab the herbs before she snapped at him again. I'v never done anything to make you think otherwise; i'v killed for you for Starclan's sake! "Owchay Nihhall (okay Nightfall)" He muttered between the sweet tasting herbs.

Scarlethaze looked sympathetically down at the younger cat before tossing her long bushy tail over Sweetpaw's shoulder. "Alright, we not go to Swiftdarkness or rouge." She promised, a hint of something unspoken on her voice. "But I not see Grayheart. Would you like to go hunting with me instead?" She asked cautiously, looking around uncomfortable as if Grayheart would pop out of nowhere and accuse her of stealing his apprentice; could that get her kicked out of her new clan? Shaking the thoughts from her head she knew that Rainstar, no matter what mood or state of mind, was fairer then that. "I not be best hunter round here, but I know how to kill prey." A glint of humor rose in her murky amber eyes. Bending down to her scarlet muzzle was beside Sweetpaw's ear she chuckled roughly. "And do not think all rouge bads Sweetpaw. I once rouge, but rouge can fit into clan and not be evil." 

---

Shadowpaw leap to his paws like a excited kit and followed his mentor, ears pricked and senses on alert for prey. "Of course I am! Just give me to word to hunt i'll I'll be off." Peering around, he swiftly picked out some spots that might prove to harbor prey. it was a early lesson in a apprentice life, and one he'd gotten down pretty quick. 

Nightfall slammed her eyes shut when she smelt the fear coming from the small apprentice, and the tremble in his muted voice. She froze for a couple of seconds, then turned around; eyes sympathetic. "I am sorry Starpaw...." she meowed quietly, she didn't know of if he was going to ask her what was wrong, but she knew the question would come up eventually in some cat.  "I am just having traveling issues; it should get better soon." she lied. She didn't want to hurt Starpaw, but she realized she just did now as she said that, and before when she snapped at him. Lying wouldn't solve anything, neither would angered medicine cats. 

She couldn't back-track now. She was ear-high in lies and secrets, and if even one slipped out, she the biggest secret would be seconds from unraveling. 

>>

Rosepaw padded outside of the den and scented Painfulpaw among all of the foreign sects. She padded up to him with her black tail high, then meowed, "Do you want to go hunting? Copperfire... is... I don't know, probably sleeping. Maybe we could sneak out?"

Now Sweetpaw flushed with embarras.sment at her hasty comment. "I'm sorry Scarlethaze," she squeaked out anxiously. "I didn't know...it was just the way I was raised. I'm making excuses, I know, but I grew up believing that rogues stole kits from their mother's bellies and things like that." Shrugging at her lame explanation Sweetpaw lifted her head and looked away from Scarlethaze towards the darkening forest, her pelt hot and uncomfortable.

"I don't think he'll mind you helping out," she meowed after a long pause, giving Scarlethaze a happy look. "It's not exactly like he's been being useful lately." Purring the apprentice tapped her paw impatiently. "I'd love to go hunting now."

--

"You're so energetic," Patchpelt chuckled in a good natured way. "I can hardly keep up with you and your antics." Shrugging her shoulders Patchepelt padded a few more steps then sniffed around, her head spinning slightly at the plethora of scents that attacked her. "There's a lot of flowers around here," she meowed weakly. "But I think I can sort out some prey scent. Want to go first?"

ooc; Yes. . . We do  . . . hrm... here maybe this will help. =)

bic;

Windprint padded through the snow in search for something to do. Most warriors had gone to their dens, to sleep; but Windprint wasn't ready to sleep. With the soft smell of the coming spring, he smelt Leopardwind's sent among all of the melting snow. Quickening his pace to find her, her listened for a heartbeat, then padded slowly toward her. 

His grey and white tail dragged in the snow behind him, but he kept his blue/green eyes on her. "Hi Leopardwind," he meowed trying to sound thoughtful. 

Windprint dipped his head to her thoughtfully, and sat onto the patch of snow beside her. He looked up to the sky, and knew that all the warrior ancestors watching. "I couldn't get to sleep mainly because of the move tomorrow... I know we haven't stayed here long, but it seems to be little more than a home to me now."

He knew this was the closest he would ever get to being near Mistsoul's grave, and he misted the she-cat he once, and maybe still loved dearly. He knew it was time to move on, but his mind didn't want to let go of the past. Relaxing a bit, then looking up to the stars with his fellow warrior, he wondered if she ever loved to. Pushing away the pressing thought to ask, he just looked up, trying to find where Mistsoul's beautiful silver pelt would dance in the stars with the rest of his lost friends. 

"I wish I could understand how you feel, but to tell the truth I'm afraid of this place," Leopardwind admitted shyly. "It's strange...different. I guess I don't like change." Pausing, the she-cat perused the skies, watching the stars glitter in the inky darkness. "Though to tell the truth, I'm learning all about myself on this journey. Fearing things I didn't know I feared...loving things I've never loved. It's frightening and exciting all at the same time."

She fell silent again, and looked down at her paws with a small sigh. "Hey Windprint?" she meowed softly, her green eyes filled with concern. "You seem out of sorts." 

Windprint nodded to her explanations. He too has been learning things about himself he never knew before, he just was too focused on Mistsoul's death to notice. Now he felt sad, not even noticing changes within himself, but too focused on the death of a cat that only loved him as a friend.

"Hey Windprint?" Leopardwind asked him.

"Yea?" He replied quietly, matching her voice. "You seem out of sorts." Windprint looked up into the sky almost instantly. That sounded like something Mistsoul said to him. Pushing away the dread of the thought, he asked her; "W-what do you mean?" with a slight tremble in his voice. He tensed his small mussels in his thin front legs. What could she possibly mean?

 The wind blew through his thin grey and white fur, and he looked at Leopardwind, catching a moment of amazing eye contact from his blue eyes to her green ones, then looked to his white paws.