~c.a.m.p~ {skyclan rocks the ridge!}

[>>BLACKiE! ]}]

Dreampaw nearly jumped three feet in the air when she heard her leader's voice cut into the silence of her own thoughts. "N-N-Northstar!" she stammered out, although she was surely in no trouble. The leader didn't look angry, at least. After a few brief moments, the silver tabby she-cat reaccted to what Northstar had told her. "You mean Inkpaw?" she asked, her green and blue eyes suddenly sparkling with spirit and eagerness to be finally rid of him.

A longing washed over Dreampaw to tell Northstar what was bugging her - Inkpaw. How annoying he was, how he didn't stop, just everything. There were two ways in which that could turn out. One would be that Northstar would listen patiently and give her advice. Another possibility - one she would like to avoid - would be for Northstar to fly into a rage at her. Dreampaw gave a mental wince at the thought of angering her leader.

Raising one of her paws, she gave it a lick to wash it, continuing to groom herself. She didn't even know why she was grooming - it gave her something to do, she guessed. After a while though, she felt rather rude to be preening in front of her leader. Instantly, she sat up straight, fixing her gaze on Northstar as she awaited the answer to her statement.

[moon]

Goldenpaw padded into the camp, mouth filled with Poppy Seeds, her ears twitched restlessly as she entered the Medicine Cat's den and set the Poppy Seeds with the rest of the stock. Naturally Goldenpaw had a lot of time on her paws, since Sorrowsoul seemed to always give her quick things to do, actually he barely ever even gave her things to do.

As she thought this over she padded out into the clearing, her white paws blending in with the thin sheet of snow covering the ground. As she looked at the fresh kill pile, she remembered that she hadn't eaten yet that day. Her eyes sparkled, the fresh kill reflecting in her eyes. She padded up to the pile and picked up a small mouse and a vole. The vole for Sorrowsoul the mouse for her.

She padded into the den, dropped the vole next to Sorrowsoul, who was murmering to himself, mixing herbs with one another. "What'cha doin?" Goldenpaw meowed. Sorrowsoul just replied without looking up, his ears twitching with anger, "I'm busy now Goldenpaw, please ask later." Goldenpaw sighed but continued to sit next to her mentor, her tail waving back and forth with anticipation.

Sorrowsoul glanced up. "What are you still here?" He murmered, "I'll tell you what I'm doing if you promise to go away." He meowed testily, now looking back at his work. Goldenpaw leapt up, "Ok!" "I'm trying to find an antidote for Blackcough." Sorrowsouol meowed. Goldenpaw's ears drooped a little, it seemed like everyday it was the same old sentence. 'Antidote for Blackcough.' She padded away silently, barely making a sound. As she reached the entrance of the cave she looked back to see Sorrowsoul still working intently.

She purred with amusement then padded away, at least her mentor was dedicated.

[Battooth]

Flamefoot nodded as Northstar walked away, her initial happiness fading away. How would Onespot take having another apprentice? He hadn't even brought up the subject of apprentices since Owlpaw died, and that was at least two seasons ago. Flamefoot sighed and heaved herself to her feet. One way to find out. She darted out of camp, following her Clanmates' scent.

Mistheart stopped dead. "No!" she said sarcastically. "You like Dreampaw?" If sarcasm had been a tangible thing, it would've been leaking out of her mouth at the moment. She purred, a bit amused. "Just let her be for a bit is my advice. If you stop throwing yourself at her, maybe she'll see that you have a clam and mature side. You do have one of those, don't you?" Her eyes sparkled with happiness as she teased the young cat.

Onespot rolled his eyes as Mistheart teased Inkpaw. "Leave him alone," he growled softly to the gray she-cat. It was no secret that he was barely able to put up with Mistheart, just as it was no secret that Inkpaw liked Dreampaw. He paused as a familiar scent caught his attention.

"Onespot!" The ginger headed tom turned around as his sister called his name. Flamefoot appeared out of the bushes. "Go see Northstar," the ginger she-cat said. "She wants to talk to you."

The tentative was she spoke made Onespot pause for a moment, but he turned, grateful for a reason to get away from Mistheart. He turned back once to look at Inkpaw. "Just take it easy is all I can say," he meowed softly. His eyes were lightening, having just been rather dark and angry. Inkpaw was able to have a mate. His true love wasn't dead. Onespot shook the thought away as he stalked towards camp, rather thankful they hadn't gone so far. He shouldn't be so angry about that. He should get over it. Owlpaw had come to him once, saying that he should move on and that she would always love him. A fresh stab of pain pierced his heart as he though about his apprentice.

Onespot's thoughts ((tee hee! it rhymes!)) carried him all the way back to camp. He paused before re-entering, then took a breath and walked inside camp. He spotted Northstar sitting near Dreampaw and padded over, sitting a respectful distance away.

[moon]

Goldenpaw peeked her head out of the medicine cat's den, listening in on the conversations throughout the camp, her ears swiveling as she heard more and more chatter among the clan cats. Goldenpaw padded halfway toward Dreampaw, but then stopped seeing that she was talking to Northstar. She looked around for another apprentice to talk to, her usually sparkleing eyes, dull with boredom. ((I'm used to really short posts... long psots are hard for me -_-))

[>>BLACKiE! ]}]

"Of course I do!" Inkpaw protested to Mistheart's comments. "I do, I do, I do!" he continued, lashing his tail out at the ground. Well, if he did, then he wasn't really showing it too well, was he? "But I show her cool tricks that I can do, and she doesn't even pay any attention to them! Like earlier today, I showed her my handstand. Other cats say that it's pretty impressive, but she just yelled at me for looking foolish and wasting time when I could be helping other cats at certain things! She just won't listen to me!" he wailed, his tail lashing out against the ground yet again with frustration.

Dreampaw looked from speaking to her leader to see Onespot approaching them. He sat a few tail-lengths away out of respect. Embarrassed that she herself didn't think of doing that, she scooted a few feet away, trying to remain as sly and stealth as ever so that Northstar didn't notice.

[moon]

Goldenpaw saw Mistheart and Inkpaw talking, and padded over to join them. Her ears twitching shyly, she doesn't socialize much. Goldenpaw was shivering, her paws, now sinking into the snow as she waited for the right moment to speak. Her eyes went from Inkpaw to Mistheart, thinking, //Mistheart has a point.// Then addding, //Then again, I do feel a little sorry for Inkpaw//

As she observed, keeping her personal oppinions to herself, she wished she had a friend within the clan. Well at least other than Sorrowsoul, well at least she thought he was her friend... Maybe he wasn't, maybe she was just a cat Sorrowsoul thought worthy to take his place. Her eyes turned to slits with thought, as she concentrated on the debate going on in her mind. //He's your friiiieeeeeeeendddddddddd.// Went one voice in her head then the other said, // I doubt it, he barely even talk to you.//

[Battooth]

Flamefoot guessed what the tom was talking about. "I have an idea. Show her a cool trick, but pretend to be showing it to someone else. You have to make sure you have her attention though. After you perform the trick, try and go a little while without doing anything. Maybe she'll see your first trick and want to see another, s'long as you don't get in her face about it."

Mistheart nodded, agreeing with her ginger friend. "She-cats are difficult to figure out if you're not one. Battooth used to tell me that all the time." Her eyes sparkled as she remembered her brother's philosophies on life and pretty much everything. They were the siblings' secrets, things they didn't tell others most of the time.

[moon]

Now Goldenpaw was sure she would interupt something if she cut in, three cats in a conversation, and something about she-cats being hard to figure out. That was right for sure, at least if you weren't one. Her tail flicked back and forth watching and listening to the advice the cats were giving eachother.

She really didn't hope or expect the cats to notice her, it was rare any cat did, well except for Sorrowsoul and sometimes Northstar. She just sat there observing, as if it was the best thing in the world to do.

[>>BLACKiE! ]}]

"But what other cool trick can I do? What if the other cat I show it to also says it's stupid and that I'm a big show-off and that I'm conceited?" Inkpaw babbled on, looking up at the warrior. His hazelnut eyes were glazed with desperation, wanting to know how he could get Dreampaw to finally like him. It was as if everyday he was toiling to strive to the next to impossible - getting her to actually praise and recognize him.

[Agii♫]

"Yes," she replied gently. "He does try very hard to impress you." Her advice was short, simple, but to the point exactly. She would've continued if not being watched and joined by the others so closely. Largely-furred chest expanding in a gentle chuckle, the silver feline blinked in an amused way before turning to face Onespot, whom had been sitting at a very respectful distance.

Long tail high in dominance, Northstar padded elegantly up to him, moss eyes penetrating and sober. It would be wrong to doubt her own emotions towards him; he was still getting over Owlpaw, and she was as well. The partial, tangible ways of her showed her concern ever so slightly, and it was not in her face, for she was adept at that, but in the presence and way she moved. Lithe but strong, the starlight-silver coated she-cat halted, standing beside him.

"Onespot," Northstar began, "I will not force you to do anything, but I will request that you stand beside me on highrock tonight just before moonhigh."

[Battooth]

Onespot stared blankly at Northstar for a moment, trying to figure out what he would say. He wanted another apprentice, he was sure of that. He was just afraid, although he would never admit it. He didn't want anything from his previous mentorship to happen again. He definately didn't want to grow as close to another apprentice as he had to Owlpaw, whether it be just a very close friendship or anything more.

Finally, the ginger-headed tom bowed his head. "I would be honored," he meowed. He thought for a moment, deciding it was the best thing to do. Maybe an apprentice would keep him occupied. He'd be able to do some good for the Clan. Every Clan, no matter how large, could use warriors.


Flamefoot thought for a moment. "I'll tell you what," she meowed, "You show it to me and Mistheart when we get back to camp. We can tell you what we think of it rather loudly, and we'll see what happens." She didn't want to trick Dreampaw into liking Inkpaw, but the tom seemed to really love the she-cat. If Dreampaw could just see that Inkpaw really was a good cat, maybe she'd be a bit nicer to him.

[>>BLACKiE! ]}]

"Sure!" Inkpaw responded eagerly, now bouncing up and down with excitement at finally getting the chance to impress Dreampaw. "She's so /beautiful/! And her eyes... They're so exotic and luminous and sparkling and... and... Everything she /does/, it's just so elegant and graceful!" He went on describing Dreampaw until he appeared in his mind like something of a god. "She's gorgeous and she's nice and... She's a really good hunter and she's really really fast - probably faster than any cat in the forest!" he exclaimed, then paused and considered his statement over for a moment. "Well, she's probably /second/ fastest in the forest. /I'm/ the fastest," he boasted, looking up at the two warriors he was with now. "Don't you think? I was able to catch up to you from all the way back there!" He was obviously forgetting that Flamefoot had tracked the three and had caught up to them to deliever the message from Northstar to Onespot.

"Why will he have to?" Dreampaw wanted to know, a questioning and confused look passing through her eyes as her blue and green gaze remained fix on her leader. "What's happening?" she persisted, wanting to know the answer to the question. That was something about Dreampaw - when she had a question, she usually wanted the answer clear and immediately. Hopefully she wasn't angering Northstar.

[[:; [h] e a r t ::♥]]

A silver she cat with odd gray tabby stripes looked wildly around for the tom apprentice she loved, her blue eyes sparkling with hope. Today was a new day to impress Inkpaw, although he favored Dreampaw; probably as much as Moonpaw favored him.

[Agii♫]

Swivelling a long silver ear towards Dreampaw, she held in a sigh as the warrior before her hestitated. Truly she did not want to put pressure upon the tom, but she felt that it was good for Onespot--he needed to move on.

"Thank you," she replied, blinking greatfully. Dipping her skull in a small bow, she turned away, padding over back towards the apprentice. Near immediately her bright, dirty-emerald eyes uplifted, a sense of completeness and pride swelling in her--rather large--chest. Small paws danced towards Dreampaw, leading the rest of her slim, elegant body to the side of the apprentice.


"You will find out tonight, Dreampaw," she smiled. "Give him some credit, though. You know, I used to have to deal with what you're going through." With her words slipping out of her slim, lithe silver jaws, Northstar bent down, pulled back her lips in a smirk, and winked.

[[:; [h] e a r t ::♥]]

Moonpaw ran over to Inkpaw. "Inkaw!" She panted. "Do you want to go hunting with me? And maybe we can eat together when--" Moonpaw realized she looked very dumb, and it was very obvious that she loved Inkpaw. She scuffed her paws in the dirt, waiting for an answer from Inkpaw.