First && HIGHROCK && meeting }}

[>>BLACKiE! ]}]

Icefoot cut off any futures words to Flamefoot for a few moments to go up to receive his apprentice. Eagerness and excitement glimmered in his eyes, but he still kept a placid and calm temprament as he leaped up onto the Highrock with great confidence. He bent his head in Northstar's direction, looking around for his new apprentice to come up and touch noses with him.

He couldn't help it, however. His tail twitched back and forth with excitement, his ears following the same pattern as he heard some of the SkyClan cats -- Inkpaw, Dreampaw, Viridianpaw, Pebblepaw, Oceanwing, Azalealeaf, Aspenwind, Rosepetal, Twilightleaf, and Aquasky.

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[[:; [h] e a r t ::♥]]

The creamy pale ginger she-cat walked up to Icefoot, her tail waving in excitement. She looked into Icefoots usually calm blue eyes, but saw they were bright with the same excitement that Rosepaw now held. Rosepaw looked at Icefoot, wondering if he was going to touch noses with her first, or if she should. She looked back at her clanmates, her indigo eyes widening at how many there were. She looked at all the cats, some snuggling together, and some more spread out. Her gaze swept over Virdianpaw, Dreampaw, and Inkpaw, and Pebblepaw and she wondered if they would get to be good friends.

[>>BLACKiE! ]}]

Icefoot, having experienced a ceremony in which a warrior received an apprentice and an apprentice acquired a mentor, touched noses with Rosepaw, his new apprentice. Excitement caused his blue eyes to blaze with delight, but he still kept to his normal, placid state despite his looks on the outside.

He looked to Northstar, a thankful look passing through his eyes at being able to have an apprentice. That showed with real proof that he was in Northstar's eyes, a loyal and true warrior. Icefoot, however, wasn't sure if he would wait for Northstar to say something, or if he and Rosepaw should just leap down from the Highrock and let the rest of the ceremonies commence.

Glancing down, he realized for the first time that the spot usually occupied by a deputy at the foot of the Highrock was empty. Again, he sent a glance in the direction of his leader. Was she to chose a deputy today? Well, if she was, he wished whoever would receive that honor and responsibility good luck. He knew that it wasn't very likely for him to become deputy just yet; he had only just gotten an apprentice. Icefoot was, of course, fine with that fact since he wasn't very ambitious at all.

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[Battooth]

"Rosepaw! Icefoot! Rosepaw! Icefoot! Rosepaw!"

Hesitantly, Flamefoot joined in with Mistheart and Onespot. She was happy that Icefoot had gotten an apprentice, proud even, but she didn't like how he kept bringing up Mai. Why would he keep talking about something that annoyed her so much? Didn't he realize that he could get her to stop sending poisonous barbs at the she-cat, but never apologize? Flamefoot was far too proud to do such a thing.

[>>BLACKiE! ]}]

From the Highrock, Icefoot viewed all the SkyClan cats, but simply watched Flamefoot. He realized that she rather reluctantly joined the cheers for him and Rosepaw, but she did cheer. He tried to catch her eye in order to apologize without words for bringing up Mai over and over again -- a subject that Flamefoot obviously didn't like. Yet Icefoot wasn't exactly looking forward to being a SkyClan warrior when Mai would receive her naming ceremony. Whether that would happen today or some other day, Icefoot didn't know; it was al up to Northstar.

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[Agii♫]

Northstar dismissed the mentor and apprentice with a gracious look in her deep moss eyes, flicking her long, cream-hued tail, dappled with leopard-like peach spots and flecks. As she watched them step down from Highrock, the she-cat leader blinked slowly, disregarding reality for a split second. Eyelids drooped down to make her expression seem almost sorrowful or tired, mandible hanging open to let small puffs of warm steam rise from the small opening her jaws made. Snow flakes still fell down, coming to a steady and slow sprinkle, dusting the cool stone-texture beneath her rose-hued pads.

Blinking herself awake, she picked up her head, inhaling sharply as the rush of cooler air awoke her from her small flashback of the past. Oh, so far away, but on this day, it seemed like it was truly happening now.

Swallowing, she regathered herself, the momentary weakness in her posture and eyes disappearing in an instant. Northstar straightened her long tail up and ran her tongue across nervous lips.

"Now..." She felt her voice quaver slightly. "I will be mentoring the jubilant Inkpaw."


--x

Moonrun shook his head, turning slightly and furrowing his brows. "This only hurts me; I'd rather be back in StarClan. At least then I'd truly be dead--truly be sure that I can still visit her. Visit them." He felt frustration boil up, causing his obsidian coat to bristle maliciously.

"Why am I invisible?!" he roared, droplets of silvery liquid spilling from his eyes.

[>>BLACKiE! ]}]

Icefoot gave a polite and respectful nod to his leader before he turned and leaped off of the Highrock, landing easily on the ground of the SkyClan Camp. He glanced in Flamefoot's direction; should he go back and apologize for bringing up the subject of Mai or should he just not sit next to her at all? Confusion lit Icefoot's eyes as he tried to determine what to do in his current situation. If he didn't go and sit by Flamefoot, she might feel hurt, yet if he did, he risked having her act cold towards him by the fact of bringing up a subject that made her feel uncomfortable.

Well, he would have to risk it; that sopt beside Flamefoot was too precious to him to give up to some other tomcat in the Clan. Moving up quickly, he seated himself next to Flamefoot yet again. Part of him reprimanded himself mentally at the fact that he wasn't with his new apprentice, but surely Rosepaw would understand and forgive him for this one time.

--x

Excitement danced through Inkpaw's bright hazelnut eyes as he heard his name in his leader's words, put after the word 'jubilant.' Eagerly, he rasped his tongue over Dreampaw's ear once before he stood up and streaked up quickly. He leaped up onto the Highrock. As he looked at his leader and his to-be mentor, a look of respectfulness -- a look that didn't cross Inkpaw's face often -- remained etched on his face.

At his spot on the Highrock, Inkpaw risked sending a glance over his shoulder at the silver tabby she-cat apprentice he loved, his hazelnut eyes slightly clouding with affection and tenderness for Dreampaw as a purr rose into the air from his vocal chords. Snapping back to reality and realizing that he was about to the SkyClan leader as his mentor, he quickly jerked his head back to look at Northstar.

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[Battooth]

Flamefoot called out Northstar's and Inkpaw's names as Icefoot came to sit next to her. She wasn't exactly sure what she should say to the tom. Should she say anything at all? Finally the flame-colored she-cat meowed, "Congratulations on getting an apprentice." Her voice was slightly colder than it should've been. It wasn't completely noticeable, but it was there. "Maybe we could train together sometime."

[Agii♫]

Her deep moss eyes caught the loving glance and purr that came from the obsidian apprentice, immediately filling her with two emotions that pierced her with agonized recognition; envy and joy. She was truly joyous that the two were working out so well, however wished and remembered the same for her and her own love.

Swiftly she shook her head slightly, acting as if a snowflake had tickled her whiskers, when indeed she was ridding herself of such distracting thoughts. Blinking slowly, Northstar leaned down, inhaling Inkpaw's respectful eyes with gratitude reflecting upon her own mossy eyes. Curling her long ivory tail up, she gently leaned down, touching her nose with his.

(Deh. So dead xD!)

[>>BLACKiE! ]}]

"Thanks," Icefoot responded placidly, not knowing what else to say to the ginger colored she-cat. Should he apologize? Should he persist in trying to get Flamefoot to not act so harsh to the cream-colored kittypet, Mai, behind her back? He didn't want to give up his position with Flamefoot, yet he didn't like the way she treated Mai despite the sensitivity of her past. "Look," he began, not knowing what to say, "about Mai -- I'm sorry about bringing her up when I know that you're touchy about that subject." There. He had apologized, but how would Flamefoot reacct?

--x

Inkpaw touched noses with Northstar, now his mentor and still his SkyClan leader. Respectfulness still gleamed in his eyes, but he was eager to get going back to Dreampaw. "Can I go back to Dreampaw now?" he asked. He knew that he was being cheeky; he should wait for his leader's word of when he could go back, but he was too eager to be seated beside his beloved silver tabby she-cat apprentice as cheers for him and Northstar rose from Viridianpaw, Dreampaw, Pebblepaw, Aspenwind, Oceanwing, Azalealeaf, Rosepetal, Twilightleaf, and the rest.

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[Agii♫]

"Yes," she replied patiently. The she-cat leader turned to watch her apprentice hurry back to his lover, a wistful glint in her eyes as snowflakes passed her lean face, sharply-defined with wise and young age, experience running deep within her ivory and peach coat. Placidly, she skirted back to the clan, whiskers hanging loosely from her lean jaws, shoulders rolled back as she surveyed them for yet another moment.

"And now it is time to announce the deputy of SkyClan," Northstar began.

(still dead Dx)

[[:; [h] e a r t ::♥]]

Rosepaw walked down from the highrock with Icefoot, admiration for the calm white warrior sparkling in her indigo eyes. "Do we start training tomorrow?" she asked, still having lots more questions to ask, but didn't want to annoy him with all of them.

[>>BLACKiE! ]}]

Icefoot wasn't exactly sure if this was the correct time for Rosepaw to come up and ask such a question while he was speaking to Flamefoot about her touchy and sensitive matter, but he didn't want to scare his apprentice on the first day. He thought over her question for a few moments. "Sure," he responded easily, giving a nod as he remained in thought of what they would do tomorrow. Hunt? Fight? Well, first of all, Icefoot needed to test out Rosepaw's skills in each of those before he could actually do some real training.

--x

Inkpaw gave another quick dip of his head to his leader and now his mentor and leaped off of the Highrock. Quickly, he dashed over to Dreampaw in time to hear her announcement of choosing the next deputy of SkyClan. Eagerness flashed through his eyes to know who it was, but not before he sent Dreampaw a purr and ran his tongue over her ear lightly.

Who was it to be? Would it be one of his kin? Oceanwing or Ravenfeather, perhaps? The thought of this greatly excited Inkpaw at one of his kin maybe being honored with such a position that needed responsibility in every which way. "Who d'you think it's going to be?" he asked Dreampaw, murmuring softly in her ear.

--x

Dreampaw looked up at Inkpaw, thinking over his question, then deciding what to say. "Silly mouse-brain," she meowed affectionately, "it could be any warrior in all of SkyClan and you're asking me who it might be?" She shook her head as an answer 'no' before looking back up at her leader, seeing other cats around her captivated by her leader's words of whom Northstar was to bestow the honor of deputy upon.

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[Battooth]

Flamefoot searched Icefoot's face, and stayed silent for a long time. Finally she meowed, "I should be apologizing," --she wouldn't, but she knew she should be-- "and I won't say anything more than thank you for apologizing." She touched his shoulder with her nose and turned her attention to Northstar, pressing herself gently against his side, a small purr rumbling in her chest.

--x

Onespot's attention was caught by Northstar's last words. The deputy was going to be chosen now? He couldn't help but get slightly excited about it, and he had to admit to himself that he wouldn't mind taking on that position. He glanced to his side at Honeypaw, knowing his anticipation would show clearly in his eyes. He looked back at the she-cat on the Highrock.

[>>BLACKiE! ]}]

Icefoot was somewhat disappointed at Flamefoot's response in words, but at least it was better then nothing and at least she hadn't kicked him out from the spot beside her. He did feel better, however, when the ginger colored she-cat touched her nose lightly to his shoulder and pressed lightly against his side, a soft purr sounding out.

Looking up, he awaited his leader's words, wondering who would be chosen as the new deputy of SkyClan. He didn't imagine that he would be; Icefoot wasn't exactly the ambitious kind who looked to be given the honor of something like that. He waited with a placid expression on his face, waiting to chant the name of the new deputy.

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