troubled times = troubled desicions

[Agii♫]

The walls where blanketed with thin snakes of heather, clinging to the side walls and expanding into the deepest parts of her den with exotic colours and hues. A few vines of ivy overtook the heather at some places, wrapping themselves around the small hard flowers in a suffocating appearance. Heather overulled vastly however, and as the leader took no part in the 'decorating', the plants and foliage seemed to grow according to her emotions. A thick curtain of hanging moss and ferns dangled from the entrance way, parting wickedly as she entered.

Northstar's face was relaxed and at ease, however her thick dirty-emerald eyes penetrated with irritation and immense anger, burning through the ivy vines and causing them to contract with shame. Turning around smoothly, she knitted her brows together at the sight of the onyx apprentice. Spine arched in malicious grace, the highly elegant she-cat ran a pink tongue across her silver lips malevolently.

"Speak," she ordered with a tense growl. She would wait for him to confess to her his wrong-doings, and she would listen to interpret his punishment. However as she did this, she could feel his eyes, silver and blue and entrancing in every way, watching over her with eminent affection, pleading for her not to lose herself. Northstar winced, losing her anger for a flicker of moment's time.

[>>BLACKiE! ]}]

"I got angry about your decision to not bring Dreampaw to the Gathering," Inkpaw began thickly, staring down at his paws to attempt to sort through his emotions. He wasn't sure if his hazelnut eyes were shining with anger or with sorrow - or with any feelings at all. "And I was foul-tempered, I know. But everyone kept teasing me and annoying me. I don't care if Dreampaw doesn't like me; I'll get her to like me eventually. And then Lilypaw just /had/ to be negative and tell me that Dreampaw doesn't like me as if I haven't heard that fact from a dozen other cats who want me to look for another she-cat. It's just that everyone seems so happy to try to crash my spirits that they don't care how /I/ feel," he told Northstar, forcing his hazelnut eyes to meet his leader's penetrating gaze.

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[[:; [h] e a r t ::♥]]

Lilypaw bounded over to Northstars den.

"Northstar" She panted. "It was my fault Inkpaw left the Gathering. I was being selfish. I kept on saying Dreampaw didn't like him, and to give me a chance." Lilypaw scuffed her paws in the heather, her eyes locked into Northstars mossy panetrating gaze. "But, Inkpaw, you didn't exactly care how /I/ felt. And please don't call me selfish for telling you this, because other cats keep saying that you like Dreampaw, and how would she feel if you like me, and she liked you." Lilypaw spoke truthfully, because he hadn't exactly cared how /she/ felt about him, and Azelealeaf reversed the situation when Lilypaw tried to talk to her.

[>>BLACKiE! ]}]

"Well, everyone's always so eager for another 'saga' in the Dreampaw and Inkpaw tale. I'm sick of everyone laughing at my defeat when trying to win Dreampaw! I'm tired of other cats mocking me. Just because I love Dreampaw and she doesn't realize her feelings for me yet doesn't mean that she'll never like me!" the inky black tomcat muttered, heaving a mental sigh to himself.

His ears were tilted back slightly in the beginning of frustrating, but he remembered to keep his manners and to not appear openly perplexed and agitated with his own leader.

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[[:; [h] e a r t ::♥]]

Lilypaw didn't say anything. She couldn't, or else both Inkpaw and Northstar would be angry with her. She wanted to lash out at any cat right now, because all the attention was on Dreampaw, or about Inkpaw and Dreampaw. But she had to say something nice.
"Inkpaw, you know they just want to see if you are passionate enough about Dreampaw to ignore them, and pursue your dream. I try to face the fact that you will never love me, and always love Dreampaw, but I con't." Lilypaw gazed into his hazelnut eyes, affection burning in her eyes.

[Agii♫]

Answers and clever motions swept through her troubled mind at once as the obsidian apprentice spoke. However once the she-cat apprentice had entered, her placid state was merely irritated more.

Long tail lashed out in agitation, and Northstar kept her peace. "Lilypaw, I will talk with you separately. Hunt for the Clan in the meantime," she ordered with a strangely even tone. Her dirty-emerald eyes lingered upon the apprentice, waiting for the peace with Inkpaw that she was patiently urging for.

At the tom's reply, the light-silver leader arched her neck, thin sleek coat resting against her skin. Gaze skirted over his bedraggled and tormented form, and as she did this, neither pity nor amusement flickered in her eyes; merely an ignitement of odd understanding to the chestnut tint of her irises. Debating in her wise mind whether to re-tell the same story of her when she was young, and the various similarities between the two, Northstar expanded her chest in a silent breath.

[[:; [h] e a r t ::♥]]

Lilypaw sighed, and walked out of the den, her beautifuly shaped head down, her long tail dragging along. She didn't have the energy to hun, but she supposed that if she didn't, Northstar would have her fur off.
((MOVING LILYPAW TO THE RIDGE))

[>>BLACKiE! ]}]

Inkpaw looked up at Northstar, expecting her to burst any second. He was rather surprised, however, to see that not much agitation and frustration occupied her moss colored eyes. He could even meet her gaze with his own hazelnut eyes and not fall down with them bearing into himself.

"I'm sorry," he meowed to her, not knowing what else to say. He didn't like admiting that he was wrong, but all cats had to do it one day or another. He stared down at the ground, examining his right forepaw to give him something to do while he waited for Northstar to answer. There were only two ways this could turn out -- Northstar being understanding and acknowledging the fact that he was just tired and sick of other cats making fun of him for loving Dreampaw or Northstar could flip out with rage at him -- something that he wanted to avoid at all possible costs.

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[Agii♫]

Watching as the she-cat dragged herself out, the leader felt herself relax some, lean shoulders dropping back down to a less aggressive posture. Pricking an ear to the apologize from Inkpaw, the silver she-cat gave a solemn nodd. Turning away, she settled herself so that she was now at a slight angle to his eyes, muscular haunches upon the soft mossy floor of her den. She gazed pensively at the ivy vines, calculating smartly her answer.

"I don't have to raise my voice just for you to understand, Inkpaw. You must discover how you need to behave. I would like to see you smile, Inkpaw, but not because you are thinking of Dreampaw, for other reasons. I know what it is like, and in the end it did not turn out as expected," Northstar's throat caught slightly and she closed her eyes. "You do this with minimum strife, and that is good. You must realize that she does need her space however, and that right now she is not looking for a mate--you should not either."

Her voice became solemn, the sober and sorrowful tone she had just used drifting away as she took in a tense breath.

"I know that you are sorry, Inkpaw, and I do understand why--but that gives you absolutely no reason to leave a Gathering like that." Northstar's coat bristled and her brows pulled together. "You must always put the Clan before yourself," she hissed. "Inkpaw, you have four assignments, three of which are your punishments. Your first and second punishments; You will not be able to eat for one day and the following day you must bring food to me, Lilypaw, Dreampaw, and any Clanmate who asks you to hunt for them before you eat. If it means two days without food, then let it be. Your third; You must also not talk to or go near Dreampaw unless she speaks to you first for one day; tomorrow only."

Her muscles contracted beneath her coat, and she whipped her sharply and elegantly-defined face towards Inkpaw, pupils narrowed and slitted. "You disobeyed the Warrior Code, Inkpaw. That is your punishment." Northstar knew she had not said the other, and in her infuriation expected the black apprentice to realize this. If he did not, then it would force her to tell it to him herself.

Several times had her lips twitched and exposed only tiny glimpses of her immensely sharp and long fangs. Ears turned backwards, the leader suddenly felt a cold, soothing tongue be rasped against her body, running down the length of her spine and going back up to gently nudge her cheek. Slightly startled, Northstar let her eyes widen and her breath catch. However in a matter of mere moments, upon realizing it, she became more easeful, and closed her eyes, jaws agape placidly.

He did have his ways of calming her.

[>>BLACKiE! ]}]

"Yes, Northstar," Inkpaw answered, feeling rather dejected and depressed. He waited for his leader's sign of dismissal. "Can I talk to her today, though? Just to tell her that I won't be able to speak to her tomorrow unless she starts a conversation with me?" he asked, a faint glimmer of hope sparking his desolate hazelnut eyes.

His head was bowed down as he continued examining one of his paws, not wanting to meet his leader's gaze that seemed to scorch his pelt. A thin snake of black -- his tail -- snaked around and rested upon his paws as he awaited Northstar's answer to his inquiry.

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[Agii♫]

Northstar let her gaze linger upon him for a moment more before flicking her tail patiently. Her ears locked forth once again, and her eyelids resumed a half-down position, appearing more placid than her tensed position.

"No more," she replied softly. With a nod of her sleek head, she dismissed him, wanting to see no more of the apprentice--or rather, anyone--for the rest of the day. Turning away, she wrapped her tail lazily in the soil. "You will start your training tomorrow."

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[>>BLACKiE! ]}]

Inkpaw wanted to inquire who as going to be his mentor, but he knew a dismissal when he saw one. Instantly, he walked out of the leader's den, his tail and head still drooping slightly at the fact that he couldn't speak to Dreampaw for the whole of tomorrow. He pricked his ears and gave them a flick to acknowledge Silverpaw, than began making his way to Dreampaw to tell her what his punishment was.

((-MOVING INKPAW BACK TO THE SKYCLAN CAMP-))

[Agii♫]

Turning away from the injured Inkpaw, the silver leader released a slow sigh, wanting to feel the caressment of his tongue again. Long tail sweeping the soil of her den, Northstar closed her eyes, concentrating only on the deeds she had comitted currently upon leading this Clan. She had not been leader long, and however she had not lead them into battle yet, the lean-muscled she-cat felt an unwanted paranoia that one would soon be coming.

She should not be thinking of such rash things.

Northstar blinked open her deep off-emerald eyes, long ears pivoting forwards as the urning for comfort and settlement came over her, engulfing her with the sweet scent of her loss. Slowly she turned back around, facing the curtain of moss and heather at the entrance of her den, and padded out with a slow and cautious gait.

(( -moving NORTHSTAR to MOONCRYSTAL/CAVE- ))