Homesick {TIGER}

[Chinchilla]

[/i] any neighboring clans. They probably knew nothing about fighting.

The she-cat padded along the surf-line, the water lapping from inches from her paws. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about the ocean. It was often rough and wild, from what she had seen, and she was seriously worried that an apprentice would be swept away by it. That was something she would have to speak to Minnowstar about. Brindlestorm paused in her lonely patrol, gazing out to the ocean. The sky was gray, foretelling rain. It rained a lot near the ocean, she was beginning to realize.

She wanted to go home. She wanted the snow, the rock, the things that had been Cloudclan. What were they now? Sandclan? Beachclan? Lostclan? Her ears flattened at the thought. She might as well change her name while she was at it. She continued on, ignoring the way that the wind ruffled her fur. Her wandering had a purpose, surprisingly enough. She was looking for potential dangers in the territory, an area frequented by predators or any place that an apprentice or older cat could be caught in.

Brindlestorm eventually came across a tide pool, surrounded by rock and stranded from the ocean. It wasn't a long walk from the camp, and she mentally marked it to report to her leader. She leaped onto the rock effortlessly, perching herself and staring into the water. Several small fish swam inside, as well as many other animals. "I guess this is useful." She mused out loud. The minnows would feed the kits, at least.

The she-cat was starkly visible against the cool gray of the rocks, her brown and orange pelt a beacon. She hated it. The beach was not a safe place to hunt, it seemed. She would be visible to any birds of prey in the area. She cast a paranoid look to the sky, ears folding back.

Were any of her clan-mates around? She looked around the beach, eyes straining for a familiar pelt. It would be nice to have someone else join her lonely exploration. It would also be safer to travel in pairs rather then alone. She mentally berated herself for ever leaving camp on her own. That had been stupid.[/ul]

[TIGER]

the dune grass was dancing around her, moving like she'd never seen anything move before- harmonious, almost liquid. every blade dancing with a partner and tickled so easily by the crisp sea breeze that was constant. she loved it, she couldn't help it. perhaps it had been a bit selfish to simply plop down and declare a new home here but everything about this landscape screamed freedom in her ear. everything was wide open, and everything was soft, and everything moved. the dunes themselves changed in the short time she had spent here, and that struck minnowstar as remarkable.

after all, she had spent her entire life trapped by rocky walls in a life she wasn't so sad to leave behind. though she would have given anything to change the circumstances under which cloudclan had left their old home, she did not regret going. she wasn't deaf to the grumbling of her clanmates but she hoped that they, too, would learn to embrace the wild terrain of sand and brush.

she had taken advantage of the exhaustion of her clanmates after such an extensive journey by sneaking out of the place they were now calling camp. she set the toughest warriors and most energetic apprentices to work making fortified dens and barriers against the outer world and then fled from the bustle. it was a nice chance to take in this land by herself, without the bitter judgement of others clouding her visions for the potential of this untamed land. true, there was another clan here and that disappointed her a bit, but she couldn't imagine anything worse than duskclan. forestclan would be a pawful of mousetails compared to their former wicked neighbors.

she snorted and twitched her long, charcoal-ringed tail at the thought of forestclan laying any threats down, which they obviously would. they could kiss her toes- she wouldn't budge. this was where she wanted her clanmates to raise families and, dammit, that's what was going to happen. the other clan didn't really particularly bother her at all. cloudclan wasn't a bunch of sissies- they'd gone through enough that she was confident they could deal with anything that lot threw their way.

at last, she had made her way out to the beach; the grass gradually disappearing in favor of vast stretches of pale, soft sand. she liked the way the grains tickled her paw pads and she unsheathed her claws as she walked, feeling her muscles burning with exertion. sure, she needed rest, but she could sleep when she was dead.

squinting her shamrock-hued gaze, minnowstar spied a speck in the distance, close to the water. hissing under her breath, the little leader picked up her pace which set fire to her aching paws but she had to make sure whoever it was wasn't doing anything stupid, and what were they doing out in unfamiliar land alone anyway? clearly she had a regular genius on her paws. as she drew nearer to the other cat she recognized the colorful pelt of her clanmate brindlestorm and a frown passed briefly over her features. brindlestorm wasn't even stupid, how strange.

"well, I'm glad you haven't drowned out here at least." she greeted the other she-cat, twitching her tailtip and fighting the burning in her lungs- walking in sand was hard! she wasn't used to land simply giving away under each step she took, and sat near brindlestorm's tide pool with a cocked head. "interesting," she commented, and looked to the patched female for a reply.

[Chinchilla]

[/b]" She greeted, her voice full of the respect that the one who had led the clan to safety deserved. While Brindlestorm disliked the territory that Minnowstar had chosen, she would never dream of disrespecting the new leader of cloudclan. "I didn't expect to see another cat out here."

Was wanting to be alone a crime? Brindlestorm certainly didn't think so, not after the loss of her mother. She squared her shoulders and hunkered down against the ocean wind. The smell of salt carried by the wind made her nose wrinkle in distaste. It would take a while to get used to the new sounds and smells of their home. The tide pool provided a momentary distraction for the she-cat, and she peered at the minnows that moved through the water as if they held the secret to life itself.

"Not yet. I wouldn't be surprised if I had, though." Brindlestorm replied, curling her tail over her paws. The she-cat turned her head to look out over the ocean, eyes focused on the horizon. She had never seen as much water as what laid before her now. It was sort of awe-inspiring, in its own way. "The ocean is rough. Aprentices will have to stay away, I doubt they'll be strong enough to get to the shore if a wave sweeps them out." She reported, tone as dutiful as always. She might as well attempt to make up for her foolish departure from the camp.

"I haven't been eaten by the sea-birds either." She announced, gazing at a flock of sea-gulls that were congregating in the far distance. "They chatter almost as much as idle apprentices." A weak attempt at a joke, but Brindlestorm wasn't exactly in a joking mood at the moment. She was thrown off by all the recent tragedy of Cloudclan, and her own guilt. "I don't think they hunt, but I've seen them pick up a few dead fish from the shore. They'll probably try to steal our prey." She added.

She should have been a better warrior. Then Cloudclan would be home. Then her mother would still be alive. Should have beens and could have beens that plagued her mind and drove her to walk alone on the beach. She shook her head to plague herself of such thoughts, dipping a paw into the tide pool and frightening a few hapless fish.[/ul]

[TIGER]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px; height: 600px; background-image: url(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv347/lovelywarriorlynx/minnow-tablr.png); -moz-border-radius: 250px; border-radius:100px 100px 100px 100px; border: 3px solid #4e3d46;] minnowstar the ever-solemn expression that adorned the other female's face was unmistakable today, minnowstar noticed, fighting the urge to comfort brindlestorm. she knew the soldierly warrior wouldn't appreciate any sort of coddling and the gray tabby could respect that- everyone dealt with loss in a different way. minnowstar herself felt rather guilty over her lack of grieving. if they were up there looking down at her, were they mad that she wasn't shedding the tears they deserved? she simply didn't have time! she had cloudclan to take care of first, and forestclan to deal with second, and scoping out this new land was pretty high on her list as well. it wasn't that she wouldn't miss those who had passed on, but she didn't have the time to take a personal day for them. the living came before the dead, she thought grimly. her gaze rested steadily on the other she-cat when she was greeted and made a small comment; minnowstar simply shrugged in response. she wasn't feeling particularly wordy on this dreary afternoon. "me neither," she finally murmured drily, pointedly. brindlestorm probably knew she shouldn't have been out here, and minnowstar wasn't gonna scold a grown-ass cat. brindlestorm could take care of herself, but if she was going to sneak off then minnowstar didn't see how it could be prevented. the patched female was tough, and more importantly, independent. minnowstar assumed brindlestorm knew she'd been caught red-pawed and was ready to drop the subject. when the warrior addressed minnowstar's drowning comment, the leader snorted. "I would. you're not exactly an idiot, brindlestorm." she twitched her tail and joined the other female in gazing out into the gray-blue expanse, streaked through with whitecaps. "I'm afraid hunting in that accident-waiting-to-happen would be fruitless anyway. our cats won't have any reason to go near it. with these little ponds all over the shore conveniently depositing little fish into our paws, it would take a real genius to even bother to try t'deal with that beast." her slitted gaze shifted to peer at her clanmate, and gave a slight dip of her head in agreement. "regardless, apprentices will need to know, yes. they've usually got a knack for making bad choices." minnowstar's emerald eyes glimmered appreciatively at brindlestorm's joke, surprised to find humorous comments escaping the stoic lass's maw, especially in a time like this. that was what she liked to hear! "how very brave of you to venture so close to them, even. their war-squawks give me the chills." she agreed, nodding. after a moment of considering the sleek, raucous mess of white and gray birds, the leader shrugged, "gulls. I saw a few on our way here. they aren't so big. I bet we could hunt them, honestly. they're... very graceful." she meowed, not meaning it at all. after all, their feet looked as broad as her head, and flat as a leaf. "would you like to give it a try?" she suggested after a slight pause, a faint smirk appearing in her features. there can be only one mikey! of caution 2.0

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[Chinchilla]

[/b]" She felt like it needed to be said, anyway. She would have likely been more useful among the warriors and apprentices building the camp, even if such a duty would have chafed on her need to roam. But she was eager to leave the subject.

Brindlestorm's ears laid back. "Definitely not." She agreed. Still, she was concerned about the water. Brindlestorm was slowly deciding that she hated the ocean. "I don't know." She said, slowly turning her head to look at her leader. "I'll personally rip the fur off of any apprentice that decides to go swimming." She promised, "After I drag them out of the water, that is."

If the ocean tried to take any of her clan-mates, she'd make sure it knew her wrath. The she-cat cast a glare at the water, shifting and wrapping her tail tightly around her paws. The naming the the sea-birds earned them a glare as well. They were noisy, smelly creatures that Brindlestorm was also not fond of. Brindlestorm didn't like many things.

"Don't let their appearance deceive you, Minnowstar. The foul beasts are plotting against us as we speak." Brindlestorm scoffed, glancing over the birds. They were big, that was true. But did they taste good? "Their nests might be worth raiding in newleaf, if we can find them." The suggestion of hunting them got Minnowstar a surprised look. They seemed a bit big for Brindlestorm's usual fare. "Maybe. But if anyone got caught in the flock, I wouldn't bet on them getting out again. Death by humiliation and webbed feet." As graceless as the birds looked, she'd been watching them fight over their food for a while.

Minnowstar's suggestion got a grumble from Brindlestorm. It was probably a joke, but still! She was going to grumble about it. "Two cats against the entire flock, Minnowstar? I'd be laughed out of Starclan." Cause of death: Sea-gulls. That was not how Brindlestorm wanted to be remembered, thank you very much. She paused for a moment, a slight smirk appearing. "Let's get the apprentices to help." That was a joke. She was probably going to keep her apprentice away from the birds.

"There are a few smaller sea-birds that might be worth something, though." She grimaced. "Hunting in this sand is going to be a nightmare." She had been quite the sight earlier, slipping and stumbling in the sand. She was glad that Minnowstar hadn't been around for that.[/ul]

[TIGER]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px; height: 600px; background-image: url(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv347/lovelywarriorlynx/minnow-tablr.png); -moz-border-radius: 250px; border-radius:100px 100px 100px 100px; border: 3px solid #4e3d46;] minnowstar she averted her brilliant, cold gaze into the hazy distance over the sea, simply flicking her tail in reply to the she-cat's apology. though skeptical as to whether or not it was genuine, minnowstar didn't bother to fret over the subject. brindlestorm hadn't come to harm and that was what meant the most to the young leader, thus stretching the punishment into something awkward seemed entirely unnecessary. the fact of the matter was that she liked the solemn, dutiful patched female. she felt a bit of a kinship with her no-nonsense mannerisms and perhaps it was that which made her nervous to push the matter any further. it dwelled in her thoughts for just a heartbeat longer before she banished it with a flick of her tail, squinting into the silver heavens, waiting for the heavy-bottomed clouds to release the impending rain. to be honest, minnowstar liked rain. she liked the wetness and the calmness- it was like being in another world when there was a long, steady downpour blanketing the land. she was looking forward to the coming weather, and remembered in an instant that most cats felt quite the opposite about it. those lazybones better get a move on setting up camp then. she remarked silently, hiding a faint glitter of amusement in her eyes with a blink. "excellent," minnowstar remarked in a way that made it unclear as to whether she was serious or not, "I'll make you my official apprentice-skinner. how does that sound? it's like the next best thing to being deputy." the tabby added, flicking her tail while still peering into the dreary sky, resembling the sea itself with its rolling surface, waves of vapor creating such an ominous scene like the water before her looked like the stuff of nightmares in that moment. "living near the beach won't be a nap in the sun, of course. I agree with you on that one. I'm sure we'll have to deal with plenty of... mishaps. but we learned to deal with the rocky hellhole of our old land, and we've put up with duskclan for lifetimes. I don't mean to brag," she meowed drily, "but cloudclan is a clan of adaptability. the apprentices will get it through their thick skulls eventually. queens will learn to drill the dangers of the ocean into their kits' heads- they know they'll pay the consequences later if they don't. you know?" minnowstar shrugged, almost helplessly, and turned to meet her clanmate's eyes, no hint of joking in her disposition now. "it's just the way it has to be now." moving was no hayride for anyone. each member of cloudclan had personally suffered in some way or another, from the exhaustion of the journey itself- to the tragedy of losing loved ones to duskclan's final blow. now this- the shock of living in a land that seemed almost the opposite of everything they had ever known. the leader didn't know what had drawn her to settle in this spot, but she knew it was the right choice. while she did hope her clan would learn to forgive her for choosing such a strange land to make their new home in, she hoped even more than that that they would be safe here, and that she wouldn't let them down. she shivered against a crisp sea wind. "oh well, maybe I'll dare some apprentices to try later. obviously you're scared," minnowstar teased, and flicked her tail. "they're hardly bigger than squirrels- sure they've got beaks but they look like a bunch of idiots carrying on the way they do. " she gave a smile and twitched her long white whiskers. yes, the wildlife was certainly different here. there would be much to learn. the gray she-cat bobbed her head, "I saw some little brown and white winged things earlier, much smaller. maybe they'd frighten you a little less," she curled her tail around her forepaws, "we'll be able to kick forestclan's ass once we get used to treading this stuff all the time though. fear not, the sand'll end up benefitting us someday, I swear." she blinked and met brindlestorm's gaze again, "imagine forestclan trying to fight us on this stuff once we've been here a few moons, eh?" there can be only one mikey! of caution 2.0

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