don't STEP on my TAIL (blaze/finnigan)

[Fin]

The sun had already began its downward descent by the time Wolftail had returned from his patrol. They had walked quite a distance, so his paws were now sore from the journey. They had even been a little too tired to hunt, but not that it mattered when prey was so abundant. Even in its final hours of life, the sun still baked the earth beneath and gave out unforgiving heat. He felt almost sorry for the other clans who had no cover, except for Fireclan. Maybe even they were suffering.

He padded through the camp, passing familiar faces of his denmates as he approached the fresh-kill pile. He thought of the last leaf-bare, where it was a struggle to find the scrawniest mouse - now he had the choice of multiple prey, ranging from birds to squirrels. He picked out a modest, fat vole and retreated to a shadowed area where a tree cast a long patch of cooler ground. He lay on the floor, his tail gliding over the floor as he got comfortable before looking around for someone to share it with, his deep blue eyes scanning the clearing hopefully, trying to spot a certain she-cat.

"I wonder where she is..."

_{(Now Blaze, you can either treat this as before they become best friends, or they already are best friends - you decide, and I'll mold to it )}

[*~Blazeheart~*]

((Can we do it before? Cause i want to make it really entertaining XD
And awsome rp OoO))



She yawned loudly, blinking awake and plunging herself back into the world of darkness. Well, not really. She could tell some warriors were in the den. And one was the lithe form of Heronflight dozing quietly, though not exactlly asleep. She could almost see his tail twitch to one side, as if batting away a noisy fly. But since she couldn't hear the familiar buzzing, she assumed that twitch was just involuntary.

Getting to her paws, she stretched lightly, extending her muscles until they were satisfyingly relaxed. The light brown she-cat didn't bother grooming her pelt, since she didn't care about her appearance. If she couldn't see it, why should she care? She picked her way skillfully past the moss nests, for her sensitive pads and nose could detect what obstacles were in her way. This is what made her unique among other blind cats. She had very sensative senses and can also catch vibrations in the earth with her pads.

Earthstep emerged and instantly heard the rustle of the entrance that showed the evening patrol had returned. Her pads told her there were 4 of them, and most of them went off to the fresh-kill pile. She decided to take a mouse for herself, even though she hadn't went on hunting patrol like she was supposed to.

Might as well eat now since the deputy will probably punish her by making her go early tomorrow without eating first. The scent of fresh-kill filled her nose and in her haste to reach the fresh-kill, she didn't notice another cat in her way and accidentally stepped on his tail.

[Fin]

^{(Okay, I'll have the "certain she-cat" as another cat, because he's always chasing other girls apart from our earthbender )}

The young tom's eyes cast over longingly to the entrance where he had just passed through, thinking perhaps she had gone out on patrol when he had gone, or maybe she was out training an apprentice. Although the taste of meat was the best thing in the world, it always tasted twice as good when you shared it with someone. Sighing, he bent his head down to bite into his meal, and just as his mouth reached the fur of the vole, a cat had stood on his tail! He yowled, jumping up in the air slightly and covering his fresh-kill in dirt as he did. He whipped his tail away from the offender and turned around with a growl.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" He said with a snarl, his teeth bared and his grey fur bristling.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

Earthstep's head whipped towards the direction of the voice. She knew only too well who's voice it was without even analyzing his vibrations.
"Well, I would if I could!"the she-cat spat back, letting her paw wave in front of her glazed, unblinking eyes to indicate she couldn't well "see" where she stepped.

"Besides, I'd watch where I'm eating girl thingyfoot,"Earthstep added with a roll of her eyes. Pushing her way past Wolftail, making her tail whipped his muzzle, she picked up a shrew for herself.
She chewed it unceromoniously, letting out a small burp without a hint of embarrassment. She wasn't like most she-cats, so self-consious and, well, friendly. She'd do things her own way.

((Sorry, i'm going to have earthstep call him girl thingyfoot if you don't mind since toph usually uses nicknames XD))

[Fin]

As soon as the she-cat spoke and turned to face him, the snarl disappeared as he suddenly realised who it was. It was Earthstep, the cat who used to be a kittypet, but was now a full warrior. It was scary to think of how skilled she was, even though she once lived the pampered life alongside twolegs. Still, his tail lashed behind him as anger still smoldered in his blue eyes. He was happy when she joined the clan, because he could tell she would be useful to their survival and future battles, but she also had a reputation of being blunt. Trying to compose himself and not be seen as getting angry at a poor, blind she-cat, he regained his posture to go and retrieve his prey. Then she hit him across the maw with her tail.

The growling returned to his throat, his teeth once again gradually baring toward her as she walked off. Her personality was challenging, to say the least. He flicked his tail in irritation, and mustering all of his patience, gingerly picked up his prey from where it lay coated in dust on the floor as to avoid ruining it any more. Then he stopped dead in his tracks, conjuring a plan almost instantaneously.

Turning tail, he padded over to where Earthstep had gone and lay down beside her, biting into his prey with one eye open, surveying her reaction.

"You asked for me to watch where I eat, so I guess I'll have to follow you around and make sure you don't step on anyone again." He said with a grin.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

((Okay, since the word i was going to use didn't show up XD , i'll just stick with furball))

Earthstep felt her face go red with slight anger. But a smirk passed her mouth and she meowed in a mock politeness, "Oh of course. And I guess you won't mind me eating your prey."
With that, her head lunged forward and, in a flash, the vole was gone and down her stomach in one gulp. Smacking her lips around her maw, her sardonic smirk widened as she waited for Wolftail's reaction.

"Ahh, that was a good vole. Too bad you didn't have any,"she meowed with a sigh of content, letting out a laugh.

[Fin]

He was almost ready to forgive her, his mouth opening once again to fumble an apology for being aggressive toward her. Then the she-cat, so careless in her actions, stole his prey clean out from under his paws. With disbelief, he watched as Earthstep gulped it down, looking completely smug in herself. It took him a moment to actually register the fact that she had even done it before he confronted her with a little less fire than he had before, but nonetheless angrily.

"Ok, what is your problem?" Wolftail snarled, standing full height, looking straight into her unseeing, ensnaring eyes. He didn't care if the clearing had gone quiet, or that all ears had turned toward them, he wouldn't let this cat walk all over him.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

"What's my problem?!"she repeated, glaring unseeingly in front of her though Wolftail was actually on her right side. But she pretty much assumed Wolftail would know she was yelling at him and not empty air.

"First you get all high-strung just because I stepped on your stupid tail. Then you start saying you'll follow me around like I'm some mouse to hunt around,"she hissed, lashing her tail back and forth.


"Um...is this a bad time? You guys know you're drawing attention to yourselves,"a gray tom murmured, stepping between the two in case they started clawing each other's fur off.
They're probably not going to like what I'm going to say...Heronflight thought, but he meowed anyways, "Walldrop wants you two to go out hunting."


"What?!"Earthstep snarled, her eyes still facing towards the wrong direction.
"I'm not going hunting with that furball,"the brown she-cat hissed, whipping her tail and pointing at Wolftail.


"Sorry,"Heronflight replied with a shrug.
"Deputy's orders." The tom quickly padded away before Earthstep could start ranting on him.


"Tch..."Earthstep spat, scoring the earth with her claws, causing deep gourge marks in the sand.
"Fine whatever. You better not get in my way furball,"she muttered to Wolftail. Then she padded towards the camp entrance, not caring if Wolftail followed or not.

[Fin]

With his claws firmly dug into the ground his teeth gritted with the effort to control his actions and words, he was thankful when Heronflight split them up. It could have ended badly, otherwise. Wolftail lifted his head when the other tom approached, greeting him with a slight nod of the head. Although he was completely fired up, with fur bristling and eyes glaring, there was no point being rude to another warrior. When he heard the words 'you two' and 'hunting', his stomach instantly growled. He had only just come back from a patrol, having not eaten since early morning, and now he had to go out again! And at this rate, they would be out until midnight if she kept growling at him, scaring all of the prey away.

Without a word to Heronflight, of whom he gave a farewell with his tail, Wolftail turned for the exit with one lasting look at the fresh kill pile. He padded less than a tail-length behind the she-cat, not bothered to argue - it wouldn't bring the prey any closer. He trudged on in silence, his eyes downcast. He hadn't meant to be so... aggressive to the blind cat, but there was something about her not like other she-cats, to who he would be relatively calm or considerate.

Several minutes had passed before he noticed the first rustling of a bush, somewhere up ahead. With a subtle "shh..." to Earthstep, he padded on ahead more lightly than before, slowly crouching into a hunters stance. The leaves of one green bush glided over his fur with minimal noise. He had reached the little little bird that was hopping around the roots of a tree, trying to find some insects to feed on. He centered on the prey, claws flexing as he readied himself for the catch when suddenly - his stomach growled!

The bird shot a startled look at the cat approaching, and then in a flurry of feathers darted up into the trees. Fruitlessly, Wolftail aimed a miserable blow at where it was scratching the dirt, nothing but air between his paws.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

Earthstep could feel Wolftail's vibrations of padding paws and could even hear his pawsteps behind her, telling her he was following her. She kept silent, feeling now a bit awkward. Then her ears flicked back when she heard Wolftail hiss. At first, she thought it was a hostile hiss towards her and was about to hiss back when she noticed the tone was different. It was more of an alert hiss and she felt the tiny vibrations of a little bird nearby. Earthstep pinpointed the location near the base of a tree.
Earthstep could feel in the earth a heavier weight take place where Wolftail had stood and knew he was crouched down and slowly slinking forward. Earthstep kept silent, not wanting to disturb the bird and ruin the catch. Her sightless eyes gazed front of her as she listened. But suddenly a low growl echoed through the forest.
Did the bird become alerted by Wolftail's presence?she wondered before remembering.
..Wait..birds can't growl...

Then the brown she-cat realized it was Wolftail's stomach. She didn't have to stifle her laugh as the bird already took flight.
Earthstep was mrrowing with laughter.
"Wow furball! You were soo close haha. Can't you keep from being hungry for one heartbeat?"she giggled.

[Fin]

When the last feather gently touched down on the ground infront of his nose, he flared his nostrils and sent it floating away. He heaved himself up, shaking the extra dirt off of his pelt before turning back towards where he presumed Earthstep would be waiting - waiting, full of smart remarks or comments. He was pleasently surprised. When he got close enough, still flicking his ears of dirt, she was joking with him about it! He stopped dead in his tracks, studying her sightless-expression for any signs of fakeness, but found none. She was joking around, her of all cats?

He gave a self-concious laugh, his tail drooping a little, but then he decided to play along with the joke.

"Okay then, why don't you go and catch something - you see that tree over there?"

[*~Blazeheart~*]

Earthstep stopped chuckling and made a face like this: -___-

"....I'm beginning to question who's really the blind one around here,"she meowed with a edge of irritation, though there was a hint of amusement in her tone. She waved one paw in front of her eyes, which remained cloudy and unblinking to remind Wolftail she couldn't exactly "see".
"You better be more specific mouse-brain. I can feel a billion trees around us,"Earthstep meowed, cuffing the warrior around the flank. Though it may have hurt him, it was pretty much her way of showing her friendliness.

[Fin]

Once again, he realised his mistake, but instead of grovelling at her paws like any other cat, he simply made a blank face, before replying with a simple "oh", unfazed by her waving. He flicked his ears once after a thoughtful moment, before being snapped out of daydreaming by a cuff on the shoulder. Was it a friendly act? Or was she still being aggressive towards him? Talk about mixed signs the thought rumbled in his head.

"Uhh.. Here." He meowed hestitantly, bracing himslf mentally for her reaction as he gently placed his tail on her shoulder. He was a tail-length ahead of her, but kept his face straight forwards. Even if she couldn't see him, he still didn't want to reveal the tiny blush verging on his grey cheeks.

He pressed his tail a little closer to her, deeper into her shoulder fur, before padding forwards slowly to make sure she was following. He cleared his throat again.

"I think there might be... uhh, some squirrels up ahead. Theres food around the tree."

note:

[*~Blazeheart~*]

Earthstep flinched a bit as his tai-tip touched her shoulder. She opened her mouth to protest, feeling her ears burn in embarrassment. She wanted to hiss at him that she could take care of herself without any guidance when she noticed his heartbeat seemed to be faster.
This made her hesitate. He seemed as embarrassed as she was. Closing her mouth and swalling her retort, she obediently padded after him.

The dusky brown she-cat heard Wolftail's explanation and she cocked her ears, letting her senses range wide.
"Oh you mean that tree?"the she-cat confirmed, flicking her tail towards an oak tree- though she had no idea it was an oak tree; all trees were the same to her- feeling vibrations made among the tree.

"Oh those aren't squirrels, they're birds. There's a nest up there,"she corrected.
" I would'nt be surprised if one of those birds was the one you missed,"Earthstep snickered.

[Fin]

Relief spread through the grey tom as Earthstep didn't retaliate. His risky move could have ended badly - he was lucky to have his ear intact. Wolftail led her through the forest for a short while, before they reached the destination. The oak tree loomed above, a few stray leaves falling slowly earthward. Letting his tail fall from her shoulder, he listened with interest when the brown shecat spoke. He was surprised she knew what it was before he could even guess.

Casting a determined look up to the tree, he assessed the situation. There were enough branches for him to scramble up and down. Flicking his tail once, he turned toward Earthstep.

"I'll make up for my missed catch. I'm not going home 'til I have this bird!" He meowed confidently, before turning around and bounding toward the tree. With one giant leap, he grasped the first low-lying branch in his paws and heaved himself up. He remembered the time he climbed this tree when he was a 'paw, not too many moons ago.

Managing not to look down until the last moment, his footsteps became more stealthy as he got closer to where he presumed the birds were. His eyes on the prize, he lowered himself to the branch he stood on, his tail whisking either side of him as he approached. Using a technique he had seen be used by another cat, he raked the tree with one flash of his paw and sent the birds into a state of alarm - and this was when he struck.

Practically throwing himself at the bird who emerged in shock, he managed to catch it in his mouth and clamped down to keep it there. Another bird flew out, unharmed, but Wolftail was happy. It struggled in his mouth for a mere moment, before he knew it was dead.

Then Wolftail realised the precarious position he was in. With no way of turning around fully, he was lingering on the end of a not-too-stable branch, with the end sagging with his weight. The commotion of the catch had ended, and now everything was silent. Gulping, he scanned around for other options. There was one route he could take, but it was risky.

For one tiny moment, he was happy Earthstep could not see, or else she might be beside herself with laughter. Inching closer to the safety of the tree, he stepped back one paw at a time. Flashing a frightened look down to the ground, he looked back up again before meowing:

"I'm fine!" His words were slightly muffled by the bird, but any cat could hear his desperation.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

"Alright, but if you don't, you're giving me your share of prey,"Earthstep challenged, sitting down and "watching" Wolftail make the catch. She felt his paws suddenly leave the earth and the tree's weight becoming more as the rustle of leaves told the she-cat that Wolftail was up the tree.

Earthstep's tail-tip tapped the ground as she waited, listening intently. There was a rush of wings and squawk and she knew the tom had caught one. A small sigh escaped her lips.
Oh well, guess he'll have a full stomach later,she thought with slight regret that she couldn't eat his fresh-kill. Then, for some reason, Wolftail has not returned to the earth.
The bronw she-cat waited, growing a little anxious as she heard the slight creaking of trees.

"You'd better not be sneaking up on me,"the she-cat hissed, standing up and remaining alert. Then she heard Wolftail reply through a mouthful of bird, but she caught the tone of anxiety in his voice.

"Er, are you okay?"Earthstep called out doubtfully.

[Fin]

Claws now dug so deep into the branch that the wood was beginning to splinter, Wolftail edged even closer to the tree's trunk until he was pressed against it. He was leaving long scours in the wood from his claws. Glancing over at Earthstep, he heard her hiss and wondered why, but then he realized she might not be able to see him now that he wasn't on the ground. He could faintly hear her meow asking how he was, but he was too caught up in the moment to respond.

His deep blue eyes scanned the tree branches below again, to little avail. There was the ones he clambered up before, but it was a long leap down to reach them - but he couldn't be picky. Apart from those few, there were no other branches for him to jump to. Inhaling through his nose and tightening his grip on the bird in his mouth as not to drop it, he moved away from the trunk in order to give himself space to jump. He lowered his haunches and then sprang forward, his paws outstretched to grip the low branch.

When his paws came into contact with the branch, however, the weight of his body crashed down on the weak branch and sent the tom hurtling toward the floor.

The mound of tabby-grey fur slumped a tail length or two away from the roots of the tree. Leaves of all shades of green fluttered to the floor around him, some landing on his back. Though the tom wasn't really aware of what had happened, he definitely felt the sharp twinge in his leg. He didn't risk trying to move it.

Wolftail wasn't sure where Earthstep was - of course, all he could see was the ground in front of his eyes - but he grunted to catch her attention. He tried speaking again, and this time it came out as a muffled:

"Take the freakin bird."

[*~Blazeheart~*]

((Lol, aww poor Wolftail XD And sounds like Happy Feet ^^))


Okay, he was taking too long for her liking. She was beginning to grow a bit worriedi about him, as her tail flitted back and forth in agitation. She could hear the creaking and groaning of the tree and her claws unsheathed and gripped the earth, upset that she had no idea what was happening. From the noise, she could gather that he was pretty much stuck. Yet she felt helpless since if she scaled the tree, she wouldn't have any earth up there to "see" with and would be as helpless as a kit in a badger filled den. So all Earthstep could do was wait and listen, her pale green eyes staring intently in front of her.

Suddenly, a huge crash jolted her and a loud thump shook the earth. Sure enough, she felt under her pads that Wolftail had returned to earth, though muzzle-down and-well, he pretty much fell hard on the ground.
Stifling a snicker, she sauntered forward until she could measure that she was a few mouse-length away from him. Bending down, he heard him muffle out a few words her sharp hearing could make out.

"Haha, thanks furball,"she chuckled, taking the bird from him setting it aside.
"You alright furball? Or are you going to eat the grass and dirt for lunch?"the brown she-cat teased, flicking her tail across his forehead.

[Fin]

^{(Really? I've never seen it but we have it on dvd is it any good?}



Managing to roll himself over a little, he lay on his back dazed for a while. His mouth was open as he stared up into the blue sky. The sun dazzled his vision and made the grey tom feel even more dizzy. With one huge heave he pushed his body forward onto all four legs, only to return to two.

"Ouch!" He helped like a little kit as the pain in his leg intensified and he collapsed onto his back legs. With a risky glance at Earthstep, he embedded in his head the fact that he wouldn't ask her for help because he didn't want to show himself up after acting so tough before. He gritted his teeth before trying to stand up again. With every effort came a yelp and the sound of him thumping back down onto the floor heavily.

The final time that the tom attempted standing, he tried a different approach. He focused all of his weight onto his left hand side so that his right hand side didn't carry any. This method lifted his injured leg ever so slightly, and he purred - although an agonized purr - loudly toward Earthstep, indicating that he was ready to go.

Clearing his voice, he meowed: "I think we're about done here." They hadn't been out that long and caught much, but it was just an excuse for Wolftail instead of saying 'I've really hurt myself'.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

Earthstep could "see" something was wrong. His whole weight seemed to be shifted on his left legs while his right ones were light on the ground. She didn't need to hear his yelp of pain to know he was badly injured. Her tail flicked worridly, but there was nothing she could do except take him back to camp and rest.

"I think we're about done here."

Earthstep let out an irritated his, batting Wolftail's shoulder with her tail.
"No need to act so tough furball. I can tell you're hurt,"the brown furred she-cat scolded, sniffing his injured leg.
"You sure you can walk?"she asked with a doubtful tone.

[Fin]

"I think I'll manage." Wolftail meowed through gritted teeth, his eyes squinted in concentration. The shock of falling was soon leaving the tabby-tom, only to be replaced with the pain resounding from his leg, but he managed to keep a relatively calm composure. "Lets go then." He meowed finally to Earthstep, trying to keep a level voice as he spoke.

Tentatively placing a paw on the ground ahead, he picked up a stride where he would limp quickly, before lifting his foot again. Although slow progress, he eventually got to where his bird was discarded on the ground and picked it up. Turning around, he headed toward the direction they came from toward the Moonclan camp. In his mind, he couldn't decide over his priorities - seek medical assistance from the medicine cat, or tuck into this bird he so deserved? Glancing at Earthstep, he then hastily added to his thoughts that he would share the bird with her; this time if she decided to eat it all again, he wouldn't mind.

"I knew a cat that had one leg missing." He attempted to start a conversation. "He got hit by a monster 'cus he couldn't run fast enough..." He then realized it was a grim subject and lowered his head again, limping painfully in silence.

Lifting his blue-eyes, he noted his surroundings. They were only halfway there, but he was already out of breath. It was taking a lot of energy to compensate for his useless leg.

[*~Blazeheart~*]

"Here, lean on my shoulder," the brown furred she-cat insisted. Before he could protest, Earthstep quickly padded beside him and inserted her shoulder under his so that he could put some of his weight on her instead of his injured leg. Wolftail's vibrations were heavy upon the ground as he limped, and Earthstep had a stab of pity and sympathy for him.

As Wolftail told her a quick fact about the cat with a missing foot, she chuckled.
"At least you didn't miss a leg right?"she meowed, flicking her tail across his flank.
"Besides, you just didn't climb fast enough."

Though her eyes were pale, you could catch a glimmer of humor.

[Fin]

The tom was immensely thankful when the brown she-cat offered her support, even more so that it was of her own accord and that he hadn't asked. Anyone surveying the situation would be shocked to see the cats who were practically spitting at each other, ready to tear the others ears off, now getting along well. Wolftail now felt compelled to move a bit quicker, and was more confident in his strides.

He lifted his head toward her and smiled, even though wouldn't be able to see it. It was then he noticed how pretty she was. Earlier, his first impression had been simply her slightly-intrusive personality, but now he had the opportunity to step back and actually see her. Her eyes held something in them, something that pulled Wolftail in and wanted him to uncover the mystery of this she-cat.

He meowed a quiet thanks to Earthstep, not ashamed of his predicament, but not wanting to sound totally helpless. When she began to joke about him not being fast enough up the tree, he grinned a little, forgetting the pain in his leg for a moment. When she drew her tail along his flank, however, he grimaced expecting a fresh wave of pain. Instead, he was met with a much nicer sensation. Her tail was so soft against his fur, and it sent tingles through his legs and spine. The blush returned to his face.

"Heh- yeah, I guess." He meowed hurriedly, trying to mask the emotion in his face by laughing a little.

When they finally reached the camp, he slumped on the floor to the side of the camp in a heap, dropping the bird to the ground. He was utterly exhausted, his sides heaving and tongue lolling from his mouth. After a moments rest, he looked up at Earthstep.

"Here, have the bird - as thanks for helping me." He nosed the bird toward her gently, before laying his head down again.

^{(I've asked Raven to bring in her character seeing as they are the MCA)}

[*~Blazeheart~*]

Earthstep was careful to keep in pace with Wolftail and making sure he was putting enough weight upon her should so that he didn't aggravate his injuries. They trekked their way slowly to camp. It wasn't too bad, since Wolftail's flank felt quite nice and warm as it brushed against her. And she liked the feeling of helping someone instead of someone else taking pity on her just because she was blind. Wolftail didn't treat her that way, didn't really mention her blindness- kinda XD. A silent purr of amusement echoed through her mind. If he didn mention it, it wasn't intentional anyways.

By the time they arrived at camp, the brown she-cat had to admit she was a bit sore and exhausted, but glad they made it.As Wolftail laid down, Earthstep sat next to him, catching her breath. When Wolftail offered the bird, the she-cat shook her head.
"Nah it's yours. You caught it,"Earthstep meowed, pushing the bird back towards Wolftail.
"Besides, I still owe you the prey I stole from you remember?"

[~Ravenpaw~]

Ravenpaw stormed out of the meddies den, her arguement with Shadowsong hadn't gone to well, she clearly wasn't going to teach her anything, but Ravenpaw had learned a few things in her past, she knew a couple herbs and there uses and various other things like that, she also had learned about broken bones from past experience how to completely ruin it for life. And another thing she had learned was about cobwebs and how to stop the bleeding. If it wasn't one thing it was the next, Appleblossom wasn't the nicest but she had learned a few things just by watching, and now that Silentclaw was dead, and so was Smallpaw and that fact her shoulder is ruined beyond repair, she is stuck with a little cat who is starving herself and is hiding from the world. Ravenpaw didn't hide, she was far from hidden, she was against the world and she didn't believe in her dreams, the starry cats that haunted her were all in her mind and she knew it!

Ravenpaw huffed a bit, she was angry, it was easily seen in her icy blue eyes. That was the thing about her, her eyes, they were the strangest and coldest blue you would have ever seen, they held no sense of happiness in fact they were devoid of any enjoyment or even amusment. Her icy blue eyes only held anger, hatred, sorrow and pain. Her small form made it easy to mistake her for a kit, because she was pretty much the size of a kit, her raven black fur for which she was named after was sleek and clearly well groomed, she had the slightest of limps as she padded out hiding the limp and oddly place shoulder.

Ravenpaw's eyes scanned the camp, she planned to sneak out... again, she did that often, she liked to go visit the spot where he brother had lose his life, slowly and painfully as she was forced to watch, since back then she couldn't move, the badger had broken her shoulder more then it had been before and she also had gotten a large gash across her small back, she had been forced to watch her brother die... it broke her heart beyond repair as well. She never spoke of that dreaded day anymore because it upset her, it made her angry and upset. Ravenpaw longed to see her brother again, even if just for a moment, but among the starry cat's she had seen he was never there, he only existed now in her painfully memories and nightmares. She shook her head a bit and went back to plotting her escape, she wondered if she would sleep over night again, she had done that a few times.

[Fin]

Okay, he'd admit it - he was famished. He hadn't eaten in a very long while, and it was like the bird was staring at him, telling him how delicious he was. Wolftail shook his head of the thought, casting one last glance at Earthstep to show his thanks before leaning down and biting into half of the fresh-kill, tearing it away. Delicately using his forepaw, he pushed the rest toward his female company and began to tuck into his own meal. Although it wasn't a lot, he was now re-energised by the bird and felt he could get up and run for miles. However, he wouldn't be doing such a thing with his leg in such a poor state. He flicked his tail with agitation, wondering where Shadowsong was. Although he hadn't really met the cat, from what he knew they weren't the most enthusiastic for the job. Well, he pondered, if he can fix my leg, that'll do me just fine.

As if on cue, he saw a figure emerge from the medicine cat's den he had been absent-mindedly staring at. Not the cat he was hoping for, but he would do - it was Ravenpaw, the little black cat he had seen in the camp on several occasions. Wolftail vaguely knew her life had grief and didn't want to upset the apprentice, so he attempted the lighthearted approach.

"Hey, uh, Ravenpaw? Can you come over here a second?" The grey tabby-tom meowed loudly, his tail sweeping the floor as he did. The sun was soon to be gone, and already he could feel the cold returning to the earth. His joints were beginning to get aches as he had been lying still for a while.

"I think I've hurt my leg - well, I don't think, I know cus' it hurts like hell. Can you give me anything for it? "

[*~Blazeheart~*]

Earthstep chuckled as she heard Wolftail rip and gulp down the fresh-kill without second thought. To her surprise, she felt him slide half of the meat towards her. She tried to object, but decided against it. She was a bit tired and a few pieces of fresh-kill ought to get her renergized again. With a small noncommital mew of a gratified thanks, she bent her head and ate up the prey in a few famished bites. Feeling much better, she swiped her tongue around her maw, licking off traces off her whiskers.

Ears pricked up as she detected pawsteps coming towards their way.
Ravenpaw...she identified, though not really caring. The medicine cat apprentice was always walking about, though it always seemed to be out of camp. Yet Earthstep was not curious as to where the apprentice goes everyday, for it was not her business.

Then Wolftail called the medicine cat apprentice over, and Earthstep felt a stab of guilt as she forgot about his injured leg.

"Hurry and make him feel better or he'll start to moan like a kit about it later,"the brown she-cat meowed with a teasing tone, shoving Wolftail heartily that he rolled over.

[~Ravenpaw~]

Ravenpaw had almost made it out of camp only to be stopped, how depressing that she hadn't even kept walking. She froze, the tiny black kit sized apprentice turned back, "Yea?" She meowed quietly, she really didn't care and her words sounded harsher then she intended but it got her message across nicely for her little fight with Shadowsong had just really made her fur bristle. She rolled her icy blue eyes, more cats getting hurt, when were they going to learn that Shadowsong is the meddie they should take it up with that pathetic excuse for a mentor. Ravenpaw sighed and decided to help, can't hurt the faster they go away the better right?

She padded over to them quietly, her shoulder moved oddly as she limped towards them, she took a look at his paw, she wasn't to sure, but she had the same problem with her shoulder the first time, now what did she use then? She got up and headed back to the den not daring to say a word towards Shadowsong as she did, she merely picked upt he herbs and left taking them back to Wolftail and Earthstep. She pushed a few herbs towards him, such as Comfrey, Tansy, Black willow leaves, Nettle, and just for the un of it poppy seeds. She doesn't know much about anything else, but she knows alot about pain and bones and well joint aches and stuff like that from past experienses. "There" She meowed quietly, "Eat them" She added slightly amused that he might start to whine.

[Fin]

Happy that he had caught the young apprentice's attention, Wolftail relaxed a little. Hopefully the cat knew what to do, but then the tabby warrior thought with a fear - what if they didn't know what to do? Her mentor was no where to be seen, perhaps in the den? They hadn't been called for...

Before being able to ask if she was up to it, Earthstep spoke. The grey tom lowered his muzzle, his tail flicking in the dust. Maybe he should just let the cat do their job, it could even be a bit of experience for her. Swiping his jaw with his tongue of the lasting taste of the fresh-kill, the tom glanced at his companion as she spoke.

"It reaaaally does hurt." He meowed, his voice strained as he said it. Okay, so he might have been over-dramatising it, but he was in pain. His leg hurt like Starclan knows. He slumped back to the floor for effect, and was happy when the apprentice padded off to get something for him.

Lifting his head again, he glanced around the clearing, his gaze falling on Earthstep. She was completely different to the cat he spoke to when they left - it felt like a long time ago that they had actually argued. Opening his mouth to say something to her, to thank her for the help, Ravenpaw had returned. Holding back his words, he turned to her, his tail swaying on the dusty floor.

"So what do I need? A wad of cobwebs? A moons rest? A deathberry?!" He added the latter for drama, he eyes widening as he said it. He was disapointed when he looked down at the bundle of herbs the cat had prepared for him. He only knew a few of them just by smell, but a cat with no nose could tell they were going to taste bad. "Are you sure this will help?" He added, almost nervously.