[Deleted]

One hundred words to tell this story
about a girl, and the boy before me

Velvety gray clouds blanketed the sky above the forest that lay in a white still below. The pines towered overhead, their tips obscured by the lower branches. All dusted with snow, the forest smelled uniquely wintry, the scent of pine melding with that of the ice. Leafbare was in full swing, sending the clans into a state of forced sleep, freezing them in the shortage of prey. Few cats dared provoke one another, for fear of a conflict within these snow-laden territories. NightClan was a bit of an exception to this unspoken rule, pressing far into TreeClan's territory, exploiting the borders in search of more prey. But TreeClan had not yet openly protested. They tolerated clear and obvious violations of the warrior code, for the sake of avoiding the snow turning red, colored with the blood of warriors.

Beneath the snow-tipped evergreens, a mottled tabby tom padded beside a small tortoiseshell she-cat. It had been hard to occupy this place beside her, as the poor cowering thing was perpetually nervous and curiously uncomfortable with her clanmate, but he'd managed it, and now, exuding the passivity with which he tended to live his life; not charging ahead, nor dragging behind, but moving along with it, observing, pondering.

The pawprints that they left in the snow trailed behind them. Nettlefur's were a bit deeper, and broader, and Echobreeze's were smaller, and more shallow, and considerably less noticeable. The prints were fairly consistent, on the trail they left. But every now and then, when one of them would step into a drift, or a soft bit of snow, and their paw prints would be deeper, sometimes constrained, and more visible. It was like that, in life, as cats blazed their own trails. Their paths crossed others, and the impacts that they made varied. But no matter how lightly one tread, there was always an impact. Not one cat was unimportant. Not one cat was unnoticed by the world, by the stars.

The larger tom glanced over at Echobreeze, bright but gentle curiosity in his gaze. Something about the she-cat seemed... mangled, but he didn't yet understand why. Why she acted as if she was walking on eggshells, why she was timid, so fearful. He would not point it out, however. That was not the way to help her, and he really did want to help her, in whatever way he could. Maneuvering his paws as to avoid a pine cone that protruded from the snow, he flicked his ears amiably. "How are you?"

The question, it was clear, was not limited to right now, nor was it intended to be an empty inquiry. Not just today, nor the day before. But how was she?

these hundred steps that lay before me
I'd walk 'em all if you could see what I see

Character; Nettlefur
Words; 451
Notes; (:

[BlooRey DVD]

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[atrb=background,http://i45.tinypic.com/6ihf8l.png][style=height: 265px; overflow: auto;] She'd been following the larger tom quietly, half way beside him and half way behind him. A couple times, her paw steps would falter as her little paws sunk deeper into the snow then the expected. Still, she would bound forward to catch up as best she could. Her green eyes stayed glued to the snowy ground beneath her paws as she moved. She told herself that she did this in order to ensure that she did not hurt herself by tripping in the snow. She knew, however, that this was not the whole truth. There was another part to it, another part that involved her personality. The timid she-cat didn't think she could look up and risk meeting his eyes. Her little body shivered softly, but it wasn't the cold. If you spent enough time around Echo, it would become clear to you that she did not exactly enjoy the feeling of her fur brushing against another's fur. Not many knew of this, simply because not many spent any time near her, never mind a lot of time around her. But it was true. She couldn't quite place it yet, but it was certain she would need some time to get used to it. All of a sudden, a voice broke through the silence, and her head shot up, in something near a panic. "How are you?" Echobreeze's green eyes were stretched wide again as she looked towards Nettlefur with a soft shiver. "U-Uh I... I-I'm o-ok-kay..?" She whispered timidly, her ears pointing back. Her gaze immediately fell back to the ground, unable to meet his gaze just as she had figure. "N-No diff-fferent than y-yesterd-day... S-So... I-I'm o-okay..." She told him, as though it didn't really matter. She even added in the little shrug on her shoulder, proving just how little she thought about herself. "W-What... What ab-bout y-you?"

[Deleted]

One hundred words to tell this story
about a girl, and the boy before me

The she-cat's halting speech was thought provoking, to say the least. Something lay behind her stutter, behind her cower. Something haunted her. Something had left an awful lot of scarring, in a part of her that eyes could not see. It made Nettlefur feel quietly unsettled to know that there was something laying dormant inside, tormenting her. A demon, that could seem so petty to outside eyes, but one that nonetheless ruled the life of a small and scared cat.

The tom searched his mind for some knowledge of the she-cat, some notion that may help him grasp this ghost of hers. Beneath layers of blurred murmurs, this cat had at least once in her life been unwanted. Perhaps this shadow lay with the implications her kithood provided.

"I'm just fine," he replied, his quiet voice dismissive. It did not matter how he was. The mottled tabby traveled a few mouse-lengths from the calico, as it was clear to him that she would not be comfortable, were he any closer. For all the things he was not, Nettlefur was observant, pensive, attentive, and certainly respectful.

"And what did yesterday hold for you?" he inquired politely, tenderly, yet still casually. "Any notable happenings?" The lanky tom was significantly larger than her, but their difference in stature was not overbearing. Instead, something about his placidity tended to make others feel bigger, if not at least equal.

Nettlefur's long, even stride was slow, so that Echobreeze would not have to move at an uncomfortable pace, and he was making conscious efforts at being fluid about any falters he made, like when a paw sunk a bit too much into a drift, or encountered a stick right below the snow's surface. Jerky, sudden movements were scary; he understood that. He was determined not to alarm the she-cat. She deserved, he believed, to be at ease. To feel safe. And he, this frigid leafbare day, would provide her with the means to do just that.

these hundred steps that lay before me
I'd walk 'em all if you could see what I see

Character; Nettlefur
Words; 347
Notes; Lil punkin chowder!

[BlooRey DVD]

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[atrb=background,http://i45.tinypic.com/6ihf8l.png][style=height: 265px; overflow: auto;] When the tom told her he was fine, she mumbled something about how she was glad to hear he was doing well. She thought that he’d stop talking after that, as most cats didn’t bother trying to uphold a conversation with her. But then, she heard his voice once more. "And what did yesterday hold for you?" She blinked up at him with her green eyes, the confusion and shock clear in her green eyes. "Any notable happenings?" She couldn’t find her words, so she pretended to be bust stepping out of a particularly difficult snow bank, giving her just enough time to formulate some sort of conversation. “N-Nothing… N-Nothing spec-cial, n-no… J-Just… H-Hunting. I r-really l-like hunting…” She whispered, her fur heating up. She could think of other things that had happened yesterday, but it was just like every other day. She spent them alone, miserable, trapped, and terrified of the world around. But.. There was one thing… But she couldn’t tell him… She couldn’t tell Nettlefur, or anyone, because she would be in trouble. Not long ago, she’d found her light at the end of the tunnel. And it went by the name of Gorgelight. Echobreeze noted that his pace was slow, and she was grateful for it. It made it a little bit easier for her to keep up with him. She still kept her head low as she moved, but there was something, something tiny unwinding in her shoulders, something less choppy and forced about her movements. And she glanced up at him, speaking quietly. “S-Sorry that I’m n-not all that interes-sting…”

[Deleted]

One hundred words to tell this story
about a girl, and the boy before me

Nettlefur noticed the small she-cat's nervous stuttering, but didn't press it. Perhaps in time she would tell him, but either way it was not his place to be so nosy. The mottled fur along his belly had become plastered with slush from treading through the snow and he glanced over at Echobreeze to make sure that she wasn't getting too cold.

As the she-cat began to relax, he felt a small burst of triumph. Her quiet speech caused him to prick his ears and look at her, his eyes inquisitive. "On the contrary, my dear, I find you very interesting indeed."

these hundred steps that lay before me
I'd walk 'em all if you could see what I see

Character; Nettlefur
Words; 109
Notes; I am a flaky bowl of corn flakes. I'm sorry.

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:7cffd0]Echobreeze[/smear:e3ebe8]

The tiny she-cat cast a shy glance over to her walking companion as she struggled out of another small snowbank. Her paws were cold, but she wasn't about to complain. It was Leafbare and there was snow on the ground. Of course her paws were going to be cold. The slush was beginning to wet her fur, making it so that she had to stop every now and again to give herself a good shake, or she would risk catching a sickness. That would mean having to visit Smokefur again. And that would probably mean more questions. Just the thought of having to avoid answering anything, avoiding accidentally revealing something about Gorgelight... It sent a shiver through her little frame. With a push, she forced herself to stay close to Nettlefur, as to not draw any attention to herself. When her pelt brushed his slightly, she stammered a quiet apology, creating a little more distance between them, so that when she stumbled in the deeper snow, she didn't crash into him.

And then he spoke. Ears shot up in alarm and the she-cat tripped over her own paws, succumbing to gravity and landing muzzle first in the snow. She was suddenly reminded of when Gorgelight had bumped into her, sending her into a pile of snow. Her pelt heated up at the thought, but it could easily be blamed on the fact she'd just fallen into a snow bank. Her head popped up out of the white expanse, eyes wide in alarm and bright with embarrassment. Her nose was cold now, frozen due to the little pile of snow that sat upon her nose. She sneezed, clearing the snow once more before she sheepishly crawled out of the snow. She was shivering lightly now, but it was understandable, all things considering.

"I-I... Y-You th-think I-I'm i-interesting..? W-Why.."

[Deleted]

One hundred words to tell this story
about a girl, and the boy before me

The temperature was dropping, and Nettlefur recognized the urgency to finish this hunting patrol and head back to camp before the cold got to either of them. He glanced sideways, searching the snow-laden territory for any sign of prey. He found none. Prey was scarce, and that coupled with the harsh cold had brought NightClan to its knees, though Ravenstar was too proud to admit it.

He winced as Echobreeze fell, barely resisting the impulse to catch her. But making a sudden movement to grab her would only spook her, and he was not willing to risk scaring her half out of her pelt. He flicked his ears back in sympathy, but relaxed once he saw that she was okay. Why did he think she was interesting?

The mottled tom twitched his whiskers good-naturedly, opening his maw to answer. At that moment he heard the bush behind him rustle, and recognized a small mouse. Nettlefur whirled around on his haunches, the snow spraying up behind him and leaped for it. His claws hit home as he crashed into the brush. He dispatched with a nip to the spine, then backed out the bush, knocking his prey out of the foliage with his paw. The cat paused, then picked up the mouse in his jaws. He took a few steps toward her, then dropped the mouse again. "Because you're Echobreeze; you're remarkable all by yourself."

Nettlefur picked up the mouse and turned back towards the path home. Speaking around the mouse, he asked, "Want to head back to camp? We've caught all we will find."

these hundred steps that lay before me
I'd walk 'em all if you could see what I see

Character; Nettlefur
Words; 264
Notes; Want to tie this thread up?