[Deleted]

And now I'm walking in the park
And all of the birds, they dance below me
Maybe when things turn green again
It will be good to say you know me
GORGELIGHT

Yellow eyes glowed as the tom trotted along the River Delta, his head held low and watching carefully for anything in the darkness that might harm him. Everything in the darkness of the Wooded Marsh was white, cold, and wet. Gorgelight's paws were numb in the ice as the tom padded. No matter how much downy fur the russet, patchy tom had, his paws were defenseless against the cold. The tom's paws simply were no furrier than any other cat.

The warrior's eyes, illuminated, scanned the ground for anything that might indicate any signs of life. The patchy tom was not picky for what he hunted -- any prey would do for RainClan, as long as it did not have a catching sickness.

The young tom suddenly came to a halt and lifted his yellow eyes from the ground for the first time since he had begun the hunt. The young tom had not realized how far he had been traveling and, to his shock and fear, he stood inside NightClan territory.

I'm not together

but I'm getting there[/center]
[/size][/color]

[BlooRey DVD]

Echobreeze
~~~~~~~

The little tortoiseshell she-cat trudged through the snow. It was cold outside, and her soft fur was doing a terrible job at keeping her warm. She was skinny, skinner than usual due to the lack of food. Her long tail unfurled, and swished from side to side, before re-curling itself, an attempt to defend itself from the cold. Her head was tucked against her chest, and her ears were flat. She asked herself again why in the name of StarClan she was out here when she could be in the warmth of her den. And yet... She had been restless the past few days, getting little to no sleep, and never seeming to be able to just relax. It was probably for this reason the little tortoiseshell was out and about in this weather.

Not to mention, her Clan could always use a little bit of prey. She was trotting along the border, being careful to stay on the correct side. She shivered softly as a cold wind gusted through. It was then that she picked up a scent. It was not of NightClan, but rather...RainClan. Sure, she was currently along the border her Clan shared with RainClan, but this... This was unnatural. It was too close. Had someone crossed their border? Why would they have done that?

Curiosity spiked within the small she-cat, and she moved towards the scent. She followed it carefully, but didn't have to go far. The intruder wasn't far ahead of her. She gulped slightly, stepping backwards. She soon realized what she had done, however, and scolded herself. She should defend her Clan. Not be a coward and flee. She planted her paws, unsheathing her claws and fluffing out her coat. She held her head high, staring at this tom. Her bi-colored face tried desperately to be serious. "Hey!" She called out, surprised by the strength behind her words. "What do you think you're d-doing here..?"She flinched slightly. It had started off so well, but half way though her question, her voice softened, returning to her usual, gentle and shy voice. Still, she forced herself to remain how she was, hoping the tom wouldn't attack. All the Clans were suffering from the hunger, she knew. Even so, she knew she was at a disadvantage. She had enough troubles walking through this snow due to her small stature. She'd never be able to fight in this.

[/size]

[Deleted]

Alone on a hill,
The man with the foolish grin is keeping perfectly still
But nobody wants to know him,
They can see that he's just a fool,
And he never gives an answer,
GORGELIGHT[/b][/size][/font]

The patchy tom's yellow eyes were fearful and unable to keep still as Gorgelight became extremely nervous about his situation. The tom was hardly sure of what direction he had come from, for some reason, and his fear of the pungent NightClan scent seeping in from all directions caused the tom to begin to turn in all directions and backpedal. Everywhere I turn scents like NightClan! What do I do? the russet tom thought to himself. Because patrols came by the borders and freshened their scents often, Gorgelight was particularly confused. The scent of RainClan was far gone.

As the tom turned, he began to peer at the ground, hoping that there was some sort of clue -- some sort of difference in the blanket of white snow that covered the ground -- that might give him a hint of the direction he had come from. The epiphany that Gorgelight had as he peered at the icy ground made his young heart jump in joy and surprise at how foolish he could be. Of course, as I padded I made tracks in the snow! Gorgelight thought to himself, knowing from his apprentice training that if he followed them, he could get back to RainClan land in one piece.

The red-brown tom turned around again as he tried to spot his distinctively large paws engraved in the ground. The tom was interrupted by a harsh 'Hey!' as he spun, looking a little foolish in his actions. Gorgelight stopped turning the instant he heard the voice and faced the cat in question, a calico who smelt strongly of NightClan.

It was at this moment that Gorgelight wanted to put his tail between his legs and run -- in any particularly direction, just away from the cat's gaze. Though Gorgelight had not had any troubles with NightClan in his lifetime, he knew them to be very formidable clan cats. And, Gorgelight also recognized that this particular NightClanner meant business. 'What do you think you're d-doing here..?' the NightClanner asked and the russet tom pinned his ears back as he heard the hesitation in his tone. While it may have relaxed any other cat to hear the weakness of a foe, Gorgelight was not any other cat. Gorgelight hardly recognized the sound of hesitation in the NightClanner's voice because he had to focus more on the bulk of the question and the meaning behind it for him. I am going to have to talk to her. She won't let me go unless I show that I do not mean harm, Gorgelight thought to himself and a feeling of nerves sparked within him, unwelcome and intense. "I-I .... I d-dunno," Gorgelight spat out, his voice shaky and unable of expressing what he meant to say -- I dunno where I am.

All pride seemed to leave from the big, furry tom as he muttered a single word, unable to express himself in full sentences. "Lost," the tom said gruffly, dipping his head towards the NightClanner.

The tom was somewhat thankful that the warrior had found him so close to the border -- if he had trekked further into NightClan camp, his true story of being lost would have seemed less truthful. And, this cat will probably follow me back to RainClan territory to make sure that I am out of the territory, Gorgelight added to himself and awaited the foreign cat's response.

And he never listens to them

[/color]
He knows that they're the fools[/center]
[/size]

[BlooRey DVD]

Echobreeze
~~~~~~~~~

The little calico she-cat had to concentrate her efforts as to stop herself from shaking. She was so focused on that task, she almost didn't catch what he said. In truth, the tom seemed just as stunned as she was to see another cat. She could only imagine what the tom was feeling. She would die if she was caught having crossed another Clan's border, she was sure. Echobreeze's ears were angled back slightly, but they weren't aggressive. In all honesty, she was just as terrified as the tom before her looked. So much for a strong Clan cat.

A tremor caught her little frame, and she blinked at their surroundings. He was lost? The poor guy... She thought that he probably hadn't meant to cross the border. She was suddenly glad that it was her who had caught him, and not another cat. She feared that any other cat would have reacted differently. More like a true Clan cat. She flinched inwardly at this, knowing someone would be disappointed in her for this. But.. She couldn't bring herself to be angry with him. They were all just cats... Right?

Her mouth opened slowly, and she spoke tentatively, a small tremor in her voice. "Y-You're lost? That.... That's terrible... I... I could bring you back t-to RainClan's border.. I-If you w-want. It's not... Not too much further..." Her eyes were focused on her paws, and she noticed that she was drawing little lines in the snow with her claws. Slowly, she forced her eyes to rise and meet his. It looked silly, talking to the ground like that, she was sure. Her long tail unfurled itself and swung from side to side nervously.

[Deleted]

Alone on a hill,
The man with the foolish grin is keeping perfectly still
But nobody wants to know him,
They can see that he's just a fool,
And he never gives an answer,
GORGELIGHT[/b][/size][/font]

While the young RainClan warrior was large in size and fur mass was intimidating in appearance, he felt small as a mouse. No matter how the NightClanner that addressed him faltered in her words, the tom still quaked in his legs. I am in an unfamiliar territory and though I could probably fight this she-cat pretty easily, if any more NightClanners were to find me, I would have no chance of escaping, Gorgelight thought to himself, twitching his tail quite viscously. The tom's activity was almost tiring as he turned over his thoughts and fretted without bounds.

'Y-You're lost? That.... That's terrible... I... I could bring you back t-to RainClan's border.. I-If you w-want. It's not... Not too much further...' Echobreeze told him and the russet tom let out a huge sigh of relief after hearing that she was willing to help him. Gorgelight certainly didn't want to fight the she-cat and was glad that she recognized that he came in peace.

The RainClanner twitched his whiskers and thought for a moment --maybe I should tell her my name, the tom figured but he caught himself before he spoke. The russet tom figured that if he were to tell Echobreeze his name, she could report it back to Ravenstar and get him into trouble for crossing the border. I'm Firetail, the tom made up in his head. "I'm Gorgelight," Gorgelight meowed, his voice catching a little as he realized that he had just given his actual name rather than a fake name.
Whoops.

And he never listens to them

[/color]
He knows that they're the fools[/center]
[/size]

[BlooRey DVD]

Echobreeze
~~~~~~~~

The little calico she-cat noticed the tom’s relief, and instantly, she felt a little more relaxed. It seemed as though the tom wouldn’t attack her. This was a huge relief to her, because, quite frankly, she was tiny, and he was not. Her little tail curled itself as she tried to keep as much warmth in her body as she could. Her coat was soft, and although it looked fluffy, it failed to provide all that much warmth. Still, she had a job to do. Once she finished this job, she could return to camp, to curl up and warm up. … After she caught something for the Clan, of course.

The little she cat blinked at the tom as he spoke. She considered his name for a moment, softly testing it out. ”Gorgelight…” She nodded her head slightly, her green eyes flicking away shyly. ”P-Pleasure to meet you, Gorgelight… I…. My name is E-Echobreeze.” She told him. She cleared her throat quietly before continuing. ”The b-border is… It’s uh this way.” She told him, motioning behind her with a movement of her head. She would have liked to simply tell him where to go, and run off, but… She figured she would do at least one thing right and escort him over the border, to ensure that he left their territory.

”If… If you would follow me.. We should be there shortly, a-and we can… Continue with out lives, I s-suppose…” She felt her fur warm suddenly, but she couldn’t explain why. Her paw was tracing line in the snow again, and she had to force herself to put it down firmly on the ground. She turned slowly, pausing to allow him to catch up a little bit. At least this shouldn’t take too long…

OOC - >.> I apologize for this post

[Deleted]

Alone on a hill,
The man with the foolish grin is keeping perfectly still
But nobody wants to know him,
They can see that he's just a fool,
And he never gives an answer,
GORGELIGHT[/b][/size][/font]

As the RainClanner cowered in an unfamiliar world, the calico before him became his beacon of light. The she-cat, who quickly identified herself as Echobreeze, seemed shy and more importantly to Gorgelight, friendly. Gorgelight caught a snort in his throat, however, when Echobreeze talked about it being a "pleasure" to meet Gorgelight. While he was thankful she was there and not ripping his fluffy pelt to bits, he still would not go as far to say the act of him being lost and afraid was pleasurable. 'The b-border is… It’s uh this way. If… If you would follow me.. We should be there shortly, a-and we can… Continue with out lives, I s-suppose… Echobreeze forced out and the big tom gave a big, courteous dip of his head as a way of saying thanks to the she-cat for her help without letting his voice betray him.

Gorgelight's big paws crushed already dead plant life as the tom followed close to the strange NightClanner who led the burly tom through unfamiliar and unfriendly looking land. Everything around Gorgelight looked strange, from the trees to the unusually rocky ground underfoot. Even the trees look like they don't want me here, Gorgelight thought, his fur bristled as he looked up to the hollow, cross faces of the inanimate trees. The RainClanner knew that all he had to do was simply stick close to the warrior, but he felt that getting lost even in this situation would be something that could be a possibility.

And, Gorgelight reminded himself as his yellow eyes remained glued to the calico pelt of Echobreeze, this warrior could still lead me all the way to NightClan camp and to Ravenstar and I would have no idea until we were there. Such prospects were frightening for the warrior, but she was his best and only choice.

The tom found himself drifting off from the task at hand as he peered around, making sure nothing would jump out at him. When Echobreese halted to allow for the large tom to catch up to him, Gorgelight could not stop himself in time from barreling into the poor, unprepared NightClanner. The tom's voice was full of energy and fear as he pulled himself to his paws. "I-I'm so s-sorry. I .... foolish. Alw ... Always messing up," Gorgelight told him, shaking pure white ice from his gorgeous, full coat and hoping that Echobreeze would still be willing to take him. And, hoping she was not at all injured from his clumsiness.

Though when calculating his moves, Gorgelight was a fantastic fighter and hunter, such things were easily said than done. The big tom was prone to failure and the judgments cast upon him by his clanmates, young and old alike, had simply encouraged the tom's plummeting self-confidence to get in the way of acting as an effective warrior. As a result, the RainClanner messed everything up. Without fail.

And he never listens to them

[/color]
He knows that they're the fools[/center]
[/size]

[BlooRey DVD]

Echobreeze
~~~~~~~~~

The little she-cat hadn’t really been looking at the tom as he approached. She saw him move in her direction, then glanced away for a moment, something catching her eye. It only took that moment of distraction for things to suddenly change.

The tom ran into her, obviously distracted as well. Now, it wasn’t all that big of a deal, accidents did happen. But the tom was so much bigger than her that she was sent staggering to the side. Her paws tried to catch herself on the snowy terrain as she let out a little, startled squeak, but in the end failed, and instead she barreled head first into a nearby snow bank.

The little calico she-cat pulled herself out of the snow bank, green eyes wide and stance rigid. She shook the snow off her coat hurriedly, desperate to get the cold out of her coat as best she could. She heard the tom speak, and turned slightly to watch him as he did so. Although he did not speak full sentences, the she-cat understood what he was trying to say. "I-I'm so s-sorry. I .... foolish. Alw ... Always messing up,"

The calico smiled softly at him through chattering teeth. Her little body was shaking slightly from the cold, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. ”O-Oh th-that’s alright-t. It w-was an a-accident and th-they happen a-all the time. I’m f-fine. Are… Are you alright?”

She paused waiting for a response before nodding her head slightly. ”O-Okay, n-now RainClan’s b-border is nearby. L-Let’s g-get moving. I-I’m s-sure y-your Clan is w-wondering where you h-have gone.” She glanced over her shoulder at him, a soft, reassuring smile on her face, even through the trembles caused by the cold. She began moving, her small paws stepping one in front of the other, hoping the tom would keep up.

They were almost there. And then she could go curl up in the warrior’s den and hopefully get over this chill.

[Deleted]

Alone on a hill,
The man with the foolish grin is keeping perfectly still
But nobody wants to know him,
They can see that he's just a fool,
And he never gives an answer,
GORGELIGHT[/b][/size][/font]

The patchy tom watched the she-cat tumble into the snow bank with sympathy and horror that his huge size and clumsiness had betrayed him so readily. Gorgelight's paws carved against the earth as she padded to her -- but by the time he reached her, she had already wriggled her way out of the cold snow and was attempting to get herself warm. Gorgelight dipped his head and felt sorry for what he had done. 'O-Oh th-that’s alright-t. It w-was an a-accident and th-they happen a-all the time. I’m f-fine. Are… Are you alright?' the NightClanner asked him, and he was puzzle by her question and took an extra few moments to respond. Am I alright? I thought you'd be so mad you would report me and not even both to take me back to RainClan! Why would you be concerned about my health? Gorgelight thought, tilting his head a little. The concept of kindness had been few and far between in the mind of the ruddy brown tom. "I ... I'
m ... better than you," Gorgelight breathed out and found that his voice was much more together than it usually was. The tom hoped he would get his words -- by the looks of her, she was quite cold and shivered violently. The RainClanner understood that Echobreeze did not have nearly as thick of a pelt as he did and a simple encounter with the snow caused her a lot more trouble than it did him.

The tom swished his tail as the NightClanner attempted to go on with their journey, still suggesting that they were close to the RainClan-NightClan border. The russet tom shook his head and stayed rooted to the spot as she trekked a few steps forward. "Y-you ... need ...t'get w-warm," Gorgelight informed her, barely able to put his words together let alone control the calico before him.

But, no matter how he did not know Echobreeze, he felt that his actions might result in more than simple displeasure for the calico. She could get sick ... She could catch Greencough ... maybe even die, Gorgelight though, getting a little ahead of himself with his thoughts. The russet tom certainly would not let that happen to Echobreeze -- his conscience would not let him simply turn the other cheek to his own, abeit accidental, actions.

And he never listens to them

[/color]
He knows that they're the fools[/center]
[/size]

[BlooRey DVD]

Echobreeze
~~~~~~~~

"Y-you ... need ...t'get w-warm," The calico she-cat’s step faltered at the sound of the tom’s voice. She paused, turning slightly to blink at him. Her body shook slightly as she watched, noting that he hadn’t moved a muscle since their collision. Her breath billowed out in a small cloud of steam as she breathed, her eyes flicking down to her paws, which she shuffled slightly.

”O-Oh, don’t w-worry ab-bout me. I c-can get warm by w-walking. A-And I’ll be fine once I g-get back to NightClan camp.” It was odd to the she-cat that anyone would really be concerned with her. The only cat who’d shown any sort of concern for her health was Smokefur, which made sense because Smokefur was the medicine cat. It was her job to take care of and worry about the health of the cats in her Clan. This tom was a complete stranger to her, and yet he showed concern for her.

Her long tail unfurled itself momentarily as she continued. ”I-It’s r-really not th-that b-bad. And a-anyway, it’s h-hard to find anything to warm up with in th-these parts of the t-territory.” Her voice was soft, and raked with trembles, yet she still put on a soft, timid smile. She couldn’t help it.

[Deleted]

Alone on a hill,
The man with the foolish grin is keeping perfectly still
But nobody wants to know him,
They can see that he's just a fool,
And he never gives an answer,
GORGELIGHT[/b][/size][/font]

If the russet tabby had eyebrows that he could raise in disbelief, he would. Gorgelight stood, his tail slowing above him like a banner and his big paws rooted in place as Echobreeze told him that her health did not matter and that she could warm up if they only kept moving/ Yeah right ... in this weather, warming up is not an option, the russet tom though to himself, still disbelieving the she-cat before him who seemed very unwilling to betray and needs or feelings to the bulky tom. At least she admitted she was cold, the tom thought to himself and tossed his brown-and-orange head with some irritation. 'I-It’s r-really not th-that b-bad. And a-anyway, it’s h-hard to find anything to warm up with in th-these parts of the t-territory,' Echobreeze added,as if those words would be proper to console him.

But it didn't take long for the RainClanner to realize that no matter how much he tried to convince the calico feline to seek medical attention, she would not because she felt too worthless to do so. The tom let out a huff of air and nodded, suddenly picking up his paws and padding over to Echobreeze and nudging her with his dark colored body. "L-let's ... go f-fast," the RainClanner meowed, his whiskers twitching with anxiety.

If I could give her my pelt, I would. I am beyond embarrassed for my actions, the dark golden and red tom thought to himself and peered at the snowy ground.

And he never listens to them

[/color]
He knows that they're the fools[/center]
[/size]

[BlooRey DVD]

Echobreeze
~~~~~~~

There was suddenly fur brushing against her body. Long, warm fur that caused the little she-cat to force back a shiver that threatened her. Her short, albeit soft coat seemed to warm on one side as the tom’s body neared hers. Her green eyes stretched wide and her heart skipped a beat. Instinctively, her gaze fell to the snow covered floor as a wave of warm rippled through her entire body. The warmth was only momentary, leaving her colder than before.

She staggered forward slightly when he nudged her, as her paws seemed frozen to the snow. She managed to catch herself however, and focus long enough to hear what the tom said. "L-let's ... go f-fast," The little she-cat nodded her head quickly, and the pair started again.

The little calico spent much of the journey with her head low. She had some sort of stupid, embarrassed smile on her face, and she was sure that, should she look up, she’d only grow more embarrassed, and grin even larger. Her tail constantly curled and uncurled itself as her little paws moved forward. She noted that they were getting a bit on the cold side, and that she would probably have to groom them to ensure that she got all the ice from between her pads. And yet… it didn’t bother her all that much.

Her soft breath steamed slightly, furling around her as they moved along. Her ears were pricked, alert for any sounds of danger, even though her mind was elsewhere. Suddenly a scent caught her attention. It was the scent of RainClan, but it was not from the RainClanner at her side. Her paw steps slowed and her head lifted, all traces of the smile gone. She came to a halt on the edge of the border, still well within her Clan’s territory. Her green eyes glanced his way slightly as she spoke. ”Well… Here we are… The b-border of R-RainClan and N-NightClan.”

She looked at the territory that stretched out on the other side, and she spoke quietly once more. ”Y-You know… Your t-territory really is… B-Beautiful during L-Leafbare… With a-all the streams frozen, blue-tinted… A-And the lands-scape blanketed in white…”

She suddenly realized she had gone a little off topic and ducked her head once more. ”O-Oh… Sorry… W-Well… Your h-home now…” She whispered softly, taking a step back, away from the opposite Clan’s territory.

[Deleted]

Alone on a hill,
The man with the foolish grin is keeping perfectly still
But nobody wants to know him,
They can see that he's just a fool,
And he never gives an answer,
GORGELIGHT[/b][/size][/font]

The dark russet tom pushed onwards, his big paws moving so quickly that on several occasions, he out ran a few hairs ahead of Echobreeze and had to slow himself down some to allow the she-cat to catch back up. I definitely don't know the way back to RainClan territory. Though I wish she'd move a little quicker; she's going to freeze at this rate, Gorgelight thought to himself, but had to remind himself on how he was bigger than Echobreeze and simply had longer legs than she did. Gorgelight didn't really understand why she was moving so slowly, but he definitely figured there was something on her mind by the distant look in her eyes that the large tabby-ish tom observed.

At last, the pair arrived at the NightClan-RainClan border and Echobreeze stated the obvious. Any other less kind tom might find her comment silly or dumb, but Gorgelight tipped his head politely in thanks instead of commenting. If Gorgelight had spoken, his words would have betrayed him anyways. '-You know… Your t-territory really is… B-Beautiful during L-Leafbare… With a-all the streams frozen, blue-tinted… A-And the lands-scape blanketed in white… O-Oh… Sorry… W-Well… Your h-home now… Echobreeze spoke in a stuttering tone. The tom frowned, wondering if he should say more but feeling somewhat wrong about continuing the conversation after setting paw in RainClan territory and her remaining in NightClan's. She is, after all, a NightClanner. Unfortunately no one I could possibly start a life with ... the russet tom thought to himself.

Unsure of what to do or say, the warrior gazed in the direction of the way he had come with Echobreeze. "P-please ... stay safe. and k ... keep w-warm," the big tom murmured before turning around and slinking back into the depths of RainClan and its frozen world.

And he never listens to them

[/color]
He knows that they're the fools[/center]
[/size]

[BlooRey DVD]

Echobreeze
~~~~~~~~

The little she-cat’s green eyes watched as the larger tom crossed into his own territory. It was probably for the best. Less questions would be asked, should they be spotted. There was a moment where no words were exchanged. It was a surreal moment, where time itself seemed to stand still as she blinked up timidly into his eyes. But time doesn’t remain motionless for the average being. And this was no exception. The moment crumbled away as the large, russet tom spoke in his usual, stuttering tone.

"P-please ... stay safe. and k ... keep w-warm," It was not even a mew, but words lost in a murmur, yet her ears caught every word. She’d been silently waiting to hear his voice once more, and her green gaze watched as he walked away. She felt her heart drop slightly, inexplicably in her chest. She knew he couldn’t hear her, but it didn’t stop her from speaking. ”Of c-course… Anything you s-say…”

Her words were lost in the wind, a whisper amongst the howls. It had picked up suddenly, and tugged at her soft fur, and still the she-cat did not move. She wasn’t aware of the time as it passed by, dragging by, or flying by she was not sure. But time did pass, as time frequently does. And still she sat, motionless, staring down at her paws, at the border shared with RainClan.

It wasn’t until a shiver passed through her body, a violent tremor, that the she-cat decided it was time for her to return. She’d been staring at the white snow for StarClan knows how long, and now, it felt as though her whole body was trembling. She stared out at the RainClan territory, the faintest flutter of hope in her chest. It was soon extinguished, however, and Echobreeze rose to her paws, turning her back on the opposite territory.

And as she vanished amongst the snow covered undergrowth of NightClan territory, she could not help but to glance over her shoulder, a gentle maiden, eagerly awaiting the return of her knight.