[Deleted]

You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer.
>ROUGHTHROAT
The gray body of a senior warrior sat, curled up in the noon hours of another bright, biting Leafbare day. The tom was idle at the time, and rasped his light pink tongue over his paw as he sat. The senior warrior, Roughthroat, was tired. Not that the tom was one to complain of the work that he did for his clan, but such was simply the truth of the matter. Since the Leafbare moons had been the coldest he had ever seen, the warrior had increased his efforts hunting two fold. As soon as the gray tom had felt the sun licking its way against his eyelids, the tom was awake and out hunting.

Roughthroat had just gotten back from a hunting session and had just sat down on his haunches. The senior warrior's efforts had resulted in three new pieces of prey added to the kill pile -- a thrush, a mouse, and vole. The tom was content in his efforts and had even done a little hunting questionably closely to TreeClan territory. When the sun had barely risen in the sky, the gray tom felt safer in TreeClan territory. The senior warrior found that TreeClan was so lazy that the chances of running into a patrol while he was out hunting were so slim that he hours when he mostly hunted. In the darkness, the tom's pelt blended in well -- he had little to fear. The only thing that kept Roughthroat from crossing TreeClan's border more often was the fact that the tom had a little dignity. If he could help it, Roughthroat felt it best to hunt within the NightClan boundaries. The constant chatter about the "prey-stealing" NightClanners had gotten to the warrior's head somewhat. He hated other clans looking down upon NightClan because not only was NightClan a strong, brilliant and reputable clan, but the other clans also did not understand NightClan's situation. We are starving and you have more than enough to feed your clan, Roughthroat thought to himself. Desperation and a strong will to live kept the gray tom returning to TreeClan to hunt.

The tom ran his tongue over his paw once more and felt his stomach growl. His stomach growling that alerted the tom that he had not eaten in several days. The shaking of his body, weak from lack of food, also alerted the tom of his state. Though the tom did not particularly like taking prey from his clan, Roughthroat rose to his paws. Before he lowered his head down and scooped up a small vole in his jaws, the tom let out a small sigh. If he could chose to not eat at all, he would.

Do you, don't you want me to love you?

[Hellion]

Covered in a think coat of the darkest black, Gracklefire leapt over a stump and landed on top easily. With her nose glaring she targeted a rather scrawny looking bird. From the looks of it the bird would be a tough meal but a meal nonetheless. Bright amber eyes flaring she gathered herself into a crouch, using her hind leg to kick up some rocks and mud caked on the top of the stump, it forced the bird up and start to flutter away. However Gracklefire was quick and jumped easily to catch the bird in her claws, killing it with a quick bite.

Now she had two pieces of prey and after gathering the scrawny mouse she caught earlier she head back into camp, in time to see Roughthroat deposit three morsels on the pile. The she-cat was tempted to turn around and find more but seeing the comfort of a nice spot in camp she was called forward, dropping her prey on the pile she moved to sit about a good talking distances from the gray warrior, of which she acknowledged him with a flick of her tail.

The ebony colored she-cat had reverted back to her old self, respectful but not outgoing or friendly, ever since the death of her apprentice Shadowpaw the she-cat felt it was best she remained alone. After spending some time at her first mate's grave she held true to that promise and spat at it, cursing the dead brown warrior for sneaking off to see her kits in StarClan. The darkest and most demented part of Gracklefire pleaded with StarClan to send him to the Dark Forest, cast him away as the monster she knew him as, truly they saw the pain he caused her.

With a flick of her ear she brought herself back to the waking world and out of her demented thoughts. Eyes lazily glancing toward Roughthroat, tempted to ask him if he'd like to hunt but both her pride and secluded personality kept her from out right asking him.

[/blockquote]

[Deleted]

You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer.
>ROUGHTHROAT
The brilliant blue orbs of the senior warrior flashed in the otherwise grayscale world as he saw the ebony warrioress, Gracklefire, settle down near him. The tom, who was well known for being of few words, turned his attention to the scrawny vole before him. Though it looked unappetizing, Roughthroat knew that he had little choice in the matter. The tom took careful bites of the vole, not wanting to waste any of the edible parts of the animal.

The more he ate, the more he felt satisfied. The time in which he had restrained himself from eating had significantly reduced how much he needed to eat, as well. The speed in which Roughthroat ate gradually slowed as he became more and more full. I don't need to eat anymore, I'm already full, the senior warrior recognized before pulling his big head away from his prey.

It was at this point that the tom realized that Gracklefire was still nearby and looked interested in having a conversation with him -- well, she had been interested in a conversation with him. As Roughthroat gazed at her black fur, he realized instantly that the other warrior appeared to be lost in her own thoughts and was not paying a lick of attention to the gray blue tom any longer. For a moment, Roughthroat felt a little lost. The gray tom did not know why Gracklefire was ignoring him and wondered if there was something he had done. The senior warrior felt that although he had been quiet, it was acceptable since he needed to get some food in his belly. The bright blue eyes of the senior warrior flickered as he turned over thoughts and finally reasoned with himself. She's been through a great deal. No wonder she's quiet. I wouldn't be one for talking either, Roughthroat realized and glanced at his gray paws. The tom decided that he would let Gracklefire be left to her thoughts and pretend that he hadn't noticed her blank out.

It was a few more moments before Roughthroat felt that Gracklefire sprang back to life. The gray tom turned his head back to the ebony cat, who looked ready to talk. Not only did she want to talk, but she seemed to be almost asking something -- though whatever it was, Roughthroat could not determine. "D'you want the rest of this?" the tom asked suddenly and instantly wondered if that was an appropriate question to ask Gracklefire, a cat to whom Roughthroat had heard a lot of, but hadn't talked much with. Simply enough, Roughthroat hadn't put too much thought into the question -- it just blurted out.

The tom cast his icy blue eyes to the half eaten vole and then back to the obsidian pelt of his company. It's a hard Leafbare. I shouldn't waste this prey just for maintaining social boundaries. I cannot hurt the clan, Roughthroat thought and pushed the vole towards Gracklefire with a paw in a casual, not at all forceful manner.

Do you, don't you want me to love you?

[Hellion]

Nose flaring Gracklefire looked up at Roughthroat as he offered her the meal. While she was starving she thought of taking the meal to the queens and young kits in the nursery growling for a meal, but her own rumbling in her stomach kept her from doing so.

With the vole within reach she picked it clean with delicate and elegant bites, showing her manners her mama taught her from earily kit-hood.

The small meal finished she rose up to sit and lick her chops clean, before grooming her ruffled chest fur with even strokes, her amber eyes closed for a moment. It was clear that the few awkward meeting was partly over, Gracklefire's inner voice the one that yowled at her stay away from Mudstep which she so foolishly ignored wasn't yowling at the tom named Roughthroat.

Surprisely she felt relaxed around him, more so then she ever felt when around Mudstep and that by far was a better step toward a more health relationship.

Her black tail picked up a steady beat before she opened her mouth to speak. "Would you like to go hunting?" She meowed with inviting but still slightly reserved tone of voice. Her mother raised a lady and at first raised a foolish lady, but Gracklefire grew up to be a smart and noble lady.

Compared to the tom before her Gracklefire was a picture of she-cat femininity and her actions were graced as so. "I only caught two small pieces of prey and I saw you come in with three, so possibly we can hunt together and take down something larger. I bet we'd find a larger bird or something." She spoke clearly in a respectful business tone. Gracklefire kept her shoulders back and eyes forward, waiting a reply.

[/blockquote]

[Deleted]

You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer.
>ROUGHTHROAT Roughthroat regarded Gracklefire with slight interest as he watched her pick apart the bird. She seemed to be very restrained in her eating habits and was careful not to get too sloppy in front of him. Roughthroat did not understand why she did this. She must be hungry! Roughthroat thought to himself, not exactly understanding that she was acting this way simply because of his presence.

Something, however, stopped Roughthroat from voicing his concern with Gracklefire's eating habits. He watched her eat, suddenly feeling a little impressed by her graceful, feminine nature. When she began to groom herself, Roughthroat's ears pricked back a little and he felt a little self conscious. The tom did not groom himself off at all -- is that something that I need to do? Roughthroat thought to himself, unsure of social customs. The gray tom felt that he looked acceptable enough and grooming was something that might waste his time. But, the presence of Gracklefire caused him to flick his salmon colored tongue a few times against the rough on his chest.

As he groomed himself a little, Gracklefir spoke up. 'Would you like to go hunting? the black senior warrior asked. Roughthroat was very interested in doing whatever he could to help his clan. Though he had already been hunting and had caught a surprising amount of prey for the Leafbare, Roughthroat was more than willing to go back out hunting and had even planned on going hunting again that evening solo. Company might be nice, Roughthroat decided and gave the she-cat a cautious smile. Gracklefire did not need to add any icing on the cake, per say, but she went on suggesting that as a hunting team, they might be able to bring down a larger kill. "I would be happy to go hunting with you. The clan could always use some more food," Roughthroat meowed to Gracklefire, gazing at the fresh kill pile and assessing it to be still relatively bare even though he and Gracklefire had added four pieces of prey total to the pile.

After he had accepted to go hunting, the only question was where to hunt. The tom knew the expanse of NightClan territory like the back of his paw, and the gray tom turned over different locations in his might and weighed his options. If he were to go hunting, it would be best for him to not waste his energy. "Maybe the Branch Trail is a good place to hunt?" Roughthroat suggested, recognizing that if the efforts were to be honed down to catching some kind of large bird, the place with the most birds would be the best idea.

Do you, don't you want me to love you?

[Hellion]

He looked awkward and Gracklefire was puzzled slightly by this, why was he so set on grooming himself as she had, was he mocking her? With a huff of pride she rose up to her paws as he mentioned heading to Branch Trail she took the lead easily, flicking her tail for him to fallow.

She was annoyed and that wasn't a doubt, she kept her pace quick despite her growling stomach and didn't slow down until her paws felt the familiar moss gather on her toes. Without a word to him she jumped easily and effortlessly or at least it appeared that way, her belly rumbled and the effort and energy it cost to jump up into the trees with the control of her formation like she had just done took it's toll on her quickly, but she tried to shake it off.

Looking down at him her eyes amber eyes flashed for a moment, thinking of how she taught Shadowpaw to jump from the tree before her death by green cough. Gracklefire paused for a moment and prayed to the dead she-cat before edging out to a thinner limb.

"There over the next fallen log is a small flock of birds."

[/b] She spoke curtly before leaping down from the lower branch and flicking her tail and once again taking the lead. She was silent in her annoyance toward him. What was he for mocking her? He was rude that's what he was. Wasn't her fault her mother always had her groom her pelt and eat like respect she-cat not like a sloppy tom. Wasn't her fault she was raised with a strict mother. That was the only reason Gracklefire thanked her mother, for teaching her manners and grace and beauty. Something to her horror few she-cats had anymore, it was a beautiful quality to be graceful and serene not brutish like toms.
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[Deleted]

You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer.
>ROUGHTHROAT
The fluffy blue-gray warrior felt Gracklefire's sudden change in mood like he had been hit with a sub-zero gust of wind. The ebony warrioress appeared to be somewhat offended by his actions, but the older warrior was unsure as to what he had done. Did I look at her the wrong way, or something? Roughthroat thought to himself, the tom's puzzlement showing through his clear blue eyes and his furry tail swishing back and forth. Though the two had only just met, Roughthroat was perplexed by the few-moon older Gracklefire. She seemed to change moods quickly and these moods that the warrioress changed to seemed to have no obvious reason. The blue-gray tom felt that he shouldn't be to blame, but, as he watched Gracklefire huff her way towards the exit to the NightClan camp, Roughthroat tossed such thoughts to the wind and fought to keep up, his hard paw pads pressing against the Earth and grinding up bits of ice in their wake.

At first, the senior warrior focused more on keeping up with the quick-paced feline and glanced around at the scenery for any prey. As time went on and Roughthroat found it easier to keep up with Gracklefire, his blue eyes fell upon her pristine pelt, glistening in the sunny noon. For a moment, the senior warrior recognized the length to which Gracklefire groomed herself and its effect. She looked perfectly radiant in the day. Thinking of himself, the tom realized he must be in messy shambles compared to her. The blue-gray warrior thought about spending a little more time grooming himself, but instantly reprimanded himself for such thoughts. The clan needs you. You can't be thinking of something so selfish as ... keeping yourself looking nice, Roughthroat thought to himself and added darkly not that many would care.

The tom was so busy with his own thoughts that when Gracklfire abruptly stopped at their destination, the tom nearly ran into his fellow warrior. "Sorry," Roughthroat rumbled and padded up to stand beside her and survey the area. When Gracklefire pointed out the flock of birds, the warrior nodded. "They must be on their way south," the tom explained in a quiet tone, not to alert the birds of their presence. The tom toyed with the idea of launching forward towards them but felt, for some strange reason, a certain amount of self-consciousness around Gracklefire that he had never experienced before.

Do you, don't you want me to love you?

[Hellion]

She felt bad but just for a moment and she asked herself why she was treating him like that. He wasn't mocking her and that was clear by how he reacted to the way she treated him. He was appearing to make an effort to be nice to her and all she had to show for it was a growl and a few narrowed looks.

Mudstep really messed me up

[/color] She thought to herself and looke down flicking her tail as he mentioned something about the birds. She barely caught what he had said but she nodded in polite response. "we should split up and pick off what we can before they spook to much." Gracklefire said evenly, glancing back toward him.

Her tone had changed and that was truly a comfort no doubt to herself. It wasn't that she was able to switch her entire personality in a day, but she was willing to give him a break,be a little more civil.

Without saying anything else she took off toward the left and sunk down into a hunter crouch easily, stalking a few out laying birds. It wasn't as easily as it looked, every step she took she felt tired and hungry but as she got closer and her mouth begun to water she locked on a bird.

Calculating the distance from her to the bird she leapt without warning and landed on the bird, holding on by her claws, killing it with a bite but with quick instincts she leaped with a heavy claw and knocked a fleeing bird down to the ground and killed it. Pleased only for a moment she picked up the two birds, the flock now soaring away, she looked to see what Roughttroat had caught.
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[Deleted]

You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer.
>ROUGHTHROAT
The blue orbs of the NightClanner seemed to lighten in color as he felt the air seem to lift in pressure along with Gracklefire's mood. 'We should split up and pick off what we can before they spook to much,' the black she-cat meowed to him and he nodded in complete agreement. Roughthroat was relieved to hear her tones, even and calm(though still not friendly). He was glad that Gracklefire's mood was evening out. He was not sure what in the first place had bothered her so much, but he hoped that it would remain behind the two of them. Such would not make for a conducive for a pleasant hunt, nor a successful one. And Roughthroat wished to remain in the good favors of the ebony she-cat.

For a moment, the fluffy blue-gray warrior stood stock-still and paid little heed to Gracklefire's suggestion of hunting the small flock of birds. Gracklefire has been through so much and I haven't spoken of it. Maybe that's why she's upset -- what if she feels bad that I don't care? Roughthroat questioned, his fluffy gray tail flicking about as he tried to analyze his company. The tom's blue gaze wished to rest upon her pretty, glossy coat but he realized without much effort that she was no longer by his side. Right, hunting! Roughthroat thought to himself, almost laughing aloud as his memory was jogged. He must've appeared pretty useless -- standing there like a bump on a log, lost in thought.

The tom's blue gaze watched Gracklefire for a few moments as she was, tail-lengths in front of him, in hunter's crouch. She has good form,the tomcat thought, before sinking down into his own hunting crouch, his tail tucked against his belly and his belly fur almost touching the ground. His hunting position was nowhere near perfect, but it was remarkable to look at. A cat who was so large and bulky had suddenly become slight and so low to the ground that he was hardly noticeable. The tom was silent, his slight and hesitant breathing the only indication of his life. The tom edged forward, placing his paws heavily and precisely in front of him in an awkward movement -- wanting to cover some ground to get closer to the flock but not wishing to cover so much ground that the flock was alerted to the tom's presence before he made his catch.

The tom, finally in distance of the flock, readied his body for his kill. It was at this moment that he heard Gracklefire make her pounce and, in response, the flock took off. If only they had moved sooner, or if Roughthroat had not been expecting this situation, the flock would've been okay. Surging somewhat upwards with his muscular back legs, the tom caught a slower bird within the gaps between his toes and quickly slammed the frail bird against the ground, ending its life.

Gingerly, Roughthroat scooped up the bird in his jaws and padded towards Gracklefire. Seeing that Gracklefire had caught two birds compared to his one, the tom felt a little embarrassed at first. Roughthroat was a very proud tom and didn't like admitting his shortcomings to anyone -- especially to one he just met with the results as obvious as these. The blue gray dipped his head and flashed Gracklefire a faint smile, however. "Good catch, Gracklefire," the NightClanner meowed, his voice not at all forced or showing of any envy in the black warrior. Roughthroat felt that he spoke very true words -- killing two birds at the same time was quite a feat, and while he wished he could have done the same, Roughthroat was just glad that someone had had the skill. Thank StarClan, we need the prey, Roughthroat reminded himself, Gracklefire's body still reflected in his deep pools of blue.

The tom settled to his haunches, hoping that they would continue their hunt. "How ..." Roughthroat began and was surprised to find that there was somehow a large lump in his throat; a hitch, per say, that rendered him speechless for a few milliseconds. "How are you doing?" the tom finally forced out in a cautious, though friendly tone. The blue-gray warrior wanted to tread very lightly around Gracklefire and did not want to seem like prying. He also worried that she would take offense in him asking about Shadowpaw's death and how she was coping. He simply did not know her too well and did not want to suggest to the black warrior that she appeared weak or was in need of his help.

Warm eyes peering at Gracklefire, he waited for her response and hoped that the good vibe around the pair from before would continue.

Do you, don't you want me to love you?

[Hellion]

Gracklefire was able to steal few glances as the gray warrior made his way toward the birds as well, but once her hunting started she wasn't able to admire him as she was before.

Now that they had regrouped, Gracklefire was taking more to admiration on his attitude. Now if she had been hunting with another tom, he would have been outwardly upset about her catching more prey than him, but Roughthroat for the most part wasn't showing the kind of feeling, not that she'd be truly able to read his mind and know what was going on. Not that if bothered her all the much.

With the prey all put into a small pile, Gracklefire looked it over and was very pleased with herself, a queen or elder will have a full belly and that was all Gracklefire cared about.

Gracklefire had fallowed Roughthroat's actions and relaxed onto her rump, allowing her shoulder to slack for just a moment before her nursery teachings had her back at proper lady like behavior. Moving her tail to drape easily across her toes she enjoyed the little warmth it gave her, but his voiced perked her ears up and her attention and mood slightly went down, but she listened to him.

He stumbled at first, unsure how to talk to her, the mentor without an apprentice but he question simple as it was she knew what he wanted to hear. Looking past him and almost at a distances she drew in a breath before letting herself go.

"I am doing alright, I still sometimes expect Shadowpaw to come running toward me to go training, but I'm sure StarClan has better plans for her. After all her death is StarClan's will." She spoke plainly her fiery amber eyes traveling downward for a brief moment.

"I'm sure you know that I lost a litter of kits many seasons ago, it seems oddly enough I mourn their death more than Shadowpaw's and the young she-cat had nearly 9 moons of life versus their lack of actually living. " She meowed which might have sounded horribly morbid but Gracklefire didn't see it as so, she never been one to dazzle someone with words or make it seem like things were better then they were. Somehow Gracklefire was able to admit it out loud to someone other than herself that she never forgave herself for the death of those little ones but she surprisely rebounded quickly after Shadowpaw's death, minus the missing the young she-cat of course, but still Gracklefire couldn't help but wonder if she was normal when it came to holding on or letting go.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Deleted]

You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer.
>ROUGHTHROAT
The vibrant yellow gaze of the NightClanner watched Gracklefire with reserved interest and while his gaze was usually quite sharp and critical, in the noontime, it seemed warm. He was pleased that Gracklefire was at ease for a moment and seemed interested in his in a similar way to himself. 'I am doing alright, I still sometimes expect Shadowpaw to come running toward me to go training, but I'm sure StarClan has better plans for her. After all her death is StarClan's will,' Gracklefire meowed and seemed to lessen in energy and become transfixed in the floor. Roughthroat sighed. While Shadowpaw's death was a tragedy and Gracklefire's sadness was understandable, it didn't stop the mostly blue gray warrior from feeling a strange weight in his chest.

Due to Gracklefire's sensitivity to seemingly every word that left Roughthroat's mouth and the innate sensitivity of the situation, Roughthroat felt incapable finding a properly consoling, yet reserved response. With thought, the fluffy warrior's ears pricked backwards. It was as if he was walking on eggshells with her -- but they did not hurt, did not cause him to bleed. Only sadistic pleasure, Roughthroat thought for a moment, his yellow eyes searching his companion for answers, for a way in to her heart and acceptance -- anything. "I-I'm sorry for your loss," Roughthroat meowed in a caring voice, as if he had taken a stab to the heart --no matter how generic and insincere his words could potentially be interpreted as. The NightClan tom's head lowered and pushed up chin-ways so that his eyes made a connection with hers, briefly, before Roughthroat relaxed himself. He felt that holding a connection with this torn she-cat was important to him and to her.

'I'm sure you know that I lost a litter of kits many seasons ago, it seems oddly enough I mourn their death more than Shadowpaw's and the young she-cat had nearly 9 moons of life versus their lack of actually living,' Gracklefire told him and at this, another shot of lightning trembled its way through his static body. Gracklefire has certainly been through a lot of pain, Roughthroat thought and knew that Gracklefire was still stuck to the past -- for some reason. The tom curled his gray tail against his paws and twitched his whiskers at once, eyes dark. At her words, Roughthroat became slightly more direct and chatty. "Odd? No, never. I hope you don't regret the way you feel, or try to repress it because you think that what you feel is improper. Never regret your feelings, such can only lead to more pain. While it is a tragedy that Shadowpaw has passed, those kits were your own and did not even get a chance to live a life. Something you spent such a long time caring for inside of you, something you loved and hoped you'd see grow before your very eyes into a member of society ... well, to see all of your hopes and dreams crushed in a matter of moments must have taken a toll on you. While it was Shadowpaw's time, your kits didn't even get to have any time whatsoever," Roughthroat meowed long-windedly and at the end of his words, the tom shuffled and realized that he had probably overstepped his boundary with the she-cat he barely knew.

"I am sorry," Roughthroat meowed in a cut off tone and stood up, taking steps backwards.

Do you, don't you want me to love you?

[Hellion]

After she speech and bringing all her emotions to the front of the table she paused, half expecting him to be angry for her to show emotion. His voice rose up to her ears and stifling a flinch and her eyes opened wider as more emotions flooded her. His words did something to her, it warmed her heart and seemed to mend it a little.

She was forgiven, everything she had ever felt for the guilt of her kit's death was forgiven. He had given her something, the ability to accept what had happened. Gracklefire took in a deep breath and her eyes rose up to meet his, her fiery amber eyes seemed to shine a little brighter.

Mudstep had never accepted her kit's death, it was all her fault for heading out for the border patrol, how would she know that would happen? Replying those words Roughthroat spoke over and over in her head, she slowly felt warmer.

Vowing silently to treat him kinder for him showing her kindness. Gracklefire did something she hadn't done in a long time, she purred. It felt strange to her to hear herself so content and free so to speak from the burden of feeling she had to be the strongest she-cat alive. It wasn't her fault she mourned her darlings kits, it was partly everyone else's fault for the bitterness she felt with them forcing her to move on.

It wouldn't be right away, but it was a start, Roughthroat was her start. The purred had stalled as he apologized for what she assumed was his forwardness.

A faint smile warmed the corners of her mouth as she rose up to her paws and looked at him, a warm she hadn't shown any tom in her entire life filled her eyes. It was a new emotion she wasn't sure about and currently unable to place it for she wouldn't admit to herself on allowing him to be someone close to her, not yet. Not after her hard time growing up and the treatment by Mudstep, Gracklefire wasn't ready to allow him so close into her heart, but her nest she would.

Taking a brave step she touched her nose to his cheek and purred loudly, her tongue licking his cheek in an affectionate gesture. "I'm returning to camp now, I'll carry the prey home. Why don't you share my nest tonight? It's awfully cold at night." She purred softly before turning to gather up her kill and his kill before taking the lead back to camp.

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