[Insidious]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 402px; background-color: #121212; border-radius: 30 30 30 30px;] [STYLE=width: 360px; margin: 20 21 0 21px; height: 140px; border-radius: 30 30 0 0px; background-color: #303030; border-left: 2px solid #330000;][STYLE=width: 100px; height: 100px; border-radius: 30 0 0 0px; border: 10px solid #000000; margin: 10 10 10 10px; background-image: url(http://i45.tinypic.com/4t7fdj.jpg); float: left;] [/style] [STYLE= width: 215px; float: right; margin: 35px 5px 10px 0px; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 24px; line-height: 90%; text-align: justify; color: #8B8989; text-shadow: #330000 -3px -4px 2px;] Darkpaw; Nightclan Apprentice of Nine Moons.[/style][/style][STYLE= width: 344px; margin: 15px 21 0 21px; background-color: #303030; padding: 7 7 6 9px; border-left: 2px solid #330000; font-family: Verdana; color: #8B8989; font-size: 11px; text-align: justify;]In Camp // For a moment, it seemed as if Darkpaw's attempt at lightening a horribly depressed mood had taken a lucky swing in the correct direction. When that small smile tugged Frogpaw's mouth into a grin, followed by the gentle sway of her marble furred tail and the word “Thanks.” being spoken, Darkpaw took it as his cue to, at last, sit up from his silly position. The young, obsidian furred tom lightly shook out his fur. “I'll be okay, it'll just...it'll take a while. Boneshadow was-- “ Darkpaw glanced upward when the pretty she-cat cut herself off, worry glazing the usual twinkle of charm. "I never got to tell him how much I looked up to h-him. I always ga-gave him a hard time, and I never said thank you, for being my mentor." Darkpaw nodded slowly, not wanting to interrupt with his own thoughts until Frogpaw was able to truly get everything off her chest. Although he couldn't be entirely empathetic toward what Frogpaw was going through, he had an idea as to how heart-breaking it probably was, but nothing more. Briefly, his mind wandered to a time when a young, innocent Dark-kit's parents never returned from their trip to the Mountains. Although he never directly asked what happened, now that he was older and had heard about the malicious Demon, it seemed quite clear. The black furred tom swallowed, returning his gentle gaze to Frogpaw. Now was not the time to sulk over a past long gong, not when Frogpaw was in need of his help. “You may have never been able to tell him. But, that doesn't mean he didn't already know your level of appreciation.” The young tom sat in silence after that, the corner of his silver eyes keen on remaining on Frogpaw's face. He didn't expect to earn himself another one of her smiles, not until she had had the proper amount of time to grieve. It was only when she stood, requesting to leave camp, that Darkpaw's muscles even flinched. “Of course.” Pivoting, the tom flanked himself at Frogpaw's flank. His thinly furred tail of ebony hue lightly swished against the she-cat's side, one ear swiveling toward her, the other forward as he began motioning the both of them into the surrounding forest. Starclan's Claws // Since Frogpaw had allowed Darkpaw to decide on a location, he had chosen Starclan's Claws. Not only was it a tranquil place of peaceful meeting between the clans: but it was a place to think when the moon wasn't at its fullest. He thought Frogpaw could use both the quiet, and the time to think without interruption – much like he had in camp. Darkpaw's light gray eyes traveled up the rock where Ravenstar was known to stand at the gatherings. With a new sense of desire, the young tom began to scramble his way up the side of it. On occasion, his smaller-sized paws failed to withstand grip. Though despite the difficulty it proved for a small cat to work their way up a high distance, he managed suitably in the end. Reaching the rock's peak, Darkpaw settled himself at the edge, his gaze at last meeting Frogpaw's own. The view was intriguing, for him anyway. Perhaps, it'd allow Frogpaw's mind to slip away from the current catastrophe in Nightclan camp. “Care to join me?” He offered, black tinted head tilting sideway. His right paw lightly tapped the rock's surface at his open side, silvery stare intent on his marble-furred friend. [/style] [STYLE=width: 350px; margin: 15 21 20 21px; background-color: #303030; color: #8B8989; border-radius: 0 0 30 30px; padding: 5 4 10 6px; border-left: 2px solid #330000; text-align: center; height: 25px; overflow: auto;]† Tags † Words † Thoughts † [/style]

Shade † of BTN

[Fawn]

“Care to join me?”

Frogpaw had been silently following Darkpaw's progress all the way up the base of the rock to sit in the same spot as Ravenstar, her glassy amber eyes losing some of that distant, faraway look as Darkpaw's voice finally reached her ears. Wearing a wane smile, Frogpaw nodded and lurched forward, unconsciously living up to her prefix through her accurate, short hops that carried her up the rock-face. The fresh air was doing the she-cat a service, marbled feline coming to stand beside Darkpaw, gazing out across the forest and feeling some of the gloom lift away, the proverbial cloud cover of grief momentarily thinning.

"Thanks for taking me here, Darkpaw." She mewed, tearing her gaze away from the tree-mottled landscape just beyond to look at him. Meeting his silver eyes set in a face as dark as ink, Frogpaw leaned over and pressed her muzzle into his shoulder, a gesture of friendly affection and the sincerest of gratitude. StarClan's Claws had been a good choice; it was where, quite possibly, Boneshadow's role as deputy seemed to shine the most.

He had stood up here, exactly where his niece was now, looking out over the gathered Clans with that benevolent calmness he forever projected, personality complimentary to their small but mighty Ravenstar. Drinking in Darkpaw's comforting scent, Frogpaw slowly pulled back, haunches folding so that she sat beside him, dark-tipped tail curling gently around her front paws.

Standing up here... Frogpaw couldn't really explain it, but she felt...connected to Boneshadow somehow. She didn't think his spirit resided in camp any longer. He was up above them, particularly above them here, content with overseeing the gatherings, a silent watcher over the events surrounding NightClan.
"I feel so...so awful," Confessed the pretty she-cat, eyes still skyward. "but I'm starting to realize that I'm not respecting his memory by always sulking and being upset. I should be grateful for sacrifices he's made, and carry on his legacy, because no one else will."

[/color] It was true, Boneshadow had not had any offspring, and as his final apprentice, Frogpaw felt a particularly iron sense of duty, sense of honor to live up to her uncle's noble name and help bring attention to a legacy that did not deserve to be extinguished.

Sharing a faint smile, a glimmer of the old Frogpaw suddenly entered her honey-hued gaze.
"Hey, maybe I should start thinking about becoming a future deputy?"

---

Word Count: 453
Notes: Froggie's starting to cheer up. ^^
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[Insidious]

“Thanks for taking me, Darkpaw.” Light gray eyes averted to the side, skimming the facial features of the pretty marbled she-cat before resting within her honey hued gaze. He offered Frogpaw a smile, less weak in comparison to her own, a singular moment before she pushed her muzzle into the base of his shoulder nearest to her position at his side. His eyes briefly widened in surprise, though, it was thankfully able to breeze by unnoticed while the she-cat was temporarily distracted.
The black furred apprentice allowed his eyelids to flutter shut, as if he was finally taking recognition of the moment and wishing to savor it while it lasted. However, as quickly as she had performed the action, it had ended.

"I feel so...so awful," Confessed the pretty she-cat, eyes still skyward. "but I'm starting to realize that I'm not respecting his memory by always sulking and being upset. I should be grateful for sacrifices he's made, and carry on his legacy, because no one else will."

Progress was at least being made. Frogpaw was beginning to register that she couldn't remain upset, even though she did clearly state that she still felt an enormous amount of grief. Darkpaw glanced toward the she-cat from the corner of his eye, allowing his thinly furred tail to lightly swish near her flank. “Nobody would be able to carry on his legacy quite like you could. You knew him better than most.” His tone indicated a tough of reassurance, tilting his chin upward to follow Frogpaw's skyward gaze.

He had never been given the chance to know anything of Boneshadow passed his title as deputy of NightClan. He had always brushed off as a cat worthy of respect. And for a moment, Darkpaw found himself wondering how he and the deputy would have gotten along.
Perhaps, he had simply taken that particular relationship for granted. It was crazy: how fast a feline could be taken away from those they meant most to.
Darkpaw wasn't able to say he understood Frogpaw's heart-ache toward losing Boneshadow. She seemed completely shattered by it; on a level that he couldn't even compare to the fading memories of his parents. The tom-cat supposed, it felt a lot like how he knew he would feel if ever having to face the loss of Frogpaw. Darkpaw cleared his throat with an uncomfortable cough, the very thought of it sending a ruthless shiver down his spinal chord. He could have lost her, the day that rogue with an unusual blood lust had nearly killed her. But, Darkpaw had stepped in the way. And, he'd do it again at any moment to assure he never had to face that kind of loss.
One he knew he wouldn't be able to handle.

"Hey, maybe I should start thinking about becoming a future deputy?" Darkpaw's silver eyes fixated upon the she-cat beside him, examining the familiar glisten of, well, Frogpaw in her brightening gaze.
He liked that idea. Being able to look at the cat he considered his closest friend, (even though he was anticipating that it one day go farther) and be able to refer to her as not only a friend, but a deputy. Darkpaw saw no reason to think she wouldn't be suitable for the position. And, not to mention, it'd be the perfect way to carry on the legacy of Boneshadow: by having his niece take over the position he once held for himself.
“There's an idea,” Darkpaw started with, fixating his charming gaze upon the marbled she-cat. “an idea that I love. I could get used to calling you deputy.” Prodding his spotted companion with a light nudge of his paw, the tom-cat cracked a half-grin.

[Fawn]

“There's an idea,”[...]“an idea that I love. I could get used to calling you deputy.”

The marbled feline broke into a smile, one of genuine happiness that only a very good friend could bring out when she was feeling so low, her tawny shoulder brushing against his as a soft chuckling purr rose up from Frogpaw's throat. "Oh really? You always were good at flattery, my silver-tongued friend." She could tell he'd been sincere in his words, but Frogpaw was starting to return to her cheeky nature, trying to rise out of that dark pit of despair she'd been utterly shackled to lately.

Relaxing her posture with a soft sigh, the marbled feline let her gaze wander past those charming silver eyes and handsome dark pelt, quite conscious of Darkpaw's rather eye-catching physique and overall devilishly attractive personality, though because she had known him her entire life, she was somewhat numb to his usual tricks and flirting. It wouldn't have led to anything even if she WAS attracted to him - Darkpaw's treatment of her was the same as it was with any other she-cat apprentice, so what difference would it make? She'd just get be digging herself into a hole that would be hard to climb out of.

Perhaps out of consciousness of how easily a tom like Darkpaw could cause her so much pain if she broke their friendship in favor of something more, Frogpaw was content with viewing him as her ally, not a potential love interest. Besides, now that she was earnestly contemplating being deputy... The window for romance was getting smaller by the second.
Unless I have kits BEFORE I become deputy. That was it. Live as much as she could, experience as much as possible before - if she survived that long, for who knew what fate had in store for her - she answered a higher calling, should the opportunity ever present itself. Front limbs sliding down, she tucked her paws beneath her body, thin-furred tail softly swept against her side, a question rising from her honey-colored jaw;
"What do you suppose our warrior names will be?"

Though she was a moon older than Darkpaw, there was a very good chance that they would be standing side by side, and sitting vigil side by side should Ravenstar deem them worthy of stepping into the world of warriorhood.

---

Word Count: 427
Note: -cringe- Gah! Rambled. ^^; forgive me.

[Insidious]

"Oh really? You always were good at flattery, my silver-tongued friend."
Darkpaw smirked, a soft chuckle executed from his jaws. “One of my many talents.” Blinking thoughtful eyes toward the marbled feline at his side, his thinly furred tail of ebony pigmentation lightly swished across Frogpaw's lower back in the same moment her gaze traveled passed him.

The almost-warrior examined the expression in her bright, honey eyes, a curiousity flickering through his own toward what thoughts could possibly be floating in that pretty little head of hers. He would, quite honestly, do nearly anything to find out. Even if it had absolutely no involvement with him whatsoever, it was always that chance that kept the black furred tom-cat ever curious.
On occasion – especially at times such as this where they sat side by side – Darkpaw could easily find himself slipping away from the present conversation, a wonder in his mind toward exactly how Frogpaw truly felt about his flirtatious personality toward her, and of course, the others of NightClan. Surely, she was unable to single out his affection simply because of that factor. Perhaps, it was time to give up those qualities of his and use them for Frogpaw only? In time, making it increasingly obvious.
Then again, maybe not.
Was it even a risk worth taking? He valued the time spent with Frogpaw more than anything. Should he ever decide to voice aloud his inner affections toward her, it could very well end up not working out and putting a damper on their bond.

“What do you suppose our warrior names will be?” The familiar voice of the pretty she-cat at his flank snagged his attention away from those snowballing thoughts. His silver eyes briefly confining into narrowed slits, accustoming to an outer trait of concentration and attentive consideration. “For myself, I'm hoping it'll be something along the lines of... Darkclaw, Darkshadow. You know, a nice ring to it.” He shuffled in his position, a growing excitement coursing through his lithe frame.
“And for you,” Glancing toward Frogpaw, he took a moment to trace his gaze across the basics of her figure, as if this quick search would help him reach a conclusion about her own warrior name. “I would assume something thrilling; exciting. After all, it has to show that there is far more to you than just that pretty face.” Lightly, he pushed his front paw against the she-cat's cheek, flashing his usual, charming grin.

He had one too many lines.

[Fawn]

“I would assume something thrilling; exciting. After all, it has to show that there is far more to you than just that pretty face.”

This drew a laugh from the pretty she-cat, her eyes momentarily losing that sad backglow in favor of genuine amusement, her expression growing sly as she gave his shoulder another nudge, making as though to bite his paw.
"ooh you're incorrigible! As for you, I like the idea of calling you Darkheart." She purred, tail gently batting and swatting the air as a sign of her growing anticipation. "I don't care if it seems cheesy, I think it sounds mysterious - dark because of your fur color but heart because you are definitely a lover, not a fighter, my wandering-eyed friend."

That wasn't entirely true, of course, considering how graceful Darkpaw was in combat, but it was equally true in terms of his wandering eyes. She didn't have a problem with it quite yet, it was more of an observation of his character. That was the purpose of a warrior's name, wasn't it? It both distinguished them physically and revealed the kind of cat they were? Look at Ratfur for example; a rat brings to mind a scrawny creature that skulks in the dark, which wasn't too far at all from what Ratfur was actually like. And anyone who hears that name will immediately know he's a brown rat. Then there was a name like Blackwolf; it projected the image of a strong, jet-black tom with excellent hunting and fighting instincts.

But what does Frogpaw say about something?
Face scrunching, she wore a slightly worried expression, the self-conscious feelings she had over her name rising to the surface. "How can you make a name like Frog sound exciting? Frogblaze? Err...Frogchaser?" Her nose wrinkled at the last one, and she almost laughed to hide the hopelessness of making a name like hers sound epic and exciting, as he'd put it.

[Insidious]

Darkpaw voiced aloud an eruption of laughter of his own when Frogpaw aimed another nudge at his shoulder, light gray eyes fixating into her own honey colour eyes, the recognition of the dimming sadness in her expression bringing a genuine smirk to his mouth.

Darkheart. Momentarily, the black furred almost-warrior found himself contemplating his thoughts on the name. It had a nice ring to it, and from the way Frogpaw explained the prefix and suffix, it seemed suitable. All in all, being a name that could be perfect for Darkpaw. He nodded his head approvingly at Frogpaw's choice in warrior name for him, though after a few shorts seconds of more in depth consideration, a playful frown spilled across his jet black facial features. “When the name is taken in two separate parts, I think it sounds perfect for me.” Darkpaw grinned, returning the nudge Frogpaw had earlier given him back to her own shoulder. “But if a cat decided to take it as one full name: I sound like an unsympathetic jerk.”
Either way, though. The name sounded pretty... cool. Although Darkpaw didn't tend to favour the unprofessional word, it seemed suitable in this particular case.

"How can you make a name like Frog sound exciting? Frogblaze? Err...Frogchaser?"

Darkpaw flashed the marbled she-cat an amused grin, “Hey now, I think both of those would be lovely candidates.” Although he was being a little sarcastic, he didn't allow the trait to show in the off-chance Frogpaw ended up actually receiving one of the two names and, in the end, being offended by Darkpaw not being entirely fond of them. “Rest assured, I'm positive that Ravenstar will find one that's perfect for you.”

Briefly allowing his charming silver gaze to remain on his marbled companion, he eventually withdrew his gaze and averted it skyward. “To think we'll be warriors soon. It doesn't seem like it was all that long ago that we were little nursery dwellers.” Darkpaw smirked at the thought, a mixture of a snort and a laugh being what displayed his mixed feelings of awe and disbelief. Suddenly, a wondrous thought came to mind, gray eyes fixating on the pretty she-cat at his side. “It won't be too long before Ravenstar might even see us fit for our own apprentices.”

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[Fawn]

FROGPAW !_{of NightClan~}

“But if a cat decided to take it as one full name: I sound like an unsympathetic jerk.”

Frogpaw chortled.
"Well anyone who doesn't bother to get to know you because they think you're an unsympathetic jerk probably wouldn't make for very good company in the first place." She retorted coolly, and in response to him thinking both of her suggested names for herself were good candidates, the pretty feline gave a small shake of her tawny and dark-striped head, amber eyes flickering.
"Anything but Frogchaser. Not very dignified - I don't want cats thinking I spend all day wallowing in the mud looking for frogs." Yeesh, that'd be a nightmare. Though Frogpaw had always prided herself on being a bit rebellious, with a certain aloofness backed up by an acrimonious tongue when her blood was up, she was still a bit...susceptible to the opinions of the public. Being Boneshadow's niece, it was crucial that she get a name that not just her, but her whole family could be proud of.

At mention of becoming someone's mentor someday, Frogpaw shivered, eyes full of sudden alacrity and a healthy dose of apprehension. "Apprentices of our own! I don't think I'm ready for that quite yet. I know it's crucial for a deputy to have an apprentice, but I don't think i want to grow up quite that fast." She studied her sleek silver-eyed friend, seemingly trying to take a look inside Darkpaw's mind, wondering how he felt upon the subject as well as trying to picture him as someone's mentor.

She was being truthful, however. In light of her uncle and mentor's death, Frogpaw had felt an itch beneath her fur, an uncomfortable shuffling of her paws that she would have to grow up a lot faster than she had intended, as though there was a place to fill, and only she could fill it.

Sometimes Frogpaw still wished she could wake up in the apprentices' den and have her only concern being how to get out of participating in Boneshadow's morning meditations.