[Deleted]

~~Duckquack~~


It was raining. Or sprinkling to be presise, and thus not many cats were out and about at the moment. The prey of the territories hiding in their holes, the only noise being the rain splattering against the slowly growing leaves of the trees overhead of the Starclan's Claws. Pawstep were quite as a small, blue-gray tom walked, or shall I say, waddled past the border of his clan's territory into the free reigned region where all the clan's cats were involved. Rainclan clung to his fur as his blue eyes wide as he looked around.


The young tom had never been to the Gatherings, neither as an apprentice nor a warrior, sinc the pigeon toed tom was unable to keep up with running cats. His tail swished behind him as he walked over to he stone on which the leaders stood, or where he assumed they stood. His mother told him stories, and if Jaysong found him so far from Rainclan, she'd find someway to kick him from the river loving clan. A small smile reached the young tom's maw as he though of being up on the rock, as a leader not as a dainty, breakable warrior that was unable to fighting or hunting without another cat watching his back.


Unable to leap to the top, he scrambled up the slick, wet stones to pull himself up on the top. Crouching down to catch his breath, he looked around before standing up and awkwardly waddling to the front to look down on the wide, open area of Starclan's claws. If only he could be leader. Duckstar! His smile returned to his maw as her glanced around with his bright blue eyes. Duckquack shook his head, his small body shaking off drops of water as he let that fun though fly around in the air.

[Deleted]

Drizzlepaw was nothing if not punctual, she left the camp well before the time when she was set to meet her newest (and in her opinion best) friend from Riverclan. Strolling through Lighteningclan territory sneakily, or as sneakily as a clumsy cat like herself could manage Drizzlepaw made he way towards the place where the usually gather. She was thankful the long cold moons were behind her as she walked slowly through the darkening night happy that it was comfortable enough a temperature for her to take her time and enjoy the scenery. Everything was coming into full bloom and the sites and scents of the forest lifted her spirit, a beautiful mingling of color and smell that could only be achieved early in Greenleaf. Soon it would be scorching hot and that would be another annoyance however at this moment everything was perfect. The walk seemed a daze and the she-cat was surprised when she stumbled upon starclans claws earlier than she had expected, she hid in the bushes laying in wait for the cat she was so desperate to meet. She decided hiding was the best choice for her as she wasn’t supposed to be here and she feared getting caught would land her an almost permanent sentence to the apprentices den.


The she-cat patiently waited, she couldn’t say it felt like forever because she had no negative feelings towards waiting. Drizzlepaw would wait forever to have her time with Duckquack, to her he was honestly a life saver. He would safe her life, this she knew, because he was just like her, more awkward than any cat could possibly imagine! She thought she was alone, and that nobody would ever understand what it was like to be her but Duckquack was that understanding cat. Lost in her thoughts she didn’t notice the tom her thoughts revolved around scaling the rocks the clan leaders delivered their gathering news from. When she saw the flicker of movement at the top her gaze was dragged up and she couldn’t help but let out a very audible giggle that echoed throughout the clearing.

[Deleted]

~~Duckquack~~

Ears flattened against his head as the blue-gray tomcat heard the giggles that wandered around the clearing, echoing loudly in his skull and the surrounding area. Opening his bright blue eyes, the young tom looked around to find where the squeals of laughter came from. For a moment, he thought they'd belong to his harsh and hateful sister, Jaysong. But they weren't mock laughter, they were amused laughter, like something a friend would do when another does something silly. Which, the young Rainclan warrior, was doing something silly at the moment.

Eyes brightening with realization, the young tom leaped down off the rock he had crawled upon. Which was probably a bad idea, his pigeon toed hindlgs buckled under him, jarring at awkward angles before he pulled himself to his paws after a moment of writhling in pain. Duckquack shook his head before looking around, after a moment, his small voice let out an audible sound of, "Drizzlepaw?" He asked, smelling her soft scent.

She was a wonder to him, something that he could never let go of now that he knew she was out there. She was like him, she had issues like he did and he couldn't believe that he had found her. She was the only cat who could make him purr and sigh with happiness. How often did one unfortunate cat meet another unfortunate cat with the same misfortune. His bright eyes searched for her as his odd hindlegs wobbled him forwards like a duck.

[Deleted]

The awkward she-cat couldn’t help but dip her head slightly as Duckquack referred to her as Drizzlepaw, it was still embarrassing that she was so old and yet carried the moniker of an apprentice; it was even more embarrassing that she was being referred to as such by a younger cat from another clan that wasn’t in the same predicament. She did her best to brush it off as she departed from her resting place and hastily moved to meet him as he did the same towards her, upon closing the gap she couldn’t help but offer and affectionate nuzzle. The feelings of embarrassment ebbed away as she realized, as she had many times before, that he truly didn’t care that she was still an apprentice after so many moons. The ill feelings were replaced by ones of happiness and comfort, things she hadn’t known throughout her life, and in that moment there was nowhere else she would rather be. “I’m so glad we are meeting again, I was afraid after our clans finished their mutual goals we wouldn’t be able to see each other anymore.” After which she started to purr softly pressing up against his larger frame.

[Deleted]

~~Duckquack~~

A soft purr left the awkward tom's throat as he felt the smaller she-cat press against him. He tried to lock his hind legs so the woudn't buckle from the pressure of another cat leaning against him, as his tail waved happily behind him. The blue-gray tom pressed back against her, happy for her pressence and happy to be breathing in her scent as she stayed there next to him. His jaws opened to respond to her statement.

"I wouldn't let that stop me from seeing you." He purred, touching his nose to hers before jumped back and squating playfully, his hindlegs holding strange positions, but none-the-less, he was attempting to play with the beautiful she-cat infront of him. "You'll have to tell me when you earn your warrior name. I want to be able to say it." He said, big blue eyes bright and happy. He may have not known it yet, but he was certinly falling in love with Drizzlepaw as she stood there before him, looking perfect.

[Deleted]

Drizzlepaw couldn’t help but stand there and think about what he was saying to her, when she got her warrior name. The word when was what really stuck out to her, she had already received it once but was now back in the apprentice role she had fought so hard to leave behind. So she proposed a question to the tom with no bitterness at all, “What if I never get my warrior name? What if I am always just Drizzlepaw… will you still be here?” She asked looking down at her slightly larger than normal paws, the culprit for her awkward movement issues… among other things. “Can I be your favorite apprentice forever?” She shifted her gaze after the question to look into his eyes hoping to receive a look that quashed her fears that he might not have a favorable response for her. She was prepared for whatever she saw however, it wouldn’t be the first time she had been let down.

[Deleted]

Duckquack
The Ugly Duckling
I've been cursed
I've been crossed
I've been beaten by the ones that get me off
I've been cut
I've been opened up
I've been shattered by the ones I thought I loved

---

The tom tilted his head to the side, examining the smaller she-cat with large, flipper like paws. After a moment, the blue-gray pelted male pulled himself back up to where he was standing, though not without having some issues, darn his hind-legs. A flash of resentment built up in his eyes, it was because of his disfigurement that Jaysong hated him... That Birdpaw was dead, living with Starclan rather than with her sister and brother.

Letting the flash disappear from his orbs, they lightened up when gazing apon Drizzlepaw's eyes as a small purr erupted from his throat. She was worried he wouldn't accept her if she was forever an apprentice. "Drizzlepaw." He padded-waddled forwards to touch noses with the beautiful she-cat in front of him. "Just because your name has 'paw' doesn't mean anything to me. You'll always be important and special to me."

He let his cheek rub against hers, enjoying the feel of her fur brush his, as well as her soft, wind blown scent inhale through his nose. He could stay like this, just him and her, and he would be eternally happy. Drizzlepaw made him happy, made him relax. He was at ease with her, not having to look over his shoulder for mouse-brained Jaysong.

"Drizzlepaw or not, i'll always be here for you."

---

You left me here like a chalk outline
On the sidewalk waiting for the rain
To wash away
You keep coming back to the scene of the crime
But the dead can't speak and there's nothing left to say anyway
All you left behind
Is a chalk outline

[Deleted]

Drizzlepaw had already know the answer she would receive from her counterpart, maybe not word for word but she knew it would be a favorable promise of loyalty to her for all time despite her inabilities as a warrior. It didn’t stop the sentiment from warming her heart however, for the longest time she didn’t think there was anyone else for her. There may have been other cats capable of loving her and being her mate but she knew they would never understand her, she had given up on the understanding she so desperately wanted from another. However she seemed to be floating in a dream frightened that any moment she could wake up and none of it would be real. How could it be? She was a peculiar case and one that was obviously unrepeatable, yet how was there another just like her? It was unthinkable for either one of them to exist in all the history of the clans, yet somehow two of them existed at the same time. She couldn’t help but ask in a soft voice as she felt his affectionate nuzzling brushing against the soft fur on her cheek, “Are you real?”