[Aqua]

43 moons | Tom | Lightningclan

On the outskirts of Lightningclan's camp, a black figure made it's way towards the Crystal Creek. The sun was slowly sinking towards the horizon but the heat was still hard to cope with. The fact that the tom was all black made it even worse on him. The sun did not show him mercy during this time of year, much to his disappointment. So he had to find other ways to cool himself down so he didn't go into a heat stroke. One of his favorite ways to cool off was simply laying in the Crystal Creek. The water was shallow but was just enough to help his body temperature drop. And that was his plan for this evening; to simply wade in the water and relax.

Green eyes focused on the clear waters as he slowly stepped into the creek bed. Panthercall, unlike the cats of Rainclan, was not the biggest fan of water. However, when the heat was getting to him, he had no choice but to grin and bear it. So for the moment, he would tolerate the wet feel of his fur against his skin. He slowly wades towards the middle of the water before literally laying in it. The waters reached a little way up his sides but not enough to soak all of his fur. It was just enough to help give him some relief.

The tom lets out a soft sigh as he tries to relax. The water felt so nice but even then the tom found it hard to chill out. His thoughts were constantly racing these days and it made it hard to do much of anything. Heck, he was lucky if he got an hour or two of sleep at night. It made it hard to function on some days though he would never show this to his clanmates. He didn't want to appear weak to anyone so he more or less kept it to himself. But despite his issues, he would still attempt to calm down today. The sound of the water and nothing else was very nice to him so maybe he could pull it off...

Made by Aqua || Tagged: OPEN || Words: 358

[Abyss]

BATEAR

I don't know where I'll be tomorrow

Lightningclan Warrioress

Greenleaf, to some, was considered the greatest of the four seasons. Plenty of prey, warm weather, water to cool off, and the freedom from the dens when one wanted space. As much of a joy it could be to most, this season was an inescapable evil to those born with darker pelts. Even more so for those cats with dark fur covering every inch of them. Heat was a danger to these felines, but there were some who found their own ways to cope with it. Some swam. Some stayed in the shade or confined within the dens. There were even some that chose to embrace the heat, in their own way.

“Well done, Thistlepaw. You’re getting much faster. You can head back to camp for the day and get some food.” Out of breath and breathing heavily, two cats stood not too far from the large hill that Lightningclan made its camp. Batear stood still for a moment, watching as Thistlepaw took up the dismissal and made her way towards camp. The slender black she-cat’s head dropped slightly, allowing herself to take a breather. She had spent most of the day out hunting with her Apprentice, having already taken their catches back to camp earlier. But she knew they still had time left before the sun would fall behind the mountains, so she challenged young Thistle to a race. Batear had won, but Thistlepaw had not been too far behind. She was getting much better after having lots of races against other Apprentices, mainly Windpaw, so she was finding her natural speed much quicker.

When she turned, she found the sun just beginning to touch the mountains. But rather than go straight back to camp, she veered to the left and found herself walking to the Crystal Creek. It was only now that she wasn’t distracted with training that she realized how warm her skin was and how hot her fur had gotten over the time she had been out. The creek wasn’t too far from camp, so taking a quick swim to cool herself down would be good before she went back to rest.

As she emerged from the tall grasses and out next to the creek, the gentle sound filled her large ears and sent a calm feeling through her. With no hesitation, she walked into the creek, purposefully moving her paws through the water more so than she usually would. She bent her legs and allowed the water to go nearly to her shoulders, that hot feeling that went across her fur and skin quickly fading away. Her bright green eyes closed and a small smile formed over her face as the temptation to just lay in the water and stay there grew. As much as she did want to do this, a sound caught her attention.

Upon opening her eyes, she realized that not too far up the stream from her was another dark figure. She couldn’t quite tell who it was at first just from looks alone, but judging by the scent, it was Panthercall, another victim to Greenleaf’s heat. He must have been there for the same reason as her, seeing as both of them had coats as dark as the night.

“Panthercall, ” she called out, not so much of a summon and more so a simple greeting. She hadn’t really spoken to him much. When she thought about it, she hardly ever saw him at all except on a few random occasions. She couldn’t remember ever going on a patrol with him, but there was that chance he wasn’t much into socializing.

The wheel in the sky keeps on turning

600 | Aqua | Notes

[Aqua]

43 moons | Tom | Lightningclan

Ears perked atop the tom's head as a sudden rustling sounded in the grass along the bank further down the stream from him. At first he was tempted to check for company but he instead relaxed again. The tom shrugged it off, chalking it up as a gentle breeze moving the grass versus a clanmate. He assumed most cats were settling down inside of camp at this point in the day. His clanmates seemed to gravitate to the camp when the darkness of night approached, like they were almost afraid of the dark. The tom chuckled to himself at this thought, not even doubting it for a second. Nighttime was quite mysterious and could play tricks on the mind if you weren't aware of your surroundings. So he could see where it might be frightening. But he personally enjoyed it. He blended in so much better in the shadows at night. The temptation to hunt at night struck him on the daily but he didn't act on it often. Choosing to seem less conspicuous to his fellow warriors.

The sudden sound of a feminine voice over the rippling waters made the tom freeze. He blinked and turned his head towards the voice. Another all black feline was down stream from him, in the deeper part of the creek. He sat up, eyeballing the she-cat while he tried to identify who it was. Judging by the large ears on top of her head, the she-cat was a fellow warrior, Batear. He hadn't spoken much with the she-cat, in fact, he couldn't recall ever interacting with her before. They more or less passed one another without much acknowledgement there. It wasn't so much that they had a dislike for one another but more along the lines of a "hey you're my clanmate, that's nice" kind of carelessness. So to hear her essentially greet him, was almost a shock.

"Batear." He meowed back, turning his body to where he could see her better without actually standing up. She, like himself, was tortured by the rays of the sun no doubt. So he knew she was probably here to cool herself off. This marked something they shared in common. Maybe the two would be similar in more ways, only one way to figure that out. "I imagine the sun is no comrade to you either. It's almost torture for me when it gets this hot." He was trying to strike up some sort of conversation, even though it was a lame topic to start off with.

Made by Aqua || Tagged: Abyss || Words: 422

[Abyss]

BATEAR

I don't know where I'll be tomorrow

Lightningclan Warrioress

If she were honest, she half expected him not to answer. How to explain these assumptions was difficult. Batear wasn’t one to immediately judge someone based off of first impressions, but there were some cats that you could look at and just sort of see what sort of cat they were based on their body language. Considering this was one of the first times she had ever actually stopped to take the tom in completely, she couldn’t have made these thoughts just by the way he was sitting. Perhaps it was more so the circumstances of her meeting him here. Most of Lightningclan was in camp or heading that way at this time, most getting ready to settle in for the night while few others prepared for a night of guard-duty.

Despite this, here Panthercall was, sitting in the middle of Crystal Creek, doing nothing other than staring off into the grasses. Or at least that is what it looked like from her point of view. Of course, the first thought that came to her was that he was cooling off after a long day of hot weather, just as she was. But who knew? Maybe he really was here for no reason in particular. Seeking some alone time away from the rest of the clan, perhaps?

At his return greeting, she stood and turned, walking towards the black tom. At her full height the water didn’t quite come up to her stomach, but she was still walking through water against its weak current, so her pace was slightly slowed. Nonetheless, as the tall and lithe she-cat got about a rabbit-hop away from him, she sat once more in the water, slowly bending her legs and lowering herself back into the cool water as she had before, submerging her stomach and chest just as the tom spoke again.

“Not really, but I find ways to cope with it. Occasional winds and air blowing against me when I go for a run help to cool off a little bit.” Even though she did attempt to make it seem like she handled the heat well, she did let out a sigh and continued. “I end up feeling like a flat boulder that's been exposed to the sun the whole day once those things go away, though.” Having a coat as dark as the night sky had its advantages and its disadvantages. It could be easier to hunt and blend in with the darkness at night, but during a hot and sunny day it practically made one feel like a ball of fire.

A tiny smirk formed at the edge of her jaw as she slightly lifted her gaze to look at him once more. “I’m guessing you’ve been coming here to sit and daze since the beginning of Greenleaf?”

The wheel in the sky keeps on turning

467 | Aqua | Notes

[Aqua]

43 moons | Tom | Lightningclan

Panthercall eyed the she-cat as she moved towards him. That's when he could really see how tall and lanky this she-cat really was. Great Starclan did she have some long legs! It's a wonder why he didn't spot her around camp more often. She was probably taller than most cats in the clan and her overall look was unmistakable. He thought about it for a moment but couldn't come up with any explanation on why other than maybe other things keeping his attention. If that was even possible with the way his mind worked.

He watched quietly as she waded closer, the water not even touching her belly where he sat in the creek. She must have a great advantage being that tall. He could imagine that spotting prey or even enemies would be easy for her albeit her coat color would make her stand out against the rolling hills of their territory. Hmm. She would actually be a good cat to have on your side in any sort of confrontation or hunt. So maybe he could make a friend of the mysterious she-cat.

"Ahh. I had never thought of going for runs to get some air. Although, I'm not really built for long runs either, at least not like you are with your long legs. I'm sure you could win a race against any cat with those." He commented, not trying to be rude about it. He was more or less paying a sort of compliment to the she-cat and trying to boost her ego some. "I've never heard of it put that way. 'Feeling like a flat boulder in the sun.' I like that. Its very accurate for those with coats like our own."

“I’m guessing you’ve been coming here to sit and daze since the beginning of Greenleaf?”

The question made him blink before he let out a small chuckle. "Well you have your running and I have these shallow waters. The only other way I've found to hide from the sun is to wander the tunnels. It's usually fairly cool down in there. It's better than hiding out in the warrior's den all Greenleaf." He said making a disgusted look at that thought. Being cooped up was not his definition of fun by any means. Especially when you're stuck with cats you either don't know well or that aren't fond of you. Now if he actually spoke to more of his fellow warriors it might not be so bad. But for now, the den was the last place he wanted to hang around.

"Just listening to the rippling of the water here and enjoying the peace is nice though. It helps me to gather my thoughts....well some of my thoughts anyway. All while helping me keep cool. Two birds with one pounce, so-to-speak."

Made by Aqua || Tagged: Abyss || Words: 467

[Abyss]

BATEAR

I don't know where I'll be tomorrow

Lightningclan Warrioress

Batear found herself slightly caught off-guard by Panthercall’s comment about her legs. It wasn’t a secret to anyone in the clan that she was tall, but no one ever really said anything about it. Not that she expected anyone to. She wouldn’t walk up to Panthercall and tell him that he blends in with shadows because his fur is black. He already knows that, and so does everyone else. But he used his observation of her to form a compliment, which was honestly a surprise. She also hadn’t expected him to flatter her during this encounter. It was an appreciated sentiment, though.

“Having long legs doesn’t make someone much faster in a clan full of cats who are natural-born runners, ” she stated simply, flicking her tail above the water.

Now hearing what he said about the creek was the most surprising part of their conversation up until this point. She didn’t take Panthercall as the sort of cat to just sit in water for no reason other than enjoyment. Spending time to himself within the caves was understandable, but he was the last cat she thought would enjoy water. She herself enjoyed water occasionally, but she wasn’t like a Rainclan cat, who could likely stay in water for days on end.

“I hadn’t considered the caves. I don’t find myself there that often. Perhaps I can only handle a den-like area for so long before I need my freedom, ” she chuckled, bright green gaze turning to him with a slightly questioning look. “Is there no one that you enjoy interacting with in the Warriors den?” His facial expression did answer that question, but prompting more of an answer seemed to be the best course of action to keep the topic going.

The wheel in the sky keeps on turning

291 | Aqua | Notes

[Aqua]

43 moons | Tom | Lightningclan

Panthercall snorted as the she-cat nonchalantly passed off his compliment like it was meaningless. "No. It just gives you the advantage of being able to bound further than the average cat. Giving you an extra boost." He stated right back at her. Whether she knew it or not, she had an advantage over the clan. But perhaps she just didn't realize her true abilities just yet. What a disappointment. He thought for sure she had developed her legs to work in her advantage. Oh well. He didn't have the legs to show her and quite frankly she came across as the sort that would be offended even if he tried.

That's when the she-cat turned the topic away from her and to the tunnels. "I mean it's similar to our own dens but they stretch a good distance and there's not often company down in there." He meowed. "We spend enough time in the warrior's den so any change of scenery is nice." His tail twitched a bit at this. Being a home body was not in his nature. In fact, his father had forced him to be away from camp for long periods of time. Well not so much forced but it sure felt that way when his dad would start his nagging.

"You mean like friends? No. I'm not a popular cat in our clan, to put it lightly." He meowed with very little emotion in his words. After the situation with his father and them not having a good relationship up until the end, he didn't make many friends. Many cats considered him a jerk and chose to stay away from him. Which didn't bother the tom. They didn't know his past with his father. They didn't understand. "I dug myself into a hole when my father died. It is what it is."

Made by Aqua || Tagged: Abyss || Words: #306

[Abyss]

It was hard to deny that Batear’s curiosity was piqued. Despite her having, in a way, pushed aside his observation that had served as a compliment, he came back with another statement. She did momentarily feel bad that she had set aside his comment, for she hadn’t expected it. But she did appreciate that he pushed it at her again, causing a tiny smile to curve at the edges of her jaws.

Her ears flicked as the black tom began to talk about the tunnels. She knew what they were like and did see how they could assist someone in terms of escaping the heat of the sun. She just didn’t have much of a desire to go there, or never really had a reason to go. Perhaps she could go there soon and just spend some time in the darkness of a cave that wasn’t the Warrior’s den. Accidentally, the thought of possibly asking Panthercall to take her there and spend time together crossed her mind. Her eyes blinked quickly at this, but she forced those thoughts down. Pay attention while he talked, else she would seem rude.

Listening to his reasoning behind having no one to talk to, or no one that enjoyed talking to him, she found her head instinctively tilting to the side, one of her ears slightly falling to the side.

“Your father was….Darkclaw? No...Darkfoot. I think I remember him. Saw him around camp a few times.” Her gaze turned away from her fellow black Warrior, glancing towards the fields surrounding them. “I don’t see why anyone would start avoiding you because of your father passing. You seem like a decent cat to me.” Her tail flicked behind her, lightly tapping the tom on the shoulder with it before it submerged into the water beneath it, slithering back to her side.

308
Aqua

[Aqua]

43 moons | Tom | Lightningclan

Green eyes watched the she-cat as she listened to his words about the tunnels. He personally enjoyed spending time in the dark tunnels. Not many cats enjoyed spending their time there so it left it open as a place to relax and think about things. Much like wading in the peaceful water they were sitting in did for him. That and there was a sense of comfort being in the darkness. It was easier to hide down there with his jet black pelt. It was a welcome change from standing out like a sore thumb on the green hills of their territory.

The tom snapped from his thoughts of the darkness for a moment when he noticed her head tilt while looking at him.
“Your father was….Darkclaw? No...Darkfoot."
Just the sound of his father's name made the fur on the back of Panthercall's neck raise. The tom had done everything in his power to cause as much misery to his son as he could. Panthercall didn't understand why nor did he really care to know. All he knew is that his father was obsessive and illogical, a thorn in his side for years.

"He was a fox-hearted tom who did nothing but make my life miserable." The tom muttered, looking down into the water at his paws. "He went out of his way to try and make me the "perfect" son." Panthercall could feel anger building up in his chest as he recalled his "old tom."

"I dug myself into a hole because I felt so much weight lift off my shoulders that day. And I felt the need to express that out loud. No one appreciated my words about how I was glad he was gone. But they didn't understand..."

Made by Aqua || Tagged: Abyss || Words: #291

[Abyss]

BATEAR

I don't know where I'll be tomorrow

Lightningclan Warrioress

The black she-cat felt tension begin to build as she brought forth his father’s name. She didn’t know Panthercall’s story. Until recently she hadn’t even really been aware of his existence, if she were honest. She had never encountered his father either. So she didn’t know what their relationship had been like. But judging on the expression on Panthercall’s face and the hatred in his voice as he spoke, it wasn’t good.

She listened to what he had to say about his father, an unreadable expression on her own face. As he spoke, she could tell that he had really hated his father. She found herself being unable to relate, since she had been very close with her own father. She didn’t really have anything against anyone in her family, so she couldn’t really think of anything to say right away. Luckily, he continued with his explanation of why their clanmates weren’t fond of him. And, if she continued with honesty, she didn’t blame them.

Death was something that no one should ever take lightly. It was something that affected all cats sooner or later, and it was hard to handle. When she lost her own father, she was completely heartbroken. But as he spoke, there was a thought that occurred to her. Something that might not necessarily help him, but it was another perspective.

“If he was that bad, then I can understand feeling relieved. But death isn’t something that anyone takes lightly. In most cases, losing a family member is heartbreaking, sometimes even for those that weren’t related to them. In the eyes of practically all cats, death is not something to be happy about.” Her bright green eyes looked down to her own paws that were blurred through the water.

“When I lost my father, I was heartbroken. I had been really close to him, and having him just up and disappear the way he did...it was really hard. But I tried not to show it. I stayed quiet about it, because no one else needed to know what I was feeling, except for my mother, of course. It was no one else’s business what I was feeling.” Her eyes turned back to him. “That was your main issue, as far as I can tell. You may have felt relieved, you may have even felt happy about it. But death is something to keep to yourself about. There was no reason to let others know what you were thinking. There was no reason to feel like you needed to be vocal. I don’t understand why you would even want to let others know how you felt.”

The tall and lean she-cat lightly shook her head. “You may not have liked your father, but there were probably others that did. No, it isn’t your responsibility to change what you think or say just because someone else didn’t like it. But when someone hears you bad-mouth someone from your own clan after they pass away, regardless of whether you were related to them or not, you are going to be looked down on. It being your own father only made it worse.”

The wheel in the sky keeps on turning

524 | Aqua | Notes

[Aqua]

43 moons | Tom | Lightningclan

Panthercall could just feel his entire body begin to shake at the thoughts of his father. Memories of his father's constant criticism and prodding upset him. He had dealt with that stress for long enough so recalling all of this just brought back those feelings. It made him uneasy to feel like someone was breathing down his neck all over again. But she wanted to know about it so he had felt the need to oblige. Not that he expected her to understand his issues anyway.

The tom could then feel the gaze of the she-cat bearing down on him as he finished with his words. While she seemed to understand from first glance, that look in her eyes said otherwise. It was like he was right back at that moment when most of the clan turned away from him like he was nothing but a nuisance all over again. And to be totally honest, he didn't much appreciate it deep down.

"In the eyes of practically all cats, death is not something to be happy about.”

Panthercall felt himself snort at this remark. When you are plagued by the feeling of never being good enough and never being able to live your life, you gain a different perspective on this sort of matter. While yes, death is perpetually a negative life event, that was the way of nature. There had to be death to keep the overall balance of nature where it was meant to be. So regardless of how she put it, that was life. And every cat is entitled to their opinion on whether another cat's death is something to feel sad about or not. So he felt that this lecture of hers was entirely superfluous.

"When you have a close relationship with your family, that is understandable. But it's a different matter when a relative is the reason you question whether you should be alive or not. It's different when they make you feel like you'll never be good enough and are a waste of space. To bully and nag at your own son like he should never have been born. It is unforgivable." The fur on the back of the tom's neck began to raise. This conversation was going south very quickly.

"When you're the victim of constant mental abuse you think differently. So maybe that's why none of you understand. You all had a better life than me. One where your families actually cared about you. One where you were shown love and kindness. I didn't get that luxury. So I'm sorry for being the way I am and thinking the way I do."

"So you and the clan can think whatever you want of me." The tom grumbled. "It is Starclan who will judge me when my time comes." With this the tom stood, clearly finished with this conversation. He then turned and climbed out of the water, shaking off what water he could before slowly padding away from her and seemingly away from camp.

"Maybe that time will come soon enough...." He mumbled, clearly still agitated as he walks away.

Made by Aqua || Tagged: #Abyss || Words: #518

Finished unless she plans to give chase. :/