back to black ! [private, for lyric]

[rhapsie]

» - - - - - - slatestripe of hillclan

She sat alone in the darkness, a solitary figure leaning against the entrance of the warrior den, peering out into the night.

Unfortunately for the warrior, tonight was one of the nights - and this happened once in a blue moon - where her sleep was plagued with nightmares. Nightmares of her dear brother, Ospreyfang, her imagination conjuring up the most grotesque things about the night of his death. Her cheeks were wet with tears, something that she wished would dry away before somebody happened upon her, as the last thing she wanted to admit was that she was crying over something that most of the clan were probably over by now. She narrowed her gaze and sniffed, exhaling deeply, her breath a cloud of steam billowing up into the sky due to the chill of the night. Counting the stars was something that she liked to do when restless or distressed in any way. It would seem rather childish of her, but all she wanted to do right now was go back into the den and curl up with her parents.

Who would expect a fully grown warrior to want to do that?

But no, pride told her to stay where she was. After all, what good would disrupting her parents do, she'd probably just annoy her father and her mother would go into a fit of mollycoddling and cooing over her like a newborn kit. Plus, it'd probably just wake up the surrounding warriors and annoy them too. And Slatestripe's days of being annoying were over, and being the resolute and independent she-cat she was, she decided to remain seated and try to calm herself, before returning to her nest and pick her way through her slumbering clanmates without treading on any paws or tails. The silver tabby's long, fluffy tail curled around her paws as she reluctantly backtracked on what had upset her to the extent where she was frightened to go back to sleep. Surely it was only kits and apprentices that had nightmares, and believing this made the feline feel more foolish. Get a grip, Slatestripe. You're a warrior now, for StarClan's sake, and you have been for moons! What would Ospreyfang and Russetclaw think if they saw you now, fighting back tears and cowering at the mouth of the den like some blubbering kit!

She had been the last to see her brother before his demise. That is, if you didn't count Brightflower. The medicine cat had done her very best for the black and white warrior, who's wound had become so infected that no amount of herbs could save him. He'd become feverish and almost delusional. The family had taken it in turns to sit by him, whilst the others went about with their duties. It just so happened to be the hour where Slatestripe was visiting him that he took his last breath. For days, the she-cat had been inconsolable, certain that she had seen his very soul slip from his body in that final exhale, but perhaps it was just her grief talking. Just thinking about it caused her chocolate orbs to water, as more tears threatened to bubble over. Oh, what a fool she must look right now. A particularly sharp, cold breeze brushed past her wet face and shivering body, she looked at her paws and let out a short sigh.

"I'm sorry, Ospreyfang."

---

Words, 560.
Tagged, Foxheart.
Notes, For Lyric. <3 It's a bit of a depressing post, sorry :L She'll cheer up once she has company.

[LYRIC ']

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[atrb=background,http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm141/Spottedbelly/Foxleapmain.png] It was a calm, peaceful night, and Foxheart was locked deeply in his slumber. He was curled up alone, against the den wall and allowing a purr to escape him as he slept. His ears swiveled, a convenient breeze carrying a familiar scent, and Foxheart's eyes slowly opened. His head lifted, as if drawn directly to the entrance of the den. But there, only a silhouette was noticeable, a gleam of moonlight preventing him from seeing any distinct details on the fellow HillClanner. His left ear swiveled again, the scent of... Salt? filled his maw as he noticed the rest of his fellow warriors were still sound asleep. The den was dark, with only that same glimmer of moonlight peering through. Calmly and very quietly, the red-and-white tabby stretched as he stood up from his nest. It wasn't in his nature to ignore a cat, even in the middle of the night. Avoiding the rubble of the den floor, Foxheart made his way towards the she-cat and rubbed against her as he made his way to her front. "You need your sleep. Tomorrow's another long day," he purred, a purr that abruptly came to an end when he noticed the look of distress or... was it sadness? On her face, immediately recognizing her as Slatestripe. "Are you alright there, Slatestripe?" he meowed, another deep purr arising from his chest. Every cat knew about the loss of her brother; it wasn't any secret. A breeze ruffled through Foxheart's fur as he sat down as close to the she-cat as he could without making her too uncomfortable. He could already figure what had her so upset, and he truly did understand her pain. Not long after he became a warrior, his mother was taken away from him by a severe case of greencough. Coincidentally the only case of the disease that they had during that leaf-bare, and Foxheart never thought that was fair. Why was it only Mallowfoot that caught it? Why not him, or more of the warriors? He didn't understand StarClan's reasoning for it, and surprisingly he got over it rather quickly. He wrapped his tail around his paws. Wow, for green-leaf it sure was a chilly night. "You..." he stopped. It wasn't like Foxheart to hesitate when it came to words, but the truth was he never typically tried to reassure anyone or help them with their problems at all. He usually only flirted with the other she-cats and rough housed with the other toms. "You know you can talk to me, Slatestripe," he finally spit out. "I know how much of a dirty tom I act like on a regular basis, but if you ever need to... you know, talk about it... I'll listen," Foxheart explained with a purr. WORD COUNT: 458 COMMENTS: N/A MUSE: Decent.

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[rhapsie]

» - - - - - - slatestripe of hillclan

If she had looked over her shoulder once she had situated herself at the mouth of the warriors den, she would have seen that she wasn't the only one awake.

Slatestripe hadn't expected anyone else to be up at this hour, because when she had first woken up, the other cats looked rather peaceful in their slumber. So when a faint rustle at the back of the den alerted the female to the fact that somebody was up and about and had most probably seen that she was sitting outside, she froze. Not wanting too many questions asked, she remained stock still, in the futile attempt to remain under this warrior's radar and perhaps he or she would just go back to sleep, but as her ears twitched to the sound of her clanmate approaching, she sighed softly and looked down at her paws, blinking away any residue tears and attempting to hide the fact that she had been crying. It wasn't that she assumed that the other cat - who she recognised now as Foxheart, it was obvious due the flash of ginger fur that rubbed up along her shoulder and the familiar scent - would take the mickey out of her, she just really wanted to forget why she was up at this time of night.

She turned her head to look over at him, and she forced a bleary smile his way. "You need your sleep. Tomorrow's another long day," "Don't I know it, Foxheart." She quipped jokingly, leaning into him slightly and inhaling his scent, which was rather comforting in all honesty. "Are you alright there, Slatestripe?" Her ears pinned back against her skull, but not in anger. Why would she be angry at Foxheart? All he was showing was genuine concern for her, and for that, the silver tabby warrior was grateful. It took all her willpower to keep her poker face, although she was still shaking a little, but she could blame that on the cold if he asked. "I'd be lying if I said I was. But I'll be okay, I just need to sit for a while. I must admit, though, it's nice to have some company." She forced another smile and nudged his shoulder in a jesting manner. After all, she was sick of crying, and maybe spending a bit of time with Foxheart would cheer her up a little.

For a few moments, the ginger tom slipped into a rather solemn silence, as if remembering something that he'd rather forget. Slatestripe waited to see if he would say anything else, and soon enough, he did, a little hesitant at first, as if trying to find the right words to say. "You... You know you can talk to me, Slatestripe. I know how much of a dirty tom I act like on a regular basis, but if you ever need to... you know, talk about it... I'll listen." The fact that he cared, and wanted to be there for her, was touching, and had she been overly emotional, she would have burst into tears on the spot. However, she contained herself and merely smiled softly at the ginger tom, eyes sparkling with unflowing moisture. "Thanks, Foxheart. That means a lot, especially coming from a 'dirty tom' like you. And... I think if I talk about it, I'll probably just break down in front of you, and that would just be embarrassing. But they say that time heals, and I suppose I just need to be patient, and keep my chin up." She let her gaze wander the night's sky, her brown eyes searching the stars briefly, and a genuine smile found it's way onto her muzzle.

"Besides, he's up there, somewhere. They all are." They, of course, being all those warriors who had fallen, either to wounds or to illness, or just of natural causes. Russetclaw was no doubt up there, too, and the thought of that made her smile. She came to a realization when her gaze snapped back to Foxheart, and she quickly voiced herself. "So, why are you awake, Fox? Did I disturb you? If I am, I'm sorry, I tried to tiptoe around everyone to avoid treading on tails."

---

Words, 702.
Tagged, Foxheart.
Notes, Naw (': I almost squealed in a really fangirlish fashion when I read your post, but I composed myself, because I'm in the living room with my mum and stepdad and they would've been like 'wut? :o' xD

[LYRIC ']

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[atrb=background,http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm141/Spottedbelly/Foxleapmain.png] Something had to have sparked, because Foxheart's heart felt like it was becoming almost numb when he felt the press of Slatestripe's body against his own. What was the matter with him? He did that every day to the other she-cats when the work load came to an end, and just before he started the work even. "I'd be lying if I said I was. But I'll be okay, I just need to sit for a while. I must admit, though, it's nice to have some company." The tom snapped out of it when he heard her voice again, and the loud rumble from his chest started back up. "And I'll be glad to give you company... any time you need or want it." The chilly breeze was becoming more and more apparent to the tom, and the glimmer of Slatestripe's glistening eyes looking straight into his own made his stomach fill with butterflies. "Thanks, Foxheart. That means a lot, especially coming from a 'dirty tom' like you. And... I think if I talk about it, I'll probably just break down in front of you, and that would just be embarrassing. But they say that time heals, and I suppose I just need to be patient, and keep my chin up." Foxheart's ears flattened. He understood what she meant, but for some reason he genuinely wanted her to be able to open up to him. "I wouldn't make fun of you, even if you did," he assured her, cozily stepping closer and pushing his flank into hers. With a swift motion, the tom licked her behind her ear that was closest to him. He didn't actually understand what was going on, or why he'd woken up in the first place. He'd been in a deep, deep sleep before all this occurred. And typically, Foxheart wasn't the type to wake up over slight things like a scent, especially not since it was a familiar scent. Perhaps StarClan woke him up without realizing it? On that thought, he couldn't help but follow Slatestripe's gaze towards the stars. "Besides, he's up there, somewhere. They all are." Foxheart's ears perked up, as sudden memories of his mother filled his mind. He knew it was so, but somehow when Slatestripe said it... He felt a whole lot better. "Yeah..." he softly murmured in agreement, but the moment was cut short when she spoke again. "So, why are you awake, Fox? Did I disturb you? If I did, I'm sorry, I tried to tiptoe around everyone to avoid treading on tails." He looked at her with glowing green orbs, and purred. "No, you didn't, I promise. To be honest, I'm not sure why I woke up. I was sleeping, and before I knew it, your scent aroused me," he purred, "But it's not a bad thing... I didn't want you to be lonely, awake all by yourself after all." WORD COUNT: 480 COMMENTS: N/A MUSE: Decent.

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[rhapsie]

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[atrb=background,http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm141/Spottedbelly/Slatestripemain.png] "And I'll be glad to give you company... any time you need or want it." The deep purring that came from the tom's chest made his body vibrate, and in turn, because Slatestripe was pressed up so close to him, her shoulder and sides began to reverberate with the vibrations too. It was a rather soothing feeling, and because she was quite ticklish, she had to fight back a little giggle, not wanting to laugh when the conversation was still so serious. She really did appreciate Foxheart being there for her and offering to provide his company and support. All she had really seen of the ginger and white tom was his flirtatious side, which some found obnoxious and annoying but Slatestripe honestly found it quite amusing. However, it was nice to see that he had a serious side too, and that he wasn't just the sleazy tom that some probably labelled him because of his behavior. "Thank you." She cooed rather softly, suddenly feeling rather... sick. Not the bad sick. The kind of sick that made you feel giddy and lightheaded, and her heartbeat was becoming rather erratic. Maybe the rather handsome ginger tom could tell, because he was pressed up so close to her that he may well be able to hear her heart beating. Not that she minded the closeness, that is, she'd only ever snuggled up that close to one of her siblings, or her parents, and although it was nice to be close to family, being close with someone who wasn't related to you - especially if they were an attractive tom, and someone who you genuinely got along with - was rather different. A nice different. Call her young and naive if you will, but although Slatestripe had been with the odd tom or two, it was nothing serious and no more than a fling. Of course she'd liked them, and found them attractive, but she'd never clicked with them. So what was this spark that she felt now? "I wouldn't make fun of you, even if you did," Her attention snapped back to Foxheart, her deep brown pools locking with his pale green ones, and for another moment she felt all the blood rush from her head, that little lurch in her chest making her blush. Wow... what is this? Just calm down, Slatestripe, keep your cool. She noticed that his ears were pinned back, and he looked rather earnest about what he'd just said. Not that the fluffy, grey-pelted warrior doubted him for a second. "I know you wouldn't of, Foxheart, you're not like that." She was about to turn away and look back at the night sky, but what the tom did next made her stop and she lost her train of thought immediately. As his tongue ran over the back of her ear in a gentle show of affection, Slatestripe's eyes widened slightly, and her face grew warm, which was a stark contrast to the rest of her body, which although was insulated by thick fur, she was still rather chilly. A rather stupid grin found it's way onto her muzzle, and she couldn't help but let a loud purr rumble from her chest as she turned her head ever so slightly so she could return the affection with a swathe of the tongue to his cheek. When he ceased the action, she did too, pulling her head away but maintaining their closeness in flanks. She noticed that right before the lick, he had shuffled further into her fur, and they were now so close that their skin was touching through the fur. And for a long-furred cat like Slatestripe, that took some doing. Foxheart's green orbs wandered her face for a second, before he purred a response. All the while, the silver tabby held his gaze, attempting to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. "No, you didn't, I promise. To be honest, I'm not sure why I woke up. I was sleeping, and before I knew it, your scent aroused me. But it's not a bad thing... I didn't want you to be lonely, awake all by yourself after all." "Well, it was awfully sweet of you to stay up with me. You could have just curled back up and gone to sleep if you wanted, but you didn't, and... that means a lot to me. I like sensitive toms." Oh StarClan. Did I just...? Realizing what she had said, and not wanting to seem like a shameless flirt when only minutes before she'd been sobbing away, she quickly broke away from his gaze and looked down at her paws, feeling a blush creep up her neck and burn at her cheeks. Quickly Slatestripe, fix it, change the subject, do SOMETHING! "U-Uhm... but thanks, for checking on me. It was nice of you. It's funny... I'm not actually all that tired anymore. Are you?" She risked looking back up at him, and once more the two held eye contact as she waited for a response. Words, 836. Tagged, Foxheart. Notes, :'D 'Your scent aroused me.' I can't get over that. I know he didn't mean it in a dirty way, but it still made me chuckle. And SLATESTRIPE IS SUCH A SILLY (': 'I like sensitive toms.' What a shameless flirt :l Rofl xD

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[LYRIC ']

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[atrb=background,http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm141/Spottedbelly/Foxleapmain.png] Butterflies. That's what Foxheart was feeling in the pit of his stomach; a feeling of multiple butterflies swarming throughout his body in such an erratic manner. He didn't know why, but that moment, sitting there against Slatestripe... It was something he'd never felt before. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the anxiousness, and failing quite miserably. 'Come on Foxheart, she's just another she-cat...' His glistening green gaze set upon the other cat's brown one, and that was when he whipped his eyes away from her. '...Isn't she?' He parted his maw and he could've sworn he could see his breath, but maybe not. 'Thank you.' That was what snapped Foxheart out of panic mode, but he didn't respond. He was too scared about what sort of pathetic words would come out of his mouth as he tried to fight the feeling of nervousness off. He understood that he only spoke to Slatestripe a few times per week, but even then it just wasn't like him to grow nervous around a she-cat. 'I know you wouldn't of, Foxheart, you're not like that.' He sighed in relief without really understanding why he was relieved. Normally cats assume that he's an insensitive jerk because of how often he flirts with random she-cats... And it felt good that Slatestripe knew that those things weren't true. "It feels good to hear you say that," he finally blurted out whatever was on his mind. The night air just seemed to get more and more chilly, but maybe that was just him and his nervous bones. In fact, it probably was. It was the middle of green-leaf, there was no way it could get as cold as he felt, could it? He didn't even know why he just groomed her, after he'd just got done telling her that he wasn't a 'dirty tom'. That just made him seem like a liar now, and he just prayed to StarClan that she wouldn't think that. Somehow he knew she wouldn't. His heart felt like it would explode when she returned the act of affection, and that was when he knew for sure that she didn't think any less of him. 'Well, it was awfully sweet of you to stay up with me. You could have just curled back up and gone to sleep if you wanted, but you didn't, and... that means a lot to me. I like sensitive toms.' Foxheart couldn't help but slowly turn his head to face the slate-pelted she-cat. Little by little, his heart sped up with a jolt near the center and all of his purring ceased to continue. It was a mixed feeling of... Happiness, as well as anxiety, if that made any sense. It was this that made him come to only one conclusion, and he only prayed that he was right. "That's good, because... I like you," he whispered softly, knowing that she would either accept him or reject him, and he was fine with being rejected. Because at least then, he could say that he tried. Foxheart looked away, the purr slowly rising back to the surface. Surprisingly his purr wasn't waking any other warriors up, as loud as it was. 'U-Uhm... but thanks, for checking on me. It was nice of you. It's funny... I'm not actually all that tired anymore. Are you?' He looked back at her with pricked ears. "Tired? Oh, no... I'm not. What should we do about it? We can't afford to be tired tomorrow when the clan is counting on us." The orange tabby-and-white tom haunched over into a semi-laying position, with his tail wrapped firmly around his body. WORD COUNT: 604 COMMENTS: Sorry for lateness. MUSE: Okay.

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[rhapsie]

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[atrb=background,http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm141/Spottedbelly/Slatestripemain.png] "It feels good to hear you say that," The she-cat smiled, finding the warmth creeping up her neck rather comforting now, rather than strange. She'd never felt this way around a tom before... Not that she was naive when it came to affection and, well, love, but she was still young, and in all honesty, Slatestripe didn't think that she'd find herself really liking a tom for a while yet. But by just spending time with Foxheart, she began to realize that she really was beginning to see him in a new light. If she was being honest with herself, she had always found him rather attractive, but the tom hadn't seemed like the kind who wanted to settle down. So when he'd slowly turned to face her with what looked like an expression of surprise, and then... was that silent realization? ... on his face, after she made her confession, she was rather perplexed. "That's good, because... I like you," Slatestripe certainly didn't see that coming. How could she be so lucky, after all? All the toms she'd been with before had never said that to her, they'd just rubbed up against her, cracked a smile and winked at her once or twice and she'd just gone along with it. That had never amounted to anything serious, though. Maybe this... maybe this would. After all, the grey she-cat liked Foxheart, and she liked him a lot. So to hear his confession made her stomach lurch, and her throat went dry. Her brown eyes suddenly grew wide, and she looked down at her paws, unable to fight the stupid grin that uncontrollably spread across her muzzle. "I..." She paused, and looked up, her chocolate pools locking with his pale green gaze. "I like you too, Foxheart." Her voice was slightly louder than a nervous whisper, loud enough for him to hear her though. She smiled and leaned forward, rubbing her cheek against his affectionately. "Tired? Oh, no... I'm not. What should we do about it? We can't afford to be tired tomorrow when the clan is counting on us." That was a point. They weren't tired enough to go back to sleep, but if they stayed up all night - which they would do at this rate - they'd be exhausted by tomorrow morning, and having two comatose warriors wouldn't be good at all, especially if they needed members for a patrol, or more prey for the fresh kill pile. She chewed her lip in thought for a second, before voicing herself. "I suppose we'll have to tire ourselves out, won't we?" She leaned into him slightly and in a bold move, gingerly entwined her tail with his. She felt content next to him, and with that in mind, Slatestripe honestly believed that she would be happy with him. Now that she'd confessed how she felt for him, there was no more weight on her shoulders, and no more confusion about her feelings. "Do you have anything in mind? Maybe we could go for a walk or something, by the time we come back, we might be tired enough to go back to sleep." Words, 519. Tagged, Foxheart. Notes, Aww (': My post is rather short, sorry xD

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