It's Not Your Fault (Veiledmoon's Farewell)

[Vei]

Moonpaw woke with a start, the wind blowing hard against her thin, curly pelt that was similar to her father's, the den entrance seeming to be about as covered as barren ground. Giving a shudder, she tried to curl up tighter, hoping to snuggle closer to herself and warm up so she could sleep once more. Her black tipped ears twitched at the breeze as again it pestered the small she-cat, unable to hear anything more than the wind, much less anything else because of her bad hearing, she gave a small sigh, a tiny white cloud emitting from her maw. She sat up in her new nest and looked about the somewhat small den, her gaze moving swiftly over the hunched bodies of her den-mates. Everyone was still asleep, not that she could blame them, it was just before sunrise, pinks and yellows and oranges dotting the horizon outside, too early in the morning for anyone to bother being awake unless they were on an early dawn patrol, not that many liked going on them. She shook out her thin fur and walked quietly towards the entrance of the den, making sure not to disturb her den-mates who were huddled up trying to stay warm and sleep, but no one ever said she wasn't accident prone, she'd accidentally stepped on her brother's tail and cringed, her sapphire eyes looking at the white and brown tom, "Oopsies," she murmured before blinking and staring at her sibling, Shroudedpaw, before prodding him, aware that he would definitely be awake anyways now that she'd padded on him. "Want to come on a walk with me," she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper as she attempted to wake no one else. Ears twitching, she kept them perked, watching him closely for a yes or no shake of his head since he never seemed to talk. "I couldn't sleep," she murmured, black tipped ears flattening slightly as she half lied. It'd mostly been the wind's fault she'd been restlessly tossing and turning, trying to get warm. OOC; tags: CH∃R words; 355 notes: I know Moonpaw is not accepted for rp but for this she is needed... thank you Phia for understanding(lack of better word) this situation! I'll make this open as soon as Cher and I have gotten through everything we have planned for this. For now, this is just for her and I to get this done finally :)

[Cher]

shroudedpaw; Sweet, savory scents of delight washed over the spotted tom's tongue. He recognized the familiar taste almost instantly, his bright yellow eyes gleaming with self pride. It was unmistakably a mouse, and a fairly plump one at that. Not a rare occurrence during green-leaf, but the tom was still nearly trembling with anticipation. His mentor would be more than proud if he were to bring this back to camp, at least, due to his lack of catches over the past few moons.. it would be nice to contribute to HiddenClan once more. Shroudedpaw had set out early this sunrise to practice his hunting skills for his future assessment. If he were to pass, the small apprentice knew he had to get better at hunting.. and anyway, practice makes perfect. At least, that's what Sheepfrost had always said to him. Continuing through the undergrowth, the silver tom licked his lips as his stomach began to growl. The scent of the mouse had become stronger over the few footsteps he had taken. It didn't seem to be moving much. Probably too fat to even do so. the thought crossed his mind, but he didn't pay much attention to it. All his focus was direct on his prey. A sudden movement through the roots of a large oak caught his eye, and his head snapped towards it, pupils swimming back and forth in his yellow irises, trying to pinpoint the exact location of the quick vanishing gesture. Was that it? A pale pink tail disappeared behind the trunk, and Shroudedpaw's heart sank slightly, but he pushed on and began to creep slowly over the rotten, leafy floor. Trying to keep as quiet as an adder.. if that were possible with the apprentice's bulky steps. Though, a stick underpaw snapped, causing the tom to jump up in alarm, and practically alerting the whole forest of his whereabouts. A defeated sigh escaped Shroudedpaw's jaws and his tail drooped. Scoliding himself under his breath, the tom figured he had focused too much on his prey and not enough on the placement of his paws. He lifted one and glared at it mindlessly, almost as if they were the ones to blame. Within a moment under a second, flashing yellow eyes emerged in shock under soft, silver eyelids. Pain surged through Shroudedpaw's silver tail as if all the weight in the world decided to pile itself on top of the thin limb. A small squeak escaped his jaws, but nothing more once he turned to face the culprit that was standing over him. "Oopsies," Moonpaw, of course. the tom bit his tongue to keep himself from hissing at his sister.. it would just be pointless anyway. A small jab in his side made him roll his eyes in reply, "Want to come on a walk with me?" the question hung in air in the moment while the tom took a moment to decide. Guessing by the light, he assumed it was probably a few minutes before sunrise, so he could get some more sleep. However, seeing as the practice he had just experienced was nothing more than a walk in a dream, he shrugged, signaling with a curt nod that he'd be willing to go. Even if he wasn't able to chat with his sister along the way, it'd be some nice bonding time as well. words 566 tags Vei notes okay I know I suck at roleplaying lately but this is all I could work up eheh,, I kind of tried on some parts but others I didn't bother. I don't know, my muse is odd.

[Vei]

She smiled softly as her brother rose to his feet to join her, just like she'd hoped since she had already woken him. She padded steadily towards the camp entrance, her blue eyes dim with exhaustion, her mentor had taken a lot of her the last time she'd trained. Walking out of the camp, she froze, the feeling of being watched making her look about. Her shaded tail lashed behind her as her gaze searched her surroundings. "Who's there," she mewed, well aware that she might not even hear a response if one was given. She glanced at her mute brother and frowned, "Is that you making noise," she asked, tilting her Shroudedpaw who wasn't very far behind her. Gulping past the sudden lump in her throat, she glanced about worriedly, hoping she was just imagining this feeling and that she really was alone with her brother. The white female sat on her rump, her ears perked high on her head as they swiveled about, straining to hear anything that might reveal there was in fact a stranger in their midst. Her shaded gray and black tail was puffed up in fright and the fur along her back stood on end, making her curly fur look even wilder than normal as her wide eyes darted around in anxiety. OOC: tags; Cher words; 222

[Cher]

shroudedpaw; Wobbly, tired paws made the apprentice a bit unstable on his own mass as they softly padded towards the camp's bramble-rimmed exit, bright pelts brushing. Soft, early rays of pale sunshine streaked the sky as if the pastel golden star was in no rush to start the day, clouds dotting the horizon like the fluffy tails belonging to a family of hares. The humid greenleaf morning had a gross feel to it, and soon enough Shroudedpaw could tell his fur was fluffing up without even looking at it. It took him awhile to notice the heat at first, but realizing he had started to pant without thought, the tom soon felt the merciless weight of the sun that had finally decided to show up. If there was a season he hated more than anything, it'd have to be this one, it was just too damn hot out. A sudden strange silence hung in damp forest air that made a chill sliver down the splotched tom's spine. Usually, he'd welcome any quiet that had settled down nearby, but this one was different, not to mention a rotten stench stuck to the clamminess like the muck in the swamp. Shroudedpaw let out a steady breath, blinking his golden eyes towards Moonpaw, noticing he had begun to fall behind. But, she seemed too focused on her surroundings to notice that, as well as the uneasiness building up in her brother. It was rare for the apprentice to be frightened while alongside somebody, especially if that somebody happened to be his sibling - seeing as there wasn't a single cat he was more comfortable with than Moonpaw. Though, even her innocent voice made him flinch, "Who's there?" Had she heard somebody? Shroudedpaw's ears swiveled forward to listen for any movements in the undergrowth, leaning forward to see if there was anything he could pick up. But not even the faint sound of birdsong was obtainable to his ears. "Is that you making noise?" Huffing, the tom squinted his eyes and pulled his neck back, looking rather offended with her assumption. He was practically standing beside her the entire time... well.. almost. Anyway, how could she not have noticed if it was him? He didn't even hear a sound to begin with. He shook the argument out of his head, it definitely wasn't a time to discuss this with himself. After all, there was a possibility they were being stalked by something.. and if they were the ones being stalked it couldn't possibly be any kind of good news. Moonpaw's sudden movements made the tom jump slightly, she looked overly worried about the situation. He pressed closer to the white she-cat's side before taking a few steps back. The waves of anxiety flowing off of her had started to overwhelm the tri-colored tom. His dark brow furrowed, and he tapped her spine with his striped tail as he gave a gesture with his head to point back towards the way the camp was. It'd be a shame if she didn't get the idea. words; 524 tags; Vei notes; okay I tried a little bit

[Vei]

Seeing her brother giving her an indignant look about her comment asking if he was making noise, she flattened her ears and gave a nervous laugh, "Oh... yeah... I forgot." She scanned the area again, shaking slightly in fear and when Shroudedpaw pressed against her, the she-cat jumped, a squeak of fright escaping her. Looking at him with wide sapphire eyes, she felt her fur lay flat slowly and at his pointing towards the camp entrance, she sighed softly but before she could move in that direction, a dark shape was looming in front of them, the stranger's bright blue eyes startling her all over again. Without a single word, the cat lunged at her, the smaller of the pair, and pinned her with ease to the ground, the rouge being much stronger and bigger, and put a paw with unsheathed claws on her throat, "One noise and you're dead," the cat whispered, its voice depth telling her this cat was a male, but he must've been talking fairly loudly if she was hearing him. The stranger then glanced at Shroudedpaw, "You heard me, it goes for you too," he warned, gently pressing his claws into the white she-cat's neck, making her whimper softly in terror, "You'll come with me or the she-cat gets it." Moonpaw, who had no experience with anything, not even hunting yet, was frozen stiff in horror. She looked desperately at her brother and when the rogue's paw moved away, she didn't utter a word, she didn't even want to breath, in fear he might kill her on the spot. He yanked her scruff roughly, making a yelp force its way from her maw. She instantly gasped, her ears pinned to her skull as she tried to look at the random cat. Her small form was pulled off the ground, the dark tom cat's long legs keeping her suspended in the air, keeping a firm grip on her, waiting to see what Shroudedpaw would do. She gulped past the lump in her throat and could feel tears stinging the back of her eyes. We're going to die! We're going to go to StarClan just like Blanckit. OOC: tags; Cher words; 384