these days weight heavy on me // open

[Pebblestep]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,346,true]

[atrb=background,http://i.imgur.com/nZvhQ.png] [scrolly:h(346),w(299),sy] It was a common thing to find the young Riverclan medicine cat sauntering through their territory looking for herbs when things got too stressful. Thusly, he was usually well stocked. However -- Pricklefur's three kits had decided to take a trek to the river -- splashing amongst the shallows until their mother and a warrior had found them and shepherded them back into the comfort of the nursery. Chilled, two of the three had now developed serious colds. He'd used only a small amount of Fever -- but the kits complained nearly constantly and asked him for treats of honey. He'd complied to a point -- but after another morning of it, he'd needed a break. After telling the queen he needed more fever leaves and a few stalks of catmint of the plant he knew had renewed itself. The afternoon was a quiet one, and it was a short trip to the riverbank where the catmint grew in plenty. There were enough stalks that he could take a fair amount, which was pleasing since some of his stock were rather old. The aromatic stems would be bitten softly as close to the ground as he could get them, and then settled beside the plant for him to gather before he saw it fit to return to camp. He knew it was his duty to be in camp, but the immaturity that still ran think in his veins coupled with a temper that usually got out of hand and a low tolerance for stupidity -- he could only handle so much before the mask cracked. Perhaps in time he would be able to hold the facade longer -- but for now it was unobtainable. It was moments like this were he wished for his mentor and her gruff yet caring words. It had been nearly a year and a half since receiving his name as a medicine cat, but sometimes he still felt like the kit she had chosen from the crowd. A sigh, because he knew he had taken an nu-necessary break from his duties and had spent too long away from camp as it was -- however he did not want to go back just yet. He stood, but managed to dawdle just a bit more. [/scrolly]

[Wolfstar]

Wolfstar

Wolfstar had left camp to hunt by himself, wanting some time to himself. The reddish brown tabby tom slipped through RiverClan's territory quietly, his turquoise eyes seemed to be looking far away as he allowed himself to be lost in thought. This rare occasion of the leader being alone was a great relief, but at the same time a great burden. Once left alone, memories of his kithood and young deceased apprentice assaulted his mind. I knew I should've invited some cat along. Being alone is definitely isn't the best decision I've made. Wolfstar thought with a sigh. His facial features which had been distressed suddenly turned emotionless as he approached the river. The large tom scented another cat of RiverClan. By the herby tang, it was most definitely Pebblestep.

Wolfstar waited until Pebblestep was in sight before uttering a word. Once he finally saw the gray and white tom, he cleared his throat softly. "Hello, Pebblestep. I thought you'd be back at camp by now. Do you need help collecting the herbs?" he asked politely, blue gaze shifting to the pile of catmint stems. The aroma made his mouth water as it reached his nostrils.

Wolfstar sat next to the river and glanced into the clean, clear water. The silvery forms of fish flitted by, the sunlight that refracted in the water seemed to make the prey's scales dance. One deft swipe allowed the leader to scoop one onto the riverbank to make a killing blow.

Instead of killing it instantly though, he watched it flop around for a moment, intrigued by the beautiful scales. After that small moment though, he shook his head to clear his thoughts and slashed the fish's last bit of life away. Wolfstar then looked back at Pebblestep for his answer.

[Pebblestep]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,346,true]

[atrb=background,http://i.imgur.com/nZvhQ.png] [scrolly:h(346),w(299),sy] Grey coated ears twisted when the sound of footsteps reached him, and moments later the faint scent of Wolfstar reached him. He turned -- just as the elder tom's voice floated on the breeze to him. He wanted to scoff -- roll his shoulders and brush the comment aside, but this was his leader. Pebblestep forced himself to at least be a slight bit respectful. "Afternoon Wolfstar. I was just heading back actually, my break has been too long as is." He did not want to leave the leader just as they had happened across each other -- but he did need to be getting back to camp eventually. Poppykit had been awake when he'd left and no doubt Bumblekit would be either up now and crying for his mother or awakening soon. Still, Pebblestep just couldn't simply leave him behind. "You can help me if you like, I could always use more stems." The herb didn't exactly keep like the best of them -- much like borage it could only be used when relatively fresh. His voice wasn't exactly a cold one -- but more of a polite and detached formality. Clearly he wasn't exactly comfortable around Wolfstar, with the feeling that he couldn't exactly be himself. Pale gaze was trapped with the leader's catching of the fish -- enthralled by the unparalleled focus which the ginger tom possessed. But still, Pebbelstep reminded himself that he couldn't tarry and stood. "Though if you'd like to return your prey to camp, I can take the stems myself." with the added burden of the fish -- it wasn't proper to ask Wolfstar to take the Medicine Cat's burden upon himself. >>>>>>>>> short sorry. [/scrolly]

[Wolfstar]

Wolfstar

Wolfstar looked at the medicine cat and laughed. " Why so formal? You can loosen up around me, you know." he assured the smaller tom, with a light cuff over the head. " I may seem like a stiff cat, you're sadly mistaken. I like others to feel comfortable around me. I know we don't talk much, but you should know that I'm not going to bite your head off."[/b] Wolfstar chuckled again, amusement in his now warm light blue gaze.

Looking at the fish, he shrugged. "I can carry both without too much trouble. I'll be able to take at least half." he mewed. Shaking his still wet paw, he gave it a few quick rasps with his dark pink tongue. "By the way, if my comment bothered you, just say so. I'll be careful not to say things that'll bother you. But, I won't lie. I can't stand liars." Wolfstar growled the last part, eyes narrowing at the thought. Flicking his tail in dismissal of what he'd just said, Wolfstar looked at the catmint and back at the dark gray and white tom. "How much more do you need?" he asked.

Wolfstar couldn't help but be bothered by Pebblestep's detached way of speaking to him. Am I cruel to him? Hmmm, maybe i'll ask him... Wolfstar swung his large head abruptly from staring blankly at the river to Pebblestep. "Seriously though, why are you so formal. Have I been cruel or harsh?" he asked calmly, forcing his gaze to remain calm and not worried. The dark red-brown tom wrapped his tail around his paws to keep himself calm and reserved. Wolfstar's light red whiskers twitched slightly, a small display of his worry that he silently cursed himself for. In situation such as these, his poker face was his best defense if the other party was angered or bothered.

[Hollyhock]

[/style][style=width: 403px; padding: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; background-image: url(http://i47.tinypic.com/etz14g.gif); border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-bottom: 1px solid #000000;][style=width: 400px; text-align: center; margin-top: -20px; margin-bottom: -10px; letter-spacing: -1px;]tell me you'll miss me

[/color][/b][/font][/div]

i'm longing to linger 'til dawn dear, just saying this...

She hadn't been at the river long at all before Holly heard the voices nearby.

The she-cat lie peacefully beside the river, watching the water's inhabitants go about their daily lives, her head resting on her forelegs. One ear perked to follow the sounds of the familiar cats, her head lifting to face their direction. Hollyhock's pale eyes could not see the figures, but her wide, black ears could most definitely detect them. That sounds like Wolfstar...

Holly debated inwardly whether or not to get up and investigate the goings-on, the tip of her tail curling slightly upwards and returning back to the ground in a repetitive fashion. Deciding that watching the frogs and fish play could wait, Holly stood up slowly, making sure to get a good stretch of her legs before heading toward the two. She padded alongside the water, her gaze occasionally drifting to the wet grasses that surrounded the river on both sides, surveying the activity. Holly didn't need to journey far at all before she had the two toms in her sight.

The she-cat picked up the pace as she neared them, leaping from this spot to that as she went. Just one glimpse of the males' coats and she could verify their identities. The red one was her leader and the gray and white was the clan's healer. A very prestigious gathering, indeed! Perhaps she wasn't welcome... Holly took the chance. She hopped upon a boulder near them and sat down silently, her tail curling around her as she looked down at the pile the two had compiled, tilting her head.

"Good afternoon," she uttered quietly, a smile across her face.

dream a little dream of me

[/b][/font][/div]

text | "SPEECH" | thoughts
tagged: anyone! | word count: 273 | muse: 6/10
song by the mamas and the papas | cat by hud | pattern by dinpattern | table by wren

[/center]

[Pebblestep]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,346,true]

[atrb=background,http://i.imgur.com/nZvhQ.png] [scrolly:h(346),w(299),sy] He managed to look sheepish when the leader caught him in his polite detachment -- though he wished Wolfstar would have let him go. " I am told I can be...abrasive.." Doveclaw had always chastised him for his bad temper and sour attitude -- but then again she'd been cheery enough for everyone, though stern. Still, as far as he knew the old she-cat had been Medicine cat for as long as Wolfstar had been leader of Riverclan, if not longer. It was odd, to be the replacement of one who knew so much and was so close to everyone in the clan and then feel the gap her absence left. He was no Doveclaw, and apprentices who didn't quite like his stern take-it-or-leave it attitude made sure he knew it. As hard as the outer shell was, that did sting. He was still doing his best for the clan, and was confident in his abilities. " I was experimenting with politeness. I don't like it." Still, a certain amount of respect was reserved for the elder cat and leader of his clan. His young age did not make him naive and stupid. Another scent drew his attention from the bubbling river and Wolfstar's conversation. Hollyhock. He'd known her as an apprentice -- Having been chosen to Follow in Doveclaw's pawsteps a moon before she was born. He'd been young, but remembered it was his first litter to see. Doveclaw had him fetch borage -- and it was a brief respite from the raging war that he'd been born into. Often, they'd spoken when she was a kit, his 'paw' duties included checking the queens in the nursery and seeing if they needed anything as well as the elders. They hadn't exactly been close -- with the age gap, but she possessed the same sarcasm and wit that sort of separated them from those of the caring variety. "Hollyhock." >>>>>>>>> short sorry. [/scrolly]

[Wolfstar]

Wolfstar

Wolfstar nodded, happy Pebblestep'd toned down the politeness. " I feel the same way. Being polite seems a bit cold. But being rude just isn't right either." he said, mostly to himself. He swiped a paw against the current of the river absent mindedly. His ears swiveled once they detected an approaching cat, but he otherwise stood still. After carefully scenting the air, he noticed it was a RiverClan warrior. The ginger-brown leader couldn't quite think of the name until he heard the dark gray and white tom beside him speak it. That's it! Hollyhock....I suppose I haven't spoken to her in a while. I wonder what she's up to. he thought. Wolfstar turned slowly to see the black and white she-cat. His turquoise eyes remained emotionless as he spoke. "Hello, Hollyhock." the two words he uttered were warm yet slightly cold like the ones he'd spoken to Pebblestep. Stupid rogue instincts! Should be gone by now. Be yourself, Wolfie!!! the outwardly stony tom thought to himself.

Paw still dripping with fresh river water, Wolfstar shoke it and sent crystal-like drops of water scattering every which way. One hit his dark pink nose. He recoiled and scrunched his nose in surprise, pelt fluffing a bit. A short and uncharacteristic growl of frustration escaped his maw when he kept shaking his paw to release a small pebble from between his toes. Finally giving up, he yanked it out with his teeth and spit the bitter rock onto the riverbank. This happened to the large tom a lot, but had never before occured in front of others.

[Hollyhock]

[/style][style=width: 403px; padding: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; background-image: url(http://i47.tinypic.com/etz14g.gif); border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-bottom: 1px solid #000000;][style=width: 400px; text-align: center; margin-top: -20px; margin-bottom: -10px; letter-spacing: -1px;]tell me you'll miss me

[/color][/b][/font][/div]

i'm longing to linger 'til dawn dear, just saying this...

Hollyhock smiled as the two blandly acknowledged her presence. She'd expected it from Pebblestep, but normally Wolfstar had more to say to a clan member. She was not discouraged though. The two were friends of hers and she knew they appreciated her.

The black and white she-cat remained on her perch as she assessed their activity - gathering herbs, she supposed. Pebblestep was often found doing just that. The peculiarity of the situation was that their leader was helping out, well, as much as he could. She never thought the medicine cat particularly liked company while he worked; maybe he was turning over a new leaf? Whatever the reason, Hollyhock made sure to focus most of her attention on her leader for fear she would annoy Pebble. Wouldn't want an angry medicine cat on her tail.

Holy decided play dumb. "Good day, you two," she said softly with a smile. "What are you doing?"

dream a little dream of me

[/b][/font][/div]

text | "SPEECH" | thoughts
tagged: anyone! | word count: 273 | muse: 6/10
song by the mamas and the papas | cat by hud | pattern by dinpattern | table by wren

[/center]

[Pebblestep]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,346,true]

[atrb=background,http://i.imgur.com/nZvhQ.png] [scrolly:h(346),w(299),sy] The Medicine cat gave nothing more in greeting than a wry grin. While he couldn't say Hollyhock was a friend, her silence irked him less than other cats -- which was a great leap in his book. He watched with quiet amusement as Wolfstar seemed to struggle with a pebble lodged between his pawpads, eyebrows quirked in question -- though he said nothing. for one, this was his leader -- and despite his obvious sarcastic nature and biting disposition, he didn't feel he was in the position to be himself around him just yet. Not like warriors and cats of the clan who were his own age, who'd grown with him and knew him as the cat he was. "Nothing of consequence it seems, having a mid-aftnoon meeting under the sun to plot our murder of annoying kits." a chuckle, attention turned toward Hollyhock once again. "No, just a chat." He really should be back, to said annoying kits that he sometimes wished he could smother beneath a layer of moss. But of course, being the loving medicine cat he was, he cared for them diligently. The grey-and-white figure wandered over to the stems he'd plucked from the plant earlier, nose wrinkling slightly when the pungent scent enveloped him. He wouldn't simply pick them up and wander off, although he couldn't deny he very much wanted to. Rather that that course of action, he shuffled awkwardly about, pushing the green stems into a pile before scattering a few and then repeating the process. >>>>>>>>> sorry for the wait <3 [/scrolly]