.wishing well. (open!)

[winged]

There was something in the air that made her wrinkle her nose and turn over in her sleep. The she-cat wasn't having any dreams, but a very restless sleep, one that was haunted by shadows that never came close enough for her to see their faces. She wasn't afraid of things that were there to hurt her, but the things that held back from her, the ones that held secrets she'd never be able to learn because she could never catch up with them. The she-cat grimaced in her sleep and turned over again, promptly rolling into another warrior and getting cuffed in the head for her troubles. Junipergaze sprang up, fur sticking up all over the place and eyes wide as full moons before she took a deep breath and made herself relax. Quickly apologizing with a wide smile and a long explanation to the crabby warrior who had whacked her in the head, the calico she-cat turned and bounded out of the den, smiling.

Having bad dreams didn't mean that she had to suffer during the day because of it. She had dreams like that, they'd become regular occurences, and were more annoying and troublesome than frightening or damaging. Junipergaze knew not to take them too seriously; she was no medicine cat, picking up signs of soon-to-happen destruction and doomful fortellings. No, that was Phantomriddle's job. She wasn't going to spend her entire life worrying over things that only happened in her sleep, when her subconscious had nothing better to do than try and attempt to make her see things that weren't there. The happy-minded she-cat made it to the fresh-kill pile without running into anyone or falling over her paws, so she continued her good luck and snatched up a fat rabbit, a rarity in the marshes of Shadowclan. Turning around, she started to head for her favorite spot to eat, when her paws mixed up in the abrupt turn and she promptly flipped head over tail and landed with a loud thump that made the air whoosh out of her. After gasping frantically for breath, she sprang to her paws and looked around, hoping that everyone had missed that rather embarrassing occurence.

OOC; OPEN. That means YOU. JOIN. NOW. Warzie, if you like, this could be the thread between Warstar and her, but only if you like. Anyone can post here, so do it! -waves stick-

[{ Warzie }]

OOC; Okay okay! Haha, he's in another RP already. But let's just hope I don't get in trouble. -shifty eyes- I'm sure it won't be a problem though. ^^;

It was early in the morning. So early that even the birds were still sleeping. A large heap of black fur rested in the middle of the ShadowClan Leader's den. His side moving up and down with calm breaths. Warstar never really got good sleep, so it was no surprise when he suddenly woke up. He was wide awake, which usually happened. He never felt groggy or very sleepy when he woke up. It was just how he was. His neon green eyes were sharp and alert as he scanned his den. There were some old mouse bones in the corner, and he felt his stomach growl. He hoped there was still some prey from the last patrol. The dark tom stood up, shaking his pelt. He leaned forward, streatching his paws far out, his back arching high in the air. He yawned widely, his sharp white fangs shining in the early light. After shaking out his pelt once more he padded silently out of his den and into camp. It was very quiet, everyone still seemed to be sleeping, which was to be expected.

He turned swiftly and made his way towards the fresh-kill pile. His eyes caught the movement right away, and he focused. He could tell it was a warrior, and a she-cat, but in this light it was hard to see who it was. She grabbed a rabbit and turned to walk away. When suddenly she got caught up in her paws and tumbled over. She seemed winded, and he wasn't sure if she was okay. But then she looked up, she seemed very embarrassed, as if she hoped no one had seen that.

Warstar bit his tongue, trying not to chuckle as he continued towards her. His eyes were bright with amusement as he stood before her. He recognized her immediatly.

"Good morning, Junipergaze." He paused grinning slightly. "Didn't your mentor teach you to not fall over your own paws?"

[winged]

Junipergaze winced a little bit, looking down at her paws and making an exasperated face. Her fur was all poofy and messed up again. And she could feel the beginning of a bruise on her left front leg, the one that had been caught under in the tangle of limbs. Testing it, she felt it immediately become tender and winced, giving a great sigh. The tenderness would probably wear off soon, since she had a lot of tumbles like this, and tended to get over them quickly, but her record of accidents was getting longer by the day. She was just so caught up in her life and in her thoughts that she didn't think to look out for that limb that might trip her up, or the big puddle that would send muddy water splashing up against her pretty pelt. She had a very attractive pelt and it seemed that things like that were constantly happening to her, constantly. The she-cat made yet another annoyed face. She was making a lot of those lately.

"Good morning, Junipergaze. Didn't your mentor teach you to not fall over your own paws?" It took self-control not to groan out loud when she heard Warstar's voice. The leader of Shadowclan, the great and mighty Warstar, had witnessed her mad scramble from the fresh-kill pile to the ground. How fitting. The she-cat wanted to wail, but of course, she turned toward him and said, "Well, apparently, he did not do a good enough job." She made an irritated noise before noticing her catch had gotten beaten up in the fall too. Dismayed, she nosed it, thinking that it was probably going to be very tender now that she'd fallen all over it. Grimacing to herself, Junipergaze looked up at her leader and remembered her manners, "Join me, please!" She purred. "I haven't talked with you in ages, leadership stuff seems pretty time-consuming."

[Shadow Da Smiffster]

(Hope you don't mind me joining :3)

Yellowthorn groggily padded out of the Warriors den, hissing under her breath at the luck she had sleeping next to Junipergaze, of all Warriors. She was a senior warrior! She deserved a nest in the center of the group, protected from wind and clumsy youngsters thinking they could go wherever they wanted. Sure, she'd cuffed the oaf called Junipergaze on the ear, but now that she was awake, there was no way Yellowthorn would find sleep again.

The ShadowClan warrior padded forward, and then stopped to stretch until her back gave a satisfying crack. As she restored her posture, Yellowthorn's ears flicked back and forth. The camp was mostly empty, aside from Junipergaze tumbling over herself and the chirping of birds. Irritating creatures....

The thought of prey immediately sent a wave of hunger through Yellowthorn, and immediately she made her way towards the fresh kill pile, picking out a meager looking rat. She turned around with the prey in her jaws, her eyes narrowing in slits at Juniperpaw's juicy rabbit. No warrior that clumsy deserved a rare piece of prey like that while she got a scrawny rat. Well, she would fix that later, and come back to camp with something more impressive then a rabbit. What would Warstar say if she brought a hawk as prey? A flicker of amusement shone through Yellowthorn's eyes as the cat came out. Speak of the devil.

"Good morning, Junipergaze. Didn't your mentor teach you to not fall over your own paws?"

"Well, apparently, he did not do a good enough job."

If cats could smirk, Yellowthorn would be smirking from ear to ear. Without warning, she padded over to the duo, cutting into the conversation with a snide remark, "Had I been your mentor, I'd make sure you weren't taking such tumbles before letting you get your warrior name. Warstar," she finished, dipping her head towards her leader.

"Join me, please!" Junipergaze purred. "I haven't talked with you in ages, leadership stuff seems pretty time-consuming."

"Mousebrain!" Yellowthorn snapped. "He's a Clan leader. Of course it's time consuming. Rather then discussing it with him, you should make yourself useful and offer to do something like lead a boarder patrol. But since you would rather linger around and chit-chat, I suppose I'll take matters into my hands. Warstar?" she asked, gazing at her leader with a look of defiance. She was awaiting either his retort to her rude behavior or approval to lead a patrol.

[{ Warzie }]

(OOC: It's fine Shadow! The more the better! :3)

Warstar was surprised as he heard another voice nearby. This one was colder, and very serious sounding. He knew who it was before he even smelled her scent. His sharp neon gaze rested on the senior warrior and his whiskers twitched as she commented on the mentor bit. He waited for her to acknowledge him before he spoke. "Yellowthorn," he said, returning her nod.

"Mousebrain!" Yellowthorn snapped. "He's a Clan leader. Of course it's time consuming. Rather then discussing it with him, you should make yourself useful and offer to do something like lead a boarder patrol. But since you would rather linger around and chit-chat, I suppose I'll take matters into my hands. Warstar?"

The large tom sighed, closing his eyes slightly. Yellowthorn was a great loyal warrior. But sometimes she forgot to be...civilized. He had given up long ago on trying to tame her and figured it would shape her character. His dark tail twitched back in forth in small swipes. He thought about this carefully before answering. "Thank you for the idea Yellowthorn. A patrol is needed. I've heard from some other warriors that they have scented ThunderClan close to our border. I'd like you to go wake up some warriors, and perhaps an apprentice to take with you." He paused and glanced over at Junipergaze. "Yes I can be busy, and my job is time consuming," He stopped and gave Yellowthorn a serious stare. "But I know how to split my time wisely, and I think I can relax and have a meal with Junipergaze."

He sighed, and added on. "Of course you can join us, but right after you must go on the patrol." He flicked his tail to dismiss her, or allow her to follow. He smiled softly at Junipergaze, and after grabbing himself a very plump wood mouse, he began to pad towards his den. It was a great honor to eat in the Leader's den, but he felt Junipergaze, and maybe even Yellowthorn deserved it.

[winged]

"Had I been your mentor, I'd make sure you weren't taking such tumbles before letting you get your warrior name. Warstar." Junipergaze winced. Yes, the cat who had to come join them for conversation was the one she'd tumbled into while writhing around, consumed by her nightmarish dreams. That so totally figured. The she-cat tried not to grimace, hearing something like venom in the other warrior's words and accepted that she was probably going to get stuff like that from Yellowthorn, considering that the she-cat was a senior warrior and the one she'd clocked over the head with her paw while sleeping. And she was a crabby cat too. The younger warrior tried not to grimace where Yellowthorn could see her face. Her luck was certainly not improving at the moment. Junipergaze had just wanted a calm talk with her leader and hadn't asked Starclan for any excitement, not yet at least.

"Mousebrain! He's a Clan leader. Of course it's time consuming. Rather then discussing it with him, you should make yourself useful and offer to do something like lead a border patrol. But since you would rather linger around and chit-chat, I suppose I'll take matters into my hands. Warstar?" Junipergaze blinked at the other she-cat, slightly confused. What did I do wrong again? She had just asked if they could eat together and talk a little. Surely that was okay? The younger she-cat stared at the two older cats, wondering what they'd do now. Dismiss her? Warstar might not, but Yellowthorn didn't seem to have much patience for Junipergaze today. Personally, the young warrior thought hitting her over the head with a stiff rabbit sounded like a proper remedy for her rudeness and attitude, but of course, what did she know? It'd be wise to hold her tongue and see what Warstar said.

He agreed with Yellowthorn and Junipergaze took a moment so she could mentally panic and pray that the cranky older warrior didn't chose her to go on the hunting patrol with her. The cat seemed to have it out for her, and she really didn't want this day to be ruined by having to deal with the grumpy Yellowthorn all during a patrol. She'd probably mess up and not be able to catch anything because the she-cat'd be breathing down her back and critiquing her every move. She waited to see if either one of them was going to condemn her to a patrol, but no condemnation came. Instead, Warstar said, "Yes I can be busy, and my job is time consuming," He stopped and gave Yellowthorn a serious stare. "But I know how to split my time wisely, and I think I can relax and have a meal with Junipergaze." Wow. Score for Warstar! She could've licked him. Of course, that probably would've earned her another cuff over the head from Yellowthorn. She looked curiously at the other warrior, wondering what she would do now. Of course, she didn't want to stay long, in case Yellowthorn took it out on her, and quickly grabbed the rabbit and headed after Warstar.

Once in his den, facing him, she settled down in the moss that made up his nest, or at least, the moss that was on her side of the den. The she-cat glanced at him, thinking that she might want to wait until he had eaten, but then decided that it would be better to just go ahead. He'd proven himself to be very unformal about these sorts of things. She bit into her rabbit, chewed, and swallowed, sighing with delight. Rabbit was her favorite kind of prey; she loved how tender and plump it almost always was. Looking at Warstar, she made a quick attempt to start conversation, saying, albeit a little shyly, "Thanks for that.. I think she was mad at me cuz I hit her with my paw in my sleep. My mother always said I was a clumsy one." She grimaced widely, laughing a little as she said that.

[Shadow Da Smiffster]

She watched the two of them retreat into Warstar's den, thinking over what she should do. Not many cats were up yet. A patrol could wait. Yellowthorn was rude, yes, and often tested the limits of the rules, but she was not dumb enough to decline an offer to eat a meal with her leader. Really, it was quite an honor... of course, Yellowthorn was more upset about the fact that she'd have to also share the meal with Junipergaze.... but that was no matter. If worst came to worst, she could always stay silent and accept the offer with normal dignity.

Then again, that didn't seem to be what was going to happen from the likes of it. Yellowthorn padded up to the den, gripping the rat in her jaws so tightly that its bones crunched and the taste of its blood filled her maw. Rats. Disgusting creatures, really, but it was food, and Yellowthorn would take what she got.... and it was then that she overheard Junipergaze, "Thanks for that.. I think she was mad at me cuz I hit her with my paw in my sleep. My mother always said I was a clumsy one."

"Oh did I hurt your feelings?" she responded snidely as she walked into the den, disdain pouring off of her in heated waves. She collected herself quickly though, knowing that it would not be wise to start something in front of Warstar. She held back the insults devolping in her mind, and instead stuck to an unamused tone, "Well, I sincerely apologize if I did... just be a bit more careful. You were made a warrior, and so you clearly have great potential, at least, when you're not tripping over yourself."

It was silent for a few moments, and Yellowthorn felt awkward. What? Was it that weird that she'd decided not to be ruder then a flock of buzzards? She supposed so. Not many cats got to see her... less rough side, because let's face it, Yellowthorn had no ounce of softness in her. Regardless, Yellowthorn refused to look either of the two cats in the eye, and bit down into her rat, ripping off a chunk of flesh in what some would call a messy manner, but hey, this was Yellowthorn....

She didn't give a damn what the other two thought of her dining habits. All she needed to know, and she already did know it, was that she was a great warrior. She'd proven that time and time again, especially in battle. She followed the warrior code, even if she was on the edge sometimes, and she'd successfully apprenticed a few cats already. No, she was not full of herself, but she was confident enough to think she could be called a great warrior.

[{ Warzie }]

Warstar walked steadly towards his den. His dark tail was high in the air, and he had an air of spark around him. To put it simple he was in a very good mood, and he was even excited to speak with Junipergaze. For some reason he felt an odd connection to her. It wasn't love, but something deeper in the roots. He shook off the bad feeling and pushed his way into the den. He turned slowly and dropped the mouse at his paws. He sat down and watched Junipergaze begin to eat her rabbit. It made his own stomach rumble with hunger and he took a large bite out of his prey.

"Thanks for that.. I think she was mad at me cuz I hit her with my paw in my sleep. My mother always said I was a clumsy one."

His neon green eyes glance up and he swallowed. Smiling he chuckled quietly. "Don't worry about it, accidents happen. Yellowthorn is a great loyal warrior, though she can get a bit...cranky at times. So don't take it personally." He leaned down to take another bite of his meal when a second voice chimed in. He stopped mid-bite and glanced up.

"Oh did I hurt your feelings?" - "Well, I sincerely apologize if I did... just be a bit more careful. You were made a warrior, and so you clearly have great potential, at least, when you're not tripping over yourself."

Warstar stayed silent and quietly chewed on the ear of the mouse. He felt slightly guilty. He hoped Yellowthorn wasn't angry with him talking about her. He calmed himself down and shook his pelt out. After a few more moments of silence, he finished his prey and looked up. Yellowthorn was eating a rat...and making quite a mess of it. Where were her manners? He cringed, and even though it was prey he felt sorry for that rat and thanked StarClan for its sacrifice.

"Once you erm...finish, I expect you will go straight to that patrol. I have a bad feeling about that ThunderClan scent," He sighed, his ears twitching. He wasn't exactly telling the truth, but not telling a lie either. He wanted them to check out the scent, but he also just wanted some alone time with Junipergaze so they could talk in private. He tried to look sincere as he continued. "Have you decided on who you will be taking with you?"

[Shadow Da Smiffster]

"Once you erm...finish, I expect you will go straight to that patrol. I have a bad feeling about that ThunderClan scent," Warstar sighed. "Have you decided on who you will be taking with you?"

Yellowthorn looked up from her meal for a moment, licking her maw clean of any blood that may have smeared, and stared at her superior. Now, Yellowthorn was not going to defy him, no, she wouldn't be stupid enough to do that, but she was smart enough to know when she was not wanted. Deep down, somewhere within the softest parts of her mind, she was actually hurt by this. It wasn't her fault that she was this way, but Warstar wouldn't know anything about that would he? Neither would Junipergaze. In fact, even her own kin, Nightwing, knew nothing of why the darkness in her heart existed... and with all her being, Yellowthorn wished it didn't. She was not always this way, but once you've made your choices, you never go back on them... or at least, that was what Yellowthorn thought.

"I'll be taking Swanfeather and Nightwing with me. Junipergaze, your company would be appreciated, but since you seem to be having a lovely time with Warstar here, I'll go bother some other warrior or apprentice," Yellowthorn stated bitterly. Suddenly, her appetite vanished, and she promptly got to her four, picking the shredded prey up by its tail. "And this foul thing tastes like carrion. I'm going to go bury it far away from the camp. Maybe if I'm lucky some fox will find me cuz of its scent and you'll have one less problem to deal with."

With that, Yellowthorn walked out, her heart pounding in her ears, but not because she was afraid of talking back; no, she never had been afraid to speak her thoughts. Mostly because she knew that right then, she'd shown her true feelings towards the cats in the clan. She'd shown them both how much she felt she didn't belong here. Her weakness. She cared what people thought about her. She cared a lot.

Taking a deep breath, Yellowthorn composed herself and retreated to the warriors den where she would gather a group for her promised patrol.

_{Push me under,
Pull me farther...}

[winged]

As she voiced her worries about Yellowthorn, Warstar started to comfort her, saying that the she-cat could be cranky at times and Junipergaze agreed silently, though she didn't say anything out loud as the warrior appeared there in front of them and she quickly ducked her head to take another big gulp of meat, hoping she didn't seem rude or anything. She didn't have much against the other cat, it seemed that Yellowthorn was holding a bit of a grudge against her for the earlier incident.. Or maybe the she-cat was just like that. The young warrior wasn't exactly sure what Yellowthorn's problem was, but whatever it was, Warstar was perfectly capable of dealing with it. She just wanted to get in a good breakfast before she went hunting. And maybe have a talk with the leader of her clan. She'd hardly shared words with him since she had been initiated as a warrior. Surely that wasn't all right, in some rulebook somewhere.

The older warrior's words stung, and she glanced away, not really sure what she was supposed to say to that. Yes, her words did hurt? They did, but she wasn't going to just admit weakness right there, in front of Warstar. He was the leader of her clan; she wasn't going to announce that some random warrior's misplaced words damaged her spirit! That was just too melodramatic and wimpy for this situation. "Tripping over myself seems to be what I do." She murmured, putting an ounce of teasing sound into it, so she didn't seem disrespectful or blatantly rude. She may not be happy with being insulted so forwardly, but there was no reason for her to respond in kind. It wasn't, after all, Yellowthorn's fault that she had smacked her in the head with her paw while flailing around asleep. The other warrior said she'd go and find another cat to put on patrol and Junipergaze nodded, feeling slightly worried. She hadn't offended the other cat, had she? It seemed like Yellowthorn felt offended, but she didn't remember doing anything overly rude. "Okay, Yellowthorn.."

Watching the she-cat march away, Junipergaze swallowed her mouthful of fresh-kill and made a small face. "I hope she knows that if I hit her in my sleep, that means I wasn't actually aiming for her head." She didn't particularly want the crabby old cat as her enemy, seemed like Yellowthorn could hold grudges for awhile. She looked back at the leader and wondered why she felt so at ease with him. He was just another cat, well, just another leader, so there was no reason for her to feel relaxed in his presence. She knew she didn't feel at ease in the presence of Darkwind, who was more intimidating than any other cat Junipergaze knew, even if he didn't try to be. She flicked her long tail, albiet a little nervously. She half-wanted to run after the old she-cat and tell her that she didn't mean anything by it, but Junipergaze hardly knew what she had done wrong. She toyed with her meal a little bit and looked up at Warstar. "I think she's just mad at me, if it's any concilation." She meowed, blinking at him.

OOC; Um.. I'm kinda assuming that you're leaving the thread, smiff? It's what your post implies, so.. -shrugs-