Warmth of the Sun

[Aleen]

Looking around quickly, a young tortoiseshell laid down in the sunlight, hoping that an older cat would come and prompt her to go and hunt with someone, yet at the same time daring them to do so. Seeing no one, she relaxed and let the sun's warm rays soak in, warming every inch of her. It seemed that more and more often Aleen would find herself out on hunting patrols, usually accompanied by an older warrior. That was probably to make sure she didn't run off by herself, and it would probably be like that for the rest of her life, since every cat in camp knew how she had rejected the warrior code.

She rolled lazily onto her other side, thinking of that momentous day, where she had stood face to face with the "mighty" clan leader and said "I'm sorry, but I can't accept this name. I want to be called Aleen and I will answer to nothing else. Thank you." With that she stalked off to do the nightly vigil, so that no cat could get after her for that. Even with that performance the young she-cat had been so timid back then. Not now, though. She could stare any cat in the eye until it looked away. Intimidation, yes, that's what she liked, and she took every chance she could to gain it. The reactions were incredible with some cats. Like that old gray thing, Ashfur. Lost her temper like usual, except that you could see the change in her eyes. Quite fascinating, in Aleen's opinion.

The she-cat sat up, double checked to make sure an older cat wasn't in sight, and began grooming herself, each stroke filled with greatest care. Maybe I'll have my own kits one day she thought, ignoring how random the thought was, And be able to have such gentleness on them. She smiled to herself, realizing how silly the thought of her herding kits around was. Yeah, and maybe hedgehogs will fly. She carefully cleaned her whiskers, still feeling quite amused with herself, and forgetting to look around for any approaching cats.

[Silverstream]

((Sounds like a NightClan recruit! I'll post later, because I have to go soon.))


Moonriver padded into the clearing, white ears slightly drooping. He had tried to catch some fresh-kill for the Clan, but instead, none of the fish would come near the surface. He went over to the fresh-kill pile, as he always did at this point in the day. Seeing how measly it was, he lowered his head even more in shame, and padded away from the pile. His mind was in a haze as he lay down somewhat nearby Aleen, and he didn't notice her. A few moments passed as Moonriver reflected on his life. No more did he have a mate, and his one and only kit had ran away. How he longed to know them both again. His clanmated told him that his kit was a lovely gray-silver she-cat, with blue eyes like his. He looked up at the sky, the sun now at the highest point in the day. Still lost in thought, he bent over to lick his shoulder, grooming himself as he most often did. In doing so, he turned his head to face Aleen, but his sea-blue optics were unfocused, as he was still lost in thought.

[Aleen]

After finishing on her whiskers, the young warrior looked up momentarily, suddenly remembering to look for anyone who might be approaching her. Hurriedly, she looked around, finding that in her brief laziness a cat had not only walked up to her, but had flopped down and began grooming himself. After nearly jumping a fox length into the air, Aleen realized who exactly it was by her and groaned inwardly. It was Moonriver, an older warrior who, if he realized who she was, would probably show his anger on full power. He was one of those cats with a really fierce belief in the old ways and fought to persuade other cats in it. After her performance, Aleen almost undoubtedly had no escape from his rath. About to retreat into the warriors' den, she realized that if she moved, she would be noticed for sure. Her shoulders tense, she began to groom her chest in quick, uneven strokes, hoping some other cat would come and either call herself or Moonriver away to do something. Well, if he did beat down on her, she could easily cope with it, although she would perfer to just avoid it. There was always the possibility she could stare him down, if needed. She relaxed slightly at this thought.

[Silverstream]

Moonriver continued to think about things troubling him. Life. His mate. His daughter. His Clan. He subconsciously(sp?) started grooming his chest after the bristles on his tongue had sufficiently cleaned his shoulder. Twin pools of ocean turned away from Aleen, and looked downwards towards the dusty ground. Not a breeze would ruffle his fur today, as it was quite warm, and in some cases, nearly beating down on a cat. Moonriver didn't feel the warmth of the sun. Instead he was lost in thought, thinking about his mate, Silverfern. They say that she was laying out beneath a tree, when a thunderstorm struck up. A few cats mumbled something about his daughter pushing her there. One way or another, lightning struck the tree she was under, and his lovely mate was crushed. His daughter, whether she pretended to or not, felt devastated. At the resounding crack, many warriors pooled into the clearing, and saw the horrible damage. Immediately, the apprentices in his daughter's den loathed Twilightpaw. Twilightpaw, in turn, grew to dispise those cats. Soon enough, Twilightpaw cracked, and left the clan. That was all he knew at that point, and he wondered if she was still living. If she had gone to another clan, she'd most likely have her warrior name by now.

Moonriver turned back to facing Aleen, to clean his side fur, smoothly passing his tongue over the rusty red spot on one front leg. Suddenly, ocean optics focused, upon recognizing a tortishell pelt. One he had last seen defying his leader, Taintedstar. His sea-blue eyes hardened to a dark saphirre, and rage boiled in his chest. How could one so immature be so neglegent of StarClan? If one could see past the blue color of his eyes, a bright red-orange flame of rage would be present. He leapt up to his paws, and stared at Aleen full in her face. His white rusty-tipped tail lashed back and forth angrily. Knowing that he could not speak to her in his current state, he whipped around, padded a few feet and came back, pacing. A few moments passed, and his body began to feel the heat of the sun, a boiling presence seeming to comtribute to his building rage. Slowly, that burning heat on his back became a warm comforting presence, as his anger faded from his body, and seeped into the ground. White paws kicked up small amounts of dust and Moonriver walked up to Aleen, laying down in front of her, matching her gaze, and trying to stare her down. "So. I saw your ceremony," he said, gritting his canines. She had no right to act that way, and he knew it!

((Geez, that took forever to write. I never really thought of Moonriver as angry, but Aleen had it coming! XD))

[Aleen]

((yeah, that's the idea.))

Though her heart was beating fast and loud, Aleen managed to look calm and content as she looked up, straight into those deep, ocean-like eyes. This was the moment, and somehow, she was ready for it. "Well, yeah, you're definitely old enough to catch your own prey, and that's how we're called to the Greatrock. Or did you forget?" Though her voice was friendly, her eyes revealed anything but friendship. They were defiant, bold, daring Moonriver to try to out stare her. They even held a bit of, well, hostility, Her fight was beginning to harden her more than she wanted, and it might be time, even if she preferred clan life, to be leaving. The thought was frightening, and as it entered her mind Aleen felt a need to get away from those eyes, if even for a moment. She stretched and stood, moving slightly closer to the old cat, again meeting his eyes with hers. That break had been enough to content her.

Her voice was even as she casually commented, "I saw after the accident, with your mate." See how he handles that one she thought. The old furball definitely didn't like her, and Aleen had been right to beware his rage. She could she it in his eyes, even if he himself wasn't consciously aware of it. She stared intently into his ocean optics, trying to find what it was they held. He loathed her, sure as day, and there was much anger and hostility toward Aleen. But searching deeper than the surface, she found sorrow, and loss, definitely not meant for her. It made sense, but it wasn't quite fair. Anger was often pumped by those two things, being a way to try and hide them or tame them, as she had often found. Moonriver had much of both, meaning that the anger she would receive wasn't purely for her. It sort of defeated the purpose of her rebellion when the emotion sent at her wasn't truly meant for her. A scrawny mouse is better than crow food she thought, urging herself to go on, even if the situation wasn't quite fair. She had started this, and now she had to finish it. War has no rules she reminded herself, and you definitely started a war. All these thoughts raced through her mind, trying to distract her, though she managed to keep her gaze locked with Moonriver's as she waited for his reaction to her comment.

[Silverstream]

Moonriver blinked at her comment about his mate. It did not bother him much that she had mentioned her. He had times when his heart was open to feel the pain of his loss. He had times when he thought about her. He had times when he would gaze up at the sky, desperately searhig for the star that was her. Those times he had. Those times he cherished, but at the same moment, despised. When he did not have a moment thinking of her, he was as solid as a rocky ground. You could sink your claws in a bit, but beyond that, you could not reach any part of his internal pain. Moonriver's whisker's twitched, and his glacier pelt lay flat on his shoulders. His eyes had sligtly turned inwards on themselves, beginning to think of his mate before he shook it off. His eyes pierced through the air in front of him, seeming to reach out towards Aleen's opticals. The yound she cat had no idea what she was getting herself into. His rage was a bit difficult to evoke, but it was like a volcanic eruption, at its least. "Why did you choose that name, Aleen?" he asked, changing the subject through gritted canines.

[Aleen]

The she-cat's bright eyes stayed locked with Moonriver's, determined to continue her rebellion, even through a normal conversation such as this. The tom's question had surprised her, and it took her a moment to answer, but when she did her voice was filled with confidence.

"It is original, bold. No Clan cat has had it before, and probably no Clan cat will ever have it again. I gave it to myself, making it not an assignment, but truly my name. I'm not sure where the name 'Aleen' came from, but when it popped into my head, it felt right. That is why I chose 'Aleen'. I might not have StarClan's approval, but I have my own, and like I said, it feels right."

Though her voice had stayed calm and confident, inside the tortoiseshell feared that she had stepped over the line. Her heartbeat quickened as she finished talking, but her eyes revealed nothing, as always. If anything, the fire that lit her emerald optics flared brighter than before, again daring Moonriver to try and out stare her. Her answer had been truthful and she was proud of her name. Why would any cat want to let someone else name them? And how could any cat believe that dead cats of the past could control the lives of cats now? There were some Clan traditions Aleen would never understand, and others she flat out refused to understand. He brilliant green eyes burned brighter into Moonriver's, searching for the deepest emotions hidden in them, but not succeeding. She patiently waited for the tom's reply, hoping that some previous emotion was intensified.

[Silverstream]

((It's Moonriver, not Moonshimmer. XD))

Already, the white warrior's heart had begun to calm. His eyes no longer burned with rage, but maybe flickered. The fight had mostly left him. Moonriver had no comeback to Aleen's explanation of her name. It was true. And nowadays with hardly anyone believing in the ancient ways, it was perfectly logical for a kit to pick its name. Not that it made him want to convert to not believing in StarClan. No. His loyalty lay in StarClan to his death, even if he had to die a hundred horrible, gruesome deaths. Moonriver licked his chest fur, and thought of what to say next. He contemplated just walking away, but that would make him seem like a bratty kit, getting it's way even when it had clearly lost. "RiverClan needs prey. You can shout at me while we hunt." It was more of a command, but it still left Aleen room to manuveur. She could choose yes or no either way.

((Why don't they go hunting? They might find that they don't hate each other as much. Or they could hate each other all the more.))

[Aleen]

((Whoops, sorry 'bout the 'Moonshimmer' thing. Don't know how I let that slip in XD))

Relief filled Aleen as the anger left the tom's eyes. He wasn't going to blow up in her face, and that was definitely reassuring. Her eyes never left him, not even for a second. Surprise filled the she-cat at Moonriver's request to go hunting, but again her face revealed nothing. Instead she answered coolly, "I don't shout. Not unless a cat has jumped onto my back." And that's only because they can't see my face she silently added. "Anyways, I guess hunting would be alright. So long as you don't try to coach me. I don't plan on turning back into an apprentice anytime soon."

She gave her whiskers a quick grooming. There was no to tell how this was going to go, but the young warrior knew it would happen at some point. She let her guard down and one of the older warriors had caught her, though for Moonriver it hadn't been intentional. Besides, hunting with the old bag of fur seemed a lot better than being yelled at by him. After finishing with her whiskers, Aleen returned her burning green optics to the tom. "Where do you want to hunt?"

[Mintsong]

((Can I join? Sorry, but this is my first post and I'm doing this in a kind of a rush...))

Two emerald eyes glinted through the darkness of the warriors' den. Mintsong watched as the two cats spoke to each other. She turned her emerald gaze to the fresh kill pile, her stomach rumbling, telling her to go hunt. She paddled closer to the center of the camp, she sighed as she saw the pile was nearly thinned out. Flicking her tail, she had forgotten that the two other cats were there, her emerald gaze turned back onto where the river should lie.

[Silverstream]

((Sure, but if you want your cat to come with Moonriver and Aleen, you'll have to be assertive. These two cats aren't exactly the ones to go out of their way to get a cat to come hunting... I think I'll let you post one more time before Moonriver answers Aleen about where he wants to go.))

[Mintsong]

((Ok! Thank you!))

Mintsong turned her leafy gaze towards the two cats near her. She blinked three times, slowly, as if she was walking up from a long sleep. She looked at the pile and then at them, and said softly, "Are you two going out to hunt?" She paddled closer to them, sitting down, curling her long, thin tail around her. She looked up at the she-cat, then at the tom, her gaze lingering, before turning to face the fresh-kill pile.

[Aleen]

((I really don't know what to say until Silverstream replies. XD))

[Silverstream]

((Here's my try... I have to go soon, so sorry if it's short))

Moonriver turned at the sudden sound of a she-cats voice, and saw immediately leaf-green optics. For a moment, Moonriver thought that he was seeing just the canopy of the trees, but then their gaze broke, and Moonriver noticed it was the blue she-cat, Mintsong. "Oh, hello Mintsong," he said, a bit uncomfortably after holding the cat's gaze for so long. He had no motivation as he did when staring down Aleen, and now he felt embarrassed at looking at the warrior. Her question registered in the white warrior's mind a split moment later, and he said, "Why yes, we are going out to hunt." His voice was a bit surprised. At first he had no idea why the cat sould be asking that, but then slowly realized she probably wanted to come with the pair. "Would you care to come with us?" he asked slowly, his ocean optics now holding her mint-green gaze without trouble. Turning his muzzle to face Aleen, he thought quickly of a place to go. "How about all three of us go to the White Falls?" he said, turning his muzzle again to face both she-cats, and not just Aleen.

[Aleen]

The tortoiseshell's bright optics never left the old warrior as he spoke with Mintsong. She stayed silent through it, more because she didn't know what to say than to avoid being rude. Aleen's green eyes narrowed as Moonriver suggested going to White Falls. Already taking charge, I see she thought with a twinge of annoyance. With a flick of her tail she answered, "I guess that's alright. I haven't been there in awhile, so might as well go now. Unless Mintsong doesn't want to go there." She turned to look at the other she-cat, emerald eyes burning into emerald eyes. Personally, Aleen didn't care where they went, so long as she could keep Moonriver from taking full charge of the situation. She searched the blue-pelted cat's eyes, finding mostly eagerness. She didn't know what she was getting into, did she? Of course, she hadn't seen Aleen and Moonriver arguing, so how could she know? Aleen flicked her tail semi-impatiently as she watched Mintsong, waiting for an answer. If she agreed, this would be an interesting hunt.