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Post by Fernpaw on Mar 22, 2006 13:02:47 GMT -5
Firen was running ahead of Flintpelt, zig-zagging under branches and leaping over logs. She loved to run! Her tail streamed out behind her like a banner, her paws pounding the ground in a timeless rhythm. Her eyes flashed in delight as her ears were pressed flat against her skull from the wind that rushed over her head.
Firen realized that she was nearly Sunningrocks and skidded to a halt at the base of a large boulder. She stood panting, eyes glowing, cheeks flushed (well, at least, they would've been if she were human!) from the run. She waited for Flintpelt to join her.
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Post by Spiderbreath||Soul on Mar 22, 2006 13:41:24 GMT -5
The striped tom came tearing out of the trees, legs stretched to their full extent, claws unsheathed for a better grip on the murky, water-logged earth. His tail stood straight out behind him, steering his tense body in sharp turns. A wild, joyful look filled his shining, miscolored eyes, and he skidded to a stop right beside Firen, claws gouging thin and jagged lacerations in the wet dirt.
Immediately alert for the scent of prey, but taking the time to flash a good-natured grin at his panting friend, Flintpelt sniffed the air cautiously. The smells of freshly-fallen rain was heavy, as well as the heady scent of new-leaf flowers, intermixed with the musky fragrance of prey: mice, voles and squirrels in abundance.
A sound caught his immediate attention, and ebon ears flicked in its direction. A faint rustling of long-dead leaves, the quick heartbeat of a small creature, and that musky smell again.
Prey.
He glanced over in Firen's direction, checking if she had yet noticed the creature hiding in the Sunning Rocks, and, just in case, he motioned towards the tip of the boulder she was standing by, sending silent signals with his eyes.
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Post by Fernpaw on Mar 22, 2006 13:51:56 GMT -5
Firen looked up, swiveling her ears to pinpoint the soft sound of scuffling her sharp ears had picked up. She looked toward Flintpelt, ready to warn him when she saw that he was telling her the same thing. She smiled in spite of herself. I have great ears and he has a great nose. What a pair we'd make! she thought, and then grew warm from thinking of it. She averted her eyes and crept cautiously up the sun-warmed boulder. She beckoned to Flintpelt with her tail. Firen looked back at him, waiting for him to join her.
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Post by Spiderbreath||Soul on Mar 22, 2006 14:18:34 GMT -5
As he saw that she, too, had pinpointed the prey's hiding place, or even home, he gave her a nod, acknowledging the signal she had given to him for him to follow. Paws making nary a sound on the slippery, moist stones, nose cautiously sniffing the air again and again, he crawled towards her quietly, belly close to the ground in a hunting crouch. He gave her another nod, as if to tell her to get ready, as the scuffling sound came again, louder.
A vole, without a doubt. Mouse would be too big for that.
He gave a twitch of his whiskers to agree with himself, ebony muzzle quivering in pent-up excitement. He hadn't hunted in a while, and the breathless adrenaline of it all nearly got to his head. He took a deep breath to calm his shaking muscles, an his eyes darted back to the place they had been resting on before.
Then he saw it. The vole. Startled by the sudden noise of a breathing feline, it had scampered out of its hole for a closer look. Big mistake. I wonder why prey are so stupid as to walk right into danger, he thought to himself, absently regarding the small morsel before remembering that he was supposed to hunt it. He immediately let his muscles spring loose, and streaked towards the prey, which had let a dry squeak of pure terror escape its throat before trying to scuttle off.
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Post by Fernpaw on Mar 22, 2006 14:25:14 GMT -5
Firen's powerful hindquarters hurled her forward, just a inch behind her friend. The vole gave a squeak of terror as it saw the two cats closing in on it and trundled off as fast as it's small legs could carry it. Firen soon outdistance Flintpelt, the speed of the chase pounding in her veins. Her whole heart was in the chase. She felt as if LionClan and TigerClan were running beside her, powerful claws outstretched to kill the vole. Firen put on one last burst of speed, kicking up leaves and dirt as she saw the vole's burrow appraoching. With one powerful leap, she soared into the air and landed---with a sickening crack---on the vole. She looked back toward Flintpelt and stepped gingerly off of the prey. She had broken it's spine when she had landed, but she had not squished it. That was good.
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Post by Spiderbreath||Soul on Mar 22, 2006 14:42:49 GMT -5
Unable to stop himself, and going too quickly to veer off his path, the striped tom barreled into Firen, thankfully missing the dead vole. Now sprawled out on his stomach, eyes a bit misted from the breath-taking blow, he sneezed forcefully twice as dust settled in his nostrils. Turning his now-aching head slightly to look at Firen, he gave her a painful grin, hoping she would forgive this second stupid mistake. What a clumsy tail he was.
"Ouch," he mumbled, heaving himself to his weak legs. "Sorry 'bout that. Couldn't stop. Ouch...again."
He winced as arrows of pain shot up his spine, and stumbled before regaining his stability. He finally fell to the ground once more, muscles creaming in agony too much for him to move. He gave another apologetic glance to his friend, or at least what he hoped she still was. With a mistake like that, many a cat would have stalked off angrily. With a faint sigh of disapproval for himself and his stupid clumsiness, he shifted his position to lay on his side, both eyes, red and green, wide open and staring mournfully at the she-cat he had felt so much towards. If only, if only...hahaha. As if she would stay with him. What a dope. What a mouse-brained fool. What the others said were true. He was a dimwit.
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Post by Fernpaw on Mar 23, 2006 8:51:11 GMT -5
Firen was bowled over and sent tumbling into the brush by Flintpelt. She blinked in surprise, then she smiled. Her smile quickly disappeared, however, and was replaced by worry as she saw Flintpelt writhe on the ground in agony. The gorgeous she-cat got to her feet and took a step forward. Her left front paw couldn't support her weight, it felt like a dagger of pain slicing through her tendons, muscles and bones. Firen stumbled, lurched to her feet, and limped heavily over to the tom. "Are you okay?" she asked, then looked down in embarassment. What a stupid question. As if she didn't know the answer to that already!
She limped over to Flintpelt's side and pressed her pelt against his. For an instant, a slight tingle rushed along her spine, but then it was gone. Firen shook her head, telling herself to stop acting like an idiot. Out loud she said, "Lean on me, and try to get up again. Can you do it?"
((Lol. I've just noticed something. All our cats seem to fall in love after they've had a run together and are hurt. Hee hee.))
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Post by Spiderbreath||Soul on Mar 23, 2006 10:46:28 GMT -5
((xD That's true. Funkeh, eh?))
Relief flooded his mind as he saw that Firen was not angry as he had thought, but actually quite worried. He noticed that she, too, was hurt, limping heavily from her left forepaw. He winced again as he tried to edge to the side, and attempted a tight smile as the she-cat asked an obvious question. It was funny, some of the things you say when you don't know what else to actually do.
A rush of warmth spread up his back and into his head at the touch of her fur, and his skin would have turned crimson if it wasn't covered with thick, concealing hair. He hesitated, knowing that she was in as much pain as he was at the moment, and finally proposed his own idea in a slightly breathless voice that wheezed in his throat.
"How about we lean on each other? It would lessen the pressure on your paw, anyway," he continued, nudging his head toward her limp. He still ached from his heavy and sudden fall, but he didn't want Firen to hurt herself even more just because of him. Cautiously, he tried pulling himself to his feet again, muscles twitching with effort. It wasn't that he was too heavy for himself, no. Just that his lungs felt ready to burst, and his legs seemed to be ripped apart from toe to shoulder. I just hope I won't fall again, he thought to himself, wincing again at the memory of the pain.
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Post by Fernpaw on Mar 23, 2006 10:59:58 GMT -5
Firen attempted a laugh. "No, you are hurt, I think I just sprained it." She flexed her paw and winced as the searing pain tore through her. She gritted her teeth and braced her shoulder, "Come on," she encouraged. "It won't be that bad." She looked at him, and for a minute, her heart pounded furiously as she thought of how close they were. Firen shook her head and thought crossly, It's not as if I'm in love with him. But then the obsinate part added, Or that he'd ever look twice at you if you were. Firen turned golden orbs to the tom and asked, "Are you ready?"
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Post by Spiderbreath||Soul on Mar 23, 2006 11:12:16 GMT -5
"As much as I'll ever by, I suppose," he answered, trying desperately to keep his wobbly balance. His knees shivered as if in cold, making him take stumbling steps back and forth. He would've been quite comical if his face hadn't been contorted in such a convincing rictus of pure pain.
As he began to fall again, his heart quickened, fearing the moment he would touch down. He was sure he'd broken a rib or something in his first fall. It had hurt him so much, he'd seen a misty veil come over his eyes. But he regained his feet once again, knees still shaking fiercely.
"But are you sure you'll be okay? I mean, sure you won't be entirely alright, that's quite obvious, but I mean..."
He didn't really know what to say. He was nervous, to say the truth. Nervous about being so close to a she-cat, and especially a she-cat he felt something different than impassiveness or hate towards. A wave of pleasure crashed through his body at the thought of being so near Firen, but he didn't know why. He'd never experienced it before, that whoozy, vertiginous feeling in his mind and belly.
Finally coming back to the present, he noticed that he was leaning forwards more and more. His legs were feeling like jelly by that time, and he was trembling even more.
"Ready?" he asked, hesitating still.
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Post by Fernpaw on Mar 24, 2006 11:30:19 GMT -5
Firen nodded, squaring her shoulders and shaking off the pain like drops of water on a duck's back. She gritted her teeth and took a lurching step forward. Her eyes glazed over as she took a mistimed step and stumbled over a fallen branch. A cold dagger of agony seared through her veins. The she-cat took a gasping breath and calmed her breathing. Whatever pain she was in, Flintpelt was going through much worse. She mewed, "Flintpelt! The whole point of this is for you to not put any pressure on your wounds, wherever they are. Now, lean on me!" She couldn't feel the tom's weight at all, he was simply staggering beside her. She bumped him, regardless of his agony, "Come on!" she hissed.
((Lol. Wouldn't it be funny if they got attacked by a fox or something like in our last thread with Dragon and Spidey, and then Firen gets hurt protecting Flintpelt, and then they discover their true feelings for each other, and then they still have to make it back home? *sighs* I'm such a schemer.))
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Post by Spiderbreath||Soul on Mar 24, 2006 12:24:20 GMT -5
((xD Yish, you are. But that would be cruel, putting them up against a fox when Firen has a sprained paw, Flintpelt probably has broken ribs, aching legs and lots of screaming muscles, and they haven't even eaten xD Come on, don't make your kitteh unhappy...though I wouldn't mind xP I lurve fighting scenes, especially when the chars are wounded before-hand.))
Flintpelt, obeying the she-cat silently, pressed his shoulder against hers to steady himself. But he still held back, not wanting to hurt Firen with her paw. He didn't like getting hissed at by her, but he had no choice if he didn't want her to go down under her weight. If she insisted, he'd just wait there for her. She was in too much pain for him to torture her so.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," he mumbled dejectedly, cringing at her harsh words. He just hoped she wouldn't get too annoyed at him. He'd already messed up most of the day, and would continue to do so until he was asleep. The rare days he did anything good was when he hunted all the time, but he couldn't now. now with his ribs practically ripped apart.
As he set another silver foot down to keep walking, a grimace of agony twitched on his ebony maw when an arrow of white-hot agony shot up his leg. However, he kept going, wanting to get back to camp as quickly as possible so that both he and Firen could get healed, or at least go and sleep if they did not have any severe wounds. He'd listened to the elders a lot, unlike some kits, and knew what to do in most cases of bad cuts or pains. Rest was the best for now, until he found a plant that could lower the pain. He'd memorized some, but not enough to be a medicine cat.
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Post by Fernpaw on Mar 25, 2006 18:19:10 GMT -5
((Yes, I do too. But, Firen can protect Flintpelt, it could be a small juvenile fox. One just out of the nest. And Firen gets so mad she doesn't realize her paw is still killing her, that's what happens to her in battle. She gets a battle rage and doesn't feel anything till after she calms down. So, want to?))
Firen grimaced, "Mouse-brain!" she hissed. She swallowed a yowl as she put too much weight on her paw. She jerked it back into the air, hopping on three paws for a second. "The whole point of this is to help you make it to camp, alive. I just have a sprain, who knows what you have. Probably broke a rib or something. Why can't you obey me, just this once? Lean on me, now!" When Firen's tone got like that, every cat in the Clan had learned to get out of her way. Her tail lashed in fury as she mumbled a curse underneath her breath. She took a few steps, forgetting the pain in her anger at the tom. She turned to look at him and sighed, the anger that had filled her leaving her, "Sorry. It's just . . . why don't you want me to help you?" The concern and hurt brimmed in her eyes as she looked at the tom, "I want to help? Why won't you let me? I thought . . . I thought . . . I thought we were friends. Friends help each other. Please let me help you."
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Post by Spiderbreath||Soul on Mar 26, 2006 14:14:12 GMT -5
((Hmmm...yeh xD Bring it on, foxeh!))
Flintpelt's heart seemed to skip a beat as the sound of the word 'friend' left Firen's maw. She really though he was her friend? Well, he was. But he'd wondered if she wanted him to be. It did seem so. He felt himself grow lighter, and the pain in his paw disappeared for a few precious seconds as a faint smile crept up his lips. Friend.
But of course, dreams only last so long. He winced as the agony came screeching back into his mind, but let himself lean more on Firen's shoulder. If she desired him to really get all his weight off his own legs and not hurt himself, then he'd do so. He felt that if she asked him to jump off a cliff, he'd do it. Just for the heck of it.
"You can help," he mewed, turning to smile at her. If felt good to talk, even if his ribs were crushing his lungs. He couldn't help that. He'd have to stop breathing. And that was worse than just letting the pain in his chest lessen to a dull throb as he walked on, muscles twitching in an effort to keep going.
His ebony ears flicked to the side as a sound reached them. In the bushes, another rustle shook the leaves. He didn't know what it was yet; the wind wasn't coming in his direction. All he knew was that it was bigger than a squirrel or a mouse, its bulky shape cutting a clear shadow inside the leaves of the brush. His heart beat quicker, but not of an emotion he had not experienced before. This one he knew well.
Fear.
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Post by Fernpaw on Mar 27, 2006 8:54:47 GMT -5
Firen stopped and swiveled her ears to pinpoint the sound. She hissed, "Oh, no," she recognized that shape slinking towards them.
Fox.
The she-cat knew it must've smelled the scent of agony on the two cats, and it was coming closer for a meal. Firen looked around, she knew Flintpelt didn't stand a chance against the animal, and for some reason, the thought of losing him made her heart thump painfully in her chest.
The muscular she-cat caught sight of a small den. She leaped towards it, forgetting her paw in her rush to protect the tom. She sniffed the opening. Rabbit's den. No matter, Flintpelt could hide in it for the time being at least.
Firen hissed, "Flintpelt! Get in here!"
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