He's here... I know it. ((Aleen! Please come!))

[Flintpelt [Spideh]]

The cat was on the prowl.
For the first time in moons, no fear filled Spiderbreath's mind. Only sweet, sweet exhilaration, and the excitement pounding through her very veins. Her heart beat against her chest like a booming drum, slowing or quickening her running pace, acting as a rythme to her movements. Crimson paw hit the earth at each beat, sending her shooting forwards with unusual strength for such a skinny, deprived cat. Earthy brown ears were pressed low against the back of her skull to not get in her way. Vermilion-tipped tail lashed nervously in the chilly air, flying out behind her like a thin, mangy banner. Brown-streaked pelt glistened in the light of the full sun, fur rippling over her stream-lined muscles like water over rocks. Cranium was thrust forwards to increase her speed, and maw was slightly open to let scents slip between her jaws and land on her tongue. Tasting the aroma of thick mud, rotting plants and many animals hiding in fear, she was able to make out another smell, lighter, but not too stale.
Hazelblaze. That tom. She was on the right track.
Where is he? I need to find him, and see. He's here... I know it. And he's up to something. I know he wants to kill me. Yes, he does. And he's going to talk to his employer. I know that, too, for sure.
At her thoughts, no fear creeped through her brain. She was perfectly clean for the first time in moons, in seasons, and wasn't even aware of it. She would turn back into the fearing, inhibited creature she had always been before, but her actions would be different, and she might even be more talkative.
But for now, all that was on her mind was the thought that the male wanted her gone.

Golden gaze swept over the cramped insides of the Carrion place, noting the rotting remains of prey and the abundance of scent in the area, just like any trained warrior would. She glanced at a pile of moldy rubbish, decided to hide there for the time being and dived under the trash, the only visible thing about her being two golden orbs peeking out from beneath the gigantic mound of garbage. She would wait. Wait as long as she needed to.

[Aleen]

A fire was burning. Not one of physical form, but one inside the brown tabby warrior that hadn't been kindled since the day he had earned his warrior name. Since the day he fought his father. A strange anger was fueling it, and it made the tom feel uncomfortable. Yes, he was angry with himself for letting the she-cat go. She was going to get herself killed if she wasn't careful and then it would be his fault for urging her to leave camp. The death of a Clanmate was the last thing he wanted on his paws, but on the other hand could he deal with this rage toward himself? Suddenly feeling very lost, Hazleblaze bounded toward Carrion Place, his only goal to find Spiderbreath before something else did.

Familiar, and somewhat unpleasant smells of Carrion Place filled the Siberian's slightly ajar mouth, though there was no sign of the multi-colored female. Where was she? Worry began to fill him. What if she didn't come here and was somewhere else on ShadowClan territory, her fears driving her ever closer to her death. There was so many possibilities, the tom suddenly realized bitterly. He turned to leave foul-smelling place, then stopped. There it was, faint, but still existent. Spiderbreath was near. He crouched down, hoping to avoid her golden gaze and the chance that she might run again. Slowly, he inched his way forward, the she-cat's scent growing steadily stronger, and then it was gone, replaced by the strong smell of garbage and rotting vegetation. Frustration filled him, more than before, both from how close he had been and for letting himself have false hope.

Mousebrained, mousebrained, mousebrained! Hazleblaze thought angrily. That's what you are! Mousebrained! Turning again to leave, more than ready to leave the smell of garbage behind, he stopped abruptly. He hadn't lost the scent! It was still there, hiding amid the rubbish smell. He walked around the trash heap, immediately seeing the brilliantly colored warrior. "Thank StarClan," he muttered before bounding up. "Spiderbreath!"

[Flintpelt [Spideh]]

As Hazelblaze entered the Carrion Place, Spiderbreath's muscles instantly tensed in apprehension. Pupils veered to slits, hackles raised like a menacing wall, and the she-cat desperately controled the ascending envy of hissing fearfully at the tom. Crimson paws shifted slightly, the raised fur on her ankles rubbing uncomfortably against her chest. Tail was pinned down by the weight of the rubbish behind her, and there was no way she could lash it to release her growing terror. Caught under a pile of stinking trash... what a stupid idea it had been. She would be much more easily found and killed this way. As panic bloomed in her mind like a flower in spring, her heart beat faster and faster against her ribcage, but not of excitement. Fear, pure fear was what now powered her movements. Her breathing, usually already quite slow and ragged, became agitated as she struggled to delve deeper into the pile, rasping in her throat like a whole mouse going down the wrong way.
The action must have caused her smell, trapped under the stench of the garbage, to escape and invade the room, for the tom seemed to catch something on the air and follow it to her pile. Then a frustrated look came over his face, and he turned away, as if he would leave.
It must be a trick, he wants me to come out, and then he'll catch me. Well, I won't fall for it. I'll stay here, and not move.
Her determined thoughts were awry. She didn't see all the problems that staying could bring up, mainly because of the fear now pumping through her entire body.

And then the tom turned again, walking to her hiding place.
Nonononononono! He couldn't have seen me. He couldn't have... Noooo...
She shuffled backwards, but not quickly enough. The warrior came around the corner, muttering something before calling her name out.
What do I do, what do I do, what do I do? If I don't say anything, he'll know I'm on to him. I've got to get an excuse. Excuse... excuse...
Her mind whirled with possibilities, but she was snae enough to see their faults. Becoming desperate, mouth opening and closing as if she was searching for an answer, she picked one at random and shouted out the tom's name in turn.
"Hazelblaze! Where did you go? I was.. was looking, and.. and I didn't find you, and... and, uh... stupid rubbish," she continued, giving the pile a hefty kick for emphasis. Golden gaze glanced over at the tom, searching his face to see if he was gullible enough to believe her stories.

[Aleen]

The brown tabby's usually calm outward appearance had returned, revealing none of his inward confusion. He didn't believe Spiderbreath's story, nor did he understand why she had lied. What had he done?

"You could have asked another cat to come if you didn't want to hunt with just me.

His voice was friendly and so were his eyes. He needed to find out why she'd run off and then lied without arousing her suspicions. Hazleblaze looked straight into the female warrior's golden optics, searching for an explanation. There was none as far as he could see. She didn't appear afraid of him or hateful toward him. What was it? Would he once again have to prove his loyalty? It seemed like every time he had proved himself to one cat another was waiting to take its place. Would it ever end? His thoughts still in turmoil, the Siberian searched deeper into her eyes. After a moment, he realized what he was doing and looked away, embarrassment filling him.

"Erm, do you still want to hunt?"

The tom didn't dare meet the she-cat's eyes after staring so intently at her. Once again he'd forgotten the affect that could have on a cat, and he didn't want to make her feel inferior to him. All his Clanmates deserved respect as equals. Even Rapidstar was considered an equal in his eyes, though he had never voiced that opinion before, certain that his loyalty would be challenged yet again. He gave his whiskers a quick grooming to help him avoid eye contact.

[Flintpelt [Spideh]]

As the statement pronounced by the tom echoed in her crimson-tipped ears, she turned around and bit her lip hard, drawing blood. She knew the lies wouldn't work. He probably suspected her now, she knew it. Yes, yes he did. And he would do anything to get answers. The amber she-cat shivered at this thought, hackles raising slightly higher than they usually did when she was with a cat. Anything.
Closing her eyes for a moment so she could see nothing but darkness, releasing her hold on her lower lip and tasting the blood that trickled down her chin, she took a deep breath to calm herself down and clear her muddled mind. She had found, long ago, that this was an effective way to get rid of her fear for a few precious moments, and tried to use it as much as she could so that she would not keep doing mistakes like she always did when in complete and utter terror. Her mind worked more slowly, carefully looking at the situation.
All right. I've got to do something to lower his suspicion. And the only way to do that is to hunt with him.
She would've grimaced at the thought, but her self-induced state prevented it.
And so I will.
Opening golden orbs again, she glanced at Hazelblaze from over her shoulder. Slightly disturbed by the penetrating gaze he was excercising on her, she looked away, tail twitching nervously. How could she hunt with him? He... looked at her too much. She knw it was a pathetic excuse, but couldn't help it. With her mind growing clouded from fear again, she just couldn't think straight.
She felt the tom's gaze leave her skull, and then the question came, slightly hesitant. Sighing faintly, she resigned herself to the task, and muttered a short, quiet 'okay'. Turning around again, licking her bottom lip to make sure no more blood was running, and padded past the tom, mewing 'come on' as she kept on walking. Sure, she would hunt, but not with enthusiasm.

[Aleen]

Hazleblaze glanced up when he heard the she-cat answer, then realizing she was walking away, trotted up behind her. Spiderbreath was quite an interesting cat. There was no guessing what she might do or say next. It was like she was constantly battling with her fears, sometimes beating them before backing down and letting them take over. What was she so afraid of that she let it control her life? He paused for a moment, trying to figure it out. He shook his head and concentrated on the task they had set out to do: hunting for the Clan. He quickly caught the scent of a mouse and locked onto it, dropping into a hunter's crouch as he did so. As he slowly inched toward it, it's scent, which started off faint, growing stronger every moment. He bunched his muscles up, preparing to pounce. Then, in a flash of brown fur and the snap of teeth coming together, the young warrior had a mouse clamped in his jaws, He dropped it and scraped some dirt over it to be retrieved later. He paused to see how Spiderbreath was doing.

[Flintpelt [Spideh]]

The fearful she-cat had also scented prey on a slight breeze coming from the east. Raising moist black nose to the air, whiskers twitching as she tested the smell, making sure she was right, she crouched down towards the ground, chest held low in an expert pose. Her fears weren't completely useless. Being so inhibited, she often stayed near the ground, as if in a submissive attitude, and perfected her techniques to be able to move quickly but stay low at the same time. Legs moved in perfect unison, one reaching out as the other pushed back, claws gripping the ground with an ardent fervor. Tail swished along the ground, disturbing debris and dust in its wake. Golden eyes stared straight ahead, though crimson-tipped ears were pointed in another direction. Obviously, she was trying to make the prey think she did not know where it was, getting closer and closer without a sign of nervousness from whatever she had sensed.
Brown-streaked cranium turned suddenly, ears flat against back of skull, fangs bared in a ferocious grin. Caught in the wild intensity of the chase, she let loose her feelings, pushing her fear to the farthest corner of her mind. Claws already unsheathed, muscles uncoiling with surpring agility for the slow, tired she-cat she usually was, she leaped forwards, the alerted prey, now seen as a mouse, scuttling away as quickly as its short little legs could carry it. Hissing savagely, Spiderbreath sped after the tiny morsel, legs merely a blur as she ran on. In another bounding pounce, she landed upon the creature. And though she was half-starved, her state apparent by the emaciated look of her frame and the loose pelt on her clear bones, she crushed the mouse's spine under her weight. Lifting the limp body, she quietly padded to where Hazelblaze had buried his catch, dug a hole beside it, dropped the mouse and turned as soon as she had done so to leave, kicking dirt over the hole. There was to be no waiting coming from her.

[Aleen]

After a moment of watching his companion for a few seconds, the Siberian warrior again dropped into a crouch, ready to stalk another brainless ball of fur. Muscles rippling under his brown pelt, he again inched forward toward his prey. At a glance, any cat would think he was concentrating hard on the kill he was about to make, with his body low to the ground, his paw-steps light and silent, his head pointed in the direction of the mouse he was stalking. The cat who thought that, however, would be wrong, for his bright hazel optics were unfocused and slightly glazed over, showing that his mind was not on the hunt. It was, in fact, still thinking about Spiderbreath and her escape from camp. What reason did she have to not trust him? When had he acted in a way that might suggest he was untrustworthy? He couldn't remember asking a cat to hunt being a crime. His powerful back legs crouched down farther as he prepared to make the kill. Then, his haunches acting like springs, he leaped through the air toward the unsuspecting mouse. The kill never happened, however. Hazelblaze landed a couple paw steps away from the mouse, alerting it of his presence and scaring it away before he realized what had happened. When he realized what had happened, the brown warrior shook his head in frustration. He needed to talk to the she-cat about her actions right away, before he scared off all the prey in Carrion Place. After waiting for her to catch the critter she had been hunting, he approached the brightly colored she-cat.

"Why did you run away?"

His voice was more curious than demanding as the brown tom asked the question that had been gnawing at him.

[Flintpelt [Spideh]]

Spiderbreath jumped at the sound of his curious tones. She had not been praprared for a question, and especially not that one, though it was predictable that the tom would ask it. She stared at him confusedly at first, golden gaze a bit lost in thought, and then cleared her mind with a hefty shake of her skull. Blinking twice, she rested her light-hued oculars on his features, maw opened slightly for when she finally found out what to say. Her brain whirled with questions of her own, but he had asked his first, and so she was obliged to answer it. Gulping a wad of nothing, throat constricted in fear, her breath ragged and rough as ever, she uttered a few syllables of hesitation before finally getting into her narrative.

"Well, uh... I smelled prey, and, um... well... we were supposed to be hunting, so... I supposed it would be good to catch prey so early in our hunt, so... I went through the wall, and... umm... uh... well tried to catch it, but it ran away to the Carrion Place, so I went to get it, but couldn't really find it, and..."

She racked her mind for more ideas, averting her eyes from the tom's face, biting down on her lip as crimson paws shuffled uncomfortably on the earth. There had to be something she could say, even though her lies were quite obvious. She always stopped, halted, or couldn't finish a sentence when her words were not the absolute truth. Then, a memory of what she had said previously, though it hadn't really worked, sprang into her mind, and she quickly terminated her excuse, however lame it was.

"And then I decided to find you, since we'd said we'd find each other there, so finding you would... well, would be a good idea. Yeh, that's it," she muttered, nodding to herself silently. Then she removed her gaze from the male's eyes, those unnerving eyes of his with their insistant stare always locked on her pelt, as if she was some freak of nature only present for the wonder of cats all around her. She felt as if she was in a cage, trapped, and was being prodded by a two-leg kit's stick. Shuddering at the thought of a sharp branch poking at her earth-streaked fur, she dropped back instinctively into a hunting crouch, hoping to get away from her fear. But no prey would come. With all their talk, they had probably scared it all off.

[Aleen]

If Spiderbreath hadn't seemed so uncomfortable and serious, the brown tabby's first reaction would have been to laugh. She had such a kitlike appearance as she searched for the right words to create her obvious lie, a rare and amusing thing to see in a full grown warrior. As he eyed the crouching she-cat, he knew laughing would only make things worse. Though it took all the self-control he had in him, Hazelblaze managed a more polite reply.

"Well, if we ever go hunting again I'd appreciate it if you'd forewarn me before darting under the wall, okay? I like to keep close to my hunting companions in case anything happens. Plus I enjoy the company."

Though he'd managed to keep it from his voice, the young tom couldn't keep a speck of amusement, barely detectable, from shining in his bright hazel optics. Beside the tiny bit of amusement that had rested in his eyes sat a fleck of worry. What he'd said wasn't entirely true. With most of the cats he'd hunted with, he'd known for sure that if they truly needed help they would call for him. With Spiderbreath, on the other hand, there was no telling how she'd react when face to face with danger. She certainly had the ability to defend herself, but would she? The Siberian tabby began wishing he'd learned more about the peculiar she-cat before asking her to join him for a hunt. That one ordinary and quite routine request had been turned into quite an adventure, which had been the last thing Hazelblaze had expected. It had now left him to wonder and worry, Would Spiderbreath grow to trust him, or was he only making her suspicions grow?

Come on, so one cat doesn't like you. It doesn't mean the world will end!

What's the point of trying to serve my Clan if my Clan doesn't trust me?

Spiderbreath isn't the whole Clan!

True, but she is part of it. That counts.

You're the only cat worrying about it.

Realizing he was arguing with himself, Hazelblaze blinked a few times, trying to clear his mind. True, he was the only cat worrying about the she-cat's mistrust of him, but that's because he was the only cat who'd have to deal with it. Then again, there had to be more to it. Like, why did he feel a certain urge to protect Spiderbreath? She wasn't completely helpless. Maybe it was his longing for an apprentice shining through, or a desperate attempt to show he was worthy to protect his Clan, or perhaps the want for a true friend. Whatever it was, however, it wasn't helping the present situation. Hazelblaze turned his mind back to his surroundings, waiting to see if the she-cat had anything to say to him.

[Flintpelt [Spideh]]

"What company will I ever be?"

The phrase had seemed to leave the she-cat's mouth unheeded, as if she had thought of it, and absentmindedly spoken it out loud. Golden eyes were glazed over with a feeling close to sadness, but more similar to regret and resignation, as if she was giving up the fight against her constant fears. Crimson-tipped ears were drooping forwards like limp leaves, accentuating the blank look on her maw and the slumped position of her spine. A sigh, barely perceivable in the biting breath of the marsh winds, slipped through her fangs, betraying the immense hole in her heart, where all the things she had never experienced should be, and the feeling that she had been forgotten in the huge wideness of the world. Her, the craintive she-cat, always hiding, fearing, lieing, and never being able to escape the approaching insanity, crawling slowly out of the corners of her mind. Yes, she did believe she was going insane. The task she felt she had to do proved her thoughts. What use was she to this world? She was just a simple cat, as simple as any kit in the nursery, as simple as the prey in the forest. There was no point to her existence, and yet she lived on. She lived.
But can you truly call it living? a faint voice whispered inside her head. Hiding away, always staying far from the others. Is life only when you are not dead? Does it not have something more?
She got back onto her feet, body still held low in that submissive position which had grown into a habit as usual as waking up in the morning. The excitement of the hunt had left her, leaving simple fears, those constantly present fears that gnawed away at her mind, her heart. Leaving her, a she-cat a little less normal than the rest, broken, lost, and alone. So very much alone.
Her gaze, tarnished by the turmoil obscuring her mind, turned to rest upon the other tom. This time, she did not shy away as she would normally have done. Her mind was elsewhere, in a dark, secret world of her own, from which it would someday never come back. And so, the fear pushed away for the moment, she stared at Hazelblaze, and the hint of a smile stirred the corners of her mouth. A faint, muttered phrase escaped her lips, ragged voice blown away by a sudden gust of wind.
"Will you save me from the darkness?"
It seemed to be a simple question, a test in her eyes. Wind blowing through her streaked fur, shoving it this way and that in a messy array or amber, brown and yellow, she turned round on herself, looking out through an opening in the wall of the Carrion Place to the flat land beyond, gaze lost in shadowed thoughts, haunting her since long ago.
Will you save me from the darkness?
It was a simple question of yes... or no.

[Aleen]

For a moment or two, Hazelblaze watched the she-cat in silence. She seemed so sad, so lost, like he had when as a kit he had been asked to join his father. A pang of regret shot through him at the reminder of the old rogue. True, he wasn't right in mind when he had tried to turn ShadowClan against his son, but the young tom wished that there could have been another answer other than death. Yes, it had proved himself loyal to the Clan, but the only reason he ever wished to prove his allegiances really lie in ShadowClan was so he could serve it to the best of his abilities. Was killing other cats really serving his Clan? That was the question that always laid in the back of his mind, taunting him. Though he had only killed one cat, it didn't mean he wouldn't kill more until he became a blood thirsty killer. No cat deserved to live in that kind of fear, scared of what might happen in the future, how an innocent life might be taken because of you or your own death might arrive the next day. For at least a few seconds, Hazelblaze knew how Spiderbreath felt, why she hid away from the rest of the world, from other cats, only considering herself alive because death had not yet come. At that moment of realization, the young warrior knew that he needed to help her to live, to find herself among all the fears that clouded her mind, pushing her toward insanity. As he walked up beside her, brown tail touching her lightly on the shoulder, he took a deep breath as if he was about to leap across an abyss, only blackness below him and only a prayer to StarClan leading him to the other side. Helping Spiderbreath would probably be the hardest thing he'd ever have to do, harder than returning back to the Clan after being stolen away, harder than killing the cat who was his father. No matter how difficult it was, he knew it was something he needed to do. Not because she was his Clanmate and not because he felt he had to prove himself to her, but because no cat should live in the terror and apprehension that she did. Heartbeat quickening from the frightening leap he was about to take, away from a simple Clan life, Hazelblaze, that brown tabby tom who once felt that simply catching prey to add to the fresh-kill pile was the most he could ever do for the Clan he loved and lived in, gazed at the multi-colored she-cat beside him for another second, sincerity filling his eyes. It was time to start down this new path that StarClan had laid out for him.

"Yes, I will. If you'll let me."

Those seven words, seeming so simple alone, had signified the beginning of something bigger than the young warrior could have ever imagined. It was like he had faced the whole of StarClan and declared, "Yes, I accept." There was no going back now, and he knew it. It had begun.

[Flintpelt [Spideh]]

((This RP is getting interesting. xP))

Spiderbreath did not move an inch as the tom approached, golden orbs fixed upon the horizon, that faint little smile telling of hidden fears, lost fights and pure desperation to escape it all still there on her face, looking ready to fall at a moment's notice. She even seemed to relax slightly, stand up straighter than she had before at the soft touch of his tail on her shoulder, and her breathing became softer as she continued to wait. It was as if, in the silence that followed her strange, unusual question, coming from a strange and unusual cat, she was able to push the terror she felt at every moment of her life even farther, and farther still, until its grasp upon her mind and heart slowly disappeared. She could feel its lithe, gripping fingers slipping, sliding away from her thoughts, ready to come flying back as soon as the wrong word was said. And she kept still, still and quiet, not uttering a word until Hazelblaze had given his answer.
Another gust of wind blew across the brown-streaked she-cat's coat, sifting through her thick fur with digits cold as ice. It was as if this hard breeze was helping with the destruction of her fear, pulling it away in its current. Spiderbreath knew it was becoming harder and harder for the fear to stay, but it was still there, present while the silence reigned.
And finally the answer came.
The smile on the she-cat's features widened when she felt the dark smog of fear lose its grip, and tumble down into the dark abyss of her memories. It would arise back someday, she was sure of that - as it always did in the face of danger for so many cats - but not as strongly, not as terrifying. It had been weakened by a feeling all cats learn sooner or later, a feeling that keeps them alive as long as the fear stays away, and desperation does not kick in.
Hope.
Hope had destroyed the darkness.
And hope had been powered by that tom who she had so feared a moment before. A tom who's name was Hazelblaze.
Finally moving, she turned to him, golden gaze brightened by the fact that at least one hole in her miserable, shrivelled heart had been filled. The smile now on her face was not one of happiness, no; she would not experience that yet. But hope was there. Hope, and something else quite unexpected for a cat once fearing everything like her. A little something that would do a world of difference for her in the future.

"I... thank you," she mewed, her voice strangely soft compared to the harsh, grating tones she had used once. The fear of dieing before, coupled with the disease she had once endured and survived, had caused all her problems. And finally, finally, she was aware that her task was important, just like the task of all living creatures in the lands of the forest. Prey were here to be hunted, predators were here to hunt. But maybe, as she thought in the deep confines of her heart, that was not truly what she was here for. Maybe there was something she was yet to discover. And she knew, she knew very well, that that something was in reach now.

[Aleen]

((Yes, quite interesting. Our cats are changing.... XD ))

Amber optics locked with golden ones for a few moments, a question passing between them. "What's going to happen next?" Hazelblaze seemed to inquire, though not a word was uttered. Not that it truly mattered, at least to the brown-pelted warrior, so long as he was helping Spiderbreath live the life she deserved, free from the constant fear she once harbored. She had her own path to find and follow, her own purpose in life, as did every cat, or at least, that's what the young tom believed. Deep down, it really didn't matter what lie ahead for Hazelblaze, so long as he was helping to "save her from the darkness", to put it in her own words. Give her hope. At this point, that was something it seemed only he could do. The moment finally passed, Hazelblaze looked away, his mind turned back to present matters instead of what the future might hold. They had probably scared all the prey off with their talking.

"Do you want to head back or hunt some more? We'll probably need to go somewhere else to hunt some more."

It seemed like days had passed since he had first asked Spiderbreath to join him on a hunt, though he knew it hadn't been nearly that long. So much had happened since then.... Maybe it's better to head back to camp he thought, though he said nothing out loud about it.

[Flintpelt [Spideh]]

((Uh-huh. But, of course, I'm happeh xP Spideh wouldn't have gone very far if she had stayed the same. It seems that her path is similar to that of Spiderthorn, her grandmother.))

As the question passed between the two felines, Spiderbreath let a loose thought flutter through her head, though it was blown away just as the fear had been before. I don't know. That was what she would have thought before. But now she thought differently. There had been a time when she had seen the world as doing its best to crush her, pound her into the dust. No one had wanted to help her. And she had wanted no help. But there is always one day where someone will need that aid. Always.
Leaders need their Deputies, their warriors. Loners come together once in a while. Rogues often made groups. All cats had something to depend upon for their survival, their joy, their happiness. Spiderbreath had not known what she could lean on in times of crisis. But now, now, she was sure she had her answer.
Then the question came to her ears, and she pondered it for a second, weighing the good side against the bad. The prey was probably gone, and the effort it had taken her to control her fear and ask for help was quite phenomenal compared to anything she had ever done. She felt tired, worn out... and happy. Especially happy. So, opting for the answer that she thought as best, she turned to face the tom, golden gaze soft and thankful.

"I'll take what you take."

She had never asked someone's opinion before. She felt a bit uncomfortable saying things like this, and squirmed a bit, but it was nothing compared to the nervousness always pounding through her body wherever she was. Comforted a bit by the thought that life seemed to be looking up, she chanced another glance at Hazelblaze, waiting for an answer, and terribly hoping he felt as she did. That they should go back. Go home.