Early Mornings (Fawn)

[|Hareflight|]

|Hareflight|
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As always it had been a cold night, the wind seemed to whip straight through the camp and batter the warriors while they slept. Hareflight's fur was not built for such things and he'd had to curl up particularly close to one of his she-cat friends. She didn't mind though, it gave them both warmth and what was wrong with curling up with one of your buddies for warmth? Absolutely nothing! Young Hareflight had just been greatful for the warmth and that his friend had been so kind. He almost felt bad about leaving the little huddle but something had caught his sleepy eyes. The form of a slender tabby she-cat... The only she-cat who ever held his heart for as many moons as she had. His stomach fluttered with butterflies and a dreamy look --one not brought on by sleepiness- came to his eyes. Oh... how beautiful she was. How she walked... such poise, such grace! Truly she was a goddess sent down from StarClan themselves! Not only was she beautiful but resourceful and intelligent too. She had to be to run a clan as well as she did and in such awful conditions! He didn't envy her one bit, but that just proved how touch she was for only a truly gifted cat could lead at such a terrible time.

Oh, how he wanted to leave the nest and speak with her just to hear her voice. What would he say though? He wasn't on the dawn patrol so he shouldn't even be up at this time... Perhaps he should just roll over and pretend to go back to sleep though he knew sleeping with the amount of butterflies in his stomach as he had would be difficult if not impossible but he would-- Oh no! Had she seen him? He could've sworn that the she-cat had glanced over his way. Did that mean he had to go out? But he didn't even know what to say! Quickly he looked away as if he were looking at another cat that had called him --which was a silly thing to do since he was the only one awake-- but as he looked away his eyes came into contact with Lakeheart's sleeping form. His butterflies were squashed by a gigantic stone of guilt that formed in the pit of his stomach. Well... If he had had any chance of sleeping before he certainly didn't now. In fact, he didn't even feel like sitting in this spot anymore... His guilt was too much. He had to move.

So, the warrior carefully eased his way out of the group of sleeping cats --careful not to disturb anyone-- and gave a languid stretch. A yawn escaped his maw as his eyes slitted then opened again, focusing on the pretty tabby she-cat. A smile started again on his face as he could feel the butterflies again though they were weaker as he still had Lakeheart's sleeping image in his mind. Doggedly trying to push it away he approached his clan leader with his odd walk-hop gait before taking a seat near her. "Good morning, sweetie. Out early aren't ya? Personally though, I can't blaim you. The wind's so strong here I could've sworn a pack of dogs was howlin' at me to wake up! Haha!" Pack of dogs howling? Was that the best he could come up with? Stupid stupid! That's what he was. He just hoped his lame little joke didn't offend the leader. What if she was sensitive about dogs? Oh dear... he should've just suffered in the warrior's den.

---

"I'm taaalking!"
I'm thiiiinking!
Check out my strut.


Words: 598
Muse: 6/10
Thoughts: ---
Tags: ✗ Rabbitstar ✗

[✗ Rabbitstar ✗]

The she cat awoke to the strong wind blowing into her den. She loved having all the room for herself, but on nights and mornings such as these, she wished she had the warmth of the medicine cat den. However, she no longer did, and it was a ritual that no cat sleep in the leader's den aside from the leader's mate. The tabby curled tighter to herself, her spiky, medium length fur never seemed to grow in the winter to keep her warm, and she froze half to death every night she curled up. For a moment, she laid there, trying as hard as she could to ignore the biting wind that blew into her den and go back to sleep. But, it was too late for that. Reluctantly, the Windclan leader shoved herself up to her paws, her tail unwrapping from her body, causing a quick shiver to rush through her, sticking up the fur on her spine. Now, she had dawn patrols to arrange. She wiggled her way through the warriors den, waking up cats as she went along and giving them quiet orders as though to not wake up the other sleeping cats. She knew how warm their dreams would be. Sometimes, she thought waking up was nothing but torture, but that was a selfish thought, and as the leader, she was not allowed to be selfish.

Once the patrols were groggily getting apprentices and setting out, she brought herself to her little ledge on the hill. It was slightly separated from the rest, giving her a boost above the other cats. It had been used in the clan of the wind for generations after generations, and now it was all hers. Her tongue ran over her lips and she laid down, watching the clan begin to stir from above. It seemed like forever before all the patrols were out, and she thought about going to hunt. But, Stormcloud had taken the dawn patrol out, and she couldn't leave the clan without watch. So, she would just have to wait for the morning hunting patrol to come back; and depending on what they could catch in this terrible weather, was a question of how many warriors were going to eat today aside from the kits, elders, and queens who always ate their share. Many had felt bad lately, as cats were skipping meals daily and taking turns on eating. It was a sick gesture, but it was a system that they would have to deal with until green-leaf. They were in no shape to fight over territory.

Finally, movement caught the corner of her eye. She recognized the figure as Hareflight, her very first apprentice. Her eyes lit up for a moment and she caught his gaze, her ears perking happily. But, he quickly turned away. The leaders head drooped and she followed his gaze to Lakeheart, his previous mate and the father of Ospreypaw and Brackenpaw. The small tabby tried to control her emotions. She was a leader after all, emotions such as love and affection shouldn't be able to influence her decision. And Lakeheart was her friend. She needed to grow up, that was her problem, right? She was too naive. But, the truth be told,  she had loved Hareflight ever since he was just a kit . She could remember clear as day as they would play in the nursery with his siblings. And it was even more of a joy when she was a warrior and he became her apprentice. He had turned out to be a wonderful, young warrior, and she admired the spirit that he carried. Still, he had chose Lakeheart as his mate back then, was she just not good enough for her? The tabby shook her head, her whiskers trembling as she jumped down from the ledge. She had to walk, get this out of her head. She needed to be able to focus on duties, not kit-crushes. 

However, before she had even been able to cross the clearing in the moor, a beautiful voice filled her ears, causing her to stop and turn around, green eyes lighting up. "Good morning, sweetie. Out early aren't ya? Personally though, I can't blaim you. The wind's so strong here I could've sworn a pack of dogs was howlin' at me to wake up! Haha!" The leader gave a small smile, her tail flicking slightly at the tip as she tried to control her emotions. "Morning, love." She purred, her voice sweet as silk and the song of the morning birds. Walking forward to get a little closer to the tom, she rubbed her tail over his shoulder before sitting down on her haunches. "Too cold to sleep. Hopefully the dogs can control themselves and wander somewhere else, I'm ready for green-leaf." She laughed lightly, her eyes shining as her tail wrapped around her paws. The dawn patrol returned not too long later and she gave Stormcloud a nod that told her she was able to go out. Now, she wanted to get some food. "Interested in a hunt to warm up your paws?" The tabby asked, already rising to her paws, her stance tall and her tail lifted up behind her. If he said yes, she turned quick, whacking her tail against his cheek before racing across the moorland at break neck speed. 

It had been a long time since the two of them had a good race, and she really needed it.

Tag: |Hareflight|

[|Hareflight|]

|Hareflight|
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Love? Did that mean she loved him!? No... He had to remind himself that it was just an expression. Just as he'd called her "sweetie" she was just calling him "love" to return the favor. He nearly sighed in defeat but managed to conceal his disappointment by a carefully crafted facade of smiles. After all it wasn't hard to smile after she touched his shoulder with her tail. It felt like a streak of burning flame had been left behind after that brief touch. And he loved it! He would've returned the favor but he sort of lacked the appendage to do so. A drawback of his large hind legs was he lacked the limb that most all cats had. A shame but what could you do?

"I understand that! Sweetie, I am so sick of freezing my tail off--er..." He turned his head and dramatically pretended to be shocked that the limb was missing. "See? It's gone! Now I have to go find it again! Only to freeze it off again tonight! What a bother!" His jokes sometimes annoyed others but as long as they made Rabbitstar laugh then he was happy. Besides, his stomach was in such knots it was all he could do to relieve his inner tension by telling his jokes. Anyway, trying to lighten the mood never hurt. The alternative was to lie down and be depressed about the awful leaf-bare which he would rather die than do. Being a depressed stick-in-the-mud was just so not his thing.

For a moment he was just content to sit and look at the she-cat before him, the dreamy looking possibly coming to his eyes again. He didn't even notice when the dawn patrol came back to camp and if it hadn't been for Rabbitstar speaking and breaking him out of his trance he probably would have just sat there. "Mmmm.. wha-- Oh oh! Yes! Of course! A hunt sounds absolutely divine!" He wasn't expecting what happened next. The leader turned swiftly --she always was so agile-- and tagged her tail against his cheek.

Hareflight blinked in surprise for just a second then he recovered himself and took off after her. If there was one cat that could keep up with him it was her! He'd always found that other regular-legged cats were always a tad bit slower but not she. He actually had to try and keep up with her or she would leave him behind. He supposed why they both had such swift animals as names. They were the only two cats that had a hope of keeping up with a rabbit or a hare to catch.

He raced after at his own fast speed, powerful hind legs pushing him easily across the frozen grass to catch her up. He came abreast of the she-cat and gave a roguish wink. "Darling, I'm afraid you'll have to do better than that!" He said teasingly as he pushed himself even harder trying pull himself ahead of the she-cat. He loved being able to run at his full speed with her. He remembered when he was an apprentice that they'd just run across the moor sometimes, trying to see who was the fastest. Sometimes he won and sometimes she did. It was always a mystery on who would come out on top.

---

"What's there to talk about?"
What shall I mull over?
I suppose I'll take a walk.

Words: 553
Muse:  6/10
Thoughts: ---
Tags: ✗ Rabbitstar ✗

[✗ Rabbitstar ✗]

The small tabby was ready to buckle over herself when Hareflight began to panic. "Oh no!" She wailed, bouncing back up to her paws and allowing her fur to spike up - which wasn't hard in the cold - as though she was obviously distressed. She whirled around the tom, her tail inches away from hitting his flank. Finally, she came to where his tail - or what was left - was. She reached a curious paw up and patted at it, as though a curious kit who had just found the worlds strangest prey. "Goodness, we need to find it before you lose the rest!" She cried, before bopping his cheek and running off.  And just like that, the two of them were flying through the forest. Rabbitstar had gotten the head start, but it wasn't long before the tom was biting at her heels. She pushed herself hard - the only kind of pushing she needed to do in an actual hunt. No other cat in the clan could compete with her, at least, not like Hareflight could.

Soon, they were at break neck speed, her fur flying back and her pale green eyes squinting against the bitter wind as they moved. "Darling, I'm afraid you'll have to do better than that!" He taunted and the tabby looked over him, a clever smirk twisted onto her face. The kind of face that every cat in the clan knew meant that Rabbitstar had been plotting a scheme and she was up to something not-so-leader-like. Pulling all her speed, the she cat sped up, now turning into the few trees that bordered their territory. Her goal was to weave quick enough to lose Hareflight - if only for a moment. When she thought she was out of his sight, she would leap up, her claws snatching onto one of the bare trees and almost like the speed of light, she whirled around, using her dark coat to blend into the tree trunk itself. Sure, it was more of a Thunderclan technique, but hey, in the game of the rabbit? You can't count anything out.

If she succeeded in losing him, she waited patiently, her tail stretched so that it too, blended. Her green eyes peered through the forest, waiting for the tom to slow down and start looking for her once he realized she was gone. Only when he was in leaping distance did she jump off. Her strong legs pushed from the tree and she let out a high battle cry, aiming her paws - with claws sheathed - to land directly on the tom cat's back and knock him over. If she managed to knock him over, she would stand on top of him, a snow white paw on his chest to hold him down and her head held high as though she had just killed the leader of Tigerclan. "Didn't anyone tell you never to challenge the cat that taught you all your tricks?" She purred, her voice high and taunting. The tabby let out a light laugh, giving Hareflight a few licks on his head and ears before bouncing off and allowing him to his paws. "Now," She arched her back in a stretch, unsheathing her claws and knitting them into the ground to warm them up. "Let's get hunting." Another small laugh and she picked up into a small lope, heading back to the moorland where the rabbits were usually so plentiful.

Tag: |Hareflight|

[|Hareflight|]

|Hareflight|
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That's was one of the many things he loved about her, her lovely sense of humor! Even though she was a leader she still betrayed a sense of playfulness that many cats lacked in these hard times. It was refreshing to be with a cat that loved jokes and shenanigans just as much as he did. She was just so fun! Speaking of fun... there was nothing like racing against a cat that was every bit as fast as you! For a while they ran neck and neck but because of his goading the she-cat came up with a clever plan. Out of the corner of his eye he could see her plotting-face, one that he'd grown to known all-too-well when he was in training. Oh dear... What had he just brought on himself?

He thought the female was just going to keep on straight but she turned towards the few trees of WindClan. Not wanting to be left behind Hareflight followed, pushing as hard as he could to keep up. The male was right with her... up until she entered the treeline. Hareflight might have been fast but he wasn't agile. The tomcat was an excellent sprinter and able to reach fantastic speeds... but that was only when going in a straight line, bring a few sharp turns into the mix and his speed faltered. Such was the case now. He barreled into the treeline just as quick as Rabbitstar had but unlike her he wasn't able to dodge around the trees as quickly due to his rear legs. They were good for building speed and making him run powerfully over the ground but they didn't allow for him to change directions well. So, he had two options: run head first into the nearest tree or slow down so as to dodge easier. He chose the latter but this cost him time and soon Rabbitstar began to pull away until he could no longer see her at all.

He kept running for a while but realized that something was wrong. The she-cat was fast but not that fast. Hareflight skidded to a stop, his claws digging into the earth to slow him now until he came to a complete stop. His ears twisted this way and that while his slate-gray eyes searched around him. "Rabbitstar? Rabbitst--Oof!" He didn't hear the battle-cry until it was too late and she was already on him. With his slim frame he was unable to throw her off, plus her momentum easily carried him off of his paws. The clan leader was above him now with a small paw on his chest.

Hareflight gave a laugh before saying, "Alright alright, you win! I should never have challenged my skilled mentor and clan leader. Who's tree climbing skills rival even those of ThunderClan!" He gave another laugh and purr when she licked him before getting up when the she-cat allowed him to. Disdainfully he looked back at his fur and noticed some dirt and debris sticking too it. Not one to leave his pelt in a "mess" he swiftly began to clean off the offending material. "Sure thing, boss." He said in a lighthearted voice, following easily behind her.

Upon reaching the moorland Hareflight took a few paces away and began to scent the air, opening his mouth slightly to better taste it. There was various scents but the one scent that was most important seemed to be lacking. He gave a small shake of his head to let Rabbitstar know that he hadn't scented anything before he tilted an ear in another direction, letting her know that he planned to check in that general direction for other scents. Hopefully they would find something. He didn't want to go home empty-pawed... He just couldn't bear the gaunt faces of his clanmates.

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"What's there to talk about?"
What shall I mull over?
I suppose I'll take a walk.

Words: 636
Muse: 6/10
Thoughts: ---
Tags: ✗ Rabbitstar ✗

[✗ Rabbitstar ✗]

Sure thing, boss. The tabby she cat let out a small huff and raised her head higher as though to look royal - but her bright eyes showed that she was playing it all as a joke. She loved being around Hareflight, he was the one cat in the Clan - aside from Timberpaw - that she could just slack her responsibilities for the time being and be herself. The adventurous, daring, and fun cat she truly was. However, she also had to live with the fact that when she accepted the role as a leader, she gave up the selfish traits as those stated before. She had to put the other cats needs before her own, making her selfless and devoted to them. Don't get her wrong, she loved her clan more than anything in the world, but sometimes, a cat just needed to break away from the duties of clan life and be free. And that was one thing she could do with the lynx colored tom beside her. It brought a spring to her step, and a playful glimmer in her eyes that only certain cats in the clan ever got to see.

When they reached the main clearing, Hareflight stepped a few paces away and scented the air. Rabbitstar paused, opening her jaws to catch the scent of rabbits on the cool air. Field mouse, raven, chipmunk... She groaned inwardly. Even though windclan cats could catch other kinds of prey, they favored the rabbits like riverclan favored the fish. The fact that she couldn't catch their scent mind her tail sag slightly. Off to her side, she saw the tom flick his ear and she did her head, acknowledging that he was going to take that direction. Lowering her nose, she sniffed. "Meet back here when you are done." She meowed, her voice slightly more serious than before, but it was only because she was now into her hunting mode. Which in fact, she took very seriously. She watched until he had prowled off to turn and take a different approach. Her tongue ran over her lips as she bounded the furthest direction away from where Hareflight had gone. Though she was moving fast, her paws were almost silent on the snowy grass, and she didn't stop until she was a good distance from where the other tom was looking.

Finally, she came to a halt, ears perked and tail tip twitching with focus. Still, all she could pick up was small rodents and occasional birds. Nothing that she was interested in. As leader, and her name showed it, she was determined to get the biggest and best prey she could to help her hungry clan. Therefore, she was going to find a rabbit or two, no matter how long it took. After tracking for a good thirty minutes, she picked up a faint scent, and followed it like a dog following a string of bacon. Her eyes were wide and focused, then eventually she saw it. A warm burrow where the sunlight hit during the period when the sun was highest in the sky. The perfect place for a whole nest to hide. Peeking her head in, the tabby let out a loud yowl, watching as three, plump, snow hares came racing out of another hole nearby. She wasted no time, flying after them, yet, they were fast, a good challenge for the she cat. 

No matter how fast, she was faster. Finally, she gained on the slowest one, only taking the time to bite on it's jugular and throw it aside before pelting after the next, her mouth open and panting as she forced her thin and exhausted body to run. Finally she caught up with the second one, managing to take it down. But, by the time she had killed it, her pants were quick as well as heavy and the cold seemed to be slicing through her.  It was enough that she could hardly move her paws on the ground. A lot like that feeling one gets when they run hard - they feel even more dead after they slow to a walk or stop. Flicking her ears, she picked up the blood stained, white rabbits and began to drag them on the long trek back to where she had left Hareflight. And once that was done, the weight of carrying the two fat rabbits had beat her down. Without even acknowledging the other cat, she dropped the prey and flopped onto her side, her breathing finally beginning to slow down.

"I'm..." She murmured, her voice whispery and almost inaudible. "just gonna take a quick nap." Now she had a weak purr rolling in her throat and a small laugh as she closed her eyes.

Tags: |Hareflight|