WASTING TIME // OPEN

[Dawn]

"Hey dad, look at me. Think back and talk to me."

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"Did I grow up according to plan?"[/color]

When the slim black feline snaked out from between two rocks, awaking from her nest, it was just before dawn. Not the terrifying night, but reassuring, a soft, milky darkness that contained the songs of crickets and the rising and falling breathing of slumbering cats. She was alone, but unafraid, as she settled nearby her den and began to stretch, arching her back in various positions. She found it a luxury, waking up before new patrols were assigned. It meant she could spend as much time as she liked washing and stretching without others waiting on her, and also take her time with eating, which was a novelty. Even as the length of her stay in Celestialclan expanded, the newness and goodness of it, in some ways, would never wear off.

Fatesong bent her legs and sat with her paws beneath her, yellow eyes lidded by drowsiness. They quickly opened fully, however, when a burning ray struck the lids, and she knew that sunrise had begun. This, this was the reason she could stand the dimness of early morning, because the presence of dawn, reassuring as it washed over her, was imminent. Fatesong tipped back her head and marveled at the orange hue the earlier cold blue mountains were now dressed in. Slowly, the ball of white emanated a deep pink color, and its palette continued to expand with force, a portrait in final of raw blushes, burnt amber, sparks of gold, and all above, a heavy cloak of amethyst. Each dawn seemed different to her, the colors varying just slightly with the weather, temperature, and season. If one watched for long enough, it was easy to tell that every sunrise was unique.

Turning away from the intoxicating sight, Fatesong made her way to the fresh kill pile, knowing others would be waking soon. She was pleased to find it better stocked than usual; this was a sure sign that newleaf was finally upon them. Selecting a small but plump mouse, and vowing to savor it, rather than wolf it down, as she had an instinct to do, the warrior carried it back to the boundary line of camp and lay down. Here she would know when each cat awoke, and could tell also when it was time to join a patrol. For now, she dipped her muzzle to the vole and tore away a bit. Fatesong's mouth watered, and she had to stifle the urge to bolt it down right then and there, just managing a few more bites before it was gone. With a faint air of irritation with herself, her sable paws set to work digging a shallow grave for the remains. Most of the clan cats would have thanked Starclan, but as she had never held much stock in that sort of thing, indeed had no belief whatsoever, she simply thanked their own good luck in entering a season of abundance. Then, with that, she began to wash her paws and chest. That looked to be a quick job too, as Fatesong was now filled with hyper energy.

notes. muse song, perfect by simple plan word count. 510 words tags. open, post, bloody hell!
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[Dusk]

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[atrb=background,http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n480/Shardclaw/depawbody.jpg] just watch and maybe even learn "Sure you understand me enough?"

[/b]
Sometimes simply thinking is better.

What was the point of even trying anymore?

The she-cat lay silently in the fern-shielded apprentice den, surrounded by the muted breathing of her denmates. Attempting - hopelessly - to will her body into sleep for just a few more hours. Veilpaw lay nearby, soft snores drifting into her ears, he looked amusingly like an oversized mouse curled up as he was. As for Jasperpaw, she knew her brother was somewhere in the den, although the distant, ginger-patched tabby never seemed to much care for keeping near when Veilpaw was close. The unspoken rivalry between her two brothers was impossible for Dewpaw to understand. It mattered very little, though, especially when all three would be made warriors soon enough. Which brought her back to the reason why she failed to rest like the others, although the sun had yet to crest the horizon. Nervous anticipation of the day's hunting assessment knotted her stomach, as though the shrew she'd swallowed down last evening was busy making a home in her gut. Try though she might, sleep simply would not come. And so she sprawled on the floor, resisting the urge to shift restlessly for worry of disturbing any other apprentices.

It was a useless task, and with an irritated huff the she-cat stood and shook out her mottled pelt, loose scraps of moss and grass flying of in random directions. The waiting was too much for her, Dewpaw had never been one for waiting, she couldn't lie around when something as important as a final assessment was close at hand. What if she messed up? What if Jasperpaw and Veilpaw became warriors before her? At least the snow had melted. Trying to hunt when noises were even more muffled than normal had proven near impossible for the apprentice, and it was only a keen nose that had allowed the petite female any success during leaf-bare. Spring was going full blast now. Maybe she should get in some practice before her mentor came by to start the day.

With a tuneless hum rumbling in her throat, the young feline made her way out of the frond shelter, blue-green eyes upturned as she noted the rich colors of the dawn sky. "Woah,"[/b] the awed noise made its way unbidden from her maw. "Maybe I should wake up early more often."[/b] A slight titter followed her statement. She was being silly, early mornings were for the dawn patrol, not some spry young apprentice. Besides, surely the colors would lose their thrill with each morning repeat. 'Focus, Dewpaw, you came out to practice hunting skills, not stare up at the sky all morning.' She lurched once more into motion, only to come to a halt as she spotted something move against the general darkness. With a narrowing of her eyes, Dewpaw figured she recognized the form. "Moth- Fatesong?"[/b] She called, unsure. Her words - pitched in an attempt at silence - still rang jarringly loud in the morning stillness.

words;; word count | notes: anything else to say; | tagged: fate?
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[MiNTY♥]

It's a new day, it's a bright day, even when you stand in the dark

Wrinkling his nose the ginger tom’s head shot up to see a mostly black feline disappearing through the exit to the apprentices den. Dewpaw had been rolling around all night in her nest trying to get comfortable and he had heard every, single, little, twitch. He guessed she was one of those cats that couldn’t sleep when they get nervous, but he couldn’t say he shared that trait with her even if they were related. So he was going to have someone watching him hunt from the shadows, he didn’t care much for the thought and would do it just like he had done ever other time, his long limbs would propel him through the air and he would crush the prey with his paws. Then it would be over just like every other day. Jasperpaw stood and made his way out of the den, purposely being a bit clumsy as an excuse to stand on Veilpaw’s tail. Little brat.

Feeling the sun tingling upon his pelt he stretched out each of his limbs in turn, he swore he could hear each one crack as he did. With limbs so long it was like he had to unfold himself each morning and fold himself up each night, as if trying to fit into some sort of tiny space. Tossing his head outwards, he puffed his chest out and enjoyed the suns warmth waking him up as opposed to the cold that had been nipping at him for the past few moons. It was so much easier for him to wake up in new leaf compared to leaf bare when his legs seemed to be frozen stiff so it was almost impossible for him to get out of his nest, but just like an obedient apprentice would he had dragged himself out of his nest each morning to train for this one silly day that he was not in the slightest bit worried about.

Flicking his toasted amber eyes open he glanced around him, yet everything seemed a little foggy. Lifting a paw he licked it repeatedly before wiping both of his eyes, blinking a few times to get used to the brightness. ”Much better.” He muttered to himself. Spotting his female littermate and his ma he smiled, nobody to dampen his spirits thus far and he padded over to Fatesong, paws drumming lightly over the ground as he did. Flopping over onto his side, although it appeared more as though he had thrown himself at the ground, he stretched his legs out with his other side touching his mother’s black fur. As he stretched his maw wide in a yawn, his ears flattened to his skull and he squeezed his eyes shut until the ordeal was over and decided that he was a lion in the making, he just had to perfect that roar. ”Shouldn’t you be out on like, a dawn patrol or something?” He questioned Fatesong accusingly, but he was only having a bit of fun.

ANCK SU NAMUN OF CAUTION!

[Dawn]

"All the days you spent with me now seem so far away." From the depths of the patch of ferns a young tortoiseshell emerged, to which Fatesong smiled, her yellow eyes bright to take in Dewpaw. "Maybe I should wake up early more often." The ink-pelted feline padded out of the shadows, into the bright-light clearing. "You certainly should," Fatesong purred, approaching her daughter and giving the crest of her head a swift lick. "Ready for your assessment?" Without the question answered, she laughed and eyed the apprentice with a youthful gleam. "Of course you are!" Of course she herself had never really taken a 'hunting assessment' so she had no idea what it was like. Still, she had faith in her kits to do well and cross the final bound into being accepted by the clan. Can it really have been so long since I came here, that my then newborn kits will soon become warriors? It seemed like only yesterday she'd arrived with three wet bundles shivering in her jaws, skinny and underfed herself and unprepared to care for her ill conceived offspring. They were blessings in disguise, though, Conrad's kits. And in the end she thought she'd done a far better job with them alone than she could've done with any tom. It wasn't too long before Jasperpaw came out of the den to join them. There was only one of her litter missing now. "Is your brother still sleeping, the lazy lump?" Fatesong growled good-naturedly, angling her ears toward the fern patch. ”Shouldn’t you be out on like, a dawn patrol or something?” "Not today, don't be so eager to get rid of me," she replied, wrinkling her nose at her son. It was all in good fun. So far, this morning was shaping up to be a pretty nice one. She loved having time to see her family. There would be more time, of course, after their ceremonies. Then they would share a den with her and she could wake to see their luminous eyes every morning, assured of their safety.

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[Dusk]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,378,true]

[atrb=background,http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n480/Shardclaw/depawbody.jpg] just watch and maybe even learn "Sure you understand me enough?"

[/b]
Sometimes simply thinking is better.

The slim, dark apprentice gave a luxurious stretch as she stepped towards the figure she now recognized for sure as her mother; a brilliant grin flashing across her features as the black furred warrior slipped out from the shelter of darkness and closer to her daughter. It wasn't much of a challenge to get Dewpaw smiling, it simply came so easily to her. Smiling felt good, like a taste of water after days without the precious liquid. Even so, the apprentice decided she smiled even more often than usual when she was with her family, some thrill of kinship that chased away any vestiges of a dark mood from her mind. She stretched up to brush her pelt with Fatesong's, not shying away from the moment of closeness like so many near-warrior apprentices were prone to doing. The gentle, quick rasp of a tongue over her head was reassuring in the best of ways. "Well, I'd always get up early if sleep wasn't so nice."[/b] She mewed with mock petulance, eyes closing as she savored the moment. The grin lessened, but still remained on her maw as she loosed another short laugh. When she leaned back from the touch, her chin tilted towards the many-hued sky as she attempted to meet hr taller parent's gaze. "You really think I'm ready?"[/b] Her voice was hushed with doubt; excitement and fear bubbled back up, the shrew gone back to making a nest in her gut. "I mean, what if I mess up, like, really bad? And then I have to wait even longer for Hallowstar to gimme my warrior name."[/b] It took an effort to keep from babbling out all her worries.

A startled mew slipped from her mouth as she heard a male voice ring out behind her. Head flipping round, she realized faulty hearing had gotten the best of her once more as she failed to notice the sound of paws padding across the sandy camp floor. "Hey, Jasperpaw!"[/b] She chirped cheerily to her ginger-and-white sibling. Curious how he'd proceeded to exit the den so quickly after herself. "Did I wake you up leaving the den?"[/b] A rush of guilt swept through her as she was struck by the possibility. Little sleep might ruin her own performance, but the last thing she wanted was for it to be her fault if one of her beloved brothers failed too because they were so tired. Paws shifted of their own accord, kneading the sand below her with nervous energy. "Good Starclan, I don't know whether to be joyful or terrified at what's gonna happen today."[/b]

words;; word count | notes;; nope | tagged: jasper
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