.:pulled down the depths:. open

[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/lashpawbody-1.jpg] just watch and maybe even learn "Sure you understand me enough?"

[/b]
Sometimes simply thinking is better.

The air around the tom was thick and heavy with humidity, a sticky, cloying moisture that clung unpleasantly to everything from whiskers to pelt to trees. Water seemed to be inescapable as of late. Water on the ground, in the skies, dripping along the leaves; it was everywhere. It was practically a part of life now, although only a few weeks before such copious amounts of seemed nothing but an idle fantasy. Summer had chased away spring and the last remnant of winter's bite with a vengeance, sweeping in to leave it's own mark on the land. A mark which seemed would be alarmingly permanent. Three clans were flooded out of their homes. Four clans now resided on a space fit only for one.

As he picked his way neatly across the needle-littered floor, Lashpaw recalled the time when changes had shaken Vertigoclan life. The warnings had been there, bright as day to anyone willing to face the facts. A stronger scent of Tempestclan on the border to the marshes, more frequent sightings of Zephyrclan warriors on the hills where it was known prey was scarce, and then, of course, the odd whiff of Celestialclan which shouldn't have drifted anywhere near the mountains. They'd been equally blind, though, and one day had come the patrols into camp. Warriors - scavengers more like - slinking into the heart of his kin's land and demanding Pyrestar's presence. Now there was no space. Little free time remained for apprentices. There was always work. Keep an eye on the outsiders. Make sure they don't go falling off any cliffs. Be wary of prey-stealers. This list went on and on! And elder duties weren't relieved either.

In all the damp nests grew old and rank quickly, they were in constant need of refreshing or the old cats' joints would be suffering hard. Dry moss, though, was becoming something of a luxury. The black feline narrowed his eyes in distaste. There had to be better things to do. Learning about the other clans, maybe. If they were so close, they might as well get to know each other. There were bound to be some brains amongst the masses. The apprentice shook his head with a quiet sigh, and approached a tree, claws unsheathing as he tugged at a patch of relatively fresh moss. At least he had a moment of quiet.

words;; 500 | notes;; nope | tagged: open
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[{ { vitanni ♥ } }]

The woodland ahead was vast, a massive expanse to contain so much. Robust hardwood clung firmly to the arid stone, clawing into the depths of the monstrous boulders as if they were the source of life itself. Their limbs so thick slashed at the heavens and their siblings alike, to entwine into a fine labyrinth of obscurity & enigma, a haven of the gloom amid a
searing greenleaf dawn.To enter, or to not enter the dimension of dim
ness which summoned her into its abyssal depths, in abundance of alg-
id tendrils of shade in expectancy to seduce the lass within the chill of its void. Avalanche assessed the verdict warily, cautious to make a tactful decision.

Much too devoured by the exhaustion which scorched her body so painfully, the girl whom was once so ferocious found herself lackluster of the dynamism radiating from her very soul; being in no condition to battle with this foreign terrain much longer. Eyes glinted, swerving forth into the frigid enticements of the woods, drifting back to the merciless mazes of stone which bounded high & low, sharp as blades scraping her fragile padders to shreds. Auditals disassembled as her slender stilts swept her into a sudden rush, bounding into the forest at last embraced into its veil of glacial cool. The girl mustered to withhold
a frail pace, to and fro as a sullen ambling of the trot, with an unusual lethargy strange to her powerful limbs. Her once beautiful robes of gleaming alabaster were thick set with debris, filth streaking each & every corner trasfigured into a ghastly gray. Tattered pads clawed at the velvet-like earth, so generously gentle to her pads, distorted into a throng of scarlet sanguine, flesh which had been practically demolished, and grime entwined amid the turmoil, just to make it all worse. Avalanche cast a trail of scarlet with each step further, and it wouldn't be long before her pace collapsed into the sluggish lassitude of a painful ramble. Enveloped by a midst of commotion hardly perceptible to her smudged up senses were a tempest of rustlings & the vaguest of voices. At last, she couldn't take it anymore. The damsel at last allowed her legs to crumble beneath herself, tumbling into a heap of blood, murk, and matted fur. Orbs remained agape, aimlessly gazing into oblivion. She captured but a glimpse of herself ina lucid pool nearby, not taking it long for her to gasp at her horrid appearance. Her eyelids finally fell, plunging into a tumultous serenity for brief moments. She sighed under her breath, motionless once more she became.

[/center][/justify]

[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/lashpawbody-1.jpg] just watch and maybe even learn "Sure you understand me enough?"

[/b]
Sometimes simply thinking is better.

Moss gathering was a slow, tedious sort of task, but one that served to relax in its own strange way. The mind could go blank, a cat could lose themselves in the mindless effort of tugging the growth free from a tree, rolling it up, and squeezing the worst of the damp from the material as possible. Like grooming. Just a similar set of motions done over and over, until one acted out the cycle seamlessly without putting a thought into the motions. For Lashpaw that meant he was free to let his idle mind drift off on its merry way, considering events past; not to mention what was soon to come.

Three clan lands were flooded, one hopelessly washed away, that would be Celestialclan. Tempestclan had already seemed like a half-flooded land, what with the swamps and fens always making for such a foul ground to traverse. Not even Zephyrclan with it's high, rolling moors had escaped the rising of the lake and its sheer, all-consuming power. The pines and cliffs of Vertigoclan were a last vestige of hope. 'And just how long can we expect to last, feeding this many mouths?' His maw twisted up in a solemn smile, eyes dark at the grim thought. They'd be starved out soon enough. A harsh laugh bubbled up from his throat and he spoke to the trees standing silently about him. "We'll be eaten out of house and home. Soon enough even the rock snakes will dis-"[/b] the dark tom broke off, head twisting sharply at the sound of a nearby noise. "Who's out there?"[/b] He spoke sharply, voice not quite a growl as he stepped away from his gathered moss. The tom peered curiously into the woods, jaws parting to let the wind bathe his tongue. There were far too many smells. All four clans mixing together even worse than at a Gathering. Hopeless to try and identify anyone this far off.

The tom gave a small snort and started towards the noise, padding quietly across the leaf-littered ground. "If you're another clan cat, you should know that galavanting about our territory is forbidden."[/b] He sniffed at the air again, noise wrinkling up this time at the stench of blood. It was a simple task to follow the scent and come across the battered white form of another feline. "By Starclan,"[/b] he whispered sharply, instincts urging him closer to the she-cat. A whiff told him this was no clan cat. Loner. Rogue. Part of him felt a violent surge. Rogues needed to be ousted! They were unwelcome. And yet, he paused falteringly at the stranger's side, this was a wounded cat; certainly not a prey-stealing threat.

"What's wrong, stranger, are you sick?"[/b] The apprentice stepped gingerly towards her head, frame tense as he observed the cat. He prodded her gently. "You've chosen quite a poor place to up and collapse."[/b]

words;; 550 | notes;; lash isn't good with strangers, but who can resist a damsel in distress? :P| tagged: avalanche/open
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[{ { vitanni ♥ } }]

At the most subtle of motions Avlanche would've usually rebound to vivaciously, she was oblvious to. Her senses were sluggish to respond, Avalanche being too frail to be provoked by the mad rustling, trampling of the undergrowth so precious to the prey it concealed. What's going to happen now? Guess what, I don't care, she thought to herself throughout the jumbled thoughts drifting amid her mind, fogged by fatigue which had begun to smolder both her body & mind, searingly painful & slow. Avalanche wasn't in the mood to battle with the astonishing
cleverness she possessed, nor with those blade-like scythes she calls claws suit for a tigress. What she wanted the most, now more than ever, was to sit, and rest. Her physique was far enough racked with enough damage, or so she felt. "If I'm gonna die, I'd rather not be disturbed." She murmured to herself in bleary speech, muffled by the lush robes of twistedly thick fur of her plume-like tassel over her facade as she registered the distant echo of pawsteps in a nearby proximity. The girl knew the reek of other felines well enough by now, her
strife as a traveller had gifted her with enough of this dearest knowledge she contained. Her frame was grazed by the slightest of impacts, the collision upon a single hair upon her hide shattered the former lassitude within into a massive outrage. Avalanche bolted, startled as she hurled a menacing glare towards the feline only a tail-length or two away. Her orbs so dull, now glittered with a steely radiance of the little effervesence remaining. Fangs were bared & harks pinned securely against her tiara, a shabby attempt of a defensive position, hardly enough as she attempted to rise, only to tumble back into a mass of filth & blood. "Get away from me." She screeched, rupturing the quiescent aura swiftly with a hiss to trail into the action afterwards. "What do you want from me? Just leave me alone!" She swiped at the tom, perhaps slightly younger than she, but most definitely stronger, the strike was weak, catching nothing but air & a tuft of dark fur between her claws. She wouldn't back down, even if it meant this was to die for.

[/center]

[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/lashpawbody-1.jpg] just watch and maybe even learn "Sure you understand me enough?"

[/b]
Sometimes simply thinking is better.

The growing warrior-to-be couldn't chase away the itch of curiousity at this unwelcome visitor. A loner, of all things. Had Trenton been flooded out too? A derisive snort escaped the cat. No, of course not, this was just pure coincidence. That clanless infested city couldn't have been drowned out too, else there would have been a mass exodus of desperate, displaced felines. This was one wanderer. One whom, it would seem, had been rather overzealous in her travels and overestimated her abilities to traverse the unyielding slopes. At least, that was the least he could deduct from what looked like bloodied paw pads. Damp added onto rough surface surely was going to be unpleasant to travel across.

The tom gave a startled grunt as the muddied white she-cat burst into life, an angry hiss rising from her frame at the physical contact and a new energy coursed through the loner. He leapt back, sensing the coming paw-strike and ducking swiftly out of the way. He moved fast considering his broad-shouldered frame, but even so Lashpaw felt a paw graze his cheek, felt the stinging tug of fur wrenched loose as it caught on thorn-sharp claws. He glared at the female, stone green eyes wide in disbelief. "What in Starclan is wrong with you!?"[/b] The cat growled, lips pulling up over his fangs more in irritation than proper anger. He rubbed sorely at his face where the skin still prickled from having fur so mercilessly yanked. The hackle-raised, spitting thing in front of him was a far cry from what had moments ago been an inanimate shell. "I wasn't going to harm you, although I should have considering you're trespassing."[/b] Brows furrowed darkly as he meowed.

"What do I want,"[/b] he echoed, lips pursing, he took a careful step forward, watching the stranger warily. "A name, for one thing. An explanation for why you crossed scent markers is another."[/b] He paused, passing a paw over his cheek once more. "Oh, and perhaps an apology for unmerited assault."[/b] He added coldly, lashing tail the only betrayal to his otherwise stony - and smug - facade. His muscles flexed beneath dark fur. This could possibly end in a scuffle, it was hard to say. The loner was wire-taught, ready to lash out or keel over at a moments notice. She was bigger, older too by a few moons. And loners knew something about fighting dirty. "Here, I'll start for you. The name's Lashpaw, Vertigoclan apprentice."[/b] The cat was light on his toes, circling cautiously now. It wouldn't be wise to stay still near this one, whoever she was.

words;; 490 | notes;; nope | tagged: avalanche/open
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[{ { vitanni ♥ } }]

Avalanche rose, her skullage held high with unwavering pride flaring within with such vibrancy it was unusual - even for a feline finding itself at his or her fullest of strengths. Vehemence emanated from within herself as she scrambled to an erected position with a hastily set swiftness. Her banner of ensnared fur which had once been torrential & silky twitched rather than swayed, it's motions obstructed severly by the debris which adhered desperately to her agitated bodice, in constant stirring as the lass refused to keep still. She met his gaze with relentless intensity. His profound, emerald hues flickering erratically within; her own visionaries bleak, devoid of color, frigid as streams of ice, glittering with this monstrous fervor odd in the place they were set upon. Her limbs trembled furiously as she stood, madly attempting to lift her slim frame into an upright poise, in battle against her muscles shrieking with agony escalating as moments swept along breezily as ever. A growl pulsed at the depths of her throat, erupting saturated with volume into the ominous atmosphere thick with tension as he began to encircle her. "And you expect me to keep in stillness as you might as well have clawed my eyes out!?" She whispered fiercely into the air, attempting to conceal the quavering of her voice. She yanked the bristled tufts of glinting ebony fur from her scythe-like daggers, disappointed. She'd missed the tom by less than inches. A pity. And it was then when a
smirk had begun to dance upon her slender lips, her feathered whiskers twitching into her facade of a feverish expression. So, danger it was, to be in a land in which other cats so-called possessed. "Don't you dare come closer, dear, unless you want pieces of your flesh between my claws." She spat in a hushed frenzy of speech. & suddenly, Avalanche chuckled faintly at the jolt of astonishment flaring in his eyes. Her vision had begun to blur, but she stepped onward regardless. "It's Avalanche." Her speech was jumbled, her words becoming sluggish. "I go where ever I please, whenever I wish." She said, as she took another step forth, she tumbled over herself, back down, to the tough earth once more. "Now can't a cat just ask for something simple? Now are you gonna let me die in peace or what?" Avalanche said, her words fading as they reached the finale of her sentence as she doubled over unto the undergrowth lush with bristled pine-needles. She glanced at him with hazy eyes, not quite closing them, although allowing them to fall into slits, not quite falling into focus anymore.

[/center]

[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/lashpawbody-1.jpg] just watch and maybe even learn "Sure you understand me enough?"

[/b]
Sometimes simply thinking is better.

Green eyes narrowed to slits in suspicion as the stranger, still twitchy, still paranoid as a hunted shrew, returned his glare with a blaze of strength as though moments before she hadn't been crumpled among the needles moments earlier. Had it been a facade? The weakness nothing but a show, a way to attempt to surprise a defenseless cat, and catch them off guard? There were still a few former members of the dissolved enemy clan, Delirium, left running amok, and this may well be one of them. Only the blood seemed all too real, it's sharp metallic smell was impossible to fake and strong in the air. The fur along his shoulders bristled, making his already bulky form appear larger, and he loosed a scornful laugh at her distrusting reply. "Oh yes,"[/b] he hissed, eyes glittering with grim mirth, "that makes perfect sense. I approach with sheathed claws and ask after your health; clearly I was planning on finishing off the job the land had already begun for me."[/b] His words dripped sarcasm at the asinine thought, he didn't bother to attempt disguising the venom in his tone.

Lashpaw gave a grimace, shrinking away from the force of her words as she continued her threats. So much for civility. The tom flexed once more, claws sheathing and unsheathing into the loamy ground in preparation for the fight. Bigger, but clearly fatigued, he would be able to chase her off. "I'd suggest moving off before this results in violence..."[/b] he trailed off as the stranger's - Avalanche's - legs buckled beneath her, no longer able to bear weight without the initial rush of adrenaline and fear; she stumbled forward, words slurring with tiredness, and came down to earth with the same lack of grace as she'd stood with. Concern flared in the tom once more, though tempered with a touch more discretion this time. "It would seem going where you please has put you in quite the precarious situation."[/b] His mew was smug, he couldn't help but mock the loner slightly.The apprentice wasn't cruel, no, he could never be cruel - he wasn't Tempestclan, after all - but perhaps he might afford to be a little chiding all things considered. Teach the wanderer not to invade.

A disbelieving scoff slipped from the young tom; he padded closer to the collapsed feline again, still ready to spring if it was another ruse. His head cocked to one side as he looked down at the she-cat near his paws. His jaws parted, though no sound came out as he searched for the right words. "A bit dramatic,"[/b] Lashpaw finally huffed. "You don't smell sick. Just tired and sore. Though I'm no medicine cat."[/b] He looked as closely as he dared at Avalanche, in spite of her warnings to step no closer. The tom hesitated before adding grudgingly, "I could help you, if you like, only you'll need to be less hostile."[/b] What was he doing? It was a foolish thing to assist a clanless cat. Were his mentor to catch him the apprentice was sure he'd find trouble.

words;; 530? | notes;; nope | tagged: avalanche/open
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[{ { vitanni ♥ } }]

She couldn't spare to ravage her energy into misusage of an unecesessary battle which might be the case at this instant. Avalanche refused to rise into a decent stance, perfectly comforted by the pine-needles plunging into her hide, a select few prying into her flesh which was the last thing remaining smooth. Her limbs splayed out beneath her, extended at awkward angles, some claws out-stretched, others sheathed, quite a wreck she had come to be. At loss of strength, devoid of the sassy come backs & graceful motions she formerly possessed. Her shimmering gaze glimmering with vehemence but vague moments before were collapsed into tattered slits, gaining but a dazed margin of bedimmed hues, quite the lovely haze of a rainbow they made into her eyes. But she couldn't allow herself to fall into a hypnosis, with a strange cat around. It's a trick they all play, come along be nice, just to
turn around and find claws & flesh being torn from yourself once more. Avalanche glanced up as Lashpaw's obscure frame loomed amid her vision, she flinched at the echo of thudding footfalls that approached, closer and closer with each & every step. She hissed faintly, quavering with a surge of adrenaline coursing through her veins once more, feeble, but ever present. Avalanche evidently not the one to back down, no matter what. This cat was acting in an oddly matter, to be truthful. Hostile, disdainful, in repugnance to her state & behaviour. Well,
what did he want? a nicey-nice little girl, rushing right into the fangs of peril, into the unknown. Yet deep down, was it distress writhing within himself? She glared up at him, her vague threats he seemed oblivious to, her tail tip twitching disquieted by his near proximity, although she didn't fight back. Avalanche remained still, her gaze penetrating his stance. She mumbled beneath her breath, in an attempt to expell words in a lucid manner towards this tom. Should she confide? Trust her life into a stranger's paws? She tried to stand, this time quavered into a heap of flith & blood, again. And again. What chance did she have? She couldn't quite run off again, what would she do in such a depressingly frail state. She lashed at him this time not even fur clogged up her finely set scythes. It was hopeless. "Fine then." She said, gazing at him with lackluster orbs. "Have your way." Maybe it was to be foolish, but she
had to try. Try & trust, just a little bit.

[/center]

[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/lashpawbody-1.jpg] just watch and maybe even learn "Sure you understand me enough?"

[/b]
Sometimes simply thinking is better.

A secondary swipe was expected this time around, a wariness at the thought of loosing more fur to the trespasser left him ready to spring at a moments notice. And a good thing two. Lashpaw pulled back quick, feeling the rush of air as - thankfully - the blow failed to make contact with either skin or pelt. "I wouldn't waste energy like that if I were you,"[/b] he spoke quietly, tutting his tongue like a mother chiding kits. She was certainly a fiery thing, wasn't she? The tom couldn't help but wonder how things would have turned out had the rough terrain not drained Avalanche already. More hostilities? Less? Perhaps a full out fight, or maybe she simply would have slunk off back to her own patch of land; assuming she had one. Loners did seem to enjoy stealing where they could and then moving on, roving nomads that tied themselves to no one. A curious life. At least it would seem that the white-furred feline had picked up on the fact that he wouldn't be swayed by a simple show of force.

A triumphant grin settled on the young cat's face as the other conceded to accept help. It was idiotic that he was even offering assistance, times were tight without being charitable to every sorry loner that stumbled onto Vertigoclanland, but he wasn't about to take back his offer now. That would be a poor show for sure. "I'm not about to poison you, I promise."[/b] He smirked slightly, head turning to sniff at the air for the scent of healing herbs he knew grew nearby from times spent assisting the healer. "Don't up and run while I'm away, I'll only be gone for a few moments."[/b] The dark cat turned and headed into the bush, tossing the words over his shoulder. "You'll probably just end up collapsing again anyways, and the next warrior to find you might not be so friendly."[/b] Let those ominous ring to the loner as they would. Lashpaw turned his focus to his surroundings, testing the air for a bitter tang.

He was no medicine cat, but he knew the basics from times when he'd been treated. Dock was good for scratches, marigold was better, only he wasn't sure if marigold grew nearby. Cobwebs would have been nice too, only a stock of those would be available solely in the medicine cat den back at camp. Ought to get some thyme to settle the crazy gal down, too. The tom paused, sniffing curiously at a patch of dark, broad green leaves. It looked like dock, he took a cautious bite of the plant before spitting it out in disgust. Tasted like it too! It was a simple task to nip the stems and cart the leaves back to where he'd left Avalanche. "I'm back, Avalanche!"[/b] Lashpaw called out in warning, no need to startle her and frighten the loner off. He frowned, stopping as he spied a now empty patch of disturbed ground. She'd run off. Well, she couldn't have gotten far. He smiled slightly. This would be a fun game, just follow the smell of blood. "We can play this game all day, dear stranger, but I can find you without much effort. Might as well come out now."[/b] Neatly, quietly, the young adult began picking his way across the ground, following the smell, spotting a few stray droplets of blood.

words;; 540 | notes;; hide and seek xD| tagged: avalanche
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[{ { vitanni ♥ } }]

Avalanche's subtle stirrings were bound to have carried her but mere steps ahead, only 'round the tree, to be precise. The awkward shamble of dragging herself along the asperous earth had only scraped up a new batch of sparsely set scrapes, drawing only slight amounts of blood streaking her hide exaggeratingly vivacious scarlet in tincture. Each breath racked her body with its heaviness, the girl coughing out bits of her lungs unto the earth. By now, she looked absolutely horrid. Lashpaw's scent had surged amid the luscious aromas of lurking prey,
twinged with pine needle, my how invigorating she thought to herself. She couldn't manage many words by now, instead she grumbled from afar, for the mostpart to herself. After all, he would find her anyway, what's the use? Avalanche refused to gaze about, to even rupture the veil of thick eye-lids into pools of lucid frost to glare into Lashpaw's own verdant orbs. The pungent reek of herbs flared into her senses most striking in familiarity. The swaying rhythm of his footfalls had been distinguished by now; hefty as they pressed a firm grip into the
earth, although strangely swift, maneuvering throughout the terrain with what could be reknown as expertice, as much as she hated to admit. It was memoir reminiscent of her failure to the excursion she had lead among the land so vast. For once in this life, she could no longer encounter the strength that had never faded, never fled from her grasp. In the most curious of moments, it had. Suddenly. Avalanche had never wished to depend on another, and this time, yes, she was obliged to confide in an absolute stranger. She attempted to sigh, expelling an eruption of rickety coughing yet again. Could it get any worse? Rather than see, she felt his bedimmed haze of a presence. Just before her stance had become serene and her breath had nearly dissolved into subtle snoring. His yowls rang painfully into her ears, cringing vaguely to the loudness of his voice. As he stood above her, she assessed his presence with so much as a twitchy flick of an ear.
[/blockquote

[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/lashpawbody-1.jpg] just watch and maybe even learn "Sure you understand me enough?"

[/b]
Sometimes simply thinking is better.

The tom felt a subtle smirk playing upon the edges of his lips as he caught a whiff of the scent which was now becoming familiar, Lashpaw broke through the heavy foliage and let the amusement on his face linger as he looked down at the elder feline. Whiskers trembling slightly with retained glee, he dropped his precious bundle of gathered herbs nearby, better freeing up his jaws to speak. "There's a saying, one that goes along the lines of implying that with more age comes more wisdom."[/b] He strode forward a few neat pawsteps, crouching down in front of Avalanche's face before letting his voice drop to a hushed whisper. "You make me doubtful of that idea."[/b] Truly, he shouldn't have been surprised. This newcomer seemed, to say the least, prone to poor habits; rejecting well-meaning assistance the most prominent flaw, though probably not the only one. Then again, perhaps he shouldn't judge. 'Wait, I wouldn't be such a bull-headed idiot, so I can judge all I like.'

A small noise of displeasure rose from his throat as he surveyed the damage, ears pressing flat against his dark skull. It would have been better for a medicine cat to be treating these wounds. "Did you dash yourself against the rocks on purpose?"[/b] Lashpaw's words were caustic, though as he spoke he went to work at the dock leaves, separating the individual fronds. "Maybe you picked a fight against a den of badgers. Or you're just plain foolish, I suppose it could be any number of things."[/b] He rambled as he worked, not much caring whether Avalanche responded or not, he was speaking for the sake of hearing his own voice. Musing simply because there was a set of ears which had no choice but to listen. It was a small indulgence, something that drove other insane at times. "Do you know about healing herbs? Doubtful. You're a loner after all."[/b]

He stopped talking to frown at the dock and then let his gaze shift over to the dirt and blood streaked female. She'd flinched at a simple prod, something which hadn't even inflicted pain. Herb juice would sting... "This is a poultice of dock, it gets applied to the cuts and scratches, but it stings a bit when put on the wounds."[/b] A tired exhale left the apprentice. "You can either must up the energy to treat yourself or promise that you won't try to take any more fur off me."[/b]

words;; 480 | notes;; | tagged: avalanche
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[{ { vitanni ♥ } }]

Lashpaw's voice thrummed & thudded, rose & fell, into a lulling symphony. Avalanche was only partially conscious at the moment, best said hardly at all. Nearly into a slumbersome state, she lay motionless, for once evading to perceive his mild mockery with a rebounding aggression twice as hard {as usual.} His prodding and the acrid bitterness of the herbal poultices she was oblivious to. Her senses were not responding well at the moment, her mind jumbled into a haze. What had happened, anyway? Pain flashed throughout her memoir; tumbling down a rockfall as she lost her footing; scraping her paws upon the difficult terrain; scrambling throughout a stream of oozing mud which had desperately attempted to drag her down to drown;
a bit of a skirmish with yet another bypasser. And then, here, when she had rushed into the the relatively safe haven, and she couldn't move on much longer. The nectar of the herbs brought an odd sense of soothing her agony well, in fact, quite enough to grant her a burst into consciousness. Although it would still be a while before she was fully painless & recovered. "Wha..?" She lifted up her crown in a daze, her eyes a dullish foggy gray. "You're still here." She mumbled, her voice gaining a twinge of clarity after her brief snooze, she was unsure,
vaguely disqueted by how much time had swept by. Despairingly, she couldn't quite dwell upon what had taken place quite a while ago. Avalanche glanced at her hide, lushly matted & grotesque. She was disgusted by her own appearance. "I am, indeed quite a mess." She spoke, recovering the smoothness into her flowing vocals, unlike the heavy raspiness of her feeble voice. She groomed herself furiously with forceful swipes of her tongue for brief instants. Then she sprang into the action, her eyes glittered with a brusque vigilance, her gaze becoming a fierce glare as she observed the tom closely. "Why on earth would you help a maniac like me?" She demanded, rather than making a polite inquiry as she remembered the strange little skirmish them two had gone through. She chuckled, remembering the mad ferocity in her actions, which had ebbed, but not quite faded as she lashed her tail furiously, her whiskers twitching as a shudder of tacit anticipation whacked her frame. The ferocity had turned into a quiet little aura of cynicism. Perceptible, ever so slightly.

[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/lashpawbody-1.jpg] just watch and maybe even learn "Sure you understand me enough?"

[/b]
Sometimes simply thinking is better.

A black nose wrinkled slightly as the invader raised her head a tad and croaked out a worn, tired response; from the sound of her voice she hadn't been quite conscious through his monologue. He snorted. Cats just didn't seem to know how to be graceful nowadays, but then he couldn't exactly blame her. Were he hurt and dirty and had blood still oozing slightly from aging wounds he'd likely drift off too once any immediate danger was gone. Sleep was a sanctum, a way to escape aches and pains, though worries might still manifest themselves in the form of nightmares. He knew all this perfectly well, but even so part of him felt a bitter twinge that Avalanche had drifted off rather than heard his words. That was the problem with genius, the apprentice smiled slightly at the word, always looking for an audience to sit and hear what there was to be said; what good was great intelligence if nobody else was around to benefit from it?

"I'd say calling yourself a mess is a bit of an understatement,"[/b] he replied jokingly, "I'd say you look a wreck."[/b] He tone was kept light. Lashpaw hid an inward frown. Bandying words with a loner who clearly didn't belong, was he that starved of good conversation of late? The young cat fought the urge to flinch as the white-pelted stranger surged into life once more, heaving herself from the ground to groom the matted fur; his fur still ruffled slightly, though he hid any surprise from his features as best he could. They were both just a little bit on edge, then. He tried, and failed, at not rolling his eyes, and noise of exasperation falling from his tongue as Avalanche glared at him again in suspicion. "Someone's got a bad case of paranoia."[/b] The male returned her blue-gray glare calmly, gaze level although there was something about his features that made it clear he thought her a fool for resisting help in such a fashion. "I'm helping you because I can."[/b] That was true enough, he was under no concrete obligation to assist, in fact he'd likely meet trouble for this later. "I am no murderous brute. I wasn't just about to leave you to suffer through your wounds alone after seeing you. It wouldn't have sat well on my conscience."[/b] A grim smile lit upon his maw and he cast his pale stare upon the mixed herbs, now lying abandoned on the ground. "A better question would be why you resist my helping you. It's not like I plan on poisoning you."[/b]

words;; 440 | notes;; blurgh, bad muse. it died for this post sorry it's cruddy | tagged: avalanche
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[{ { vitanni ♥ } }]

Avalanche gazed at him with vague amusement dwindling into the vivid expression within her gaze, dancing with the mild dubiosity she had of this tom. Not only of him, but of about ninety nine point nine nine percent of felines she had nowadays faced. It most certainly wasn't a pleasing experience to rejoice in. Evidently, he was blind to what the true world was really like out there. It was truly strange, to encounter one who wasn't as guarded as she, Avalanche, being accustomed to mad ferocity being spat in her face. It most truly, had been time since she could be with another feline, in serenity. "Don't take it personal, dear. It's a democracy, not just against you, so chill out a tad, yes?" She spoke in with crystalline notes, recuperated after quite an elongate spell of time, thwarted up by her hazy memoir. Nearly, had it been a purr in her voice? She scolded herself for such amiability. Never. Trust. Not him, not even yourself. Maybe, they'll help you once, twist back up on you, a stab in the back. She commenced once more to swipe herself into a bathing session, unveiling lustrous cascades of ivory beneath mantles and layers of grime, and blood. The taste of sanguine strikingly metallic in her tongue, she recoiled to the sensation, how horrid it was. & with it brought the reminiscence of numerous skirmishes throughout her travels. Once more, her eyes immersed into this distant dimension within her memory. "Evidently, you've not a concept of what
this world is truly like. You can't trust anyone. Not ever. Who knows what your true intentions might have been? It's all about thinking ahead, precisely, swiftly. It was stupid to trust you, but in the end I did. As it's perilous to have trusted in me, that by now, if I were another, I couldv'e attacked you. Or worse." She spoke through narrowed slits, settled upon the tom for brief instants. At the moment, she yanked out tufts of debris from her scyhe-like claws, cluttered with trash. "But don't you worry dear, I won't. I'm grateful to you, this time." She allowed a curious smirk to dance upon her slender lips, slithering over her facade in a serpent-like manner. "You are correct indeed, I am quite a wreck after all." Both inside out, she thought to herself with a subtle chuckle erupting so suddenly. She shuddered as she snagged thorns from her fur, and much more of the little prickly demons clinging to her once-pretty layers of fur. Avalanche, she didn't believe he would attack, no not at all. But, it's always best to be alert. She said, tensing, and releasing her muscular mass, trying out her strength nearly imperceptively.

[/center]

[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/lashpawbody-1.jpg] just watch and maybe even learn "Sure you understand me enough?"

[/b]
Sometimes simply thinking is better.

Staring at this jumpy, jittery, half-hostile stranger, Lashpaw started to wonder if all loners were something like this. Suspicious, cold, unwelcoming of others cats; it could be what drove them to be loners, what prevented these felines of a solitary life style from banding together to form a group of their own, something that could well compare to a clan in strength. It had always lingered in his head that they were just too foolish to work together, as though the thought perhaps never occurred. Based on his new observations, though, it would seem that they might simply be too used to living alone, receiving no outside help, to come together in one mass. After all, if you were constantly worried about whether or not the cat next to you was about to steal your prey and claw you when you weren't looking... well that was certainly no way to live together. A new thought. An interesting one too. Something to store away for a later time, it might come in handy someday.

His brow furrowed in annoyance as Avalanche gave him something of a pitying look, not quite something that said she felt any true sorrow on his behalf, more like the look that he would favour for idiots. A little simpering glance that implied "oh you pitiable fool". The faint idea of him even being considered the fool in any fashion set his pelt flush with indignation. "Me, chill out?"[/b] Lashpaw returned the smirk as best he could, there was still a spark of irritation in his gaze. "Interesting that you'd say that. After all, you lashed out first."[/b] His adjusted his stance, sitting quiet and not interrupting - out loud, anyways - as the loner continued along her tirade, between the grooming licks along dank fur. What she spoke only confirmed for the tom his thoughts that paranoia crippled the loners. "An interesting idea, to be sure, and true to a point. That much I'll concede."[/b] The apprentice dipped his head respectfully. "However it would seem to me that you did not grow up in a clan, as I did. We're bound together by unspoken law, there's no need for us to fear that a cat out there is out to get us."[/b] He paused, before hastily pasting on an addendum. "Not to say there aren't enemies among us, but the clan is family. And loyalty to your clan comes above all else."[/b]

The cat raised his chin proudly as he finished his speech. "I might've just left you to rot, but instead, here you are grooming. And having a more or less civil conversation with another cat."[/b] His tone was confident, but even so a bit of this she-cat's delusion was creeping into the tom, making his fur prickle. This could still be a trick. Why imply all the words of battle if she didn't intend on acting upon it? 'No, you twit, she's just testing the limits. That's all.'

words;; 510 | notes;; | tagged: avalanche
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