When You Say Nothing At All

[cinder]

Brindlefoot wandered through the writhing mass of cats that had gathered in the "camp" for the day. There was not a whole lot going on here. Most of the time was spent looking for prey that was non-existant, or roaming the new territory. While they had not been here in the caves for that long, daily life had already begun to become tedious. There was nothing but the cold, wet rock that surrounded them on all sides, even above and below; even outside it was a gloomy sight, with no forest, just the rocky openess that streatched out before them.

Brindlefoot heaved a sigh as she sat out of the way on the edge of the rough circle that made up the camp; held in the middle of the large cavern. Lazily she lifted a foot and began to daintily wash. Not that there was much sense in it, her fur was constantly damp from the cold, clammy air down here. Just as she thought of this, a drop of freezing water dripped from the celing, landing squarely in the middle of her back and penetrating through her fur to stab her skin. Brindlefoot let out a low growl of irritation and furociously licked at its trail as it ran down her spine to the base of the tail and sat there, a spot of liquid irritation.

Having cleaned the trespassing water droplet off of her, she sat upright, tail twitching. She watched the hustle and bustle of all of the cats around her. They didn't seem to have water falling onto them! She gave a huff of annoyance. Looking across a clearing in the group of cats, she noticed a small light grey pelt sitting all alone on the other side of the cavern.

Brindlefoot didn't have to scent the air to know who it was. Silentdawn. She was always sitting alone, off to the side, ignored. She was such a sweet and lovely cat, Brindlefoot didn't know why some of the other cats were so uncomfortable around her. Well, she did, but she didn't see it as a valid reason. Silentdawn was deaf, and because of it, she spoke differently and had habits that some of the others though to be odd. But that was not any reason for her to be so lonely all the time. Brindlefoot had never been uncomfortable around the pretty she-cat. Actually, quite the opposite, she found her interesting, and wished to be friends with her.

Brindlefoot stood and crossed the cavern with quiet foot steps even though it didn't matter. As she got closer she paused for only a moment deciding what to do. Silentdawn was sitting with her back to Brindlefoot and the rest of the cats, her face upturned, watching a group of bats that she had found among the pointed pillars of rock that cascaded from the celing; she herself sat among some that rose from the floor that streatched up to meet them. Brindlefoot walkied up beside the other cat and brushed against her pelt to warn her of her presence and took a seat infront of her so that she could see her speak. Taking great care to announciate each word to make it easieer for Silentdawn to undrstand, she spoke like she would to any cat. "Hello Silentdawn. Do you mind if I sit with you? I would like to watch your new found friends as well" She smiled, and waited for an answer, all the while, hoping that the other she cat wouldn't shut her out like so many others had.

[siren]

Silentdawn was lost in thought, gazing up at the bundles of fur cramped up in the rounded ceiling, occasionally opening their mouths in silent squeals as they pushed each other around for a decent sleeping spot. Noticing a tiny pink bat crawl over the heads of some adults, then nestling in by another, who immediately put their wing around it, made the delicate she-cat smile. She had heard stories of how awful bats were, that they destroyed and killed, but that was when she was still determined on interpreting language. Now she only spoke as little as needed, and kept to herself. It wasn't like she looked weird or anything, right? She just couldn't really communicate, which sometimes frustrated her, as she had some thoughts in her head, just couldn't quite get them out. Silentdawn jumped back, bumping into a stalagmite jutting from the ground, as a large bat swooped just over her head, leathery wings outstretched, then curved upwards towards the ceiling, exiting the cave, to go hunting. A few cats let out shrieks, but Silentdawn simply smiled, letting out a gentle, happy sigh. She knew the bat meant no harm to her, and she had always dreamed of flying. If she lost something, she should be able to have something in its place...hearing for wings sounded like a fair trade to her.

Silentdawn flinched when she felt another cat brush against her side - she really hated being touched, or even approached for that matter, which made it hard for her to make friends even more. Seeing that it was Brindlefoot, she forced a weak smile onto her serene features, and dipped her head politely. When the cat began to speak, Silentdawn tilted her head to the side, didn't she know she was deaf? But then she realized she was deliberately moving her mouth to express the words more, and she picked up on what she was saying, nodding all the way and twitching her ears. "Yuss. You ca'ssit hur."

[cinder]

Brindlefoot broke the contact as soon as she felt the other cat cringe away from her. She hadn't meant to cause her any distress, and she hoped that the other she-cat knew it. She could see the hesitation in the other cat's pretty face, and wondered if she had made a mistake in trying to be friendly. Oh well, no going back now. she thought to herself. Brindlefoot backed up a few steps before sitting down, thinking that maybe the extra room would put Silentdawn more at ease.

It seemed that she was doing everything all wrong. As she started to speak Silentdawn tilted her head and had a look of confulsion and question in her eyes, but as she spoke, it cleared, and understanding filled them. "Yuss. You ca'ssit hur." A slight thrill filled Brindlefoot; she had not been rejected as she expected to be. She was not suprised or disgusted by the voice that she heard, in fact she was glad to hear it. It was something that Silentdawn rarely shared with other cats. Brindlefoot grinned at her in encouragement. You have a pretty voice, I wish you shared it more often she said off-handedly; gazing up at the small bodies above them, and listening to the small squeaks that Silentdawn could not hear. She wondered for a moment what what life must be like for the cat sitting before her; living in a world with no sound.

Brindlefoot looked back at the light grey cat before her, and reached out and gently touched her paw to draw her attention back to her before she spoke. That's what we look like on the ground. A big mass of cats.

[siren]

Silentdawn's voice was soft, had the dumb sort of sound to it, but was cute and friendly, and she pricked her ears backwards as a smaller bat flapped its wings just above her, adjusting positions. The small gust of wind caused the sensitive she-cat the cringe, but then she let out a normal-sounding giggle, tilting her ears back up, swishing her tail back and forth behind her. At seeing Brindlefoot mouth a rarely-given compliment to her, she smiled, not understanding it fully but catching onto 'pretty', 'voice', and 'more often.' The she-cat daintily rose a soft orange paw, cleaning back both ears quickly before turning back to Brindlefoot, then gazing up at the cloud of bats so close above.

"Does make sounds?" she whispered, lifting her paw to indicate the bats. She saw their mouths open sometimes, but was unsure if they made sounds - because cats yawned without sound, she learned from an elder's tale about the cat losing the sound of its yawn, but she couldn't remember it well, especially when she had only gathered bits and pieces of it from watching the elder's mouth. "Or is quite?" Her grammar was off, and often she confused words, like 'quiet' and 'quite.' It was a problem, but she didn't know any different.

Still gazing up, Silentdawn almost missed the movement of Brindlefoot's mouth opening and closing again, even when she touched her paw. She wasn't startled, as she already knew the cat was there, so simply turned her head downward to stare directly at her. That's what we look like on the ground. A big mass of cats. she picked up from the other cat, and nodded. "Bu' they smull. 'Dere shou' be more 'den uss."

OOC: Is she...too hard to understand? Ha ha, that last one was a bit: But they small. There should be more than us. Yeah. cute little Silentdawn.

[cinder]

Brindlefoot laughed along with Silentdawn's giggle, she was happy to see that she was comfortable enough to laugh. "Does make sounds?" Brindlefoot was caught off guard by the quiet question, she hadn't expected to hear Silentdawn speak again, she seemed shy about it. Brindlefoot smiled at her and replied a little slower and was more careful to form the words so that she was sure to get the answer to her question. "They make a small noise. A high squeaking sound. And if you listen close, you can hear their wings flutter and their teeth click. But it is a quiet noise, not loud." Brindlefoot clicked her teeth to demonstrate.

As she touched the other cat she was glad to see that she did not shy away. Brindlefoot made a mental note to give her a moment to focus before speaking so that it would make it easier to understand. "Bu' they smull. 'Dere shou' be more 'den uss." Brindlefoot nodded and looked back to the shifting group on the celing, looking at the number of them. She reached out and touched the other cat gently to get her attention again; "how many do you think there are?" Brindlefoot hoped that she could use this time to become friends with the other cat and learn how she thought. She is such a sweet cat, I really like her. I hope that she will put up with me. Brindlefoot thought to herself.

[siren]

Silentdawn seemed to think about this for a moment, tilting her head to the side once, then the other way, staring at two pinkish babies crawling amongst the edges, to find a spot to burrow in under protective, loving wings. "I'ssa family," she murmured, then stared down as a chillingly cold water droplet landed on her paw, and she moved it before any more dripped down. "Like kit," she whispered as Brindlefoot responded about the sound, then proceeded to make a tiny squealing sound, that of a kit, but softer. "Nice, fluffy," Silentdawn giggled, staring up at them bustling around each other. In her silent world, the tiniest things made her happy, and while she seemed sad, she was really lost in happy thoughts, and wondering about the world around her.

"Tho...tha...thossands," she tried, guessing how many there were, and then trying to figure out how to say it. "Lotss," she said, more simply, laughing at her own trouble to speak. "Like thems...they calm like mes."

[cinder]

Brindlefoot gave a small purr, it seemed to be getting easier for Silentdawn to understand her. She was happy that she was starting to relax. "Yes, like a kit." As Silentdawn made a sound that imitated them almost perfectly, she gave a short laugh and grinned at her. "Yes, just like that. Have you heard it before you... umm... couldn't hear anymore?" Brindlefoot waited anxiously for her reaction. She didn't know if the other cat's loss of hearing was a sore spot or not, and she cursed herself silently for mentioning it.

"Like thems...they calm like mes." Bridlefoot smiled at her "I like them too, they are lovely to watch. So calm and loving to eachother. If only all of the clans worked that way."

As she stared up at the baby bats above her snuggling into the loving wings of their parent she couldn't help but feel the all to familiar ache in her chest. Silentdawn had a lot in common with her, and she was suprised at how being with the other cat was a comfort. Silentdawn was a kind of outcast because of her hearing, Brindlefoot had been an outcast kit abandoned at birth. They both knew what it was to be alone and abandoned even if it was for different reasons. Brindlefoot gave a soft smile as the tightness and ache in her chest lessened at this thought. Maybe we can be friends and neither of us will be lonely anymore. While it was true that toms chased her, and the other cats spoke to her, Brindlefoot had no close friends, only the cats of daily life. Maybe this was a chance for both of them.

[siren]

Silentdawn giggled softly. "Love kiss..." she trailed off after her sound, then her eyes twinkled as she saw the laughing look in Brindlefoot's friendly gaze. "Yess, only shot tim after I woul' hear thems." A salty tear trickled down Silentdawn as she stared at the ground, but thrust her gaze back up, a bright look returning to her eyes. "Iss okay though. I have friendss," she whispered, giving Brindlefoot a warm smile.

"Esplore?" she offered, standing up and swishing her tail, staring down at Brindlefoot. She smelled dingy water somewhere, and a sparkle came into the edge of her view. She loved sparkles, she had to find it!

[cinder]

Brindlefoot felt horrible as she watched the tear slip down the other cats face. She couldn't resist the urge to lean over and lick the top of her head. She was mad at herself for even mentioning it now, no matter if the other cat said it was OK or not.

Silentdawn lifted her head and the remorse dissapeared quickly though. "Explore?" she offered. Brindlefoot was struck with a sudden idea that made her grin widely at the other cat. "Will you follow me? I have something that I would like to show you!" Brindlefoot jumped to her feet and had to resist the urge to jump up and down in place.

Brindlefoot turned and led the way to a small tunnel across the cavern that she had discovered just after they first arived here. She had been looking for solitude and found the most amazing thing she had ever seen in her life. Brindlefoot led the other cat through the tunnels, glancing back to make sure that she was following. When she got to a room that had a lottle bit of light in it and a small pool against one wall, she stopped and had Silentdawn sit in the middle of the room. "Watch!"

There were crystals jutting out from the walls all around them, and some were lying loose on the floor. Brindlefoot stepped up to the wall where there was a crystal about shest height, the same one she had touched the last time that she had been here with the two toms, and sat beside it out of the way so that she was not blocking the light. Then she reached out a delicate paw and moved it. As she did so, bright and splendid colors shot out in all directions and danced across the walls and floor of the cavern. Brindlefoot moved it again as the colors began to quiet, and then looked at the other cat to see her reaction.