The Wanderer(Feralclaw)

[moonfire]

W I N T E R F R O S T
"All the walls are closing in on me and confusion makes it hard to see. Still my pounding heart is bleeding for you..."

Leaf-bare...the one season that all cats in every single clan dreaded above all other things. Winterfrost however, had more of a reason than most to hate this crisp bitter season. Her mother and kit mates had been taken hostage by this season, so young and innocent, yet the bitter cry of the wind did not care. Winterfrost hated that her mom had named her after not a horrid and ill forsaken thing. She would have rather been named anything else, but since it was the last word her mother had spoken Winterfrost kept the name to honor the mother she would never know. In truth, Winterfrost knew that leaf-bare was needed just as much as new-leaf, green-leaf, and leaf-fall. It was all part of life, in order for things to live, other things had to die. This caused her bitterness around this season to lessen slightly, therefore she wasn't as touchy as many of the other cats in her clan.

Winterfrost knew that she was lucky that another queen in the clan had been able to take her in. Although she would never know any of her real kin, she never felt like she had missed out on anything. Her clan provided her with all the love and care that she needed. Winterfrost blinked once, taking herself back to the present and out of her disturbing thoughts. She was still curled up in a ball inside of the warriors den, yet while the others slept she had been awake for quite some time. She knew that she wasn't needed for dawn patrol, or any hunting patrols today so she gingerly lifted herself out of her nest and quietly padded out of the den being careful not to wake any of the remaining warriors up.

When she managed to free herself from the confines of the warrior den Winterfrost shivered ever so slightly as a slightly bitter gust of wind tugged at her tabby coat. So...leaf-bare has not yet let go of its hold on the clans. I have a feeling it might be a nasty one this year. She thought to herself as she sighed, her breath coming out like smoking and rising, soon disappearing into the frosty abyss. She stood there for a few moments before deciding that she would use her day off as a way to take some time away from her clan and be by herself. Since she was a rather sociable cat it was hard to ever get a moments peace, today she would take joy in getting just that.

With a new spring in her step Winterfrost bounded out of the camp and into the vast territories of RiverClan. Despite the cold weather the river had not yet been frozen which was a relief to all of RiverClan. Fish was their main source of food, and without it many cats would be close to starving. Instead of paying attention to where she was going Winterfrost simply let her mind wander, her paws simply taking her where her sub-conscience wanted her to go. After a while Winterfrost came to a clearing where small rays of sun shown down through the stark white clouds. As her wintery blue eyes scanned all that was around her she scented the air and picked up a slightly unfamiliar scent. Hmm...that's odd.

The scent did not seem as if it belonged to RiverClan, but at the same time whatever it was wasn't close enough for her to be sure. Shaking her head Winterfrost decided not to bother with it and instead lay down on her back, her belly and all fours pointing up towards the sky as she basked in the faint sunlight.

[silhouette]

Feralclaw,,

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A large, black cat walked through Riverclan's territory. The cat had know this territory well, but hadn't been on the land for quite some time. He stepped gingerly, careful not to make a racket in the quietness of the land. The only sounds that rang his large ears was the rivers bubbling and rumbling. The rivers captured Riverclan and held their camp safe inside its' grasps. He always liked the noise of the rivers, they seemed calming and made him relax. The large tom walked along one, but not for long. He knew that if he would had been caught he would get into trouble and all else that the clan cat's hated loners for.

He could only laugh at them, he had remembered his moons in this clan. Being young and peppy, doing what he could to learn and be a good apprentice. Being with his family, making friends and being a happy cat. Yes, Feralclaw had been born in Riverclan. He had never really thought about it much, about going back, telling them who he was. He just.. didn't feel like it. He was so use to being alone, and being himself. He didn't know how he could handle the tough rules of the clans and the constant noise and chatter of other cats. He liked following his own rules, and had become so use to that way of life.

Not many small animals and birds were out this cold morning. He wasn't hunting though, no he was just walking. His footsteps soft and light as he crept through the land. He had let his mind wonder, let his paws carry him back to all this favorite spots he had remembers and dreamed about. A small tree, which was now larger that had roots that made a small nest. On a sunny day he would warm his black fur so much that after a while he could take the heat anymore. Or a patch of mossy land that he remembered learning to fight on. The days his brother and him spent trying to do the moves their mentors had showed them. Those simple things that he remembered made him come back.

As he walked he realized the next place he was heading. He couldn't help but stop in his tracts. It was the last place he had been, the last place were his mentors died and the last place he had been a clan cat. He always remembered that day, for moons he had nightmares of that day. It was the most horrible memory he had ever had. He wasn't a kit anymore though, and decided to face the day that made his life change. He stood, walking to the field. He was expecting it to be empty, to be a place no one really traveled anymore. That was just mouse-brained though. He knew cats would forget about the accident, and forget about him. They always moved on with their lives after accidents. Maybe for a moon they would remember, but the would never think of it again. They would travel to the spot without a second thought.

As he crept under a bush, he noticed a small, tabby cat laying out in the sun. He had to stifle a laugh, the cat was upside down with it's paws sticking up and on its back. He didn't know if he was glad or not that the cat made him laugh. He still felt his heart beat louder and himself get sad, but he had to laugh at the cat. Just the way it was laying. Though, he still wanted to walk around the field. He wondered how long the cat would be there. He sat, watching the cat and waited for a bit.

After it seemed like forever and gave up waiting. He knew the wind was blowing against his back. So as soon as he would move out into the field, the cat would know something was there. He didn't care though, and if all goes wrong, he could totally take on the cat. He didn't want to hurt the cat though, since he was its clan mate after all. So slowly, he stood and walked into the field, sitting at the end and waiting for the cat to smell his scent.

[moonfire]

W I N T E R F R O S T
"All the walls are closing in on me and confusion makes it hard to see. Still my pounding heart is bleeding for you..."

Winterfrost hadn't planned on laying there in the same spot for so long but the small rays of sun beaming onto her belly just felt so nice that she couldn't help it. She sheathed and unsheathed her claws, stretching her long limbs towards the sky before letting her body fall over onto its right side. She dug her sharp claws into the slightly hard soil and let her eyes slowly shut as she yawned softly. Her mind began to wander to other things, things that she thought about often but never really dwelled on. How many other cats had been in this same spot? Layed down just like she had? Many of the clan forgot about there ancestors, too busy worrying about the present and future to remember stories of the past. Winterfrost, she never forgot anything, and thanks to the elders she knew a lot of history about the clan, still she wondered if there was something missing, something that the clan should not have forgotten but chose to anyway.

Winterfrost shook her head and opened her eyes, staring at the land as her ears picked up the soothing sound of the nearby river. No..RiverClan was an honorable clan, they wouldn't keep any horrible secrets. The young she-cat thought to herself as her tail twitched once, stirring some lose dirt up into the air. She decided that she had lay down long enough, sure she had the day off but it didn't give her the right to be lazy all day. Slowly Winterfrost rolled onto her belly and stretched before standing up and shaking all of the dirt off of her body. She was about to groom herself when she picked up that unfamiliar scent again...except this time it was a lot stronger.


Pricking her eyes she listened closely for the sound of paw steps and her eyes scanned the area around her. The scent she knew was not of a Clan cat, if it was she would have recognized it right away. A rougue in RiverClan...but why? Her mind raced as she unsheathed her claws, getting ready to fight if necessary. Rogues didn't often travel into clan territory, since most were either too weak or too afraid to fight off any clan cats that they might run into. She slit her eyes, scanning the area around her once last time before her eyes landed on a rather muscular jet black tom. Winterfrost's eyes widened slightly in surprise, she was ashamed with herself. How had it taken her so long to detect a trespasser in her Clan's territory? Not only that but she had been careless and stupid to ignore the scent the first time she had detected her.


Her heart began to beat a little louder, not in fear but because of the adrenaline that was pumping through her small body. Winterfrost wasn't scared of a fight with this cat, even with the knowledge that he could overpower her she still figured she would be able to leave some damage if it came to that. Her blue eyes locked with his yellow ones and she advanced towards him slow and cautious, ready to dodge an attack from him at any moment. She had never seen this cat in RiverClan before, also she had never ran into a rogue so she wasn't exactly sure what to do. Trying to be at intimidating as possible she spoke sharply, not wanting to linger here much longer. "What is a rogue such as yourself doing in RiverClan territory? And hasn't anyone ever taught you it isn't nice to sneak up on others? Were you planning on attacking me? If so I won't back down." Her eyes flashed with slight anger as she awaited his answer.

[silhouette]

Feralclaw,,

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Feralclaw watched the cat dig its claws into the ground and stretch. He clearly sat in the open watching the cat and he couldn't help but grin. Clan-cats didn't know at all how much other cat's simply walked into their territory. If he hadn't been up-wind from her, she would have never known he was there. He felt pretty good of himself right now. Proud that he knew he was sneaky enough to trick a clan-cat, they could be so mouse-brained sometimes. Then again, many loners were mouse-brained also. He shrugged his shoulders to himself, knowing Fox was a smart she-cat. She raised Feralclaw and his brother up teaching them to be great warriors. This cat was a fool though, not even detecting him and just laying there in the sun.

Feralclaw's thoughts broke up when he notice the cat moving more. It opened its eyes and rolled up onto its belly. He was glad the cat finally did something. He was pretty bored of watching it just lay there. Feralclaw was pretty sure the cat was a she-cat. Though, he was pretty far away and wasn't completely sure. Then again, what tom would waste his day laying in the sun and being lazy? He knew he could never do such a thing, he was always out and about. Doing anything that his heart desired.

Feralclaw knew the cat finally had realized it wasn't alone. It quickly became alert and sat up. Its ears working and nose twitching at his scent. Of course Feralclaw didn't smell like Riverclan anymore, he was a loner, and smelled like a loner. Riverclan's scent was so fishy and watery, he probably smelt like grass and dirt. He slept in dirt anyways, it was more conferable than it seemed. The cat looked around the clearing, and its blue eyes locked with his. He sat still, only thing moving was his mouth that formed a grin. He noticed the cat's shock, it's eyes grew big and it's claws came out ready for a fight.

He knew then that it was a she-cat. She was the size of a warrior, but he wasn't about to fight with her. She was defiantly smaller then him, and he enjoyed the courage she had to stand up to him. "What is a rogue such as yourself doing in RiverClan territory? And hasn't anyone ever taught you it isn't nice to sneak up on others? Were you planning on attacking me? If so I won't back down." She spoke sharply at him.

He smiled and stood up, walking closer to her. He also looked around, his memories flashing though his mind. He sat down a few tail-lengths away from her. "First off, I wasn't sneaking. I've been here for a while, you just never noticed me. Second off, I'm not a rogue. I'm a loner. Lastly, no. I don't attack cats for no reason. Just here to remember a day in my life."

[moonfire]

W I N T E R F R O S T
"All the walls are closing in on me and confusion makes it hard to see. Still my pounding heart is bleeding for you..."

Winterfrost's whiskers twitched in odd amusement. Such a foolish tom, thinking that it could talk to a warrior in such a snobbish way. Obviously whoever brought him up didn't know how to teach him any manners. True, since he wasn't part of the clan it wasn't as if he needed to treat her with any respect but still, she wasn't used to any cat talking to her in such a rude way. "Hmm, rogue, loner, same thing in my opinion. Just a bunch of cats who roam around their entire life, never really belonging anywhere."


Winterfrost didn't think that she could ever live such a lonesome life. No other cats to hunt with or share tongues with. No other cat to curls up next to you in the middle of leaf-bare to help keep warm. She didn't understand why any cat would chose to pick a life of such solitude. Winterfrost herself wasn't very talkative, but she enjoyed others company. Most of all she enjoyed being part of a clan. She loved seeing kits grow into curious apprentices and strong warriors. She loved sharing tongues with the elders and hearing them tell stories of both great and terrible times for all the clans. She loved being a part of something bigger than herself. The gatherings, the hunting, the fighting, and the times of both peace and sorrow. When you were part of the clan their was no being alone, no not having any other cat their to support, they were one big family.


A loner, what did they have? Maybe they had a few friends, but even so most of them didn't stick together. Her eyes turned back to look at the tom and she spoke with a less threatening tone, though she was still on edge. "What is the point in being alone? Having barely any friends and family, just fending for yourself. A useless life, in my opinion." She didn't care if she sounded rude or not, this cat was in her territory, according to the code she should have ran him off by now, but she knew that he was no more scared of her than she was of him. Winterfrost knew she must look foolish to the tom, taking so long to detect such an obvious presence. She was a much better warrior than that, but she was tired of always having to be alert. All she wanted was one relaxing day and this stupid loner ruined it for her. Stinky mouse-brained tom. She thought as she let out a soft grumble.


"Hm, seems like you have made a habit of coming into Clan territory when you don't belong here." Her eyes scanned him, trying to figure out why a loner was so interested in RiverClan. His comment made it obvious that he had been here before, since he said he had a memory of this place. She would have to alert Graystar when she got back to camp. Even though this tom didn't seem like much of a threat by himself he could have friends. Maybe he was planning on invading RiverClan. After all, during winter the fish were a great source of food. "Whatever your reason for being here is, you need to leave." Her last words were spoken with a bit of force to let the tom know that she wasn't going to play any games.

[silhouette]

Feralclaw,,

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"Hmm, rogue, loner, same thing in my opinion. Just a bunch of cats who roam around their entire life, never really belonging anywhere." He nodded. Yes they were very close to each other. "Loners choose this life, rogues simply get kicked out of clans or aren't aloud back in there clan. If i wanted I could join a clan." This was his clan after all, it was his home once. It was his family once, but that was his history. He didn't know if he could ever go back to that life or not. Though didn't he actually belong some place? He belonged with his brother and mentor, but at the same time, didn't be belong here?

"What is the point in being alone? Having barely any friends and family, just fending for yourself. A useless life, in my opinion." He nodded again and turned to look at the she-cat with his yellow-green eyes. "Don't you ever wonder about whats out in the world? The secrets that it holds in its grasps? How the sun look when its falling behind a vast ocean? Or how the moon looks just as beautiful when your laying among junk as when your laying in grass? He smiled at her. He wondered then if she was a dreamer, he wasn't much of one. Though he had found out these tiny things by being a loner. He had seen the world with different eyes, being alone made you look for these beauties.

"Hm, seems like you have made a habit of coming into Clan territory when you don't belong here." Feralclaw only shrugged at her. "I haven't been here since i was younger, when I was only 7 moons old." He watched as she looked at him. Her eyes watching his every move probably. He didn't care much though. "Whatever your reason for being here is, you need to leave." He smiled softly, "I told you why I was here."

He walked around the clearing, not caring to even turn his back to look at the trees and everything in it. He stopped at the place were his mentor's body had laid. He closed his eyes and remembered his last dieing breath. How his brother cried after they killed the large badger. Or how the blood looked splattered on every pelt and ever leave of grass that held the area. He opened his eyes and turned to the tabby she-cat. "And you tell me why you came out here today. To lay in the sun. Did you think about the secrets that your own clan could hold? I bet I know something about this very spot that you don't even remember. You were an apprentice when it happened." He said softly and calmly. He knew then that the she-cat wouldn't enjoy him talking like that, but would be intrigued in what he had been saying.

[moonfire]

W I N T E R F R O S T
"All the walls are closing in on me and confusion makes it hard to see. Still my pounding heart is bleeding for you..."

Winterfrost twitched her whiskers at his comment and spoke, this time her voice sounding like it truly was supposed to, soft and soothing. "It isn't that easy for a loner to join a clan. You should know that. A loner can't just walk into any Clan and be like 'Hey, I want to join this Clan and be a warrior'. They aren't accepted that easily." As prejudice at it sounded that was how all Clan's were. Back in the day when ThunderClan had Firestar as a leader she heard from some of the elders that he was more lenient when allowing kittypets, loners, and other Clan cats join his clan. Sadly, RiverClan, and many of the other Clans these days weren't so kind when it came to allowing a complete stranger to invade their Clan and join their way of life."Besides, if you are so used to taking care of yourself, you wouldn't enjoy Clan life very much."


"Don't you ever wonder about whats out in the world? The secrets that it holds in its grasps? How the sun look when its falling behind a vast ocean? Or how the moon looks just as beautiful when your laying among junk as when your laying in grass?" Winterfrost suddenly didn't feel as confident as she had a minute ago. His words intrigued her, and her mind began to wander over all of the possibilities. Winterfrost wasn't a huge dreamer, it was more so that she thirsted for knowledge and enjoyed exploring the unknown. She was bold in nature, and liked to do things that other cats would never even dream of attempting. She had heard the elders whisper about the ocean before, it was said to be a vast amount of water. So much that you couldn't even see the land across from it. She almost was tempted to ask him what the ocean looked like, but instead she caught herself and said something else instead.


"Still. Being part of a clan is so much more rewarding in so many ways. From being able to learn of great stories from the elders to watching kits grow from curious little kittens to strong apprentices and even greater warriors. It's about being there for one another and backing each other up. Even when one cat is left with nothing...another cat is willing to step in and help them pick up the pieces." Winterfrost was speaking from experience, since both her father and mother had died before her eyes had ever opened, yet never once in her life had she ever felt like she was alone and had nothing left. That was what a clan was all about...loyalty, love, compassion, and family.

"I don't see where you get off with assuming how old I am, seeing as how you just now met me. And even if the Clan does have secrets, I'm sure none are that bad." She hid the fact that she wad immediately curious with whatever information this tom had to offer about RiverClan. She didn't want to allow him to get the best of her."And, if you really must know, I came out here to be alone. Which you ruined." She was back to being in a foul mood, her anger boiling up again. Damn this tom.

[silhouette]

Feralclaw,,

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Feralclaw only smiled. If he really wanted to he could join Riverclan. One word of his history and they would bring him back in a heart beat. She seemed right though, yes most loners couldn't just walk up to a clan and ask to be in. It wasn't what the clans did, they didn't like outsiders. Unless that cat was hurt, then they would take care of the cat till they healed and then give them a choice of going to staying. He wondered if his parents still were alive, he was so tempted to ask her. To wonder about his parents, but he could seem weak yet. No he was just starting to make this cat feel unconfident and a bit scared.

"Still. Being part of a clan is so much more rewarding in so many ways. From being able to learn of great stories from the elders to watching kits grow from curious little kittens to strong apprentices and even greater warriors. It's about being there for one another and backing each other up. Even when one cat is left with nothing...another cat is willing to step in and help them pick up the pieces." She said to him. Feralclaw nodded to her, he felt like he was doing a lot of nodding. "I know about clan life. I wasn't born a loner, of course not. I've seen all that, heard the elders mutter stories. That was all boring to me. I wanted to be out and about, not hearing the same ol' stories and doing the same thing every day. Hunting, patrolling, training, learning. That's all boring."

Feralclaw moved closer to the she-cat as she talked about her age and the clan's secrets. He smiled and stopped staring her right in the eyes. "Lets see.. You name is Winterpaw, well your a warrior now so you have some new ending huh? And if i remember this right, your parents died before your eyes opened. You were three or four moons older then me. Sooo your about 18-19 moons old?" He recited all the stuff he had remembered about the she-cat. She hadn't changed much. Her eyes were still very blue and she still had the same pelt. Though, she probably never took notice to the young black tom. "And the secret I know it kinda bad. Everyone seemed to forget it though." He wondered when she'd remember. Or if she even every heard the real story of what happen.

Feralclaw ignored her rude comment, but knew she was mad now. He hoped she wouldn't claw off his pelt, or well try too. He smiled and backs up a step and sat down. Not really wanting to get into a fight with her.

[moonfire]

W I N T E R F R O S T
"All the walls are closing in on me and confusion makes it hard to see. Still my pounding heart is bleeding for you..."

Winterfrost herself had never really had a huge problem with outsiders, and now that she was sharing tongues with one she didn't really understand why clan cats hated them so much. No..she couldn't let herself think like that. It was her duty to keep intruders out of RiverClan territory, so no matter how nice this cat seemed to be, she needed to get him to leave, and soon. If she was caught talking to a loner...no, she shouldn't worry about that. She wouldn't let some stray tom intimidate her.


She watched as he nodded again, and for some reason she became slightly irritated. It was as if he didn't even care enough to speak, and it made her feel awkward. She didn't want to be the one doing most of the talking. His next words surprised her a bit, she would have never guessed that he was born in a clan. His words did have a truth to them though. Sometimes doing the same thing every day did get rather boring. That was the reason that she left the camp in the first place, she was tired of some of the cats in her clan, she just wanted to be alone. This cat needed to leave, he was making her second guess herself, and she didn't like it.

As he moved closer she felt the need to back away, but didn't want to seem weak so she stood her ground. Her wintery blue orbs met his and she ground her teeth together as he began to speak. What!? How did he know her name? Who was this tom? And he even knew what happened to her parents. She lifted her head up so her eyes met his, and they flashed with slight anger. "My name, is Winterfrost, and yes I am a warrior. I am 18 moons old..and you have no right to say anything about my parents. I don't understand how you know all of this stuff about me, yet I know nothing about you." She looked at him intently, trying to remember what his name was, or any memories of him.

She cocked her head to the side and a fuzzy memory started to form in her head. She remembered a small black tom who she had trained with before once or twice, but she couldn't seem to put a name to the face. She just needed something, some kind of word, or gesture, just something to help her remember. As for this secret that he was talking about, she wasn't sure if she even wanted to know what it was. She stood up up and padded a few feet away, over to a little patch of white daisies and stuck her head into them as she took a big sniff.

"Mm, you keep your secrets to yourself, and I will keep mine. It's better that way." She was thinking about heading back to camp here soon and just letting him do whatever he wanted.

[silhouette]

Feralclaw,,

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Feralclaw shrugged and decided it was no hope for him with this she-cat. She wanted nothing to do with him, and he could care less if she left or not. So why would it matter? She didn't even seem interested anymore with fighting with him and trying to make him leave. She seemed a bit bipolar. In once second she was anger, the next thinking about what he said then back to anger again. At least he could keep his cool while talking to other cats. Come to think of it, he didn't get angry often, he just enjoyed watching other cats become inflamed. Feralclaw smiled and sat as she she-cat turned her back on him and walked a bit away. Taking a breath of some fresh and odd daisies. Daisies in winter, odd. Maybe he hadn't remembered everything about Riverclan yet.

"Miss, of course you don't remember me. No should or does, it was probably something your clan kept quiet of through off something else because they were afraid of the truth. Even though their lines of truth was probably false." He had always thought the clan would suspect that the two apprentice toms were dragged off by more badgers. That the leader simply told Riverclan that the badgers probably left but to be on the look out of them. They would have never know the truth about what had happened.

"By the way, doesn't your warrior training say anything about turning your back on a wild and feral cat? You might as well leave if you are showing horrible weakness of your clan. Run along now, might as well tell your clan there is a loner among the land. Don't worry about me though, I'll be gone before they have a chance to lay their paws in this field. Feralclaw smiled widely and jumped into a shadow of a tree. His dark, black pelt doing its work and hiding him quite well. "I'm like a shadow." And with that he left out harsh chuckle.

[moonfire]

W I N T E R F R O S T
"All the walls are closing in on me and confusion makes it hard to see. Still my pounding heart is bleeding for you..."

Winterfrost didn't understand why this Tom cat was able to cause her emotions to change so drastically in such a short amount of time. Usually she was able to keep her emotions under control even in the most stressful situations. She didn't like this, and that is why she needed to get away, even if it made her look like a coward. She didn't have a huge ego, so even if her pride was hurt slightly, she could easily recover from the blow. The daisies that she had just smelled were very dull, almost dead, but they brought the hope that leaf-bare might be over early. Even so she could tell they were struggling to survive, more than likely the flowers would be dead by the end of the night. Still, it wasn't very often that any clan received flowers in leaf-bare, and this caused Winterfrost to wonder if it was a sign from StarClan. Impossible...why would a warrior such as herself ever receive a message from Starclan? She shook her head and turned her attention back to the tom.



"I just have this feeling that I should remember you, especially if you remember me. It wasn't that long ago..and I have a good memory..so why.." She paused, digging through her memories, knowing that she had to remember him. "I suppose if something was kept secret from the clan it would have had to have been moderately bad, or maybe really bad. If you know the secret though it must mean you had something to do with it." Her mind was on overdrive now, and she knew she was coming closer to remembering. The daisies wouldn't leave her mind..and she had a feeling that they somehow had something to do with this cat.

Wild and feral cat... yes..yes, a memory was beginning to form and she closed her eyes trying to concentrate on it. But that wasn't enough, she needed something more, one more word or phrase and she knew she would remember. "I'm like a shadow." That was it! She remembered now! As she opened her eyes and looked up at the tom the memory formed in her head...


Winterpaw had snuck out of the camp that morning, not wanting to do any of her apprentice duties that day. Normally, she wasn't one to complain about any of the duties the apprentices were left with but she had a very restless night, possibly getting at the most an hour or so of sleep, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to function correctly. It was her third moon or so of training as an apprentice and she had a feeling she would be becoming a warrior soon, still she wondered if she were truly ready? As her paws tugged her towards an empty clearing she came across a patch of beautiful white daisies and bent her head to sniff them. A lovely aroma filled her nostrils and she sighed contently, then got startled as the stench of another cat mixed in with it.

Slowly Winterpaw came face to face with a black as night tom cat with the most mesmerizing yellow-green eyes that stood out against his dark pelt. She couldn't believe she hadn't seen him when she padded over here. "H-hi, how long have you been there?" she mewed in a nervous voice. The other apprentice chuckled softly and spoke in a mysterious voice "A while. I'm like a shadow..."

Winterfrost snapped out of her memory and without even meaning to let the name form from her jaws. "Feralpaw..that was your name. You were always good at hiding.." She couldn't believe it had taken her that long to figure out who the tom was. "You must go by something else now though, what with being a loner and all." Winterfrost turned her eyes away from him, remembering how they had been somewhat friends. Though they hadn't talked much, she remembered training with him once or twice, and even sharing a meal. How had she forgotten?

[silhouette]

Feralclaw,,

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Actions//Thoughts//Speaking

"I just have this feeling that I should remember you, especially if you remember me. It wasn't that long ago..and I have a good memory..so why.." Feralclaw shrugged his shoulders. Oddly the she-cat calmed down and actually focused on him. Now, when he was getting mad at her she was the one who calmed the field and started talking with him again. Feralclaw just listened to her, and thought about what she was saying. Finally she was right, and finally she was thinking of who he was and where he came from. He wondered if this she-cat would actually remember him.

"Feralclaw!" His head came up as he glanced at the she-cat. He came out of the shadows slowly and stared at her. So she really did remember him. He smiled softly and sat at the end of the woods and wrapped his black, thin tail around his paws. "So you do remember me.. I choose to keep the warrior names and got my warrior name when i was 11 moons old, Feralclaw." He started off. He couldn't help the smile that tilted his lips upward. He felt a bit happy, maybe too overjoyed that the she-cat remembered him. But that was gone in a second.. and now he felt like he was in danger. His smiled vanished and he stood, rather quickly.

"I-i should go. I didn't realize the danger I'm putting myself in.. the clan... Oh this clan hated Loners.. If they knew.. I have to go." Feralclaw jumped and went to turn, but he felt his paws stop. "Winterfrost, It was nice meeting you again." He bowed his head softly in respect and for a second wished he was still a clan cat. He felt.. lonely.

[moonfire]

W I N T E R F R O S T
"All the walls are closing in on me and confusion makes it hard to see. Still my pounding heart is bleeding for you..."

Feralclaw..yes, Winterfrost definitely remembered the tom now. Many cats in the clan had held a fondness for the apprentice who had been able to hide from just about any cat, even the most talented and best experienced warriors. Winterfrost herself had enjoyed the toms quiet company, though she had never really took the initiative to get to know him very well. She remembered how he and his brother had mysteriously vanished along with their two mentors. Winterfrost herself had been rather sneaky as an apprentice and managed to listen to a conversation that two senior warriors had been having, which is how she found out about the incident. The two mentors had been found dead, but the two apprentices were missing.

For some reason the clan never bothered to look very long for the apprentices, but secretly Winterfrost had. For about 2 moons whenever she could sneak away she ventured out of the territory searching for any trace of the shadow like apprentice. And now after all this time, here he was, standing right in front of her. It was almost impossible to believe.

"Of course I remember you..I must have suppressed any memories I had of you for some reason, I'm sorry Feralclaw." She wasn't sure why she was apologizing. It may be because of the fact that she had given up on her search for him, going along with what the other cats said and basically writing him off as dead, thus forgetting all about him. Or maybe she was apologizing because of what he had to go through, she never got the full story and she was too afraid to ask. She wondered if he would be mad if he knew she had given up on him.

When Wintefrost noticed his smile she felt herself return it, but as soon as the happy calm moment had appeared it was gone. Feralclaw's sudden fear for being in RiverClan territory startled her, and she began to speak, thinking that her voice sounded a bit sad. "Wait no, don't go! You are a clan cat, you went missing, everyone thought you were dead, I thought you were dead! But here you are after all this time. Don't you see, the clan has to let you come back!" She quickly ran in front of him block his path, her eyes shining with some emotion she had never felt before. "Please, don't leave yet..I just found you."