[L]ittle;[OPEN];runawa[Y]

[Mossmask]

[Why are you running away?]

She may as well have been blind.

The young she-cat only had a vague idea as to where she was going. She knew she was out on the tundra, part of her clan's territory; that had to count for something. Yet, her paws were the ones leading her somewhere, anywhere, away from the camp, away from her depressed mother and sister, away from the pitying stares of her clanmates. The icy chill of the soft snow pillowing her paws were a comfort as she ran, no, soared over the earth to escape the confining walls of the camp.

[...What is it I've got to say...]

She didn't need to rest; not at all. She could have joined the Dusk Patrol tonight. Who cares if she had been on the Sunhigh Patrol? Who cares if she had joined a hunt or two already? Bramblepaw had been wrong, and if he could see her running now, he would have let her join the Dusk Patrol. She was strong, as strong as her father had been. She didn't need to rest; she had rested last night during their vigil for Foreststar. She couldn't rest, not when so many were grieving, when so many were missing and dead...

Maybe she should start thinking of Bramblepaw as Bramblestar now. She glanced up at the moon, three-quarters full, and wondered how Bramblepaw and her foster brothers, Sprintpaw and Cherubimpaw, were doing on their journey to the Moon Pinnacle for Bramblepaw to get his nine lives. Despite Bramblepaw not being entirely sure that he was next in line to be leader, she had faith in him. There was no reason for StarClan to reject him, unless Mossmask had been delirious when the warrior had claimed that Foreststar told her in a dream that Bramblepaw would become Bramblestar. But Mossmask wasn't crazy; depressed, yes, but not crazy. It was ridiculous to think like that.

[So why are you running away?]

No, there was no reason that her brother should not be leader. He was young, sure, but that meant that he will be with the clan for a long time. The clan needed stability, and Bramblepaw's cool and collected instincts will provide readily, whether the fur-ball knows it or not--

With a startled yelp, one of her paws slipped out from under her, and she suddenly found herself face-first into a pile of snow. Instead of moving, she lied there, contemplating the pros and cons of getting up. The cons outweighed the pros; it wasn't as if she had a plan for being out in the tundra. Blinking her blue eyes slowly, Cuckoopaw gingerly curled up and just let her thoughts roam free in the darkening night.

[...To make you admit you're afraid...?]

"Running Away," (c) Hoobastank[/i]

[--|Sootie|--]

Let them keep thinking you don't know

Skypaw had suffered almost since the day she had been born. Her entire family was dead. Her father was a murderer, her mother his victi. Her brother was revenge obsessed, so much so that his desire to punish their father had turned him into nothing more than what he has set out to destroy. Her two sisters had died days after their birth from green-cough. Skypaw should be alone. That was what they had wanted. Why give in? Her family was one designed to carry a burden, a burden which they all passed on to her, one by one. To start with, she had started to sink under their burden. But now it was time to be free, to set down that burden. Skypaw wouldn't be destroyed the same as the others were. She had seen trough their plan and altered it.
The lilac-silver pelted apprentice danced accross the tundra. There was too much grief in the camp with everyone mourning the death of Forreststar. She couldn't stand being there, being chocked by the suffocating atmosphere of pain, guilt and loss. She would help Foreststar by continuing her service to him. Better to replenish the fresh-kill pile than sit around waiting for a miracle from Star Clan to make everything instantly better. The clan needed more than ever a backbone of strong, willing warriors and apprentices. There were some.
Rabbit!! Somewhere up ahead was a rabbit, Skypaw could smell it. There were other scents too; faint aromas of vole and eagle, but more strongly that of Artcic Clan cats. She would catch the rabbit first, and then see who'd been here before. Skypaw spotted the rabbit next to a tuft of snow coated grass. She dropped into a perfect hunter's crouch and salked it for a second before leaping and landing on top of it. She killed the rabbit and buried it by kicking the powdery snow over it. Wipin her muzzle she stopped and tried to distinguish which of her clan mates had been this way. Cuckoopaw and...Pumpkinkit?' What was the oversized black kit doing away from camp?

[Mossmask]

[Call my name...]

Cuckoopaw wasn't sure how long she had been laying there. Judging by the position of the moon, it hadn't been very. If it hadn't been for a couple of familiar scents on the wind, she most likely wouldn't have even bothered to stir to look at the silver sky orb.

The breeze brought the scents to her again, and the sleek she-cat wondered idly if it was the Dusk Patrol, but there should have been more scents to accompany... Skypaw?

Curiosity won over Cuckoopaw, and the black and white she-cat stood up, shivering before shaking the snow that had gently collected on her while she had been laying in her makeshift snow-bed. Slowly, the older apprentice began walking in the direction that Skypaw's scent was coming from.

"Skypaw?" Cuckoopaw's voice cracked. Scooping up a small mouthful of snow, she allowed the cool flakes to melt into water to quench her parched throat. She called out her fellow apprentice's name again, this time stronger.

Waitaminute... Another scent hit Cuckoopaw's senses and she paused, her body alert and tall, looking so much like a younger version of her father's warrior-self.

"Pumpkinkit?!" What was that little fur-ball doing out?

[...and save me from the dark]

"Bring Me to Life," (c) Evanescence

((Hey, Sootie, if you want Pumpkinpaw to have a mother-figure, Mossmask will be willing. xD She'd probably act motherly to him anyway; she tends to do that.))[/i]

[--|Sootie|--]

[I'll keep you locked in my head]

Sighing quietly, Skypaw turned around to scold the kit. She didn't want to upset him, but she'd always tried to look out for the kits in the clan. As she turned around she shook the snow out of her fur from where she'd buried the rabbit. 'Pumpkinkit! Come out come out wherever you are!' She would be nice to him. As the large black kit peeped out from behind a fallen tree, she smiled slightly. Just as she opened her mouth t speak to him, another voice from behind made her turn around again. It was Cuckoopaw, a Skypaw'd thought. The older apprentice looked tired. Exhausted would probably be a better word. Skypaw easily understood why though. 'Are you okay Cuckoopaw? The silver she-cat walked over to her friend, signaling for the black kit to follow. She couldn't send him back on his own, he'd have to stay with them. Skypaw brushed her nose into Cuckoopaw's shoulder. Was it not enough that her leader had died, but also her father? Skypaw had never been wounded that deeply. She suddenly realized that her own suffering was no more than a superficial surface scratch in comparison. She could hardly realize how much she'd been wallowing in self-pity. Disgusted with herself, she whispered to Cuckoopaw 'I'm sorry. Truly sorry' It took a minute for her to realize that the wetness on her face was her own tears. Why did it always have to be something so harsh to show you your faults? Why always leave it until it's too late? The world was a place so unfair the pain it created was enough to make you want to disappear.

Pumpkinkit was half glad that he'd been discovered. He'd no idea how to find his way back to camp and he was getting cold. The snow just made everything smell the same, smell clean of all recognizable scents. And Skypaw who he'd been following was always nice to him, and she didn't sound angry. When he stepped out from behind the log he felt both please and worried. At least he'd managed to track her this far. Hopefully Skypaw wouldn't tell the warriors, of Torturedsoul or Mossmask. But there wasn't just Skypaw here. The other apprentice, Foreststar's daughter, had called his name. He just stood there and looked at her as Skypaw joined her. He felt uncomfortable watching the two friends together. They were both obviously more upset than him, even though he'd admired Forest star and would be ever grateful because he'd taken him in when he was younger, but he hadn't know him for as long. Cuckoos, you know that Forest star is in Star Clan. He's up there hunting with the ones who got there before him, watching the ones who'll join him in time. The only difference between where he is now, and where he was before is the peace e has, and the realease from his duty. He's in a better place, anjoying the best of both worlds. Pumpkinkit shivered as he though about what Star Clan must be like. 'My parents are there too. Together with the one who they love. I'll meet with them again one day and we'll be together again. Foreststar i the same. Maybe he'll meet my parents. I'm sure he's enjoying Star Clan.' The orphaned kit was obsessed with the idea that his parents were somewhere good, together. Why was there this world, if such a place as Star Clan existed? If everyone was there to start with, then everyone would be immune to the pain of reality. Pumpkinkit sat down and rushed the snow with his tail. He would give anything to be in Star Clan for his eternity.


[Until we meet again][/center][/b]

_{Music by P!nk, Who Knew?}

[Mossmask]

[People change and promises are broken]

Cuckoopaw took a shuddering breath, her entire body shaking due to it rather than the cold, night air, as Skypaw's nose brushed her shoulder, as Skypaw's words reached her ears. Instead of directly replying, Cuckoopaw stayed silent for a few heartbeats, barely noticing that Pumpkinkit was there as well.

"Skypaw," the black and white she-cat said softly, hestiantly. She hiccuped, interrupting herself. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Cuckoopaw asked, "Does all this pain... Does it all ever really go away? How long does it take to get used to it?"

Cuckoopaw and her siblings were not the only ones in the clan to lose family, far from it. Skypaw had also suffered the loss of her family; she didn't even have any siblings to lean upon like Cuckoopaw did. Yet, Skypaw had always been able to handle herself with grace and a smile, and Cuckoopaw was disgusted with herself that she couldn't even keep her tears in.

[Clouds can move and skies will be wide open]

She blinked as Pumpkinkit spoke up, and she chuckled slightly at his name for her. Smiling at the young tom -- another foster brother, incidentally, for Mossmask had been willing to also take him under her wing -- Cuckoopaw said, "Thanks... It's nice to hear someone have so much faith in StarClan. I'm sure Foreststar does like it up there. He can talk to Copperpaw, and watch over us with him... It's probably very pretty... What are you doing out here, anyway?"

Cuckoopaw wondered briefly at the miracle that Pumpkinkit was. Here was a young tom born outside of the clans, yet he had more faith in ArcticClan ancestors than some pure-blooded members of the clan. A dark cloud in Cuckoopaw's mind reminded her of the harsh words Mythflight had had the nerve to say to her mother that fateful night, but Cuckoopaw shoved it away.

It was unlikely that she would ever fully forgive the warrior for those ignorant words.

[Don't forget to take a breath]

"Take a Breath," (c) Jonas Brothers[/i]

[--|Sootie|--]

[Tomorrow I'll wake up and start all over again]

Skypaw pressed her body against Cuckoopaw's; hoping that their physical warmth may thaw some of the painful internal ice. Both of the apprentices had tasted the bitterness of loss, as had Pumpkinkit. 'Nobody is safe from it. Everybody will loose loved ones, and there is not wound or illness that will hurt so badly. And you don't even have to like someone to love them; I think that hurts worst.' Sykpaw's silvery lilac eyes were wet and a single tear slowly rolled down her face. Does it hurt more to silently mourn the mounting deaths, or to spill all of your thoughts and feelings to someone piling your agony with theirs? Pumpkinkit could see how upset Skypaw and Cuckoopaw were, but felt useless to comfort them. Just as I was useless when my mother and father were being shredded by a badger...'Maybe I came out here to help everyone to see that pain is everlasting and Death is unforgiving. I know I shouldn't have left camp, but I just felt that I had too. Everyone is mourning the loss of their leader, but how many have mourned the loss of a parent, or both? Sooner or later they will, and then we'll see how superficial the tears were.'
Skypaw looked at the tiny black kit, an orphan who had become more a part of the clan than some of the true clan born elders. Strange how what's inside is rarely reflected by appearance or actions. 'The pain? Do you want it to ever go away? The pain teaches you how much they really meant to you, and shows you everyday how much you will miss Foreststar. It will lessen, depending on how deeply you keep holding onto the memory of his death. Let that go, but always treasure the memories of his life. That is the bit that matters.' Giving the advice to Cuckoopaw that nobody had told her made Skypaw think of the memories she had of her mother and brother. There was only one, a very blurry image of Tigerlilly, her mother. A day in the nursery before the greencough. Tigerlilly had taught Skypaw how to stalk a ball of moss, and because Skypaw had learnt it quicker than Ringedpaw, he spent the day sulking. Tigerlilly had gotten upset because her son was upset, which had upset Skypaw, and eventually the tears turned to laughter because of how it had all come about.
'When I think of Ringedpaw, the pain is almost intolerable. For the first few sun-rises I wondered why; but then I realized it's because he'd died and I'd never knew him. I always saw his faults, I only ever saw our murderous father when I looked at him. My brother died a stranger to me.'

[When everybody else is gone]

_{Music by P!nk, Nobody Knows}

[Mossmask]

[Blink our eyes, life's rearranged]

"I suppose you're right," Cuckoopaw murmured to Skypaw. "I will always treasure the memories I have of Foreststar, of course... I want to treasure those memories. This pain, though... It's hard to bare... I just hope there will be a time when I can look back and reminisce about Foreststar with the rest of my family without any one of us breaking down into tears."

The young she-cat blinked, tilting her head in confusion at Pumpkinkit's words.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "I am mourning the loss of a parent! And how is you coming out here teaching the clan that death is unforgiving? I'm sure plenty of the other clan members can tell you that one; almost all of our clanmates have lost someone special during the Great Move.

[To our surprise, it's still okay]

"Mossmask and Torturedsoul are probably worried sick about you," Cuckoopaw continued, her tone weary. "Neither of them may not be your biological mother, but they love you as if you were, and you decide to come out here to 'teach that pain is everlasting'? ...I really don't understand what you mean by coming out here."

When Skypaw spoke of her brother being a virtual stranger to her, Cuckoopaw nudged her. "Well, you have Bramblepaw, Sprintpaw, Cherubimpaw, and this rascal," her slim tail pointed at Pumpkinkit, "as brothers, if you want, and Flowerpaw and I as sisters. Whether you've noticed or not, Mossmask watches out for you, too. She tends to do that."

[It's the way things happen]

still "Take a Breath" lyrics, still (c) Jonas Brothers[/i]

[--|Sootie|--]

Why bother with what happened yesterday?

Pumpkinkit started at the snow dusted floor wondering how his words must have came across to Cuckoopaw and Skypaw. He hadn't meant to say that the other clan members didn't know how it felt to lose someone, or that his leaving camp was to show that death was cruel; that was obvious. 'I didn't mean to upset you; saying that you or anybody else doesn't know what it's like to be completley alone because their parents have been killed. Everybody loved Foreststar; everybody is mourning him and always will. I think I meant that maybe some of the others don't really understand, or now form experience how you are feeling. They can sympathise but maybe not empathise so much. I know that everyone will have to suffer the pain of losing a loved one at some point, but until then; the ones who haven't, then they really don't have the right to say that they know how you feel.' For days after Pumpkinkit had watched his arents be killed he wandered around compeltley confused, alone, scared... All of those jumbled feelings burdened on a kit of two moons. Surely it wasn't fair? Yeah right. Life isn't fair.

It's not how you look it's how you feel inside

Skypaw smiled at Cuckopaw. Was there any word but cruel, as to how friends could be so much more like family than your own kin? Like opposing forces of nature; Skypaw and Ringedpaw had only ever clashed and argued. The dusky lilac she cat and her brother had never seen eye-to-eye. Why was it that you could only see the damage after it was too late to repair it? Everyday Skypaw woke up to find that she had to live knowing that she had helped to destroy her brother, and that now he was dead and he couldn't be brought back. Cuckoopaw was offering to stand in as her sibling; and to share hers with Skypaw. Skypaw didn't understand how one cat could have so much love to share when her own brother detested someone even saying the word. It was true, the clan had always been like a family, but Ringedpaw had always kept Skypaw excluded, therefore she had never know it. 'I think I know Bramblepaw and you and Flowerpaw better than I ever known any of my biological family. It's hardly fair that I give all the blame to my dead brother, when I only saw what I wantd to see. Now I'm left here alone with nothing but useless musing over if's and maybe's. You know, when I was a tiny kit my mother once told me off for saying 'What if?' She told me that it is the saddest question in the world, and I guess now I know how true it is. We all come to discover that sooner or later.'

Never say no, try anything twice
Till the angels come and ask me to fly

_{Music by Bryan Adams, 18 til I die}

[Mossmask]

[Life isn't suffocating]

Cuckoopaw listened to Pumpkinkit, trying to comprehend his words in her weary state. With a sigh, she nodded once he finished speaking. "Thanks to the Great Move, I believe almost everyone can say they understand what it's like to lose a loved one... We lost so many..."

Blinking her blue eyes, for a moment, the old, sarcastic and blunt Cuckoopaw seemed to return as she looked at Pumpkinkit. "That still doesn't explain why you're out here, though. Was it because you wanted to get away from all the mourning? I mean, shouldn't you be asleep? Or trying to, anyway?"

Cuckoopaw nodded to Skypaw at the other she-cat's words about the question 'What if?' "I suppose it is a sad question. Mossmask, although she got a bit frustrated with Bramblepaw's excessive and somewhat-reckless exploring while we were kits, encouraged us to try everything. She didn't really like the question, either. She wanted us to dream and think, but also said to try as much as we could so there wouldn't be a reason to ask 'What if?', you know?"

She shrugged slightly, gazing off in the direction of the Moon Pinnacle. "It's like us asking what if StarClan really doesn't want Bramblepaw to be the next leader? We can't do anything about it right now, so why worry and waste time?"

[Air isn't overrated]

Ditto as the last two previous posts[/i]

[--|Sootie|--]

Time ain't nothing but time

Pumpkinpaw siled at Cuckoopaw. Wouldn't life be so much easier if everyone could just see what you were trying to say? It would save so much confusion and upset. 'I won't try to say that I know how you feel, because nobody does; I can only say how I felt in a similar situation. I guess it just started to annoy me; whn I was first brought into the clan, when everybody said that they knew how I felt. My feelings were mine; my memories of my parents couldn't be shared. And I don't remember the Great Move; I can only imagine how many casualties there were. But imiagine is all that I can do, I'll never know. I think that is what I was trying to say.' Pumkpinkit wrapped his coal black tail around his tiny paws. It was so much colder out here than in the camp. It was another thing which brought him back to Cuckoopaw' question. Why had he lefet camp? 'I probably left camp so early because of the flash-backs. All fo the visible, tangible mourning for Foreststar brings back my own silent pain. I'm sorry if I've caused trouble for anyone by coming here. I couldn' sleep, and it hurts to much in the camp to see everyone sharing their grief.' His soft black fur stood on end as if he had goose-flesh. The shivers down his spine were nothing to do with the snow which had began to fall again. Pumpkinkit's wide orange eye were full of tears.

It's a verse with no rhyme

Skypaw's silvery-lilac tail was stroking Pumpkinkit's shoulder; trying to soothe the small kit. For one o young, he'd faced way too much pain. Like me, he's an orphan, yet he doesn't seem to get on as well with his den-mates as I do. Maybe he came here because he's lonley. 'Pumpkinkit, you know the whole of Arctic Clan is your family? We all love you like a brother, or son, and you've plenty of riends haven't you? Have you ever thalked to anyone about what happened before you came to Arctic Clan? That would probably help.' She didn't know it, but her advice to Pimpkinkit was useful to all of them. How many members of the clan had got pain, anger or grie locked up inside of them, and had never even though of asking another's opinion; or even just atalking about it? It was good advice which everyone in the forest could listen to. You're right Cuckoopaw. We just have to make do with what we're given. Play the hand we've been dealt. But anyway, Bramblepaw will be a great leader, and if he isn't ready yet, then Mossmask will stand in for him until Star Clan do grant him thier blessing. Everything will work out right eventually. It may take some time, but in the end...'

Man, it all comes down to you

_{Music by Bon Jovi, Next 100 Years}

[Mossmask]

[Help me carry on]

"Mossmask will freak if she finds you missing." Cuckoopaw gave Pumpkinkit a gentle swipe across the ear. "She'll do her best to understand as much as she can, though. She lost her mother too... I actually don't know about my grandfather. I don't think Mossmask knew about him either...

[Assure me it's okay to]

"I understand what you're saying," Cuckoopaw said. "But, you know, when someone tries to say that they understand how you feel, it means that they are trying, or know how they felt in a similar situation. It's another way to say that they care about you, that they want to try to help you feel better. As Skypaw and I demonstrated, the pain never really goes away, but..." the she-cat gave a crooked smile to the other female, "we help each other along."

[Use my heart and not my eyes]

When Skypaw mentioned about Mossmask standing in as leader for the clan, Cuckoopaw's ears flattened slightly. "I hope she'll feel better then... Right before she found out Foreststar died, she was talking to Cardinalvoice and me as if... Well, Cardinalvoice compared Mossmask to a strong, sturdy rock, but then Mossmask said that even rocks were worn away by the weather... It was a bit scary to hear my mom talk like that."

[To navigate the darkness]

"Crawling in the Dark," (c) Hoobastank[/i]

[--|Sootie|--]

Since the night your love saved me

Pumpkinkit loked down at his black paws guiltily. He knew that Mossmask would be mad with worry that the small orphaned kit had gone missing out of the nursery, especially the way things were at the moment. It was thoughtless of him to cause trouble like that. He loved Mossmask as much like a mother as he ever could. Maybe if he couldn't remember his parents then he would be more careful to please her. He looked up at Cuckoopaw, his oragne eys wide. 'I know that other's saying that they know how you feel is them interpreting how they would feel, but sometimes it feels like a warrior saying he knows how the mouse feels just before he pounces on it. That's probably a bad comparrison and maybe not true in some cases. But for the last three moons, I've been told by so many warriors, queens and apprenitces; but they can't all feel the same way, the way I felt, can they?' He tilted his head upwards, letting the falling snow settle on his dark face, occasionally blinking when they landed too close to his round eyes. 'When my parents first died, it rained for days and was freezing cold. i cried constantly. I thought that the rain was all the tears of Star Clan regretting the dead of two perfect loners, and I thanked them for their remorse. I think now, that the rain was Death Clan trying to wash away the traces or their cruelty. Somedays the snow seems like the rain of Death Clan, frozen solid by the coldness of their heerts, and somedays it's so beauiful that I see it must be sent by Star Clan so we all can appreciate the beauty, but know it is never exactly as it seems, that there is coldness there to create it. Everything is a mystery, for no reason and it's getting too confusing.'

Maybe I can't save the world

Skypaw felt a sliver of cold when Cuckopaw repeated what Mossmask had said to Cardinalvoice a few sun-rises ago. It was worrying to hear that Mossmask of all people was saying such things. She was one of the best warriors in the clan. She'd always been positive, loving and unshakeable. The buisness with Foreststar must have come as such a shock to Mosmask too, nobody had suspected there was anything physicaly wrong with him. Skypaw hadn't even realised that he was on his last life. Mossmask was dealing with it the best way she knew how to, but nodoby really liked having to get over the death of their mate, or their leader. 'Mossmask got it really bad with the dead of Foreststar. I feel so sorry for her, I wish there was someway that the whole clan could help her, or support her. Star Clan knows she needs something to keep her mind on. And you Pumpkinkit could be just the thing. Not saying that you should go missing more often, but Mossmask has always been a 'mother', if not to her own kits, then to the whole clan. I think mybe she likes it when she can have someone to look out for, that other's sometimes rely on her.' Skypaw rememberd how it felt to rely on someone else. She'd spent mons with Dreamsongs after she'd lost her mother. She'd even dreamed of being her apprenitce, so she could be closer to Star Clan and help others like Dreamsongs did. Like Mosmask did.

But as long as you believe, maybe I can save the world

_{Music by Bon Jovi, Save the World}

[Mossmask]

[I'll be there till the stars don't shine]

[/color]

"No one can figure out exactly how you feel," Cuckoopaw said to her youngest foster brother. "Sometimes, even we can't figure out our own feelings...

"But they can come close," she said. "Many of our clanmates have lost parents too. I suppose all we can really say is, 'Thank you for your sympathy and concern'..."

She nodded when the young tom mentioned how confusing everything is. "That seems to be the definition of life: confusion. I guess we all just have to go with the flow..."

When Skypaw mentioned how Mossmask was rather motherly, Cuckoopaw actually snorted before giggling, idly making her think that she was probably tired.

[Till the heavens burst and]

"Want to know a story about my mom?" she asked her clanmates. Without waiting for an answer from either of the two, she said, "Skypaw, I don't know if you remember Bramblepaw when he was Bramblekit. He always did have a sense of responsibility with us and the clan, but he was such a reckless goofball of an explorer, too. He let Copperkit be the mature one.

"Anyway, Mossmask used to get really exasperated with him," Cuckoopaw said. "One day, though, after she finally got us all to settle down in the nursery after spending hours searching for Bramblepaw -- who had decided to explore Foreststar's den while Dad was on a patrol -- she started laughing. I remember her saying that she blames herself for Bramblepaw's itch to explore and discover; apparently her mother had the same trouble with Mossmask when she was younger! Can you imagine Mossmask as Mosskit or Mosspaw getting into trouble because she wanted to explore?"

Cuckoopaw, despite the story not being totally hilarious, ended up breaking into a louder fit of giggles that turned into full-fledged laughter. Falling onto her side, she mumbled something about being sleepy in between gasps for breath.

[The words don't rhyme][/blockquote]

"Always," (c) Bon Jovi[/i]

[--|Sootie|--]

And I know when I die

Skypaw looked at wonder at the tiny black kit. The best way to see the world was through the eyes of a kit obviously. Why was it so easy for one so young to define life exactly, whenn anyone older could spend their whole life trying, and yet never some up wit an answer? That was confusing.
When she'd finished staring, she noticed that Cuckoopaw had aked a question. She began telling the story anyway, so apearently she wasn't waiting for an answer. Skypaw listened, wondering where it was leading, wondering why Cuckoopaw's eyes were getting wider, wondering why the other apprenitce was rocking slowly back and forwards, her body occasionally shaking. The concern was kept inside, carefully sealed away inside Skypaw. She didn't want her grieving den-mate to wonder if people thought she'd gone crazy.

You'll be on my mind

When Cuckoopaw finished her story, Skypaw hardly caught the last sentence because Cuckoopaw had broke of and was now rolling on the floor choking on laughter. The lilac point apprenitce looked on, watching Cuckoopaw and trying to figure out the part she'd missed. Once she' worked out what Cuckoopaw had said about Mossmask as a kit, she too started lauging, although not quite so violently. She had far more grace about her. It was pretty dificult to imagine Mossmask as a kit, let alone a naughty, adventurous kit who always got into trouble with he queen. It was a trait most kits shared at some point, but trying to imagine a responsible, loving warrior acting the same way the nursery kits did was definetly laughable. 'You're right Cuckoopaw, it sounds so wierd. And you're also right that you're tired. Definetly. When was the last time you got a full night's sleep? Maybe it's you who should be heading back to camp, not Pumpkinkit here.' She managed to say this after her on refined laughing fit had finished. Speaking of Pumpkinkit, she looked down at him, and apologetic look on her face. What must he think, a pair of almost warriors acting like this? Who knew?

And I love you. Always.

_{Music by Bon Jovi, Always -followed on to Mosy's last post-}

[Mossmask]

[Change, everybody's feeling strange]

"Oh, only StarClan knows," Cuckoopaw said in response to Skypaw's question about when the last time Cuckoopaw got a full night's sleep. The black and white she-cat stayed on the ground and rolled onto her back to stare up at the stars.

"It was probably some time before the Great Move," Cuckoopaw said eventually. "I mean, during the Great Move itself was difficult, and then when we got here and had to get used to everything, and with us taking on more and more warrior responsibilities... Yeah, that sounds good. My last full night's sleep was probably back in the old lands. That was a rhetorical question, wasn't it? Great StarClan, I'm starting to ramble like Flowerpaw now that I'm tired...!"

[Never gonna be the same]

With a small groan, Cuckoopaw heaved herself to her paws and blinked bright blue eyes at her two clanmates. A crooked smile tugged at her mouth.

"Well, are we ready to go back to camp?" she asked, suppressing a yawn. "We all should be home, especially when Bramblestar comes."

Especially if he's going to make Skypaw and myself warriors with everyone else soon, she thought. Falling asleep during the vigil will be just dandy...!

[Makes you wonder how the world keeps turning]

"Everyday," (c) Bon Jovi... Surprise, isn't it?[/i]