Rythmic Riddle and Rhyme

[Pantherpaw]

Soft pawsteps echoed through the moonlit sky that stretched high above the tom. For a moment he was calm, everything seemed right. Yet, then came a darker thought. This was not where he was supposed to be. Where was his nest in Thunderclan's warrior's den? Where were his clanmates? Was this another test of his sanity? He wasn't crazy, he just loved his riddles. Had his clan abandoned him? Had they dragged him away in the night, and left him for crowfood? No. Its a dream, mousebrain. Came the ever-comforting, sharp-tounged thought. "Oh." He spoke outloud.

He stood and stretched, amazed by how light he felt. His different colored eyes, one green, one blue, stared out in to the night, trying to make out something. Anything. Hold it. What was that? He squinched, bringing the foriegn figure into clarity. It was another cat. Its pelt was ragged, and torn. It was a tabby, with the darkest black stripes Hawkmask had ever seen. And it was staring at him, with pitless, glowing eyes. Two mismatched eyes. Just like his.

"Fever?" He spoke the word, the name, although he had never known any cat of such a calling. Yet somehow he felt he knew this cat, who was now standing, beckoning to him. He was quickly on his feet, following, wondering where this cat was leading him. If only his dreams would make themselves clearer. He knew they were naught of Starclan's doing...he was no medicine cat, nor leader. No, these dreams came from the farthest corners of his mind...they were trying to remind him of something.

The cat ahead sped up, and so did Hawkmask, knowing that he could not lose sight of his memory. But suddenly, the black-pelted cat turned the corner, and with his turn came a sickening yelp. There was a flash of red in Hawkmask's vision. And suddenly, all was dark.

Slowly, the tom cat opened his eyes, expecting to see the same dark woods he had just left. But no, instead he lay in his comfortable nest, and he could once again scent his clanmates. It really had been nothing but a dream. Slowly, Hawkmask sat up, and began to clean himself, mulling over his thoughts. Fever? Who are you?

[Shiningstream]

"Bad dream?" From the other end of the warrior's den, the gentle teasing mew of Shiningstream asked. The young warrior's head was tilited to the side inquisitively, her unusal dappled head catching the moonlight as her namesake suggested. All of her Clan mates had often teased her on how her tortoiseshell pelt defied the normalty colors: black, white, and ginger. But not her. For Shiningstream, her pelt was a beautiful mix of black, white, and the best part, blue-gray.

Hawkmask had been murmuring in his sleep, and the thrashing had woken Shiningstream from an odd dream she was having. She silently picked her way through the sleeping bodies of her Clan mates to settle next to Hawkmask, her golden-amber eyes twinkling jokingly. "Need help getting back to sleep?"

[Pantherpaw]

It was a moment before the tom realized he was being spoken to. His thoughts had become so intangled that the words did not quite mix into his mind when they were first spoken. Suddenly he stopped his self-grooming, and turned to Shiningstream, at last realizing that she had said something. "Not exactly bad. Different." He muttered, not feeling quite himself. Prehaps it was the fact that it was late, and he was still tired. Or prehaps it was the aftermath of the dream. Either way, he didn't feel as happy-go-lucky as usual.

He blinked up at Shiningstream as she settled next to him, looking amused. For a moment Hawkmask's eyes closed, the two lines that streaked through them becoming whole. When he opened his mismatched eyes again, they too were sparkling with amusement. He lifted a snow-colored paw, and swiped it over his ears, letting out a quiet meow of laughter.

"I think I can manage." He said, his tail flicking. For a moment he became serious again. "Sorry If I woke you."

[winterleaf]

Long shadows slid down the crests of tawny sand, covering the flight of dusk in black. Fading outlines of the river stood blurred against the blank reds and goldens of the sunset. The sun danced blood-red on the water, a reminder of how the blood of many cats had tainted the water moons before. Clouds trained on the edges of the horizon, promising a damp outlook for the following day. Though, the sun hit the colors just right, and a faint, prism-like glow bathed the clearing. The wind sighed gently through the barren branches, whispering untold secrets along the trees. Dust stirred up around the bank, swirling around a slender-framed feline. He stepped lithely, silently around the rocks and sticks, making his way to the strangely calm edge of the water.

The sweet scent of prey drifted from the woods that bordered the beach. Thornshadow took a long, deep, crisp breath, inhaling the cool night air. He could rivet her mind on many businesses. The rusted silver frame of Tigerstripe settled on the yellowed grass, curled tightly into a ball, tail over nose, eyes fluttering open and closed. Water rushed in the river near to him, and the war far-off sounds of rustling and movement. It was the sound of night. Night had always comforted Thornshadow. Night was an energy, night was a mystery. Night was a part of him. Thornshadow feared the late hours of night, though. Many fritful memories haunted his mind by then. His eyes glew in the darkness as they scanned his surroundings. They spotted Hawkmask and Shiningstream nearby. The dark tom headed towards them with a rather friendly grin on his face. "Evening" he rasped, trying to sooth his voice down.

[Shiningstream]

Shiningstream nodded over to Thornshadow once, mewing another greeting, before returning her attention back to Hawkmask, her golden eyes still sparkling with a thrilling independance. If she hadn't been clearly Clanborn, it was possible her Clan mates could suspect her for being loner born with her wild ideas and odd form of leadership. Then again, that's all Shiningstream ever wanted. Since she became Bramblestar's apprentice she had wanted to lead her Clan someday.

Maybe that was why Hawkmask's dreaming hadn't disturbed her as much as she thought. She enjoyed getting to know her Clanmates better than she already did. Hawkmask was an interesting tom, along with Thornshadow who never really showed signs of disliking towards her. She self-consiously flattened down a bit of fur on Hawkmask's ear that had been sticking up from sleep. "No worries, I was half-awake anyhow." More quietly she added. "I hope I'm not bothering you."

[Pantherpaw]

Hawkmask purred slightly, in simple gratitude, as the stray tuft of fur was flattened. His tail flicked at the same time, signaling to Thornshadow that Hawkmask would speak to him in a moment. He didn't want him to think that he was ignoring him, or anything of the sort. Really, he hadn't expected many cats to be awake, and was somewhat surprised by the company he had found this night. Still, having the two around was already beginning to calm him from his dream.

"Not at all." He replied to Shiningstream, dipping his head slightly. "I appreciate the company, actually." He added, almost as an afterthought, although it was completly true. Then, Hawkmask turned his mismatched eyes to Thornshadow, once again dipping his head, this time in greeting. "Good evening, Thornshadow. Fine night, isn't it?" Yes, Hawkmask had almost completly relaxed by now.