weirdo (o)

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i'm golden I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name Like a fool at the top of my lungs Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright But it's never enough Cause my echo, echo Is the only voice coming back Shadow, shadow Is the only friend that I have

Raggedwolf chuckled, twitching his ears bashfully. "I think I might be the only one with rocks in this land" he laughed. Sure it was Rockclan, but he'd never known anyone to actually hoard rocks like he did. The tom hummed thoughtfully, trying to think about what exactly his favorite prey was. "You know....I think it's eagle. But they're pretty rare and you know....eagles." Typically they only stuck around Iceclan unless it got really cold or prey was scarce. "But seriously please don't go hunting eagles for me. I don't think I could have you getting injured on my conscience."

How exactly was he going to explain a waterfall? It seemed better to do it now before the actual noise of the water drowned him out later. "Well you've got a really big rock first, that's the mountain Iceclan lives on. Our border with Iceclan is about halfway up the mountain on a flat expanse. A waterfall is basically when a river runs across this flat land, then suddenly drops off the mountain. You'll start hearing a roar soon, that's the water falling down the side of the mountain." It was a pretty good border, considering it was difficult for either clan to cross into the other.

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[Palefire]

"You're probably right." She giggled, tilting her head as he went on. "Eagles? What are those?" She became even more confused as he continued. Getting injured by catching prey? How dangerous were these 'eagles'? In her mind she had imagined them as a type of mouse, but learning that there was a possibility of getting injured while catching them- well, now she just thought of them as gigantic mice. With claws. And sharp teeth.

Hailpaw listened intently as Raggedwolf explained waterfalls. She was silent for a moment, then spoke up. She hoped her questions weren't bothering him. "So it's... water falling off a cliff? Do the fish survive the drop?"

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i'm golden I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name Like a fool at the top of my lungs Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright But it's never enough Cause my echo, echo Is the only voice coming back Shadow, shadow Is the only friend that I have

Raggedwolf smiled and laughed with her, before snapping to attention. "Oh, right! Eagles are birds...ah, I suppose you've eaten one before so you kind of know what they're like? Things that can travel suspended off the ground, and up high in the sky." He wrinkled his muzzle thoughtfully. This opportunity with Hailpaw was actually incredibly interesting; he had to think a lot about what would work for Hailpaw to visualize. "Eagles are birds, but big. Some are bigger than warriors, though most are about the same size. They carry off cats sometimes, and usually we only hunt them in groups of three or more."

He tipped his head, not entirely sure of the answer himself. He'd never actually considered the fish in the waterfall. "I mean, I guess so. Cats catch fish at the top of the waterfall and at the bottom, so I suppose they must survive it." He chuckled, looking up as they began the steep incline. The long tumble of rocks was generally easy to climb thankfully. "Not that I'd suggest jumping off a waterfall however, I don't think you'd survive like a fish."

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[Palefire]

'Birds.' That made more sense. 'But how do warriors catch them? Cats can't fly!' She thought, shuddering as he continued. Some bigger than warriors? That seemed impossible. And scary. "Promise you'll tell me if you see any eagles, okay?" There was a touch of fear in her voice. She'd never really been afraid of anything until hearing about these bird monsters. "Have you ever killed an eagle?"

So it sounded like fish were invincible. 'Incredible!' She giggled at his next comment. "Oh, I wish I were a fish. They have it easy." 'Those lucky little things. I wish I could fall off waterfalls!' She sniffed the air, wondering if they were getting close. Did waterfalls have a certain smell? "Are we almost there?"

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i'm golden I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name Like a fool at the top of my lungs Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright But it's never enough Cause my echo, echo Is the only voice coming back Shadow, shadow Is the only friend that I have

Despite Hailpaw's nerves Raggedwolf let out a chuckle. "Oh, if an eagle appears you'll definitely hear my screaming." Despite the joking he made sure to rest his tail against Hailpaw's shoulder momentarily, hoping to be comforting though he had no real idea how to go about it. "Only once, in a hunting patrol with my mentor." He winced on the word mentor, memories of his own training days reappearing.

He hummed thoughtfully, considering himself what life as a friend might get him. "Easy until they get caught by a warrior and eaten, you mean," he teased. The tom's ears swiveled forward as the roar increased and he pulled himself onto level ground then turned just to make sure Hailpaw didn't need assistance. "Yeah, we're here. You could walk maybe umm...twenty paces, and you'll be at the edge of the water. It's pretty fast flowing though, so I don't suggest getting too close. This is the higher-end of our border with Iceclan. Can you smell them?"

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[Palefire]

"Okay, good." She giggled at the thought of the warrior screaming. He seemed too tough for that. Hailpaw nodded when he answered her question. "That must have been exciting. Were you scared?" 'I would run away if I were in that situation!'

The apprentice wrinkled her nose. She hadn't thought of that. "Of course. It must be terrible to suffocate and get eaten." 'Poor fishies.' Hailpaw thought, pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind as a crashing noise became louder and louder. She tried to concentrate on Raggedwolf's voice, finding it harder to listen. She caught the words "I don't suggest getting too close" and "can you smell them?" Taking a few more cautious pawsteps, she leaned forward and sniffed the air, instantly reeling back the second IceClan scent hit her nose. "Yuck!"

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i'm golden I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name Like a fool at the top of my lungs Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright But it's never enough Cause my echo, echo Is the only voice coming back Shadow, shadow Is the only friend that I have

Raggedwolf barked out a harsh laugh, shaking his head vehemently. The shaggy ruff of fur around his neck swayed with the movement. "Oh yes, but Redfern would have clawed me alive if I'd backed down or done anything not warrior-like." Despite his defeated tone, he was grateful to the old warrior who had trained him. She was completely old-fashioned in her training, but it had worked well enough for him.

The tabby smiled approvingly when Hailpaw recoiled, not at all surprised by her reaction. He'd heard that the loss of one sight made the others more powerful, which meant the scent had to be incredibly powerful to her. He was used to the scents of the other clans, and wasn't so phased. "That's Iceclan for you," he purred. "Pleasant, right?" He swept away, following the curve of the river towards the falling water. "If we follow the river, eventually it will run off into Iceclan territory, then through to Fireclan. So if you're still interested, we'll head that way."

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[Palefire]

Hailpaw grinned. "I like the sound of your mentor." She sounded a little harsh, but Raggedwolf's laughter made her think otherwise. 'Redfern.' Was that the same cat who gave the most recent ceremonies? 'I'd like to meet her.'

She immediately shook her head at his words. "That's the grossest thing ever! How do they live in that?" She asked, now breathing through her mouth. The stench was too much. She nodded when he spoke again. "I'd like that. What's FireClan like?" 'They better not smell as bad!'

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i'm golden I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name Like a fool at the top of my lungs Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright But it's never enough Cause my echo, echo Is the only voice coming back Shadow, shadow Is the only friend that I have

"Seriously? She's a menace!" He exclaimed, lashing his tail for emphasis. "During my the hunting part of my warrior assessment I was bitten by a snake and she still made me fight her. I wasn't allowed medical treatment until I'd either passed or failed." He'd come close to losing the use of his leg permanently. By the end of his assessment it had been paralyzed.

"Well you have to remember they think the same of our scent," he reminded her gently. "I used to have a few friends in Fireclan that told me about their life. Their leader is Darkstar, who is apparently, completely insane" He'd heard she'd eaten some of her warriors before, but tried not to put too much stock in rumors. Even so the tom shuddered. "Their deputy is Jackalfrost, and from what I hear, he's more sane than Darkstar, which can't be a bad thing."

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[Palefire]

Hailpaw forced herself not to smile. She wanted the warrior to believe she was serious. "She couldn't have been that bad. I bet you were just a wimp. Snakes are neat." A small giggle escaped her, but she quickly drew in a breath and put a straight face back on. "You should have more respect for your mentor."

Hailpaw thought about what he said next. 'They think we smell bad? She took in a long sniff. RockClan smelled normal. Whatever normal meant. 'Did I think RockClan smelled weird when I joined?' She couldn't remember.

The apprentice felt a little confused. "Why do they say she's insane?" She thought about their own leader. She'd never met Cloverstar, but she seemed nice and she couldn't imagine saying a bad thing about her. "Do you think they listen to more Jackalfrost, then? Since he's sane, I mean."