something clever - o

[Barrensong]

"Try and keep up with me. We'll have to find somewhere else to shelter."

Barrensong was glad that Redfang was taking charge, because in all honesty, it was easier to follow a pelt of fire rather than one of her color which blended more with the pouring rain. She noticed that they were going at a decent speed, she could go faster if needed, but maybe Redfang just needed that extra leeway to see their surroundings. She did not care where they were going now, as long as he was less than a foxlength away from her, she knew they would be okay.

Wind was starting to pick up, and trees started to disappear. It was starting to get muddy and the she-cat fought the irrational thought of cleaning herself. No, she would lose the tom. For a moment, she thought that she saw a burrow, but that too, would probably collapse anytime soon.

[Redfang]

Redfang tried desperately to inspect each possible spot of cover he thought he saw, whether it was a scraggly bush or an old rabbit warren. The issue was that neither seemed ample protection; bushes would be pitiful shelter against the deluge they now ran through, and a burrow could collapse on them before either could react. The thought of where exactly they were loomed large in the ruddy tom's mind as well; he simply hoped they were close enough to the border to spot a tree, because at the moment a hollow under or within a tree seemed the best option for relative safety. For once, his prayers were answered; at the top of a hill he had just climbed, a tree with a hollow just large enough for Doveheart and himself to fit into grew. Redfang grinned; a hollow on top of a hill would be impossible to flood out. He nearly dove headfirst into the shelter, but decided against it, instead opting to let the she-cat following him enter first. To preserve inter-clan neutrality, of course, he thought to himself.

[Barrensong]

Oh thank Cloudclan! Barrensong gave out a heavy sigh from exhaustion of fighting her body from taking a break from their dash. Even Redfang saw what she was seeing! The she-cat was exhausted and was glad that she had Redfang by her side right now. She skidded to a stop, almost crashing into the tom for he abruptly stopped in front of her. She was confused as to why he was still drenching himself rather than already entering their newly discovered sanctuary and scurried in first. She assumed he wanted her to be the first to enter and once she was certain there was more than enough room for the two of them, she once again pawed the entrance letting him know he should too go in.

[Redfang]

Although Redfang was used to prolonged periods of running, he still found himself a bit winded after the dash through the storm. He gratefully took the moment before Doveheart caught up to him to catch his own breath, savoring the rain-cooled air as it entered his lungs. By the time the she-cat had entered the shelter, his long ruddy fur was clinging to his frame, displaying a musculature that was rare for a FireClanner to possess. He knew he was adopted, of course, but he still had no idea if his parents were from FireClan, or somewhere else. Given his appearance, he guessed somewhere else. He shook the irrelevant thought away and ducked into the hollow when Doveheart let him know it was okay to enter. "I know the results could have been better, but they also could have been worse, eh?" he asked, shivering slightly from the chill but grinning all the same; though the situation was serious, he couldn't help but feel that the run through the rain had been exhilarating.

[Barrensong]

jsorry, it's short because I'm gonna head up in a few, but I think I got to the point! c:

Barrensong purred once she saw that he made his way in, not to mention his ridiculous coat! Since she was almst dry herself, and she noticed the tom's shakiness, the she-cat took initiative and rubbed by his side, trying to warm him up.

[Redfang]

(no worries ~)

Redfang had begun to groom his fur, noting with despair how drenched it truly was, when he felt Doveheart press against his side, likely to share her warmth. He grinned at the she-cat's thoughtfulness, even as he felt a flush of embarrassment heating up his ears. "T-thanks," he stuttered, whether from the cold or from embarrassment, he wasn't entirely sure. A drop of water fell from his fur to the tip of his nose, and he sneezed; the sneeze brought his attention to the possibility of sickness, which made him even more grateful towards Doveheart's act of kindness. He turned his attention away from the she-cat, feeling ashamed that a cat from another clan was forced to help him. He turned his gaze back on Doveheart, swallowed his pride, and said, "Really, I do appreciate it." He even managed another lopsided grin, though it was weaker than usual from a combination of embarrassment and the chills that still racked his body, albeit with far less regularity than before.

[Barrensong]

When Redfang sneezed, Barrensong pulled away for a quick second back returned back to trying to warm him up. 'Please be alright. The clans don't need another cat getting sick.' He spoke again in thanks and the Treeclanner gave a small smile, wanting to say the exact same thing to him. If circumstances were to change, she would have expected for Redfang to look out for her, like how she was for him right now.

'He needs more warmth. A bed at least. I'm not enough to keep him stable. But what do Fireclanners sleep in? Probably not leaves and twigs. Would a Treeclan bed work for him too? He'll also need food too to keep his body running, especially if he's catching a cold.' At a time like this, Barrensong really wished that she was able to speak.

[Redfang]

Redfang was quick to get over his embarrassment, and he soon went to work licking at his fur, hoping to warm himself up a bit while simultaneously pushing the water from his fur by grooming away from his body. His shivering was practically nonexistent now, though the threat of sickness was still highly possible. He glanced around the hollow they were in, finding moss clinging to the undersides of the roots that had remained clear of the storm outside. He moved away from Doveheart's warmth, beginning to strip one of the roots of its moss. "Could you grab some more of this?" he asked around the moss, moving forward and placing the moss on the ground. He also noted that, though she'd been relatively dry before, her fur had absorbed some of the water previously clinging to his pelt. "We can make a nest for you, too, if you want."

[Barrensong]

At Redfang's suggestion for her to help, she leapt into action, sniffing the moss. It was still fresh in a way, which brought her spirits up and helped the tom create a nest. Or she just gathered clumps while the tom made his makeshift. When he also mentioned that they could make one for her too, she shook her head. She would be okay, or she hoped so. And in case there was another leakage somewhere in their shelter, then they could try plugging it with moss.

Barrensong was probably as clueless as Redfang in this whole situation, but she knew they were making the best of it. At least they didn't argue with one another yet, which she was grateful for. Redfang seemed almost done with his nest, so she stopped collecting and once again bathed herself clean. Though she'd have to clear the space of roots and twigs and whatnot later. It just wasn't suitable to her tastes.

[Redfang]

Redfang finished his makeshift nest rather quickly, grinning at Doveheart to convey his appreciation for her assistance. He checked himself over to see how much he'd dried off; he wasn't dripping any longer, that was for sure, and if anything his fur was just a bit damp. Satisfied that he would get no drier just standing around, he curled up in the moss, enjoying the softness of it and taking advantage of its spongy nature to soak up what little moisture remained in his pelt. He felt his eyelids drooping, but figured that falling asleep right now, in the middle of a storm, when he didn't know what territory he was on, probably was not the best of ideas. To keep himself from dozing, he fixed his gaze once more on Doveheart, who was meticulously grooming herself. A grin split his face as he thought of something, and he voiced it aloud as a method to stay awake. "As terrifying as that sprint was, look on the bright side; you're not covered in mud anymore!"

[Barrensong]

I died at what he said. xDD

Barrensong was almost done with her cleanse until Redfang pointed out that she was no longer covered in mud. The warrior rolled her eyes and ignored him, continuing her wash. Once she was done, she looked at the tired tom and gave a slight smile before returning to the corner. She'd sleep here. Like how she intended earlier. And they were even more lost than before, but whatever. They can find their way home once the storm stopped.

She just longed for a hunt. Or to run into some clan's patrol. Some sense of life other than Redfang.

[Redfang]

Redfang laughed at Doveheart's exasperation with him; for someone who couldn't talk, she could convey her moods more accurately than almost any other cat he knew. He returned her small smile with one of his own, feeling a pang of guilt as she laid down on the floor of the small sheltered area. He though about offering to let her sleep in his nest; he was dry enough now, and he didn't mind sleeping on the floor. But while he was dry, the nest was now wet, and he doubted it would be comfortable for a cat who wasn't used to it. Despite his guilt, it didn't take long for him to doze off once he noticed Doveheart preparing to do the same. He faded in and out of consciousness, dreams of dry nests and warm sunlight passing through his head at those times where he slept deeply enough for dreams to come at all. The thing that brought him to complete wakefulness was the lack of noise; the storm had been incessantly loud, and the sudden lack of sound brought him out of his nap. He stood with a grin, stray rays of sunlight filtering into the shelter and giving his pelt the appearance of being dappled with fire. Redfang turned to Doveheart where she had been resting and laughed. "We made it!" he exclaimed, expressing the simple joy he felt at having not drowned.

[Barrensong]

Barrensong was still dozing when awoken by Redfang. Huh? They made it? She was still half awake, but could sort of guess that the storm was over? The she-cat purred and crawled over to the tom, wanting to give his cheek a lick of gratitude, but instead yawned in front of him! Embarrassed, Barrensong shook it off and went out to stretch. From the looks of it, the place wasn't familiar to her. It wasn't Treeclan territory by the looks of it. And with the ground not being prairie or emptiness, she assumed it wasn't Fireclan either. But she still returned to the entrance and pawed it urgently for her companion to investigate with her. Maybe it was a hidden part of Fireclan, but obviously, she wasn't familiar with the tom's clan territory.

[Redfang]

Redfang grinned at the she-cat's yawn, something she clearly had not intended. He found that sort of thing cute, though he'd die before he said that out loud. He followed Doveheart out of the shelter, stretching contentedly and enjoying the feeling of the sunlight on his fur. The ground was still sodden, and this meant his paws were getting muddy- something he wasn't a fan of- but at the moment, he was happy to ignore the mud and simply enjoy the absence of the storm. It took a moment to recall the urgency with which Doveheart had pawed at the entrance, and it was then that he realized he still wasn't entirely sure where they were. Might be FireClan, he thought to himself; there were far too few trees for it to be TreeClan, but it wasn't exactly prairie, either. There were more bushes, and the terrain less even. He doubted they'd passed onto another clan's territory, so either they were somewhere in FireClan territory that he just didn't know about, or they'd gone beyond clan territories. "Nothing for it but to investigate, I suppose," he said, his cheerfulness still unhampered, and began walking in a random direction at a sedate pace.

[Barrensong]

Barrensong smirked watching Redfang enjoy the sunshine and finally being free. She was down to look around and investigate. Maybe they would find a clue too, and as much as she wanted the two to retrace their steps from earlier, the rain already washed their trails away. She followed in his direction and sped up her pace to slightly get ahead of him. She just wanted to get a sight of something familiar, but there was no luck to her yet. Maybe even a predator or prey, but it seemed to still be quiet.

The Treeclanner stopped, realizing that she was now a bit ahead of Redfang and waited for him to catch up to her. By this rate, she probably knew his scent by heart - it was really the only other thing that she smelled lately. 'It would be a bummer if I don't see this annoying prick anymore though,' she thought, sort of seeing the Fireclanner as a friend. Well, at least she trusted him. 'But what if we do run into his clan and he ends up betraying me, claiming that I was the one Treeclan sent to 'cause a deviation to an ambush? Because Spiderstar would not want a war between the clans again, but Darkstar's dead, isn't she? Or don't they live their lives under their deputy?' She wanted to get close, but the same time, she was pulled away from him.

'I just can't risk my clan's safety. Maybe we should just split ways now. . . I can't outrun him, but once we do hit trees, I can climb, and he probably can't. . . meaning he'd have to leave me.'