I am but a lonely, returned, soul (open)

[Harmonysong]

Had he been gone again? NAH. Nope. Absolutely no-... yeah... yeah he was gone again. Since his return, though, Harmony had seen his sister and mother around camp occasionally, meaning he had to go and apologize, yet again. But there was time for that later. Right now he was hungry, and his growling stomach was proof that he needed something in his stomach. 

Harmony trudged through a few layers of snow over to the fresh kill pile and pick a small, scrawny mouse for himself. Yeah, it was the best he was gonna get, perhaps he would go out on a hunting trip after to try and find what he could. 

The russet tom found a spot near some underbrush and used his paws to try and remove as much snow as he could before he settled down and began eating his mouse. His mind started to wander over to potential hunting spots. It would have been better if he had someone to hunt with... 

 

[Cricketpaw]

let the inactive cats LIVE AGAIN!! but Crickett is awkward sooo.... forgive me (ಥ﹏ಥ)




Cricketpaw was so, so, so, so so so so so so so so so FREAKING COLD.

It was FREEZING out here! There was snow, and ice, and wind, a-and snow, and COLD, it was so very cold-- and don't forget that wind that was just making things horribly worse. Not to mention Cricketpaw had vanished not that long ago-- again --and thus had no friends-- again.

She was lonely and cold. And hungry. She was pretty hungry, too. And friendless. Very friendless. She wanted friends. Needed friends. Friends were amazing....


...aaaaWAAAAAAAH SHE COULDN'T THINK RIGHT!! Her mind was buzzing from the cold! She couldn't process anything, she couldn't understand anything, she couldn't anything if we were to be blunt.

"ITS SO COLD!!!" howled the tortoiseshell apprentice as she hopped around the clearing. Her paws burned from touching the ground, and her firefly golden eyes were hazy and sleepy. She whined and fell to the snow, rolling around in her fury and mindless efforts to stay active. "WWwwwwwhyyy don't I have any friends, and why is the world so cooooooolllddd."

[Harmonysong]

Harmonysong was basically done with his mouse and stood to dispose of the remains of the mouse when he heard another cat, sounded like a younger cat possibly an apprentice, yowling her head off. He stood and stretched out his already numbing limbs and threw the remains of the mouse into the bushes before stiffly making his way over to they younger cat. 

"Hey, ah... You okay there?" He stopped right in front of the young she cat and watched her continue to hop around. He flicked his ears back when she said she had no friends. If he really though about it, his only friend was his sister, and he hadnʻt seen her in a long time. "Um... You should calm down before someone else in this camp, not as chill as me, comes out and yells at you. We wouldnʻt want that right?"

Harmony brushed his tail over the first layer of snow in front of him then settled back down, waiting for the she cat to calm down.

[Cricketpaw]

Cricketpaw stopped as a voice broke her thoughts. Very slowly, and perhaps creepily, her head turned to the speaker. She was met with an unfmailar warrior. Oh. She had been watched. Good, then someone knew her suffering.

Carefully, the tortoiseshell rolled onto her stomach. Then, shivering at the cold on her belly, Cricketpaw sat up and instead curled her poofed tail over her paws. She fixed the tomcat with a calculating look. Then, she scoffed. "I hope someone yells at me. Then I'd actually be noticed." she told him, in a tone that just ached with her loneliness. Cricketpaw looked away, clawing at the snow under her paws.

Then, she raised her head again. "You noticed me. Why? You could've just walked away and pretended I wasn't here. Obviously I'm a total wack-job if I'm screaming out in the clearing, right?" she tittered softly. "Or, that's what a normal cat would think, right? So that's what I am. But still, you said you're chill. Not brave, or stupid. What, do I look charming as I roll around in the snow?"

It was a mouthful of questions, but Cricketpaw was curious.

[Harmonysong]

He watched the apprentice sized she cat slowly turn to look at him. Harmony shivered under the uncomfortable, creepy look that she was giving him. He was just trying to be a nice cat. He then watched her next series of movements. rolling onto her back, then back onto her rump and finally deciding to sit in front of him. 

Her next words kind of made him sad. "Well I actually know how you feel. Itʻs hard to feel noticed in a clan filled with close friends and groups who think they donʻt need anyone else." The sound of her voice as she spoke broke his heart a little and he lifted his paw to pat her on the head. "Itʻll be okay. Iʻll keep you company, and hey, maybe make a new friend." He added with a grin. 

Soon after he was drowning in questions from the she cat. "What made me notice you? Well yes it was because you were screaming in the middle of the clearing. Also because I too am lonely and am looking for someone to talk to. Iʻve never really had friends, other than my sister whom I havenʻt seen much of since I got back." The tom stopped to see if she was still listening, but decided to continue whether she was or not. "I, actually, think all she cats are charming and they all deserve the attention that they crave. I donʻt mean that in a mean way or rudely or anything. I just... I..." Harmony stumbled over his own words and just settled with looking down at his paws and waited for her response. 

[Cricketpaw]

"Well I actually know how you feel. Itʻs hard to feel noticed in a clan filled with close friends and groups who think they donʻt need anyone else."

As he replied, Cricketpaw could not stop herself from deflating. With a hollow stare slowly turned downwards at the snowy ground, and ears beginning to drop as if heavy with rain, her whole image seemed to just become weighted and translucent. With a soft sigh, her firefly golden eyes flickered to the right in thought, and then to the left when she began to speak. "Everyone disappears, too. The close friends and family. When they are gone, you really are alone." she murmured, remembering her mother Meadowlark. Her littermates, her friends, her enemies... all gone. Everyone she came to love and cherish, all just... vanished.

"Itʻll be okay. Iʻll keep you company, and hey, maybe make a new friend."

Cricketpaw raised her head, all her sorrow just going poof in a matter of 1.5 seconds. She grinned wickedly at Harmonysong, her ears perked and eyes sparkling with life. "Hey, if you really don't mind how weird I am, then I'm game for a new friend!" she chirped. Then, added, "Just don't disappear like everyone else, okay?"

"What made me notice you? Well yes it was because you were screaming in the middle of the clearing." Her ears flattened with embarrassment at that comment, although she felt a strong sense of pride at the same time. "Also because I too am lonely and am looking for someone to talk to. Iʻve never really had friends, other than my sister whom I havenʻt seen much of since I got back."

Cricketpaw was quiet at that, unsure what to say that would be socially acceptable now, until he spoke again. "I, actually, think all she cats are charming and they all deserve the attention that they crave. I donʻt mean that in a mean way or rudely or anything. I just... I..."

She scoffed at him, a glare of defiance in his firefly golden eyes. "Oh reaaally?" she drawled, unbelieving of his words. Cricketpaw gave him a sudden smile now. "Anyway, I'm Cricketpaw. And you, chill dude, are called...?"

[Harmonysong]

Harmonysong sat and listened to each of her responses to what he said. Occasionally she would get extremely sad, which made him feel bad for saying something. But then she would perk right back up. Her mood swings confused him, but it kept him on his paws not really knowing her next move. 

"YES! I didnʻt mean it like it sounded! Stoooop" Harmony let out a long sigh, showing that he had given up and that he was done with the topic at hand. "Cricketpaw? Nice name. I, the chill dude as you call me, am Harmonysong." He reached down and began pawing at the snow on the ground. "How far into your apprenticeship are you? You look pretty young."

[Cricketpaw]

"YES! I didnʻt mean it like it sounded! Stoooop"

Cricketpaw snickered goofily at his response, and decidied to not comment on his words.

"Cricketpaw? Nice name. I, the chill dude as you call me, am Harmonysong."

A smile bloomed at his compliment on her name. She did love her name. Her father Duststorm said she was named after one of his old friends who never received her warrior name. So, it was Cricketpaw's own small duty to finish what that old friend never had. Although her head slowly tilted curiously at his name. "Oh? Harmony, eh? That's an odd name for a guy. But I guess that's why you're so chill, dude." she meowed in a clear voice, not trying to be rude.

"How far into your apprenticeship are you? You look pretty young."

Cricketpaw smirked devilishly at now the named warrior, Harmonysong. She shrugged at that. Then, her firefly golden eyes glanced away solemnly. "Mmm... I've been an apprentice for a short amount of time. But I've gone missing plenty of times. My age should be much older. Maybe even older than you." she teased. The tortoiseshell then shrugged. "Meh, maybe close to it at least. Sure doesn't show in maturity, though, does it?"