could have been forever | raggy

[minnowtail]

[atrb=border,0,false][bg=9eb2b4] Sunlight streamed over the horizon, breaking atop the hillside. Its warm rays filtered in through the trees, dodging the branches of every oak and maple that rested in the coppice. Shadows fell against the dew-soaked ground, chilling them to frost as the darkness engulfed them almost entirely. RiverClan’s territory was silent, hushed as first light poured into the streams and brooks, reflecting the lavender sky; misty clouds glided by, and their sallow tint did no justice. Translucent as they were, they shone almost as mauve as the surrounding atmosphere. However, a disturbance in the grove sounded; alarming any prey nearby to go hurrying to safety. Birds broke into flight, and ground rodents scampered to their burrows. A small silhouette flickered by, her tiny paws drumming carelessly against damp leaves and vegetation, she was free and nobody could catch her! She was like the wind! But Minnowpaw's thoughts could not echo the same elation. Her silver figure was a sparkle against sunbeams as she crashed into a rivulet by mistake, her sides heaving for breath; she just sighed and submitted herself to the serene waters. The ripples died, and soon it carried onwards as if there had been no Minnowpaw at all. Why’d she have to go and ruin the beginning of her life? She would never live it down, that she started that border scrap, which she may have even enjoyed… it made her sick when she took a step back and saw it for what it was. She was a monster, and if she could take pleasure in watching her Clan mates bleed, watching the innocent be torn to shreds, she would never see the light of StarClan. Not in a million seasons. What she wouldn’t give to go back in time… she was torn in half between fighting for her Clan, and protecting the innocent. Rival Clans didn’t make them culpable, did it? There was a stone in her gut, weighing her down, making her feel heavy and weak all at the same time. Her blood was cold fire; surging through her veins as a furious river, hungry for the final wave… mystic blue eyes blinked at the intensity of the sunlight that tore its way through a break in the tree tops; it cast its searing gaze on her. What would she do now? Ready to give up and let the current overthrow her; she forced herself to her paws, leaping over the flooded stones and sopping logs; into the shade she ran, an indistinct specter. The apprentice couldn’t remember feeling so worn down, but for so few reasons… it was like, her soul was yanking her backwards, protesting… but her heart denied her soul, and told her in the quietest whisper; of the most beautiful voice, some sentence she could not fathom. She just knew it was driving her forwards, heartening, giving her the strength to persist. The larks chirped as they perched on their thin boughs; their golden heads tilted, beady eyes pure as they mirrored the Earth. She felt sympathy for Shadowclaw, a crippled queen who could not hunt or fight to defend her Clan… a sad being who was confined to sit in camp and take care of kits for the remainder of her life; it must have been tiresome plenty of times… Minnowpaw was a she-cat herself though, and the thought of baby warriors; shining in their goodness, their little pink noses and mouths gaping… it was a charming image to envision. I’d never want to be stuck in camp for my whole life though! Nonetheless; what had turned the tabby into such a defeated essence to begin with? The question was not new, as the sleek apprentice had wondered it twice now. She was surprised to find that her heart had taken her to fourtrees, where the massive oaks towered over the clearing; the paths so blatantly defined… She could go to WindClan if she wanted to. Her unique blue eyes glanced towards it, deliberating the idea… without indicating that she’d made her mind up, she bounded into the hub of the gathering point. She’d never been here before, and she knew that Silvercreek and Furzeheart would be mad if they knew she snuck out of RiverClan territory… again. But what was she to do? Sit and rot away in camp? She prayed to StarClan that Shadowclaw would keep this a secret, and that she would return before either her mentor or the deputy awoke. Moonstones averted to the great rock, the one that the leaders supposedly stood on during the Gatherings… she considered leaping onto it to see how it felt, but she doubted her jump… not only that, a quivering fern made her heart stop. An enemy. She shyly scented the air, the stone in her gut plummeting. WindClan. "Show yourself!" She growled, trying to look brave. Inside, she was a flurry. Should she run, hide? Or fight? StarClan save me! 900

[russia]

Sparkling angel I believed
You are my savior in my time of need

he'd never enjoyed light. Eerie, desolate, and demeaning, the elder apprentice often thought little of basking in rays of gold. To him, moonlight seemed endless, deathless, and forever. It brought comfort and warmth to those who dare sit in its light, unlike the blistering sun. Others thought him crazy. Only wolves basked in the pools of silver. Well, damned if he did and damned if he didn’t. Really. Like the dense moonlight filling the basin of WindClan, he was misunderstood. None of the other apprentices really wanted anything to do with him, resulting in absolutely no friends. On top of that, his mentor treated him as if he were a helpless baby bird, unable to do anything but sit and cry. Pathetic. His whole clan was pathetic. Disastrous.

they called him useless because he couldn’t hunt or walk right. Stupid Cinderdust. The old bag of bones didn’t even have an apprentice. Raggedpaw’s own dream was to become a great medicine cat, at least then he wouldn’t be lying around in the elders’ den. But no. His certainly built a cavern of damned dreams. No, he and Cinderdust were terrible companions. It seemed like very time the tabby took a glance and the strayed apprentice, her fur rustled unnervingly. Nothing made him angrier. Heh, just like the rest. If you can’t take the heat, don’t play with fire. Even Stripestar, the noble “I’m-so-goody-goody” leader everyone adored.

where exactly was he going, again? Oh yeah. Fourtrees. Recently, Raggedpaw got caught in a scrap with his mentor over something about training, leaving the big gray cat seething with hatred. Himself, however, hadn’t found the argument that devastating, prodding his disheveled warrior friend to the breaking point. Greyfur left in a huff, muttering about idiotic youngsters, while Raggedpaw ditched his duties for adventure and sightseeing. The young cat never got any, anyway. What was the harm in looking around? He hadn’t really gotten a good look at the edge of camp, possibly because he never ventured this far. Turning his head, bicolor eyes scanned the horizon, well, only one was looking. All around him stood clean, green grass. Greener than any meadow he’d ever seen. The sky, a rich, water-like blue, surrounded the surreal environment, puffy marshmallow clouds passing by without a care in the world. Large cat tails sprang out of the ground, waving peacefully in the breeze. Their long, furry ends reminded him of a mother’s soft tail wrapped tightly around her newborn baby. One lone tree stood between him and the heavenly ground of fourtrees. Raggedpaw hadn’t realized how far he’d ventured.

taking a cautious step, the shaggy tom parted his way through the undergrowth. Traveling was not one of his strengths, seeing as his deformed right leg could barely keep him going more than a few hours. The sun slowly crept over rolling hills, greeting him with it’s sadistic grin. Stupid light. Because of the brightness, Raggedpaw’s vision was badly impaired. Stupid birth deformities. The wind wasn’t much help; his ripped ear possessed no sense of sound, and his other face the wrong direction. Ugh. His ear lay flat against his head, a habit he created out of sheer annoyance. Still, his journey continued until he reached the legendary trees making up the Fourtrees hollow.

the legends these stones possessed blew him out of the water. Himself? Well, he’d never experienced a gathering before. Stripestar had better cats to bring, he supposed. From the other apprentices who had ventured the shortened journey through WindClan territory, he could only guess as to what they saw. Raising his head, Raggedpaw gleamed with unimaginable admiration at the four, smooth boulders, each possessing two shallow crevices where one might put their paws. What an adventure it could be. Then, out of the starless, perfect blue, Raggedpaw became a small kit again. Puffing out his chest like frog, he marched up to WindClan’s own boulder, sitting with great diligence on the smooth, worn stone. “Welcome to the Gathering,” he mumbled to himself, eyes flashing dreamily. “I am Raggedstar, leader of WindClan.” He smiled to himself, bounding off the rock and attacking a low tree branch. “Ha! ShadowClan! You won’t get much farther.” As if swooping on an enemy, Raggedpaw made an airplane sound, launching his small, scruffy body at the helpless tree branch and kept rolling, lost in the boulevard of wishful thinking.

something moved, and raggedpaw stopped. Darting under a nearby fern bush, he could just make out a cat shape, but it smelled unlike anything he’d ever scented. Fish. Fish means RiverClan. Terrified, he lowered his body, trying to hide within the dense undergrowth. But the sight of this she-cat dazed him. Like most RiverClanners, the apprentice-aged female was gorgeous, possessing a sleek coat of marble tabby. But her eyes were the most impressive things. Bi colored. Like his. A calm combination of blue and off purple. But his dreams became a nightmare when her delicate face spun his his direction. Oh no. Did she see him? Raggedpaw would not choose to be the mouse in this endeavor, so with a strangled battle cry he leaped, flying low over the bushes of twigs and bramble, only to trip on an exposed root, sending him tumbling in her direction. “Owww…" he mumbled, steadying his balance as he turned his head, his fright-stricken eyes locking right on hers, only a mouse tail away.

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blinded by faith I couldn't hear
all the whispers, the warnings so clear

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R A G G E D P A W
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[minnowtail]

[atrb=border,0,false][bg=9eb2b4] What would happen now? Would the WindClan cat leap out and attack her? Fear rose in her chest, swallowing her petite, fragile body with one gulp; it consumed her, radiating off of her in bitter waves. She would have never thought that she would be so afraid... even after her courageous contemplation previously, she felt her weakness creeping up on her, pulling her spine out and burying it into the moist, dew covered clearing. At that second, she as only aware of her hammering heart. It beat madly inside her chest, throbbing her ribcage; the sound of surging blood roared in her ears, escalating her panic even more. The worst part was she didn't know how to fight! How would she defend herself? Her pearly white claws unsheathed instinctively, so if the enemy was watching her, she might give them the impression that she knew how battle moves. But I really don't! It happened in the blink of an eye, the moment she heard the scruffy battle cry her whole expression dropped into horror. Images of the white warrior holding her down, digging her claws into Minnowpaws stomach and chest. WindClan scent flooding her nostrils, so close she could cut it in half... the recollection flickered on past her mystic gaze. Moonstones already stretched as wide as possible, she lacked breath for two moments as the dark figure launched itself out from the shadows. The RiverClan she-cat twisted, curling her forepaws over her head as if bracing herself for the weight and the pain. Owww… Where was it? Where was the ache and the sting? The burn? Was she dead? She... couldn't be dead, could she? She hadn't felt anything... There was a moment where she questioned the strength and the effectiveness of the enemy; had they killed her without her feeling anything t all? Almost ready to submit to the seemingly plausible chance, the silver tabby noticed then that she'd heard a whimpering noise, and cautiously, opened one blue gem to peer around the clearing. All seemed quiet... Briefly, she just sat there and relaxed her tense muscles. Everything quieted, even the frenetic sound of her insides... then a heartbeat, and she was staring straight into the multi-colored orbs of a fellow apprentice. He was WindClan. He had slipped. Failed. Trying to make sense of her luck, she staggered backwards, her neck fur prickling. She felt the prongs of a shiver vibrate from her forehead all the way to the tip of her spine; she couldn't believe her eyes. Throughout that entire moment, the only words she could think of, or attempt to speak, were the very mirrored forms equivalent to her unlikely fear; they whispered to and fro in her mind, bouncing off the walls of her skull. She felt cold with apprehension, but otherwise a hollow abyss. Pacing backwards in the slightest, her ears flattened tighter to her cranium. "Please don't hurt me." It was a squeak. She didn't care to put one and one together; that he had slipped, failed; she figured it was just a simple mistake. That he had enough fighting force within him to tear her limb from limb. Maybe he was angry that she had started a border fight, maybe he followed her. Maybe he wanted her dead. Maybe she would give in. Maybe she deserved it. Her guilt was a confirmation of that, and while her mind was just spitting and stammering in resistance, her heart cried for obedience. Assent was inevitable at this point. Why? Her heart told her so. 673

[russia]

Sparkling angel I believed
You are my savior in my time of need

grumbling to himself, raggedpaw attempted to stand. he wasn't that great of a hunter, sure, but come on. an apprentice? This was just too funny for words. Barely containing himself, ragged paw let out a stream of high pitched giggles from his scruffy maw. A riverclan apprentice, at that. He could take this one down. Easy. Lowering himself into a hunting crouch, stalking the young warrior to be. Everyone knew Windclan and Riverclan did not get along. At all. And since he might eve become a medicine cat apprentice, Raggedpaw wanted as much experience as possible. Serving the Clan was lowly work, now. Being a medicine cat was his only dream.

Raggedpaw gave a loud lions roar, hoping to strike fear into this little kitty. “MUAHAHA! Fear me! For I am of WindClan.” this apprentice didn’t know what was going to hit her. But right as he decided to pounce, she whimpered a small plea. For the first time in his life, Raggedpaw paused. Her frightened eyes struck his heart, creating tiny butterflies and lilies dancing through the water. She mesmerized him. And it was the closest thing Raggedpaw had ever come to love. Those double colored eyes, just like his own.

“You . . . Have two colored eyes.” of course, Raggedpaw could only see out of one of them. The other watched from afar, never focusing, becoming somewhat hidden. He fluffed up his fur, thingying his head slightly to the side. He wondered if she had any brothers and sisters, what her home life was like. He himself never had a real family. His mother outcast him and his father was a kittypet. So what? No one really made fun of Raggedpaw for that. They preferred to make fun of his disgruntled fur, his discolored eyes, the way he walked.

“well, if you don‘t want me to hurt you, I won‘t.” he smiled down at her. Very strange behavior for himself, especially towards a cat not of his own clan. Raggedpaw needed to get a grip, show this little runt who was boss. “But I bet I could hurt you.” Smirking, he gave her the nastiest sneer he could manage, which turned more like it a screwed up face with his tongue sticking out. Oh, StarClan, why her?

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blinded by faith I couldn't hear
all the whispers, the warnings so clear

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R A G G E D P A W
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[minnowtail]

Why she didn't turn tail and run away when she had the chance, only StarClan knew. He had gritty fur and his ear was torn; multicolored eyes watching her as if she were some sort of tempting prey. The silver she-cat felt the urge to sink further away, perhaps even get back to camp; but something about him intrigued her. If not for her defiant nature, she would already have left. You... have two colored eyes. She wanted to snort, but she had to keep her innocent demeanor in check. well, if you don‘t want me to hurt you, I won‘t. He mumbled arrogantly, flashing her a smile. Did he really think she was that harmless? He must have been seriously gullible! She smuggled her laugh, pretty blue eyes flickering to some random quaking leaf. But I bet I could hurt you.

[/font] The WindClan tom then sneered, his ghastly facade twisting even more. Squeaking, her brow narrowed defiantly, and with one paw she whacked him over the face.

"I bet I could hurt you too," she snickered, proud that she'd served it up to him. Did he really think she was going to just sit there and cower in fear? That's not who she was! She was adventurous and wily, and just happened to be at fourtrees when a WindClan apprentice was too! If she was really the scared, chaste she-cat she pretended to be, she would never have snuck out of camp in the first place. Or started the last border scrap, to be exact. "My name's Minnowpaw. What's yours?" Ignoring the dangers of befriending cats from enemy Clans, she needed a friend. Now more than ever, and if her new friend was WindClan, maybe it could help settle the war between the two enemy Clans. She wasn't going to admit that she was wrong to start that fight, or that she was right to, she didn't want to surrender to anything. Nobody.

She was her own free spirit! Bounding atop the great rock, her claws scrabbled for a grip. The clearing below was wide; it was hard to believe that the four Clans actually fit here every full moon. With WindClan and RiverClan fighting, how could the truce hold? What about the rumored ThunderClan and ShadowClan fight? Why was the forest up in hatred flames? Did StarClan not want peace? Would the forest run red with warrior blood? All of these confusing questions went without answers.

"Have you ever wondered why..." she paused, trying to find the words. "Why... StarClan lets all this conflict happen? Do you think it's destiny? Do you believe in destiny?"

She was reminded of her mother, Honeyfur and her father Stonepelt. How he had drowned himself in the gorge to satiate his grief for the death of his soul-mate. Would that be her one day? Why did StarClan let Honeyfur get sick? Why had they hidden all of the catmint from Stormpelt? Why? Minnowpaw sighed, her tail drooping limply over the cool, dew-soaked boulder.

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[russia]

[bg=c9c4d8][atrb=border,0,true] Raggedpaw didn’t know what love felt like. Even as a kit, his mother couldn’t see past anything but his disabilities, and what a burden he’d become on the Clan. Sometimes Raggedpaw would watch the other kits play and have fun, wanting to join. Then again, his mother prevented him from leaving the nest, in fear that Bluestar might reject such a deformed and useless kit. Therefore, raggedpaw wasn’t allowed to play with the other kits, and sat in the nursery, pawing moss balls and suckling his mother. Sometimes cats would stop by and say hi, but, Raggedpaw lived a life far from contact. He learedn to grow on his own, make friends with shadows and voices in his head, and he accepted the fact he was a good for nothing hopeless bundle of fur who could never, ever contribute to the clan. Never. Tears would well in his eyes at night as he’d whisper silent lullabies like his friends’ mothers, but his own never cared. She never even told him she loved him. Scoffing, Raggedpaw frowned at Minnowpaw, thingying his head. Herubbed the place where she’d apparently swatted him, a not so friendly gesture. “Raggedpaw.” She didn’t seem so bad. For a RiverClan cat. In fact, Raggedpaw thought she seemed really cool. Smiling slightly, he inched forwards, hoping to appear closer and less distant. This was quite odd behavior for him, because as a ragal and nasty cat, he’d usually cuss her out or make fun of her. Not tonight. Tonight was different. In some way, some way he couldn’t put his paw on, he felt empowered by her. Like destiny meant this to be. She was quite a spirit. He loved how she ran, how ber body swayed in the perfect way. He’d never known a cat so nimble and swift, and none more beautiful than minnowpaw. She’d just light up the night, and since it was getting dark, her radiant aura surrounded the mysterious land of fourtrees. That smile captivated him, and it made him smile back. For once Raggedpaw felt a glimmer of change, beyond what he knew to exist withim him. All his life he believed in horror and cruelty, thinking cats like him couldn’t do anything. But now? Now . . . He wasn’t so sure. He blinked. Minnowpaw’s proposal brought some insight. Sure, he sort of believed in StarClan, but he also believed that you made your destiny, that a single croup of cats could not control your every move. The fighting was the fault of both Clans and both Clans alone. Silentbreeze had said the arguing was healthy, and that fighting had to occur. But to what degree? How far could a group of cats take it before they realized peace would be the only way of living? There was no pride in admitting defeat, it didn’t take a mouse to know that. Even when hunting, you need to respect the creatures you eat from; it was not their choice to die, but they sacrificed their lives for the sake of yours. “I do believe in destiny, but I think it is our actions that set the course of our life. StarClan is just a guide. This fighting is the Clans’ fault. There is no shame in admitting you need help.” He looked at her and smiled. “We are all cats, are we not? Why must we live under different principles? We are one under the circle of life, the sun, and StarClan treats us all the same. We are all the same.” He looked away, lifted his chin, and gazed at the shooting star flying right in front of his very nose. 610

[minnowtail]

She felt so weak and inconsiderate as she sat atop the great rock; gaze softened by the sincerity of Raggedpaws words. I do believe in destiny, but I think it is our actions that set the course of our life. StarClan is just a guide. This fighting is the Clans’ fault. There is no shame in admitting you need help. We are all cats, are we not? Why must we live under different principles? We are one under the circle of life, the sun, and StarClan treats us all the same. We are all the same. She didn't disagree. The Clans couldn't live in unity though, there had always been four Clans, right? StarClan guided them as a whole, but... a whispery sigh puffed from her maw. What did it matter? RiverClan and WindClan were fighting. ThunderClan and ShadowClan were always fighting... things weren't going to change anytime soon.

Despite her once lively nature, Minnowpaw hung her head miserably. She'd been so down lately that she didn't even remember who she used to be or what her dreams were or what she was trying to do. Her apprenticehood was swirling away from her, as if a potent torrent of water were dragging it away at the throat... "Well," she started, huskily but feather-light, "It was really nice to meet you." Blue eyes round with genuine affection. She didn't really know Raggedpaw, but he seemed decent enough. Maybe he understood how she felt, with war everywhere and cats dying. Death was sad. She didn't have to be a Medicine cat to admit it.

Leaping gracefully down from the stone, she padded awkwardly towards him. Were all WindClan cats heartless to the outside world? Or did they know a different way of greeting others, did they ever know friendship outside their own Clan? Minnowpaw, suddenly stricken by her own curiosity, decided, ultimately, that... WindClan were defending their land fiercely, and because of that, they had enemies. Because they stood up for something, they had rivals. They couldn't be all that bad, right?

The words poured out of her mouth involuntarily; she noted his grisly fur and multicolored eyes, torn ear and... the way his jaw set. It didn't scare her.

"I'll see you around, Raggedpaw. May StarClan watch over you." To back up her sincerity, she pressed her little pink nose to his, before bounding away into the bushes; disappearing before the coming light.

Good cats deserved good fortune.

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