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Post by .feather//oceana. on Jan 28, 2009 13:51:30 GMT -5
xx.//If you need a friend, don't look to a stranger.]]
Baked land. It was all that the hazel orbs of a cinnamon feline could observe. His heavyset jaws parted to take in some sort of scent, but alas, all he could smell was ash, that had no doubt floated on the wind down from the heights of the volcano that lay just across the borders in land that belonged to his enemy, AshClan. The tom spat as some of the substance entered his airways. This was pointless. As his first assignment as a fully fledged warrior he had been sent on a meaningless chase to find something that was not even known to exist for certain.
xx.//You know in the end, I'll always be there.]]
As he trudged groggily acrossed the cracked surface, the dusty tom began to wonder why he had even listened to Tranquilbreeze in the first place. After all, there was not a leader of any of the clans, just meaningless oligarchies of senior warriors until things were sorted out. What made that soft spoken tabby so certain that he could boss the clan around without opposition? Duststripe's claws flexed in and out as he trodded over the surface of the Arid Plateau, wishing he could be digging them into Tranquilbreeze's silver pelt rather than a dusty, ashen stretch of land.
xx.//And when you're in doubt.]]
As far as he could tell, the only water in RageClan would be from the cacti. There was not a drop of water that he could taste from the atmosphere until you hit BeachClan's ocean for as far as he could tell. There was no secret spring. Those senior warriors were just getting a kick out of sending him here. Especially after the long drought that had dried up water sources during leaf green, there would be nothing to find he was certain of it.
xx.// And when you're in danger.]]
Grimacing at the thought of returning to camp without something, Duststripe reconciled himself to a hunt in exchange, but with the knowledge that he would have to leave the plateau to locate any prey at this time of year. The ground beneath his paws was hard and frozen over, impossible for even a mouse to create a burrow here. The tom simply didn't have the patience for such a pointless expedition today. There were too many other things pacing back and forth through his preoccupied mind....
xx.//Take a look all around, and I'll be there.]]
OOC: sorry I'm a bit rusty!
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Post by Amber on Jan 28, 2009 14:17:25 GMT -5
Velvety gray fur rustled in the uneasy breeze as the femme stifled her coughs. She had followed Duststripe here, possibly more out of boredom than anything else, and now she had begun to regret her decision to do so. Her moss-green eyes scanned the directly surrounding area, wondering if she should turn back. At least she was upwind of Duststripe - though she doubted he could smell her through the ash even if she wasn't.
Her claws unsheathed into the ground, testing themselves in the hardened ash. Maybe wandering out here would give her time to think. One thing that could keep her contemplating forever was why exactly DreamClan ordered that every single leader, deputy, or medicine cat's power had been relinquished. The system seemed fine before in her opinion. At least it gave her mother a chance to claim a spot as a leader or deputy.
Her mother. There was another subject. She and at least three others had seen with their own eyes that she had died that day, but now she lived like always, alive and well. It gave her time to spend with her mother she couldn't have as a kit, but she still was curious...
As Eclipsewind let herself venture deeper and deeper into her thoughts, she began to focus less and less on staying quiet, and finally she couldn't hold in a coughing fit at the terrible ash in the area. She froze, thoughts interrupted, and coc.ked her head to the side, sitting down calmly to wait for Duststripe's reaction.
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Post by .feather//oceana. on Jan 28, 2009 14:37:49 GMT -5
xx.//I'm sorry, but I'm just thinking of the right words to say.]]
Duststripe's fur stood on end as he flipped himself around in the opposite direction, half expecting to be jumped by an AshClan cat, being so near to the border. The winds around him all smelled of AshClan cats and their rancid volcano's stench milled all over the plateau. Duststripe realized he wouldn't be suprised if AshClan eventually battled RageClan for this territory, since it carried so much of their scent, but then again, what use would they have for this barren strectch of hardened volcanic debris? What use did any clan have for this pointless area? The thoughts milled through his mind angrily as he layed eyes upon the second cat, who he realized had probably blatantly followed him for sometime, since he was downwind.
xx.//I know they don't sound the way I planned them to be.]]
His fierce hazel glare softened to a mere gaze as he recognized Eclipsewind about a tree length away, with nothing between them but parched land. Why had she come here? Was it for him? Or was it a mere coincidence? Duststripe walked briskly against the heavy ash laden wind towards the lithe gray femme. The tom could feel his heartbeat racing, perhaps faster than it should. A new sense of confidence cloaked his insecurities. Now that he was a warrior, would he have a chance at being mates with the femme that so many toms sought after? Reaching her earshot, he murrowed a greeting "Eclipsewind, what brings you all the way out here?" He questioned the validity of the greeting.
xx.//But if you'll wait around a while, I'll make you fall for me.]]
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Post by Amber on Jan 28, 2009 15:22:12 GMT -5
"I could ask you the same question, though I admit I was following you, mainly out of curiousity," she replied honestly. She wasn't one to lie, at least not when it was unnecessary. She smiled weakly at him. "The ash isn't too good on my lungs; I suppose it was inevitable you would find out I was following you anyway..."
She narrowed her eyes playfully and stuck out her tongue childishly for a moment. "I'm surprised you didn't find out sooner! Some warrior you are!" she teased, but she did know that she had been upwind of him. She tried to convey this by widening her eyes again, letting a kind smile venture onto her face.
"So what are you doing out here? Did the senior warriors send you out here for something?"
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Post by .feather//oceana. on Jan 28, 2009 16:02:15 GMT -5
xx.//I promise, I promise you I will.]]
Perhaps he was taking things the wrong way, but curiousity?. It was a good sign as far as Duststripe was concerned. Despite the frigid air whipping freely acrossed the surface of the plateau, the sun's warming rays were still able to graze his fur, which was now becoming coated with a thin layer of ash and soot. " Yes," he nodded his head in agreement, "It really is the fault of the ash. It's impossible for even one of those staunchy senior warriors to scent a cat that is upwind of them, especially without suffocating," he half smiled as he tried to pull himself into a sophisticated and mature demeanor. "And actually, Tranquilbreeze and his minions sent me out here to find that spring that is supposed to be underground somewhere. I don't know how they expect me to dig when the ground is as solid as a stone."
xx.//When your day is through, and so is your temper.]]
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Post by Amber on Jan 28, 2009 17:21:03 GMT -5
"Weeeell..." Eclipsewind echoed the same sound she often made while she pondered. Her gaze moved upwards and she chewed her lip, a bad habit for cats with such sharp teeth, rather thoughtfully. "What about if I help?" she meowed, satisfied with the simple answer to the problem. Without waiting for a reply, she jumped to her paws and strode off to where the tom had been wandering. Skidding to a stop, she bent and brought her paw down onto the hardened ground.
It was harder than she expected to dig in. She didn't even make visible progress. She started tearing at the ground furiously, trying not to get frustrated, for a few moments, only resulting in a tiny dent. "Um...maybe my claws aren't sharp enough," she suggested loudly, hoping he could hear her.
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Post by .feather//oceana. on Jan 28, 2009 18:02:32 GMT -5
xx.//You know what to do.]]
Satisfied that Eclipsewind was willing to help him on his fruitless escapade, he decided he may as well abandon his plan to ignore the task at hand and hunt instead. The tom followed the gray femme as she bounded across the plateau and began to dig randomly into the hard earth. Duststripe was uncertain whether the femme knew that the task was impossible, or truely believed that senior warriors actually had assigned him a do-able task.
xx.//I'm gonna always be there.]]
His muscled shadow covered the small area where Eclipsewind had been aimlessly digging. "I don't think it's your claws at all," the tom pointed out. "The land is too hard for any cat to dig into. If there were a spring underground, you would think that the surface area might stand out a bit from the rest of the plateau? Perhaps a different color? I don't know if this is the spot..." he pondered, not realizing that he sounded like a rambling idiot. "You don't have to help me Eclipsewind if you don't want to," Duststripe veered, recalling that a grown warrior shouldn't rely on the help of others to be motivated and active, even though he was sincerely glad she had showed up.
xx.//Sometimes if I shout, it's not what's intended.]]
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Post by Amber on Jan 28, 2009 18:34:19 GMT -5
"Oh, forget it," she told him, "No matter how many times you tell me to leave I'm not going to! Just because 'good' warriors don't need much help doesn't mean you can't accept some." The words might seem harsh, but her tone was soft. She flicked a tail against his shoulder. "Though good point about the ground..." She furrowed her brow, chewing her lip again and not seeming surprised when a few droplets of blood fell upon the hardened ground.
She sighed in defeat. She raised a paw to her mouth as if to wipe the trickling blood away.
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Post by .feather//oceana. on Jan 31, 2009 12:30:13 GMT -5
xx.// These words just come out, with no gripe to bear.]]
Stunned that she would still decide to stay after he dismissed her from this miserable and hopeless task, he nodded his head in agreement. He would've left easily and without question had another cat told him that he would not have to search the Arid Plateau aimlessly. "Well I guess we should try to find a place with darker soil before we dig..." He raised his cinnamon colored head and skimmed the horizon once more with his hazel eyes. As far a he could see there was not a single dark spot on the flat, hardened, dried up ground. "I guess we'll be walking for awhile..." Duststripe observed. He rose to his paws and began to trudge along as he had before, skimming the earth for some sign of water or darkened soil.
xx.//I'm sorry, but I'm just thinking of the right words to say.]]
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Post by Amber on Jan 31, 2009 17:09:42 GMT -5
Eclipsewind nodded once and trotted after him briskly, tail twitching in slight annoyance that the task seemed impossible. But still, the she-cat was determined to help, for she had said she would - no, insisted she would. She scanned the ground for any sign of, well, anything.
Giving a small hmm, she ran on ahead of Duststripe, streaking across the hard ground and searching for anything as she ran. Something caught her eye and she slid to a stop; could this be it?
It was different from the rest, that part was for sure. Though with Eclipsewind's luck it was probably just an odd shadow. She raised her head to look at Duststripe and called, "Hey! Duststripe! Can you look at something for me?"
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