Twoleg Territory

[Audrey ~ EXO-L, We're starting fresh!]

Smokepaw looked up warily. "A few of us can catch food for all of us, and we promise that we will leave as soon as these two are healed. They probably just need to sleep for tonight, eat, and get dry. That can all happen now," she saidd quietly.

[Catfish :D]

Melanor flicked her ears as she looked up. "Eh? Those clan cats?" She surveyed the group through narrowed eyes. Sighing as she gave into Rani's persuasion, she mewed, "Okay, they can stay. S'long as they don't make too much noise." She nodded to the clan cats. "Stay as long as y'like," she rasped to Smokepaw, getting more friendly.

[Lexi]

Blazestrike said, "Thank you, Melanor."

[Audrey ~ EXO-L, We're starting fresh!]

Smokepaw smiled, and bowed her head. "Thank you."

[[deleted user]]

Stormfeather sneezed again, then flicked his ear irritably

[Audrey ~ EXO-L, We're starting fresh!]

Smokepaw put Stormfeather on the floor. "Rest, i'll go hunt."

[[deleted user]]

Stormfeather grumbled, but curled up. Smokepaw reminded him of how Featherstorm acted when he got hurt.

[Audrey ~ EXO-L, We're starting fresh!]

Smokepaw sniffed the air, and crouched down. The air was filled with squeaks and fast swipes of air getting cut. In no time, she had brought back three voles, five mice, and two rabbits. "Dang, this place is filled with fresh kill!" she marveled. "Enough for everyone!"

[Catfish :D]

Seaflame gave his thanks to Melanor, to which she huffed and had lain down again. He shivered slightly, a tickle in his throat, but he kept down his coughs, curling up as Stormfeather had done.

[Ivyscar ~Echo~, FRESH LIKE NEVA BEFORE]

Skypaw nodded her thanks to Melanor and curled up in a dark corner alone, resting her head on her paws. She stared at the prey Smokepaw brought back, but took none. She wasn't hungry. Blinking sadly, she wondered if she would see Lilyflower, Bluepaw, or Skystar in her dreams tonight...




Rani grinned. "Thanks Melanor! I have to go let my twolegs know I'm alright but won't be coming home tonight. I'll be back soon!" she cheered, darting off towards the twoleg houses.

[Catfish :D]

Melanor flicked her tail in response to Rani, but a twinkle of amusement sparkled in her eyes. She noticed Skypaw not eating, and shifted in her nest so she was facing the apprentice. "Even sadness can't be healed without food in a cat's stomach," she rasped matter-of-factly. She softened. "Is it family?"

[Ivyscar ~Echo~, FRESH LIKE NEVA BEFORE]

Skypaw looked at the old loner. "Yeah...My mother and my brother died both in the same day. Then I figured out I wasn't even related to them. That I'm actually an orphan." she didn't know why she was telling all this to the old cat. She hadn't even told Reedpaw this. But it felt good to talk about it.

[Catfish :D]

Melanor looked at Skypaw. "I'm not going to tell you that you're okay now. Losing family is hard. Even when it's not your family." She had a faraway look in her eyes, as if she had experienced the exact same thing. "It'll take time. You can't heal in one day. And no one should expect you to." The old cat had a short fit of hacking coughs. "But you can't waste your life grieving over something that's not coming back-not saying you are," she added quickly, remembering how quick-tempered these young cats could be. "And, eating helps," she croaked.

[Audrey ~ EXO-L, We're starting fresh!]

Smokepaw handed Melanor two voles and a rabbit to Skypaw. "That's right, eating helps you to get stronger!" she mewed, not having heard Skypaw's past, but only the words, "eating helps." She distributed the rest of the prey to everyone else and shared a plump mouse with Stormfeather

[Ivyscar ~Echo~, FRESH LIKE NEVA BEFORE]

Skypaw nodded, realizing they were right. "Thanks." she murmured, taking a bite out of the voles. It was chewy and hard for her to swallow.
I could really go for a fish right now... she thought, but she wouldn't complain.

[Catfish :D]

Melanor brightened at her food. "About time," she muttered, but she nodded gratefully to the apprentice all the same.

[[deleted user]]

Stormfeather ate the mouse quietly, his fur fluffed out to try and warm him up.

[Audrey ~ EXO-L, We're starting fresh!]

Smokepaw decided not to eat. She wasn't that hungry anyways. I miss my family, she thought unhappily, covering her eyes with her paws and quietly whimperered. Where's my father?

[[deleted user]]

Stormfeather touched her gently with his tail and gave her a comforting lick on the head

[Audrey ~ EXO-L, We're starting fresh!]

Smokepaw uncovered her eyes, and smiled.

[Lexi]

Blazestrike ate then curled up to sleep.

[Ivyscar ~Echo~, FRESH LIKE NEVA BEFORE]

Rani bounded back into the alley. "I'm back!" she announced unnessisarily. Her blue eyes sparkled and she seemed to flutter on her paws.

[[deleted user]]

Stormfeather lifted his head to stare at Rani

[Lexi]

Blazestrike looked up then went back to sleep.

[Audrey ~ EXO-L, We're starting fresh!]

Smokepaw nudged a mouse to Rani. "here."

[Ivyscar ~Echo~, FRESH LIKE NEVA BEFORE]

Rani shook her head and pushed the mouse back. "I already ate my twoleg food and a squirrel earlier. And you guys need the food more than I do." she told her, still smiling.

[Helen [Let it Snow]]

Powdertail sat awkwardly alone, tail wrapped around her paws. She didn't want to make a move, and was afraid to as well.

[Lexi]

Blazestrike noticed Powdertail and went over to her. "You're Powdertail, right?" she asked, she wasn't very good at names.

[Audrey ~ EXO-L, We're starting fresh!]

Smokepaw nodded, and took the mouse for herself once she was sure that everyone ate. Twoleg food...disgusting! she thought as she tore up the mouse.

[Ivyscar ~Echo~, FRESH LIKE NEVA BEFORE]

Rani smiled and curled up next to Melanor. She told herself she would watch everyone sleep first, but within seconds she was fast asleep.


Skypaw looked around the cats. "I'll take first watch." she announced softly.

[Audrey ~ EXO-L, We're starting fresh!]

Smokepaw nodded, and smiled at Skypaw. "I'll go with you."

[Helen [Let it Snow]]

"Yes, that's me," Powdertail mewed cautiously. She didn't know Blazestrike at all, had never exchanged a word. "You're Blazestrike, correct?" She gave a faint smile.

[[deleted user]]

Stormfeather yawned and rested his head on his paws. He thought of his sister Featherstorm before drifting off to sleep

[Lexi]

BLazestrike smiled. "Yeah, I'm Blazestrike. You looked lonely," she said.

[Ivyscar ~Echo~, FRESH LIKE NEVA BEFORE]

Skypaw gave a thankful nod to Smokepaw, padding to the end of the alley, taking a seat.

[Audrey ~ EXO-L, We're starting fresh!]

Smokepaw followed Skypaw, smiling at her. "Soo...you have siblings? I do too."

[[deleted user]]

Stormfeather was dreaming. In his dream, he saw what at first was a reflection, but he realized happily that it was Featherstorm!

[Audrey ~ EXO-L, We're starting fresh!]

Smokepaw glanced at Stormfeather. "Sometimes I wonder if he ever is right when he is without his sister," she whispered. "he can't stay like that forever, he needs to learn to move on without."

[Helen [Let it Snow]]

Powdertail nodded slowly. "Well, thanks for noticing," she mewed bitterly, "It's not like anyone else was." She blinked gratefully at Blazestrike.

[[deleted user]]

Stormfeather greeted his sister happily, a purr making his whole body vibrate

[Ivyscar ~Echo~, FRESH LIKE NEVA BEFORE]

Skypaw flicked her tail. "Yeah, I have a brother named Reedpaw. I used to have another brother named Bluepaw, but he had been sick for a long time since he was a kit. A few days ago in the clearing, I found him dead. Nobody knows how though." she replied to Smokepaw, then nodded in agreement about Stormfeather. She, being his Clanmate, knew how close the twins really were.

[Lexi]

"No problem," Balzestrike said, "But why are you lonely?"

[Audrey ~ EXO-L, We're starting fresh!]

Smokepaw nodded. "I've never met my father, but I have my mother Runningbreeze and Rainpaw and Leafpaw." she answered.

[Helen [Let it Snow]]

Powdertail wasn't so sure of that herself. "Well..." she began, "I never really connected to the cats," she admitted, "I was always just off in the corner. They didn't seem to like me much," she finished, looking at her paws bashfully.

[Ivyscar ~Echo~, FRESH LIKE NEVA BEFORE]

Skypaw nodded in acknowledgment. "My father is Reedstar. And my mother was Lilyflower, but she's dead. I think she was murdered but there's no proof.

[Audrey ~ EXO-L, We're starting fresh!]

Smokepaw's eyes darkened. "I would have thought you knew yourself by now. I caught a whiff of Iceblaze's scent on there."

[Eugenia9 **LS9**]

Stormbreeze meowed softly, "Hey... Smokepaw who's Leafpaw's mentor? My sister really wants to know since she did teach Leafpaw a bit about herbs when the young apprentice was a kit..."

((Though did the BreezeClan apprentice ceremony ever finish? Because I just breezed through the part when I was trying to figure out what is going on.))

[Ivyscar ~Echo~, FRESH LIKE NEVA BEFORE]

"We did too, but there's no real proof." Skypaw sighed.

[Eugenia9 **LS9**]

((I'm really confused right now...))

[Audrey ~ EXO-L, We're starting fresh!]

((Stormbreeze is a prophecy cat?))

Smokepaw nodded to Skypaw.