Would I Lie to You? (Trickle)

[Anya]

Trickle

A pair of golden orbs flecked with copper watched over the clearing with a soft gaze. They were attached to a golden tom; his long tail swaying side to side as the leaf-fall breeze chilled the air. Breathing in through his pink nose he rose to his paws slowly. Today was a good day to go for a stroll. Perhaps attempt at hunting. His ears drooped at the thought. Every cat knew how terrible he was at it. Seldom did he manage to catch something big. When he did; it would often be taken by Honeypaw as a 'reward'. but perhaps a small bird would be doable. Anything that could help keep the fresh kill pile stocked up.

"Thundersong!" a pretty pale tabby she-cat poked her ginger head out of the nursery; her hazel eyes looked dazzling in the light. "Would you mind grabbing some more moss from the moss pile? I've run out."

"Honeypaw, for you, anything at all." the mackeral tom smiled sweetly. He wasted no time in bringing her the moss.

"Will you help me? I'm late with a training session with Poppyshine" Honeypaw asked, or more so in a demanding tone.

"Well I was going to go for a break..." he began but trailed off as her eyes saddened, "...I suppose I could spare some time."

"Great! Will you fix the rest of these nests up while I go find her?" Honeypaw flicked his ear with her tail in farewell before bounding away.

"Uh...sure." Thundersong sighed. He turned to the remaining work and busied himself. The laughter of the kits and the soft scolding from the queens could be heard from outside. He smiled, how long ago had he been a kit?

[Trickle]

Nightwhisker had fidgeted throughout her sleep.  Of course, it had been like this for many nights.  The moons would rise and she would feel the exhaustion of the day, and curl up ready to sleep soundly.  but, as soon as she was nestled in to her nest a sort of gloom would rest over her.  Leafnose wasn't there, there was no body to keep her warm as the nights grew colder and colder as leaf fall started to close in.  This contributed to her lack of sleep, and it was starting to wear down on her.  She had risen to the sound of a busy clan, all getting ready and stocking up for leafbare.  Her amber eyes opened a sliver and a yawn forced her jaws open wide.  I have to stop sleeping in...  the dark she-cat thought tiredly The more I do, the more tired I will be.  I have to hit a breaking point somewhere here. Lifting herself to her paws proved to be quite the effort, causing a small groan to escape her.

When the warrior stepped out of the den, the sound of kits laughter reached her ears almost immediately.  A feline smile tugged at her features and her gaze swung around to the nursery, her long black whiskers twitching.  Perhaps she needed to let some of the queens take a break and watch over their kits for them.  Nightwhisker always found their innocent joy to be contagious, and Starclan knew she could use a bit of a laugh of late.  

The small cat veered in the direction of the nursery.  Her paws dragged a little, and she focused hard on keeping and upbeat pace.  but, as she concentrated on walking, she failed to move out of the way of a golden tom.  Nightwhisker successfully bumped in to him and stumbled awkwardly to the side, startled by the fact she didn't see him in time to move.  "Oh, ah.. sorry!" She turned to look at him and recognized him as Thundersong, a tom she had seen around before.  By the looks of it, he seemed to be on a mission.  

OOC: Sorry for the late reply!!  I suck sometimes heh
Anya

[Anya]

A soft bump and a voice followed by an apology. Thundersong turned around to see Nightwhisker staring at him. "It's alright." he laughed softly. "I was just replacing the old moss." he explained. Honeypaw had still not returned and he doubted she would be back anytime soon but he kept quiet. His break would be spent helping his clan. Nothing wrong with that right? He decided not to give it much thought.

"What brings the beautiful Nightwhisker to the nursery today?" he smiled; his paws worked away but his warm eyes were fixed on the she-cat.

[Trickle]

It came as a relief when the tom swiftly accepted her apology without any hint of frustration.  It was also a surprise, seeing that he was busy changing out old moss.  Nightwhisker wrinkled her nose at the thought, remembering when she had to do that often as an apprentice.  but, in a way it was nice to see a warrior helping out around the clan even if he didn't have to.  She took a little step away to give him some space as he worked and sat down, wrapping her tail around her front paws in a comforting manner.  Only a moment of silence passed as the tom worked before he spoke up again.  

"I was just looking to find something to do." Her ears burned at the compliment, but it managed to weasel out a smile from her.  Being called beautiful could lighten anyones mood a bit.  "I figured a mob of kits might come barreling out to play." The dark tortie held his gaze evenly, enjoying how kind he looked.  Just being able to talk to someone made it easier for her to chase away the nagging tiredness and the shake off a bit of the woe that had wrapped itself around her like a snake.  "What about you? I mean, what led you to change out the old moss when there are plenty apprentices around?"   

[Anya]

"I was just looking to find something to do." a small smile appeared. "I figured a mob of kits might come barreling out to play." the tortoiseshell she-cat held his gaze. "What about you? I mean, what led you to change out the old moss when there are plenty apprentices around?" Uh-oh.

"I felt like helping out. The apprentices have quite a bit of work to do." his gaze was warm and his smile meltingly sweet. What a great liar he was. A bluff really. Partially true. Why should he feel guilty? As long as she didn't catch him he'd be fine.

"The kits are having fun aren't they?" he flicked his ear towards the burst of laughter and squeals coming from a little ways away. "It's nice to be so carefree." he meowed softly. He had spent much of his kit-hood worried over every matter no matter how trivial.

[Trickle]

The she-cat offered him a tired smile as he explained, that was kind of him to help out the apprentices.  Nightwhisker had simply thought that with the mass amount of apprentices around the jobs would be easily done.  Of course, some did have training...  "Mmm, well that is certainly a good thing for you to do." She mused, "I bet a lot of apprentices are just thrilled to have a cat like you around."  A half hearted chuckle escaped her and she let her eyes drift towards the nursery where the sound of excited squealing had just kicked up a notch.  And to her amusement, there was the sound of a few unhappy queens inside.  Nightwhisker couldn't remember much of her kit hood but she knew it was probably similar to that.  

"Yea, it certainly sounds like it. but I don't know if we can say the same for those queens in there."  She pulled her eyes away from the nursery and back to Thundersong.  Her long black whiskers twitched, "Was your kithood like that?" It was an odd question, and the warrior almost regretted asking it.  but, the conversation was keeping her busy and she really did enjoy talking to him.  It was better than moping around and wallowing in her own self pity. 

[Anya]

"Was your kithood like that?" Was it? Thundersong paused for a heartbeat before recomposing himself. His smile had begun to fade and a forceful effort returned it.

He turned to face her with his round, golden hued eyes."It was fun." he laughed. Fun. He had been shunned by nearly ever other kit because he couldn't do anything wrong. Nevertheless, he had come a long, long way from Thunderkit. He was popular and had plenty of friends. He was happy.

What a fake! Liar! He's no good! Stupid Thunderkit! What a pain, that Thunderpaw! He's such a goody-two-paws! No fun! Weirdo! You're the worst! The flashbacks made him uneasy. The taunts, the fury unleashed upon him. It's much easier to forget.

but there was something else. He didn't need signs to see Nightwhisker had been troubled for some time. Curiosity was a natural sin. A mark for trouble. He suppressed it. It was easier not to know sometimes. "How have you been Nightwhisker?" he asked gently. It was innocent and vague enough. He didn't want to probe where it was unnecessary.

[Trickle]

Nightwhisker had fastened her eyes on the tom, staring more intently than she would care to admit.  Perhaps that is why she caught the slightest fade of the smile that had remained constant on his face.  Her tail twitched, had she asked too personal of a question?  Was something wrong?  but, as soon as she noticed the fading smile, it came right back.  Thundersong stated that his kithood was in fact fun.  Ahh good... She thought, but she couldn't help but feel that there was something else there.  Clearly, whatever it was, he did not want to share it yet.  The she-cat wasn't going to pry either, at least, not yet.

"Mine was alright too." She mewed. Other than the fact my brothers were foxhearted sometimes. Granted, brothers are always known to be rougher.  Nightwhisker and her sister turned out just fine, and Sparkleap seemed to ease away from being his brothers shadow.  but, family dynamics weren't important at the moment, so she internally shook of the thoughts and focused back in on Thundersong who had switched the conversation from him to her.  

"Oh, uhm." State the truth?  Tell him that she was emotional wreck the couldn't get any sleep at night?  Or lie and say that everything was just as fine as a greenleaf breeze.  It would probably feel good to get it off her chest, but dumping it all on him do suddenly probably wasn't the best idea.  Nightwhisker inhaled deeply, half of the truth would do.  "I'm all right.  Though, I haven't been able to sleep well lately." A wispy, half hearted chuckle escaped her.  "It's about as fun as finding out a fat mouse you were about to eat is really full of maggots."  

[Anya]

"Ah, really makes your heart sink doesn't it?" He laughed. He had finished the nest he was working on and moved ahead to the last one. "If you ever need an ear to listen to you," he looked up. "I've got two." he grinned. "Or you could settle for a poppy seed. I hear they help."

"Thundersong! I'm back, but I have to leave in a bit so I can train." Honeypaw huffed, barging into the nursery. "Oh, you're almost done. Great! Then I'll leave it to you." the pale golden she-cat peered around Nightwhisker.

"Uh, yeah..." Thundersong didn't get a chance to reply before Honeypaw was off. His broad golden shoulders heaved as he sighed. "I was going to go for a walk. Would you like to join me?" He didn't mention wanting to hunt. The last thing he wanted was to let her see him make a fool of himself. It was pretty well known that he wasn't so graceful when it came to stalking and killing prey.

[Trickle]

Nightwhisker hadn't realized that her chest had tightened until she felt the relief of it loosening up.  For a moment, she was afraid the tom would pry.  but instead he offered help. A not so half-hearted mew of laughter escaped her as he explained that he had two ears that would be willing to listen to her.  That, and his laugh was a bit contagious. Maybe one day, she thought, not bother to supress the happy sense of security in knowing she had just gained herself a new friend.  "And in turn I will listen to you when you need to talk.  I can't do aalll the blabbering for myself."  Which was true, having a one sided conversation was never the way to go.  but, she felt that if she had said anything about what was bothering her, Thundersong wouldn't mind helping her out.  "Poppy seeds.  Hmm. That seems like an obvious solution." She muttered, almost to herself.  The warrior knew she should have thought of that.  

Hardly a moment passed before a young she-cat popped in to sight.  Her sudden appearance gave Nightwhisker a bit of a start.  "Hello." The tortie she-cat mewed. A flurry of words had spilled from the apprentices mouth before she had turned and trotted off again.  "Is she the apprentice you're helping out?" A stupid question, really.  but oh well, she had already asked it.  Nightwhisker watched his shoulder heave as he let out a tremendous sigh.  Doing an apprentices work probably bored him, and having said apprentice run back out probably wasn't what he had expected.   That might have been why she wasn't surprised when he said he had wanted to go on a walk.  And then, she pleased and flattered that he had asked her to come along. 

"I would love to." Nightwhisker rose to her paws and stretched.  She had only been sitting for a little while, but it was enough to make her muscles feel a bit tense and heavy.  "Maybe we can catch some food.  Or watch some apprentices train." The warrior hadn't seen her apprentice in a while, he had simply seemed to drop off the face of the clan.  She shrugged off that thought and stood upright, having completed her stretch, and trotted towards the exit then paused to wait for Thundersong. 

[Anya]

The golden tom followed Nightwhisker's lead. The thin layer of snow was distorted by prints. "Right...food." he swallowed, a little uneasy at the prospect of hunting. but it would help the clan. Whatever he managed to catch.

The pair entered the birch forest. The long, narrow trees and their wispy branches were laden with snow. There was silence, spare a few birds, and a blanket of white upon the LeafClan land. The sun was shining through the filters of the forest canopy. It desperately stretched out to warm up the earth but alas the attempts were futile. The harsh northern winds whistled in the emptiness.

"Leafbare is unforgiving." Thundersong shivered. He wished he had Nightpatch's long, thick fur to relieve him of the cold. His ears flickered at the sound of soft snow crunching beneath their paws. His long tail swayed back and forth and he took in a deep breath of frosty air.

[Trickle]

The tortie warrior continued on walking once the tom was next to her.  Side by side they walked in silence for a brief moment.  The only sound between them was their paws crunching through the light layer of snow and the sounds of their breathing.  In a way it was peaceful, as well as eerie.  What made it even more eerie was the way the wind made the branches above them groan like cats wounded in battle.  Nightwhisker shuddered visibly both from the cold and from the idea of the forest mimicking the pain of its dwellers.  Part of her just wanted to press against the tom next ot her and soak up his warmth.  A little huff pushed through her teeth and her tongue ran over her nose and whiskers in an attempt to warm her muzzle.  

"I think unforgiving is an understatement." It was plain brutal.  It brought hunger and sickness.  It brought snowfall that would blind the eye and wind that would bite in to the skin of even the longest coated cat.  "I think my paws might freeze off before we find anything to catch." She mewed, a bit of humor resting in her tone.  Her paws weren't quite that cold yet, but given long enough she was sure they would be.  Part of her wanted the thick paws that Badgerclaw had, for they grew fur between the toes during leafbare.  Nightwhisker inhaled deeply, intending to end it as a sigh, but instead caught a whiff of a squirrel or maybe a rabbit.  She couldn't tell exactly. 

"Thundersong, do you smell what I smell?" Her long whiskers twitched with anticipation and her eyes widened at the handsome tom.  "Let's go find it." And with that, she picked up her pace with her tail streaming out behind her.  It had to be close.  Whoever saw it first could catch it.  Or maybe they would tag team it.  She wasn't sure.

[Anya]

"I think unforgiving is an understatement." That remark issued a chuckle from the large tom. His golden eyes held amusement as she continued. "I think my paws might freeze off before we find anything to catch." She mewed, a bit of humor resting in her tone.

"Thundersong, do you smell what I smell?" He glanced over to catch her widened eyes. "Let's go find it." And with that, she picked up her pace with her tail streaming out behind her. It had to be close.

He let out a deep sigh. The golden warrior felt a little uneasy. He had hoped it wouldn't come to this. He opened his maw to inhale the scents and sure enough he could detect a ground squirrel. His ears moved along with the noise as he followed the tortoiseshell she-cat.

Small claws scraped against the ground and a small flurry of snow was spewed up into the air. "There." he crept up close to Nightwhisker, his voice below a whisper. "I'll move up first, you corner it." his nose twitched nervously. He dropped his body low, tail parallel to the ground. Rolling his paws wouldn't work in the snow. Instead, Thundersong slid forward to reduce the noise. He kept downwind and took every precaution he could to stay undetected. He should at least be able to stalk correctly. He moved fluidly, instinctively, silently. He was a tail-length away and could taste the squirrels breath. Pushing back on his haunches, the golden tom shot off his powerful hind legs. His balance shifted and he staggered sideways the squirrel escaping between his claws. Mousebrain!