Chasing Kestrels {open}

[shadow]

The Black Forest wasn't the most welcoming place to hunt for those outside of SilentClan but to SilentClanners the place was perfect, dark and quiet. That was why one could find Kestrelpaw now slinking through the undergrowth as quiet as an orange shadow. It was well before dawn, the sun not rising and the Black Forest darker than usual. In all honesty Kestrelpaw was fairly sure she was breaking some rule or another, leaving camp before dawn but she was always independent. Rules never really worked out well for her and she liked the stillness of the pre-dawn forest. High above the trees that blotted out any sunlight during daylight hours, Kestrelpaw heard the distinct cry of a hunting kestrel.

Flicking her ears, Kestrelpaw almost giggled. Go figure, the bird was hunting and so was the clan-cat counterpart. Swallowing her giggle so she wouldn't disturb the quiet, the ginger tabby continued her search through the undergrowth tracking down a rabbit she'd nearly caught just outside of camp. Amber optics scanning the dark growth, Kestrelpaw froze in mid-step, ears forward and claws unsheathed. The rabbit was hiding in a thistle growth not three tail-lengths from her.

Dropping into a hunter's crouch, Kestrelpaw lashed her tail over the ground, eyes burning into the unknowing beast. Muscles bunched under her sleek tabby fur and in a flash the apprentice pounced. The rabbit fled as the thistles rustled before Kestrelpaw was even off the ground in her pounce. Kestrelpaw let out a startled yowl as she collided with another cat and was sent tumbling backward, whiskers over tail.

[Duskstar]

Lark padded warily through the trees of The Black Forest, her ginger and white fur prickling with unease. She hated SilentClan territory, with its twisted bark and only slivers of sunlight passing through the cracks in the canopy of trees. Her claws had been unsheathed since she had entered the darkness. Green eyes turned thoughtful. Why am I here? Lark thought, "If anyone other than Coalpaw finds me, I'll be done for!" She smiled at the picture of her SilentClan friend. It seemed like only a few moments ago she was fighting him, when they were both kits. Taking a deep breath in, Lark remembered where she was, feeling the warn scent of rabbit over her glands. The loner purred. Obviously, she had no idea about the warrior code or what it meant to the clans and Coalpaw, so she didn't exactly think of this as stealing prey. Her pelt lay flat on her shoulders as she pinpointed the hare's position, though not actually seeing it yet.

Lark moved silently into the shadow of one of the twisted trees, her green eyes narrowing on the target. Because no one had taught her an official crouch, she had always used stealth to her advantage, staying in the shadows and being silent. Today was no exception. Following the scent laid out by the small creature, Lark stayed light on her paws, stepping over small plants and avoiding the scattered leaves on the forest floor. Finally the rabbit was in vision.

Narrowing her eyes into slits, the she-cat crept forward, never letting the creature leave her sight. Finally, when she was close enough, Lark pounced high into the air, unsheathing her claws along the way. When she was only a mouse length from digging her hooked claws into the meat of a rabbit, a sharp pain was felt as she collided with another, flying away from the animal she was so close to catching. The prey had darted away long before, spewing up dirt and leaves behind it.

The two continued rolling for a few fox lengthes before finally coming to a stop near a small stream. Lark jumped to her paws, hackles raised and hissing. How dare that cat get in the way of her and a perfectly good meal! A lump formed in the loner's stomach as she realized that rabbit could've been shared with Coalpaw. "What are you saying?" She thought, "You don't even know were he is!" A growl of frustration came loudly between a set of ivory teeth as Lark continued staring at the cat who'd bumped into her. It was a she-cat, and looked about her age. There was something familiar about her, but the loner couldn't quite put her paw on it. Instead Lark continued staring and hissing, prepared to fight if the she-cat attacked. Otherwise she wouldn't strike first. It wasn't her strong strategy.

[shadow]

When the world stopped tumbling and Kestrelpaw felt herself become still once more, she blinked open her amber eyes. She was stunned for a heartbeat before her senses rushed back to her. If it was a warrior she had run into, she was in deep trouble for being out so early without her mentor. An angry hiss plainly told Kestrelpaw she'd upset somebody. Springing to her paws, Kestrelpaw whirled around with an angry hiss of her, backing away from the cat that to her surprise turned out to be no bigger than she was and was in defensive stance. Warily Kestrelpaw breathed in her scent and her heart skipped a beat. A loner. A growl rumbled in her chest as she glared at the new cat.

"Get out of our territory!" Kestrelpaw snarled, unsheathing her claws and wishing she had her mentor to help but not showing it. "Or do I have to motivate you to move?" she snarled, the threat in her voice very real.

This cat wasn't any bigger than she was and maybe just a little older but not by much. She could handle that. Right? Snowpelt had taught her enough to chase out some stupid loner that didn't realize a clan border when it smelled one. Flexing her claws, Kestrelpaw kept narrowed amber eyes on the ginger and white cat before her. How had she not realized that there was a loner nearby? If she didn't get this cat out than Snowpelt would have her head and Coalpaw would tease her endlessly about being no match for one little loner. Emphasis on little.

Kestrelpaw lashed her tail and dropped into a fighting crouch, ready to spring, tabby fur bristling angrily.

[Duskstar]

Lark was terrified but held her ground, though attempting to look relaxed enough to speak with this cat. She had no idea what to say to the other, and had never seen anyone so hostile over just a rabbit. The loner also had no idea how to explain that she didn't want to fight, but just to see Coalpaw. "You can't say that mousebrain!" Lark thought, "He isn't even suppose to know you!" Her mind went through all possible situations that she could explain to get out of fighting. All she wanted to do was see Coalpaw!

"I want to join your clan." The words came out before Lark could stop them, and over and over she scolded herself for saying them. What was she getting herself into? And just to see an old friend?! "He probably doesn't even remember me anymore..." Thought the loner sadly. I didn't matter anyway, she was sure that Coalpaw's clan wouldn't allow anyone to join that wasn't born there. Besides, they would re-name her! Lark liked her name, and didn't want to change it. Her mind filed through the little history she knew about the previous clans. There was one cat, what was her name...? Daisy! She kept her name, and didn't even have to be a warrior. The cat left after she had her kits.

Kits! Lark was larger than this cat, and slightly large for her age, so maybe she could fool this clan into thinking she was pregnant. Only for long enough to see Coalpaw. Then she would leave and forget about the clans. "I... I'm carrying kits and they need a place to live." Lark gritted her teeth and puffed out her fur slightly, trying to make it look as though she was older. "I just found out." Though this clan may be fooled for a little while, they're not mousebrained. If she told them she was far along in her pregnancy her stomach would give it away. "Mousebrain...mousebrain! what are you getting yourself into!" Lark soothed the voice in the back of her head by thinking about Coalpaw. Besides, she would only stay for a few days, long enough to see her friend. What could go wrong?

[shadow]

Kestrelpaw didn't move. She kept her claws unsheathed, fur bristled, muscles tensed. It was obvious this other cat was bigger than Kestrelpaw but that never stopped Coalpaw from picking fights with the biggest toms in the clan so why would it stop Kestrelpaw? Her ears swerved forward as the loner spoke but mentally Kestrelpaw rolled her eyes. Yeah right. Joining the clan? Ha! Fadingstar would never allow it! Or at least, Kestrelpaw hoped Fadingstar wouldn't. Not a lot of cats liked loners becoming clan cats and SilentClan cats were known for being highly mistrustful toward outsiders. Kestrelpaw flexed her claws as she pondered a response but before she could wrap her mind around one, the she-cat spoke again. This time claiming pregnency.

"Ha!" Kestrelpaw laughed sourly. "I'm not a kit you know, you smell like you haven't been near a tom in months!" Kestrelpaw sneered. "Run off to StoneClan I'm sure they'll take you."

Why would anyone choose SilentClan to approach and ask for a home? Everyone knew their rather inhospitable reputation. SwiftClan and StoneClan were probably more friendly but Kestrelpaw was fairly sure ShadeClan ran along the same lines as SilentClan. Either this cat didn't know the clans very well or she was a fool. "Just get out of our territory or I'll make you!" Kestrelpaw threatened, shoulders tensed and ready to spring. This she-cat was obviously scared. She reminded Kestrelpaw of kittypets she'd heard about but none were around here right? Probably just a frightened little loner that got lost.

(can i liquid time and have coalpaw come in?)

[Duskstar]

"Ok so I'm not pregnant," Admitted Lark, tail dropping, "But I need to speak with someone!" She regretted the last statement she made, there was no way this hostile clan cat would let her come near Coalpaw. "Please!" Lark couldn't believe she was doing this. Thinking for a moment, the she-cat remembered when she had first met the tom. They had fought. A wave of sudden bravery flooded through the loner, eying her challenge. With a low hiss she spoke, "I'm not afraid of you," Lark's hackles rose and her claws unsheathed. The she-cat was going to speak with her friend, and no little kittypet was going to get in her way, "I'll fight you for the right to speak with Coalpaw."

She had beaten a SilentClanner once, why not do it again? This cat didn't look like much of a challenge, and without much bloodshed she should be able to talk with him. Green eyes blazing the loner dropped into a fighter's crouch, brown claws digging into the soft earth. "Do we have a deal?"

[[OMG THATS SHORT. Oh, and go ahead]]

[shadow]

Kestrelpaw bristled in alarm. "Coalpaw? What do you want with my brother you no good rouge?" Kestrelpaw snarled, flexing her claws. Why would a loner want to talk to Coalpaw? Why would a loner even know his name? Making a note to corner Coalpaw later, Kestrelpaw prepared to spring. Something in the undergrowth moved. Kestrelpaw's head snapped up and she snarled warningly in time to see a small black tomcat slide out of the bushes behind her. Silver splattered across his fur and intelligent amber eyes told her at once who it was. Kestrelpaw relaxed a little. "Go get Fadingstar, this loner won't leave and Fadingstar'll want to know."

Coalpaw blinked at his sister with a neutral gaze. Despite the fact he was smaller than Kestrelpaw he had a presence of a larger cat. "Kestrelpaw what are you hissing about?" he asked in an agitated voice. An afternoon with Fallendream made him ready to rip his own fur off. Stepping around his sister, the tom faced Lark. A flicker of recognition and surprise flitted through his expression. Coalpaw turned his head to look at Kestrelpaw, then back at Lark. Last time he'd seen her he had been Coalkit and in danger of being forced into a medicine cat's life. He was a bit bigger, not by much though, still smaller than Kestrelpaw.

"Sis why do you have to hiss about every kit that comes into the territory?" Coalpaw snapped angrily, frowning at his sister.

Kestrelpaw bristled in indignation. "Coalpaw! It's a rouge! We have to chase her off! If you won't help me than get out of my way."

Coalpaw rolled his eyes. "Go back to camp Kestrelpaw. What's the worst she can do? It's not like she'll invade the camp all by herself. If you want to go find Snowpelt or Fadingstar go ahead." His tone was bored, expression blank.

The tabby snarled in anger and glared at Lark over Coalpaw's shoulder. "She wants to talk to you" she meowed to her brother, tail lashing. "Why? Why would a loner even know your name?" Her gaze turned back to her brother and than back to Lark expecting an answer.

[Duskstar]

Lark stared blankly at Kestrelpaw, finally knowing the reason she had recognized her before. She was Coalpaw's sister! Realization flooded over her like a cold chill in Leafbare. "Hey!" The loner spat when the other cat called her a rouge, "I wasn't banned from a clan, and I know thats what you call them when they're banned. Like I said before I just want to speak with someone, and you can't tell me-" Lark froze in mid sentence as a russle came from the undergrowth. "Great, now whatever other warrior that scented me is going to rip my fur off!" Preparing to run, her green gaze never left the spot, hoping it was only the rabbit they had startled earlier.

Then her expression melted into happiness as a familiar cat came out. She wanted so much to run at him and tell him how much he'd grown like a mother not seeing her kit for a moon. But the loner didn't dare do so in front of Kestrelpaw. After all, Coalpaw may not have even known who she was. But then, just as the silver flecked tom looked at her, Lark knew. He had recognized her! Excitement flew through the she-cat from nose to tail tip, and even when Kestrelpaw challenged her brother she managed to keep her ginger and white fur from bristling.

Lark watched as Coalpaw and his sister argued, not feeling right about joining in. So, she stood to the side, making herself comfortable on the forest floor. When Kestrelpaw asked how she knew him, Lark stared blankly at her for a while, then changed to Coalpaw. Should she say something? Or let her friend handle the situation? The loner continued to play dumb, gazing across to the she-cat with a blank expression. Once she snapped out of it the loner looked away quickly, hoping that Coalpaw would answer her question. After all, she was his sister!

"Oh, what am I doing here?" Thought Lark, staring at her paws, "What kind of trouble will Coalpaw get into because of me?" Worry filtered through her mind, settling uncomfortably into her conscience. Ginger and white fur prickled with anticipation at what her friend would say. "Blame me!" Begged Lark, as if Coalpaw could tell what she was thinking, "Don't get yourself into trouble!"

[shadow]

"She's here because she's my friend Ketrelpaw" Coalpaw meowed simply, sitting back on his haunches and wrapping his tail around his paws and regarding his sister with his cool, calm intelligence. He tried to beat down his rushing happiness knowing that springing up and greeting Lark like an over-excited kit would get him nowhere but in deeper trouble with his stubborn sister. Over the moons Coalpaw had gotten good at two expressions, agitated and calculating. Agitated mainly came in use around Fallendream or Crowpaw, not always with Kestrelpaw. His calculating face was for everyone else.

"You mousebrain!" Kestrelpaw spat, fur bristling. "She's a loner!"

"So?" Coalpaw asked coolly, looking at his sister with light amusement and curiousity at her reply. "A rat is a mouse's relation but that doesn't make mice any worse to hunt now does it? She wouldn't hurt us or the clan." His amber gaze turned to Lark, amusement lurking behind his calculating facade and he knew she could see it. They'd known each other a short time but he knew that Lark knew him better than even Kestrelpaw.

"I hope you run into a thunderpath!" Kestrelpaw spat furiously, springing to her paws and lashing her tail. "I won't tell Fadingstar about this just because I'd hope your smarter than getting yourself whipped by a loner. If I catch her smell around here after today the whole clan will know about this."

"Fine" Coalpaw meowed smoothly.

Angered by her brother's lack of seriousness to her threat, Kestrelpaw stalked off. When he was sure she was gone, Coalpaw looked back at Lark and smiled. "Sorry about her."

[Duskstar]

Lark once again watched as the two siblings fought, holding back a purr of amusement at Coalpaw's amused gaze. Why did Kestrelpaw hate her so much? The one and only thing she wanted to do was speak with an old friend. Its not like she was going to attack them. The loner couldn't hold back a sigh of relief as the other she-cat left leaving her and Coalpaw alone. A flame lit up in her belly as her green gaze locked with her friend's, and suddenly Lark leaped at the apprentice, batting him playfully with a paw. "Well, I knew you couldn't get any smaller!" The purr escaped her throat, green eyes softening, "Just kidding." Ginger and white fur lay flat once more on her shoulders as soon as Kestrelpaw's scent was gone.

"So how's life with that old furball?" She questioned, not even able to imagine living in the same den with someone so grouchy. "Is she always like this?" Lark sat up and purred once again, unable to hide her happiness in seeing her old friend. It had been only a few moons since she had seen him, but it felt like years. Ever since they parted the loner couldn't stop thinking about him. His wondrous amber gaze, and silver flecked pelt. The image had never left her mind.

For once Lark could actually begin to feel comfortable in the darkness of the silent forest. As long as light was visible, no matter how small, she could adapt. Suddenly the loner wasn't sure what to say. She just locked eyes with Coalpaw and waited for him to speak. Would he be angry she had gotten him into trouble? What if saying that he was small would hurt him, making him leave her here? Lark remembered him mentioning something about being insulted a lot as a kit. She suddenly felt guilty; for first bothering Coalpaw in his own territory, then making his sister angry, and last telling him he was small. The playfulness in Lark's eyes dulled and she starred down at her paws.

"I hope I didn't get you into trouble..." The she-cat started, afraid of what Coalpaw's reaction would be. It didn't look as though he didn't want her there, so that was a plus, but Lark still felt as though there was something wrong about this...

[shadow]

"Surprisingly Lark I can get a lot smaller" Coalpaw meowed coolly, flicking his tail from side to side and ignoring her troubled questions. "Of course that happened yesterday thanks to my mousebrained mentor" he added in a sour tone, eyes narrowing only slightly. Shaking his head Coalpaw chased away thoughts of his mishappen cave exploration. Now wasn't the time to be cranky, not when Lark had come back at great personal risk considering Kestrelpaw, though young, was a formidable fighter. "As for Kestrelpaw she's just cranky because you messed up her hunt and she thinks she'll get in trouble being out before dawn without a mentor." Coalpaw shrugged. "She will if she gets caught making all that racket but that's her risk."

Coalpaw purred in amusement and butted his head against Lark's shoulder, amber eyes flickering in the dim lighting of the Black Forest. In this place, he was nearly invisible during moonlit hours when the little moonlight that got through the trees splashed the ground with silver in a way similar to his own pelt. "I won't get in trouble, Kestrelpaw may be a little mad but she's good to her word, for the most part. You'll find a lot of SilentClanners are like her. We like our privacy and we like our clan, not many loners get through here."

At that thought Coalpaw's eyes and voice darkened a little. ShadeClan cats were much the same but since Coalpaw was no ShadeClan cat, he only had the example of his fellow clanmates to follow. That example told him to chase Lark out but then again he hadn't done it the first time he'd met her and he wouldn't do it now. She was his friend and that was a rare thing considering most apprentices wouldn't take him seriously and he fought on a constant basis with his clumsy mentor. Kestrelpaw was a good friend but that was just her, just one within the clan that would take his side in an argument because she knew his intelligence and she knew she could trust his judgment. She knew it now even though she was stalking back to camp to sulk. Leaving him with Lark proved she trusted his judgment about Lark but she was the only one.

[Duskstar]

Lark tilted her head curiously to one side. "Truly your leader wouldn't give you that dumb of a mentor." The long limbed she-cat padded next to the tom, resting her tail on his shoulder, "He has to know at least a little bit what he's doing! After all, he trained too." Lark may not have known much about the rules of a clan, but she had a pretty good general idea of how it worked. "And what did he do, shrink you?" Green eyes glinted with playfulness as she batted Coalpaw once more. He was probably just exaggerating. The happiness faded as the tom defended Kestrelpaw, and mentioned how SilentClanners wouldn't like her.

Lark glanced uneasily over her shoulder, "You're sure we're alone?" She questioned, paws kneading the ground. The loner was just odd like that. She could go from very happy to terrified, or from angry to excited in two heartbeats time. It all depended on how others around her were feeling. "But your sister wouldn't get you in trouble, right?" Lark had felt better when Coalpaw said that Kestrelpaw would keep her word, but the ending "for the most part" worried her. Why did this clan have to be so hostile? She wasn't here to cause harm...

For the first time Lark realized how things in a clan worked. They trusted each other, and loved each other enough to put others before them. The only reason wanted to drive her out was because they wanted protect their own friends and family. They need food and shelter that can't be shared with just anyone. Lark's green eyes dulled. No one had cared about her that much since Squirrel, Dusk, and Storm, but that was so long ago.... Now she lived alone in a single den with no companions but her prey and the occasional passing loner. No time before this one did she ever feel so lonely. At least Coalpaw cared about her.

"You know Coalpaw, you're the only real friend I've ever had..." Lark meowed softly, "You're really lucky to have a whole clan of cats that care about you so much." Ginger and white fur fluffed up against a chilled breeze that blew threw it, and green eyes gazed into the distance.

[shadow]

Deciding to ignore Lark's jab at his size and defending his good-for-nothing mentor, Coalpaw crouched beside her, tucking his paws under his chest and wrapping his tail around his side. Looking up at the pretty she-cat Coalpaw butted his head lightly against her shoulder. "Lark, Kestrelpaw will get me sent back to the nursery if she thinks it'd be for my own good. That's just who she is; my annoying independent sister and don't worry I can hear plenty well off to know if anyone's coming." Coalpaw swerved his ears to make a show of actively listening for intruders upon their private conversation. Being a SilentClanner Coalpaw had keen hearing though he did like silence as opposed to the noise other clans make when they move through their crowded territories.

Coalpaw also didn't miss the fact that Lark didn't seem to like the darkness. Coalpaw, born and bred for darkness like a ShadeClan cat was very much a lover of the shadows. Though he didn't see how ShadeClan could live in total darkness, night and shadows didn't frighten him or make him uneasy. They felt like comforting creatures wrapping around him in a shield against his enemies. He could almost sympathize with ShadeClan in that respect, almost.

With a softened amber gaze, Coalpaw rasped his tongue over Lark's ear. "The clan isn't all about caring" he meowed softly. "Sometimes we hate, each other and other clans. We tease and scorn even those of our own clan." Coalpaw flicked his ears. "But we feel sadness together and we fight together. Our history keeps us together, our pride makes us strong and we are powerful alone but stronger together. Clan life isn't everything though. Like I said, sometimes we hurt each other, sometimes for good reasons and sometimes for bad. Is that something you'd want?"

[Duskstar]

Lark rested her head on her paws, feeling comforted by Coalpaw's rasp over her ear. "I just don't know what to think anymore..." She meowed, closing her troubled looking green eyes, "I just feel like I shouldn't be here..." Tail waved back and forth thoughtfully, and head lifted, gazing at Coalpaw, "But I couldn't stand being away from you." Lark sighed. He probably didn't feel the same way. He could have forgotten about her in a heartbeat and never had the urge to see her again. The she-cat looked over her shoulder once more, out of instinct. It was just as shadowy, black, and creepy as before. The loner resisted the urge to shiver out of fear. How could Coalpaw stand it being so dark all the time? Were all the clans covered in a canopy of trees? Kestrelpaw had mentioned StoneClan. Maybe they lived in the caves she had passed on the way here.

Lark glanced back at Coalpaw, hoping to see some sort of answer in the tom's amber optics. She hoped he wasn't just here to be nice and humor a mousebrained loner. Then again, SilentClanners didn't seem like the type to do that, the she-cat knew, after her encounter with Kestrelpaw. If he didn't like her he would say so, or at least chase her out.

"So, how's your training coming along?" She asked, wondering how long it took for clan cats to become warriors. Truly the only reason Lark had asked this question was to change the subject. To get her mind off of the horrible thoughts she was thinking. "Coalpaw is your friend," The loner told herself over and over, "He would never chase you away."

[shadow]

"Not well" Coalpaw meowed, lashing his tail from side to side and looking rather bitter. "I just can't get along with Fallendream. He's just so clumsy and...I don't know he gets under my fur all the time." Coalpaw flexed his claws and stared down at the ground under his paws. It was true he wasn't exactly sure what made him dislike Fallendream so much though it was probably the fact the warrior just didn't....act like a warrior or something along those lines. It annoyed him that he had a mentor that could be so scared and strange. Kestrelpaw had a fairly normal mentor but Coalpaw had to get the weird one. "I just can't stand him."

Coalpaw was a cat that fought with his brain because he was a small cat. Every ounce of energy he had when fighting had to be used in the best way possible. He wasn't a big cat that could throw around his weight and chase off a couple cats without unsheathing his claws. Fallendream just seemed so idiotic and annoying that it made Coalpaw's fur rise in annoyance anytime he thought about it. He was glad to be rid of his mentor for today....Wait....Coalpaw froze. Oh mousedung. Fallendream had told him to meet him outside of camp to train. Of course as always Coalpaw had promptly not been listening.

With a groan Coalpaw sat up. No doubt his mentor had followed him, if not just to scold him for not paying attention again. "Lark..." Coalpaw began but was cut off when the undergrowth rattled. Crowfood and mousedung. Coalpaw closed his eyes and groaned in annoyance. Bad timing as always.

(why not bring in fallendream it'll add a little somethin extra to the thread hm?)