missing blue [open]

[thalia]

Sparrowflight slinked out from beneath the thorns that embraced her den, weaving between the lattice of pointed gray and rising to survey another beautiful leaf-bare's day in RiverClan camp. Snow blazed with pure white in wild beauty across the dens and grassy earth, and at one point during the night the little pool beside her den had glazed over, a translucent vice that gripped the little blades of grass beneath. Somehow the ice had frozen the rivers of snow snaking in threads between the withered leaves as well as the grass, so it was like time had stopped and you were looking at the white-covered world. Sparrowflight gazed as RiverClan yawned in their dens, still blinking away fogs of sleep. She broke into a smile, unable to hold back a burst of joy from leaping from her heart. Sparrowflight could literally feel her heart throbbing with love.

The sun was yet heaving itself up from the horizons, tossing splashes of gold and fiery orange upon the glittering snow and thawing the gray sky from the night's cold spell. Sparrowflight could almost feel the earth pulsing with energy. And yet amidst all this, something was missing.

It was something so much a part of her, something so much strung to her like silk to a spider that she felt as if a piece of the sky had down and fallen. What?, she muttered. What could possibly be wrong? She was here in RiverClan, among the cats of whom she'd handed out pieces of her heart; here on this path, striding with cats long gone and now among the stars; here at home, where she wanted, needed, longed to be. Runt or not, she was the medicine cat. Cats needed her.

What was wrong?

And then it hit her.

Sparrowflight wanted a friend.

[Deleted]

"Good morning, Sparrowflight." A white tom lurched unevenly in to the medicine cat's den. His eyes were dark blue, like the lake on a clear day, and most of his pelt as white as unspoiled snow, apart from some ginger speckling around his face.

"How are you, this fine morning?" he asked, seemingly paying no mind to the scratches on his body, or the half-missing tail, and deformed front leg. Old injuries, old injuries. Nothing that mattered anything to him.

Not at all.

That was what he had been telling himself since it had happened, but there was still a niggling at the back of his mind: he did mind.

That didn't matter.

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[thalia]

Sparrowflight jerked as a deep voice fell like cold rain on her ears, spinning around in shock to face its possessor. She found herself staring at a pale-furred tom whose looks, she realized, weren't half bad -- considering his poor leg and tail! Her eyes running up the warrior's chest, and sienna locked with cobalt for a single moment.

Then she snapped out of her trance, blinking and giving herself a slight shake, tail twitching with annoyance. With a start, the medicine cat stepped backwards as she realized the thrum in her head was her own heart. She might be 36 moons old already, she gasped to herself, but she was a medicine cat! It was impossible for her to feel gooey inside like that, in the name of StarClan... but then what was that weird buzz inside of her chest?

"G'morn!", she said to the tom, her mind in a flurry as it dawned on her that she'd completely forgotten the warrior's name. That's what you get for rooting around in the den all day, she growled to herself. And also the fact that her memory totally blanked out when she was scared.... or utterly confused.

"What's up? Couldn't sleep?", she grinned, throwing a glance at the enraged sun tossing crimson and gold across those snowy hills. Doesn't matter I don't remember his name, she whispered to herself. But that pounding? It's gotta stop. What in all the Clans is going on in there? Abruptly she blinked again, meeting eyes with the tom once more. Maybe he wouldn't notice she had no idea whatsoever who he was. Or that a piece of sky had just fallen on her. And maybe he can help get it off my shoulders, she wondered. Maybe he can be -- my friend.

[Deleted]

[Sparrow, Snowpool's voice isn't deep. It's aorta scratchy, but like a teenager's.]

Snowpool grinned, looking Sparrowflight up and down. Despite the fact that something with the tabby she-cat looked kind of amiss, she seemed happy.

"Got it in one," he purred. "It's hard to sleep in the elders' den in the first place, but combine that with a cold morning and old wounds? Ouch!" he chuckled, blue eyes shining. "Plus, the elders' den is unoccupied. I needed someone to talk to!" He chuckled, and then looked at Sparrowflight. "Anyway, I thought you might appreciate some company, because we're essentially in the same situation, aren't we - we're both the only ones in our dens, and... Well, I thought I might come and talk to you," he said happily.

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[thalia]

-- sorry about that, Mousy! heh heh I knew I should've read the bio... --

Sparrowflight blinked, stunned, and then bit back a chuckle. Of course she'd have thought he was a warrior! And of course it turned out he was an elder instead.

"I'm glad you did," purred the tortoiseshell, trying to herd in the amusement in her voice. "I may very well have gone mad in these five minutes standing out here in the cold without a friend who knows the insanities of winter as well as I do." Flicking her tail to the general direction of her den, Sparrowflight mewed, "But what am I doing, making you stand around out here in the cold? Come inside!"

And with that she turned tail, gliding through the thorns with ease towards the warm mouth of her den. She threw a glance over her shoulder and called, Just follow me. Oh, and though I'm sure you know of me, I want to make a formal introduction."

"My name's Sparrowflight, and I am overly pleased to meet you."

[Deleted]

"Thank you," Snowpool mewed. He limped in to Sparrowflight's den, following the tortoiseshell, and very close to tripping over when his remaining front paw caught on something. He just saved himself before he could go flying.

"Snowpool," he said. "The...kit who was brought in to this den - when your mentor was medicine cat, of course... or were you medicine cat by then - well, that's irrelevant, anyway - after being attacked by a fox." He garbled that last bit. He always did when he spoke about his past.

A small smile grew over his face.

"But enough reminiscing about the past, right?" he said happily, thinking back to the cat who had been smaller than him - a kit - and obviously rather uncomfortable.

He'd certainly grown as a cat since then.

Certainly.

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[thalia]

Sparrowflight ducked her head, shame flooding through her heart. How could she forget Snowkit? Well, he was Snowpool now, anyway. Mauled by a fox. The poor little cat had been so near joining StarClan... Leafblaze had whispered to her that there was nothing they could do. That sometimes medicine cats got cases... cases where you could only sit and watch and endure the excruciating agony of not being able to help at all. And then Snowkit had lived, and Leafblaze nearly fainted with shock and exuberance.

"Yes, I remember," breathed the tortoiseshell, staring at Snowpool as if seeing him for the first time. In a sense, she was, at least. "You were so small, and yet so strong. Like me. You know, Leafblaze thought I wasn't going to make it when I was a newborn. She was a great mentor, but sometimes she was just plain wrong. I'm glad she was, or I wouldn't be standing here right now."

"Well... how is the elder den, Snowpool? I know some of those naughty cats can be pretty feisty sometimes," she snorted, stifling a laugh. Leafblaze giving you much trouble? Last time I saw her, she seemed to regret retiring to the elder's den. Hope she hasn't been too annoying. I know how she can get."

[Deleted]

Snowpool couldn't help but smile. Well, Leafblaze was quite a funny cat, after all.

"Ah, Leafblaze is being just like any other elder, really. Although she does seemed determined to play tricks on me. A lot.'" He paused for a second, since there wasn't really that much that he could say. "Although, it mostly seems to be in good jest. She's very friendly." He couldn't help but smile at the thought of the little trick she had played last night. Turning his nest around and making him walk in to the wall of the den. Funny.

[thalia]

Sorry about not being on for, like, a month, Mousy. Aargh... left without telling anyone. Something really sad happened and I forgot about LU. But I'm back!

Sparrowflight suppressed a chuckle. "Eh, no surprise there. That silly mentor of mine has been pulling fast ones on cats since she was a wee little kit. She even pranked me with some pretty hilarious tricks when I was a fledgling apprentice. But I learned. Eventually." The tortoiseshell stifled a grin as she curled her tail about her paws, shivering despite her good spirits. It was pretty cold. She glanced at her host, wondering if he was feeling leaf-bare's bite as well.

"Please, do anything you want to make yourself feel at home. My den's pretty comfy, what with all the moss I spread out, and I try to insulate it best I can with sphagnum moss and good things like that. But it's not too warm, since that might lead to the herbs spoiling -- and, well, who would want to take soggy coltsfoot, wounded or not?"

Sorry. I have writer's block. Er... that's a pretty bad post up there, but I'll try harder.

[Cai]

[[OOC comments should be clearly marked, please. Up to you how you do it. Ta.]]

[thalia]

Cai: sorry. Fixed it... is that outstanding enough?

[Deleted]

Ah, of course. He remembered, just vaguely, seeing Leafblze whisper to Sparrowpaw, and not knowing what they were talking about. Well, he didn't know, but he could guess.

He had thought he heard the word "deathberries" in there somewhere, though. But, since he didn't know what Deathberries were at that time, it didn't worry him. Also, he had been in too much pain to worry about anything.

"Ah, of course," Snowpool chuckled. "Since it was winter when I was injured, I had to eat soggy herbs, and, regardless of the injuries... Yeuch," he chuckled, and then padded further in to the den. "You're right," he muttered, shivering slightly and huddling against her for warmth. "It's nippy out there. And it's cold in the Elders' den, or at least I think so, although it's probably the wounds speaking. They hurt a lot when it gets cold," the white tom explained with a chuckle.