Rainy Day...?

[emmathepiemonsterb]

Ivoryfang walked into the meadow, her tail held high and head up straight.
She felt a small transparent raindrop hit her black nose gently, then two other ones hit her white neck and and white sturdy back at the same time.
Ivoryfang's already dull gray eyes got even duller, the sun was blocked by thick puffy smokey gray clouds, it allowed little light to shine through making the sky slightly darker.
Her snow white paws got hit with multiple transparent raindrops, the dark brown earth beneath Ivoryfang got between her claws, and stained her now - dirty - white paws, slowly the white she cat padded to a grass covered patch, pressing down on her left paw, then moving her right paw forward, Ivoryfang repeated this action a few times, then sat down, the rain started to come down faster, it hit her pelt at the speed of about ten raindrops every two seconds.
Ivoryfang rested her chin on the almost soaked ground, then let out a small sigh as she let the innocent raindrops hit her pelt.
Carefully placing her paws in front of her, the raindrops came down at about 20 a second in a few moments, and increased.
Ivoryfang was worried that this might turn into a thunderstorm, so far she saw no other cat nearby, so she just waited, slowly, Ivoryfang scooted her white legs out from behind her, almost her whole body was soaked by raindrops, but she only rested on her underbelly, which was stained with mud.
The white she cat waited for another cat to arrive, a small green leaf with some brown spots and holes in it drifted down on her muzzle, she huffed and blew it away in front of her.
Ivoryfang was getting bored of just sitting there, so she thought about getting up, but she was to lazy to move her legs, even though she would be dripping wet within minutes.

[Windpelt]

Blazingstreak arose with a sigh. He peered outside his den, smelling of herbs and flowers and saw, to his dismay that it was raining, and rather heavily to. It was times like these when he realized how much he would like an apprentice. He wasn't sure who to choose yet, however, so he hadn't payed it much thought or attention. His mind drifted for a few minutes, as he day - dreamed about how he could send them out into the pouring rain and remain leisurely sorting his herbs in his dry den. Then, he shook his head a small smile passing over his face, momentarily making him look happier. It was like he had put a mask on.. his face abruptly slackened after this brief and rare show of emotion and went blank and serious.

He slowly pulled himself to his paws, forcing himself to stand up and face the new day.. a new beginning. As he padded out of his den, the full extent of the wind whipped across his face, blowing his fur in all different directions, bringing with it the cold, wet rain. He shuddered and hunched over, lowering his head. He padded out, trying to make his paws move as fast as possible. He wanted to collect these herbs quickly, then get back to the moderate comfort of his den. He rolled his eyes and let out a faint hiss, as he splashed directly through a muddy puddle. The mud hit his nose and right cheek full on, running down his face and dropping off to hit the forest floor in a slow, deliberate manner. He hrrumphed and shook his head, not stopping however.

He reached the more open field and stopped abruptly, having seen Ivoryfang. Forgetting, momentarily, the herbs he was meant to be collecting he dashed after her. His mind was buzzed with all the possiblities as to why she would be out in this kind of weather. Himself, he could understand; he must get this herbs for his stock was low. He narrowed his gaze and kept onwards, making sure he kept a few fox - length's behind her; he didn't want to be spotted. Not yet. He saw her make her way into the clearing and stood, watching carefully, pelt blending into the shade and gloom of a large tree. He sat down, neatly curling his tail around his paws. Now he would wait. Action, would come later.

[rainpelt]

Walking at ease through the trees, was Rainpelt, moving along at a steady pace, not minding the rain at all. She actually was quite pleased that there was a shower today. She wanted the feel of it through her fur but thought it was too cold for a proper swim.

Most cats thought she was mad, and yes, she probable was, but that didn't matter whatsoever to her. She listened to the calming drip drip drop on the leaves and revelled in the happiness it gave her. Without noticing she was nearing the west meadow, Rainpelt put her paw on a slimy leaf, whilst catching another paw on a root. She slipped, tripped and consequently, feel onto her side. After the initial shock passed she purred with amusement and chuckled slightly. It wasn't like her to be clumsy. 'Oh well' she thought, standing up, 'I'm definately wet now'. She stalked happily into the clearing and gazed about at the pretty meadow.

"Well, well. What should I do now?" She asked the clouds. Then she spotted Ivoryfang resting in a tussock of grass. She jogged over and sat down a tail-lengh away.

"Hi Ivoryfang. What are you doing out in this rain, I thought you didn't like it?" She asked in a friendly way.

[Windpelt]

Blazingstreak's eyes widened as another cat came into view. He saw, to his great surprise, that it was Rainpelt. However, as he carefully watched the two cats, their conversation didn't seem to be anything suspicious or planned; in fact, he thought with slight satisfaction, Ivoryfang looked just as surprised as he felt to see Rainpelt stroll into view. He cautiously moved himself forward; just a few pawsteps, his eyes darted down to the ground, then back up again to the clearing where the two warriors sat. He ducked down again, having revealed his dark ginger pelt for a spilt second when he moved forward in a desperate attempt to hear their conversation.

Then he stopped himself. He was being stupid! What was he thinking, crouching hear, listening to them ? They were his CLANMATES. He was supposed to trust and suppor them; not sit here eavesdropping. He pulled himself back up to his full height; he had crouched down alot, when he was spying. He marched out of the bushes, pretending that he had simply been searching for herbs. Which was one of his intents of this journey.. As he felt their gazes switch to the direction in which he had come from, his fur prickled with embarrassment and shame. He still felt bad about what he had done, even though they hadn't even noticed him. 'Oh! Ivoryfang, Rainpelt!' He greeted them each in turn. 'I didn't expect you to be out and around here! I - I was just collecting some.. chervil!' The herb name leapt first into his head and he simply blurted it out, hoping wildly that there was chervil here.. He scuffed his paws as an awkward silence came over the three cats. He turned his back after lowering his gaze and scoured the clearing in earnest.

[rainpelt]

Rainpelt was waiting patiently for an answer from Ivoryfang, when a rustle from some nearby bushes distracted her. She gazed into the undergrowth and for a moment thought she saw shadowed fur. But it dissapeared as she blinked. She took a subtle inhalation but could scent nothing else but the clean smell of a rainstorm and Ivoryfang. It must have just been her imagination.

She returned her gaze to Ivoryfang who seemed otherwise preoccupied. Her pale coat was dampened but it seemed that she wasn't a fan of getting wet. That was only a weird cat thing- cats like Rainpelt. Rainpelt longed for the day when she would find a cat in her Clan that liked getting wet. That would be a good day. As she was busy with her digress, a louder rustle came from the bushes. A cat stepped out and in surprise Rainpelt's hackles rose and she tensed. But it was only Blazingstreak. She immediatly forced herself to relax and twisted to lick her fur flat. When she faced the medicine cat again, he greeted them both. Somehow, there was an awkwardness about him, something that made him jumpy. Maybe he was just one of those cats who really hated the rain and just wanted to find his herbs and get back to his warm den. 'That's it, he's just really miserable' thought Rainpelt to herself.

"Hey Blazingstreak!" She dipped her head in respect to the medicine cat. Blazingstreak had scuffled off, and was moving around the meadow. She caught up to him and spoke, "Do you need any help looking for herbs?"

[Windpelt]

[ Sorry, this will be a short post; as I am busy :3 ]

'Hmm ?' Blazingstreak had become distracted; both from embarrassment and actually getting caught up in his searching. 'Oh, herbs, sure!' He replied, voice filling with relief. He thought he saw Rainpelt give him a strange glance, but she did not persue the matter; for which he was grateful. He realized she was waiting for further instructions, on which herb and he shook himself. He really had to get his act together and stop being so pre - occupied with his thoughts. 'Well,' he scuffed a paw among the warmish earth, feeling the dirt bounce off his fur, as he thought of his answer, 'I'd suggest just going beyond that tree there.' He pointed with his tail, peering earnestly through the gap, making sure he was right about what he was telling her. 'There should be dock, most likely, perhaps even some Goldenrod.. if memory serves correctly.' He allowed himself a little smile, just to himself; he knew his memory wasn't the best anymore; but he still knew how to treat a cat! He continued; 'meanwhile, I'm going to head off thataway - he pointed with his tail to a large clump of bushes - and collect some juniper berries.' He gave her a faint smile, as he noticed her still standing there; looking what he considered, to be a little in awe of his task for her. 'No time like the present..' a flicker of a smile crossed his face, then he turned, tail up and trotted away, surprisingly agile among the fallen logs and thick undergrowth.

[rainpelt]

Rainpelt watched Blazingstreak scurry off and gazed at the spot he asked her to search. For dock and...golden...goldenrod. Right... What did goldenrod look like anyway? 'Hmmm' she pondered this for a moment, but then realised she had forgotten something. She padded over to Ivoryfang, who was looking very distant. Unsure, Rainpelt prodded her and said,

"I'm helping Blazingstreak look for herbs. I guess we can talk later- bye!" At that she turned and bounded back to the gap in the trees. Under the shelter of the trees, she inhaled deeply. Dock! She at least recognised that so she would search for it first. In a dog-like manner she put her nose to the ground and tried to follow the scent but it was tricky. She was used to tracking prey and other cats, so those were moving, but herbs just stay where they are. She thought she caught a stronger scent so she wove under a few bushes and around a few trees, but it didn't seem to help or hinder her. Giving up on smell, she peered around at ground level and stalked around. A waft of mouse made her salivate, but she wasn't hunting for fresh-kill. Dock was her prey today.

She searched for so long but eventually found what she believed to be dock. She gave it a sniff, then bit off a few of the long leaves. It was still raining so she took them over to the shelter of a fragranced bush and placed them underneath.

Now it was time to find goldenrod. Rainpelt imagined it was a beautiful plant as golden as the sun with a warm scent. Without really knowing it's appearance Rainpelt set off to look for the mysterious plant. In a surprisingly short time she found a familier looking plant with a few big, bright yellow flowers. It's very small petals tickled her nose and for a moment she thought it was goldenrod. But no, this was a different flower, a weed. She wasn't going to fool around- this was a serious job. She wanted to help Blazingstreak not mess around like a kit. So she left the plant in peace.

After she was sure that the sun had shifted in the sky, she decided to give up. She wasn't even sure she knew what it looked like nonetheless smelled like. So Rainpelt returned to that strong smellling bush and retrieved her dock leaves. Then she returned to the meadow. She looked to the place where Blazingstreak had dissapeared and decided to look for him there. She could smell his herby scent, and tried to track him, relishing that she could practice her cat tracking skills.

Through bush and braken she traced what she hoped were his pawsteps as the scent she recognised strenghtened until it wove around her. She spotted his dark pelt a few fox lenghts away and leapt forwards to give him her stash. A muffled sound escaped her lips,

"'ello, I'vf foud your doch leaves!"

[Windpelt]

Blazingstreak dashed over to the bush, he picked some berries hastily, cramming them into his mouth. He wasn't sure why he was in such a rush. Perhaps it was a combination of the wet weather, plus the fact another cat was here with him, watching his skills. He was about halfway back, when he realized something wasn't quite right. The berries, which had seemed to have a sweet, normal, juniper-berry taste, now had the disgusting, terrifying numbing feeling of.. death berries! He was horrifyed with himself. How could he have not bothered to check the bush properly?! He spat out the berries, not caring who saw him anymore. He looked around in a wild panic, seeing a nearby stream, and thanking StarClan for it, he rushed to it. Flinging himself almost into the cold water, he opened his muzzle, allowing the icy water to flood in. Then, he spat it out. He repeated this motion, over and over. He then stared at his paws, narrowing his eyes to see if any juice had leaked onto them. He thought, to be safe, that he would wash them as well. Shuddering, he dunked his left paw, then his right, into the stream. The coldness was unbearable, he thought.

He went back over to the bush, glaring at it furiously, more angry at himself then anything or anyone. Then, his green gaze darted around the clearing. He was already searching for the proper juniper berries to bring back. He heard a call. He couldn't quite make it out, but he was pretty sure it was Rainpelt. He flicked his tail with impatience, making sure she could see the gesture. Envy was now clouding his mind. How was it that she was finished before him?! He located the right bush and sliced a few stems delicately with his paws, well used to the job. He picked them up in his jaws, and headed back to where she was standing. 'Alright, done.' He dropped the berries ungracefully to the ground, where they landed in a messy heap. His tail was swishing from side to side and he couldn't stop his anger from showing through. He grabbed most of the other herbs; what he could fit into his mouth at once, and turned abrputly and stalked off back to the camp.

[rainpelt]

Rainpelt gaped after Blazingstreak, wondering what it was that was bothering him. The leaves had fallen to the ground. She swept them into a pile with her paws and carefully picked them back up along with the ones Blazingstreak had left behind, not biting down too hard so the juices did not run. Stifling a sigh she slowly padded after Blazingstreak, wondering what his problem was. 'Should I ask him about it?' she thought to herself, 'or maybe it's something personal'. She pondered awhile, as she walked throught the forest at an easy pace, her tail swishing thoughtfully behind her. In the end she presumed it was just medicine cat business, so she decided not to question him. Instead she turned her attention to the forest. The rain was wearing off and a pleasant drip, drip could be heard. Occasional droplets landed on her head but she shook them off, only occasionally dropping a leaf or two. Her mind was wandering as she passed a thornbush, and without realising it, her tail became entangled in the spiky plant. In shock she spat out all the leaves along with a distressed meow. She twisted round to try to free herself using her teeth but it was stuck fast. A rush of disquiet ran throught the trees and Rainpelt feared another cat might find her in this ludicrous situation. Gentle she teased her fur from the clinging claws and eventually was free. She stared sadly at her silver tail, which was now quite bloody, with sharp plant material still embedded in her fur. This mess was too much for her so she resigned herself that she would have to visit the medicine cat for help. 'Mousedung! All I wanted was to help Blazingstreak but in the end, I've just caused more work for him.' Pleading StarClan that the other cats wouldn't notice her ravaged tail, she recolleced the herbs and continued back to camp.
The humiliation of the incident was still strong in her mind yet she tried to block it out. It's not like there were any cats around that saw her get tangled. Surely not. No, most of the cats would be in camp because of the rain and wetness. Her mind was allowed to wander as she neared the camp and she wished she could smell the scents of her clanmates but the herbs removed the sense of smell. She padded lightly and quickly into camp, eyes down.

[Windpelt]

Blazingstreak reached the camp shortly after he had raced off in a huff, leaving Rainpelt staring with wonder and confusion behind him. He felt bad about what he had done; now that some of his fierce anger was starting to wear off. He lowered his head as he crossed the clearing that was Emeraldclan's camp. He could feel his fur, still on edge, his tail was also fluffed up. His eyes were glittering with a kind of intensity, deeper than he had ever experienced before. He was confused. Why was he getting so worked up ? He couldn't answer his own silent question, repeating itself over and over in his head.

He sorted the herbs away, dreading the time that would come to pass, quite soon in the future, when he would have to ask the other warrior for the rest of the dock he had stupidly left behind. He gave a large sigh, already regretting his outburst. He thought the situation over; would she have thought that he was mad at her ? He dearly hoped not, he didn't like being thought of as having an angry personality. After all, medicine cats were supposed to be gentle and kind.. Great example of that, he was.

As the last herb was carefully pushed into place by a long - clawed paw, he stepped out of the den. To his surprise, he found his tail tip was quivering. He supposed it was nervous energy and shook his head, trying to calm his frantic mind. He paced over to where the warrior was just arriving in the clearing. 'Look,' he started, his voice was all stuttery. 'Uh - Uh, I'm sorry about before ?' His voice rose up, like he was asking a question. 'Did you remember to take the herbs ?' He was afraid he was sounding to patronizing and instantly added; 'j - just as I was silly enough to leave them behind..' He trailed off and stared down at the wet, leave - covered ground.