Hideaway

[John Lennon]

Pepperheart trudged through the undergrowth of NightClan territory. She could make out the scuffling of mice underneath the dead leaves that covered the ground, but she made no effort to catch them. The leaves crunched loudly beneath her black paws, sending all the prey running to hide. She didn't care though. It's not like NightClan was starving to death or anything anyway. A few lost bits of food didn't do any harm.

Pepperheart usually wasn't like this. Normally, if she sees a bit of prey, she'll always go after it, always trying to bring back anything she could to the Clan. But now she was just angry. At what or why, she didn't really know. She was just out of it for some reason and needed to get away for a bit -- no one was going to miss her.

As the brown and black she-cat continued she came across a tall and burnt old oak. The gash in the middle of its trunk looked welcoming to Pepperheart for her mood. Sure, it was small and inside a tree, but squished up and inside a tree was where she wanted to be right then. She padded up and lifted her front paws to hold on to the gash. There was certainly just enough room for her inside the tree so she hopped up inside. Sitting up it felt perfectly fine, but when Pepperheart tried to lie down it became more uncomfortable. If she curled herself up small enough, though, it worked. And so she nestled herself down, hind legs dangling outside and front paws tucked in close.

It was almost peaceful.

Almost.

((Yay for completely pointless posts! =D))

[Jadestar]

((Lets see if I can get some conversation into this.))

Night had started to loom and take control of the sky. Silhoutte stars started to appear little by little, bit by bit. A pair of green, glowing eyes moved in the what seemed to be a black forest. The large tom took in gulps of night air, as he scented a warrior from his clan near. Jadestar's paws made little to no noise at all as he gracefully trotted and missed the cracking twigs and brambles.

Scenting the air once more he could tell that he was close to the Burnt Oak. It seemed as if that smell never went away from all those moons ago before Nightclan was known to the forest. Jadestar slowed into a rythmatic pattern of walking. He stopped once he heard a- snore was it? From- the.. Burnt Oak? Sure enough, Jadestar had reached his destination of finding the Warrior from his clan. It was Pepperheart.

"Pepperheart" he said in his deep, husky voice. "Pepperheart wake up." it was useless, she was out cold as if she hadn't slept in a moon. "Thats it" Jadestar said in a whisper tone. Shockingly he bit Pepperhearts hindleg, not hard, just enough to get her awake and ready to make the way back to Nightclan.

[John Lennon]

Pepperheart's eyes flew open as she felt teeth in her hind leg. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to leave them dangling about out there. Then again it was better than her head... She tried to lift up her body, turn herself around, or untuck her paws from underneath her, but it was such a tight fit inside the Burnt Oak. All she coul do was wiggle herself out, behind first.

It must have been an interesting view for whoever had bitten her.

When she finally scrambled down and got herself standing again, she looked into the face of her biter.

"What?" Pepperheart groaned, tiredly and irritated.

[Jadestar]

Jadestar looked at her scrutinously. "What?" He retorted. "Well, its nearly night outside and you have been missing from Nightclan camp" Jadestar looked away and started to turn to leave. "Lets go before someone finds us both missing" he pushed his way through the bramble thickets, his eyes being luminous in the dark once more. "Where have you been all day anyways? Stuck in the Burnt Oak?" Jadestar remarked mockingly to Pepperheart. His tail swinging back and forth as he made his way up the narrow path.

[shadowsoul]

--Enter Duskflight--

Duskflight padded quietly through the dark forest, purple eyes glowing in the little bit of light shining through the thick branches above. He was about to stop and look behind him to see if Shadepaw was still following when he thought he heard a sound. Ears forward, the deputy took a few more pawsteps forward, silently cursing the watermint in his mouth for making it harder to scent anything else.

Peering around a tree trunk, he saw Pepperheart and Jadestar standing by the Burnt Oak. The fur on the back of his neck laying flat now, he stepped out into the open and set down the herbs in his mouth onto a few leaves on the ground. Then he turned back to the other cats and slightly lowered his head respectfully to the leader.

[Jadestar]

Jadestar sniffed the air once more, his pelt bristled slightly. He turned around and scanned the dense foilage till he came across- Duskflight, his deputy. "Duskflight, what are you doing out here?" Jadestar muttered. His whiskers now twitching, and his muscles beneath his pelt relaxed. He sighed, sitting down on his haunches and flexing in and out his claws, awaiting the new story to be told.

"I do hope it is important." Jadestar antagonized. His eyes shot back at Pepperheart, who had still not answered his questions, she looked half out of it still, but with an alarming wake up, who couldn't? A cold chill entered the silent night. It ruffled Jadestar's thick white, golden pelt. But it didn't seem to bother him much, since he didn't even fathom the thought of shivering at it.

[John Lennon]

"I wasn't stuck," Pepperheart spat and Jadestar. Okay, so she did have a little trouble getting herself out, but that was beside the point. "I just thought it would be a nice place for a little closed off rest, rather than lying around on the ground." She could very well guess what the leader would next ask. And she didn't exactly have an appropriate answer for it. Or much of an answer at all. Noticing Duskflight standing just a bit aways from herself and the leader, Pepperheart used it to avoid the coming question.

"Yo Duskflight. What brings you to this neck of the wood?" Pepperheart could hardly stifle the giggle that formed in her throat as the quite idiotic question passed through her mouth. But hey, it might distract.

[shadowsoul]

Duskflight gazed at Jadestar as he spoke, and was about to answer when Pepperheart spoke up. Stuck? In a tree? What had been going on...? He shrugged it off. It must not be that important.

The deputy's whiskers twitched as Pepperheart addressed him. Ignoring the casual tone--and the fact he was sure she was laughing--Duskflight answered, "I was at the river getting a drink. Shadepaw found some herbs--" he guestured with his tail to the watermint--"and I'm taking him back to camp." He didn't like having to explain himself, but when the leader asked a question, he expected an answer, Duskflight knew.

[John Lennon]

"Last time I checked you weren't the medicine cat. Shouldn't Shadepaw be taking them back?" Pepperheart scoffed. It was an honest question, but she could have used a more respecful tone. And she probably would have if she was in a better mood. She glanced back at Jadestar and a second though sprung into her mind. I'm my own warrior. She curtly turned her face away.

"I'll be going back to camp now. I suppose it's against the code to leave it... or something..." her voice tapered off towards the end and she swished her black tail down. The tip was still propped up in the gash of the Burnt Oak. She flicked her ears as the last gesture towards either of the cats and started to pad off.

[Jadestar]

Jadestar sneered at Pepperhearts remark. "You could have gotten yourself killed, can you imagine if another cat had found you thats not from our clan?" he looked away and back at Duskflight. "It's fine, just find Shadepaw and make yourself back to camp. Watch out for the scent of fox, both of you" Jadestar narrowed his eyes mainly at Pepperheart. "I scented it on my way down here, keep a weather eye out on the horizon, by the looks of it thats how long it's going to take us at the speed we're going." He retorted deeply. His ears twitched back and forth in the defiant of annoyance. Jadestar hauled himself up again and stretched his large body. "Lets get back to Nightclan now"

[John Lennon]

"Well, I haven't been killed, have I?" Pepperheart responded. "Dwelling on the past doesn't do anyone any good. Never has, never will. And besides, if another cat did find me, I don't think they would have had enough motive to just kill me on the spot. They'd be the trespassing ones anyway."

"And 'let's'?" Pepperheart laughed at the word. "I'm perfectly capable of getting back to camp on my own, thank you. I'm sure have better things to do than baby-sit me." More anger swelled up inside Pepperheart. She was letting it take advantage of her. She just felt so boxed up in NightClan. But at the moment there was nothing left to do other than bound back to her box before allowing Jadestar to speak again.

-exit Pepperheart-

[shadowsoul]

Duskflight's eyes narrowed slightly at Pepperheart's tone. "He is, actually," he stated. "I'm taking back more. That way we won't run out again soon." He resisted the small urge to ask what she had done to help the Clan today. There was no need for that.

Nodding at Jadestar's advice, Duskflight stepped forward and picked up the herbs again. Where is that apprentice? he thought as he turned around to look behind him. He was supposed to be following me...

[sunstripe]

--enter Shadepaw--

The gray tom ran as fast as he could to catch up to Duskflight; he was sure to be wondering where he was by now. His muscles moved smoothly under his shaggy pelt. His breath came in short gasps as he ran.

"Duskfli--" he called around the watermint in his mouth, cutting off and skidding to a halt as he noticed Jadestar and Pepperheart walking away. He trotted closer to Duskflight, spitting the herbs on the ground. "What were they doing here?" His tail swished from side to side, over the leaf-strewn ground.

[shadowsoul]

Duskflight glanced at Shadepaw out of the corner of his eyes as the apprentice approached. "I'm not sure," he said simply, and began to walk forward again, expecting Shadepaw to keep up this time. "Jadestar wants us to watch out for foxes," he advised as he headed towards the camp. Thinking they shouldn't waste any more time, the deputy picked up his pace without turning to look at Shadepaw.

--exit Dusky to camp--

((short x.x))

[sunstripe]

Shadepaw gave a nod to the deputy and flicked his tail, picking up the herbs again. He was wondering why the leader mentioned foxes, and not badgers or whatever--both were likely.

He watched as Duskflight broke into a run, and the apprentice jumped to his paws and began to follow.

--exit--

((haha. even shorter.))