[O]ne by one the pawsteps come.

[*~[R]ose-[B]rennan~*]

A small golden paw emerged from the soft green lichen that was draped over the leaders den, another paw soon followed. Emberstar stuck her dainty head out of the lichen and blinked her soft amber orbs twice as they adjusted to the glaring sunlight that always beat down on the WindClan camp at midday. She walked, almost glided, the whole way out; the rays of light hit her russet fur, making it dance like a towering inferno of fire and then down again to the glowing embers the inferno leaves in its wake. The leader of WindClan sat down on the dusty ground and ran a small, rough tongue over her long soft pelt. A little while later she lifted her head to the sun, savoring the feeling on her face.

[>>Sparrow<<]

<sub>Sparrowpaw-

Sparrowpaw watched his leadr exit the den. His brillant ice blueeyes flashed green, in the way they always did. The former kittypet's tan fur stood on end, soaking in the warm rays of the sun. Surprisingly the breeze today was soft and gentle. It bother him, he loved the feeling of the wind on his face.

He dipped his head to wash his chest, which was covered in dust, he had just gotten back from an unsucessful hunt. He had ended up flat on his beely staring down a rabbit hole. He had cursed himself for being so foolish, he had let his mind wander to a certain someone, someone who would never feel the same way about him, after all he was just a foolish kittypet.

Dreampaw he thought, his gaze scanning the clearing for the pretty she-cat. The camp was unusally quiet, empty. So he returned his gaze to Emberstar. He sat there in silence, waiting for her scent to hit him, instead of Dreampaw's, but the pretty she-cat's scent lingured in his nose.</sub>

[/sub]

[*~[R]ose-[B]rennan~*]

Emberstar saw him from the other side of camp, there was something about him that seemed bitter. She noticed the flecks of brown dust in his pelt and surpressed a sight, an unsucsessful hunt was the last thing they needed right now, but then again it wasn't his fault. She moved with grace over to sit beside him, her amber eyes boaring into him though she wasn't looking directly into his eyes "Not everyone is sucessful in every hunt" she mewed comfortingly "It makes no difference what your heritage is" she sighed and ran her toungue across her paw then pushed her paw behind her ear, giving the apprentice a small smile.

[>>[S]ilver]

"Hi," The voice came up behind Sparrowpaw, like a bell in the lingering silence between the rustett leader and the tabby apprentice. Dreampaw's bright, sky blue eyes were filled with sunlight as they danced and glowed, resting on Sparrowpaw. These two had not been friends for a long time, but since they had been they had grown closer and closer every day. She spotted Emberstar for the first time, and dipped her head. "Hello, Emberstar," Said the small female apprentice. She stood next to Sparrowpaw, lookingn from the leader to her friend.

[*~[R]ose-[B]rennan~*]

Emberstar turned her gaze to Dreampaw and smiled at her, her amber eyes glowing lightly. She looked at the two apprentices and was reminded with a pang that she could never see any kits of her own become apprentices or warriors because she had missed that oppotunity when she was younger. She hoped no one would do as she had done, as Emberstar regretted it so much. She shifted slightly to allow Dreampaw to sit next to Sparrowpaw. Her russet red coat turned a slight grey as she moved out of the sunlight

[>>[S]ilver]

"Are you alright, Emberstar? You look...sad." Meowed the young apprentice, wondering what that was in her leaders mind. She searched the cat's eyes and mind, but found it barbed with a caution, thoughts burried deep by apprehention and years of forgottennes. She wished she could read minds, not emotions. That would be so much easier!

[*~[R]ose-[B]rennan~*]

Emberstar smiled and nodded, getting up from where she was sitting and waving her russet red plume of a tail from side to side, "I'm fine Dreampaw" she mewed softly, turning her gaze back to the two young cats "Don't worry about me" she purred, looking up to the sky "Just enjoy this beautiful day"

[>>[S]ilver]

"It is a great day, isn't it?" Smiled the black and white she-cat. The wind suddenly picked up, fluffing out Dreampaw's pelt. "Cold wind, though." She huffed, huddeling closer to Sparrowpaw for warmpth. The sun had started to move; it was sunhigh now. "Lets go hunting, Sparrowpaw." Meowed Dreampaw, looking at the scrawny pile of prey before her paws.[/size]

[*~[R]ose-[B]rennan~*]

Emberstar smiled at the two apprentices, getting up and shaking her fur. "Well,I think I'd better try and hunt myself" she said sadly, looking at the few pieces of prey on the pile...and they were all piteously thin. She gave a little sigh, her amber opals dimming slightly as she began to padd away, looking back once at the two apprentices huddled together so their pelts mingled like one tawny piece of fur.

[>>Sparrow<<]

Sparrow-

Sparrowpaw's heart leapt. "Huh...what?" he mewed, totally ignorant. Her scent was intoxicating...very distracting. "Oh yeah...hunting..." he looked at his chest and felt a wave of embrassament. Then he turned to her, hiding it, hopefully before she noticed. "Sure!" I'll do anything you want to... he added silently. He was embarassed, both because of the hunt and the idiotic way he was reacting. Why wouldn't his stupid heart calm down. It was clearly racing and he hoped thye couldn't hear it.

[>>[S]ilver]

Dreampaw laughed. She quickly got up, and in one blurr she lept out of sight and into the bracken, tail tip the last sight of her. "Bie Emberstar!" She called over her shoulder as she sprinted to her favroite hunting place, the Tall Grasses.

[<<F:ern:S:torm>>]

Fernstorm.

Through the small entrance to the camp moved the large, thin figure of the deputy, her silver-tipped fur glittering in the sunlight as she moved, two rabbit's hanging from her jaws which she dropped onto the fresh kill pile, trying to resist the urge to eat them for herself.

She gave a sigh and looked up, her light blue eyes glittering as she spotted Sparrowpaw alone in the center of the camp. 'Hello Sparrowpaw,' she purred warmly, brushing her tail against the tom's shoulder. 'When the patrols get back, maybe you can show me your fighting moves,' she meowed, knowing that with little prey, they would still need to train the apprentices.

[>>Sparrow<<]

Sparrow-

The tom was grinning after Dreampaw. Then he turned to Ferncloud and dipped his head polietly. "I would love to...after I get back from hunting...we need prey..." He glanced at the pityful pile of prey. Then in a flash he was on his paws. Two reasons to hunt. First of all they needed prey...second of all...and to him the most important reason...he felt lighthead as he began to walk after her. He assumed this is what it owuld feel like to walk on air.

He quickly speed up, trying to catch up with her, once he did he grinned in a michevious, almost show-offy way. "Race you?" his voice was a purr, but in a way, he was still challenging her. He waited, all thoughts of battle pratice with Ferncloud forgotten, at least for the time being.

[/left]

[>>[S]ilver]

"Duh!!" Dreampaw let out a yowl of joy and ran far ahead of Sparrowpaw, paws crashing through the forest. As she ran, she was no more than a stream of laughing cat.

[*~[R]ose-[B]rennan~*]

A flurry of dark brown tabby fur burst from the nursery "Wait for me!" he yowled, then, seeing their figures dissapear into the distance he slumped to the floor, dissapointed. Dockit gave a little sigh, he was bored...and lonley. He trotted over to the deputy, "Hi!" he mewed, then slowly and with care "Could I go with them?"

OOC: Poor Dockit