Leopard and the Wolf

[Raccoonstar]

LEOPARDKIT

It was the night after the Gathering. Very late at night, (or was it early in the morning?) Leopardkit awoke from her dreamless sleep, or really, the nightmare she had gotten so used to that she ignored it and it became dreamless, and walked out of the nursery. She padded up to a spot in IvyClan where she could see the stars. She looked at her ancestors, mapping them out in the stars. How many of them were SnakeClan? How many IvyClan? She was a mix between the two. A freak. She heard the distant howls of a wolf's lament, and she turned in its general direction. You are not alone, wolf. she thought, pitying herself more than the canine, You are never alone. You have your pack, and friends. I have a half-sister who can't be around other cats. I'm more alone than you. Or maybe you don't have any friends. Is that why you howl so? In response, the howl cut off, then resumed a moment later, a bit louder. Leopardkit's thoughts turned into an almost silent whisper. "I see," Leopardkit whispered to the howling wolf, "You're just as alone as I am, aren't you? Oh, if only we could be friends. But alas, you are a wolf, and I a mere kitten. We could never be friends, but we could sit here and you could howl, and I could talk. Would you like that?" Another cut-off, another howl, but much closer. Leopardkit could hear the wolf's howl more clearly now, it sounded more juvenile, younger. Leopardkit took no notice of the closeness of the canine. "Are you a young one, like me? We could be great friends, if only for a minute or two. Tell me, what is it like being a wolf? Is it fun? Are we so different from each other?" A long cut-off made Leopardkit think that maybe her canine 'friend' had left. But it resumed, very close, and very young-sounding. "Oh no, you are going to come here and kill me. Well, do it then. Stop with the suspense." Leopardkit was feeling darker, more depressed. She padded farther into IvyClan hunting grounds, toward the sound. She sat and patiently waited for a wolf to appear and do whatever. "Hello? Are you gonna come here and get me, or are you going to keep me in suspense, young pup? Well, come on, do whatever. Kill me, be my friend, just do it already." The howl cut off and did not resume. Leopardkit was just about to talk again when she ventured a bit closer to the noise previously heard, and saw the pup in a clearing. She approached it very carefully, hoping it wouldn't escape her. The pup looked ragged, shaken. Leopardkit's dismal thoughts turned to caring ones. "It's okay, it's okay," she said quietly and warmly. The pup saw her caring tone, or something like that, and sat cautiously. Leopardkit approached, moving just a bit closer. The pup put its paw out, it had a thorn in it. "Let me get that for you." Leopardkit approached the pup, and put her teeth gently around the thorn. She glanced around for a puddle, a cool bit of water, and found one nearby. Good. She didn't think the pup would like it if she licked it. She carefully pulled the thorn out, noticing the pup's wince. She put the paw into the cold water, and the pup relaxed as the blood entered the water, then cleared. The pup barked softly, as if thanking her, then took his paw out of the water, gingerly placing it down. The pup put weight on the paw, and thanked Leopardkit with a soft bark for the lack of wincing. The pup licked Leopardkit's face playfully, then hunched down as if in a makeshift hunting crouch. The tail was wagging furiously, and his tongue was lolling out and panting. He wanted to play. Leopardkit leaped playfully onto the wolf pup, and they play wrestled together for a long time, silently laughing the whole time. After about an hour of inter-species play, a longing feminine wolf howl rang through the air. The pup said he was thankful to Leopardkit for the play and the thorn removal with a quiet, thankful, bark, and ran toward the sound, bounding and leaping how only a wolf could. "Bye! Thanks for the friendship and the fun!" Leopardkit whispered joyously, but she had a feeling they'd meet again. And the friendship would live forever. But she couldn't tell anyone about her friendship. They wouldn't understand. Only she could know about her friendship with a wolf!


OOC: EDIT: ONE CAT can see her, and reply below. And then we'll have a nice thread going. ;D

[.M.i.d.n.i.g.h.t.i.e.]

Frostkit

[/b]

Frostkit couldn't speak. She was too horrified to what she had witnessed. Was Leopardkit fox-raving mad?! First, the insane kit had woken her up this morning, playing with that mangy pup. Then, she spoke to the thing, as if it were a friend to the Clan!

"Leopardkit!" Frostkit finally found her voice. "Wha-I-why?!" she sputtered. "That thing could've hurt me, or any other cat! what were you thinking?!" Frostkit started to regain her bossy, irritating composure. "Oh, that's right, you must not have been thinking. Are you well today, Leopardkit? Perhaps you've caught a fever? Maybe rabies?"

Her ice blue eyes narrowed, scenting the rank of the pup. The noisome stench mingled with Leopardkit's. Frostkit sighed, and meowed, "Well, I hope you're happy! You stink of wolf now."

[Raccoonstar]

LEOPARDKIT

Leopardkit sighed. She'd really miss the pup. He had been fun to play with. She was about to pad back into the nursery when she scented someone on the breeze. The cat spoke, a scolding tone in her voice. Frostkit. She whipped around to Frostkit's scolding. Why she did it? That was an easy question. "Why I did it?" Leopardkit echoed, "I did it because I am alone. I have a sister who sticks to me like honey and causes others to be repelled form me. I needed someone to have fun with. Actual, honest to StarClan, fun. And they sent me a friend. A true friend. Someone who would play with me, and have fun with me. Something my parents couldn't do. Something Eclipsekit prevents. Something no one else has dared to do. And why should I care if I reek of wolf? That's the smell of friendship, Frostkit." Leopardkit glared at Frostkit, turning the tables, making her seem like the enemy. She didn't think about the consequences of a cat seeing her until a few moments later. If Frostkit ever tells anyone, she is dead! she thought, not thinking of a good threat besides the cliche 'death threat.' It would have to do, the glare, the unspoken words, the spoken words. Did Frostkit get the message? Leopardkit didn't know. She had better have gotten the message. She rephrased her last thought. No one else could know about her friendship with a wolf!

[.M.i.d.n.i.g.h.t.i.e.]

Frostkit

[/b]

Frostkit squared her shoulders, her eyes like blue ice chips meeting Leopardkit's gaze. That kit dared to try to make her look like the bad person? She had another thing coming, that was for sure.

"You actually think StarClan sent that beast?!" Frostkit hissed. She was going to say more, but it dawned on her: Leopardkit was right about being alone. She didn't really play with her and her siblings. Frostkit thought it was because she was antisocial, Frostkit realized the truth. She shook her head. "A gift from StarClan or not, that pup is still a threat to the Clan. What if the mother came to camp? Many warriors would be injured. And who knows, what if that pup got hungry? Do you think its animal instinct will be stronger than its friendship?"

Frostkit had calmed down a little from her initial shock. She was still wary of Leopardkit. After all, Leopardkit probably expected her to keep quiet, and it was hard to look for a reason to not expose the kit.

[Raccoonstar]

LEOPARDKIT

Mousedung! This she-cat had too much pride in herself to back down. Was the pup a sign from StarClan? Probably not, but it was a nice fun thing for a kit to do. Inter-species play. Huh. StarClan would probably scorn it, even hate it openly, but who cared? It was fun! "If the pup wanted to kill me, he would have done that instead of play-fighting with me and pulling out a thorn from his paw, wouldn't he? And why would his mother want to kill me if I helped the pup get a thorn out of his paw, and played with him? Why would she actually take the time to come all the way here just to kill a random kit? Why would anyone do that?" Leopardkit asked challengingly. This kit probably would tell someone, and then her life would end. She decided to guilt-trip Frostkit in an attempt to save her life. "But I guess it was all for nothing, wasn't it? You're going to tell Silentstar or Owlfeather and then my life will be officially over. Well, do it then, if you're so proud to end my life before my apprenticeship. Go on. If you're so high and mighty. Do it, Frostkit. Do it." Leopardkit finished, hoping to inspire guilt and save her reputation. She couldn't lose everything before she had anything. Was it worth it? Leopardkit thought, Was any of it worth it? Yes. Friendship is more important than anything. But still. My life may be over before it even starts. And that, as some say, would suck.

[.M.i.d.n.i.g.h.t.i.e.]

Frostkit

[/b]

Frostkit's eyes narrowed, and she hissed back, "Fine! I will, how about that!" she turned around stiffly, and started to march straight towards Silentstar's den. The ignorant cat had basically dared her to tell. She met the challenge wholeheartedly.

As she padded up to the leader's den, she started to think up what she would say. How would she start?

"Silentstar, there is a traitor among us!" Frostkit thought to herself. "This kit, Leopardkit, was playing with a wolf pup!" She imagined the horror upon her leader's face. "Yes! A WOLF pup! Fangs, claws, and all!" She was too lost in her pretend daydream, she didn't notice what Leopardkit was doing. Not that she really cared, what would the kit do to her anyways? Frostkit had convinced herself that nothing would happen, and she padded forward with this belief.

[Raccoonstar]

LEOPARDKIT

Leopardkit glared at Frostkit. She was really going to do it. She was really going to ruin a kit's life before her life mattered. Leopardkit could think of nothing else to do. She leapt onto Frostkit, claws sheathed. It would stop her in her tracks, but wouldn't cause any actual damage. "You cannot tell Silentstar!" Leopardkit yelled, secretly wondering why nobody had heard them, then shrugging it off because she didn't care. But Leopardkit had to do this. Frostkit couldn't tell Silentstar. It would ruin her forever. Before there was anything to ruin. She held Frostkit down with all of her strength, but it wasn't a permanent solution. Frostkit would get up, and tell Silentstar about everything, and then Leopardkit would have to run away. Maybe she'd meet the wolf pup and they'd live together. What a mousebrained cat she was. All this for a 'friendship' with a wolf. StarClan save her soul.

[.M.i.d.n.i.g.h.t.i.e.]

Frostkit

[/b]

The white she-kit had readied herself for a scorchign reply, but she held her tongue, struck with an idea. She squirmed out of Leopardkit's grip, and meowed slowly,

"You don't want me to tell? Fine." She saw relief light up in the she-kit's eyes. "However," she continued. "I want something in return." She smiled slowly, and meowed, "In order to keep my mouth shut, you'll need to do what I say for two moons. That means you take the blame, if needed, you fetch my breakfast, help me groom, every small chore we kits are forced to do in the nursery." Frostkit sat down slowly, and meowed, "I think that's reasonable enough. You get to keep your weird friendship with that thing, and only for a couple of chores for two moons." She stopped for a moment to inspect a blade of grass with a beetle on it. "She looked back up, her eyes frost cold. "So, we have a deal?"

[Raccoonstar]

LEOPARDKIT

This she-kit was cold. Of course she'd want something in return. Leopardkit looked forlornly in the direction of the wolf pup as another howl rang out, and turned back to Frostkit. All this work...but I'll get to stay in IvyClan. she thought to herself, running the facts through her head. I'll have to do it. Leopardkit stared intensly back into Frostkit's eyes, showing no sign of a yes or no. Her tongue, which seemed to have been frozen off and swallowed, answered for her. "I am weighing my options," Leopardkit meowed slyly, to add suspense and play for her own side, "And you got a deal, she-kit. Two moons of me being your slave. But on one condition. If I dig up any dirt on you, I won't tell, but when the two moons is up, I have the full ability to say whatever my 'tainted' heart desires. Think you can deal with that, Frostkit? If you can, you got yourself a slave. Until the full moon starts to set after the sixth Gathering." Leopardkit looked at the full moon, it was setting and had just passed its peak on the sky above. Two whole moons...could Leopardkit deal with that? Yes. IvyClan was her home. Not FrostClan, not CloudClan, and definately not SnakeClan. Her home wasn't with a wolf puppy, no matter how much she wanted it to be. No. Her home was here, and was going to stay that way. But it would go one through her apprenticeship, and that would be awkward...but it would have to work. An apprentice, slave to a kit. What messes the young get into!

[.M.i.d.n.i.g.h.t.i.e.]

Frostkti

[/b]

Frostkit narrowed her ice blue eyes, and hissed back,"That's just fine. There's nothing to find out about me anyways. Unlike you." She sat up, and narrowed her eyes. "Might was well get started. Go fetch me some moss to play with, make it into a nice ball. I plan to play with my littermates when they wake up."

This will be an easy next two moons! Frostkit thought to herself. she deluded herself with these happy thoughts, walking back to the nursery, to grab some extra shut eye. After all, she'd need energy for the day. This would be interesting.

{{ooc: sorry, it's short >.< my inspiration's in animation atm~}}

[Raccoonstar]

LEOPARDKIT

Ah, the first task. So simple, and yet... Leopardkit thought. She nodded obediently and padded off to fetch some moss. She found some soaking in a puddle a few fox-lengths away. She rolled it into a ball, smoothing the edges to a perfect sphere. She followed Frostkit to the nursery, nodding as she padded in to get some sleep. Leopardkit placed the moss ball near Frostkit's sleeping form, and padded off to her own corner. This would be a fun two moons. Leopardkit took one last look at the moon, smiling pityingly as another howl rang out. Bye, wolf pup. I paid quite a bit to keep you as a friend. Sure hope it was worth it... Leopardkit thought before succumbing to a dreamless sleep. A fun two moons indeed...

OOC: Also has no muse. Sorry, people reading this!