[Shiver]

Flickers of silver in the shallow water, darting here and there, made it obvious that fish were around. But how could one be expected to catch something that moved so fast? The answer, of course was patiece. Good things come to those who wait. And wait the dark-furred cat did, sitting as still as a statue, eyes fixed on the water before him. Not one muscle twitched even the slightest bit. Not an eye blinked, not a tail flicked. He could easily have been missed, even though his fur did stand out a little. The cool air did not chill him and he was deaf to the noises of the world around him, because there was none. The only thing that existed was him, the hunter, the water, and the fish, the prey. It was all he could see, and all he could think about. That was how concentrated he was on his hunting. He did not possess the natural skill for fishing which most RiverClan cats did, and so he had to work twice as hard as any of them, maybe even more, when all the prey he could find was the scaly little monsters that swam all around him.

Suddenly, he moved. So fast that he was merely a blur, he dove at the reeds. When he became clearly visible again, a large fish was with him, apparently dead. Now he turned away from the water, not willing to spend that much time on catching another. Taking a few steps away from his prize, he tilted his head to one side, carefully trying to catch the noises of prey somewhere nearby. However, his attempt was in vain, and all he could hear was the wind. It seemed unusual to him that the territory would be so void of prey today. Greenleaf had just ended, so they couldn't have started hibernating yet. With an irritated flick of his whiskers he turned bak to his fish and lay down beside it, grooming himself before returning back to camp. The dirt gave way to his tongue easily, and soon he was clean. But he still didn't want to go back to camp, really. Taking a quick drink from the river, he got up and stretched, stalling. Surely he wouldn't be missed if he stayed out a little longer.

Enjoying the solitude, he stared off into the distance. The breeze ruffled his fur, and although he was used to the cold and had been through much worse, he shivered a little. He had heard tales of far off places where there were other forests, forests where it was much, much warmer. But Shiverfoot knew he could never be happy there. The cold, although he hadn't known it when he was young and found himself wishing for a warmer climate constantly, was part of his life, and a part he enjoyed. A sudden blast of cold air stung his eyes and made him blink, so he turned his back to the wind. He liked the cold, but he could without the wind, he thought to himself with a smile. Lying down again around the result of his hunting, he knew he should get back to camp soon. But not just yet. Not just yet.

[Ivy]

How can you see into my eyes like open doors
Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb
Without a soul,
My spirit sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there and lead it back home

Cascades of wonderfully hued light bathed the barren terrain of the RiverClan territory, dancing carelessly upon the waters edge joyfully. The sounds of the sparrows fluttering about in the treetops could be heard distantly throughout the forest, twittering and squawking in a high pitched fashion. The blue skies were as cloud-free as ever in the cool, crisp climate of late Greenleaf, the strong breeze that carried the white bundles of water all too common for this time of year in the land of the clan cats. Gusts of shallow air currents shifted and swerved rhythmically, causing the nearby reeds of the river to melt together, creating a gentle harmony that echoed throughout the area. A common condition for life near the river, as any cat would tell you. For many it was all old news. But there was one feline in particular that however, knew otherwise. The knowledge of recognition over-powering her young senses.

Delicate ebony paws slid gracefully across the soil, the small pads of her feet dispersing tiny indents in the ground below her. Silently and swiftly, the lithe form of the dark creature trotted through the foliage of the small forest, weaving skillfully around the giant oaks that littered the area. The small journey was drawing near to a close as the tributaries began to grow more and more sparse, giving way to a clear view of the reed bed. Staggering ever so slightly as the figured changed direction, her slim bodice slipped out of the wood, illuminated with the sudden sunlight of mid-day. Long slippery hairs coated the she-cat’s body, their dark, midnight hues shining an inky blue color as the sun made its appearance. Crystal pools of amber gleamed like fire as they servayed the perimeter of the numerous reed beds, drawn into a concentrated frown as they swayed back and forth. A sudden smile found its place on the young Medicine cat’s muzzle as her gaze came in contact with a small patch of herbs, apparently her reason for traveling to the river at this unusual time of day. Stealing one final glance over her ebon shoulder, the female continued downward in the direction of the river, a slight limp was evident as the she began her decent.

Shifting her firm gaze to the river bed, the young she-cat sighed lightly, her memories of this spot taking her back to the days of apprentice hood, back to the days when nothing mattered- those were the days when she hadn’t a care in the world. Dwelling on the past was nothing that Bleedingflower did often, she was always taught to move on, look to the future and never look back… If only it was as simple as it sounded. Abruptly snapping out of her concentrated trance, the black feline gazed about at her current surroundings, soon discovering that she was now standing at the foot of the large river. Shaking her head limply, Bleedingflower turned her attention to the small grouping of magenta colored plants that sat before her, waving up and down whimsily in the soft breeze that swept past momentarily. Stepping up to the solitary grouping of Water Mint, a brief shuffling sound was caught in the wind and drifted to the place where Bleedingflower now stood. At first, the young she-cat paid no mind to the occurrence, shrugging it off with a simple flick of her tail. It was only the wind after all. As the small patch of water mint was quickly transformed into a compact purple bundle, the lithe feline parted her jaws to make room for the herb, leaning in a downward direction as she attempted to pick it up. Swiveling her narrow crania to the side, a small gasp escaped her lips. A face that she knew all to well had suddenly appeared in her line of sight.

“Ah, Shiverfoot. I should have known.”

The quiet reply of the she-cat was short and firm, but the tiny trace of a smirk was evident on her dark features. Giving her left lobe a light shake, the medicine cat leaned back on her haunches and curled her long tassel around her now seated body. Glancing back at the dark warrior, the female continued.

“So, what brings you out here?”

Now that I know what I'm without
You can't just leave me
Breathe into me and make me real
Bring me to life

[Shiver]

<sup>With a sigh Shiverfoot had stood again after lying there for a while. He didn't like to be idle, so he had returned to the edge reed beds once more, and resumed his silent and still position. Once more he stared with a look of utmost concentration, and was blind and death to the world around him. He waited for a long time before striking, and doing so in a violent and fast way. But this time he did not come back with a fish. Muttering curses under his breath, he knew he would have to wait before the fish returned. Again, he did just as he had the last two times, but this time he seemed even more determined, fueled by his failure. Long he waited without moving, but this time his patience was not in vain. He pounced at the fish, and his claws dug into the fish's grey flesh. Quite satisfied, Shiver dropped the second fish proudly onto his very small pile, then stared at it for a few moments. He could hear another cat approaching, the wind bringing him the scent of a RiverClan cat, although he couldn't quite discern who exactly it was, their scent mingling with the many others of the river. However, he did not turn. He waited; if they did not attempt to engage him in conversation he would go back to fishing. No matter how much he disliked it, it was his duty to the clan. He stared at the fish patiently, although he was uncertain of how he would determine that they weren't going to take to him. Would he wait until they left? That would make him look idle and unsociable, and since so many cats of the clan already thought him unsociable, he wouldn't want their suspicions to be proven. The cat did not seem to notice him at first. They were probably going about their own business, doing their own thing. Which was fine with him. He stood to return to his work, and that was when the cat seemed to notice him, and adressed him.

“Ah, Shiverfoot. I should have known.”

A small smile occupied his lips for a few moments, and he did not respond immediately. He had quickly identified the voice; Bleedingflower, the clan's medicine cat. She was a nice cat, as medicine cats usually are. Although, Shiverfoot would never speak ill of any of his clan mates. On this thought, he answered her, his voice friendly, and he spoke with sort of amused edge to his voice.
"Should you have? And why would that be?" He wasn't sure how should would respond to that, but then again that was usually why people asked questions. Among the other tones of his voice, there was curiousity. He thought it a strange thing to say, as it could have been any of the clan cats. It was not uncommon to fish here, as he recalled. How was she to know exactly which of them it was? Did she assume that she was supposed to know everything because she was medicine cat? That question was not meant at all in an offensive way, although it could have been taken the wrong way had he asked it out loud. He sat again, as she had. This was a sign that she did not mean to depart soon, which was fine with him. An excuse to stay out longer, and he wouldn't be pressuring himself in his mind to fish, or do some other thing which he considered unpleasant. His thoughts were interrupted by her second question.

“So, what brings you out here?”

"Isn't it obvious?" He asked, glancing at the two fish beside him. He gave her a smile, to show that although his voice sounded a little harsh he did not mean it. "I was fishing, although my success was not particularly great." It was obvious that he didn't really care much, from the tone of his voice. "What brings you here?" He asked. Chances were she was gathering herbs, as she was medicine cat and that's what medicine cats generally seemed to do. But he felt that he should return the question, in order to keep the conversation alive. Besides, how could he know if she hadn't found some rare herb that could cure some sort of terrible disease, like greencough. Or was whitecough the more serious one? Shiverfoot had never really been able to remember, partly because he didn't think the name was so important, only that someone was terribly sick. His main concern was usually whether the cat was going to get better or not.</sup>

[Ivy]

By this time, the bright and undisterberbed rays of the sun now danced freely across the water’s surface, disappearing and reappearing as small waves rolled passed. The bitter wind that had once occupied the area not five minutes ago was at a stand still, lulling the reed beds into a soft and undisputed silence. Silence. It was not common to come upon nowadays. The hustling and bustling of clan life seemed to be forever ongoing, tilting, turning and twisting in the most unexpected ways, leaving no room for silence. Although, however often it may go unnoticed by someone, there will always be a selected few that can clearly come to fully appreciate the calm, comfortable echo of peace that silence always tends to carry with it… A feeling not too dissimilar from the one a certain she-cat was receiving now…
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Tossing a quiet glance at the tom before her, the ebony female could detect a calm, yet friendly aura radiating from his being, one that she wasn’t quite familiar with in relation to this feline. Of course, she had no doubt that Shiverfoot could be friendly and kind at times, but she often felt that his connection between himself and the other cats in their clan was somewhat weakened, as if something was interrupting this vital relationship… But the gentle, caring smile that formed on his dark lips moments after her comment caused her to question what she truly thought of this silent creature. Shifting her lithe frame forward slightly, Bleedingflower smiled at his reply.

‘Should you have? And why would that be?’

A rather amused and unexpected reply to her greeting, one that resulted in a small chuckle from the she-cat. She was certain that the warrior had not meant for his statement to be anything related to a challenge or an insult, and the fleeting sparkle in his usually emotionless eyes revealed that the sentence was only meant in a good natured way. It was a small smile, but a sure one. Gracefully draping her thick tail closer to her midnight body, the feline’s gaze returned to the tom, as serious yet playful look pooled together in her dark orbs. Dipping her head sagely, she replied, sarcasm mixed with the right amount of amusement playing at her words.

“Of course, I know everything.”

Without taking her eyes off of the young warrior, Bleedingflower turned silently and began to resume her task of gathering herbs, a duty that had been long forgotten as Shiverfoot had made his appearance. A large, silver scaled creature suddenly caught her eye as the sun overcame the over hang of a nearby cloud, its limp and lifeless figure lying at Shiverfoot’s side, it’s twin situated not too far off. It would take a fool not to realize that this had been Shiver’s catch for the day, and by the looks of it, he had gotten lucky. Surprisingly, the population of fish that had once consumed this river seemed to have decreased rapidly since the last Newleaf, demanding more effort in the hunting department from the warriors and apprentices of the clan. Although in the recent moons the fish have been slowly returning, the bitter winds and harsh temperatures of leafbare were just around the corner, reducing the amount of fresh kill to a bare minimum until next spring. Turning her back to the brown warrior as she continued to work, Bleedingflower regarded his next question by twisting her right ear in his direction, signaling that she had heard him.

‘Isn’t it obvious?’

Because his statement did not specify anything in particular, Bleedingflower looked back to the tom to see what he was indicating. His gaze had left her and was currently aiming down at the duo of fish beside him, a clear indication of his previous actions.

“Ah. Fishing. Looks like you have quite a catch there.”

A brisk smile spread across her black lips as she nodded to him, almost as if she was approving of him work. She had little time to question him about his hunt before he proceeded to inquire further, his steady and clam gaze had returned to her by this time. Blinking twice as she acknowledged the tom, Bleedingflower bobbed her crania in the direction of the small Water Mint bush, which by now had been cleaned of nearly all its contence.

“Oh, we’re running short on water Mint, so I thought I’d come down and restock. Those apprentices don’t know when to stop eating,” She nodded her crown disapprovingly as she thought back to that very morning when three young warriors-in-training had arrived at the entrance to her den, all of them mumbling something about some belly ach or another. Narrowing her amber pools as she looked at the young tom, she continued,

“Come to think of it, when was the last time you had and apprentice, Shiverfoot?”

(Ack… Sucky. Post….)

[Shiver]

<sup>“Of course, I know everything.”

A simple but amused flick of his tail was Shiverfoot's reply to her's. The sarcasm and playfulness was evident in her voice, and although there could be much to be said on the matter, he decided he should let it go. He had a habit of taking things too far, and had come here for peace, not to argue with one of his clanmates, especially not his medicine cat. On that thought he noticed that the wind had stopped blowing, and that it had warmed up considerately because of it. His ear flicked in the direction of a faint rustling noise which told that some small rodent or other had crawled out of it's hole. Deciding that it could wait until he was finished his conversation, however, he didn't go after it. Thinking back to his days as an apprentice, he recognized the noise to be a mouse, his mentor's voice clear in his head. With a pang of shame, with a sort of sad amusement on the side, he remembered that shortly after he had been taught how to identify a mouse, he was asked to demonstrate how to hunt it, one of the first things he had been taught. It was painful to remember how badly he had screwed it up- he over-judged the distance and leapt right over his intended prey and landed in a thorn bush. Shiverfoot shook his head. That was long ago. There was no need to re-live it in his mind. With a flick of his ear and turned back to Bleedingflower, who had also turned away, but in her case to gather more herbs instead of think of the past, and things that were completely unimportant at present. Unless she was doing that while she gathered.

“Ah. Fishing. Looks like you have quite a catch there.”

He nodded gratefully at the compliment on his work. He hadn't thought that he had done very well. He had watched other cats fish, and finish with as much as five fish at times. But he did not object to her compliments. She seemed just about to inquire further when he spoke again, but she did not seem to mind. He followed her gaze to the former patch of water mint, which was now reasonably thoroughly plowed. So she hadn't been finding a cure to disease or something, but curing a stomach ache could be just as important. It was relief in both cases, and relief was a good thing. He smiled a little at her complaint about the apprentices' eating habits. It was true, he had seen them picking fresh-kill that was clearly far too large for them, and then not finishing it. It was a waste, and it was selfish. Prey was getting more and more scarce each day, it seemed. Every time a species came back another one would go away, which would be satisfactory if all the species were equally easy to hunt. If Shiverfoot had had an apprentice, that thing should quickly have been discouraged. But he had none, and he felt that it was none of his business to give advice to the mentors. They would simply be offended. And then if he talked to the apprentices, the mentors would be even more angry. As he was thinking, Bleedingflower asked him about exactly what he had been asking himself, as though she had read his mind. He looked up, ready with a reply.

“Come to think of it, when was the last time you had and apprentice, Shiverfoot?”


"Far too long, I think. It has been at least six moons. My last was Nailpaw, and he is now almost thirteen moons now." He said it thoughtfully. It had been a while since he had even thought about being a mentor. He had had two apprentices in his lifetime, both of them skilled and attentive. They had made good warriors. It was hard to believe that they had been the silly, uneducated little kits that had been put into his care. A sort of fondness filled him. He couldn't help but be proud that he had taught them most of what they knew, especially of fighting and being actual warriors. He smiled a little, at the thought of them, and then realised that he had called him 'Nailpaw', instead of his true name, Nailfoot. It almost made him laugh, but he managed to emain composed, although the memory of Nailpaw, the serious little kit who had been so eager to learn from him had become the calm, but still serious warrior that he was today. Deciding to think no more of his young apprentice, as it had very little do with anything that he was doing now, he waited for Bleedingflower to say something. It seemed to be her turn, since he had spoken last.</sup>

[Ivy]

Watching me
Wanting me
I can feel you pull me down
Fearing you
loving you
I know why i find you so fine

Large, almond carved eyes stilled, half-lidded as a black, finely haired paw ran itself across the surface of the reed ridden soil. The countless arrays of cattails and water reeds that littered the river bed had curved over upon themselves, resulting in the uneven appearance that it now held. A thoughtful look passed by the young medicine cat’s features as she recalled the days of her early apprentice hood. All the way back to the very first day of her warrior training…

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Golden rays of delicate sunshine came down upon the land of the river bed in deep pools of light, highlighting each and every detail of the vast plot of land, leaving nothing unlit. A giant, silver and white tom had just appeared at the submit of the small rise that stood a short distance from the river, Two smaller creatures soon appearing at his side. Each of the small bundles of fur held a look of pure fascination upon their faces.

“Wow! Look at this place Bleedingpaw! It’s so big!” Came an exciting and energetic meow from one of the small cats, a brilliant smile finding its way onto his dashing features. Turning his Hazel gaze to the she-apprentice next to him, he continued. “I bet we could hunt loads of stuff here!”
The midnight hued female beside him nipped playfully at his torn ear, a challenging smirk accompanying her action. “Yeah, but I bet I can catch way more than you could any day.” Receiving a doubtful look from her companion, Bleedingpaw snickered, turning to the warrior on her right for support. “Isn’t that right, Drizzlestep?”
The large cat that had been silence up to this point shook his head slowly, a small grin forming on his ivory lips. “I’m not getting involved in this argument, you two. You’ll have to figure out for your selves which one of you is the better hunter.” Without waiting for a response from the apprentices, Drizzlestep continued, “Come on now, I have a tour to give.”

Glancing at the apprentices with a barely noticeable smirk, the tom cat took off into the reeds, shouting over his shoulder at the young felines behind him, “You guys better hurry up if you want to get a good look at the river, you may want to get there before me if you want to get the best view!” The reply was playful and teasing, a loud laugh escaping his jaws as his sentence closed.
Bleedingpaw, being the one more accustomed to his childish actions turned hurriedly to the cat at her side, nudging him as she spoke, “I’ll race ya to the water, Desertpaw.” Digging her finely rounded claws into the fertile dirt, she grinned at his challenging reply…

“You’re on.”

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A light, airy chuckle escaped her mouth as Bleedingflower recalled the memory of her first day as an apprentice, remember in exact detail the happenings that occurred. The race that had taken place that day was eventually tied(After much debating) and the tour of the clan borders had pressed on. Looking back on the incident now, it as quite hard to believe that it could have all turned downhill... Snapping out of her daze-like trance, the medicine cat returned her attention to the warrior, who by this time had begun to reply. Her firm gaze had remained on Shiverfoot as he began to speak; the ghost of a smile that settled his lips was a clear indication that the awkwardness from the beginning of the conversation had now cleared out completely.

'Far too long, I think. It has been at least six moons. My last was Nailpaw, and he is now almost thirteen moons now.'

The female nodded at his comment, silently agreeing to what the tom had just said. It did seem such a short while ago that Nailpaw had graduated into the warrior rank. His cool and calm attitude had always been something she admired about him when he came into visit her; always wise and intelligent about everything he said and did. Come to think of it, his personality reminded her of one another cat that she knew…
Shifting her gaze back to the dazzling surface of the river, a gentle chuckle was barely audible over the twittering of the forest birds that flew overhead. “They seem to grow up so fast, don’t they? I can’t believe haw much Shatteredpaw has improved over the short period of time that she has been my apprentice…” A brisk, yet thoughtful look came upon her ebony features, a moment of silence taking hold between the two Riverclan cats. Taking a short look at the calm feline beside her, Bleedingflower continued,

“She will make a fine medicine cat one day.”

Long lost words whisper slowly
to me
Still can't find what keeps me here
When all this time I've been so hollow
inside

(No muse today, so I think I’ll jazz it up with one of my groovy Flashbacks. XP)

[Shiver]

<sup>It was clear that both cats were remembering bits of the past, the happy memories, the bad memories. When you looked back at things you had done, you constantly felt that small nagging feeling that you could have done things better. There's always regret, because you know you could have done something much efficiently, if you had only done it differently. But you could never do anything about it. That was why Shiver dwelled on his past as little as he could. Often one forgets that when they were young they couldn't have even been able to do what they regretted not doing anyway, even if they thought of it. Memories, over time, became warped and mingled, and often when repeated either mentally or orally, the facts were very much different than the ones that had been remembered the day after the incident happened. This is not helped by the exaggerations which everyone always seems eager to add on, to impress others, or to hide the truth. In Shiverfoot's opinion, they weren't exaggerations, they were lies, fabricated either to avoid the truth or to attract the attention or admiration of another cat. They were elaborate thoughts, but seeing as his companion was wrapped in her own thoughts he had nothing better to speculate on, so he simply continued to think about things related to that subject waiting patiently until his partner in conversation to conclude her musings, and speak to him again. He had a look of quiet content on his face, liking the company, the silence and the refreshingly cool weather all at once. There was nothing to complain about, he was perfectly happy. When Bleedingflower spoke he raised his head from where he had been staring (the ground) and listened to her with a mix of patience and interest which made him the perfect cat to talk to.

“They seem to grow up so fast, don’t they? I can’t believe haw much Shatteredpaw has improved over the short period of time that she has been my apprentice…”

"Yes, they do grow up fast. Before you know it they've learned almost everything you know, and almost immediately after that they get the experience for that information to be useful." His eyes glowed fondly as he talked, with a smile on his face. He then replied to the other part, about her apprentice. "I've seen Shatteredpaw working with you sometimes. She has indeed improved greatly." He studied her face, watching the look of thoughtfulness come over it, and wondered what it was she was pondering. But he knew that he would never guess; if there was one thing that a cat could not be forced to share, it was their thoughts. Shiver had learned long ago to be satisfied with what he knew, and respect peoples' privacy by not prying into their business and trying to force them to talk. But soon enough he was rewarded for his waiting, like he had been with the fish, and guessed by what she said what she was thinking. He laughed a little at what she said, quickly knowing what he would say in reply. It was not often that Shiverfoot had an opportunity for a good conversation, and when he found them he didn't waste them. He made small jokes, tried o keep the topic interesting, and was not afraid to express his opinion, unless he was in danger of hurting someone.

“She will make a fine medicine cat one day.”

"Of that I have no doubt, but she'll have to wait until you're finished to become the official one of the clan. And I think that it'll will be many, many moons yet before you... 'kick the bucket'." Upon saying that he laughed again, knowing that Bleedingflower would probably retire from being medicine cat, not die while she was still young enough to be it. It would be interesting to hear her response, because he was quite sure that not many cats would say something like that. He wondered vaguely if she might even be surprised. Then again, the medicine cat seemed to know him quite well; she did not show any hesitation in conversing with him the way she did. It was good to know that at least someone didn't keep looking at him funny when he spoke to them. All because he didn't talk much. Did that make him a bad cat? Did that mean that he ate kittens? No. In fact, nobody, from what he had seen, was hesitant about him being with kittens. They were the one thing that could make his composure fall away, and before he knew it he was playing with them as if he was a kit too. The cats evidently recognized it, and he had once or twice looked up from his play to see some of the queens, or other warriors smiling, laughing, and shaking their heads in amusement. At the point, he would stand up in a most dignified way, shake the dirt loose from his fur, say goodbye to the little ones and walk off to clen himself off, trying hard not to let his embarassment show. The worst part was when the kits followed him, and tried to convince him to play again. He hated refusing them, but he always stayed consistent in his answer. Not that that stopped them from crawling all over him.

[ooc: Blegh, bad case of writer's block. Sorry! x_x</sup>

[Ivy]

W00t! Table time! =D

The slow moments of pure silence trickled by gracefully, the sheer sound of the vast nothingness that stood before the two cats wrapping itself around them like a blanket. A quiet void such as this one was no to be called an unpleasant one. The silent peace that took hold of them now was one of serene purity, obviously both creatures that had come to occupy the small patch of land drifting out of their current state of mind, and slipping into the next. The true thoughts of either one of the felines unknown to the other, remaining secretly mysterious and untamed by anyone but themselves. The soft and muffled beat of two hearts echoed throughout the reed beds, rebounding as they came into contact with an obstacle, amplifying the sound to a higher extent. The long, ebony hairs that patterned themselves along the spine of the RiverClan medicine cat shuffled into an upright position as the light breeze shifted course, causing a slight shiver to run the length of her slim spine. The tossed soil of the river began to feel cool beneath her paws, remaining calm and soothing as the far off beat of her heart dulled, and her memory clouded senses cleared. A quick glance at the sapphire hued sky told the young feline that time had not held up for the feline duo, the position of the sun indicating that the late afternoon was upon them. For once in her young life, time didn’t matter. The crossing of the sun across the blue painted sky had no meaning whatsoever to the she-cat… This time her schedule would have to be held off momentarily. Lowering her skull to the ground once again, Bleedingflower continued to think. But then again, the duty of a medicine cat was never to be put on hold, for its duties were never fulfilled. The health and well being of each of her many clan members was always more important than the needs of her own, a simple, yet unwritten rule amongst the medicine cats of the forest, and she knew it. A small pillar of light suddenly broke through the strong outer wall of a passing cloud, a single shard of warmth gracing her ebon fur. A fleeting trace of a smile appeared on her thin lips, quickly spreading up through her face into her deep amber eyes… If StarClan was attempting to send her a message, it had surely been received. ‘Yes, just a bit longer’ Grinning brightly as she turned back to the tom before her, Bleedingflower chuckled silently. It hadn’t been opinionated throughout most of the clan that Shiverfoot was an odd cat as you first meet him. His seemingly anti-social appearance drawing other felines away from him, causing them to automatically assume that Shiverfoot is a brooding, lifeless figure with no real feelings. The truth, however, is not as sound as others may believe. After a long, thoughtful conversation with this misunderstood being, Bleedingflower has come to see this solitary warrior in a new light, an intelligent, quick minded light. Blinking back another thoughtful chuckle, the young cat twisted her head to look at the tom as he began to speak. Nodding as his sentence came to a close, Bleedingflower said nothing. It seemed a crime to interrupt the still silence that followed, leaving both of the cats to sit silently once again. However, the silence did not last long as the dark warrior spoke up again. ‘Of that I have no doubt, but she'll have to wait until you're finished to become the official one of the clan. And I think that it'll will be many, many moons yet before you... 'Kick the bucket'.’ Blinking blankly at the cat adjacent from her for a fraction of a second, Bleedingflower was momentarily stunned. The comment, of course, had done little to offend her pride, but the unexpected phrase had come from the most unlikely person. Drawing her head back into a proud stance, the young female smirked. This was what Shiverfoot could truly be like. This is what all of the other felines that have come to cross his path over looked, their sight clouded by the pressure of normalcy. All it took was a small conversation, a few laughs and recollections here and there, and that was all there was to it to uncover the mask which had been placed involuntarily over his body…. Underneath it all, Shiverfoot was a normal cat. Lifting a single, delicate paw from the dirt, Bleedingflower retorted without missing a beat. “Well, I doubt that this will happen anytime soon… But I do fear that it is you who will be ‘kicking the bucket’ long before me.” A loud, hearty laugh closed her reply, signaling to the warrior that it was merely a joke, and had no literal meaning whatsoever… But somehow, a feeling of understanding had seemed to fall into place between the two, a certain bond that the young female began to sense… one that may be the start of a new friendship.