sand and sea (open)

[lee]

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[atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/LeesPhotos/mid450wid.gif] It wasn't a particularly windy day, so the waters were fairly still. They were dangerous, still, he knew. While you could walk in the shallow water without worry-though Smoketail preferred to keep his feet dry in these cold months-if you went too deep the treacherous waters would sweep you away. Still, the slow moving waves were nice to watch as one made a leisurely walk down the beach. He was actually keeping an eye out for any birds of the sea that have lingered through the winter, figuring that a taste of bird would be a welcome break from the rats and mice that were currently making up the majority of the fresh-kill brought to the camp. His mind wasn't fully on the task at at, however. Unlike his father, Smoketail wasn't what you could call a dim cat. Perhaps he wasn't a genius, but he could think things through and reason through actions. Right now his mind was tasked with wondering what was going to happen now. After all, they had attacked the other Clans during the last Gathering. Yes, they had been stealing food from SoulClan, but it didn't change the fact that they had broken the Gathering truce. Even Smoketail, who didn't bother to concern himself too much with the other Clans, knew how badly they had fared. It almost made his fur stand on end, wondering what would happen now. StarClan couldn't be happy with the way things had turned out. Shaking his head the gray tom resolutely turned his mind away from such matters. It wasn't his responsibility to do something about it, and he couldn't think of what to do anyways. That was the job of the leader, of the medicine cat, of those in charge. Not him. He'd do what was asked of him, of course, but he was out of his depth in matters like this. Instead he would focus on hunting, since that was what he was doing. It seemed that luck was with him, as well, for a rather large bird-it seemed to be slightly larger than a crow-had landed just a little ways away, oblivious to his presence and intent on the remains of some washed up seaweed. Checking his steps he slowed and crouched, inching towards the brown avian with caution. There wasn't much to hide behind on this beach, certainly not between him and the bird. It raised it's head. He paused. The end of his tail twitched and then he launched himself at the bird as it turned to look at him. A flurry of feathers and a heartbeat later and Smoketail was left with a mouthful of feathers and no bird. Spitting them out he glared at the bird as it rapidly dwindled, tail whipping back and forth in anger. Perhaps luck wasn't with him after all.

[dawneon*]

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[atrb=background,http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u189/Siberia118/somedaywellknowmiddle.png] lit wasn't early. it wasn't late. it was times like this that just made lavasoul wonder what you were supposed to do in that awkward middle phase of the morning. there were very few patrols to address during the middle of the morning, the dawn patrol would have returned and the noon patrol would be waiting to leave. so it appeared to the tabby she-cat that there was nothing left for her to do for the time being. looking around from her perch on one of the many headstones that littered their camp, she dug her claws into the soft-aged stone, stretching her muscles. it had been a good morning so far, and the day had potential to be a lovely morning, few clouds in the sky, a gentle breeze. . . perfect. from her perch, she could see a group of kits wrestling in the crisp grass, their playful mews and yells bringing a smile to her face, her crimson eyes light with amusement. kittens were so interesting to watch, they saw the world with a carefree perspective, so trusting and willing to try new things. a little ways away, the kittens' mothers were sitting, watching, and talking amongst themselves. shaking her fluffy head, the she-cat jumped off the perch, her large paws making nary a sound on the crisp grass but causing her to flinch just slightly when her left forepaw hit a particularly crisp bit of grass between the toes. that was one reason that lavasoul did not like the colder months, even if she was designed to move over snow, she couldn't stand the feeling of crispy grass in between her toes. giving the camp one last glance, the young feline let her paws carry her out of the camp, her ears pointed and alert for any noise that might interest her, prey perhaps, or another cat. ducking around a bush, her mind wandered to the latest problems of the clans, the fighting, the stealing of prey. . . it was disheartening to know how much trouble this could bring all the clans to. the lack of trust was what bothered her the most. even if there was little trust before, you could at least feel safe within your own territory, feel like your prey was yours, and the borders would be respected. . . but she was beginning to realise that the minute trust was beginning to crumble. shaking her head sharply, she pushed those troubling thoughts away, focusing on the scenery around her. letting her powerful legs launch her over a fallen log, she landed on the other side on a pile of snow, her paws sinking only a little in the cold powder. yes, it was definitely leafbare still. padding on, she shook the snow that was clinging to her long fur off, feeling warmer as it left. slowing her pace, she stood still, scenting the air, not really sure where she was going anyway. salt. she thought to herself, tasting the familiar tang on her tongue. her ears twitched, listening for the rumbling of the ocean, identifying which direction it was, and then began trotting again, this time with a destination in mind. the ocean was always a mixed bag for the soulclan deputy, sure, she liked walking along the beach, smelling the salty air, chasing the birds that waddled along on the shore, but she couldn't stand the thought of being swept up into the sea, so it was days like this that she enjoyed going out there, days where the lack of wind would mean the ocean was a calmer place. less of a chance of drowned cat. stepping out of the trees, she dug her claws into the sand, grinning like a young kit, she loved the beach, loved coming out here to watch the sun rise or set, but lately, she hadn't gotten the chance to come out here nearly as often as she would have liked. humming to herself, she trotted out onto the beach, webbed toes carrying the maine coon easily over the grainy sand. it seemed quiet without the crashing of the waves, but it was a nice quiet. until a group of birds suddenly took flight, one of them squawking. jumping, she raked her crimson orbs across the area, laughing when she saw the source of the commotion. you have a feather on your ear, smoketail.

[/b] she mewed to the tom who was facing the other direction not too far away. tail in the air, the young fea trotted over to the tom, a sense of humour that was rare in the cat glittering in her eyes.
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[lee]

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[atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/LeesPhotos/mid450wid.gif] Startled, as he had thought himself alone on the beach, Smoketail snapped his head around, sending the feather in question spinning to the ground. In reflection, once he recognized the cat, he was glad he hadn't jumped around hissing with his fur on end-it would have made him look like a fool and he felt enough like one already, having been both surprised by Lavasoul and for having been caught chasing-and failing at catching-the bird. "Oh. Um. Hello, Lavasoul." Smoketail wouldn't deny being disconcerted by her odd eyes, but he didn't much worry about it. After all, she had never done anything to prove the rumors that she lacked a soul or any of that. As far as Smoketail knew (and because he was used to picking out the lies from the gossip he overheard) she was a better cat than he was. She, after all, had more to face down than he did, yet she wasn't letting that get in her way. Meanwhile, he had a hard time not stuttering when he spoke to her. Smoketail wasn't a very good conversationalist, and he really didn't know what to do now. One would think, with the amount he eavesdropped, that he'd know how to carry on a conversation. Whenever faced with one though, at least with someone he wasn't close to or who he respected (and Lavasoul fell into the second category) he just never could remember what you were supposed to do. So he stood staring at her in awkward silence for just long enough for the silence to become almost unbearably awkward, before suddenly blurting out, "Um, what brings you...uh...here? To the beach...I, uh, mean. Oh! Not that there's anything weird about it I was just kinda curious 'cause I didn't know anyone else was here and I thought everyone was at the camp right now since it's in the middle of the morning and there isn't really any reason to be over here and I'm talking too much so I'll just stop I'm sorry." He avoided looking her in the eyes. In fact, he became very interested in the sand around his paws and the feather that had fallen there. He certainly was awkward to talk to.

[dawneon*]

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[atrb=background,http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u189/Siberia118/somedaywellknowmiddle.png] only a foxlength away from the tom, lavasoul stopped and sat down, wrapping her plume of a tail around her paws neatly. the brown tip of it flicking softly, making sand fall out off of the fur and back to the ground, only to be picked up again a moment later. watching as the grey tom spun his head around to face her, she inwardly laughed, amused at how she had managed to sneak up on him. Oh. Um. Hello, Lavasoul.

[/i][/color] giving smoketail an easy smile, the deputy dipped her head in greeting. hello smoketail.[/b] the laughter was faint in her voice, but mainly she was just being nice.

as rarely as the she-cat spoke to anyone other than branchstar or the medicine cat, she wasn't always sure how to speak to others, she may seem eloquent at times, but generally she just tried to sound normal and relaxed. Um, what brings you...uh...here? To the beach...I, uh, mean. Oh! Not that there's anything weird about it I was just kinda curious 'cause I didn't know anyone else was here and I thought everyone was at the camp right now since it's in the middle of the morning and there isn't really any reason to be over here and I'm talking too much so I'll just stop I'm sorry.[/i][/color]

ducking her head to hide the smile that had appeared on her face so as not to offend the tom, she shook her head and looked back up at him. it was rather adorable how he rambled along, made her feel less awkward about talking to her clanmates. yes, everyone is back at camp, making it rather loud and busy. it's actually quite annoying to just hear the hum of chatter all the time, hence my coming out here. and i have to agree, it's a bit of a surprise to find someone else out here this morning.[/b] but it was a pleasant surprise, especially since he wasn't one of the cats who had made her apprenticeship so difficult. and while she noticed that he avoided looking her in the eyes, she was used to that enough not to be bothered too much. one day she would find someone who wouldn't be afraid to look her in the eyes. that was what mattered.

enjoy coming out here a lot?[/b] she questioned, not interrogatorily, just curious. it wasn't a popular place in the colder seasons, granted greenleaf was the total opposite, leafbare was rather uncommon to find cats out here, pacing along the length of the ocean.
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[lee]

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[atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/LeesPhotos/mid450wid.gif] Batting at the feather to distract himself from his shyness he followed her example by settling down onto his haunches, pinning the feather down when it looked as if it were about to escape from him. Between peering up at her and then hastily turning his gaze back down to the feather he managed to reassure himself that she wasn't laughing at him. Well, at least she wasn't laughing at him in a mean way, since no taunts followed the light tone of her greeting. Not that that was a common occurrence, but it was a common fear of his. "Ah...Yea...it does get, um, loud." Smoketail didn't spend much time in camp during the day though. Not when the weather was nice like it was and he could wander off. Oh, he did his share of hunting patrols, although half the time the other cats in the patrol forgot he was supposed to be there. And he slept in the camp and woke up there and listened to other cats talk in the early or late hours, but if he could he normally left for an entire day. "Um...When it's nice...Uh...Yes...I come...Here a bunch..." Except when it got warmer and the rest of the clan started coming here. Then he tended to find another area to wander about in, wherever the rest of the clan tended to avoid. Still messing with the feather, which had begun to look rather rough around the edges, he searched his mind for something else to say. Something to say and where to stop saying it, so that he didn't go rambling again. "Ah...So...Um..." Drawing a blank he let the sentence fade away without ever really saying anything. Oh! He could ask about her day! That was something that was generally included in a conversation, wasn't it? "You...You have had a good...a good day?" Sighing in relief at being able to think of something for his end of the conversation he relaxed a bit. Maybe he would be able to have a successful conversation! Of course, he thought you were supposed to look at the other cat when you talked to them, but he wasn't going to try and do that too. Little steps. That was what would get him to the point where he could talk to someone without stuttering all the time or drawing blanks. Or at least to talking to Lavasoul without doing all of that.

[dawneon*]

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[atrb=background,http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u189/Siberia118/somedaywellknowmiddle.png] following his movements out of habit as he played with the feather, lavasoul shook her head slightly, it was definitely reassuring to find someone even more uncomfortable with being around others than she was. Ah...Yea...it does get, um, loud.

[/i][/color] creasing her brow, she half wondered if something was on his mind that was making him stutter or if that was just how he was, but she wouldn't breech the subject yet, if at all. a cold breeze ruffled her fluffy pelt, bringing with it a few snow flakes. moving her gaze up to the sky, she wondered if it was about to start snowing again or if it was just plucking snow off of the trees.

Um...When it's nice...Uh...Yes...I come...Here a bunch...[/b][/i] now she was beginning to think that he was just uncomfortable speaking to others. . . maybe even just uncomfortable speaking to the deputy. have you gotten to come out here in newleaf and seen the crabs scuttle across the sand towards the sea? it is really quite entertaining.[/b] she had tried to catch one once, just to see what it tasted like, but it had latched onto her whiskers with it's claw and she had had to walk all the way back to camp with the thing clinging to her to have the medicine cat remove it. . .

Ah...So...Um...[/i][/color] cocking her head to one side, she looked at the tom curiously, trying to think of some way to make him relax at least a little. You...You have had a good...a good day?[/i][/color] her black ears picked up the faint sound of a sigh as he asked her about her day. nodding, she kneaded her paws in the sand, most of the movement hidden by her thick tail, but the feeling of the grains rolling over her toes was comforting.

yes i have, i almost wish it was warmer though, a good mouse chase would feel heavenly.[/b] letting her eyes scan across the expanse of open water, she smiled, although, watching snow fall over the ocean would probably be just as good.[/b] the tabby wasn't even fully aware that she had spoken that out loud, but it was the truth. a few more flurries of snow tickled across her nose, but the only clouds were only just appearing over the tips of the trees. what about you? has the morning been satisfactory?[/b] she asked, shaking herself out of her daydream-like trance, bringing herself back to the present.
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[lee]

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[atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/LeesPhotos/mid450wid.gif] Smoketail flicked his ear as a small piece of snow landed on it, the cold spot enough to make him forget about the feather momentarily-in which it promptly made an escape. At least, that was the way the tom thought about it, though really the wind had just chosen that moment to blow just hard enough to pull it away from. He watched it flutter off into the wet sand where the water kept drawing up, picking the feather up and then setting it down. With nothing to occupy his paws now he raised his head a bit, although he still avoided looking directly at her, instead focusing just behind her shoulder. "Um. I've seen them...a few times...but..." The truth was that more and more cats started to come to the beach around that time and he only ever really saw them right when they began their scuttling. He was long gone to different haunts by the time it was truly entertaining, avoiding the younger cats who liked to chase the crabs. If only he had known that Lavasoul had tried it herself. He himself never had, partly because he had a good enough imagination to know imagine how painful their pincer's could be if they latched on to an ear or something. "Well...I don't...I don't talk to others much and well..." Abruptly changing the topic, since he wasn't sure how to admit that he left the beach because he as hiding-although it probably wouldn't be that hard to figure out, he latched onto her following words. "I like snow. It's...clean." It sounded silly after he said it, but it was true. Not like sand or dirt, which were fine he supposed. Snow though, it was white and pure and clean, and even if you rolled in it it would just melt away. He liked rolling in snow and he kind of hoped it would snow again so that another blanket would cover the ground. The winds from the sea were just warm enough so that a blanket of snow only stayed on the ground during the very coldest moons of leaf bare, meaning he had to actively search out patches of snow he wanted to roll in-and half the time, those were more slush than snow and not at all clean. "It's been...Uh, good. I was...uh, trying to catch a bird." Of course, she already knew that. Hadn't she seen him with a mouthful of feathers? Pawing at the sand at his feet he looked at it again before looking back up, focusing once more just behind Lavasoul. "It...Um, it saw me and got away. I...I don't think...I don't think it wanted to be, uh, eaten." So it was a feeble joke and not a very good one. He had made a joke! Him! Smoketail! He was quite pleased with himself, if you really wanted to know.