[Set] A D R I F T

[Dodgestrike]

"Please be careful Dodgepaw.”

A kind, quiet voice rang at the very edge of the borders. There was a she-cat, snow white in coloration, lying near the Mistclan borders. Her ears pricked forward, tracking a certain young cat as he chased after crickets.

"Your mother’s right. We much maintain our best behavior and not cross the boundary until we meet with the clan leader.”

Another voice, masculine, much deeper. The large orange tom sitting beside the reclined white she-cat wasn’t watching their son as she was. His eyes were scanning across the border, seeking any sign of movement. After much much studying, the wise tom decided that this would be the perfect place to live, if they we able to convince the leader to accept them.

A good place to watch Dodgepaw grow, to make friends, to be a loyal clan cat.

A good place for his mate to end her days peacefully.

Hawkeye almost flinched at the thought, those golden hues flicking to settle upon Oddeye. The she-cat was purring softly, contentedly, her eyes closed and her tail twitching slightly.

She was dying. He knew, and she did. But not Dodgepaw. How could he tell his own son that his mother was going to die?

It was an impossible matter, Hawkeye knew. The tom sighed, relaxing a little. Would this be much longer?

"Of course.”

White fur flashed, and a pale orange masked face turned to smile at his parents. Blue eyes glittered happily, as he consented to backing away from the boundary he had been about to cross.

The apprentice never knew what clan life was life. Excitement, happiness, bubbled inside his strong young body. Maybe he would make friends? He would surely do everything possible to prove his worth, Hawkeye had taught him that well. Work hard. Live well.

They trailed paw in paw.

Blue eyes glanced to his mother’s relaxed form with just as much joy. She was such a kind cat, he greatly admired her.

Dodgepaw wanted to be kind. Eyes drifted, landing upon the figure of his father. Hawkeye was brave, and strong.

‘I wanna be like both of them. Kind to everyone, but brave and strong to defend those I love!’

[Shadow Spirit]

Lillystar padded out to the edges of her territory. Her thick coat of silky fur was darkened by the water that graced its boughs. Stepping through the waterfall always caused her to get wet, but recently her pelt had become almost water resistant, where moisture beaded off in rivulets.

Dusty-gold eyes scanned the terrain for any new cats or potential enemies. Her gaze alighted on a group of cats that were sitting just outside the main camp entrance. A snowy colored queen, an orange tom and who she assumed was their kit. She walked up to them slowly, not wanting to startle them away or fling them into attack mode.

"Greetings..." she started. "What brings you to Mistclan's borders?"

[Dodgestrike]

“We seek to join Mistclan. To fight, to defend the borders. To hunt, to live. To finally find a home.”

A smile crassed the she-cat’s face, and she finally opened her eyes. The left was milky filmed, blind, while the other was a startling emerald green.

The green that they had both once been.

But how she moved, the hesitation, it was clear she had little vision left in that eye too. Soon she would lost even the dim, shadowy world seen from the eye…if she lived that long.

“My mate has placed our hearts’ desire in better words than I could have ever done so.”

The tom gentle nuzzled his mate’s shoulder, before returning the other she-cat’s gaze with a calm one of his own. His golden eyes, reflecting the ferocity of the hawks he was named for, blinked, a paw going out to stop his son before the young apprentice could bound over to the she-cat.

He didn’t move quick enough.

“Hello.”

Blue eyes looked up at the Mistclan female. His voice was quiet, and there was already a form of wisdom beginning to grow within the oceanic depths staring at her.

“I’m Dodgepaw. This is my momma, Oddeye, and my pappa, Hawkeye. Can we live here?”

[Shadow Spirit]

Golden eyes took in the earnest azure ones and a gentle smile spread across the leader's face. The kit was just like any other, happy and carefree, wholey unaware of the hardships that could await him. Lillystar noted the murky depths of the she-cat's eyes and her smile contorted into a sympathetic frown, her brows furrowing in anxiety. She nodded to the kit and walked up to Hawkeye. Leaning toward his ear, she whispered the question that plagued her mind.

"How did it happen?" was what sprang from her lips, but thankfully quiet enough that the kit did not hear.

[Dodgestrike]

“It is an illness. Please, let us not discuss it here.”

He glanced towards his son – a look that clearly said that the young tom did not yet know of it.

If they got the small tom away, settled, or interacting with other cats, than Hawkeye could speak to the she-cat, tell her their story.

Dodgepaw looked between the two adult cats with an odd expression on his face, his tail flicking a few times thoughtfully. There was a brain in that head the worked, not filled with fluff like some appeared to be. However, one of his ears twitched and he whirled quickly, paws leaving the ground as he pounced.

Pride adorned the face of the ill queen. Although she didn’t see that her son had successfully caught a plump water vole, she could hear his movements, and the creature’s final parting cry.

“Today is too wonderful a day to speak of such matters.”

Although Lillystar had been quiet enough to cause her son to not hear the words spoken, there wasn’t much that missed Oddeye’s hearing. The queen smiled again, gently, before sitting up.

[Shadow Spirit]

Lillystar nodded, understanding his reasons. She turned to the she-cat and smiled gently at her, realizing that her sight was limited already.

"I meant no disrespect miss...I will speak with you and your mate inside once we get you settled...I would be accused of having no heart if I were to turn you away..." she said, her eyes glowing with warmth. "Come, follow me if you are able...I hope the waterfall doesn't cause you too much discomfort, the cats of my clan are used to being wet..." She stood to her full height and made her way slowly to the waterfall, checking to make sure they were following.

OOC: You can post once more here and then enter the camp, or just start posting in the camp if you like.

[Dodgestrike]

[*toodles off to camp*]