All I can say is that :: My life is pretty plain

[Waterdance]

"Wait, clan cats? So, you mean to tell me this is clan territory? Aw, man! Why did such a pretty pool have to be here?" Yes he didn't even fret over the clan cats, but was upset with not being able to go into the water now. Nice directional skills for a cat he has when it came to large amounts of water.

[Onyxdart]

Andromeda was going to just let them stand there and chatter for the next millenium if they wanted, but when the one cat started grumbling, that was just about enough. You didn't waltz onto another clan's territory and start grumbling at them.

Or maybe you did. Anyway, they were getting louder and she couldn't just pretend they weren't there.

"Hello. Yes, this is clan territory. Mistclan, to be exact. You found your way here by the water?" she answered the more cautious one. Her voice held no threat, just cautious curiosity.

[Waterdance]

She sounded friendly, but that may be a ruse. Waterdance still kept wary of her though. "Mistclan?" He mewed like he never heard of a single clan name before. So they were on clan territory! Hopefully they gave him and Oathkeeper the benefit of the doubt and didn't kill them.

"Yes I followed the scent of water to this spot. Is that a bad thing?" He asked the she-cat.

[Onyxdart]

Andromeda tilted her head to the side.

"No, not a bad thing. Just odd," she said kindly. She sat with her front paws together daintily... well, as dainty as a soaked fluffy cat can be.

"Mistclan. The clans are groups of cats, and this one is called Mistclan. Our leader's Lillystar... if you want to stay, you'll have to talk to her. But she's nice, so you shouldn't have a problem. Though maybe don't just go waltzing into the main camp. You could go to the borders and wait for her there, or one of the patrols will find you. Or I guess I could find her and bring her here... or somewhere else," she said, her voice drifting off to nothing as she thought of all the possible ways to introduce these cats to her leader. It almost seemed she'd forgotten everyone else.

Then she flipped her tail and looked at Medium.

"What do you think?" she asked him.

[Waterdance]

So if he joined this clan then he'd have the pool to swim in when ever he wanted---minus winter, of course. The tom flicked his tail in a happy gesture at the thought. He'd be around more water than he could handle. Yet he didn't know what a clan expected of him to do.

He looked over at his friend looking for some help here. "Um, what does a clan do?" He whispered to Oathkeeper.

[medium]

She is the prom queen
I'm in the marching band
She is a cheerleader
I'm sitting in the stands
I get a little bit
She gets a little more
She's Miss America

But Medium wasn't there.

As Andomeda's attention was shifted toward the two newcomers, the plain-coated brown-ticked tom's showy side kicked in. He slipped quietly away and climbed up the falls.

Uh oh, sounds like trouble, right?

Medium balanced precariously on the edge, a wild, reckless feeling rising within him. The roar of the water echoed in his ears.
Narrowing his dull amber eyes, the tom worked his way along the cool, slick stones until he stood close to the waterfall. Mist dampened his pelt, chilled him.

He paused, the wind stiffening his muscles, watching the others. Now there was no way they could avoid looking his way.

If they were watching, they would see the brown tom throw them a bright wink-- before diving.

Right off the falls.

And through the raging of the water, to the deep, freezing poll below. Headfirst.

- - - { { } } - - -

Medium plunged into the water with enough force to rattle his bones. His vision dimmed dangerously, and the shock of the icy water nearly took him...but somehow he managed to hold to his consciencness.
His head throbbed. His body ached with the cold. He was soaked to the bone and trembling all over.
He felt alive. He defied death, and the others had to have been watching him!

Medium barely reached the surface, coughing water and laughing weakly. He tried to claw his way to shore and failed; he nearly tumbled back down beneath the water, and was forced to settle with bracing himself against a sand-colored stone rearing from the pool.

And I'm just the boy next door

[/right][/blockquote]

[Onyxdart]

Andromeda whipped around when she didn't see Medium, already looking up for the falls. Then he paused, and dove. With a wink. Like that wasn't freezing water that could knock you out from that high up.

"Dammit, you..." Andromeda said, and then caught herself. A curse word coming from the pretty she-cat? As he reappeared and manged to get to the sand colored rock, she bounded over.

"You want help out of there, or what?" she asked, sounding a little annoyed. Of course she was annoyed. Her friend seemed to have a deathwish in the name of getting attention. What was it she'd told him? Take up space?

"You have to be living to take up space, you know."

Oh, heck. And there was concern lacing over utter annoyance.

[medium]

She is the prom queen
I'm in the marching band
She is a cheerleader
I'm sitting in the stands
I get a little bit
She gets a little more
She's Miss America

"I'm i-immortal," Medium meowed, his words breaking slightly. He spat water and looked up at Andromeda with a rather endearing, rueful grin.

He made another halfhearted effort to lift himself from the water, shaking his head at the same time. "You don't have to -hack- help me, An-andromeda." He whooped out another few hacking coughs, still chuckling at how pitiful he looked.

Medium frowned. "I can't take up sp-ace like you, A-ndromeda. I tried. C-c-contrast can do it f-fine, real well, a-ctually, b-u-u-t I'm not memorable."

Pretty, outgoing, striking Contrast was the favorite. Everyone loved her. Medium did not hate his sister; he wished her no ill...but maybe he was a little bitter. Everybody loved his darling, space-taking sister.

And I'm just the boy next door

[/right][/blockquote]

[Onyxdart]

Andromeda sighed. It wasn't a sigh of annoyance or frustration, just a sigh.

"Well, you need to get out of the water, before you freeze. I don't think our dear leader is likely to appreciate a frozen kitty," she said finally, crouching at the edge of the water in front of him. If he couldn't get out, she was going to jump in and help him, since she wasn't sure if she could help from the bank. Unless there was a limb nearby.

She glanced around. Well, there were some short thin ones, anyway. She went and grabbed one, and held one end out to him, the other in her mouth.

"Grab on, I'll pull you out," she mumbled around the stick. Whether you want my help or not, she added mentally.

[Waterdance]

Waterdance had barely glanced up towards the waterfall when he saw Medium dive headfirst into the icy water below. He kneaded his forepaws against the ground in worry. 'I hope he makes it,' he thought to himself.

A moment or two later, Waterdance saw that the tom cat made it! "No way! He made it. That is so awesome and a stupid stunt I wouldn't even try to pull off," he said as he stood and flicked his tail about, but making no move to help Medium out of the water. Seeing as he'd probably not like a strange cats' help.

[Oathkeeper]

b r o k e n ~ n e k o r b

“Knowing you, you would.”

Oathkeeper shot at his friend, hardly caring whether or not the other tom made it. He had been stupid enough to actually try such a stunt – if he died from it that would be completely his fault. Why should he worry or care over it?

Ah, but Waterdance’s other question bothered the blonde and cream tom greatly. His tail lashed a few times, ears half flattened.

“Clans? Clans make a cat into a slave.”

He almost hissed. In his lack of memory, the voice burning in his mind, that thought was the only thing that Oathkeeper managed to dredge up.

That, and…

Just look what they did to Oblivion…

Ah, but there was emptiness, the abyss of his mind refused to share an image. Who was Oblivion? Oathkeeper didn’t dare to vocalize that to Waterdance, although he believed his friend had so idea that he couldn’t remember much of his past.

[medium]

She is the prom queen
I'm in the marching band
She is a cheerleader
I'm sitting in the stands
I get a little bit
She gets a little more
She's Miss America

Medium grabbed on gratefully, though, and hauled himself to shore.

Once he was there, he stood uneasily, wavering slightly, shaking with the cold.
He looked at Andromeda with muddy amber eyes.

"I don't have a death wish, if that's what you're wondering," he meowed quietly. "It's just...I'm not handsome or clever. I don't have anything special about me like my sister does. I was nearly pronounced dead at birth; sometimes I got hungry as a kit, because my mother was absent-minded and forgot about me. She loved us both but Contrast was her favorite, always. I'm so freakishly ordinary, it's a miracle that anyone notices I exist at all. And no one remembers me when I go." He looked sad, and spoke directly; no moping, only clear, sober fact. "I dunno what comes over me sometimes, but at least if I take risks I'll be remembered.
I'm really honestly grateful that you helped me, Andromeda, and for coming here in the first place."

Then Medium threw Oathkeeper a glance that was not quite dirty, but a little insulted. But he said nothing.
But he was no slave.

And I'm just the boy next door

[/right][/blockquote]

[Onyxgotloggedout]

Andromeda tilted her head to the side at Medium. Well, she wouldn't forget him if he left. But saying that sounded corny to her, so she said nothing, only flicked her tail back and forth slowly, not knowing what to say to him.

She saw Medium's glare at the newcomer, and turned to look at him.

"Well, I don't know which clan you're talking about, but this one doesn't. I mean, yes, we've pledged to protecting the clan and listening to Featherstar when she tells us what to do. But she doesn't ask the unreasonable.

There's going to be a war. She's not making me fight, because I can't, and I really don't want to. I'm staying here to help look after things," she told the tom, every word as sincere and honest as they come, concerned at the view this tom had of the clans. What kind clan had /he known?[/size]

[Waterdance]

Waterdance looked insulted by his comrades comment. "I so would not!" He proclaimed. Except now his ears flattened a little in worry as Oathkeeper looked very upset with clans. Getting up, he then closed the gap between them and gave the blond and cream color tom a little nudge to comfort him.

"Are you sure they make cats into slaves?" That disturbed the water loving cat and caused his tone to turn angry at that. His hazel hues narrowed in anger as he looked at the clan cats. Even his love of water wouldn't get in a way of this.

"Silence you!" He hissed after what Andromeda said about this clan. Sticking by his friend on this and most likely wouldn't hear them out. Lack of knowledge of any clan really. So who's to say Oathkeeper was telling the truth about a clan that did that? Waterdance knew he couldn't remember much of anything about his past. And who's to say that Andromeda and Medium were lying about this clan being nice to all members?

[Onyxdart]

"Well, there's no need to get snotty about it. If we were slaves to the clan, would we be bummin' around jumping off of waterfalls and swimming in the water? I think not," Andromeda informed the water loving cat. But she could tell when someone wasn't going to listen. This cat wasn't going to listen. No amount of presence on her part was going to get this cat to listen. Was she just not convincing enough? Blatant honesty must just not be done these days, she realized in a naive sort of way.

It's probably a good thing this trusting she-cat had not met the less kind cats around. She wrinkled her nose, looking very frustrated. How to convince another cat she hadn't just been brain washed? How how how? She didn't know. Eventually, she sat down and sighed loudly. You believe what you want to believe, I guess.

[medium]

She is the prom queen
I'm in the marching band
She is a cheerleader
I'm sitting in the stands
I get a little bit
She gets a little more
She's Miss America

"No!" Medium cried, drawing himself up, a pillar of brown-furred bravery.

He took a few steps toward the two unfamilliar cats, his head up anhd his tail twitching indignantly. He glanced to Waterdance, his amber-eyes full of prickly irritation. "No, we will not be quiet." His eyes flitted from Waterdance to Oathkeeper and back again, a faint frown on his face. "I don't know what Clan you came from," he spat at Oathkeeper, "But don't be so closed-minded and foolish as to believe they're all the same."
Then he rounded on Waterdance. "And you, don't believe everything you hear. Cats have died to defend this land, to keep MistClan's members safe and happy; and they died willingly. The cats are good cats, and I swear to StarClan that I am no slave.""

His tone was not furious, merely astonished and indignant. Close-minded fools, did they think they knew everything? They knew nothing. "Please, could you take your wrong, close-minded opinions away from here? This is MistClan land, and I'd prefer it if you did not insult us and act as if you own it, though you are loners." Now Medium's voice softened. He spoke softly and politely, though at the 'act as if you own it' comment, his eyes turned to Waterdance. "Silence?" How dare one cat order another that way? Waterdance was no leader, nor was he any stronger than Medium. Equals. If there was one thing Medium hated, it was the close-minded and the condescending, and these two fit into both categories.

And I'm just the boy next door

[/right][/blockquote]

[Waterdance]

"If Starclan had any sense there wouldn't be divided territories between the cats." Waterdance meowed highly about that thought. It looks like his big mouth would surely get him into trouble very soon. Unless Oathkeeper found a way to keep his trap shut.

[Onyxdart]

Now, Andromeda was getting a wee bit cranky.

"Do you see the humans living all in one tribe? With only one leader? Would you suggest it is a good idea to stick all cats in one clan? That's an idiotic idea. Or had you not given it much thought? If you stuck us with more aggressive cats, none of us would survive ten minutes. Well, Medium might. I would not.

Don't presume to preach your high ideals until you give them some honest thought, thank you."

Her voice was clipped, and clearly annoyed. She stood there, still dripping a bit with her fur all slicked down, drawn to full height. The light she-cat stepped forward until she was right next to Medium.

[/center]

[medium]

She is the prom queen
I'm in the marching band
She is a cheerleader
I'm sitting in the stands
I get a little bit
She gets a little more
She's Miss America

Medium stood silently, his dully-colored fur dripping steadily. He shook slightly from the cold.

Though he said nothing, he made it clear that he agreed fully with Andromeda. His dark, muddy amber eyes gleamed with a sharp light.

He broke his silence only to meow softly, "All cats and all Clans are not the same. Keep your mind open."

And I'm just the boy next door

[/right][/blockquote]

[Oathkeeper]

d a r k n e s s ~ s s e n k r a d

Oathkeeper had hissed several times in an attempt to shut his friend up before he said something that they’d both regret, but when the other tom didn’t the blonde and cream shaded tom took matters into his own paws. He leaped forward, almost protectively between the spastic tom and the two clan cats.

“I was once in a clan.”

He started; his blue hues as cold as flints as they looked between the two cats.

“The glimpses of my broken memory reveals only pain, and suffering. Terror of a tyrant, flashes of death. Felines worked to death, torn apart because they chose to refuse to submit to such slavery.”

His tail lashed, as he stared down the two cats. There was nothing to break this iron clad gaze.

He had just admitted to something he mostly chose to refute. Something bad had happened there, in that clan, to completely wipe his mind of all his memories.

“I’m leaving.”

The young tom shot a glance at Waterdance; would his only friend follow? But he would never take away his chance at a good life, so he said nothing else as he turned to pad away.