\Dreams/

[Loveless]

Red dream, green dream.

Screaming me.

Dream of green, lay me down at last, past.

Past?

Past, passed, past time.

Time. Past. Time passed. Did it really pass, or was it a green dream?

I had a green dream that was no dream. In my dream, time passed, and so it did for real. But was it different?

I had a dream once. It was like a memory, in the way that a memory is like a dream. And in my dream, or my memory, time passed, but in a new way. My dream told me that once, before my dreams were green, time passed in a different way. But all memories are dreams by me now, and that is how I knew. I knew this was no dream, but a memory.

I don't care about memories. Memories are not green.

.x.

The black and white tom had been lying curled in the center of the underground cavern, auds barely twitching at the sounds of distant dripping.

Drip. Drip.

That was what first drew him from his rather unusual dreams. The tom, generally such a happy and cheerful creature, felt sad.

He didn’t understand why either.

The tom didn’t rise to his paws, didn’t move except to upon in normally bright yellow orbs, now dulled slightly by what was leading to depression.

Drip drip.

Even the water seemed to be mocking him. Just how much worth did he have to the clan?

He hadn’t even gone to the last Gathering, even though by now his clan mates should have returned. Loveless itched to find out the news, but a part of him remained still.

Loveless wasn’t loveless. But he didn’t know if the creature who shone in his eyes, the one he loved so deeply….did she love him in return? Did she suspect a thing?

Moping did not set well with Loveless, and, with a final sigh he sat up. Perhaps it was time he returned to the clan he was so loyal to, train the she-cat he loved.

[Pinedark]

((Here goes nothin'. Bear with me while I get used to Pinepaw. ))

Pinepaw was proud of herself, having followed her mentor to the cavern. She was trying to be very quiet, and sneak up on him unawares. Well, maybe. She stopped and thought for a second, and then gave up on being sneaky, dashing around a bend in the path and careening towards her mentor with intent to pounce. Then she skidded to a stop, nearly running into him anyway. Her mentor looked unhappy.

"I was going to tackle you," she announced, and then batted at one of his forepaws.

"You look sad," she mewed a moment later.[/color]

((And there we go. *tries valiantly to keep her perfectly in character*))

[Loveless]

[You’re doing great!!]

Ohhh…Pinepaw!

His reaction was almost instant, the light lit up within those yellow orbs, and he chuckled at her perky, playful actions.

“I’m fine now Pinepaw.”

He twitched, and then pawed at her with forepaw she had been batting at, as if attempting to lightly cuff the side of her head.

Of course he could never hurt her. Would never hurt her. She was…she was just…

No, it was wrong; he shouldn’t love his own apprentice. With a final shake, the chill that lingered on his coat from lying in the chilled cavern vanished.

[Pinedark]

((Do YOU know how old she is? I couldn't find it anywheres.))

Pinepaw grinned, flipping her ear and dodging as Loveless pawed at her.

"Why were you down here? There's a whole lot of new people at camp. They came while everyone was at the gathering, and then I think they all went to the Nursery. It was way too cold outside to sit out there and visit," she stated, looking around the damp cavern and wrinkling her nose for a moment. At least it wasn't all windy down here like it was outside, though.[/size]

[Loveless]

[Hm…she was just over six moons when she was first created…and that was a loooong while ago…so… Well, I think she’s almost old enough to become a warrior, if not already.]

“Just…thinking.”

Woah, Loveless and thinking rarely went together in the same sentence. The goofball was all heart – it was rare when he took the time to think anything through.

But things were changing, and he wasn’t the same innocent tom he had been the day he first entered the Stoneclan borders.

But was it a change for the better?

He thought so.

“So…newcomers, eh?”

Mischief sparkled within yellow orbs, as he watched his apprentice and attempted to take her attention away from him.

[Pinedark]

"Yes! Newcomers. I don't remember how many. They were talking about a rock being a rabbit and some clouds that looked like horses... I think. The rock does look like a rabbit. Some of them didn't even know Starclan," the apprentice chattered. Her eyes flicked to her mentor. Was he trying to distract her? Eyes narrowed for a moment and her tail tapped slowly as she got lost in wondering.[/size]

[Loveless]

“A rabbit rock. Huh. Sounds like quite the sight to see.”

Loveless twitched his tail tip, eyes watching his apprentice with fondness that even he could not hope to suppress. She was not fooled by his change of subject, he could tell, but he didn’t try to draw her attention back to it again.

“Do you know how the gathering went?”

[Pinedark]

Pinepaw shook her head slowly.

"Now that, I don't know. No one said when they came back. It lasted for a very long time, though," she answered seriously. There seemed to be a string of bad luck with the Gatherings lately, she thought.

"I almost think I'm glad I wasn't there. Too cold to be out there that long!" she added several moments later.[/size]

[Loveless]

“I wonder if Featherstar will call a meeting to tell us.”

The tom mused, his gaze rising to the roof of the cavern that they were located in contemplation.

“Perhaps it is good then we both missed it. Don’t wanna catch a cold.”

The last part was added on as humor flickered in that deep gaze, and he suddenly moved, bounding towards Pinepaw in a lighthearted attempt to head butt her.

[Pinedark]

Pinepaw squealed surprise as she bounced out of the way of her mentor- well, mostly. Not quite fast enough yet to entirely avoid him, she flicked her tail at his nose with a giggle when she didn't get it out of the way fast enough.

"You distracted me on purpose!" she accused, skittering around to play attack Loveless's tailtip. Her laughs bounded off the cave walls. It had been downright boring sitting around while the gathering was going on, and she had all kinds of young energy that was begging to be burned off by chasing things.[/size]

[Loveless]

“Oh I did, eh? What proof do you have to back up that accusation?”

He countered, while dancing his tail out of her way and moving to face her directly. There was life again within yellow hues, meeting Pinepaw’s with such playful ambition. He cocked his head, as if going ‘Oh yah?’, and then bounded towards her, paw flicking out to cuff her gently.

[Pinedark]

"You, 1, me, 0," Pinepaw noted as her mentor dodged her and then cuffed her lightly. She bounded backwards and moved in a circle, watching instead of rushing in to try and tag him. May as well pretend she had any idea of strategy at all. While she kept a close eye on Loveless, she realized something. Even if she did watch him, she hadn't the foggiest what any move he made meant- she couldn't predict what he was going to do very well at all. This thought brought her up short, and she snorted at herself. She supposed that was an experience thing. Yes, this would be why there were Apprentices and Mentors. Imagine a whole pack of Apprentices set loose on the world before they'd been mentored. The effect would be disaster![/size]

[Loveless]

Oo That was a very very scary thought indeed. Be glad that Loveless didn’t share it, he’d be cracking some joke or another on it.

“Watch the way my weight falls on my paws, luv. The way the…”

He almost hesitated, realizing what he had called her. Blindly he continued on – it could just be considered a brotherly remark, in he was lucky.

“…muscles beneath the pelt tense and ripple.”

As if to show her, he tensed his muscles in prelude to a pounce to tackle her.

[Pinedark]

Pinepaw's eyes darted to her mentor's face with a quick grin when he paused for a moment, but if he wasn't worrying, she wasn't going to. She watched him closely and thought she saw him... it wasn't quite crouch, but something about the way he moved. It was like she moved when she was about to tackle something. Pinepaw hesitated a moment though, unsure whether he was going to run at her or jump p and pounce her... the two required different evasion strategies entirely, and if she chose the wrong one she'd just collide with him.[/size]

[Loveless]

He chose to go through with his first thought, muscles rippling as he rose to pounce on her. At the last moment, he tossed his weight to the side, landing on the ground with a rather undignified thump and a warm laugh.

“Hey now, who said we had to train today!”

[Pinedark]

"Oh, no one," Pinepaw replied after Loveless had landed ever so gracefully next to her. She twitched her tail back and forth and stared off into space for a moment as if thinking. What she was thinking, however, was anyone's guess. Then she blinked suddenly, and looked over at her mentor, grinning.

"Got lost in thought," she stated.[/size]

[Loveless]

As Pinepaw lost herself in thought, half-lidded yellow hues watched her. Just as with his apprentice, it was hard to place what exactly went on in his goofy mind, but the black and white tom did not move from his reclining position on the cool ground.

“Not surprising.”

One paw lazily darted out, pawing at her twitching tail.

[Pinedark]

Pinepaw flicked her tail when she saw her mentor dart his paw out to bat at it and then bounced a couple of steps away. Then she came back, flopping down face to face with Loveless and grinning.

"Know what else? It was snowing... sort of," she said. She didn't think she'd told him that yet. She hadn't actually seen it before, and had decided it was weird, this frozen water falling from the sky.

[Loveless]

“Snow?”

That caught the tom’s attention, and he twitched his ears in consideration as his yellow hues met her green ones.

“How deep is it?”

Loveless knew of snow – knew of it well. He was an odd one; even at his age he still enjoyed playing in the drifts as if he were a young kit once again.

[Pinedark]

Pinepaw grinned as her mentor's face lit up at the mention of snow.

"There's not much, yet. But I suppose if it keeps falling there'll be more," she answered. She didn't know if she was fond of it... it seemed a bit too cold and a bit too wet. But maybe she was jumping to conclusions. Who knew?