Together ( Private Aspy )

[muddy]

Wolfstep; Some ways away from the makeshift dens.

Wolfstep was sitting off to himself, next to a patch of dried grass, paws weaving in and out of the brown tangles. His light blue eyes were solely focused on the grass, but his mind wandered, constant flashbacks of his father plummiting ran through is mind, the terrified shrieks of cats filled his ears. It was apparent he had not recovered from the tauma of the quake. His matted pelt stayed ungroomed, mud and debris caked along his back. He missed his friends, his family. This was even more disastrous than the storm , which had claimed Emberstar his adoptive mother and her three kits.

He looked up to the sky for a moment before continuing. HE had been sitting here since sunrise and now the sun had started to set. " Another day of paradise" he grumbled.

[Aspyluff]

Sparrowflight padded slowly away from the makeshift dens. From where she was sitting she could clearly see Wolfstep sitting by himself. She left out a soft sigh and walked over to where he sat hunkered. She let out a soft trill of a mew in greeting and set to grooming his shoulder, as if it was part of her daily routine. "That grass is very interesting isn't it?" She said nonchalantly between licks.

[muddy]

He startled at her sudden appearance and had to stifle a purr as she approached. His skin grew hot underneath his pelt at her steady licks. "Oh haha, you're hilarious. Yes it is actually. Silly how staring at a clump of dead grass clears your mind." he said tail twitching. He had not seen Sparrowflight in some time, not since she had first returned, he had to bury his unrelenting joy, happy she had not suffered the same fate as others in the clans. He craned his neck and nipped her ear playfully.

[Aspyluff]

She let at murr of laughter and crouched down next to him. She looked down at the grass. "Studying objects seems to give me a shane to clear my mind too. It seems that focusing your thought on to what may seem like a insignificant thing is good at diverting whats troubling you." She pressed her body against his, letting her fur mingle with his. "So whats bothering you wolf step?" She looked over his expression. She could guess at his troubles. Was it his father? was it the earthquake? Was it his past troubles? What ever it was she knew she could help him fight it. She shivered slightly. She tried to think of her own father losing his life. Well.... all of his lives, how many he had left she did not know. She had though she was going to lose him the day that he lost his leg. There was so much blood... but he had survived. Hopefully the same was for Jaggedstone, she missed her past mentor with a sad emptiness.

[muddy]

Wolfstep purred and wrapped his tail over her paws " I suppose it's everything that has happened. But i have these nightmares, watching him disappear into the crevice." wolfstep shuddered as the memory flooded through him. He shook his head and looked down at the grass again. "I miss him so much..." he said sadly as settled down next to her, pressing his body to hers. " How is Finchstar? I have not heard from him in a while, he seems... quiet." he meowed as he flexed his paws andmessed with the grass again.

[Aspyluff]

She pressed her muzzle into his shoulder. "I know how you feel. I miss him a lot too." She let out a soft sigh and pulled awe to look down at the grass. without realizing it she was playing with it in her paws in a similar fashion to what Wolfstep was doing. She loved her father but he could be so headstrong sometimes. "He i fine, growing stronger everyday. He seems almost unphased by the injury, but sometimes I think he forgets he isn't leader and then this disappointed expression covers his face. He also refuses to eat barely anything. He feels like a burden. " She sighed again and looked up and attempted a smile.

[muddy]

Wolfstep sighed and butted her back " Well, at least he's doing alright. Maybe he just needs time. it must be hard having to retire like that" he meowed solomly. He draped his black tail over her back and gave a crooked grin "Maybe we should go try to hunt or something. Find something for him"

[Aspyluff]

Sparrowflight cheered up at the thought of hunting. Her paws itched to move. "Yes! We should! His favorite is mouse. If we can find a nice plump one... maybe..." Her tail twitched with excitement. "Wolfstep that's a great idea!" She pressed her face into his neck and purred, and suddenly became aware of the act. She pulled away with a slight blush and then hid it. "uh.. yeah. lets go.."

[muddy]

Wolfstep grinned and curled his tail at her sudden joy. "Excellent, we should go then, before the coyotes come out." he meowed and let out a loud purr as she nuzzled his neck, He silenced himself and looked away, slightly embarrassed. He got up and shook out his dusty black fur waiting for her. " Im right behind you"

[Aspyluff]

Sparrowflight bounded forward her tail high in the air. He pelt shivered with excitement and her paws dug at the earth. "were should we go? I don't know really much about hunting here. Do you know any good places?" She asked and looked around her. All the scents were strange, the signs so unfamiliar that it unevered her, for at least a moment. She then stopped after a bit of walking and turned around it a circle. Her tail dropped. "This is nothing like the marsh...." She said, some of the luster leaving her eyes. She closed them and pressed her face into Wolfstep. She collected her thoughts and took a deep breath. "I can hardly smell a thing. do you smell any prey?"

[muddy]

Wolfstep went after her and carried his tail almost as high " Ive gone hunting a few times around here, We could try around this rock field" he meowed as he made a sharp left and bounded around the jagged outreaches of stone and clay. He paused and ran his tail along her back "Don't worry, remember when we were kits? We were Cragclan, and we could hunt in the most jagged of places!" he called proudly before dropping into a crouch and weaving through boulders. " i can smell something over here, but im not sure what it is. The earth smell is so strong" he whispered.

[Aspyluff]

She smiled softly. "Yes. But I was but a blind kitten when we were Craigclan. Your older than me, remember." Her spirit lifted and she followed after, her long sleek body moving with the terrain. Up down, to the side. She lowered her nose to the ground and she pondered for a moment. "rabbit?" She reared up and brought her front feet down hard on the rocks. They shook and grinded against each other. The noise stirred up a small vole, not a rabbit, and it scurried along the open land right over Sparrowflights tail and into Wolfsteps direction. Realizing its peril danger it tried in a vein attempt to dive for cover.

[muddy]

Wolfstep flicked his tail on her nose and purred "You dont have to see to remember. Feel it. Once a cragclan cat, always a cragclan cat" he meowed as he crouched down and slid out his claws. He jumped after the vole and snatched it right before it dove into the cracks "Good job!" he purred to her. He set the vole at her paws and drew in a deep breath, " i think i smell a mouse burrow..."

[Aspyluff]

Sparrowflight sniffed around the opening and smelt the fresh burst of mouse smell. He tail fluffed up to twice its size in excitement and her eyes grew round. "there are so many!" She couldn't contain her joy and circled the hole chattering. "How do we get them out?" She stuck a tentative paw in and took it back out.

[muddy]

Wolfstep sat and thought for a moment, mouth watering at the thought of a family of mice "perhaps we could slam our paws down on the rocks and scare them out? Like with the vole" he proposed sniffing around the hole. "We have to get them for Finchstar..."