I Gotz a Cute Stuffed Puppy!!

[le Dawnz]

OOC// Okay, totally random title. But I was looking for a good title and couldn't think of one so I looked down and saw my stuffed dog that I got for Valentines Day and was I Gotz a Cute Stuffed Puppy!! Squeee! Hey! You know what's even kewler than a stuffed puppy for Valentines Day? A REAL puppy! Which we ALSO got!! Squeeee (again)! We got a little 2-month old Westie puppy and she is the cutest (and most annoying) little thing! We named her Sophie. ^.^ Anyway, back to de posteh. This is a post with Dusty, reserved to Sandy & Gorsey. They ish gonna find him and tell him that Windy died. -says in Phoebe like voice- Very very bad news. Anyway, should be fun to roleplay! He's all depressed cause he lost his mama, his brotha, two sisters, one of his daughters AND the one cat that he thought he loved. Now his daddy's gone. -gasps- I just realized something!! -curses self- He needs to go be all happy about his daughter's apprentice cerimony!! -hurries off, then hits reverse button- Buuuuut I should probably finish this thread first. Okie den!

IC//

The sound of Dustpelt’s heartbeat could have woken the whole forest. At least in his mind. What little prey he might find out here would probably hear it and flee. He closed his ears to the sound. It was too noisy, too busy in camp. He'd come out hunting, hoping for some peace and quiet, but so far all he'd found was quiet. Too much quiet, and no peace. The tom let out a deep, audible sigh and let his shoulders slump. What was he doing anyway? He wasn't going to find any prey anyway. Not in the middle of leaf-bare. Besides, his heart just wasn't in to it.

His belly wailed in disagreement. The tom couldn't go back empty handed and still share from the freshkill pile. It was hunt or starve until tomorrow. With a heavy heart, he continued on. Perhaps he could find a water vole or two at the creek, or some mice among the roots of trees nearby. He pricked his ears hopefully, drinking in the stale scent of prey. But beneath it, he just barely detected the scent of a thrush. What sort of bird would be out and about in the middle of the coldest season of the year? A stupid one. he answered himself. It would probably be an easy catch.

Crouching low to the ground, he shifted downwind of the thrush and prowled slowly toward it. When he was close enough, he looked for the perfect moment to strike. The bird was pecking at the snow, digging for food the tom supposed. It's feathered back was turned toward him. He hesitated too long. The bird suddenly realized he had company and lifted it's brown wings for take off. Dustfall pounced on it just in time to finish it off with a swift bite.

The piece of kill was hardly big enough to feed a kit, and it was stringy and thin. But it was better than nothing. He picked up his prey and trotted along the bank of the stream until he spotted a solitary mouse. It was collecting seeds near it's burrow at the base of a tree. It scrabbled back and forth quickly, it's little feet barely making pawprints in the snow. Setting his earlier catch aside and burying it, he shifted his weight into his haunches and crawled forward. When he was less than a fox-length away, the mouse looked up and saw his dusty pelt. Dustfall leapt, but he was too late. The mouse darted back into it's den, abandoning it's store of food.

Cursing under his breath, Dustfall reluctantly padded back to the dead thrush and dug it out of the snow. He knew that the mouse had already been too close to it's den for him to have had much of a chance to kill it, but he still stung with bitter disappointment. That's all he's felt lately. Bitter, and disappointed. He felt remorse for all he'd lost, and was slowly retreating inside himself. He longed for his mother's company, to see his brother's smiling face again, and more than anything, his sister's friendship. He'd lost his mother, his brother, his two younger sisters, he'd lost Cheetahpelt, in more than one way. And then he lost Amberpaw! No cat could know how painful it had been to have been told that his precious kit had died. The only things he had to live for anymore, the things he was most grateful for, was his sister, his father, his last kit, and his clan.

He didn't realize that was about to change.

[Roxie !]

OOC//Okay, so I can't reply right now, but OMG!! Westies are ADORABLE. And do you know what? Thats the kind of dog Ticket, Tessa's dog, is. We've always joked about how she and Odie secretly in love with each other, and now...I sense a love triangle. xDDDD Anyway, thats awesome!

[le Dawnz]

OOC// xDD!! But I thought she was the one who betch-slapped Odie! -thinks- You know what? It's kinda weird how they always call it a love triangle cause in real life it makes like... a line. Unless of course one of them is gay, like Bruiser!. Lmao. Like Sophie loves Odie, Odie loves Ticket, and Ticket loves Sophie... but that'd bee a lil weird. xD

[Roxie !]

Sandstorm's spotted pelt stood out against the snow, anything but subtle. Along with the cold weather, sickness, and loss of prey, she had yet another reason to curse Leaf-Bare. In Green-Leaf, her pelt was perfect for slipping through the brambles of the undergrowth, but now her fur pricked uncomfortabley. She wasn't hunting now, but she still didn't like drawing more attention to herself than was nessecary. The tip of her tail twitched, and she raised her head to the cold, dry air. The she-cat's jaws parted slightly as she took in the scents of the forest around her. Along with vague scents of prey and ShadowClan patrols that had passed through the area, she could make out her brother's distinct scent. It was still fresh--he had come this way. Lowering her head, Sandstorm padded a bit further, until the creek came into view.

The clearing was empty, almost uncomfortably so. The warrior's ear twitched as she turned, scanning the clearing for her brother's familiar tabby pelt. Sandstorm had paused only a moment or two before she spotted him, retrieving a thrush he'd probably caught earlier. She turned back to throw a glance over her shoulder in search of Gorsetail, the tom who had offered to accompany her in her search for Dustfall. Sandstorm hesitated for a moment, searching for re-assurance. This was going to be the hardest thing she'd ever done. Dustfall had already lost so much, they both had, but Dustfall had been the one to lose his mate, and Amberpaw's recent death had effected him much worse than it had her. Was every cat that grew close to them destined to die? Sometimes living was more painful than death, she thought bitterly.

It wasn't so much Dustfall's reaction that worried her...it was the idea of not getting one. Of course, he'd be devastated at first, but lately...he seemed to be pushing everything inside of him. If her brother continued to hide his pain like this, it would build up inside of him--and that could be dangerous. How was she expected to cause Dustfall more pain than he'd already been put through? Why did Windsong have to die? Her feelings of abandonment and sadness increasing, Sandstorm continued to pad forward, her green eyes fixed on the ground as if she was afraid of raising them. She was, actually. She didn't think she could bear to see her brother's expression change as she told him the news. But what else could she do? Keep it from him? Yes, that would go over well. A shiver ran through Sandstorm's spine. Sometimes she wondered if being a warrior of StarClan would make her happier than remaining in ShadowClan now. But no--Dustfall would need her, her Clan would need her...right now, she'd just have to deal with whatever fate threw at them.

Slowly, Sandstorm padded to the tabby tom's side, still avoiding his eyes. She suddenly seemed to become quite interested in the icy crystals that made up the snow at her feet, because she wouldn't take her eyes off them. She was beginning to feel light-headed; not that fainting would be unwelcome at the moment. Struggling to keep from swaying, Sandstorm slowly looked up at Dustfall. Every movement she made was painful, and it was only by force that she opened her mouth to speak. Or at least, she tried to. But the effort was in vain; and she was left to gape for a moment in search of the words that wouldn't come.

Why did StarClan do this to them? Was it just a source of entertainment, making them suffer like they did? She bitterly supposed that they had nothing better to do, lurking around up there and watching. Windsong was supposed to be watching over her, but he felt even further away than when he'd resided with WindClan. StarClan's silence made her want to yowl to them, demanding an explanation.

Swallowing, Sandstorm tried again. "Dustfall," She murmured. "We...we...need to talk."

[le Dawnz]

The babbling of the creek soothed Dustfall's nerves as he retrieved the thrush from where he'd buried it in the snow. But he paused a moment. Wait... he thought. The creek. It wasn't frozen! That meant the thaw was coming! Relief flooded through the tom at knowing that leaf-bare was almost over. Leaf-bare had never been Dustfall's favorite of the four seasons. Aside from the dreariness of the it and lack of prey, it always seemed the to last the longest, even though it only lasted as long as the other 3 seasons. The warrior had a fairly thin pelt as well. It grew thicker this time of year, but it was still awfully cold for the tom. And because of it's dusty brown appearance, it made hunting harder than for those few cats with white fur. It gave him an awkward, exposed feeling. The ShadowClanner knew that his sister felt the same way.

Something tugged his heart at the thought of Sandstorm. At one time, the two siblings had been abnormally close. He couldn't help but smile as he remembered their childish nicknames for one another, made up when they'd been mere apprentices. After they'd been made warriors, they had still been fairly close. But it wasn't long after their mother, Coyotesong, had died that the pair began to drift apart. It was apparent to everyone that a rift had formed between them. They grew impatient with each other, constantly fighting over the stupidest little things. Until then, the only creature in the forest the tom had felt even remotely close to besides his family was Twilightmoon, the wolf warrior. But now he was gone too. Disappeared to places unknown. Was he really destined to be alone?

At that point, Dustfall had fallen to the concern of his denmate, Cheetahpelt. After a while, the two had believed they were in love. Look how well that turned out! It sickened him to think that the she-cat hadn't cared even one bit about their litter of kits. They may not have worked out, but the pair had ended up pretty good friends in the end. He had a feeling that Cheetahpelt wouldn't have even cared when Amberpaw had died had she still been alive herself. Despite everything else, Copperpaw and Amberpaw had been his world. He was lucky to still have Copperpaw, but for how long? How long until StarClan took her away too? He didn't know what he would do if he lost her. Or if he lost his sister, or his father, Windsong.

Reminded again of how little he had left, his good mood was sent spiraling downward. He picked his piece of fresh-kill from the snow and started back toward camp. The least he could do was drop off his prey for an elder or a queen. If the pile was decent sized, he'd take something small for himself, then continue hunting. That is, only if he wasn't recruited for a patrol first. He was debating whether or not that would be a good thing when he felt a prickly sensation creep up his spine, bristling his fur. The sound of pawsteps coming toward him from behind alerted him to the newcomer. Luckily, he could smell the distinct scent of one of his clan mates. Flattening his neck fur, he turned his head over his shoulder to see Sandstorm's familiar form join him.

Halting, he set down his prey and sat down, looking inquizatively at the she-cat. Perhaps she had scented him and decided to join his hunting patrol. But then why did she look so upset? "Hey, Sandstorm. What's up?" he said, trying to sound as normal as possible. She avoided his eyes, and swayed slightly. She didn't look far from fainting. It made him wonder if perhaps she was sick. Had she caught greencough? Was it possible so late in the season? The she-cat looked over her shoulder and Dustfall noticed the other tom for the first time. He searched his memory for a name to match with the warrior's familiar face. Gorsetail, wasn't it? The tabby bounded into the clearing before slowing to a trot and stopping beside Dustfall's littermate.

He nodded at her, as if encouraging her, or reassuring her. The tom couldn't help but notice how close they were standing, but neither one of them seemed to notice it. After a moment, Sandstorm turned back to him and gazed at him with round, green eyes. "Dustfall, we... we... need to talk." she said quietly. Oh no... he thought to himself. "Okay..." he replied wearily. "What's the matter?"

[le Dawnz]

BUMP.

[Roxie !]

OOC//Grr, you know what, my computer deleted that old post, and I'm not going to delay posting any longer, so here it is, horrible or not.

When Dustfall greeted her so casually, it sent a shiver up her spine and made her dread the approaching conversation even more. Somehow, it seemed as if by being the bearer of the devastating news, it was Sandstorm who would bring her brother's world crashing down, though she knew that Windsong's death was no fault of her own. Even so, it seemed as if every bone in her body had been frozen, including her jaw as she stood stiffly and silently. Sandstorm's eyes still did not meet Dustfall's, but instead gazed out over the creek with an almost unseeing expression. The water and trees and snow all seemed to blend together, and it made her dizzy. The she-cat's eyes narrowed, and she glanced quickly at Gorsetail, who was standing beside her. The sight of the tom seemed to calm her a bit if nothing else: at least she didn't have to do this alone.

The tip of her tail twitched uncomfortably as she forced herself to look at her brother. Sandstorm tried to fight the sadness that lurked behind her green eyes, but it was no use. If Dustfall was confused by it, he'd learn soon enough anyway. She just had to...come out and say it. The more she delayed it, the worse it would be. Again, she fought the urge to turn away. Watching her brother's expression as she told him what had happened would only make things even more painful. Be brave, She told herself firmly. Dustfall needs to know this. Better to hear it from me than from someone else. And so, unwilling to allow the awkward silence to linger any longer, Sandstorm opened her mouth to speak.

"I...I'm sorry, Dustfall..." She began, unsure of what she was even going to say. The words just seemed to stumble out clumsily, but then again, perhaps it would be better not to think about them too much anyway. The main thing here was to be gentle. She could do that, couldn't she? The usually sharp-tongued she-cat doubted that she'd have the energy to spit out a sarcastic remark right now anyway. "It's Dad." Sandstorm's voice broke slightly as she spoke. Right now, she doubted that she even had the strength to go on, but she couldn't just leave her brother hanging after she'd said something like that. StarClan, she was horrible at this. "He...he's dead."

Great. Well, that had sounded completely blunt and horrible and...Sandstorm opened her mouth to add something, anything, as her mind raced and her thoughts became incoherent. But all that resulted was a soft choke before she bowed her head, utterly defeated by the experience. Sandstorm's appearance now seemed utterly lifeless; her head down and her tail drooping, claws gripping the ground tightly.

[le Dawnz]

She had something to say. Something important. That much was obvious. But everytime she looked like she was going to come out and say it, something held her back. Dustfall watch her curiously now. What could possibly put his swift-tongued sister in such a bind? There was something seriously wrong, and Sandstorm appeared to be too afraid to tell him. Could it have anything to do with his distant attitude lately? He admitted, he'd been feeling awfully depressed lately, and he was aware that it showed. What he hadn't known was that his sister had taken so much notice to it. "Go on. I'm listening." he encouraged her, taking a step forward and trying to meet her troubled eyes.

The spotted she-cat was quiet for a few moments longer, making every other noise sound way too loud for his liking. He could hear even the tiniest scampering of a mouse digging among the leafs at the base of a tree nearby. She glanced at Gorsetail beside her, then looked up and met his gaze, guilt and regret brimming her eyes with tears, the usual sparkle gone and replaced with a sad gleam. She studied him for a while before opening her mouth to say, "I... I'm so sorry, Dustfall..."

He knew what was coming next. Somehow, he knew just what was coming next. Someone was dead. No. Not just someone. "It's Dad." The tabby blinked slowly, tucked his chin to his chest, and waited for what was coming next. "He... he's dead." He closed his eyes and inhaled loudly, slowly. Sandstorm looked like she wanted to say something else. Something to comfort him maybe, but nothing came out. She finally couldn't take it anymore. She bowed her head and dug her claws into the earth.

Gorsetail (I keep almost putting Thornleaf for some reason.) brushed his pelt against the she-cat and gently nudged her shoulder. It was strange trying to comfort someone, but it seemed to come naturally at that moment. Glancing up at Dustfall, the warrior dipped his head and took a few steps back to let the siblings soothe each other. Dustfall nodded his thanks and closed the space between him and Sandstorm. However much he felt like hurling himself into the forest and running, just running away from everything, his sister needed him. "Oh Sandstorm..." he murmured, so softly that Gorsetail barely heard him. "I'm so sorry."

He licked his sister between her ears, smoothing her ruffled fur. "If... if it makes any difference... I know that he loved us both. More than anything. And he's with mom now. He's... he's happy. And I know he'd want us to be..." The tom couldn't bring himself to say happy. How could they be happy when Windsong was dead? "He wouldn't want us to... blame ourselves." He was running out of things to say. He looked to the forest floor, unsure what to do. "I..." Nothing followed. Taking a shaky breath, he pressed his shoulder against hers incase she needed support and nuzzled her. The truth was, he needed a little comforting it himself. But Sandstorm needed it more, and he needed to be there for her.

[/size]

[le Dawnz]

OOC// Okay, I know I have no right to say this considering how many threads I need to reply to, xD, but I'll say it anyway. Bump! But don't worry, I'm working on every single one of them. I have all the posts saved in word so I can work on them whenever I can.

[Roxie !]

OOC//Ooh, forgot about this thread xDDD. Sorry. This is kinda short, but I'm museless, so yeah. Oh, and the link to the scene in my siggy totally inspired me to write this xD. Random disney muse.

Sandstorm’s hazy green gaze stayed focused on the ground, unwilling or unable to look up and read her brother’s expression. She knew that somewhere in Dustfall’s eyes, whatever he did to try and hide it, she would see his pain. That pain would reflect her own. After everything else that had happened, Sandstorm wasn’t sure if she could take watching someone so close to her getting hurt on top of it. So she tried to interest herself on a loose, wet leaf that blew across the forest floor. It was crinkled and dead, probably from last leaf-fall. Trees were lucky, Sandstorm reflected. Their leaves died each year, but in the spring their life was renewed just as before. Why couldn’t life for the clan cats be that way? Why did life have to end at all? At that moment, the circle of life seemed like a load of fox-dung to Sandstorm.

She was hardly aware of Gorsetail brushing up against her, or even Dustfall padding forward to take his place. In all honesty, Sandstorm felt alone in the world. But when her brother began to speak, she was shaken from her bitter thoughts, and though her posture remained drained and defeated, her ears pricked forward to listen. Of course. It was just like Dustfall to be the strong one, the one who said all the right things. Mothpelt used to do that as well…in fact, Sandstorm had always thought that her two brothers were so much stronger than she was. That was why she tended to be so sharp tongued sometimes—she wanted to feel strong too.

She realized, now, how silly that was. Where had strength gotten anyone? Her parents, Windsong and Coyotesong, had originally been from different Clans. Their love for each other gave them the strength to hold on to each other, even when the whole world was against them. And Mothpelt, he had perhaps been the most ambitious of the three siblings. But now, all of them were dead. They hadn't had enough strength to stay here, with her, and it made her angry. Sandstorm dug her claws into the ground. StarClan, where they roamed in the heavens, seemed farther away than ever. Was her family really even watching her now?

It was then that Sandstorm realized that for the first time in her life, her faith in StarClan was dwindling. Why now, when she should have felt it the most? You know what else is stupid? A voice in her mind asked coldly. I'm standing here feeling sorry for myself, while Dustfall is brave enough to try and comfort me. Why can't I be more like him? At last, the spotted she-cat lifed her gaze to meet her brother's. She emitted a soft sigh. Right. I messed up. I can't let my emotions show now. And so she blinked several times, gritted her teeth, and tried to clear the pain from her expression.

"R-right." She said, hating her voice for shaking as she spoke. "You're right. I'm fine. It's fine." That was probably the biggest lie she'd ever told, and she became flustered and spoke faster. "So we should probably get back to camp and...and bury him--" Sandstorm almost choked, but tried to pass it off as a cough. She hated herself right then, knowing that if she hid her feelings now, she'd probably run out into the forest in the dead of night and slump, sobbing in some StarClan-forsaken hollow. And that would be pathetic. She tried to keep her mind focused on the present, however, and lifed her chin. Casting a glance at Gorsetail beside her, she abruptly pulled back from Dustfall, and padded a few tail-lengths away from the two toms. Before heading into the forest, however, she restlessly turned back and stood to wait for them. Her tail tip twitched, the only display of her distress as she stood as stil as she could.