How NOT to fish...

[{ tessa }]

After last night's storm, the stream is overflowing. The partial flooding in some areas worries Buckthorn as he walks along the edge. The stream is too far away from camp to pose a threat to the rest of the Clan, but a lone apprentice could still slip and fall in. Also, the prey in this area would definately be affected. The damage doesn't seem to be major, but it's still something to report. Buckthorn bends down and sniffs at the water quietly. There's a small current today, just as he expected. He's seen many of these mini-floods, and he can remember last summer when the stream was worse than this.

It's a hot day, and the tabby warrior is tempted to take a swim. The water looks clean and cool, but he knows better than to get his fur wet. Buckthorn chuckles, remembering the time when he tried to learn to swim as an apprentice. His mentor had told him to leave the swimming to RiverClan, but Buckthorn set out to teach himself. It didn't go well. He'd be a happy cat if he never had to take a dip in this or any other source of water again.

He laps up a few sips of the refreshing liquid, and then looks downstream. Swimming might be out of the question, but it's never a bad idea to try some hunting. Come to think of it, Buckthorn has never actually tried fishing before. He wonders what fish even taste like. They look slimy and unappetizing, but it's never a bad idea to test out new food sources. WindClan mainly relies on rabbits, but if something ever happened to them, Buckthorn wonders what his Clan would do.

He sits down on a rock where the water is deepest. This is where he will find fish, if any. He looks down at the water and sees a blurred version of his reflection. He can just make out his shining amber eyes before water stirs and the image is broken. There are little silver fish below! Buckthorn tilts his head curiously. *Now, how do I do this?* He thinks, concentrating hard. He hesitates, and then dips one big brown paw into the cold water. Underwater, his movements are slowed, and he bats clumsily at the fish, trying to scoop it out of the water. But it's too quick, and his movements only scatter the other fish into hiding.

Buckthorn lurches forward and almost falls in, catching his balance at the last minute. He has succeeded in doing nothing but splashing himself in the face. His ears are dripping comically.

[Roxie !]

A pair of hazy blue eyes watched the tom's attempts from a nearby hillside. WindClan territory was wide and open, and there'd be no sneaking up on him. No, she'd have to make her approach quite obvious and innocent, as if she wasn't trying to hide her tresspassing. Buckthorn would have to think she came here for a reason. Of course, the BloodClan deputy had come here for a reason, but it was one that, if all went well, the tabby warrior below would never even guess at. Her mottled paws shifted anxiously, her claws pulling at the soft moorland grass. This was it; now or never. Once she stepped down into that clearing by the stream, there'd be no going back. No second-guessing what she was about to do.

Juliet flattened her ears against her head, and held back a glimmer of guilt from her gaze. Pushing all thoughts and emotions away, she forced herself to focus on the tom below. She held her breath as he nearly slipped into the depths of the stream, and then let it out in a barely audible sigh when he managed to catch his balance. But when she saw the state of him, Juliet had to hold back a purr of amusement. What was he doing? She really would never understand Clan cats. Well you'd better start, because you'll be one of them soon. An inner thought nagged at her.

At this, the she-cat sobered immediately. The hint of laughter was wiped from her expression, and she straightened up and scented the air. If another WindClan warrior was nearby, it could ruin everything. Cautiously, she dipped her head and grabbed her prey by the scruff. The rabbit she had caught earlier now dangled limply from her jaws, and she began her descent down the slope. The scruffy little thing had been infuriatingly hard to catch...Juliet couldn't remember ever running so fast in her life. How did these WindClan cats do it?

There was little time to waste pondering that. She knew she was in Buckthorn's clear view now, and she dipped her head to signal that she wasn't a threat. If only he knew. That same voice chided at her again. Juliet's eyes narrowed, but she remained silent until she was a careful two fox-lengths away from the tabby tom. Dropping the rabbit gently on the ground, she looked up to greet the warrior. A faint smirk crossed her features when she noticed the droplets of water dripping from the tips of his ears, but she didn't mention it. She knew she had to get straight to the point--no doubt he'd be wondering what she was doing on his territory...again.

"Hello, Buckthorn." The deputy greeted calmly, her tail swishing lazily behind her. Her expression was blank, except for a guarded friendliness that she had forced herself to show. If she buddied up to him too quickly, he'd become suspicious. "I'm sorry for coming here...again. But, I believe I owe you a rabbit." She nudged the creature's body towards Buckthorn with one paw, her gaze dropping to it for a moment before lifting to survey him again. Juliet fidgeted anxiously; even with her objective clearly in mind, it still felt odd to intrude on Clan territory and intentionally reveal herself. Frowning slightly, she looked away out over the stream. "...It just...would have bothered me if I hadn't made up for..." She trailed off aimlessly, glancing back at the tom out of the corner of her eye. She was lying again. And if she was going to follow Clockwerk's plot, this would only be the first of a tangled web of lies soon to come.

[{ tessa }]

Buckthorn is still facing the water when he hears footsteps approaching. He looks up in surprise without even scenting the air, assuming that it is a WindClan cat. But who sees is the last cat he expects. After the other day, he thought he would never see Juliet again. The sensible part of him is instantly suspicious, but there is also an unexplanable part of him that is relieved to see her. For some reason hearing what she said yesterday has got it into his head that she is in some kind of danger. But Buckthorn knows that's ridiculous. BloodClan wouldn't hurt their own deputy, would they?

*She IS their deputy.* He thinks with a jolt. Sometimes he needs to remind himself that he can't trust her. But Juliet confuses him. Why does he seem fated to run into her everywhere? Buckthorn takes a step towards her, and then he sees the rabbit hanging from her jaws. If Buckthorn didn't know better, he would think she was stealing prey again. But she's looks far too purposeful as she walks towards him. She wouldn't be stupid enough not to see him by now. Buckthorn doesn't move or say anything until she gets closer. He watches her drop the rabbit and greet him, but he doesn't answer. He can't do anything but stare at her, bemused.

What she says next confuses him even more. Juliet is impossible to figure out. One minute she's frosty and closed off, and the next she's being sweet. One minute she's telling him that she isn't sorry she lied to him, and the next she's telling him that she doesn't want him to get hurt. Buckthorn looks down at the rabbit she offers him, and then back at her. He looks at her closely, trying to spot some kind of trick. But she looks completely sincere. In fact, Juliet looks almost friendly. Maybe she really is trying to make peace with him. Buckthorn sniffs at the offer warily.

"Thank you," He says carefully, but he can't stop himself from smiling a little. This definately isn't typical BloodClan cat behavior. What's up with this she-cat? "You know, you didn't really owe me anything. I'm sorry if I upset you yesterday." Juliet did leave in quite a hurry the last time he saw her. Buckthorn looks at her curiously, but doesn't ask her why. She probably shouldn't stay here very long, even though they're near the border. But he just wants to make sure she's okay, and that no one spotted them talking yesterday.

[Roxie !]

He thanked her? He shouldn't be thanking her. If he knew the truth, he certainly wouldn't be. Part of Juliet's mind was screaming at the warrior to see through her lies and get away, as far away from her as possible, and to keep his Clan and his sister safe. But that was foolish; and she knew very well it couldn't happen. She just needed to get this over with. When BloodClan was finished and her own sister's family was safe, Juliet wouldn't have to give this encounter a second thought ever again. That was the way it had to be.

Through her thought, she forced a returning smile that felt almost grim. Juliet turned back to Buckthorn and inclined her head slightly, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible. Still, what he had said was bothering her. She had been furious with herself for displaying too much emotion in front of the tom, and clearly he had picked up on them. She unsheathed her claws and then sheathed them again, repeating this action several times. It was a habit Juliet had whenever she was deep in thought, a way of almost relaxing herself. Her smile wavered slightly. "That's alright. I mean, I wasn't...upset." She assured him quickly, although her stiff tone suggested otherwise. Her eyes lowered as she cursed herself sharply. It was far past time to change the subject.

In the uncomfortable silence that followed, the deputy was slightly distracted by the sound of the water hitting the ground. It was still dripping off of Buckthorn slightly, and the noise was almost rhythmic in the quiet of the moors. Juliet looked up, her eyes narrowed slightly as she surveyed him. "Are you alright?" She asked slowly, tilting her head slightly to the side. "You look like you took a bit of a...um. Swim." For once, she couldn't hold back the note of amusement that edged her voice as she peered closely at the WindClan warrior. Hopefully, her question would lighten the tense mood between them, and get Buckthorn to relax. Each little step would bring him toward trusting her a bit more. She had to be patient.

While waiting for his answer, Juliet took another quick glance at the scenery around them. She needed to find something, anything, that she could use to her advantage. The stream seemed to suggest the ideal place for an 'accident'. There was current today, which would be enough to pull her away should she...fall in. The rocks that lined the water, especially, looked dangerously slippery. Perhaps this was the ideal place to do this after all. But how could she believably get close enough to the stream to execute her little stunt? Juliet eyed it darkly, before switching her gaze back to Buckthorn. She couldn't make herself too obvious, and staring would do just that. He couldn't suspect anything.

Truth be told, she was hesitant to go through with this part of the plan, and not just because of moral reasons. Juliet had always been naturally afraid of water. Luckily, there wasn't much of it in BloodClan's territory, which was the one good thing about the place. But now...she would just have to trust Clockwerk's assurance that she wouldn't get hurt. Trust one of the most evil cats ever to have walked this forest? She had to suppress a snort. Yes, Juliet was off to a great start.

[{ tessa }]

Buckthorn looks surprised. For a minute, he wonders what Juliet is talking about. Then he looks himself up and down and becomes more concious. His paws and his face are still damp from his near fall in the water. He shakes a few drops of water off of his whiskers and laughs softly. The she-cat's observation amuses him, as well as he state he's in. She seems as if she's trying very hard not to openly laugh at him, and while Buckthorn appreciates this, he can't imagine that he doesn't look funny. He shrugs and smiles. Without even noticing it, he has let himself relax around Juliet. Buckthorn is being drawn in to conversation with her, despite the fact that he knows she shouldn't be here.

"Well, actually, I was trying to fish." He says, a little embarrassed to admit it. It is very clear that his attempt failed. *RiverClan must have webbed feet.* He thinks, shaking his head. Buckthorn realizes that he does not know much about BloodClan's territory, and he wonders what type of prey they normally rely on. Has Juliet ever fished before? If she has, then she has all the more reason to laugh at him now. But Buckthorn wouldn't mind if she did, for he's taking this all in good fun.

"I think I'll stick to rabbits from now on." He jokes, smiling. Then Buckthorn notices that Juliet's attention has been pulled away. She's looking out over the stream, almost like she's evaluating it. He follows her gaze, confused. Has she seen something? The water's surface is just as smooth and clear as ever, and he can't spot any movement. Buckthorn shrugs and decides that Juliet is probably just wondering how he managed to get himself splashed so badly.

He shakes his head as he thinks of this. He's definately going to try to stick to land from now on. WindClan cats just aren't meant to fish. He enjoys running much more than swimming anyway.

[Roxie !]

Her mind had wandered towards the nature of the task at hand, but before she could drift too far away, Buckthorn's voice pulled her back. The pale tabby jumped to attention, her ears pricked forward in surprise. Had she misheard what the WindClan tom had just said? Juliet was certain she must have. Fishing? That's what he was doing? She questioned, a bit thrown by this revelation. In all honesty, upon observing Buckthorn's swiping and thrashing at the water, she'd assumed that he'd been splashing around to try and cool off. She'd never heard of a cat purposefully getting wet before, but it wouldn't have been the first time she'd been perplexed by Clan-cat behavior.

But...fishing? "You were..." She repeated aloud, nearly choking in her attempt to keep back the laugh that was fighting to get out. Once the deputy had composed herself, she managed to finish her sentence. "...fishing." It wasn't a question. Just an incredulous, half-amused restatement. Juliet cast a glance at the steam once again, but could see no fish of any kind below the water's sparkling surface. Apparantly the warrior's 'attempts' had scared most of them away.

There was a moment of silence as Juliet put all of this together in her mind, still a bit disbelieving. She stared from the water's edge, and then back to Buckthorn again, her eyes gleaming with a new kind of light. Her growing amusement was beginning to shine through the icy depths of her gaze, and after a moment, she resigned from fighting it. And then, breaking the quiet that her pondering had brought about, the BloodClan deputy laughed. It was a soft, clear laugh mingled with a purr--more of a giggle, really. But it was still laughter, and laughing was something that Juliet hadn't done in a long while. The sensation felt foreign and it took her by surprise, as if she'd almost forgotten how to really laugh. But it was so pleasant that she almost managed to forget the grim task that had brought her here.

Her whiskers twitching, she met Buckthorn's gaze again. "O-oh. Well..." She fumbled quickly for something to say, fighting to regain control of herself once more. The last thing she needed was to offend the tom by laughing at his efforts. Clearing her throat, she tried to rearrange her expression into one that she hoped seemed serious enough. "I'm sorry. I've just...never heard of anyone fishing like that before. You know, with their...face." A shadow of a smile crossed her lips once again, but this time she managed to hold it back.

The she-cat glanced around the bank, but other than the rabbit she had just brought, she could see no prey of any kind in sight. It appeared that Buckthorn's attempts had been unsuccessful. Somehow, she wasn't quite surprised.

[{ tessa }]

Buckthorn watches Juliet's reaction, and he can tell that she is trying her best not to laugh. He finds this funny and a bit cute that she's struggling so hard, but all he's ever seen is the deputy of BloodClan being completely serious. He wants to provoke her lighter side into coming out. So he keeps his face completely serious to try and amuse her further, as if he has no clue in the world what could possibly be wrong with the way he just tried to fish. It isn't long before Juliet is laughing openly. It's the first time that Buckthorn has ever heard her do so. Her laughter is very contagious, and he can't stop himself from grinning even though he knows she's laughing at him.

Buckthorn watches her quickly try to apologize; he almost laughs again at her comment. Clearly Juliet is trying to be nice, but she can't stop herself from teasing him. He decides to play along. Buckthorn shrugs, still smiling at her. "It's a rare gift." He jokes. Buckthorn too has almost forgotten his responsibilities. He really shouldn't be here chatting with a cat who isn't from his Clan. But it seems like whenever Juliet is involved, he forgets a lot of his responsibilities. He also forgets that he isn't supposed to trust her.

His grin changes to a smirk as a sudden idea hits him. He wonders if Juliet would be able to resist a challenge. "But since you seem to know so much about it, maybe you'd like to show me how it's done?" Buckthorn suggests innocently. He nods at the stream, inviting her playfully to try. But his tone of voice is skeptical. He's never seen any cat outside of the ones from RiverClan actually be able to catch a fish before.

The sun reflects in Buckthorn's amber eyes, showing his unusual mood of mischieviousness. Right now, he almost feels like an apprentice again.

[Roxie !]

The deputy's eyes flashed at the challenge. She surveyed the WindClan tom with an expression of slight surprise, as well as a good amount of curiousity. She supposed it should have been easy to see such a statement coming, if she hadn't been so distracted. Furious with herself, Juliet nearly scowled. She'd lost her focus, and a mistake like that could cost her everything. She couldn't forget why she was here, even for a second. Perhaps Buckthorn's dare was the ideal opportunity to regain her footing here. It would certainly get her closer to the stream...and since it had been his suggestion, he wouldn't suspect her of anything. She could do this. She had to.

Even if the grey-brown tabby hadn't been obligated by her secret task, she doubted that she'd be able to refuse Buckthorn's challenge anyway. The mischievious glint in his amber stare had provoked a slight recklessness within her that she wasn't quite familiar with. Juliet had always been a level-headed, down-to-earth individual, and she was rather taken aback at her determination to prove herself to the warrior. But this isn't about proving anything. She reminded herself firmly. You're just supposed to be playing the part.

So, she turned to water, and forced a purr of amusement that she almost choked on at the thought of having to actually get in that stream. But Juliet shrugged, and cast a wily glance Buckthorn over her shoulder. "Well, I'm not sure I could beat your performance." She smiled slightly, "But it wouldn't hurt to try."

Trying to appear confident, the BloodClan deputy padded over to the water's edge, and stepped up onto the rock. It felt cold and smooth beneath her paws, but also very wet from where the water had lapped up at it. It wouldn't be very hard to slip on this, and it wouldn't take a very obvious effort to do so. Juliet edged closer to the surface and peered into the crystal clear tide. Truth be told, she'd very rarely ever fished before in her life. She had a vague memory of doing so when she was younger, wandering away from the barn she'd once lived in to find little creeks. But she'd never exactly been good at it, though she was trying to appear so now. It didn't matter, anyway. She wasn't intending to actually catch anything.

Keeping as still as possible, she watched the water with dedicated concentration. She was leaning forward, putting all her weight into her two front paws. It was a move that would have been very unwise in any other situation, but considering what she was trying to do now, it was a subtle way of positioning herself. At length, a small trout flashed in the sunlight, nosing its way through the water and upstream towards her. Juliet's eyes never left the creature. She waited until it was directly below her position, which would have been an ideal moment to strike. But the she-cat hesitated for a fraction of a second, allowing her prey to move swim slightly ahead of her, and then she lunged a paw at the fish, pushing her weight forward at the exact same moment.

As she reached out towards it, her claws flashed against its slippery side, but the fish had already gone too far. As a result, her momentum sent her hurtling into the water. Juliet gave an abrupt "mrrow!", and then with a splash, she had plunged under the surface. Luckily, the water was even deeper than it looked here. She opened her eyes to see a foggy haze of vision before her, and then she propelled herself to the top of the water.

With a gasp of air, she broke through the surface. The current had a surprisingly sharp pull, though admittedly she wasn't exactly fighting it too hard. Even so, the tabby put on quite a show of splashing and paddling with her paws, as if trying desperately to make for the bank--until...

Crash!

Her whole body was suddenly slammed up against a stone. A painful spasm shivered down her spine, and through the shock of it, Juliet vaguely realized that it hadn't quite come on fast enough to render her unconcious. Even so, stars burst in front of her eyes, and her head was throbbing. Was she bleeding? She couldn't tell because of the water. But Juliet knew what she had to do now. Allowing her eyes to flutter close, she went completely limp. She forced herself to fight her instincts, which were screaming at her to struggle against the water's current. But she did nothing as the water carried her further. Hopefully, Buckthorn was in a heroic mood. She didn't know how much longer she could take this.

[{ tessa }]

Buckthorn watches, purring with amusement, as Juliet accepts. She steps up onto the rock and leans over the edge, waiting for a fish to come. He observes her quietly, not wanting to move or make a noise that could ruin her chances. He has to admit, he admires her concentration. She seems to be focused on nothing but catching the fish. Buckthorn looks to the water, and then to the she-cat again, and then he notices something. Because of her position, if she moved the wrong way she could go flying into the stream. Also, it wouldn't be hard to slip on the rocks. Buckthorn begins to become nervous, because Juliet doesn't seem to see it.

Just when she sees a fish and dives for it, Buckthorn sees what is about to happen a minute before it does. He calls out a warning. "Watch out!" But it is too late to go back, even if she does hear him. Buckthorn's call turns into a yowl of alarm. He watches in shock as Juliet plunges into the water. The tom runs to the edge, holding his breath as he waits for her to swim to the surface.

And then she breaks through the water, gasping for air. Buckthorn sighs, relieved. But then he remembers that because of the flooding, the stream is deeper and stronger today. Since Juliet was taken by surprise when she was thrown in, she may not have a chance to fight it. Sure enough, she is getting pushed further and further down the stream. Buckthorn's golden eyes go wide. "Juliet! Hold on!" He raises his voice in his panic, and starts racing down the stream as fast as his paws will carry him. Buckthorn feels helpless. What can he do? He's made to run, not swim! He doesn't even know how to swim! If he goes in after her, they'll probably both be in trouble.

But then Juliet is thrown up against a rock! Buckthorn lets out another yowl. She has stopped struggling. That means she has been knocked out, or worse...no. He will not think about that. He can't let another cat die when he could have prevened it. Just when Buckthorn thinks he has no choice but to go in after her, he notices something. The water gets shallower up ahead! Shallow enough for him to walk through. Buckthorn races furiously and splashes into the water. It's almost up to his neck, but he doesn't let that stop him. He wades out to the middle of the stream just in time to meet Juliet. He springs through the water and grabs her by her scruff, and then pulls her towards the shore.

Buckthorn finally drags her onto dry land, and once she is safe he stops to see the damage. Her eyes her closed. And her head...she is bleeding! "Juliet! Can you hear me? Please wake up!" Buckthorn tells her. This is all his fault! He looks around, but no one is around to help them. He begins to nudge her, and press down where he estimates her lungs should be. Maybe if he can just get some of the water out.....

[Roxie !]

It was a very subtle struggle to keep her nose above the water so that she could be allowed to breathe. At one point, however, the current tossed her so that it would be nearly impossible to keep her muzzle in the air without looking obvious. She could hear Buckthorn's cries as he ran to keep up with her on the shore. They sounded strangely distant over the rushing of the water in her ears, but Juliet had no other choice but to hope he'd jump in after her soon. Grimacing slightly, she held her breath.

Luckily, it wasn't long before she felt teeth meet the scruff of her neck. Though a bit indignant at being pulled along like a kit, the deputy forced herself to go limp as she was rescued. She couldn't allow herself to move even a muscle, and was quite relieved when they reached the banks of the stream once again. That...had not been fun. But if she were to be successful, Juliet supposed that this wouldn't be the worst of what she had to do. Her eyes remained tightly closed as she was suddenly dropped. Now all she could do was wait.

She tried to make her breathing as shallow as possible as she laid there motionlessly. She tried to concentrate on Buckthorn's voice, and found that it was laced with concern. The fact surprised her a bit, and it left her slightly confused. Why did he care so much? Clan cats really were too compassionate for their own good. Juliet had to suppress a sigh as an unpleasant twinge of something she couldn't describe pricked her. Couldn't he at least see that she didn't deserve the panic he was displaying over her unconcious state?

The tabby she-cat forced herself to lie there for what seemed like forever. She didn't really have a sense of the time she spent--ten minutes? An hour? All she knew was that she couldn't immediately jerk awake. She'd taken a head injury, and she had to at least make this convincing. Juliet hardly dared to breathe as the warrior nudged at her, trying no doubt to get the water out of her lungs. When she could take it no longer, she finally allowed her eyes to flicker open again.

Letting out a choked gasp, moved her forelegs, as if she were struggling to stand up. Then, as if pulled down by the weakness of her injury, she collapsed once again and lay completely still. Her eyes remained open, but her vision seemed a bit hazy as she gazed directly ahead of her. That blow to the head was making her a bit dizzy. But she said nothing, merely staring at the water's edge as if she wasn't even aware of Buckthorn's presence. She'd wait for him to speak first--perhaps he'd assume that she couldn't manage it yet.

[{ tessa }]

Buckthorn watches her anxiously. So far, she has not shown any signs of movement. He can barely see her side rising and falling as she breathes. Buckthorn's blood runs cold. If Juliet dies, then it will be all his fault. He's the one that dared her into fishing, and after that he had not jumped in to save her in time. He will never forgive himself if another cat dies because of him. Especially one that he cares about. Buckthorn never thought about it before, but he knows that he does somehow care about Juliet, even though he barely knows her. Otherwise why would he be so worried now?

Suddenly Juliet sitrs, calling his attention back to her face. Her eyes are open now, and she tries to sit up, but she can't. Buckthorn steps closer, trying to support her. "It's OK. Don't move." He tells her softly. He looks her over and tries to assess the damage. She still seems very weak.

"Are you alright? How much does it hurt?" Buckthorn says, trying to calm her down. All the while, he is trying to decide what to do. If Juliet is seriously hurt, then she will need help. But where will he find help? ShadowClan is the only Clan in the forest who has a medicine cat. And why would Mottledface want to help a cat from BloodClan? Besides, ShadowClan camp is a long way from her, and Buckthorn doesn't want to risk leaving Juliet alone right now.

He crouches down beside her and tries to meet her eyes. He hopes that she's fit enough to answer him. At least she has woken up...at least she is alive.

[Roxie !]

Her breathing was still shaky even moments later when Buckthorn spoke to her. The she-cat simply laid there, staring directly ahead, her expression distant. Upon hearing the warrior's voice, however, her ears flicked towards him--a subtle sign that she was indeed listening to him. Juliet was sure to keep her movements consistantly weak and clumsy as she turned to face him, her blue eyes wide with what was portrayed as shock. Immediately, she scrambled away from him...or tried to, at least. The strength was slowly returning to her limbs, but she knew she couldn't show too much of it.

The BloodClan deputy cast a glare at the tabby tom, her eyes brimming with mistrust. For a long moment, she continued staring at him in that same bewildered fashion, as if she'd never seen Buckthorn before in her life. In fact, that was exactly how she wanted to appear. Then, suddenly, Juliet let out a strangled sneeze that soon turned into a fit of coughing. It was as if this brought her attention to her current state. She looked around wildly, her gaze flashing past the moorland beyond to fix on the stream beside them. The she-cat stared at it for a long moment, apparantly horrified. Then, slowly, she returned her gaze to Buckthorn.

When she spoke, it wasn't to answer any of his questions. Her voice shook slightly, little more than a whisper as she voiced her own inquiry. "What happened?" These two words would begin her task. Juliet kept her expression carefully void of anything other than confusion, bewilderment, and fear. It felt quite strange. For as long as she could remember, she had been fighting to keep all of these things hidden. They betrayed vunerability. But now, she was trying to convince someone else that she felt them. And she knew very well that this was only the start. Her whole world was about to get turned upsidedown.

She shivered slightly at the thought, but didn't bother hiding this--it would just add to the distraught picture she was building up. Juliet met Buckthorn's gaze warily, as if she were sizing him up as a potential threat. It wasn't really that hard. All she had to do was tap into the sense of lost emptiness she felt so naturally, and let it shine through into her eyes. The hard part was ignoring the evident concern that haunted Buckthorn's own amber eyes. Forcing herself to do so, she spoke again. "Who are you?"

She had to mean it, she had to force every ounce of cold confusion she had into her tone. Looking from Buckthorn to the stream, and then back again, Juliet narrowed her eyes. "Did you...?" Whether she was about to ask him if he'd saved her, or tried to drown her, remained unclear. It was as if she couldn't get the rest of the words out. Her claws gripped the ground weakly, and she opened her mouth as if to say more...but no words would come.