On My Own [Riss/Open]

[.&&. Snowsong.]

Snowsong padded slowly into camp after a second or so of hesitation. Her gaze turned back to see Ashpaw padding after her into camp. They had just returned from practice fighting in the forest, and Snowsong was looking for some time alone, away from most of her hateful Clanmates.

Snowsong watched Ashpaw pad into camp for another second or so before padding over to a bush. She padded to under it, and she sat down. She then laid down onto her stomach, and she wrapped her tail around her gaze. She didn't actually want to see anyone that didn't want anything to do with her at the moment.

[♫.Starredmyst]

"Silverdust, there's days I honestly hate you."

Risingdawn had just returned from a hunting session with his sister; predictably, Silv had lost her bet with the senior warrior over who could catch more prey, and he had slipped away from her as soon as they'd reached camp. Granted, it would be fascinating to see his sister jump off the sunning rocks and try to swim while singing the stupidest song the warrior could think of, but Riss had other things on his mind.

A rogue, in the territory. The thought frightened Riss, as did the idea of keeping it a secret; much as he disliked Patchstar, he was a stickler for principle and allowing this Secret fellow to remain within Clan boundaries was the wrong thing to do. But he also kept his promises, and he'd promised Rainclaw and the others he wouldn't tell. The ginger tom sighed. He needed some time to think.

"Oh, Ri-iiiss!" That was Silverdust; the she-cat was beaming innocently a few tail-lengths away, hunting for him in the crowd of cats. Risingdawn winced and hid behind a particularly fat tom -- Silv was looking for an excuse to prolong her punishment. Quickly, he searched for a hiding place, and dove underneath a nearby bush --

Only to -- literally -- bump into Snowsong, who was already underneath.

"Oh -- I -- uh -- I'm sorry," the young warrior whispered, quickly backing away just enough that they weren't whisker-to-whisker. "Are you hiding -- uh, sitting here? I, um, can leave..."

[.&&. Snowsong.]

Snowsong was bonked on the head as a tom launched himself into the bush she was in. Her tail unwrapped from her gaze, and she straightened up slightly. "Yes...I'm hiding..." Her voice was below a whisper, and she turned her gaze back to behind her.

Snowsong then hesitated at the tom's last statement. She didn't actually know many of her Clanmates, and she didn't truly like to socialize. But she guessed it might be nice to be able to talk for a bit, like training with Ashpaw.

[♫.Starredmyst]

The other cat -- it was a she-cat, Riss realized belatedly, a white one he didn't know well -- the other cat moved her tail away from her face, and suddenly he found himself staring into a pair of piercing hazel eyes.

"Yes...I'm hiding..."

The young tom opened his mouth and closed it, suddenly at a loss for words. Never very social, he wasn't talented at speaking to other cats, and the fact that he'd just banged into the head of this fairly pretty she-cat didn't help.

"I -- oh," he managed after a moment. "Sorry. I'll leave then."

He turned back toward the rest of camp, but hesitated, cursing mentally. Silverdust was still calling his name, cheerfully, and her voice was coming closer.

"I -- uh -- my sister, I'm hiding too, I mean...would you mind if I stayed here a minute longer?" he finished lamely.

[.&&. Snowsong.]

Snowsong's ears slightly flicked as the tom was about to leave. Her ears then perked as a voice of a she-cat rang into her snow white ears. As the tom turned around and asked her if he could stay, she turned her head away halfway.

Being not very well at socializing or accepting others, she hesitated. Then, as the voice came closer, she turned back toward the tom. She then slightly nodded her head, though her gaze was facing her side halfway, trying not to make any contact with the tom's gaze.

[♫.Starredmyst]

The she-cat didn't say anything for a moment, and, anxious, Risingdawn if he'd said something wrong. Or rather, if he'd managed to offend her with his blathering idiocy. Then she turned her head away and nodded, slightly, and, relieved, he pushed himself farther under the bush, to one side so they weren't brushing pelts.

There was a long silence as Silverdust's voice came closer and closer. Risingdawn felt awkward, as though he ought to say something; but what was there to say? He probably looked like an idiot.

Finally Silverdust fell silent, right in front of the bush. Her voice was disgusted. "Fine," she called, "don't watch me jump out over the rocks. See if I care."

And he watched her silver paws march away in some relief.

Quickly, the ginger tom extracted himself halfway from the bush. "Thanks," he said quickly, "I -- um -- yeah, thanks." He half wanted to leave, but it felt rude; what else should he say?

Rather shockingly, the first thing that came to mind fell out of his mouth. "By the way, might I ask who you're hiding from?" He felt himself redden, and added hastily, "I'll send them off in another direction."

[.&&. Snowsong.]

Snowsong nodded slightly at the tom as he thanked her. Her ears then flicked as the tom asked her who she was hiding from. She turned her gaze slightly toward him, but she stopped slightly past halfway, still trying not to make gaze contact. "Well, it's from most of the Clan...I - Er - I'm not so good at socializing. Besides, I'm hiding from some that dislike me, though it feels like the world dislikes me..."

Snowsong lowered her head and rested them on her paws. She then wrapped her tail over the bottom half of her gaze. Though she was fearing making gaze contact, her gaze slightly lifted. She nearly jolted as she seemed to think this tom was handsome. She nearly opened her mouth and stutter pointless words, but she managed to keep her jaws shut.

[♫.Starredmyst]

"Well, it's from most of the Clan...I - Er - I'm not so good at socializing. Besides, I'm hiding from some that dislike me, though it feels like the world dislikes me..."

It was the first full sentence she'd spoken, and for the first time Riss realized she might not so much have been annoyed by him as uncertain what to say. He smiled, slightly.

"The world?" His voice was warm, if a little bitter. "I know the feeling. Give it a little time and you'll come to your senses."

He hesitated a moment, then drew back under the bush and sat down, wrapping his tail around his paws. "I -- don't think I caught your name. I'm Risingdawn."

[.&&. Snowsong.]

Snowsong slightly nodded at the tom's statement. She then turned her gaze to follow him for a second or so as he sat down near her. As he hinted that he wanted to know her name, she turned her gaze completely to him. Though, it was slightly not concentrated, trying to avoid full gaze contact.

Snowsong continued to rest her head on her paws, and she pulled her tails lightly higher up her gaze. About one third of her gaze was left. "I'm Snowsong.... - Er - It's - Uh - nice to meet you..." Her tail then wrapped completely over her gaze. She felt herself slightly warm up.

[♫.Starredmyst]

Snowsong had carefully been avoiding his eyes, but when he gave his name, she slipped, and he once again felt the force of her gaze. It was strange; she was so demure, but at the same time her gaze was very striking.

"I'm Snowsong.... - Er - It's - Uh - nice to meet you..."

She hid her face again, and he hesitated; it was so hard to tell whether she wanted to be alone or was just feeling shy, and a random urge to continue the conversation battled with his usual be-polite-and-withdraw tactic.

"Well," he hesitated, then passed the choice off to her. "I can hang around a little, if you want, or I'll go to the warrior den. I should be safe from Silv now."

[.&&. Snowsong.]

A sudden urge to want to keep Risingdawn near her jolted into Snowsong's heart. She pulled her tail a few inches off her gaze, showing the higher half of it. Her gaze then turned to the side once again, trying desperately to avoid Risingdawn's. She didn't know why, but she didn't want to do what she had learned through experience and pain.

"Well...." Snowsong hesitated, not sure of what her answer should be. "You could stay here...That is, if you don't mind me..." She couldn't help but struggle to keep herself from stuttering. This tom seemed to have gotten closer to her soft spot than any cat had ever even discovered. She herself didn't expect for her soft spot to be close to being reached ever again.

[♫.Starredmyst]

Risingdawn smiled with a sort of relief and sat back down.

"Of course I don't mind you," he said lightly, voice carefully measured. It was odd not to be on the lower half of the conversation, the one totally out of his element; he tried hard to make it clear to Snowsong how he felt about staying for a little while.

"I wouldn't say there's a whole lot of she-cats who'd ask me to hang around and talk to them, anyway," he added with a half laugh. "You're --" he hesitated, then spoke his mind -- "you're too modest by far, Snowsong. I can't imagine why someone would mind you."

[.&&. Snowsong.]

Snowsong's ears slightly flicked at Risingdawn's last statement. "Well..I'm just..distant....Besides, it seems like they don't like having me around except for a few so far..." Her ears' slightly lowered, and she turned her gaze away slightly.

Snowsong waited a moment before turning back to Risingdawn. She didn't know what to say. She pulled her tail away from her gaze, and she wrapped it around her paws. She wasn't very good at conversations.

[♫.Starredmyst]

"You sound just like me." The words were half startled out of him, and he flashed her a wry smile. "I, um -- you know. Had some trouble a while ago. I said a lot of the same to my sister, and, well..."

Risingdawn leaned his head back and stared up into the tangle of twigs above them, reminiscing. Not on the days themselves -- they hadn't been happy ones -- but the way Silv had treated him back them. He'd never been so glad to have a sister. Idly, he wondered if Snowsong had a sibling.

"I'll tell you what she told me. You are who you want to be, she said, and if you think you're a mousebrain and worthless and all that crowfood, fine. But if you want to be a better cat and have people like you, then by StarClan go out and be a better cat."

He looked down again, and felt a little jolt. Snowsong had moved her tail again and, regardless of whether or not she was looking directly at him, her eyes were still -- striking.

"Not that I ever listen to her," he added wryly, "but Silv's got nuggets of gold among her stupid prattle."

[.&&. Snowsong.]

Snowsong's ears slightly flicked back, and she turned her gaze back to her paws. Her tail slightly swung from side to side slowly behind her. She was unsure of what to say.

Though, hearing about Risingdawn's sister slightly made the fur on her shoulders rise about a centimeter. Her sister, Lingerfrost, was now either with StarClan, or with another place.

Snowsong had heard of a place called the Forest of Darkness. She heard that it was where ambitious cats and cats that didn't believe in any ancestors were sent after they passed away.

Snowsong slightly shifted her paws. Her tail then suddenly and accidentally brushed Risingdawn's pelt. It nearly made her jolt, and she swiftly retracted her tail to her paws. Her gaze lifted about a centimeter, though it was still mostly at her paws. She now was out of any words to say.