Strangers | Assignment Nov/Dec | Oakey

[Sprout]

 - Harepaw - 
You're always out to get me

For the first time in many days, Harepaw felt alive. She was still riding the high of her adrenaline rush. Her pelt was riddled with tiny cuts that stung with every movement, but she relished the pain. It reminded her of the battle. Oh, how she has enjoyed herself. The wonderful co-ordination of muscles, teeth and claws. For a while, she had forgotten she was a pitiful apprentice in a clan where she didn't belong. She felt better than she had for a long time. Half because of her battle-fever, but half because she has picked up the scent trail of the rogues that had stolen innocent kits. The whole clan was up in arms, and while the warriors had been arguing and setting out their own patrols, the apprentice made a choice. Without a sound, she had slipped out in the commotion, and stumbled across the trail of the rogues. And now, she would find the kits. She paused to sniff a few drops of dried blood. Yup, definitely them. She searched for any sign of kit-blood, but none was to be found. That was good news, she supposed. 

Soon the trail moved out of BloodClan territory. Harepaw had always dreamed about crossing the borders, and escaping from her prison, but never had the guts to actually do it. As a kit, she used to complain to her mother about the stench of the BloodClanners, and tell her how she wanted to go away. But then she was beaten, and she learned how to hold her tongue. The young apprentice shivered at the dark memories. Why was she here? She wasn;t an extraordinary hunter or tracker. She wasn't a warrior. A rising tide of fear threatened to wash over her, and she was about to bail when she shook her head fiercely. No. I'm actually going to do this. I'm sick of being afraid! She bared her teeth and plunged over the scentline.

It was only after she was trotting through the unfamiliar landscape that she realized it was ShadowClan territory she was on. The scent of the border markers were a welcome change to the smell of blood and carrion. It was almost comforting. The tortie apprentice had no clue where she was, but she was walking over a rather barren landscape of hardened mud. There seemed to be nothing around, but she occasionally passed by a few spots of dried blood. They were getting more and more sparse, until they vanished all together.

All of the hope Harepaw had gathered disappeared in an instant. She felt a cold prickle of dread. She looked wildly around, but she was scared and confused. Unfamiliar land and scents overloaded her. She had no idea where she was, and what was worse, they thought the scent of ShadowClanw as growing stronger. Greenish-gold eyes widened with terror and horror, but there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. She had gotten herself into this mess, and now she had to face the consequences. Instinctively, she fell into a fluid crouch, ready to fight her way to safety if needed, btu she was shaking so hard she seriously doubted her ability to function. Carefully, timidly, she called out, H-Hello?

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Word-count: 537
Comments: Gahhh OK I did it, not the best but I'm kinda happy with this post. Not bad for the first time I've RP'd as her. I had no clue what to call this thread whoops.
Tagged: Oakey/Littlecloud.

[Mama Oak]

Over the masking aroma of herbs, held securely in her jaws, Littlecloud had not been able to detect the scent of rogue or another clan cat. Only when a small clump of chervil gave her momentary pause, and the tortoiseshell femme lowered her current load to the earth, did she catch the first hints of a trespasser's approach. Suddenly perfectly still, ears alert and jaws parted, a moment passed. Then she heard the near-silent footfalls and, without another thought, launched herself into a near-by bramble, ignoring the small grazings of pain that laced throughout her pelt. BloodClan. Hope and fear clashed within her, one trying to overwhelm and beat back the other. Her large ears perked forward with sudden excitement, then pinned back with retaliating hesitance. All at once her paws itched to seek out the trespassing cat while simultaneously prickling with the instinctual urge to flee. Littlecloud knew two BloodClan cats — one who could make her very heart soar and the other who could make it drop, like a sudden burdensome weight, to her paws. She beamed at the notion of meeting the one, while dreaded any confrontation with the other. When the voice called out, with no real volume or assertiveness, Littlecloud flicked an ear. It was not Stormpaw's inviting baritone, with its underlying reserves of quick intelligence and kind warmth, nor Honeyleaf's cruel, teasing hiss. It was a she-cat's voice. Hope and dread both fell away, to be replaced by a cautious attentiveness. Edging forward from her concealment, the ShadowClan medicine cat stuck her twitching nose from the thistle-bush and then, with a pained wince, pulled her entire body from the prickly entrapment. Thorns grabbed greedily at her tortie pelt, but the fur was — thankfully — thin and short. Had she been long-furred, like a feline of SkyClan or her clanmate Cloudfrost, she would most likely have been snared; trapped and vulnerable until she could tear herself free (and not without the loss of many clumps of hair). "What, uhm... w-what are you d-d-oing?" The inquiry had begun bold enough, with the ShadowClan medicine cat attempting her best at sounding confident and questioning. Yet, with only a few words, the she-cat grew conscious of how naked and susceptible she was without her bramble shelter; how unthreatening she must seem. Her small frame (at least, small in ShadowClan terms) lacking significant muscle, her impeding stutter, and those wide, sightless eyes — how laughable. Without thinking about it, she stepped closer to the clump of herbs she had dropped — some subconscious piece of her hoping that no warrior would feel need to attack a medicine cat. So the assertiveness dissipated, and Littlecloud crouched a little lower to the ground, ears perked toward the BloodClanner and twitching nervously. "You d-d-do know, that... you're in ShadowC-C-Clan territory?" Closer to the she-cat, Littlecloud could now pick up the small traces of fear that clung to her pelt... along with something else. Beneath the rotting scent of BloodClan... something vaguely familiar, but entirely unplaceable. "Are you ok-k—," the word caught in her throat and the medicine cat struggled with the visible effort to force it out. Ear-tips burning, she swallowed the sentnce and shook her head. "Are you okay?"

[Sprout]

- Harepaw - 
You're always out to get me

At first, Harepaw could hardly breathe. She was deep in ShadowClan territory, chasing a trail she'd lost, and had no idea how to get home. Oh, and to top it all off, she had been found by a rival clan-cat. There was no way she could dig herself out of this. Death was imminent. Well, it seemed so, until a quivering nose poked out of a bramble bush, about 4 tail-lengths away. Well, if you had a tail. The small nose was followed by a lithe, no, thin, tortoiseshell body. In front of the BloodClan cat stood a she-cat that looked frail enough to break in two. Her cloudy blue eyes obviously sightless. Yet, Harepaw still felt as if she was being watched, and she had the feeling the she-cat knew exactly where she stood, exactly what clan she was in, and that she shouldn't be here.

From the scent of herbs climbing to her pelt, Harepaw worked out she was a medicine cat. The tortie apprentice didn't like the medicine cat of her own clan, he seemed a bit off to her. Harepaw could already tell this cat was different. She watched as the sightless healer crouched, not to attack, but out of nervousness. Harepaw realized that the cat had talked to her, thrice actually, and fought to gather some semblance of a sentence in her mind. Luckily for her, the medicine cat seemed to not be angry with her. I-I'm Harepaw. I-I'm so sorry I tr-trespassed... I'm l-looking for some rogues? T-they took BloodClan's k-kits, she stammered, before continuing, I just wanted to show them... I'm not useless. I-I can actually-

Her voice cracked, and she took a shuddering breath. She needed to relax, pronto. Fighting to control her breathing, she sucking in long, deep breaths, and exhaled through her nose. The scent of the ShadowClanner wreathed around her, and she felt her head grow faintly dizzy. She swore... no, maybe not...

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Word count: 323

Notes: xx

[Mama Oak]

"Rogues stole your kittens!?" Littlecloud's sightless eyes searched the air at the she-cat's words, her inquiry spoken in a small squeak, laced with increasing fear. "And you tracked them... you tracked them h-h-here?" She trembled at the thought, ears pinning back to her skull as she imagined the rogues in ShadowClan territory, hiding in the brush or planning some attack on their camp, to steal their kittens, too. Littlecloud pictured small, sickly Elmkit, who was always in her den with his running nose. And then his sister, Grousekit, who stuck by her tiny brother despite the risk of getting sick herself. Both kittens were frequently in the medicine cat den, and Littlecloud loved their company more than she could ever say. What would Stormstar do — what would Cloudfrost do! — if they were stolen? Suddenly, she felt the phantom eyes on her pelts; the dangerous gazes of hundreds of crouching rogues, waiting to prey on a silly, blind medicine cat. She was as pathetic and vulnerable as the kittens, for StarClan's sake! "Oh-h, I hope they aren't hurting them." The gravity of the situation broke, quite abruptly, through the fear and settled in. Perking forward, Littlecloud's maw parted and a string of quickly-spoken words came gushing out, nearly overlapping one another as if struggling to be the first heard. "And I know Stormstar would be understanding about the trespassing, d-don't worry about that! At least, he would hope Rackham would allow ShadowClan cats on BloodClan territory if it were our kittens taken. Which I'm sure he would, too! Though I can't be for certain — I don't, don't, d-d don't know him!" A lie. And a nervous lilt entered her voice at its mention. "I imagine a lot of your warriors are out searching." Was Stormheart out searching? "By StarClan, I hope they get found!" Taking a thoughtless step closer to the other feline, the thin she-cat took a much-needed breath. "And you went looking for them all by y-y-yourself! I could never be so courageous! A cat so brave couldn't be useless!" Littlecloud shook her head fiercely, as if the movement spoke how impossible the notion really was. Then her brow furrowed at the peculiar sense of familiarity about the she-cat... it felt almost as if she had known her before. As if she had met the apprentice somewhere — had, at one time, committed her scent and voice to memory. Only the memory was vague and had faded. Perhaps they had spoken during a Gathering once. "Oh! And I'm Littlecloud. You gave me your name, so I should be giving mine. I don't know how much assistance a blind cat can give in any sort of search, but... but... uhm, my help is yours, should you... you accept it." Ears flicking back slightly, the medicine cat chewed on her cheek.

[Sprout]

 H A R E P A W

you're always out to get me

The closeness, the realness, the familiarity of the she-cat, Littlecloud, sent both alarm bells ringing and a wash of relief over Harepaw. The scent of herbs and something else wreathed around her, and she felt drunk with it. The medicine-cats large blue eyes, wide in awe (or was it fear?) were not far from Harepaw's now. If it was any other cat, she might feel threatened. But not Littlecloud. Gratitude and happiness welled up inside Harepaw at the blind cats words, even though they were from different clans. Praise and appreciation remained the same, no matter where they came from.  But, then again, she was from a completely different clan. They were practically strangers. So... why the pull? Why the familiarity? 

It was the mention of Rackham that jerked Harepaw into wakefulness. It had come as a shock to the whole clan, Rackhams rise. She had to admit, she wasn't exactly pleased with the new tyrant, but offered no opinion or objection to his rule. It wasn't like her to rock the boat. Rackham had a certain air about him, of power and authority, and it scared Harepaw. He was dangerous, she was sure of it. There was something a little off about him, about his scent. It almost smelt of blood. But... how did a ShadowClanner know about it? BloodClan's new leader hadn't been announced to the rest of the Clans, had he? How did Littlecloud know?

For the time being, she pushed her questions to the back of her mind, remembering the kits. T-thank you so much, Littlecloud. K-kits seem t0 unite all the c-clans. Harepaw raised a tentative smile. It's not often I get complimented, a-and it means a lot t-to me. She ducked her head shyly. I'm glad S-Stormstar won't f-flay me, although, I-I can't say the s-same for my mother. A shiver ran down Harepaw's spine, and she cringed. Mother n-never liked my... cheerfulness. O-or just g-general niceness. I'm too sweet for her t-taste. B-but that's not what I'm here t-to talk about. she finished quickly, her pelt growing hot with embarrassment. 

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Word count: 347
Notes: sorry this took so long

[Mama Oak]

Littlecloud's heart fluttered and her ears pricked back at Harepaw's mention of her mother, but she exiled the quick flash of pain at once. The strange hurt of her own mother's abandonment was locked away in the medicine cat's heart, but not so deep it could not be uncovered. Nightcloud's decision to leave her sole surviving kitten in Leopardcloud's care, and to turn her back on the clan she had known from birth — it was an old, faded ache. It went and it came, always accompanied by a wistful curiosity, but.... in truth, it was a vague, masked sort of pain — after all... Littlecloud had never known exactly how a mother should be and had been only a suckling kitten when Nightcloud dispatched from her life. She did not know the queen, was unable to remember her, and so could not entirely miss her. Not completely. She could remember the feline's scent though on cold, lonely nights. Perhaps it was a memory that belonged to every feline; programmed permanently in their minds since birth. And Littlecloud did oft wonder.... was her mother still alive and, if so, where had she gone that day she willingly abandoned her first child? Why was it that she left? Once Littlekit grew old enough to understand and begin asking questions, Leopardcloud explained the queen was driven by the grief of carrying dead kittens in her belly for moons. But Littlekit was unable to understand — not all of them had gone... she had lived. Why didn't she count? Did her mother ever wonder about her now? Would she be proud to know that her daughter was a fulfilled medicine cat... or, like her unborn siblings whom had never taken a single breath, was she simply dead in the she-cat's eyes? She pushed the brief pain away, and — transfixing upon the very next thought that crossed her mind — leaned forward and thoughtlessly blurted out an odd, kittish inquiry; one that, in her anxiousness to forget Nightcloud, came bubbling out unfiltered. "Is it true that BloodClan kits suckle on blood rather than their mother's milk?" It was a silly fable — a story that elders told to scare or awe their younger, impressionable clanmates. A moment after she spoke it, Littlecloud drew back, shook her head and was slapped by a dawning sense of self-horror. "Oh, uhm, I don't mean that to... to sound...uhh," she gushed apologetically, head dropping, her sightless eyes searching the earth while her tongue sought the proper words, "That's just... that's what... what Speckledbird told me when I had a streak of s-stubbornness and refused to eat as a kitten." She raised her eyes again, and offered the apprentice a small, uncertain and apologetic smile, ears swiveled down in a nearly-submissive manner. "But then again... she also told me that WindClan queens regurgitated food for their kittens, like birds. And that while not every thunderstorm means that a ThunderClan queen is laboring, every ThunderClan birth happens during a thunderstorm." Her foster had been an eccentric feline to say the least, Littlecloud thought affectionately, before chuckling quietly. "I wonder... I wonder what they say about ShadowClan kittens."

Aaaah, sorry for the total crap post D:

[Sprout]

H A R E P A W
you're always out to get me

For a moment, Littlecloud seemed to space out, as if immersed in a memory. But only for a moment. Slight pain followed by fear flashed across her eyes, before she blurted out a strange rumor. "Is it true that BloodClan kits suckle on blood rather than their mother's milk?" Immediately after Littlecloud had spoken, she seemed shocked at her words. Harepaw watched, slightly amused, whilst she seemed to babble over her words, trying to explain herself. No, don't worry, it's fine. She giggled. No, we don't suckle on blood, although a few of my clanmates live solely on it. She shuddered slightly, remembering those faces soaked in crimson, with fangs flashing. I tend to avoid them. She admitted. 

Rumors told about ShadowClan. Well, here were many to choose from. BloodClan were a rather 'uppity' clan, and told many lies and rumors about the other clans. She tried to think of the least insulting rumors she'd heard whispered around the camp, but there weren't many of those. Well... there was the one that you eat bugs and dirt, and that you never wash. A grimace crossed her features. Littlecloud definitely washed, with her faint herby aroma and sweet, familiar scent. I-I don't mean to offend you! Harepaw added.

The name Littlecloud had mentioned rattled around Harepaw's head. Specklebird. That's a pretty name. Was she your mother? The instant the words left Harepaw's mouth she felt a stab of regret. She'd really put her paw in it now. Last time she made mention of mothers it hadn't ended well. Panic rose in Harepaw's throat. M-my mother's name is Nightcloud. She's not the nicest mother, but she's the only one I've ever known. Her words were fast and high-pitched, becoming mashed together. Why did she start on this topic again? It was painful for both of them. Shuddering breaths racked her body as she fought to gain control of herself, but she had been thrown into the deep end of her dark kit-hood memories. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to calm. 


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Word count: 339
Notes:

[Mama Oak]

A delighted giggle burst from Littlecloud's lips at the other's volleyed rumor. In a sort of kittish giddyness, she straightened her body with a tremble of excitement and kneaded her large paws against the soft earth happily; tail-tip twitching fervently as her body moved unconsciously closer to her newly-met acquaintance. "I suppose living underground wouldn't sport the best image of hygiene, no," she mewed softly, with the tremble of an amused chuckle still shaping her words. But the complicated network of intertwining tunnels beneath the earth was neat and well-organized. "But us ShadowClanners, we always share tongues! After all the duties are fulfilled and the meals eaten, there's never not time for that small, warming ritual." Littlecloud purred heartily, but at the core of the sound was a thread of sadness (though she fought hard to keep the emotion from her voice). She didn't tell Harepaw that none of her clanmates had ever shared tongues with her. Or that Littlecloud had only ever watched the warm show of friendship, while never having any true companions with whom she could share the pleasantry. Briefly, she wondered if BloodClan cats, too, groomed one another after meals, and if Harepaw had companions that she did so with. Speckebird's name upon Harepaw's lips, coupled with the she-cat's kind comment, made Littlecloud realize just how pretty the dubbing really was. A beautiful name to match the wholesome, kind cat that her adoptive mother had been. The thought brought a broad smile to her lips and — preparing to answer the BloodClanner's question — this soft grin began to part. Only to abruptly fall, as Harepaw continued. The she-cat's tentative voice rang between the medicine cat's ears, echoing faintly as her mind first denied and then tried to comprehend the words. Nightcloud... was Harepaw's mother? Surely, surely... there couldn't be... another Nightcloud? Littlecloud shook her head, clearing the reverberations from her head. Had her mother gone to BloodClan after abandoning her? And then had more kittens? Kittens that she had chosen to keep... and to raise? Her mind rebelled at the notion, and for a good long moment, Littlecloud was silent as she fumbled for a reaction. But after a moment, it clicked into place and she believed. The overall familiarity of this other feline. How Harepaw's scent had, somehow, brought the faintest traces of memory to the forefront of her mind. Although her mind had all-at-once cleared, the medicine cat remained uncertain. Torn. A part of her wanted to be hurt and offended, that this BloodClan apprentice had been suckled by the very she-cat that had refused Littlecloud herself. But another part of her, perhaps a larger part, was alit by a flame of hope — she had a sibling! "Nightcloud?" Littlecloud finally managed to mew, raising her eyes to Harepaw again, searchingly and with a curious gleam. "Nightcloud." She repeated the name again, as if tasting it once more on her tongue. And then another grin broke across face as the hope and the curiosity overcame and beat back the beginnings of hurt. Harepaw was here now, wheras Nightcloud's abandonment was in the past. It seemed silly to let the latter shadow the former. "Harepaw, if what I suspect is true, then—! Then—! Oh StarClan, be good, I've never had a—!" The medicine cat bounced once, and then suddenly pushed forward. Whiskers twitching wildly, she was suddenly beside the other (all considerations of personal space, boundaries, and even Littlecloud's own usual hesitance completely dissolved), and running her nose along Harepaw's spine. Her words came quickly and quietly, without a single stutter except for the ocassional stammer of joy. "I knew there was something unusually drawing — downright nearly familiar! — about your scent and presence! Oh, I should have guessed at it! Yes, yes! Not wholly BloodClan, are you? I can certainly tell that now, yes!" With another tremble, Littlecloud fell back and laughed. And then, as abruptly as the joy and happiness had fallen upon her, Littlecloud was stricken with horror. She had allowed herself, for a few moments there, to think that having a sibling would be like having a friend, only infinitely better. That her and Harepaw were now connected in ways that transcended all the companionship that she had never known in the first place. But... she was a BloodClan feline after all... and what if Harepaw didn't want to be friends? What if their relation didn't matter to her? And then... what if she got sick? Just like Stormheart, Harepaw lived beyond borders and beneath the reign of a terrible, murderous tyrant. Banishing the thoughts as immediately as they had occurred to her, Littlecloud chuckled again, considerably sobered. "Sorry, it's just... wow." The medicine cat looked bashfully at the other, with a returning smile. The peculiarity of it all could not be entirely dampened, not even by Rackham. Leaning forward, her paws kneaded the earth once more. "Harepaw... my mother, my real mother, left me as a kitten in the medicine den, where I suckled at the belly of another queen. She went away from ShadowClan without a word of where she was leaving to. But her name was Nightcloud! She must have went to BloodClan. She must be your mother, too!" There were a million questions swimming through the she-cat's head about the queen she had never known, but Littlecloud kept them back by biting her lip.

[Sprout]

H A R E P A W
I wanna be the one to walk in the sun

For perhaps her whole life, Harepaw had been alone. Nightcloud had been a second-rate mother. Instead of raising her daughter with love, she raised her with the coldness and distance of a star. The young cat learnt early not to rely on her clanmates for affection or attention, that she was only a pawn in their movements, to be pushed around and sacrificed at a moments notice. So she laid low, suffering in a prison made from desolation and neglect. For her clan, her claws struck down both enemies and the innocent. She fed them and did their bidding. Each second she was completely alone. Until now.

Harepaw often dreamed of having a sibling. It seemed like a hollow comfort, something to take her mind off the hurt. She even had a name for the ghostly brother. His name was Lionkit, because she dreamed of a big brother who could protect her. Someone to look after her. As she became an apprentice her only dreams of her brother were at night. It seemed unfair to have to wake up to a day where he wasn't there. Sleep was her only escape.

Littlecloud certainly wasn't Lionkit, though. She was a scrawny, blind medicine cat with a stutter. A scrawny, blind medicine cat with a stutter who was babbling almost incoherently, her nose sniffing along Harepaw's spine. The slightly stunned she-cat only caught a few words, but it was enough to comprehend what Littlecloud was saying. Littlecloud's real mother was named Nightcloud. How likely was it that there were two Nightclouds?

Not very.

A strange cocktail of emotions bubbled inside Harepaw; confusion, joy, excitement, all mixed with a pang of guilt. Had Nightcloud chosen her over Littlecloud? How could she have, considering Harepaw hadn't even been born yet. The fact didn't relieve much of the guilt. The large apprentice tried to ignore the feeling. 

So-so you're saying, all this t-time, I ha-had a sister? Harepaw managed, her eyes wide as moons. Every m-moment I-I was in BloodClan, I had a sister w-who was in ShadowClan? W-who was free? The apprentice's breath hitched. Every moment I-I spent in t-torture, there was an-another soul w-who felt some vague s-semblance to what I-I was feeling. Her voice was gathering speed now, and it was clear and strong. Every moment I spend with that nefarious miscreant Nightcloud, there was another who felt the sting of her pain? Of her neglect? Of her abandonment? Her bright eyes flashed, and locked on to Littlecloud's blue orbs. I am not the only one to be wronged by her, she whispered. A rush of emotion swelled inside Harepaw, and she sucked in a breath. Littlecloud, my sister. Half sister rather. A giggle broke up her sentences. I find it morbidly amusing that one of us is blind, and the other has no tail. It was then she realized that Littlecloud may not have known that, considering her inability to see. Well, she knew now.

Regaining her composure, Harepaw smiled gently. Littlecloud, she said once more, testing the name, with it's new connotation. I am glad that I have found you. I've always wanted a sibling.

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Word count: 525
Notes: xx

[Mama Oak]

Littlecloud was a quivering live-wire of joy as she pulled away from the giddy inspection of her new sibling. As she settled upon her haunches, her small, fragile body wiggled with suppressed merriment. But when Harepaw spoke, and the ShadowClan medicine cat heard the incredulous emotion in her voice… comprehended the meaning of her words… she froze; the stretching beam on her face falling at the corners into a quieted expression of abrupt sobriety. Free? The audible catch in Harepaw’s speech sent a sweep of prickling empathy through Littlecloud’s body; a strange and almost-electrical tickle that made the tips of her dappled pelt lift. Torture? The sting of pain. Neglect. Abandonment. Littlecloud knew these well and as the words left her sibling’s paw... in such a way that meant Harepaw was well-acquainted with the feelings as well... her heart yawned with the beginnings of sorrow; fluttered with the stirrings of a strong, filial affection that did not needs moons to build, but — in the significantly short amount of time since she had first met her half-sister — was already there. She’d always wished (a deep, kittish longing that she often reminded herself was useless and pathetic) that things had been different — that Nightcloud had not left her. That the ShadowClan queen had made the choice to stay, and to love her. She had never once considered that her mother could do anything but that; never fathomed the prospect that her abandonment could have been a good thing. But, at Harepaw’s words, Littlecloud’s ears swiveled back and the unbelievable notion finally flickered through her mind. The small she-cat’s sightless eyes ceased their singular and subconscious habit of darting around frantically, and fell upon Harepaw’s face softly; searching, in that particular, unseeing way. Did it hurt more, to have Nightcloud as a present mother? To never know her love, even though she was right there? She was not expecting the sudden giggle, and Littlecloud blinked her wide eyes in surprise. Although the sober thoughts did not flee her mind, Harepaw’s next sentence coaxed an easing smile across her maw; softening the contemplative grimness that had begun to deepen over her features. She surged forward with a volleyed laugh; a sharp, amused chuckle that was cut short by a sharper inhale of incredibility. ”You don’t have a tail!? Honestly!?” Littlecloud tried to imagine how a cat with a tail must look, and found that she couldn’t quite place it. She chuckled again, but it grew quieter as the medicine cat mused on it a moment longer. The laughter quickly fizzled out as she dropped her gaze to the earth and furrowed her brow. ”I suppose it only makes sense, in a strange, poetic way, that our mother couldn’t even make us physically whole. She couldn’t even do that much.” Littlecloud shook her head, and although her words were not entirely bitter or vindictive, they were touched by the faintest trace of anger (peculiarly saddened); a small hint of both cynicism and gloom that indicated how she thought the world could be very unfair sometimes. Dwelling upon this for only another short second, she accepted the notion and then locked it away. Then, looking back up at her half-sibling, she fixed her wide, cloudy eyes upon her carefully. “Harepaw?” She mewed quietly, the soft undertone trembling with uncertainty. It was a silly inquiry, she knew it before she said it, but the question slid from her parted jaw all the same: “Are you… happy?” Littlecloud’s voice tripped around the word, and her face contorted in an expression that was like, but not quite, pain. ”I mean… are you…,” she floundered for another way to iterate it; desperately searching for the proper means to ask what she meant. But, after a fumbling second of finding nothing, her eyes screwed up and she blinked. ”Are you happy?”