IF o n l y [o]

[THE s h a d s]

Lilac{TEAR}

Rain had been pelting the ground relentlessly for a whole night, unleashing it's full wrath upon the innocent inhabitants of this so called forgiving world. It had finally stopped just as the sun was peaking out from it's hiding place of Starclan knows where, leaving the ground soft and wet. Unable to act like a sponge, water pooled atop the soil, making slushy mud plentiful. The long and tall grass covered it well, acting as a mask, but the mud was there, waiting to cover any who dared step into its lair. It was well past noon high now, but the mud had been far from dried. The sum beat it's rays down onto the world, making the air thick and sticky with moisture that seemed to be so thick you practically had to swim through it. On the moorland, hardly anything moved. Wind was close to nonexistant, and the heat could be seen shimmering off the ground like an illusion.

Yet, there was movement. A single form, gray in color, bodly outlined from the brown grass. It was a feline, carefully and silently moving through the grass and mud. It covered the bottom of the warrioress fur, and she seemed to be in great discomfort over this fact, but there was nothing that could be done. She had to be alone, and this was the perfect place. The she-cat's legs were long and lanky, but the muscles could be seen from underneath the short fur, rippling like water with every movement. Her dark brown eyes shone none; they were blank like always. Nothing could be seen from within, not even a hint of color. They were solid in color, plain as anything imaginable. That was part of what made her so beautiful. She was not jaw-dropping. She was far from striking, but she was also not ugly.

She moved with great caution along the moorland, seeming to know the destination in her thoughts. But she did not. She just wanted to escape. Actually, I just wanted to run, but it seems this awful weather has taken my plans and cut them to pieces. Insufferable. Absouletly insufferable. Why do I even bother anymore? This world is so unforgiving, so merciless. She knew why she tried. It was that kit that she had saved. For what reason she didn't know, but she had saved a life. She even got to name the thing, too young to remember anything but the smell and brief images of his mother. She lived for his memory, knowing full well that she was the only thing he lived for. This simple little life had made her feel something she had not felt for a long time. For this, she was grateful.

[`Rymidie`]

He could have been snuggled up in the warriors den, well acquainted with a soft piece of moss... But no. He had decided to take a trip to the moors to catch a rabbit or maybe a hare, the latter being his favorite. However, the trip had ended up being a disaster as soon as the rain had hit. The long-legged tom had been stalking a rabbit through the moors, which at the time had been quite sunny, only to feel the drops of rain as he was ready to pounce. The wind had changed direction and the rabbit scented him, dashing away for its burrow. The tom had not been put off though as his long rear legs made him one of the fastest cats in the clan and catching one rabbit would have been nothing... If the rain hadn't gotten harder to make the ground wet... Long story short he'd tripped on a wet piece of moss and toppled head over tail through the mud. Coating himself with what he considered "vile filth". Needless to say, the deputy was not happy...

Now, he rabbit-walked through the moors looking for a bush to hide under to clean his pelt and nurse his injured dignity. He would not return to the clan with his pelt coated with mud all the way through. Sure, he was bound to get mud on his legs and belly but not all over him. That was unacceptable!

As he searched through the moors for some saving grace he discovered it. A small bush in the distance that would only partly keep him covered from the rain, but it was enough. The hare-legged tom raced to the bush and sat beneath it, immediatly he began grooming the mud from his pelt. Taking painstaking care to clean his back, and stumpy tail. His legs came last as he knew the mud would only coat to them again as soon as he stepped out into the rain. With a sigh and shiver the white and brown-patched deputy settled down to wait out the storm since he sure as StarClan didn't want to go out in it again... Or maybe he should have to find another bush. His brown whiskers lowered as he frowned, contemplating whether or not that would be a good move. After all, he would get soaked if he tried going out again but he was also still getting wet sitting under the small bush.

A shape in the distance brought him out of his thoughts... He squinted trying to make out the form of what he thought was a cat. He was unsure though, as the cat seemed to be a color that blended into the storm. He waited as the shape grew closer so he could distinctly make out what it was. His previous thought was correct as it was obviously a cat, a gray one. A color that blended in quite well with the pounding rain. Well, if it's a cat I have an obligation to help it out, especially if it's part of the clan. He waited a little longer until the features started to become more distinct and then he was sure by the dull brown eyes and gray pelt that this she-cat was Lilactear.

To make himself more visible the deputy crawled from under the bush and yowled over the rain, "Lilactear! Come out of the rain! Here! Under this bush!" The tom didn't know if the she-cat wanted his help or the shelter but he was afraid that the warrior would catch a cold by being exposed to the elements as she was. Sure, his small amount of bush wasn't exactly the best at shielding one from the elements but it was better than nothing. The tom crept back under the bush and squished himself as far to the side as he could to make room for the she-cat that he hoped would rest underneath the shelter.

[THE s h a d s]

LILAC t e a r

The rain pelted the she-cat, but she seemed not to care. Her slow pace did not quicken and her tail made no twitches of annoyance. Truth be told, she loved the rain. She loved to dance around in it and act like a little kit again when no one was watching. It was such a lovely expirence, so reviving of any happiness that had left her body since the last rain. Some wondered what happened to her, for she was always out of camp when it rained, but she never told. She could always smell the rain in the air and knew when it was coming. She loved the simplicity of water falling from the skies. There was nothing else that had to be known about it, nothing to wonder about. It was simple and there. Maybe that's why she loved it. It reminded her of a fallen heart, falling so far only to crack open when it hit the ground when no one caught it.

She was about to begin her typical running and playing when she had this sense of someone watching her. She looked around, but all she could see was a bush. Then a form moved out from underneath the bush, a fellow feline. "Lilactear! Come out of the rain! Here! Under his bush!"

[/s] She quickly recongized the familiar voice of the deputy. She couldn't hold in the sigh that came audibly out of her maw. She began to pad over there debating on whether to stay out of the rain like he said to do or invite him to play in the rain with her. She wanted to frolic around like a newborn kit, not make silly small talk. She did hate small talk. Lilac knew very well the deputy was all too curious, as a deputy should be, but she had no interest in who was liking who and who was loving who now. She quickened her pace, knowing full well what she was about to would be unorthdox in every way.

She reached the bush in a matter of steps. She peeked underneath to see Hareflight squishing himself to the furthest side of the bush. She had to hold back her laughter, for he was unsuccessfully making enough room for the tall she-cat. "There's no need for that Hareflight." Her voice, which was rarely used, was melodic in sounding. It was soft, yet cold as ice. She paused, letting him wonder why there was no need for him to make room for her. She didn't smile, but her lips turned upward slightly. "Want to have some fun?" She let out a little chuckle and backed away from the bush. She lifted her head to the skies and let out a laugh, releasing every ill emotion she had been holding in. She began to run, but not for long. She threw herself down, covering herself in mud. She squirmed around, and then stood once more, turning back to the bush. "Come on, Hareflight. Even the deputy deserves to have a little fun!"[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[`Rymidie`]

Had he realized that his worry was in vain, the hare-legged tom wouldn't have scooted so close to the harder pelting rain on the outside. He wasn't a fan of the rain but he had to admit it was better than the thick, disgusting mud that attached to him wherever he seemed to walk and due to his partially snowy pelt it was completely obvious.

His head tilted slightly to the side as the she-cat's words hit his ears. "Oh? Why is that, dear?"

[/color] He asked during the slight lull after Lilactear's statement. "Want to have some fun?" Fun? In the dreadful weather that was currently hanging over the moors? Hareflight doubted that was possible but swallowing his disgust over the mud and his partial disdain for the rain he crawled from the bush and followed the WindClan warrior.

He could understand the running but how the she-cat simply threw herself down in the mud, squirming around for good measure. The effeminate tom couldn't help but wrinkle his nose a little at her dirtying act. How could she stand being coated in mud head to toe? He would never do such a thing! The mud was already sticking to his legs and making him feel filthy but he had started to come to terms with the mud sticking to his lower parts. StarClan forbid that he would get it all over him. No. He had a better idea for the "fun" that the female warrior had in mind.

The tom hop-walked over to Lilactear and tried to conceal his disgust at the mud oozing from her pelt. With a small cough he began speaking. "I hate to be the cat that ruins fun but... I'd rather not get any more mud on my fur. It's mostly white, easily stained, y'know?" He peered mischievously at the she-cat before continuing on, "However, if you believe that I should have a little fun how about a race?" He was already out in the rain getting soaking wet, so it couldn't possibly get any worse. Besides, he enjoyed flaunting the fact that he was one of the fastest cats in all the clans. [/blockquote]



((Sorry that took so long, I've been having a busy week....))
[/size]

[THE s h a d s]

LILAC t e a r

"How about a race?"

[/s] The she-cat heard the deputy's words, but she only caught the last half fully. She smiled at him, her usual prudeness leaving almost instantly. A race in the mud? How fun. She groomed herself slightly, getting the mud off her back and tail rather quickly. She stared at the white tom with interest, an interest she did not try to conceal. With a mischievous grin upon her maw, the she-cat straightened herself. She glanced over the tom, calculating the muscle he carried. She may be a small and limber she-cat, but the muscles she carried were bigger than most in the clan. She seemed to be considering the idea of a race, but she knew very well she would never turn down a competition. Her nature began to kick in, knowing full well what the tom was thinking. Or, had a very, very good idea of it.

He reminded her of Mousepaw.

The way he talked, the look in his eye, everything screamed Mousepaw to her. Yet, Mousepaw was nothing like this tom. Mousepaw had left; he was a coward. Hareflight was anything but, and she knew it quite well. He wanted to have fun; she could see it in his eyes, but something held him back from unleashing the fullness of it. His duty as a deputy has made the tom hard. She snickered lightly, angling the back side of her body slightly so it rammed the tom gently. She smiled playfully. She glared intently into his eyes, seeming to try to intimidate the deputy. "As long as you don't mean being beaten by a she-cat, I don't see why not." She knew full well he would most likely win this race, but she still liked to play it off as she actually cared whether she won or not. She lined up beside him, crouching a little to show him she was ready when he was.

She glanced over to the white - now brown - tom. He was not drop dead handsome, but he was not at the bottom of totem pole, either. Not to her at least. Everyone's opinions are different. Not that she was try to get with the deputy, she just happened to notice. So he's like me. Not quite there, but not at the starting line either. She took pride in the fact that her beauty grew on cats, but she also took pride in the fact that she was not desired by every tom that glanced. Her chocolate orbs took him in, her mind imbibing every ounce of him. She noticed all his faults, and all his powers. With one, quick glance the she-cat got all the information she needed to not the win this race. That's right. She wasn't going to win this race. Not because she couldn't, but because she was going to let him take first place. "Ready?"[/blockquote][/blockquote]