A Little Walk Through the Mud [[Closed]]

Littlebrook had been going on patrols recently nonstop and she was exhausted. She didn't like having nothing to do, and she had to admit that a lot of it had to do with Lightningstrike. She had heard of his murder and it infuriated and saddened her to her very core every time she thought about it, and she was afraid she would spiral into a depression. So she had busied herself with work and patrols. He had been her first, and really only love, and she couldn't have asked for a better mate to spend what time they had together. They raised many beautiful and loyal kits and they reminded her of him everyday.

It had been several moons now since his death and even though it was still hard, it was getting easier. She could now let her mind wander without being overcome with grief, and that was what she was doing now. Just taking a calming walk through the pines. She loved the smell of the pine sap, though it was a pain when it got matted into her fur, and the sounds of their forest thriving made her heart fill with joy. Newleaf was here and things were returning back to life. The prey were more plentiful and plump. The marshy grasses were growing green again, and that familiar Newleaf smell was back. It always brought her back to her apprentice days and how she had played with her sister in this very forest before she disappeared. From time to time she wondered where she was, but she had a strong feeling that she was watching over her from StarClan. She sighed a semi-content and semi-longing sigh. She had lost basically all her family and now all she had left were her kits and grandkits. They always brightened her day, so whenever she was down in the dumps, she just spent time with them and her problems were forgotton, for the most part.

Suddenly a sound pulled her out of her thoughts and her ears perked up in alert. She glanced around, scenting the air for any sign of an intruder or prey, when the familiar scent of her clanmate hit her nose. "Mudfoot, you scared me." She meowed, smiling with relief and amusement as she approached the tom.

Between Wolffang being exiled, Thrushstar retiring, and his son that he didn't know he had showing up, life had been pretty weird lately and Mudfoot needed a break. Unfortunately, things still needed to be done around camp, including getting food for the clan, and after bringing moss to the nursery, the warrior decided to go hunting for a little while. But so far, his form had been sloppy and he'd caught nothing, which wasn't improving his mood whatsoever.

Having just chased a toad around a bush and lost sight of it, Mudfoot skidded to a halt, breathing heavily. 'When in StarClan's name did hunting become so difficult?' he thought to himself glumly. Giving his medium lengthed russet colored pelt a shake, Mudfoot perked his ears when he caught the sound of pawsteps approaching.

Trying to relax and not seem so worked up over the fact that he'd had no success in hunting, the warrior put a smile on his muzzle and gave a dip of his head to Littlebrook when she spoke. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," the tom meowed in his usual respectable way. Among the dark sky that was covered in clouds, a ray of moonlight shone down onto the two cats so that they were able to see each other better, and a chilly breeze ruffled their pelts. "What might you be doing alone out here?” he asked, tilting his head in an ever so slightly curious way as he looked to the she-cat.

Littlebrook nodded, accepting his apology, though she didn't think there was need for one. "No it's alright. I was just lost in thought." She meowed, mind drifting off toward the subject for a split second before returning to the present. "You're lucky I didn't rip your pelt off." She laughed jokingly. She had noticed his frustration upon first seeing him and with the scent of a toad nearby, she figured he had been hunting. Not very successfully at that, but she had those days herself. A cold breeze ruffled her short pelt and she fluffed her fur out to try and combat the sudden chilliness. "Just out for a walk and semi checking borders." She meowed, laughing softly. "Just needed to relax. What about you?" She asked with a slight smile, deep blue eyes curious. She really already knew what he had been doing, but she was curious as to if the russet-furred tom would admit to his trouble.

Listening to the she-cat, he hoped that he hadn't seemed to angry when they'd stumbled upon each other and promised to himself that he'd calm down a bit, seeing that there would be plenty of other chances for hunting. "Same as you actually. I wanted to take a break and relax while hunting, but I guess that hunting wasn't the best choice of relaxation," the tom chuckled and gave his fur a shake. "So, how have you been lately?" Mudfoot asked, deciding he might as well start a bit of conversation between the two of them.

Littlebrook nodded, laughing softly as he responded. She had never really talked to Mudfoot before, but already she seemed to like him.
Though, it was maybe a little stupid, she took the admitting to his troubles as a sign of good character. She didn't think a lot of cats would admit to having problems hunting to a cat they didn't really know. "It's always good to relax a bit." She meowed, smiling warmly. She thought for a moment at his question, although a simple one, she wasn't sure if she should tell him the truth and seem like she was complaining or just tell him she was doing great. She opted for the truth. "I've been a little tired lately. I guess overworking myself. At least Silentstorm thinks so." She meowed, a loving laugh filling her voice at the mention of her son. He worried too much about her, though maybe he was right to. "What about you? How have you been?" She asked, genuinely curious. She knew he had been through quite a lot in his life, although, to her, he had always seemed pretty well put together.

Through the midst of life and it's oh so wonderful givings, Mudfoot was pleased that he could always find joy when hanging out with his clanmates, even if he wasn't too well acquainted with them. Standing where he was, Mudfoot gave his pelt a shake as he listened to Littlebrook, the sun almost completely gone behind Highstones, leaving the cats with nothing more than the silence of the land and silhouettes of the marshy bushes and occasional trees.

"Well, I'm glad you have a son that cares for you so much. It must be nice to always have someone there for you," the russet colored tom mewed with a smile, trying not to remember what had happened with Owlstrike. Even though he still had other, wonderful kits, they had all been so distant lately and he prayed that he wasn't doing anything wrong. 'Maybe I'm just not spending enough time with them?' he wondered to himself, hoping that wasn't the case.

Lost in thought, Mudfoot snapped back to the real world and looked to the she-cat that had asked him a question. How was he doing? Trying to recall all the recent events that had gone on in ShadowClan, Mudfoot didn't really know how to answer that particular question. Nothing bad had really happened per say, but even so, Thrushstar resigning and Redkit coming to the clan had been quite some surprises.

"I guess I'm doing alright," he started softly. "I mean, clan life has been pretty peaceful lately, but with a new leader and my kit whom I never knew about joining the clan, I've been a bit flustered. You know?" Mudfoot chuckled lightly, looking to Littlebrook and wondering if she understood his slight confusion on things.

Littlebrook smiled and nodded. She was lucky to have great kits, but only a few made it to warriorhood out of the many she and Lightningstrike had. It used to keep her down in the dumps, but after losing so many loved ones throughout her life, she learned how to deal with those hardships. The only death that had almost broke that was Lightningstrike's. He had always been there and she thought that one day they'd both join the elders together and tell all the kits dramatic stories of simple things, but Thrushstripe had ruined that. She used to hate him for what he did, but another thing she learned was that she needed to forgive the former leader in order to move on and that was what she'd been working on.

Snapping out of her thoughts at Mudfoots voice, she nodded her head in understanding. She'd been feeling the same. Thrushstripe had been leader for as long as she could remember, and though she thought he was a little crazy, it was weird having a switch in leadership. "Yeah, I've felt like that too. It's so weird when you grow up, and old," She paused, laughing softly, "with the same leader, and then suddenly, it feels, Leopardstar's leader. It makes you feel.. I don't know.. Odd, i guess." She meowed, not quite sure how to put her feelings of the whole situation in to words.

OOC: aaahhh, sorry for the wait ;A;
and also sorry for the crappy post.

IC: Nodding in agreement at her words, Mudfoot let out a soft chuckle. "I couldn't have said it better," he mewed with a smile. Going on a stroll with Littlebrook... it was nice, enjoyable break, and he hoped that they'd be able to spend more time with each other, and now that he thought about it, they actually weren't very close, even after being clanmates for so long. "It is a little odd, living under the rule of a new leader, but I think Leopardstar will serve us well," he added, flicking his tail back and forth.

ooc: no worries cx
mines crappy too ;;

ic: Littlebrook smiled and glanced at the tom beside her when he seemed to understand what she'd been trying to say. She couldn't believe after all these moons of living in the same camp, day after day, they had never really talked before. Now that she thought about it, it was kind of baffling. He was great company, and she realized that since they'd been talking, even though it hadn't even been that long, the feeling of loss and hopelessness and.. well, loneliness was gone.

She nodded, flicking her tail in agreement, when Mudfoot went on, "I think so too. I know Leopardstar will lead us well. He seems to have a level, even if sometimes harsh or cold, head on his shoulders." She meowed, deep blue gaze lost in thought as she thought back to the indifference and coldness he had for Webtail, his own son, when he was exiled. She couldn't imagine feeling that way about her kits no matter what they did, but maybe that's why he's leader and she's not. Thank StarClan. she thought, a small laugh making its way past her lips. "I'd probably die of the stress of being leader, honestly. Always worrying if you made the right decisions or not? I don't know if I could do it." She meowed, shaking her head, blue eyes bright with amusement.

(mobilee)

Chuckling at her comment, Mudfoot shook his head in agreement. "StarClan definitely knows how to choose leaders," he mewed in reply and let out a content sigh. Although life lately had been pretty peaceful, Mudfoot hadn't been able to find any time for himself, and nonchalantly chatting with Littlebrook like this gave him a sense of relief, but even so, prey still had to be caught and the clan still needed to be fed.

"Well, as much as I want to stand around an chat about leaders, there is still a clan that needs to be fed," he chuckled, looking to Littlebrook with a smile on his muzzle. "Would you care to join me?" he asked, silently praying to himself that she would say yes to his offer.

Littlebrook purred softly, "They sure do." She sighed contentedly. Her ears perked as she took in the quiet sound of wind in the pines and little noises of prey as they searched for food, and a smiled lit up her face as she heard Mudfoot. She laughed, "Of course. I'd love to." Littlebrook smiled as they padded along. Now all of her senses were alert, not for the pleasure of taking in her surroundings this time, but to find prey. "Hopefully we'll be luckier than you were a little while ago." She meowed jokingly, a teasing glint in her blue gaze.

Only a few moments later, her ears perked at the faint sound of a toad. Nodding to Mudfoot, she took off in a hunter's crouch, making her way stealthily through the dark underbrush until she was about a fox-length away from it. Gotcha. She thought smugly as she pounced on the plump creature, sinking her teeth into the frog, swiftly killing it.

Soon after burying the toad, she made her way back to Mudfoot's side, tail swaying behind her. "You can tell it's getting closer to Greenleaf." She meowed in a cheerful tone. Greenleaf was probably her favorite season. It was warm, prey was plentiful, and her clanmates were well fed. What more could she ask for in a season.

Glad that she'd agreed to hunt with him, Mudfoot padded alongside Littlebrook in slience, not wanting to disturb any possible nearby prey. Sure enough, after only a few moments of walking, the she-cat spotted something and quickly hunted it down. When she returned, the russet colored tom purred with amusement. "Nice catch!" he mewed with a smile as she returned to his side. Nodding his head, he definitely agreed with her. Greenleaf was very near and his pelt itched with excitment for the days of plentiful hunting to come.

Walking next to Littlebrook again, Mudfoot perked his ears when he caught the sound of a vole rumaging through a pile of dead leaves. Crouching low the ground, the tom stalked forward and waited a few moments as the vole continued to search for food just a foxlength or two away from him. Finally unable to wait any longer, he lept forward, catching it by surprise. Smacking it down to the marshy ground with his paws, he killed it with a swift bite to the neck and burried it, not wanting to make Littlebrook wait for him much longer. "Looks like luck is finally on my side," he chuckled with a smile on his muzzle as he padded back to the she-cat.

(holy crap, forgive me xc)

Littlebrook purred softly at his praise, heat rising to her cheeks. "Thanks." She meowed cheerfully, trying to hide her sudden shyness. She knew she was a great hunter, maybe one of the best, but she never boasted or bragged on her skill. She just never saw the point. So what she was good at hunting. Everyone's good at something whether they realize it or not and she just found bragging to be waste of time and energy. Plus, nobody liked and arrogant she-cat. Nonetheless, it always made her a bit flustered and shy to be complimented on her hunting, or anything for that matter.

Suddenly her ears perked at the sound of rustling in a pile of leaves nearby. Glancing towards Mudfoot, she nodded to him as he slunk off to catch it. Her gaze lingered on is form for a bit longer than she had anticipated, and she glanced away quickly, brow furrowing in kind of confused denial sort of way. She knew what that feeling meant deep down, but she shrugged it away before she could dwell on it much longer. Soon Mudfoot had returned to her side and the whole thing was forgotten to her. "Maybe I'm good luck." She joked, blue gaze lighting up with laughter.

(Do you want to have like a badger or something to come along and spice things up a bit, or do you just wanna keep them talking leisurely? Either way I don't mind c: )

OOC: I think keep things leisurely....? How about we finish this topic up and we can always do another topic with them later? Idk if you've moved on to another cat for Little 'cause of my slowness or nah C':

IC: Purring as he stood next to the she-cat once more, Mudfoot couldn't hold back a grin as he turned to meet her eyes. It was a nice change from always being so sorrowful about what happened with Wolffang, and he found genuine joy when spending time with Littlebrook. Maybe this was StarClan's way of telling him to move on, or maybe it was false hope. Either way, he was determined to not ruin the night with his sour thoughts.

"Ha, maybe you are," the tom chuckled at her comment and playfully nudged her shoulder with his. Looking up to the sky, he noticed that the sky had darkened even more than when they'd met up and they probably should've headed back to the camp by now. Letting out a sigh, he looked back to Littlebrook, a soft smile still resting on his muzzle. "Well, as much as I want to stay out here and enjoy the night with you more, we should probably head back to camp so no cat wonders where we are," Mudfoot meowed, his tail flicking back and forth.

ooc: Sure we could do another topic for them c: Do you think you could make it though? I've got so much going on right now, but if you reakk wanted me to make it, then it might be a little while (Nah i ain't givin up on these bbs cx)

ic: Littlebrook laughed lightly as Mudfoot bumped into her playfully. A sudden memory of her and Lightningstrike messing around as apprentices made it's way to the front of her mind, and it threatened to send her into sadness once more. She abruptly cut it off and decided she wouldn't let his memory get her down anymore. Instead, it would motivate her to be happy and continue to care for her friends and loved ones. He wouldn't want her to be overcome by grief at every slight memory of him. She knew he would want her to be happy no matter what that entailed.

Now, with this new mindset, she looked at the tom beside her as he talked. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She nodded a bit reluctantly, though she wished they could stay and talk all night until the sun came up.