It Isn't True [open]

[{Otter}]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] Days had passed. Days. Not just a few days, either. Many days. The chocolate tomcat struck out across the windy moorlands, moving slowly as the wind whipped past his ears and ruffled his short, sleek, RiverClan fur. His muscular chest and not-so-long legs spoke of a swimmer, not a runner. In no way, ever, could this warrior catch a rabbit. Even Ottersplash wouldn't be foolish enough to think so. So why was he out here, if not to hunt? Were he with a group, one could imagine he was with an invading party, or perhaps a peaceful delegation from RiverClan. But not so. He was alone, and one could only imagine his goal. Was he here to join WindClan? No, no. Not even a foolish mousebrain would think that. So what, then? Hawkfang. He was here to see Hawkfang. After spending days waiting for his friend to return, the normally-cheerful young warrior had finally decided to face the facts--Hawkfang was in WindClan now, and he wasn't coming back. And after he had spent a day or two sulking around, Ottersplash had managed to come to another conclusion--if his friend was in WindClan, what was stopping Ottersplash from visiting him? Every Clan knew what a poor warrior the chocolate tomcat was. Surely, oh surely, very few cats would see him on the moors and think he was here to attack? No, surely not. So here he was, trekking across the moors. The last time he had done this had been with Hawkfang himself. It had been Ottersplash's idea, an attempt to cheer Hawkfang up. But now he regretted it. Maybe, just maybe, if he hadn't gone with Hawkfang here, his friend wouldn't have left? A smooth, flat rock appeared in the distance, and Ottersplash came to a stop. Here he could see everything. Maybe, just maybe, if he sat here long enough, he'd see Hawkfang? Word Count;; 310 Muse;; bof Audience;; whoever, doesn't have to be Hawkfang

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A rabbit, small and lean, darted across the moorland, its paws kicking up debri as it ran; not knowing where it was going, but only meaning to escape. A lean feline ran after it, quickly gaining, despite the rabbit's great speed. There was a gleam in the tom's blue eyes as the rabbit tripped in a small hole and fell awkwardly to the ground. He was on it before it had a chance to stand once more, dispatching it with a quick blow to the neck; he was not a beast. He would not prolong the suffering of this prey.

Hawkfang dipped his head and said a silent thanks to StarClan before picking up the limp rabbit by the scruff. While it was one of te smaller rabbits that ran across this moor, it would prove a nice meal for a cat that needed an energy boost- or one of the kits could share it. He began padding forward once more, in the general direction of camp, but not nesscarily heading there. The tom enjoyed walking this land alone, allowing the wind to play through his pelt. As he walked, Hawkfang scented the air.

His eyes widened slightly and he dropped the rabbit before scenting the air once more; no, no, he was simply mistaken. No RiverClan warrior was trespassing on WindClan territory. Hawkfang firmly shook his head and picked the rabbit up once more, but he still kept going in the direction of the scent. Soon, he came upon Outlook rock and there, sitting upon the large boulder, was a RiverClan warrior.

Ottersplash.

[{Otter}]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] Hope of seeing a cat seemed to be fading. Possessing a short intention span in even the best of days, Ottersplash found it extremely difficult to sit still on the flat rock. After a few minutes he stood up and began pacing, walking in circles as his tail twitched uncomfortably. A voice in the back of his mind told him he shouldn't be here. But the voice was small, and very faint. Heck, he was Ottersplash! No cat in their right mind would think he was doing something hostile. He just...he just wanted to find Hawkfang. The pale yellow eyes, at least, were not left wanting as they gazed across the moor. Rustlings of grasses, fluttering of birds, and the whisper of wind sweeping across the land kept his senses reasonably entertained. It was only his body, pacing in circles, that couldn't bear staying here much longer. What could Hawkfang possibly see in this land? Dry, grassy, no trees. How could Hawkfang have given up the wet, lush land of RiverClan? The river? It didn't compute. Better warriors have all their senses alert at all times, especially in enemy territory. Ottersplash was not a good warrior. His senses kept jumping back and forth, from gazing at the moor to listening to the wind, to sniffing the earthy breeze. And so it happened that he did not hear the pawsteps of the approaching cat, nor did he see Hawkfang's form. His fist clue came when the wind shifted, bringing to it the fresher scent of WindClan. Surprised, Ottersplash turned to face the scent, expecting the cat to be several tail-lengths away still. Instead, his pale yellow eyes widened in surprise when his gaze fell upon the dark brown pelt of his closest friend standing not a fox-length away. Was it true? Hawkfang? Could Ottersplash have had this much luck? Could StarClan be blessing him right now? His eyes shot up briefly to the clear blue sky, then rested again on Hawkfang. "Hawkfang..." he mewed, testing the word, ears flattening and pricking as he decided what he should be feeling. Anger? Most cats would. Even Ottersplash had the capacity to feel anger. Hostility? No. Never. "So it's true. You are... a WindClanner," he said slowly, tail-tip twitching as he spoke more clearly and more pointedly than normal. How could one joke or muck about at a time like this? Not even the chocolate warrior. Ottersplash kept his ears flattened, but instead of hostility, his eyes simply held sadness. He'd avoided the truth all this time, and now it was staring him in the face. Would he be able to deny it any more? No, certainly not. How, then, was he going to survive with his cheerful nature in tact? Perhaps he wouldn't. Betrayal is nasty business. Word Count;; 459 Muse;; Okay Audience;; REUNION!!!

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[tenacious]

Why had Ottersplash come here? This was WindClan territory. WindClan. Hawkfang didn’t want to get sharp with his friend, but wasn’t that what the warrior code called for? All trespassing cats must be challenged. But, when the surprised tom turned to face him, (Hawkfang wasn’t surprised the RiverClanner’s attention had wandered), Hawkfang could not sum up any anger and he slowly set the rabbit down.

”So it’s true. You are…a WindClanner.”

What was he supposed to say to that? Hawkfang eyed Ottersplash; the tom’s ears were lowered, but Hawkfang could not find any hostility. He mulled over his words before nodding, “Yes, I am. Why did you come all the way out here, Ottersplash? There are other cats out here- you’re lucky I found you before they did,” he could not help the light rebuke. Hawkfang didn’t want to see Ottersplash get hurt by his new Clanmates; if that meant scolding the warrior, then so be it.

The deputy found himself scanning the moorland for signs of other warriors. Luckily, he could not spot any, nor could he smell any fresh scents that would alert him. Hawkfang’s tense muscles relaxed and he was surprised to realize he had been tense beforehand. The tom flicked an ear before sitting down; Ottersplash surely wouldn’t attack him, right? And even if Ottersplash did, he probably deserved a good cuff over two.

Hawkfang allowed a light sigh to escape him, staring up at the sky. To be honest, Ottersplash was his only tie left in RiverClan; he hadn’t made many friends. He hadn’t had a family. Leaving had been easy because of that; but, damn it, he never expected to encounter his friend here. Maybe someplace like a Gathering- neutral territory, where no cat could ask questions if he talked to a RiverClanner.

[{Otter}]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] "There are other cats out here- you’re lucky I found you before they did.” Though the words were clearly aimed to warn him, Ottersplash flicked them away with a twitch of an ear. With forced lightness, only a shadow of the cheerfulness he usually portrayed, he mewed, "And what would they do? They all know me. I couldn't catch any of your prey if StarClan themselves descended to help me. Too pudgy, remember?" He glanced down at his slightly thick belly with little feelings of remorse. Hey, he liked fish. What was wrong about that? As he raised his eyes to study Hawkfang, it became clear to Ottersplash that the dark tabby would not be coming back to RiverClan. Though he looked particularly uncomfortable at the moment, Ottersplash could see that Hawkfang wasn't strained or unhappy. The moors suited him the way the river suited Ottersplash. Why was it so hard to accept? Because he was my best friend. He vowed to be loyal to RiverClan, and he left, the chocolate warrior reminded himself, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly as he glanced down at his forepaws. He didn't understand. And when he didn't understand, he sulked. Not that Ottersplash had ever payed that much attention to obeying orders. He was, after all, sitting on WindClan territory at the moment, and he often went out on a hunting patrol in the morning only to come back at dusk with a single fish. Even so, Ottersplash was loyal in one clear way--he would never, ever, leave RiverClan. Not if every rat in the forest was marching towards him. Once upon a time, he had thought the same of Hawkfang. "So...how is WindClan?" he asked after a few moments of silence, tail lashing uncomfortably as his gaze shifted from Hawkfang, to the moors, to the sky, and to his paws. The small-talk was mousebrained and strained, but Ottersplash couldn't bring himself to walk away yet. Life in RiverClan wasn't the same without Hawkfang. Not that he hated life in RiverClan now or would ever consider leaving. Frozenclaw had proven to be a pretty fun guy at least, but even so...it just wasn't the same. Word Count;; 345 Muse;; Pretty good Notes;; he doesn't know that Hawkfang is deputy yet ^.^

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While Ottersplash’s tone was light, Hawkfang could tell that it was forced; he wasn’t mouse-brained, after all, whatever cats back at RiverClan may be saying. “Oh, I know you couldn’t catch anything. That’s not the problem,” he responded, trying to keep his tone light as well, but failing utterly. The deputy simply lapsed into silence, watching as his friend stared at his forepaws. An unhappy Ottersplash was no joy, to be honest. It wasn’t like the chocolate warrior would hurt cats- he just sulked.

”So…how is WindClan?”

Hawkfang eyed Ottersplash for a moment; he didn’t know. There was no way he could. And if Ottersplash had any hopes of Hawkfang returning, him being deputy could crush it. But what could he do? Beat around the bush and say all was well? “I’m deputy now, Ottersplash. So…it’s different. But I like the moorland and every cat here is willing to work their tail off to…be here,” he frowned lightly as he spoke before sighing, looking at his paws as he spoke, “How is life treating you back at WindClan?”

It was a horrible, horrible attempt at switching the conversation away from himself. Horrible! But he had to try, right?

[{Otter}]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] As Hawkfang spoke, Ottersplash's tail lowered until it was lying limp upon the grass. Deputy. Great. If he'd been able to keep up the tiniest glimmer of hope in his friend's return, it was now extinguished forever. Even so... "That's really great," he mewed, partially sincere. Though he, himself was very unambitious, he knew Hawkfang thought like a real warrior. Surely his friend would be excited. "You don't look starved or anything," he added in an attempt to distract his own mind from the news. Great StarClan, what next? Would Vixenfang die and make Hawkfang leader? As Hawkfang shifted the conversation, Ottersplash sighed and shrugged his chocolate shoulders. "Everything is fine. The river is finally thawing, so I get to swim around some now." He didn't add that, without Hawkfang, few cats swam with him, and more just kind of yelled and called him a mousebrain for getting in such cold water. "Frozenclaw's not such a serious cat; he'll go swimming sometimes. Icefeather thinks I'm an idiot." Then again, what news was that? The fluffy white she-cat had always thought ill of him. But now, Ottersplash realized, she probably thought much worse of Hawkfang. It was not possible to keep his mind on one subject for long. Pretty soon his thoughts drifted away from RiverClan and back to WindClan. "So how is it with just five cats? Seems like it would be strange with other Clans there." This was good, right? Friendly conversation? Ottersplash was trying so hard to ignore his angry feelings towards Hawkfang. He didn't want to be angry...he didn't like holding grudges. But it was very hard not to. Word Count;; 270 Muse;; dwindling x.x Notes;; other kitties can barge in if they want ^.^

[tenacious]

Hawkfang watched as Ottersplash’s tail lowered until it was simply lying on the grass. He allowed a hint of a grin to pass across his muzzle as the warrior spoke and there was a hint of laughter in his blue eyes at Ottersplash’s next words, “Thanks, Ottersplash,” he mewed before going on, “There’s enough rabbits here to keep us well fed.”

Well, at least, from what it sounded like, Ottersplash didn’t just sit around and sulk. Though, he couldn’t imagine many cats going into the river now; surely it would still be cold? He narrowed his eyes slightly at the mentioning of Frozenclaw and Icefeather; Frozenclaw…Hawkfang had never bothered to really speak to the cat, but he seemed like a good enough warrior. Icefeather, though…Hawkfang wasn’t looking forward to ever seeing her. He knew she probably wanted nothing more then to rip him to shreds.

“So how is it with just five cats? Seems like it would be strange with other Clans there.”

“We have some new cats,” Hawkfang mewed, “Honestly, it was a little hard at first; but we all know we’re WindClan. Clanmates. It’s easier now to work with each other and everything,” he added, hoping Ottersplash wouldn’t go and repeat anything to any RiverClanners. He didn’t want to become known as a big talker that was a danger to his Clan.

[{Otter}]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] The chocolate warrior gave his friend a skeptical look. Hawkfang spoke of the WindClanners as his Clanmates, but he had once spoken the same way of RiverClanners. How could any of the cats in WindClan trust each other? They had all been willing to leave their Clans, so why wouldn't they be willing to up and leave WindClan one day? It was unnaturally clear thinking on his part, and his tail-tip twitched in surprise. Somehow, someway, this awful event was making his mind clearer. Ironic. "So..." he began, dropping his head uncomfortably as he shuffled his paws, "So why did you leave RiverClan? Because WindClan is more exciting? Or...?" he stopped, frowning at his forepaws. "You left your birth Clan. That's...not common. I don't understand it." If it had been for love, Ottersplash would have understood more. However, he had seen the she-cat Viperfang before, and he couldn't imagine Hawkfang having anything romantic going on with her. And Vixenstar? Well, it was possible, but it didn't seem likely. Vixenstar couldn't have kits, after all. Word Count;; 189 Audience;; Hawkfang Notes;; now would be a good time for another WindClanner to pop in before Hawkfang begins to explain himself ^.^

[Deleted]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] Wolfclaw grinned to himself as he carried a mouse on his way toward the abandoned badger set. Viperfang had been teasing him about his meager catch, but he wasn't one to snap back. In fact, he agreed with her. He would most likely never catch a rabbit. He was much too slow. The only thing that might be able to help him was running along the length of the territory to try and build his leg muscles. Until then, though, he was doomed to simply being a line of defense for the smaller WindClanners while on patrol. That, and he was deeply amused by the way Viperfang kept running circles around him. There must have been something in that rabbit she'd caught. The tom's muzzle was too full of mouse scent to pick up on the trace of RiverClan on the wind. Viperfang, however, skidded to a stop after bumping his shoulder with a clawless paw. She picked up her head, perked her ears, and twisted her vision toward Outlook Rock. There, two figures sat in the lengthening grasses. "Hey!" she hissed to her companion. Wolfclaw set the mouse down and followed her gaze. He recognized the tabby pelt of Hawkfang, but not the brown pelted tom. None of the WindClanners were solid brown. The warrior opened his muzzle and scented the air. "RiverClan..." he mewed, a sympathetic tone in his voice. Viperfang gave a nod in agreement. They both knew that their deputy had hailed from RiverClan. There was bound to be some questions from those closest to him. Or maybe a threat from those he hurt on his way to WindClan. "Bury that mouse," the she-cat meowed as she took a few steps in their direction, "Let's at least check on him to make sure things are okay." Wolfclaw obeyed, trying not to let the fact that he was being ordered around by a younger she-cat bother him. Sure, she was originally from ThunderClan, but that only made the need for cooperation that much more urgent. There had been tension between those who had hailed from ThunderClan and his family, but it was Viperfang who had more or less buried those ill feelings with a barrage of the fact that they were now WindClan. After hiding his catch, Wolfclaw powered forward and joined Viperfang as they redirected themselves to meet up with Hawkfang and the RiverClanner. The young she-cat kept ahead of him by her speed, but kept her pace down so she didn't completely lose the tom. "Who's this, Hawkfang?" Wolfclaw asked when he caught up the the group. Viperfang was lashing her tail uneasily and looked at the deputy with a silent question. The last thing she wanted to do was doubt Hawkfang's loyalty, but it was hard to do so when he was seaking so calmly to a now enemy warrior. Word Count: 476 Audience: Hawkfang and Ottersplash Comments: None

[tenacious]

Awkwardness settled in as Ottersplash spoke once more; how could he explain that RiverClan was not the best thing for him? How could he tell Ottersplash that his true loyalty would always be with WindClan? He couldn’t. Ottersplash wouldn’t understand- not because he was mouse-brained or anything, but because Hawkfang doubted the chocolate warrior had experienced this for himself, and this was a thing he could only discuss with those that had been through it.

The tom opened his mouth to speak, but before he could do so, he became aware of cats approaching. He scanned the moor until he could see the cats and Hawkfang cursed beneath his breath; Viperfang and Wolfclaw. Hawkfang didn’t want to get caught speaking to Ottersplash. Viperfang looked uncomfortable; why shouldn’t she be? Ottersplash had always been her enemy.

“Who’s this, Hawkfang?”

Hawkfang flicked an ear at the questioning, “This is Ottersplash; I found him here while hunting,” he added, trying to excuse any questions as to whether or not this meeting was planned. He looked at Ottersplash once more, eyes narrowing slightly as he did so, hoping his friend would be sulky enough to not make any jokes. Now was most certainly not the time.

[{Otter}]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] WindClanners were approaching. Ottersplash's suddenly more mature mind managed to catch their scent as the breeze changed, and he raised his yellow eyes slowly to watch as the two strangers approached. He didn't really know who they were, as Ottersplash rarely had interest in discovering who his "rivals" were and what they looked like. However, as he sniffed the air lightly, he caught the old scent of ShadowClan on the tom's fur, and the old scent of ThunderClan on the she-cat's. It was a strange sight, to be sure--ThunderClan and ShadowClan side-by-side. Ottersplash ducked his chocolate head as the two reached them. His tail lay limp against the grass, his fur flat and ears pricked forward. He didn't care if he was surrounded by three enemy warriors. So what? He was Ottersplash. Ottersplash didn't care about such things. He did, however, care about the looks the she-cat was giving his old friend. Pale yellow eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the she-cat, and he glanced over at Hawkfang with a bit more discomfort. What, did this Clan not trust Hawkfang? Then why was the furball even in WindClan? The last thing Ottersplash wanted was to give Hawkfang reason to be afraid in WindClan. He wasn't the type of cat to provoke suspicions so that his friend would be forced to run back to RiverClan. Heck, no one knew if Rookstar would even accept him again. No, Ottersplash wasn't a jerk. "Yeah," he mewed quietly in agreement with Hawkfang's words. "Just wanted to see what had become of him. I...didn't want to believe he'd left." Was that a dangerous thing to say? Perhaps the others would take it the wrong way. Whatever. They can tear me to shreds if they want. I don't care, he thought with a shrug of his shoulders. Didn't matter anymore anyway. Word Count;; 334 Muse;; blah Audience;; Hawkfang, Wolfclaw, Viperfang

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[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] “This is Ottersplash; I found him here while hunting.” "Yeah. Just wanted to see what had become of him. I...didn't want to believe he'd left." Wolfclaw dipped his head and nodded, a look of understanding on every detail of his face. If Ottersplash had braved the threat of meeting an enemy patrol to meet the former RiverClan cat, it proved that their friendship had meant a lot to them. That granted, it was still not a good idea to cross borders. "That's all well and good," he mewed gently, "But it is dangerous for any cat to cross into another Clan's territory, no matter how new the Clan or how dear the friend. At the very least, it would have been better if you had waited for a border patrol. We maybe could have worked something out..." Viperfang pinned her ears against her head and sat down. This wasn't up for debate. Ottersplash was trespassing. She knew how the two felt, though. She would have welcomed her father, Foxblaze, if he had crossed into WindClan to check on her. It wouldn't surprise her either, in fact, to find him waiting for her if she passed by Fourtrees. The she-cat of the group twitched an ear and raised her head, looking from the deputy to the RiverClan tom. "This is better saved for a Gathering," she meowed, attempting to keep her temper down, "It's best if Ottersplash gets back to his territory." Wolfclaw watched as the she-cat stood up, expecting the patrol to escort the RiverClan cat to the border. The tom twitched his whiskers and looked to Hawkfang with a grin. "Did you catch anything other than this RiverClanner?" he asked with an amused purr, "We'll collect it while you escort him home. He'd be far too chewy, I expect." This was, in fact, Wolfclaw's way of giving the two friends time to talk alone. He only hoped that the deputy was quick to catch on. Viperfang looked confused at first, but smiled and flicked her ear at Wolfclaw. She'd cuff him later. Word Count: 343 Audience: Hawkfang and Ottersplash Comments: None

[tenacious]

It was quite clear that Viperfang was irritated, uncomfortable; a mixture of both, Hawkfang would guess. He flicked an ear as the two cats spoke; this little reunion was not going incredibly well. He looked over at Wolfclaw as the tom spoke once more, an amused purr entering his mew. The tabby narrowed his eyes slightly before catching on, “Just a rabbit,” he flicked his tail towards the creature before turning to Ottersplash once more, “Well, let’s go. We can’t sit around all day- you’ll make this place smell too fishy,” Hawkfang added before nodding his thanks to Wolfclaw and Viperfang.

Hawkfang slowly began to pad towards the RiverClan border, at a pace that wouldn’t leave Ottersplash behind. Though it was hard to restrain himself- he wanted nothing more then to run at full speed, but he doubted Ottersplash would think him if he picked up pace and disappeared. He hoped, though, that Viperfang and Wolfclaw would not squeal back at camp- of course, the RiverClan scent would be picked up later on, but Hawkfang didn’t want to deal with any awkward questions and wasn’t sure if he would be in the mood to tolerate them that well.

[{Otter}]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] So, this previous ShadowClanner had a heart in him. Ottersplash stared at Wolfclaw in open surprise as the tomcat hinted at Hawkfang being the one to escort him back to RiverClan. Clear as his mind was during this conversation, he was able to catch on, and he blinked in gratitude at the warrior. The she-cat was not so friendly looking, but so what? She clearly hadn't really met him before. If she had, she wouldn't look so uneasy. Psh, as if he would attack Hawkfang! That was what they were worried about, right? In any case, as Hawkfang began to move away, Ottersplash fell into step beside him. They moved pretty quickly, but the slightly-pudgy warrior's longer stride made it so that he kept up with Hawkfang relatively easily. Before too long, he figured they were just specks in the eyes of the WindClanners. "They seem to be getting along well," he mewed after a moment, desperate to break the tense silence. "Weird to see ShadowClan and ThunderClan hunting together." Weird, yes, but not as weird as this. Not as weird as walking side-by-side with his best friend, being escorted out of said friend's territory, knowing he shouldn't come back if he didn't want to risk both their appearances of loyalty. No, this was weird. Ridiculous. Crazy. And so he came back to his former question. "Is there more of a reason you left RiverClan than you liking the moor?" He wasn't sure what he expected as an answer. He just wanted some kind of explanation to resolve this insanity. Word Count;; 257 Audience;; Hawkfang Notes;; We can end it soon