In The Pale Moonlight [Annie]

[♠ Spade ♠]

The moon was just a little less then full but it still cast enough light to bathe the forest in it's pale silver glow. Everything was still, save for the bubbling of the river and a quiver of reeds just above the bank. A moment later, a silvery gray head popped out form in between the water plants. Currentflower looked around before dropping from her ledge down to the bank with a soft thud. She shook her fur and smiled as she looked out on the relatively smooth surface of the river. It was a time in the year when the river was calm and flowed smoothly as opposed to the other seasons when the river was angry and dangerous.

This was her favorite time because when the river was calm, one could see the stars and moon reflected in the water. It was undoubtedly the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen. She would leave camp every night she could to just come and watch the water. She sat and watched for a moment before standing and pacing towards the river, stopping when her paws were completely underwater. A slight breeze ruffled her fur, making her already smooth and water-like stripes ripple slightly.

She heaved a deep sigh as she relished the way the water flowed smoothly over and around her paws. But when she took another deep breath, she noticed another scent, a ThunderClan one on the other side of the border. She wasn't sure if it was an older one from a patrol or if it was fresh and someone was there right now on the other side of the border. She froze and looked cautiously over to the ThunderClan bank. "Hello?" she called.

286 words

[A N N I E]

The moonlight barely glanced off the dark tom's pelt. In fact, the pelt of shifting blacks and grays seemed to asorb the scant shafts of silver moonlight. His dark, navy eyes were borderline black. For the older apprentice to be out, especially for Echopaw, was a surprise, no, a miracle. Echopaw was the cat that lived to inforce the rules among his brothers. But then again, the Fade Brothers were known for trouble finding them, and though Echopaw was the follower, he did find the urge to break them every once and while. Tonight was no different. After the recent gathering, Echopaw's absence at that gathering, and his brother's latest prank, StarClan knows he needed a break from Sootpaw. And don't get him started about Frostpaw. Oh, how he could just rake his claws through her fluffy, untameable fur. He could tame that white fur, just give him a few moments. Her latest prank had been on him, and he was still fuming over it, trying to think of a way to get back at her. The plus of being related to two pranksters? Even he could come up with a good prank or two when he wanted.

Echopaw had not a single clue to what really drew him to the river tonight. It was an easy way to get spotted, even for him, who seemed to be made of shadows, but that didn't make him stop. Maybe fate would have him come here, waiting for the inevitable to happen. Maybe he wanted a change of scenery. The forst could get old sometimes to him and sure, he loved the gorge heights, where he could look down or talk and hear his namesake drifting around him quietly. But the river always seemed to have a pull on him. Echopaw scented the air with an expert's touch. He could certainly smell other cats, but with the wind blowing from RiverClan towards him, it was hard to tell what was fresh and not unless the wind died down to let the scents settle and prevented them from mingling.

So you can imagine his surprise when he nearly stumbled from the bushes into another she-cat, certainly not from his own clan. Echopaw quickly reversed his paw steps so that the thick bushes covered his back end and midsection. His front end was darker than his body, just as his backend, but his midsection was roaned lighter than the rest, so he always made sure that part stayed as camoflagued as possible. The shadows clung to his pelt as the tom stood hidden, partly by foliage, partly by shadows. The tom could not take his eyes off the beautiful she-cat before him. Well...gut him and let StarClan call him a fish, Echopaw was actually noticing the opposite sex as not whinney, weak, or annoying (Frostpaw's case), but...dare I say it...attractive. No, attractive isn't the word. 'She's like a StarClan cat in real life. God I sound like Pa when he tried to kiss Mum's tail after getting caught in something bad.' He thought. Then she spoke. Her voice was honey to his tongue and music to his ears, but she knew he was there. No bother trying to hide. Although he didn't need to try to hide as well as he did in the forest. Echopaw stepped forth and into the water that swirled at his paws.

He was not worried about the border, for the river itself was the border. The markers at the shoreline of each side of the river left the river itself unmarked territory. Besides, the water would wash away any of his scent to show he'd been in it. Unless his brother, Fogpaw, came by. That cat had a killer nose. His nose could pick up faint scent particles above the water itself. But Fogpaw wasn't due for patrol anytime soon. The faint glow of the moon highlighted the muscles on his shoulders. True to ThunderClan form, all of his family had the broad shoulders of his clan, except for Echopaw and Fogpaw, who had the whole body of a fighter. The tom kept his tail low, the very tip curling in like a leopard's to keep the shallow water from touch it. He offered no words. He was in the wrong here, simply because he was an apprentice and she a warrior. With the river unclaimed land, neither could really be in trouble, except for him. The tom stared at Currentflower. She probably knew who he was; word of his family got around pretty fast, especially him, who was the rather odd one in his faimly. He was dark while his family were much lighter than him, but his eyes...they all had some kind of abnormal blue eyes. And his weren't just blue, but navy. He was the eldest Fade Brother, Echopaw.

[♠ Spade ♠]

The young warrior's muscles relaxed visibly under her flowing coat when she saw that the cat that had intruded her peaceful moment was only an apprentice from the Clan across the river. A relaxed smile replaced her cautious stare as he tried to scurry back to the undergrowth and hide himself form her. However, he seemed to realize that she'd already seen him, for he slowly came out of his hiding spot and into the shallows on the opposite bank.

Her smile quickly grew more excited as she recognized who this cat was. "Hey I know you!" she called across the calm waters. She'd seen him when she had been on patrols with her mentor and he'd told her stories about this cat and his family. "You're....." she paused, thinking hard to try and remember what her mentor had told her.

She gave up a moment later and offered the tom a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry, I don't remember your name, but I have heard about you," she meowed. She waved her tail eagerly before wading farther into the river. If her brother was here right now, he'd scold her for what she was about to do, but she wanted a better look a this cat and she guessed that he couldn't swim. When the water got deep enough, she launched off the pebbles and started paddling with her strong legs. She moved effortlessly through the water and when she came to stand in front of him, the water streamed off her smooth pelt. The wetness only served to further blend the grays and silvers of her fur.

Even though she knew she must look silly with the fur on her face dry and fluffy and the rest of her fur soaking wet and clinging to her body, she gave a friendly smile. "I'm Currentflower. I was just named a warrior," she mewed boastfully. Then she remembered her manners and dipped her head towards the slightly younger tom. "What's your name?" she asked.

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[A N N I E]

The young tom felt the flicker of annoyance he always felt, like a tiny thorn in his fur, when he heard her shout. Of course. Sootpaw was the only cat in his family who openly showed that he liked his reputation, however troublesome it was. Fogpaw was modest and shy, but he liked his own fame nonetheless. But Echopaw...part of him liked it. He knew once he got older, it would be enough at the sight of him to put things straight or make a troubled apprentice behave. Or in more desperate times, he knew that the sight of him and Fogpaw when warriors would be enough to discourage a battle. But the nagging voice in his head spoke of quiet evenings to him. Everyone was expecting so much of you, even the other clans, part of him just wanted to be some simple cat that could speak his own name first.

It was also that nagging voice in his head that was telling him things right now. A stickler for the code, it was against his every belief that he should have set one paw over that border. Every nerve in his body was screaming at him to turn around right now. That if his warrior clanmates saw him now, he'd be accused of romping with this she-cat. Her voice trailing off caught his attention and his intense eyes snapped to hers quickly, listening. There was a rush of a strange feeling when she confessed she didn't know his name. Sure, she knew him, but the fact his name escaped her honey tongue was enough to send tiny tingling trills down his spine. It felt like it was his first day at the stop of the gorge walls surrounding camp again; the first day he felt the tremendous power a yowl from his father could give among those closed in walls, how the words danced off the sheer faces and doubled back into his ears...the first day he heard an echo.

Only now, the tiny tinglings he was getting, as his sharp eyes followed her beautiful streamlined body were much more pleasant. Echopaw didn't back down one step as the she-cat glided toward him. At the sight of her drenched body, but dry, fluffy head, there was amusement dancing in his normally stoic eyes and a slight smirk pulled at his darkened lips, the tip of a long canine showing under the twitch that pulled the lip up. Even before she spoke, he recalled her apprentice name. "Currentpaw..." He broke off as their words intermingled. Another smirk played at his lips, his long, sweeping whiskers twitching. "Or flower now. I know you. You don't strike me as the kind to travel from your territory."

'Hypocrite...' it echoed in his mind, that nagging voice he could never squash down. But not tonight. 'Go find Sooty and annoy him, he needs a better conscious anyhow. Tonight's my night and you are not allowed in it.' On pure whim, Echopaw lied about his name, "Ravenpaw. Though I'm not much of the 'bird-thin' type, eh?" He joked lightly, flexing the massive muscles on his shoulders. She probably knew it wasn't his real name. In fact, the only cat in all of ThunderClan that even had the word 'raven' in their name was Ravenwing and she wasn't even a tom. He'd probably give her his real name later, once he was sure she liked him for him, not for his name or reputation.

[♠ Spade ♠]

Currentflower fought the urge to shake the extra water from her fur. She didn't want to get water all over the apprentice, she still had some manners, whether it seemed like it or not. As she introduced herself, he echoed her apprentice name. She stiffened slightly and almost corrected him like any proud young warrior would, but relaxed again when he corrected himself. When he commented that she didn't seem like the type to stray, she shrugged slightly. "Well I'll go anywhere the river is. I think it looks so beautiful at night..." she trailed off, looking at the starlit water over her shoulder. The light reflected in her eyes as she looked back to Echopaw.

Ravenpaw... the name echoed in her ears and she managed to keep her expression straight. She knew that wasn't right, there was no Ravenpaw as much as she could remember in the trio she'd heard of. However, because she didn't have another name to substitute, she left it alone. Instead, she just kept up her friendly smile. "Well, it's nice to finally meet you, Ravenpaw." She used the name cautiously, but shook off the feeling of being lied to and continued. She chuckled softly at his next comment. "Maybe not 'Raven' in the build, but maybe you were named for your fur like I was," she commented.

She flicked her tail and sent a small arc of water out behind her. She was tempted to climb onto the bank for a dry place to sit, but she checked the urge. If she left the river, then she was officially on the wrong side of the border and she knew better then that. She tilted her head slightly and looked back at him. He wasn't much younger then her, but there was something about him that she couldn't quite put her paw on. He was different from the RiverClan toms that tried to chase her. She enjoyed his company a lot more then those other toms.

"So what brings you out here so late?" she asked. She had given her own reason and now she was curious as to why he was out here as well.

I forgot how to count :3

[A N N I E]

Cobalt pools remained trained to her figure. His gaze was intense, but oddly...warm. Shadowed pelt flickered in the moonlight as his muscles tensed. He let the tenseness of his face soften, lip corners lifting slightly. "Enjoying the view." But he didn't bother looking up at the starry, dotted sky or moonlight speckled water. He was simply staring at Currentflower. Suddenly he turned and began to slowly trudge upriver. He stopped once he was two fox lengths away. "You want to come? Maybe you can find out my real name later on." He turned, muscular pelt flexing beneath his fur as he fought the current. He never once stepped close to the bank on either side, keeping his scent as masked as possible, and was gradually leaving behind both River and ThunderClan borders and heading into the unknown...well, for Currentflower maybe, but not for him.

[♠ Spade ♠]

So he had come out here for the same reason she had, or so it seemed for a hearbeat. She'd come to enjoy the stars and moon reflected on the river and she had expected him to look to the sky or the water for emphasis. However, when she noticed his eyes stay on her, she smiled and felt her fur grow warmer despite being covered in cold water.

There was quiet for a moment before Echopaw suddenly turned upstream. She seemed slightly caught off guard by how he had seemingly suddenly tried to leave. It was only after he turned and invited her along that she finally got her legs to move. She moved quickly through the shallows until she had caught up to him before slowing to match his pace. Her eyes narrowed curiously when he said she may be able to find out his real name. So he had lied about his name. She knew Ravenpaw didn't sound right. "You lied about your name?" she asked mildly. She didn't sound offended, simply curious.

"Do you just want me to call you Ravenpaw until you decide if you tell me or not?" she asked. The young warrior looked around for a moment, wondering where he was leading them. She had never tried going this way before, though now that she was, she found herself wanting to know what was this way.

[A N N I E]

OOC;; I realized that the scene in one of my posts before was a scene from the camp at the lake, which isn’t the camp for ThunderClan now. XD We’re using the old map! Anyway, so I have to improvise the scene of it a bit. I still want it to be a special spot he doesn’t share often with others, so… :3

Echopaw let a comfortable silence stretch for a little while, continuing to lead her away from ThunderClan and RiverClan territories. He knew a little slip of land at the bottom of the gorge that was unclaimed. It wasn’t as dangerous as most thought. ”It doesn’t matter. Whatever you like is fine with me. You’ll probably find out my name soon enough. Why are you so surprised, though? I could tell from the look on your face you suspected I was lying.” Echopaw paused, looking around. The water was beginning to turn stronger. Using his tail, he gently guided the slimmer she-cat behind him as he trailed closer to the shore, just enough that he’d leave no scent on land, but enough to where they could travel into the gorge. ”Stay behind me.”

[♠ Spade ♠]

As the silence settled between them, Currentflower hadn’t made any attempt to break it. She didn’t feel the need to strike up new conversation just yet. It was a while before he answered her question and she tried not to look to embarrassed when he did. ”I did think you might be lying, but I never really knew your name in the first place,” she mewed quietly as she dipped her head slightly. He had known her when they first met but she had only an inkling of what his name might be. Just the thought that he had known about her made her belly flip and brought a small smile to her face. ”Besides, I assumed you were an honest cat telling the truth,” she teased playfully, her confidence returning rather quickly.

However, that burst of attitude didn’t last long when she finally noticed that they were headed towards the gorge. Her pelt prickled uneasily and she looked back over her shoulder and fought off the urge to turn around. All her life, she was told stories about cats that had fallen to their deaths in the gorge. She had been warned over and over again as an apprentice to be careful where she put her paws when she had to go there and how uneasy her mentor had been when she’d first been shown the apparently dangerous place. When she felt his tail against her shoulder, the tabby she-cat jumped and was forced to finally notice that in her slight panic over where they were headed, she had stopped paying attention to her companion.

Currentflower moved behind him as he guided her and made sure to stay close. Even though she was a few moons older then him, she still found herself admiring how calm he seemed in spite of the increasingly rough water. ”Where are we going?” she asked.