*~ShiningClan and GlowClan: The Iridescent Forest~*

Brightpaw heard Redpaw settle down to sleep on the other side of the den. She was still in shock. Is it possible...that he doesn't hate me? She shook her head. No, that's impossible. A blind cat could see how uncomfortable he is around me, I mean, it's obvious. I'm just stupid, too trusting of him because he was the first cat to at least seem like he cared. Resting her head on her paws, she thought, Then why? Why'd he do that? Why does he keep switching between seeming like he hates me, and seeming like he wants to be my friend?
She opened her eyes, a frustrated frown on her face. The den was lightened by a mixture of neon purple and green light. Brightpaw glanced over at him, asleep. There are two options. I'm completely insane, looking way too into things and making up his hatred for me...or he's been tricking me, trying to make me confused cause he thinks it's funny. She looked down. I thought life was hard when I was completely alone, but I think this might be even worse.

(Gonna try RPing here again, hope I wasn't too annoying back then XP)

Shadowmist headed back to the forest to make up for her foolishness. You mousebrain! How could you let such a stupid thing happen! My leader must think I'm terrible now! She screamed to herself. Her behavior was worse than an apprentice. Hopefully she would be able to make it up to her clan... Stop feeling sorry for yourself! If you're a warrior, act like one! She understood that getting wrapped up in her thoughts wasn't going to help anything. I'll have to bring back enough fresh-kill to last her clan moons to make up for this, but it's a fitting punishment. Shadowmist decided, continuing her hunt.

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Raventhorn brought back three mice to the camp, observing the scenery as he neared the fresh-kill pile. He proudly dropped his catch to the pile, but realized that he was left with boring work. If he wasn't the next up for patrolling he'd have nothing to do with his time. He loved his clan, but not as much as he enjoyed being free. Raventhorn felt ashamed for having these thoughts, but he couldn't ignore the fact that it was true. He was always astonished at the stories of cats who lived in the forest with free lives. He sighed quietly, hopefully this feeling will fade away before I do something I regret He wished to himself.

✦*Cometstar*✦ wrote:(That's great that you made a new character, Jules! I added him to the allegiances a few days ago~)

"Perhaps," Mistystone chuckled. "I might as well take this opportunity to head to bed now, while things are calm." She put away the small pile of herbs left out back into her stores, then lowered herself into her nest. "Remember to come with me to gather marigold in the morning," she told Owlstorm before drifting off.      

After a few more strokes of his tongue, Redpaw stopped. Why is she still so tense? She must be in a very uneasy sleep after what happened... I wish I could help more, but what if she wakes up and sees me? He felt too uncomfortable and embarrassed now. He should just go to bed, he decided. He slowly went to his own nest, but not before whispering to Brightpaw, "May StarClan guide your dreams," in hope that she could have a more peaceful slumber. Redpaw laid down and closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind so he could sleep himself.

Drift closed his eyes and thought for a moment. His attitude changed. "Why don't you want to at least talk to me?" he said, actually disappointed but trying not to let it show. "It's obvious that I was going to leave. But aren't you curious to hear about my different way of life, before I do? Because I sure am about yours." He studied Nightbranch, struggling to understand her.

 Nightbranch studied him for several moments. Something told her he was up to something. She tried to shove the feeling aside. "Why would I care about how you live?" She snapped. "Right now I just want you off my territory!" She wanted this to be over with. Something about him was starting to spark real fear in him.

Drift sighed, giving in. "You know what, it'll be dawn soon anyway. Unfortunately, I should be going." He turned away from her and got up to leave. As he walked, he looked back one last time to smile and say, "Maybe we'll meet again, if you're lucky."

Morning came, and sunlight streaked through the apprentices' den in GlowClan. Redpaw's eyes suddenly shot open as he awoke from a nightmare. He sat up and stared out, remembering what he had just seen. Brightpaw was in the stream again! But the water was deeper, and she was sinking down, down, and I couldn't save her! It was all my fault... and it felt so real. He took a few deep breaths. But she's fine. Maybe talking to her will help me feel better. Redpaw saw Brightpaw still her nest, unsure if she was awake yet. He went over to her and kept his voice soft. "Hey... Brightpaw? Uh, how are you feeling?" he tried.

Brightpaw was in a forest, similar to ShiningClan territory. It was dark; she could hardly she where she was walking. Wait..where's my glow? She looked down. The purple light that would normally be flowing from her white fur at a time like this was gone. I'm...cold. Why am I so cold?
She wrapped her fluffy, soft tail around her side and trudged on through the darkness. She ran into trees countless times, which got stuck in her fur and made her wince with pain. I've got to get out of here...
Suddenly, she spotted a green light in the distance. Finally! She gasped with relief. There's a way out of this! She ran towards the light, tripping over twigs and rocks, and as she got closer, she could make out...a face.
Who's that? Is that... She skidded to a stop. Redpaw.
Redpaw stood in front of her, smiling. Slowly, her glow came back, and the green and purple light shining from their pelts filled up the forest around them. Finally, she could make out the path, and the trees, and everything was beautiful. She no longer felt so cold; she was warm and cozy.
He leaned toward her.
"I hate you," he whispered.
She blinked, in shock. He disappeared, and so did the light; the forest became filled with shadows once more, her skin became cold...and she collapsed.
"Hey...Brightpaw? Uh, how are you feeling?"
Brightpaw slowly opened her eyes, shaking. Just a dream. Just a dream. It wasn't real. Just...just a dream. She shuddered and looked up. Redpaw. Her pink eyes met his green ones. "Um...uh...yeah, right, um, hi, I'm...fine." She stood up and shook the moss out of her tail, looking down at her paws. "Just...had a nightmare."

Redpaw was relieved to see Brightpaw's eyes open. Looking at her had a calming effect on him, somehow. But he was filled with concern again after her reaction. "Oh no, you too? I guess we were just uneasy after what happened yesterday. Sucks though, doesn't it? I'm sorry." He fidgeted his paws nervously. "I really was hoping you would sleep well. I was worried about you..." Redpaw's heart rate was speeding up. Why is it so hard for me to talk to her?

Brightpaw stared at him. Worried about me? She found herself wanting to smile. He always seemed so sweet, like he genuinely cared about her, and it gave her a happy, energetic feeling; at least, until she started thinking too much. She looked down slightly. Why would he be worried about me? I'm not a useless kit, you know. I'm fine. I'll be a warrior someday. I'm...strong. She accidentally sighed out loud.
No, shut up, Brightpaw, she told herself firmly. That's idiotic, and you know it is. He's just being nice.
...Or, he's being TOO nice. I mean, who hopes a friend--not even that, just like, basically a stranger--would sleep well? No one would think like that, he's...he's trying too hard, with this...pretend-to-by-my-friend-joke-thing. Yeah, that would make sense, right? Makes more sense than him suddenly, out-of-nowhere actually caring about my existence. At least I actually knew how to mope around and be depressing and unnoticed. Clearly I'm not the best at dealing with someone...actually noticing. I wasn't prepared for that. Finally, she shook herself and stood up, realizing she had gotten lost in her thoughts while he was right next to her. I need to forget about this and live life like a normal apprentice. "Uh...training! We should go train. I want to be a warrior, don't you? Ha..heh...." Cool as ever, Brightpaw, she thought, racing out of the den.

Redpaw was stuck looking at the empty spot where Brightpaw had just been, angry with himself. It had to have been something I said. Why do I keep pushing it? I've gotta be majorly creeping her out—she clearly wants to be left alone, especially from me! And yet... Redpaw still couldn't push back the desire to be her friend. He recalled the way she behaved at the stream. She has always seemed pretty lonely... and honestly I feel that way too. I get along all right with the warriors, sure, but what real friends do I have?
I'm not giving up yet, he decided. We can be casual, like normal apprentices, can't we? And just talk a little more often? StarClan, please let it work out.
Redpaw left the den, glad when he spotted his mentor, Raventhorn, out in the clearing. He went over to him, making an effort to be cheerful as he greeted him. "Good morning, Raventhorn. Do you know what we'll do for training today, yet? I was actually hoping, uh, that it could be together with the other apprentice."

Raventhorn looked at the apprentice pleasingly, "It's nice to see you're so eager to train," he purred. "Very well, I see no problem in you two training together, and since you came to me instead of me coming to you, I'll leave the choice to you. So, how would you like to train Redpaw?" he spoke contently.
Redpaw was improving at a fast rate, it was hard for even Raventhorn to keep track of what was left for him to learn. Even if that was so, Raventhorn was satisfied with Redpaw's achievements.

Brightpaw pushed away any thoughts whirling inside her head and looked around camp for her mentor, Silversky. Not her, not her, not her...ahh, there she is. She spotted the silver-and-white tabby nearby, heading out of the warriors den.
"Uh, hey, Silversky," Brightpaw said quietly, walking up to her mentor. "Um...do you have any training planned for me today?"

"Wow, thanks, Raventhorn!" Redpaw couldn't believe his luck. This is actually perfect! Oh, but what would Brightpaw like? "How about we practice... defensive battle moves?" he asked after a brief moment of thought. "We could ask Brightpaw's mentor what she thinks of the idea."

"Ah, hello, Brightpaw," Silversky greeted her apprentice with a friendly smile. "Actually, I had been too distracted by the medicine cats nagging me about this stupid leg wound that I had forgotten to plan anything. I'm sorry," she said, annoyed with herself. "The wound won't prevent me from duties, so we could figure out something here."

Raventhorn's face lit up when he heard those words, he remembered that he preferred defense over offense. The warrior had to admit that he was almost excited to teach those moves. "Ah yes, defense can prove to be quite useful in-battle. You're also right about checking with Silversky first, though I doubt she'd have no problem at all with you two training together. It never hurts to get a little closer with your clanmates," Raventhorn said, beginning to survey the camp, looking for Brightpaw's mentor.

"Right!" Redpaw purred. Raventhorn is the best! I should've known he'd be this cool about my request, with how kind and understanding he's been to me for my whole apprenticeship, he thought fondly. He peered around in search of Silversky, but spotted Brightpaw's beautiful, flawless white pelt first. His eyes couldn't help but stay on her for a moment, before he noticed Silversky next to her. "Th-there she is. Let's go ask." Redpaw made sure his fur lie flat before approaching them. Here goes. He walked over to the she-cats, letting Raventhorn follow, and forced himself to speak, convincing himself that there was no reason at all to be nervous. "...Hey." He made a quick glance at Brightpaw that he half-hoped she didn't catch. "Raventhorn thinks it'd be a good idea for Brightpaw and I to be taken to practice some defensive battle moves together. Would that be all right?"

"Oh." Silversky was pleased that a training plan had come to them itself. "Of course; that'd be splendid. I'm sure you're up for that, right Brightpaw?" she meowed.

Form -
Character Name: Briarkit
Clan: GlowClan
Rank: Kit
Gender: Male
Description: Fuffy pelt with mottled brown markings and green eyes. He has the fluffiest little tail. He's also missing a piece of his left ear. (he's a Maine Coon, like his father was )
Glow color: Green
Personality/Backstory (optional): He's currently the happiest little boy due to his mother's care.
He still doesn't fully understand the situation between his parents because he's still fairly young. So he often asks his mother, "Mommy, where did dad go?" He never gets an answer.
Other: Brother of Stormkit and son of Irisfall.

Character name: Stormkit
Clan: GlowClan
Rank: Kit
Gender: Tom
Description: Smoky gray fur with a white tailtip and amber eyes
Glow color: Orange
Personality/backstory (optional): Strong, resolved, and usually responsible. Has felt obligated to look after his brother and mother, ever since his father disappeared, even though he still doesn't understand the situation.
Other: Brother of Briarkit, son of Irisfall

Character name: Irisfall
Clan: GlowClan
Rank: Queen/Warrior
Gender: She-cat
Description: Sleek blue-gray pelt with jade green eyes
Glow color: Purple
Personality/backstory (optional): She had lost two kits to sickness, and her mate had disappeared from the clan, highly presumed dead, when her remaining kits were quite young. She is fiercely protective of her sons and wants nothing more than for them to be safe and successful.
Other: Mother of Briarkit and Stormkit

✦*Cometstar*✦ wrote:"Right!" Redpaw purred. Raventhorn is the best! I should've known he'd be this cool about my request, with how kind and understanding he's been to me for my whole apprenticeship, he thought fondly. He peered around in search of Silversky, but spotted Brightpaw's beautiful, flawless white pelt first. His eyes couldn't help but stay on her for a moment, before he noticed Silversky next to her. "Th-there she is. Let's go ask." Redpaw made sure his fur lie flat before approaching them. Here goes. He walked over to the she-cats, letting Raventhorn follow, and forced himself to speak, convincing himself that there was no reason at all to be nervous. "...Hey." He made a quick glance at Brightpaw that he half-hoped she didn't catch. "Raventhorn thinks it'd be a good idea for Brightpaw and I to be taken to practice some defensive battle moves together. Would that be all right?"

"Oh." Silversky was pleased that a training plan had come to them itself. "Of course; that'd be splendid. I'm sure you're up for that, right Brightpaw?" she meowed.

Brightpaw saw movement out of the corner of her eye and watched Redpaw, followed by his mentor, Raventhorn, walking towards them. She gulped. What's this about?
If we're training together, I have to act like a normal apprentice. Don't be awkward. Don't be annoying. Don't talk to him or even look at him unless it's necessary, okay? She took a deep breath and stared determinedly at her paws, listening to Silversky and Redpaw's conversation and pretending not to notice him glancing over at her.
"I'm sure you're up for that, right Brightpaw?" Silversky asked. Brightpaw quickly looked up at her when she heard her name. "Um...right! Yeah, yeah, that's...fine," she said with a smile.

I hope I can show her that being apprenticed together can be fun; it's about time that I got to know her. This doesn't have to be awkward at all, does it? Surprisingly, Redpaw was feeling pretty confident about this. He managed to look up at Brightpaw and grin at her.

"Great!" Silversky purred. "We can head out and get started then." She nodded at Raventhorn and flicked her tail, leading the group out of camp. She walked on, remembering to keep a bit less weight on her injured leg. They arrived at their training clearing, located between two of the smaller streams.

"Right then, let us begin." Raventhorn spoke, beginning to demonstrate the first move. "The move I am about to show is most commonly known as the Duck and Twist among us. It's a rather simple move and should be helpful if ever you need to use it," Raventhorn explained. He continued speaking as he demonstrated, "You first duck and twist around, roll over onto your back and spring to your paws. Remember to perform this move much quicker than I demonstrated, it will prove useless if you aren't fast enough," The mentor finished.
"Alright young apprentices, give it a try," he prompted.

"Good demonstration," Silversky said to Reventhorn with a nod.

After observing Raventhorn, Redpaw tensed his muscles to perform the move. "Here I go!" he said with enthusiasm in his eyes. As quick as he could, he ducked low, almost flattening to the ground, then rolled onto his back with a twist. He was a little shaky when getting back to his paws, so he tried the move again directly after. Redpaw ducked and twisted once more, trying to improve his speed and balance to perform the move fluidly as one motion. "Gotta keep working on the ending," he said through gritted teeth.

Brightpaw watched as Redpaw attempted the Duck and Twist. Agh, he's so much better at this than I am. He's always been so talented when it comes to battle moves; I could never beat him. They'll all think I'm a mouse brain if I try to do it now.
She took a deep breath. Okay. It'll be fine. You can do this. She ran a little first to pick up speed and tried to duck and twist around like Raventhorn had demonstrated, but ended up tripping over her own paws. I was watching the other three, wondering what they think...I was too distracted. She stood back up and shook the dust from her fur. Let's try this again. Don't...don't pay attention to them. It'll be fine, Brightpaw. You'll do fine.
She flattened herself to the sandy ground and spun around onto her back, before kicking her hind legs up and standing still. Her legs wobbled for a moment and she had to take a moment to control her breathing. I...I think I did...okay...?

✦*Cometstar*✦ wrote:Drift sighed, giving in. "You know what, it'll be dawn soon anyway. Unfortunately, I should be going." He turned away from her and got up to leave. As he walked, he looked back one last time to smile and say, "Maybe we'll meet again, if you're lucky."

Nightbranch narrowed her eyes. "If YOU'RE lucky, we won't." Her tone held a touch of finality, and she turned to walk off. Her purple glowing fur dimmed slightly now that the situation was calmer.

Silversky gave her apprentice a warm, approving nod. "Well done, Brightpaw." I hope she sees that she's capable of anything. Silversky has been proudly noticing that through the course of her apprenticeship, Brightpaw's underconfidence has been improving a little. Now she thought to try taking her a little more out of her comfort zone to see that she can still succeed there. "Why don't you two practice the move together now? Redpaw, you can run and strike for Brightpaw. Brightpaw, use the Duck and Twist to avoid him. And after that, you switch places."

Redpaw looked up. "Oh, uh, right." He made sure his claws were sheathed and backed up a few tail-lengths, facing Brightpaw. He tensed, prepared to run. "Are you ready, Brightpaw?" he asked, somewhat shyly.  


In the heat of day, Drift wanted to go for a relaxing swim and try to think. Only, his favorite place was in GlowClan's eastern river. I'd better not be disturbed right now. He breathed a sigh and laid back, floating in the cool water and squinting at the sky. None of these cats want anything to do with me. This will take more time than I thought. So far the only ones even remotely curious are the young cats... "apprentices"...

Uh-oh. I'm going to be horrible at this. Brightpaw tried to calm herself down, but she kept imagining the millions of ways she could mess this up; and she just couldn't picture herself possibly doing it correctly.
Especially with Redpaw.
"I guess so," she replied quietly, finding it hard to meet his eyes, although she tried.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and let in the cool morning air and the sweet smell of grass. She listened to the trickling of the nearby streams. She slowly opened up her eyes again, thinking to herself, You can do this. It'll be okay.
Sheathing her claws, she carefully backed up, studied the area in front of her, and ran.

Raventhorn watched the apprentices closely, noticing that they were struggling, but doing very well for a move they just learned. He also studied Brightpaw. She was a very good apprentice, but her doubt has been bringing her down. Perhaps Redpaw could help her regain her confidence. They are clanmates after all.

"I am beginning to notice Brightpaw's struggle, have you been having her train often? If she needs someone to gently help her out we could arrange Redpaw and Brightpaw's training to be together, at least until she becomes more assertive." Raventhorn said, looking at Silversky.

Redpaw now sprang into a run too, readying to strike at Brightpaw as the two neared. He swung a paw in front of him, moments from hitting Brightpaw. He didn't have enough time to try extra hard not to hit her; he just hoped she could dodge it.

"You've noticed, huh?" Silversky responded as they observed the apprentices practicing. "Thanks for your concern. We've been working on it. Brightpaw does truly want to be a warrior, and her training is going just fine... But you may be right that collaborating more often could be beneficial. They could help motivate each other," she said with a little smile.


Drift closed his eyes, and he was hardly aware of the current floating him deeper into GlowClan territory. I'm wasting time. I should be at least trying to be interacting with any of those cats right now. And that she-cat... He pictured her sleek, dark profile with beautifully unique markings, illuminated in that night in a vivid purple that matched her eyes. Those distrusting, exciting eyes. Drift couldn't help but be intrigued. I don't even know her name.