I-T H-U-R-T-S (Open)

[ginger]

Elodie swished her fluffy tail daintily, as if worried the dirt would splotch her shining fur. Her opaque eyes flickered once towards the afternoon light, but mostly stuck to the green, dew grass and the strange, Twoleg animals. One was a light, rose color that snorted, frightening the cat at first, and rolled around in mud. Another was like a pigeon, strutting proudly around, flapping its pathetic wings and bobbing its mouse-sized head. Why is there so many creatures in this world? she thought confusingly to herself.

A sharp, distinct pang of fear arose in her belly. Being pregnant, she wasn't allowed to leave the nursery, let alone camp. 'Something could happen!' they fret over, and while Elodie was usually the last to be adventurous, the rogue had this urge to escape from the dark-bleached, grim setting of the den. Cobwebs were swathed all over the entrance, jagged nettle leaves swept carelessly onto the rock, freezing floor. And while it was safe and protected, nothing felt right.

Rain hummed against the ground, and, listlessly hearing, wished someone would be here with her.

[Barketh]

Shivering, the tom shook water drops from his matted fur, blue eyes weary as the rain drove down hard. Ears folded against the sides of his head, the tom looked innocent and small, black pelt shivering in the rain as his paws splashed through the mud.
The white mark on his chest was no longer the color of snow; more so it was equivalent to a murky brown.
Oh well... I suppose I do deserve this.
Sneezing, the tom looked up, ears twitching as he spotted a darker figure against the storm.
"Hello?"
He meowed, voice soft and wavering as the icy rain numbed his paws.
Shaking water from his pelt, he trotted over to the she-cat, violet eyes tired yet friendly as the young tom halted outside the entrance.

[ginger]

"Oh, Hi I suppose," Elodie almost jumped at the unexpected newcomer, but a wave of relief washed over her when she saw it was just Night. The black tom was usually friendly, one of her more trusted peers in the Clan...

Inspecting his drenched coat, beige-brown chest, and constant sneezing, the long-haired she-cat figured he was a victim of the merciless rain too. Something inside of her was angry for the lousy weather, but she wouldn't voice her opinions. Not necessary now.

Spontaneously, she blurted out an awkward question. It had bubbled inside of her but popped out. "How are you?" The cat blushed, and the fur felt hot against her skin. It wasn't that she liked him, it was just...she didn't know, but really didn't care.

[Barketh]

Shaking water from his pelt but being careful not to spray her, he blinked at her question and tilted his head to the side.
"Me? Cold I guess, but I've been good. How about you, Elodie?"
He meowed, smiling despite the cold weather.
There weren't many cats that he knew well out of the Rouges, but there were those that he had occassionally categorized as fairly nice cats.
Such as Elodie.
She wasn't noisy and obnoxious like many animals he had come across, and he was grateful to her for that.

[ginger]

"Hmm...I've...been thinking," Elodie stated, blinking back tears. She knew Night would understand her , so why not tell him?
Swallowing back something clumped tightly in her throat, she choked and sighed. "I had, a nephew. Evening. I tried really hard to give him all I could, but he ran away. He-He-He hated me for not telling him his father was in the-them." Bitterness scorned her look as she spoke about the Clans, but managed to throw it away, noticing another cat's presence. A leaf twirled through the air, slicing the silence. "And-And he was only two moons old! Something could have happened to him. And I promised his mother to take care of him." She sobbed. "I feel horrible."

[Barketh]

Sitting down, the tom blinked, listening quietly to her story. When her voice finally died from grief, he shifted into a more comfortable position and smiled at her.
"You did your best, so you have no reason to feel ashamed of anything... Elodie, did Evening find out about his father on his own or did you tell him?"
He meowed, picking his words carefully so as not to further upset the she-cat.
Families.... They really are so complex. They can seem the most closely woven nest from the outside. But deep within, it is just a tangled web.
Sighing to himself, he blinked violet-blue eyes and waited for her to continue.

[ginger]

"I had to tell him!" Elodie shrieked in stress, then realized Night standing beside her. Taking a deep breath out, she shook her head miserably, continuing in a calmer way, "Evening was being picked on because they didn't think he had a father." Her blue eyes blinked river tears to the ground. ''I thought what I did was right, but it's not." She buried her muzzle into her chest, and she lay down, taking away the crying, bit by bit.
(Sorry, short, but I don't have a lot of time, need to go soon.)

[Barketh]

"Do you think he would've wanted it any other way? It's a funny thing."
He meowed, tilting his head, a sad smile on his expression.
"We do things for others because we think it helps them, but they get hurt. It's hard to cheer someone up after something like that happens. The only way we can make ourselves feel better is to wonder.... What would've happened if we hadn't done that?"
Looking the she-cat straight in the eye, he found himself staring at his cousin, Thorn.
"If Evening had found out on his own, would he have hated you for not telling him? He's still a kit. It'll take him a while to realize this. We all do what we think is best. You can not blame yourself for following your instinct."
He meowed, voice growing lower and authorative. Indigo eyes hardened, and he stared at her for a long moment.
"Now tell me, Elodie. Would you have been happier watching him suffer at the paws of his own clanmates? Do you think that sacrificing your own happiness to protect him was not the right thing to do? Do you... Regret telling him the truth?"
He meowed, a shadow passing over his eyes. It was his life again. All the dark secrets he had never known.
And in the end, I found out that I was the enemy, the antagonist in the story.
He thought, a scornful smile appeared on his muzzle as he filled himself with self-loathing.

[ginger]

Why are cats so...pressing?
Elodie sighed, then said. "No, I do not regret telling him. If I hadn't...I don't know. Maybe he'd hate me even more. But he ran away, and that's that." Her conclusion stopped short, she wondered why the subject had so instantly. She cringed whenever she spoke about her nephew...but Night seemed to understand, for the first time not a cat who went mourning. It made her feel comfortable.

[Barketh]

Looking at the den ceiling, he traced patterns with his eyes, watching as water dripped from a small crack in the roof.
"Ahh, well, you know, there's really nothing that can change that. We all have our own ways of dealing with the truth. Right now, it must be hard for him to accept this. But it is impossible for one to ever truly hate another. Because hate is a strong word. You may feel that he hates you with all his heart, but when one comes to accept that what we think is right is not always what everyone wants, then that hate will subside and he will know that you were trying to protect him."
He meowed, tucking his paws under his chest and settling down on the floor.
He could still hear the rain outside; thundering down without any signs of letting up. Yet, strangely, it calmed him. It made him feel like he didn't have to worry about what he was supposed to do. At the moment, he was meant to be keeping dry. Whenever he was undecided, it made his head hurt.
But now, his goal was to shelter, and he was satisfied that he had somewhat control over what was going on.

[ginger]

"Yes, hate is a strong word, but so is love, and many people are in love, aren't they? Besides, he told me I was a coward, that he never wanted to see my face again. So I said, Will you ever return? but he just scowled and went to get some fresh-kill. I panicked but he was gone. He yelled one more thing before he left, You traitor? You tried to trap me in this stink-hole! and then his body raced off into darkness." Elodie twitched her lip, but she didn't cry. No matter how much it hurt, the Burman cat would shut her feelings up inside of her. It felt as if the rain was dropping slowly down, mourning for the loss of her nephew, and she looked away.

[Barketh]

Tilting his head, he looked at her curiously, black pelt shrouded in the den's shadows.
"And was he right? Are you a coward? Because right now, I see a brave cat who did what she knew to be best for her kin. Evening has most likely made it to the clans, and I am sure he is happy there. One day, he will recognize what you did for him."
Glancing over his shoulder, he watched the rain dancing, and figures seemed to emerge out of the mist. Then, in a softer voice, he said,
"It always hurts to lose someone, especially when we pour the blame on ourselves. Whether it is a friend or family, even an enemy... Loss and loneliness are an agony that is not quick to heal. I had a cousin... Streak. He could run like the wind, and he never stopped smiling. Whenever I'm feeling down, I like to think about smiling. Even if you can't bring yourself to express any happiness, searching for warmth in someone's smile can sometimes be the greatest difference in life."
His eyes clouded over with a sad haze, and he blinked it away, turning around to face Elodie again.

[ginger]

Elodie muttered something, then, with wide blue orbs faced Night. ''I don't know. When you're a queen, you worry things like this. But fathers-most of them don't know about it. They wouldn't care, unless it was their parent or something. Like a friend. But I know I'd be very sad if I lost you." Somehow, Night had comforted her, not the rain.

[Barketh]

Smiling softly, he nodded in appreciation.
"Well, you're probably the only one who would."
He meowed wistfully, violet eyes looking off to the side.
Dismissing his thoughts, he looked up, smiling at the she-cat.
"You don't have to say if you don't want to, but may I ask who the father is?"
He asked, gesturing towards her swollen stomach.
He'd always liked kits; innocent and adventurous. Whenever he was angry at someone, it helped to think of them that way again. To remember that once in their life, everyone was like that. Without a care in the world.
If we all remained kits, would it actually be better? I mean, of course we would need hunting and fighting skills too, but if every creature didn't worry about hurting one another, would there be any need to learn how to battle? I wonder...

[ginger]

Her hazy eyes gazed at nothing, her paws twitching, her mouth remaining silent for a long, awkward moment. Finally, she spoke, "Evening's dad was...Snow. He was an exact replica of the kit, so it was thought they were exactly like each other, personality wise. That's what drove Evening's ambition. But my kits? It was a loner I met back named Storm, a ginger tom with a storm of black spots, hence the name." She waited for Nights reply.