[L]ikeA[D]ayAtThe[B]each - open

[S a p h i r e *]

It always marveled Inkpelt how the soft, round pebbles could be so perfectly shaped. They were all equally unique but still different in some kind of way. There were different colors, varying from a tinted red to a dark coal black. Most of the small stones were perfectly round, shaped by the endless current of the river tugging and shaping the small piece of mass until it was washed ashore to form the Pebbly Bank.

Inkpelt was sprawled onto his side, back and front legs stretched out in front of him and his eyes closed. A steady, satisfied purr radiated from him as the suns warming rays beat down upon his bodice. Times like these were few, being able to relax and do nothing. And being alone. That was also nice sometimes when you lived in a clan full of other cats that you saw practically every moment of the day.

Lazily prying open one eye, he once again studied the pebbles, this time focusing on a white one with small black spots located close by his nose. He heard a fish splash in the water and wondered if he should hunt. His purring ceased as he tossed the thought through his head but once again resumed as he shut his eyes and rolled onto his back, exposing his white belly to the warm rays of light.

[[ .. FALLEN .. ]]

&&. O C T O B E R
and the shadow of the day
;; S T A R
will embrace the world in gray

It was a quiet and lazy day, so much different from the usual hectic and busy day that kept the leader from resting. The radiant golden sun shone brightly down onto RiverClan's territory, and not a single cloud in sight to corrupt its welcoming rays. No cat came to find him, and no cat came to talk to him about important matters. He had the day to himself, and for that Octoberstar was utterly happy. He carried himself out of the camp, leaving one of the senior warriors in charge of the camp, and padded towards the river. His belly grumbled hungrily, and he noticed that he hadn't eaten for awhile. Smiling contently, the leader padded lightly towards the river that fed his Clan.

Octoberstar finally found his way through the tall reeds and onto the Pebbly Bank, a place notorious for its great fishing and water voles. The pebbles that coated the bank were somewhat slippery from the rushing waves of the river, but RiverClan cats were used to the wetness and found themselves accustomed to hunting on its slippery surface. The tom watched the greenish-blue water, waiting to see a silver flash of fish. His bright blue eyes were intenly focused on the water, and suddenly a silver fish swam directly underneath his shadow. Octoberstar swiftly scooped the fish out of the water with his paw, claws unsheathed. He felt the scaly skin of the fish and turned to see it flopping on the pebbly bank. The tom landed on the fish, digging his claws into its small body to kill it and keep it from returning to the river. Finally, it lay limp in his claws and the tom smiled at his catch. He could smell the delicious scent wafting off of the fish and his mouth watered. It smelt so good! Octoberstar picked it up and carried it further down the bank towards a shady spot underneath some tall fronds.

Octoberstar was going to lay down when he noticed Inkpelt resting underneath the fronds as well. The tom smiled and nodded his head in greeting, carrying his fish over by the warrior and settling down.
Hey, how're you today on this fine day? Octoberstar asked casualy, hoping his leader rank wouldn't interfere with the two of them having a normal conversation.
Sometimes, the tom hated having cats treat him different because of his rank. He was just another normal cat, except he had StarClan with him and he was in charge of a whole Clan. But that didn't matter. He wanted to just be friends with this tom. Octoberstar gently nudged his fish towards Inkpelt, offering to share some with him.

[S a p h i r e *]

A s T h o u g h T h e r e 's T i m e
[I n k]

More fish broke the surface of the water, not seeming aware of the predator lying so close by, ready to pounce at a moments notice. Of course Inkpelt didn't pay any attention to them, he was too busy being relaxed...for once. Hearing the reeds part, he was about to spring to his feet but stopped himself once he caught the scent.

Octoberstar settled down near him with a fish, a good catch Inkpelt noticed. His purring became considerably more quiet and he rolled onto his side, opening both eyes and dipping his head respectfully. He knew it was rare for his leader to get out of camp like this. Inkpelt knew what it was like though, not having any alone-time. Of course his alone time had been disturbed, but he pretended not to mind.

Marvelous, thanks for asking. he said warmly, not being bothered by the fact that he was speaking to his leader. He respected his leader but felt that it was alright to forget about rank in this situation. And anyway, if he was kind enough and treated Octoberstar as an equal, he might have the chance of becoming deputy in the future. It would put him one step closer to his goal of becoming leader.

Glancing down at the fish, he suddenly became hungry. Yes, of course...I become hungry as soon as I see another cat's prey but I'm too lazy to catch my own... he thought, slightly annoyed at the thought. He was therefore very grateful when Octoberstar offered to share his meal. He mumbled a quick thanks and then took a small bite of the fish, letting the tastes soak into his mouth and chewing it slowly to savor the flavor. He always wondered why the other clans didn't like fish as much as RiverClan did. He considered it a delicacy.

[I n k]
C a u s e T h e r e I s N o T i m e

[[ .. FALLEN .. ]]

&&. O C T O B E R
and the shadow of the day
;; S T A R
will embrace the world in gray

Octoberstar smiled as the tom took a bite out of the fish, then the leader took a bite out of the fish, enjoying its delicious flavor. He purred as he chewed, swallowing it slowly to get everything out of the little bite he took. He didn't know why other cats didn't like fish, it was an amazing specimen with flavorful bursts of taste. He just loved eating it and was grateful that he lived in RiverClan to enjoy such a meal. Octoberstar ate his fill of the fish and waited for Inkpelt to do the same before he tossed it into the bushes of fronds. He sprawled out, letting the soft breeze roll through his pelt and cool his body down. It was a sort of hot day, and he needed the coolness.

Octoberstar decided that he needed to spark up a conversation with Inkpelt. He rolled to the other side, looking over at the warrior.
So how has life been for you? Good, I hope? he mewed curiously, trying not to be too nosy.
Octoberstar sometimes dug a little too deep into others' personal lives, and even though he was the leader, there was a barrier that he needed to respect. He only hoped that he wouldn't offend the tom, as he hated it when other cats rejected the idea of him being leader of a Clan. He usually was friends with everyone, but sometimes there was a cat that just didn't like him. The tom hoped that Inkpelt wouldn't be one of those cats.

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[S a p h i r e *]

A n d N o w I t 's O u t o f T i m e
[I n k]

Taking more bites of the fish, Inkpelt ate his fill. He once again wondered why the other three clans didn't like fish. Fish had many great qualities! Inkpelt thought that the best reason was that fish made cat's pelts glossy and smooth, adding to their already handsome features. At least Inkpelt thought that his clan was the most handsome.

After the remainder of the prey had been disposed of, the two toms relaxed in the sun, enjoying the warmth the sun gave them and the slight breeze that circled around them once in a while to keep them from over-heating. It was much like summer, Inkpelt noted. Autumn hadn't quite reached them yet.

Once again stretching out on his side, he lazily replied to his leader, Yes, plenty of prey to keep my stomach full and not a cloud in sight. Right now life is very fair indeed! How bout' you? he replied contently, voicing his thoughts and emotions that swam through his head at the moment. He didn't want to think about when he had to go back to the clan and once again attend to the duties that lingered there.

[I n k]
C a u s e N o w I 'm O u t O f T i m e

[[ .. FALLEN .. ]]

&&. O C T O B E R
and the shadow of the day
;; S T A R
will embrace the world in gray

Octoberstar smiled and nodded as he listened to Inkpelt's words. Yes, he had to agree that there was plenty of prey and that the weather was splendid. He only could pray to StarClan that it would remain that way for quite awhile before leaf-bare settled in. The grayish-brown tom smiled and stretched.
Yes, my life has been pretty good indeed. The Clans are peaceful and there isn't anything that feels a bother, he mewed casually.
Octoberstar didn't like contention, and when it involved the entire Clan he especially didn't like it. He was their caretaker and he was responsible for their well-being. He couldn't handle it if something bad happened to his Clan. It was just too much to handle. The tom closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again. It really was a nice day.

[S a p h i r e *]

M y L i f e H a s B e e n G i v i n'
[I n k]

Shutting his orbs, the tom nodded and his purring once again rejoined him as he rested his head against the comforting texture of the pebbly shore. His thoughts wandered back, unwillingly, to memories kept securely fastened in his mind. Memories of Berrythorn, his father, and his mother. He wondered if they were watching over him at night, if they were proud at the deeds he had been able to accomplish.

Did his mate blame him for her death, for not taking care of her and making sure she was healthy. And what of his mother, who he had never met, and yet he could still feel the strong bond that wound their heart together in spirit. Glancing at Octoberstar, he suddenly felt a stab of loneliness. Inkpelt had no one.

He tried to convince himself that he had friends but his thoughts denied him. He wasn't the most social cat, and Octoberstar was the first clan mate he had shared casual time with in a while. The thought disturbed Inkpelt, the normally strong and loyal tom. He hadn't paid much heed to it before but he really had no great friends.

Giving his front leg a quick swipe with his tongue he re-directed his thoughts. Any exciting news from the other clans? he asked. It was the best he could come up with to start casual conversation.

[I n k]
A n d L i f e H a s B e e n C r u e l

[[ .. FALLEN .. ]]

&&. O C T O B E R
and the shadow of the day
;; S T A R
will embrace the world in gray

Octoberstar thought for a second, trying to remember the talk from the last Gathering. Of course, nothing extremely important was going on amongst the Clans, and if there were he woulnd't be sitting here at that very moment. The tomcat furrowed his brow, trying to find something to tell. The the lightbulb lit.
Well, nothing extremely exciting, I'm sad to say, but of course ShadowClan thinks we are stealing prey again, the leader sighed, trying to figure out why the ShadowClanners would think such a thing.
Through the past few moons RiverClan had been close with ShadowClan, while ThunderClan and WindClan were joining forces. And then the Clans became peaceful again and ShadowClan was back to their old habits. Octoberstar sighed again, wondering if the Clans were ever going to be truly peaceful.
WindClan's prey is going down again, now that it's almost leaf-bare. I think that maybe this season the food stock will be a lot shorter. It was short enough last leaf-bare, Octoberstar said sorrowfully.
He prayed to StarClan that the Clans would have enough food this leaf-bare. Last season's leaf-bare was the worst they had in many seasons, and all of the Clan only hoped that this coming one wouldn't be a repeat of the last. Octoberstar didn't like the tone of the conversation, as he hated being so down, but he liked talking to Inkpelt about the troubles that troubled him. He felt good about it.

[/blockquote]

[S a p h i r e *]

I n k P e l t

Inkpelt pondered this information for a while. He was, of course, not surprised to hear that ShadowClan was accusing them. They always did. It seemed to be part of their nature, to accuse and command. He wondered why any cat would want to live in such a horrid and dark place like ShadowClan. He wondered why RiverClan and ShadowClan had been so close the past couple of moons? It was certainly not that they were drawn to each other. He inwardly shuddered at the thought of willingly let ShadowClanners into RiverClan camp and treating them like clan mates.

And then WindClan, always having a shortage of prey. It seemed like Thunder and RiverClan were usually the ones that didn't have any problems, seeing as both the clans had a great food-supply. He sudden thought came to his mind and he quickly dismissed it, feeling guilty that he had even pondered a second on it. He had thought about the fact that WindClan might be week and they could lay claim to their territory. That's just wrong of me to think of that... Inkpelt thought, the guilt building. He nodded to Octoberstar's statement, replying with his own opinion. I'm sure we will fend fine. The fish still swim in the river and we have plenty of time to stock up on food. The only clan that should really be worried is WindClan.