[lone]

Originally Posted by mompaws

As per usual, the tom-cat was out of camp once again. Sleep wasn't the reason this time, however, he just felt slightly claustrophobic after being hidden up in the camp for so long. Shadowclan had been so caught up with travelling back to their own territory, and then with the fight at the gathering; everything just seemed so horrible. Maybe Starclan was against them as a clan. It seemed that way at least, with all the pain that they were inflicting upon the felines. Shadowclan may not have been properly infatuated with the war at the gathering, but family members were slaughtered, and friends were relentlessly turning on one another. When some of the warriors returned to camp with their heads bowed, and sides heaving with matted fur; Lynxthroat almost felt bad for them, without even knowing what had happened. Some of the younger cats whom he had associated himself with had even got caught up in the fight. They didn't want to risk their lives, but in the spite of the moment, Shadowclan would always protect themselves before anyone else. It riled Lynxthroat up, because he wished so badly to be able to turn back time, and fix the whole thing up; but his brain was realistic and told him that it wasn't possible. That didn't mean that he wouldn't try though.

I guess you could say that Lynxthroat had changed a little after the whole scenario. Sympathy flowed more strongly through his veins, although it was still outbalanced by his hatred. He became more understanding of other feline's lives, and how much some of them had lost in the past moon or so. But, most of all, the bob-tailed feline had lost respect for the leaders of Thunderclan and Windclan, which was kind of sad. The members of both clans were undeniably strong-willed and powerful, yet their leaders had superiority; and they decided to use that superiority to get the better hand. Only, it didn't work out in this circumstance. If Shadowclan had been ready, and they had enough time to regain themselves after the flooding, then they could of fought back no problem. Most of them were still getting comfortable with Goldenstar's leadership as well! Gosh, it all seemed like it was timed to affect Shadowclan. Despite the fact that it had nothing to do with them.

Sticky mud could be felt under-paw, causing Lynxthroat's gaze to travel downwards. He observed the mess around his paws and legs, but decided to ignore it. Hey, apparently mud was soothing for paw-pads, according to some cats. And, anyways, it could've been worse. The tom-cat had stood on thorns before, so this was basically nothing. Dragging his viridescent globes up from the oozing mud, Lynxthroat came to the realisation that he was rather close to the border between Shadowclan and Windclan. Perhaps he should scout out the border, just in case the Windclan cats had the guts to push their boundaries. If Thunderclan and Shadowclan became angered by them, then they were in trouble. A lot of trouble. He decided for the best, and increased his pace to a steady trot; willing himself that this was the best option, and that it was a good idea for him to check for any dangers.

A figure of cat, or so he assumed, outlined by the moonlight from behind it. They were close enough to the border for Lynxthroat to jump into a jog towards them. He could've been running head-first into something he shouldn't be, but since when did that stop him? Legs extending, and air blossoming out from his tainted lips; like he was simply kissing the air. As he approached the feline, something hit him; like he had remembered something that had been lost. A smirk tugged at his lips, and a playful demeanour replaced that tensed-up one. His neck fur still bristled, signifying that the male was still a little scared, but otherwise his bodice was usual. Not calm: just usual.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here." The brute commented, now turning the earth up from underneath him. He stood a length or two away from the other tom, but he could clearly trace the lines of his frame without a problem. The feline looked well, he probably hadn't been all too active in the fight either; although, maybe he had just been exceptional at battle. His eyes were the same as when they had first met, and Lynxthroat could feel himself just trailing his eyes across the other tom's coat. It was odd, yes, he just felt as if he could let his guard down when he was around Addaxclaw. Nothing more.

Muscles tensed as the feline heard another cat approaching. Addaxclaw narrowed his eyes, as though that would make his vision clearer, and breathed a sigh of relief when the cat came further into view. It was just Lynxthroat - the tom he had met here before. A sense of relaxation set in, and the fear vanished from Addaxclaw's stance. It wasn't like him to be so on edge - but after recent events, he was feeling slightly less confident then usual. That battle had been fierce... and Addaxclaw had hardly fought in it, as a matter of fact, all he had done was land a couple of blows and run. As a former loner, it was in his blood to run when there was that big of a fight. And what a fight it had been! Those Dusk Syndicate cats were big, and mean, and... and Addaxclaw wondered if he wouldn't have been better off fighting harder. At least they had won in the end. Those ThunderClanners wouldn't stand a chance next time, too... next time Addaxclaw would fight harder. Or maybe he wouldn't, but he'd at least give it more of a shot rather then just running away.

He would try a little harder. "So nice to see you too," He answered somewhat absentmindedly, scanning his surroundings while his tail twitched back and forth. The tom was on the lookout for trouble - yet trouble wouldn't strike out here, in the middle of the night in WindClan territory. It was late - too late for him to be up, really, and all other cats were sleeping in hopes of having rejuvenated spirits and energy the next morning. But for Addaxclaw? He had gone to a Clan to escape some of this stuff, the danger and all. It seemed he would have been better off on his own. Maybe he wouldn't have gotten caught up in all of this. Was it even worth it? All the fighting and everything? Addaxclaw wasn't sure, but he would surely wait and see for at least a little longer. He was free out here - in the middle of the night - with no one around, except for a certain ShadowClanner.

One that, if Addaxclaw didn't know himself better, he would have said he was practically stalking at this point. Eventually his attention returned to Lynxthroat, and he smirked just the smallest bit. It was more of a half smile, to be honest, but the words that left his maw were more important then his expression. "Are you doing alright, Addaxclaw? Why yes, thank you, Lynxthroat for your concern." The imaginary conversation that he was holding with himself might have sounded like slight insanity, had it not been for the teasingly raised pitch of his voice when he pretended to mimic Lynxthroat's own. That was the type of conversation Addaxclaw wished he had. And the type he was pretty sure didn't exist for him. For whatever reason, his clanmates seemed more then suspicious of the newcomer - had he been there from a younger age, or perhaps for longer, they might have been more willing to accept him. But there were definitely cats who didn't seem to want him around. At least he had a few good friends. There were those cats who were much friendlier to him, and acted like they could handle him. He was thankful for them - and as for the others? Well, if they were going to be that rude, they could do as they pleased. Addaxclaw wasn't going to deal with them.

No sir, not him. He was going to open his maw to speak again, when he seemed to think better of it and instead turned his attention towards the sky. Did Clan cats really believe there were ancestors watching over them somewhere up there? What was the place called, StarClan? And they called the stars... Silverpelt, or something like that. Addaxclaw hadn't really picked up on the traditional beliefs and terms of the Clan yet, which made him seem like even more of an outsider. That was okay, he was just going to have to try a little harder and maybe someday he would finally belong there. He couldn't always be just 'that loner' forever, anyways... at some point he was going to have to be accepted into the inner workings and dealings of the Clan.

Whenever that would happen, Addaxclaw would be ready for it. Heck, he was ready now! But patience was a virtue, confidence was a blessing, and at the moment, he was keeping them both very close to him. Patience and confidence were his best friends right now - especially the confident part, Addaxclaw could have used some extra if he were being honest with himself. Yet just as he had overcome the obstacle of his first apprentice (a former loner, just like him) he would overcome this new obstacle. The obstacle of winning everyone in WindClan's trust - or at least, some of their trust.