the past can come back as a nightmare [P]

[Luna16]

The moon shone bright in the night sky and the chorus of insects was soothing. Quiet as a shadow, Irisdream stepped along the undergrowth, keeping to the cover of darkness under the trees. She could hear a creek babbling nearby, but she wasn't here for a swim. Irisdream needed to clear her head. Too much had happened too recently, and it felt like her entire life went up in flames. Ever since she broke things off with Wavebreaker, Kitepaw kept her at tail's length away. She had no interest in anything Irisdream tried to bridge the gap between them. At least before she seemed to...try? Maybe? Or was she pretending? Maybe now Kitepaw felt like she could align more with her father and leave Irisdream behind too.

Her lips twitched, wanting to lift in a snarl but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Irisdream paused next to a tree, unsheathing her claws and in a flash lashing out at the bark. Leaving deep marks in the trunk. Her breath came quickly for a moment, but then she inhaled and collected herself again. Glancing at the tree with a regretful look, she continued on. Nothing like a little night-hunting to clear the head. She mused, although she was mostly trying to convince herself this was true. She opened her mouth to taste the air, searching for prey. At least then she could sink her teeth into something...hard.

Instead of catching the scent of prey, she heard the sound of rustling in the undergrowth. She tried to catch the scent but the wind was in the wrong direction for her to catch it. Mouse tails! Not knowing what was causing the sound, she dove into some ferns, pressing herself into the shadows to try and hide her pelt from the potential threat...

[@Quietheart]

[Quietheart]

Wavebreaker

|43 Moons|

Wavebreaker's dark pelt slid invisibly between the myriad leaves that hung gingerly upon the branches that would soon shed them for the incoming leafall. His broad body was the only indication of his position as he rattled the greenery to an early departure from its usual perch. He tried to maneuver his mouth cautiously so as not to perturb the delicate cobwebs that hung from his jaw. Their slivering silver threads contrasting with his darker form. As he emerged from the brush the wind carried a familiar scent, and for a brief instance he felt a confusing sensation of initial glee that caused him to take a quick step forward into the open. He started to speak, then remembered the cobwebs in his mouth.

The excitement faded. He squinted his dark blue eyes scanning for Irisdream as he began to be flooded with follow up sensations of anxiety and tension which had become the norm since their separation. He wished he could just simply go to her and bury his muzzle deep into her soft silver and white fur. RiverClan had been through so much recently. But Wavebreaker knew better than anyone that she had no intention of letting any such thing happen. She made it clear even if it wasn't verbally, that there was a distance between them.

The tom laid the cobwebs at his feet, lifting his gaze to an oak tree that bore the silhouette of Irisdream. He called out skeptically "Irisdream? What are you doing out here?" He scanned her face watching her reaction carefully. Knowing her shes probably not going to give me anything to work with. He suppressed his sigh. His former mate wasn't exactly open with her feelings, it was both a quality he admired, and hated.

@Luna16

[Luna16]

Irisdream momentarily narrowed her dark blue eyes, but then forced herself to remain calm. She stepped out from where she had tucked herself away, every moment smooth and with purpose. "Hello, Wavebreaker." She meowed cooly, her voice both smooth but also cold as ice. It wasn't Wavebreaker's fault, and she knew that. Their relationship hadn't necessarily bad by any stretch, he treated her well and she knew his feelings were genuine. But he never really understood her - not that she really gave him the chance - and now he was just a reminder of her mother's manipulation on her life.

"I'm just out doing a bit of hunting." She continued, answering his question. Only the slightest wave of her tail betrayed that she hadn't told the entire truth, that she was out to clear her head. The hunting was a bonus. Her thoughts briefly went back to where she lashed out at the tree, hoping that Wavebreaker hadn't noticed it in the darkness. "Cobwebs for Berrypaw?" She meowed, flicking her tail at the cobwebs he had laid at his paws. A distraction both for herself as well as him, to deter the conversation away from her and what she was doing. While she didn't know that Wavebreaker made the assumption he had, she was unwittingly proving it correct.

[@Quietheart - Wavebreaker]

[Quietheart]

Wavebreaker

|43 Moons|

The supposedly seasoned warrior visibly flinched as the icy undertones of Irisdreams greeting stung him like an angry wasp. There was a small silence permeated only by the dancing jeers of the crickets that felt much longer than it should have for Wavebreaker. He felt his own tail wriggle uncomfortably as he watched the familiar micro motions of the she-warrior juxtapose the words that left her mouth. The tom had to consciously refrain from rolling his eyes, when she made her comment about the cobwebs.

"Irisdream.." Her name left his mouth in a beleaguered tone. "We only have one medicine cat, you know as well as I do this is going to Berrypaw." Its not like he had anything against the question, the problem was simply how Irisdream was trying to use it that bothered him. He wrapped his long black tail around his paws, the dark brown rings and accompanying splotches traced across the dirt earth save for the very nub of his tail which mirrored the darkness of night surrounding them.

He raised one of his thick forepaws towards the defaced tree where she had clearly been scratching. "Last I checked you hunted more promising prey than termites." He gave a small huff as he felt his face droop a little bracing for the worst. "You are one of our best hunters, after all." He hoped, but did not bet his praise would soften his comments much. "Clearly something more important than cobwebs are on your mind. Why don't you just tell me what's going on? I might be able to help?" He added hopefully.

@Luna16