[ they're talking in // a language i cant speak ]

[← rook ;;]

tell me who's watching?

I'm not scared. The words rang true in young Rookpaw's head; how could she be scared when she was blowing off steam? It was the other apprentice's hostile comment that had set her off, really; what had made him so superior? He was the same age as she was, and had only just started his apprenticeship as well. It didn't help that on her other flank had been a peer, backing him up with worthless fuzzbutt arguments. Stupid feminine sissies, floundering over toms, she thought. And what was with the elder's cranky tales, glorifying the 'old days'? Like they were any better than now. The accompanying thought entered her mind as she raced through the woods, half-blind to her surroundings. The scenery blurred past the seal-pointed she-cat, cream tabby stripes blending in her pelt and with all of the rest. She pushed through the undergrowth persistently, churning up dust that was left foxlengths behind in a heartbeat. Oaks thickened, mingling with pine as she reached the deeper, darker portion of the spiderdawn forest. They intertwined, nearly, so bent set on blotting out the sun in their pursuits that breaking roots created potholes.

The apprentice dodged broken ground and damaged patches of soil, strong legs attempting to run off her anger and annoyance. One of the glorious priveleges of entering apprenticeship was the right to leave camp now and then. A good run always did her good, and she'd gotten a bit wired when simply the camp became too small for any good excersize -- never mind annoyed warriors seasons older than her rolling their eyes at the kits' play.

It didn't seem all that long ago, and it really wasn't. You mousebrain, she told herself, it was only a half-moon ago, at most! The amusing thought calmed her down, at least a bit, and the obnoxious hoot of an owl shook her out of her reverie. The darkness; it hadn't been entirely from trees but from the late hour as well. She'd left quite a bit after sunhigh, trying out her brand-new bird stalking skills before running off, and later on gotten irritated at a couple of her peers. A spooky echo met her alert ears, bouncing off from cave-like sets that she could make out through the closely-knit trees. The darkness had set in firmly and made the scene all the more eerie.

Rookpaw jumped at the rustle of the undergrowth nearby, eyes wide, and spun to face the offender.

sometimes i feel like somebody's watching me --

[~{Tinkerkit}~]

{Tinkerkit}
{.i'm no one's property.}

Tinkerkit was bored. There was nothing in the medicine cat's den but smelly plants and a hyper-active, over-emotional Shatteredheart. Don't blame me for wanting some excersize!

Tinkerkit had already gotton used to her new life. She had learned that all apprentices have 'paw' after their names, and they get their long name once they've finished with training. And some names were a mouthful. Ebonyshadow? Who thought up that monstrosity? Honest, it was terrible. She had tried to learn names, but it was no use. The clan just kept growing! She did know Shatteredheart, Feverstar, Groveshadow (who she really didn't like- she might put a thorn in his bedding later) and Nightpaw.

Tinkerkit had been following this apprentice she-cat for a while now, and she was surprised that she had kept going. How long is this she-cat going to run before I can talk to her, honest?

Another thing she had gotton used to, were the surprizes. You think that you could talk to toms, but you can't. Well, you can, but you can't. They won't listen. Also, when you're sure that you've found your friends, they turn on you like some sort of sissy game everyone has to play. And everyone's so uptight around camp, too. Makes you think they're all paranoid.

Tinkerkit looked up to see it was dark. Fast Hares! How long have I been out!? But the she-cat was stopping; she couldn't abandon her mission now. The other apprentice was scared, she could see. [i\]Perfect target...

[/i] Tinker thought as she crept up slowly on the tabby she-cat. She made rustlings with her tail softly, then crept silently behind her.

Creeping...
Creeping...
Crouching...

"BOO!" Tinkerkit leaped out of the brush, landing a hairsbreath away from the other she-cat. [/color][/blockquote]

[← rook ;;]

tell me who's watching?

Rookpaw spun around, fur bristling until she appeared twice her size -- until a mischevious kit popped out of the shrubs. "Tinkerkit -- honestly!" She was almost more infuriated with herself for being scared by this kitten than by Tinkerkit pouncing on her. After all, she'd done similar things as a kit -- which, she reminded herself again, was only -- what, three days ago? In fact, a less than a quarter-moon ago she'd shared the nursery with this kitten, and knew her a little too well.

Forcing her fur to lie back again, Rookpaw flicked her tail. "Um, Tinkerkit -- what're you doing this deep into the woods?" She tried to keep her voice level, though a feeling of discomfort coursed through her as she realized that too easily could this kit run back to Rook's mother -- or even Feverstar himself. She could just hear the leader's voice now -- Well, I guess my pig-nosed impression of she-cats was correct! Straight to the nursery, this one is going, perhaps even the elders. She doesn't deserve to finish her training at all, in fact. Stupid fluff, just like the rest of them. The young she-cat narrowed her eyes at the thought, knowing deep down this wasn't something a leader would say. Still, she didn't know Feverstar too well -- maybe that was exactly what he had planned.

"Wait a sec -- were you following me the entire way?" It shouldn't have been too hard, seeing as Rookpaw herself had been nearly blind to her surroundings in her frustration. Her unique pelt, too, light and dark had made her a perfect target. "I have to say I'm impressed." Flattery was everyone's best friend. The seal tabby point grinned slightly, faintly, darting forth to give friendly chase.

Suddenly an eerie wail echoed out between the chambers, reaching their very ears at the surface -- and it was followed by an unearthly screech.

sometimes i feel like somebody's watching me --

[~{Tinkerkit}~]

"Tinkerkit -- honestly!"

Tinkerkit smiled at Rookpaw, proud that she had indeed startled her.

"Um, Tinkerkit -- what're you doing this deep into the woods?"

Tinker gave a miscivous grin. "Followin' you, course!" she squealed happily. Another thing she had gotton used to were the accents; these cats spoke so distinctly, as if chewing on every word before slipping it out carefully from their mouths. It was obnoxious.

"Wait a sec -- were you following me the entire way?" The she-cat's suspicion made Tinker smile more, then catch sight of her tail. She hased the thing around a few times before replying. "Yup. And you didn't even find out 'till now!"

"I have to say I'm impressed." Tinkerkit nodded matter-of-factly.

"You should be impressed. You almost caught me- once! But I slipped behind a bush just in time. You know, I used to follow cats everywhere; I'd see where they buried their prey after hunting, then I'd dig it up and eat it myself!" Tinkerkit was very proud of this fact; living as a rouge was hard, but it payed off when you didn't have to do anything for yourself.

Suddenly, a wail broke the happiness of the situation, followed by a screech that made Tinkerpaw's ears flatten to her head. She crouched close to the ground. "W-what in Red-eye's name was that?" Asked Tinker in a high voice.

[← rook ;;]

tell me who's watching?

Rookpaw flicked her ears back briefly in annoyance as the kit chattered on. "That's nice," she replied dryly and insincerely. She could have caught the kit, if she hadn't been so focused on getting as far away as possible. Surpressing the urge to roll her eyes, the seal tabby point cut into Tinkerkit's boasting. "But can you hunt?" Her eyes narrowed mischeviously, and a slight smirk played at the corner of her mouth.

Suddenly an ear-splitting shriek echoed off the catacombs, hailing to the origins of the location's name. The pale pointed cat crouched, fur bristling, tail twitching. Rookpaw growled at the kit's outbrust -- What was that? -- and realized that she and Tinkerkit were so alike that it was a wonder they could get along at all. A ghostlike wail followed, and she gripped the rocky terrain underpaw with unsheathed claws.

"Fox-dung," she hissed, dark blue eyes swiveling back and forth to locate the source of the sound. "Let's go!" She grinned slightly, glancing back at a terrified Tinkerkit. She was ready to turn tail and flee as well, but another tug of curiosity sent her investigating forward. "I mean, if it's something dangerous," she spoke up, "Then we can go back and tell everyone else, and they'll have to respect she-cats, right?"

Not waiting for an answer, Rookpaw headed forth a few pawsteps. Her substantial whiskers twitched at the odd stench that cloaked the mazelike gathering of paranormal hollows and caves. "No wonder they call it the spooky catacombs," she murmured, "Though I've only heard about it once, how about you?" Her guess was that few actually bothered to come here. Or -- a more sinister thought that sent a shiver down the bold she-cat's spine -- perhaps those who came here didn't come back.

sometimes i feel like somebody's watching me --

[~{Tinkerkit}~]

"Fox dung."

Tinkerkit looked around some, searching for the sound. What was that sound? she thought, standing back up on wobbly legs.

"Let's go!"

The excitement in Rookpaw's voice made Tink stand up straighter. They cold go on an adventure, right?

"I mean, if it's something dangerous, then we can go back and tell everyone else, and they'll have to respect she-cats, right?"

Tinker shrugged. Personally, she didn't care how much cats respectedher; mainly, it was just about having fun and saving the day, right?

As Rookpaw started walking, Tinkerkit did her best to keep up. Just as Rookpaw lifted her nose to sniff the air, the strange scent of the catacombs wafted along Tinkerkit's scent glands. She cringed. It smelled worse than Dave's burrow, and he always smelled pretty bad!

"No wonder they call it the spooky catacombs."

Tinkerkit nodded, being more careful wth her steps. It was pretty cold out; was the fog thicker here, or was it just her? And it was darker now; it gave her the chills.

The caves seemed to frown down on her, and she saw strange shadows around the cracks. Yawning crevices and openings haunted her sights, and she wondered if it was a good idea to search for the sound after all.

"Though I've only heard about it once, how about you?"

Tinkerkit almost forgot to answer in her evaluation of the caves.

"Well," she said, "I've never heard stories, Rook. I've never heard more than a line from Shatteredheart in all the half-moon I've been in the Ashcan, and normally when you're meeting someone they don't just tell you a story about catacombs. Is this supposed to be a haunted place or somethin'?"