Bright eyes; (Flicker)

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Sparrowsong picked up her feet as she felt the wind brush her pelt. She squinted her eyes to keep dirt from blowing in and raised her ears. She was on the hunt. She had already gone back to the camp with her last set of birds and had decided that instead of lazing around camp she would make herself useful for the day. The fresh kill pile was mediocre on this such day, but Sparrowsong didn't care. It gave her something to do.

As she approached the horseplace her eyes widened. She slowed down until she camp to a slow walk, eventually sitting down next to a big rock where she was able to over look the horseplace. Sparrowsong had came out this way a few time, but she normally avoided the large, moronic animals trotting about. She sat for a moment, her gaze fixed on a large brown horse. Sometimes she wondered what their lives were like. It had to be horrible to be slaved to those two-legs.

She sighed as she looked up to the sky. The sun would take set soon and the night would quickly be upon her. Sparrowsong thought for a second before sprinting off towards the fence. She wasn't slowed by the quick whiff she got of Riverclan cats. She was a smart cat and knew she was close to their territory, But they didn't own the horseplace, and she would go as she pleased.

She smiled as she neared the fence. She placed a paw on it as she looked up. It wasn't a far way to climb at all and she would be able to get over in a matter of seconds. But that wasn't the problem. She wasn't sure if she wanted to cross that line. She was becoming farther and farther away from Windclan, and she no longer felt safe as the day turned to night. But her wonder was too much for her. She placed one paw after another, clawing at the metal fence as she slid her body over the top and landed on her feet.

She took a second to look around. There was a barn in the distance. Possibly home to some loner cats? It wasn't unlike Sparrowsong to go out of her way to find something interesting. Sparrowsong could only wonder about what adventures there would be to have in there. Just then something odd passed her way. A smell like nothing she had known. Possibly a loner or kittypet. She knew the smell of Riverclan, and that was not it. But she didn't have time to think about cats she could be meeting or places she could be playing because a sound behind her startled her right back into reality.

With a loud sound, one of the large horses threw itself up on its back legs and thudded down again. The horse was enraged at the bold cat. Sparrowsong gasped as she moved out of the way of the angry animal. She spun around claws ready as she watched the horse from just feet away. The horse grew closer, not backing down. It roared again and trappled the ground just missing Sparrowsong.

With that, Sparrowsong had enough. She darted around the horse and took off towards the red barn. As she neared she took a strong breath of the fresh air. There would defiantly be other cats around. She kept her eyes opened as she curiously approached the barn.

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Flicker dropped into a crouch, moving steadily towards the tiny snufflings in the corner of the barn. His mouth watered in anticipation and his muscles tensed in preparation, though he had to hold down a flinch as pain shot through his right front shoulder. A few days ago, he had been in twolegplace when he came across a cat who was barely more than a kit defending his prey from an older tom. He had jumped to the young cat's defense and got into a bit of a skirmish with the tom. He padded away victorious but with an injured shoulder, and immediately made his way to the old red barn in clan territory, a trip that usually took him a day but in this instance took him two.

Most cats would think this a foolish move, but if Flicker was to rest uninterrupted with an easy supply of prey and water, this was the place. His shoulder had been to sore to hunt on for about three days, and now he was ready to feast. He killed the mouse in one swift bite, and careful not to add more damage to his shoulder, climbed up into the loft. He was just getting ready to take a bite of it when he caught wind of a scent that tugged at his memories and heard the angry neigh of one of the horses. Tensing, he rushed to a gap in the planks of the barn, and peeked through in time to see a tabby cat dash away from the horse and into the barn.

He sighed softly. It would seem his meal would have to wait. He gently hid it in a pile of hay and was relieved to see the cat seemed more curious than anything. He remembered her, from moons ago, and marveled slightly at the fine, strong-looking cat she had become, far from the scared apprentice who was almost killed by a fox. He balanced on one of the beams at the top of the barn. With his shoulder, it wouldn't do to try to run away, but fear gripped the usually brave tom. Uncertainly, he stared down at the other cat with a cautious yellow gaze.

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Sparrowsong smelled something familiar, strangely a smell that she remembered but could not place in her mind. She turned her head to the left. Someone was there. She could feel it but couldn't see the other cat. At this moment Sparrowsong became somewhat frightened. She clawed into the dirt floor of the barn but then looked upwards curiously to see a beautiful white tom. She remembered him right away. He had long white fur and was fast on his feet. He was gone in a flash after the fox was taken care of.

Sparrowsong wasn't sure if she should speak. Did the Tom remember her? She didn't know. She backed up a little but then noticed something she found rather interesting. It looked like he had an injury to his shoulder. It wasn't likely that he would attach her. He had protected her before and he had an injury. Her fear turned to curiosity. The cat didn't smell like any of the clan cats she had ever met. He had to be a loner. "Uh...hey there." Sparrowsong mewed curiously. She would of loved to tell the tom what she was doing in the barn, but she wasn't sure. She had been looking for something but now she couldn't even remember what it was. Oh yeah...adventure. That was it. And it seemed like she had gotten what she wanted.

"Is your shoulder okay?" She asked in a softer tone than before. It couldn't hurt to ask. She wanted to be able to help the cat that had helped her when she needed it. Sparrowsong sat down still looking up at the white tom. Her eyes were soft with wonder. She was completely focused on the cat in front of her. She had forgotten all about making it back to camp before dark. It was starting to look like the other warriors would just have to do with out her for the time being. They knew she was out hunting and it wasn't unusual for Sparrowsong to come back late. No one was ever very sure exactly where she was. She liked to explore what was around her. She loved nature and the weather and took it in whenever possible.

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Flicker stiffened as the young she-cat's gaze fell on him, feeling distinctly uncomfortable. At first, she seemed to be scared of him but then seemed to recognize him and calmed, much to his relief. He regretted it not a second later, however, because, for him, dealing with a scared cat was much easier than a friendly curious cat. He did not return her greeting, thinking it over for a moment too long, frozen with uncertainty and distrust.

At her next question, the tom cocked his head at her, studying her with a thoughtful, calculating gaze. He could ignore her and hope she went on, but somehow he could tell that the young she-cat was far too curious to leave and running wasn't an option. He finally shook his head to her question and carefully leapt down, still managing to maintain some dignity. Then, ignoring his reflex that screamed for him to run, back away, get away from her, he walked towards her, stopping about a tail-legnth in front of her. "I wrenched it in a fight. Its still a bit sore," he mewed, cringing at the hoarseness of his voice from lack of talking in the past few moons, not to mention lack of water. Last time he checked, it was fairly smooth and deep.

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Sparrowsong raised an eyebrow at Flicker's lack of reply. She knew he must be a strong loner, wanting to do everything on his own, and be left alone. She was rather shocked when he jumped down from the beam. With a hurt arm like that he shouldn't of been jumping at all. She could tell he wasn't a cat to take a brake.

She gave a small but thoughtful smile at the sound of his voice. At this moment she felt like a small kit again. "You really should stay off of it for a few days," she mewed very quietly. The barn was in Windclan territory, and it wasn't like many cats came this way. There was the barn cats of course, but they come and go. And Kittypets would never be brave enough to venture out this far from the two-leggs place.

She titled her head slightly in thought. The Windclan cats would understand. They were all just as loyal as Sparrowsong. Tornstar was forgiving for the most part. A great leader. And the other warriors would of told Flicker to stay if they were in Sparrowsong's situation. "The barn will provide great shelter for you to rest," she spoke. This time with more confidence. She wasn't sure if the Tom would be willing to stay.

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Flicker's eyes widened a fraction at the she-cat who seemed a bit less commanding moments ago. This she-cat was already a mystery to him. And if there was one thing Flicker liked, it was puzzles. He still didn't trust her but his curiosity was peaked just enough for him to stay where he was and speak with her. Perhaps she remembered him better than he thought and felt as if she had to repay him. It was the most logical thing he could think of. Cats didn't just help others like he did, especially the clan cats who cared about each other but none others.

He made the decision to test her in a few seconds after she spoke. He wasn't scared now, talking to her to figure out her motives versus for friendship. He slip the claws out of his uninjured paw and inspected them nonchalantly. "I don't have clanmates to look after me. Resting isn't an option," he mewed, yellow eyes locking on her. "Staying here isn't a bad idea, but who knows what'll happen? Though, really, I do appreciate your permission," he meowed attempting to keep the humor out of his voice.

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Sparrowsong squinted for a second, thinking about the white cat's motives. She didn't even know his name. She was rather shocked at his words. A strong aged tom like him wouldn't dare need clanmates. It was true, power is in numbers but loners decided on their own to be loners....right? Sparrowsong had never really thought about it. Some loners had been enemies most of all. Of course many past Windclan warriors had been loners. And many more kits found in the wild, which was beyond their control.

She started to feel like the tom just thought of her as a curiously lost cat who couldn't dare protect herself or be able to hold ground against a loner. Of course though, she wasn't the same apprentice he saved moons ago. She wasn't sure if he had sarcasm in his voice. But Sparrowsong wasn't one to let another cat have the upper paw. With that she flicked up her tail and stood up. She turned away from him in thought before turning back around. "A strong cat like you wouldn't need clanmates, now would you?" She was aware that loners felt they could do it all on their own. "I'm Sparrowsong." She said after taking a beat. She briefly smiled. She had earned her name. She was a proud windclan warrior and remembered it every time she spoke her own name. She hoped the tom would grace her with his name as well. But sometimes loners were too quick on their feet to worry about useless names. She gazed at the tom. He was interesting. Nothing like other loners she had stumbled across. She sighed deeply.

This cat really needed to rest. She was worried about him but didn't want that to show. She sat down again still looking at the tom. She wondered if he had any sort of ken at all.

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Flicker had to hold back a snort. This she-cat didn't know one thing about the life of a loner. It was hard, cold, lonely. When they got sick and hurt, there wasn't another cat to protect them, catch prey for them, or take care of them. It had nothing to do with how strong he was. He couldn't really blame or look down on her, however. He knew some about clans, but he was no expert on them either. Just as he had never lived the life of a clan cat, she had never lived the life of a loner so he supposed he shouldn't expect so much. And she did seem to be attempting to be amicable with him. He felt a bit ashamed at his train of thoughts. Was he really that distrustful of others? He internally gave himself a shake and focused back on the clan cat.

He couldn't shake the feeling of pleasure he got when she told him her name. A good strong name for a good strong cat. Some cats did nothing with the second chance he gave them, and it always made him feel better to see a cat turn out like her. She seemed loyal, kind, and strong, though she still seemed to have a curious streak.

Now, he had a choice to make. He was increasingly nervous at the thought of sharing his own name with Sparrowsong.. The last time he had told any cat his name was before his only brother betrayed him, back when he was still sociable. And though she hadn't asked for it, it would be rude not to say his own name, especially when she had been nothing but friendly to him when she could of chased him out. Finally, he dipped his head to her. "Flicker," he mewed, the name sounding odd on his own tongue after so long. "Ya know," he started uncertainly, his concern for others weighing out against his overall discomfort and distrust"you really should be more careful coming into places like this alone. Last time I stopped by I barely managed to fight off a few nasty rats, and I'm not the only cat who stays here. He really did snort now. "And believe me, if you think I'm unsociable, I'm nothing compared to some of the cats I've seen hanging around here in past few moons," He looked back at a fairly recent scar as if remembering the battle where he received it.

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Sparrowsong took a good hard look at the white tom. He didn't even make fun of her name like some loners she met had, which always made her upset. Clan names were odd spoken to outsiders, especially the ones who had never met a clan cat. At this moment Sparrowsong felt lucky to be a clan cat. She had other cats who cared for her, who loved her.

She smiled with her eyes at the thought of her name. Such a telling name, Flicker. She would of bet he never stayed in one place for long and kept moving as often as he could. After all, most loners would be smart to. She couldn't help but giggle in her mind as he gave her the lecture. He was right. It would be nothing for a small cat like Sparrowsong to get into trouble with something larger then her. "Thanks." She said carefully. It was kind of Flicker to look out for her, even though he had no reason to. "But I can hold my own." she said with a slight curious smile. She paused to listen to him. She didn't think he was unsociable, he was looking out for himself. And that was fine with Sparrowsong, she understood he had to protect himself. "You're right. Just curious. The horseplace is right outside the Windclan boards. Sometimes we can get into a bit of trouble, but some of the cats venture out this far just to see what's here from time to time." With that she stopped. Had she talked a little too much?

She thought once more. It didn't matter. Flicker seemed kind enough. This was fine. "And I don't think you're unsociable, Flicker. You gotta protect yourself. I understand." With that Sparrowsong walked closer to Flicker. She was glad to see his wound didn't look infected. But then again she wasn't a med-cat and didn't know too much about herbs. But then she remembered burdock leaves on her way into the barn. She knew they could be chewed and applied to wounds to speed the healing process. "There are burdock leaves just a little outside the barn. They could help speed up the heeling on your injury." she stated kindly.

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"I guess some things never change..." Flicker muttered, shaking his head with a small chuckle. Just as he had thought, Sparrowsong had a nose for trouble and was just as curious as ever. It had led her to him, after all. He was rather glad she had shared with him just a tiny piece, a glimpse into clan life, however. His Father had enjoyed speaking about the wild cats at times and it always made him feel closer to him hearing about them, Sometimes, however, it seemed like the cats there didn't have minds of their own, were all just different-colored cuts out from the same set of rules and borders. It was nice to see they could think for their selves every now and then without anyone stopping and telling them they were breaking some ancient rule.

He blinked in surprise. Well, that had been the last thing he was expecting. It had been quite some time since he had heard a cat say a kind word to him, offhanded as it was. Besides, he wasn't sure why, but the thought of her believing him to be savage made him cringe. His ears burned a bit in embarrassment but he quickly shook his head. "That would be nice. The sooner I get well, the better. Could you show them to me?" he mewed politely.

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Sparrowsong raised her ears at this. She was happy he would rest. Sparrowsong hadn't realized the benefits of having others to do stuff for her. Flicker did everything on his own, and this amazed her. He deserved to have other cats to depend on too. It just didn't seem fair. Sparrowsong smiled slightly at his comment. She had always been curious. She wanted to know everything about life.

"Of course" she mewed and with that she started towards the barn exit. Waiting for Flicker so she could walk next to him. He seemed so kind now. Hopefully she had proven herself a little. Outside the sun was still setting. She was rather happy to see she still had time to spend with Flicker and would be able to return to Windclan with a few kills for the freshkill pile. No one would even notice she was gone.

Sparrowsong smiled at the cat walking next to her. At this moment she almost felt like she had made a friend. Which was odd since Sparrowsong had never talked to a loner who she felt so comfortable with.

She turned the corner of the barn and pulled one of the big leaves off of a bush with her mouth. She then looked at Flicker and with the leaf still in her mouth attempted to talk, "There are the leaves." She said, her eyes widening. The leaves would be perfect. She looked around quickly to see other plants near a big oak tree. She didn't know what the plants were though. She was lucky she had some experience with burdock leaves when she was a small kit and fell out of a tree.

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Flicker padded along beside her, cringing slightly as he tried to ignore how sore he was. He really hoped whatever Sparrowsong was going to show him would help. Internally, he froze as his thoughts took a darker direction. How did he know this was going to help, not harm him? Why was he letting this cat he barely knew lead him into what could be an ambush? But he knew even as he thought it that, for whatever reason, he trusted Sparrowsong. He had always listened to his instincts, and everything in him told him that he needn't worry about her causing him any harm. For the first time in a long time, he didn't feel so lonely.

He looked curiously at the large leaves and stretched his neck out to sniff them, trying to remember the scent, sure they'd be useful later. He glanced at Sparrowsong, obviously impressed. "Thank you," he mewed gratefully as he began to gather a small bundle of them. He wandered when his newfound companion would leave and felt a familiar clench in his chest that had nothing to do with his prior injuries. Before long, he'd be all alone again.

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Sparrowsong watched for a while with a sad heart. She knew she wouldn't be able to stay with him forever. The last thing she wanted was Flicker to be by himself. She wouldn't be able to stop worrying about him.

She stopped to think for a moment. Why did she even care? He wasn't a part of her clan. She didn't have any commitment to worry about him. But Sparrowsong was known for being caring and friendly. She was always one to worry about everyone but herself. She rarely thought of cats that might harm her. Loners were one thing...the other clans were a completely different story.

She nodded when he thanked her. She really didn't know what else to say. "Yeah you just uh...chew that. And put it on your shoulder and you'll be just fine." She felt heat on her face. She was embarrassed that she couldn't find the right words.

Sparrowsong stood up looking at the sunset. It was so beautiful. Something not all cats would appreciate the way she did. She looked at Flicker, impressed by his willingness. He was obviously special. She wondered what the fight had been over anyways. She was sure the other cats had to look worse then Flicker. And what cat that wasn't out of their mind would pick a fight with a big tom like Flicker? She didn't speak, just watched and waited for what Flicker would say next.

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Flicker began to carefully chew the leaves as instructed. He didn't even really notice her little talking mishap. He wasn't always the most articulate cat himself, being that he never talked much. Things that came out great in his head would generally get jumpled when he tried to speak them aloud.

He began to slather the crunched leaves on his shoulder, cringing slightly. It wasn't the most comfortable position but oh well, he'd deal. He caught his companion's eye as he did so, noticing her watching him with that ever curious gleam and her eyes and his own eyes filled with amusement and he suppressed a chuckle. Though he was a bit embarrassed, she had helped him out and hadn't even asked him to explain how he was hurt despite her obvious curiousity, so he figured he might as well reward her, so to speak.

"I was in twolegplace and a large rogue had a kit, who was trying to defend his prey it would seem, cornered. I fought him off but was in such a small place I somehow managed to do this. Didn't even realize I did it until I was making my escape from the curious kit," He mewed, glancing pointedly at his shoulder, answering her unspoken question. It felt odd talking to a cat after so long, explaining what he's been doing. Unease curled in the pit of his stomach and he had to forcefully push it-and his growing panic-back down.

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Sparrowsong listened as Flicker spoke. All she could really think about was how brave he had been. And how sweet and kind. She knew he must be well spirited to think about everyone else before himself. Or at least it would seem that way. She really had so many questions to ask him but didn't want to annoy him. He had just met her really. She gazed at him with curious eyes, once again. She could see the pain he was in and she felt bad for him.

She walked over and sat close to him. "Well that was kind of you." she mewed softly, looking into his eyes. She wasn't sure her goal. But she knew this cat was unlike any she had ever met. She got a special feeling looking at him, but she wasn't exactly sure what it was. "Certainly not something an unsociable cat would do." she added with a short smile in reference to their earlier conversation.

She looked at him once more, feeling that he was still in pain. She hoped that the leaves would help. She thought for second. Was this the wrong thing to do? She slipped her paw over Flicker's before speaking once again. "You really should rest now, maybe get some sleep." She wondered if she should stay with him. It would of certainly made her feel better but she wasn't sure how Flicker would feel. He would probably want to be on his own to do loner things, or whatever it was cats did when they weren't taking part in clan activities.