The water listens, but cannot speak....

[blowingwind]

A big black tom sat on one of the many boulders that made up the Sunningrocks. He stred at the waterfall out of red eyes that had so many times seen life leaving cats' bodies.
He'd been wrong. Or had he?
Yes, Darkspirit had thought that joining a Clan would have made him feel better. Maybe he'd have made up for what he'd done in the past.
Not that he really had any excuse anyway, for any of it.
And he would never admit he was trying to forget. It showed weakness. And he couldn't afford it.
"Holding my last breath...." he whispered, not really knowing what made him say that particular sentence at that moment. Those were very important words, and he wasn't going to share them with anyone. Only with the running water, because it couldn't speak them to anyone else.
He half-closed his evil-looking eyes as he thought. The feeling hadn't gone away. What had possessed him, and made him join a Clan? It hadn't helped. If anything, it was making it all worse.
At that moment, Darkspirit seriously felt like ripping somebody's ears off. He wished someone would pass by, maybe a tom, and he could have fun fighting....he needed to take out his frustration on someone.

[Miss Midnight||]

Runningpaw's white furred tail streamed through Riverclan territory. His eyes gleamed with pride. Although he had no mentor, he was way overdue to be a warrior. He almost wanted to think about joining a group of loners, than he could name himself. Braveheart, Runningpaw's close friend, was like a mentor to him, he took very good care of the apprentice. Runningpaw had become very well muscled, just like Braveheart. His legs slowed into a small jog, his two-toned eyes glaced toward a black tom. Curiosity won him over, as he padded towards him. "Hey, I'm Runningpaw. What's your name?" he asked the ebony tom.

[blowingwind]

Darkspirit glanced malevolently over his shoulder, taking in the white pelt of the apprentice, and his odd eyes.
He curled his lips into a silent snarl. The tom was warrior-aged, but by name just an apprentice, and he was a Riverclanner. It would bring no good, attacking one of his Clan.
He got to his feet and turned to face the white, watching him through slitted eyes.
"Well. You could call me Darkspirit. Or Redeyes, if you wish."
Having said that, the black tom cursed inwardly. He didn't know what had possessed him to say his old name out loud, but he didn't like it.
He'd buried it away along with his past rogue life...so why had it surfaced now?
"I'm quite new to Riverclan. You may have seen me round camp." he went on, leaning his head very slightly to his left. Then he lost interest in the conversation, and fell silent, now looking at Runningpaw with a bored expression. He was sure nothing the younger tom said would be of any interest to him.

[Miss Midnight||]

Trying to hold the tom's attention he meowed quickly, "Well, um.. You see any loner's in our territory? I could just batter one up." Runningpaw smirked, he wanted to take out anger on someone. His orbs that had once gleamed with pride, were glazed with anger and hostility. His tail twitched madly though he tried to make his ears stand straight. It was odd what Runningpaw had said, 'batter one up'. He usually wouldn't say things like that.

[blowingwind]

Darkspirit's eyes widened for an instant, and they swept over the younger tom searchingly.
"No loners. And if I had seen any, I hardly think they'd be around now. I think you know what I mean."
He turned his gaze to the stream again, but went on watching Runningpaw out of the corner of his red eyes.
"You have a curious expression on your face. One that wasn't there before."
He leapt down from his boulder and landed next to the apprentice.
"Do you know, I've never seen such an expression on a Clan-cat." he remarked, staring at the apprentice with no emotion, though in truth he was a little puzzled.
Then he allowed the ghost of a smirk to flit over his face, and unsheathed his claws casually.
"Now you mention battering someone up, I feel pretty much like it too. And as I said, I'm pretty new to this place.....where would you go if you felt like killing someone?"
The black tom's eyes were widened slightly, and he was looking at the white with eagerness in his eyes, that said all too clearly, 'And if you don't know where to look for anyone to kill, you know who's next in line, don't you?'
The feeling he'd always had as a rogue was surfacing then, he knew it, but couldn't be bothered to stop it.
He'd thought joining a Clan would have....-yes, he admitted it to himself, what he'd wanted had been friends, or at least others he could count on- but he'd found no-one, so why do his best, if he could do his worst?

[Miss Midnight||]

Runningpaw felt as though his heart had stopped. Kill? he thought helplessly. "I would go where I please, if I were to kill anyone." he growled. He felt as though something had surfaced through him, it made him feel almost evil. Runningpaw's eyes darkened, and his claws unseathed. His blood felt like ice, and he couldn't move, he could barely even breathe.

[blowingwind]

Darkspirit grinned.
"I feel like fighting someone. Wandering in the rogue territories would only be a good way to ger ourselves assaulted by a great number of them....but...."
His red eyes lit up with enthusiasm.
"There is a rogue who lives alone. Or with his sons, actually... but would you be brave enough to venture into Touslepelt's Glade?" he asked, suddenly harsh, looking with a glare at Runningpaw.
Talking was easily done, actually moving and attacking, was different. The apprentice didn't look like the other Riverclanners, but maybe, having been with them had rubbed off on him. Would he be willing to fight just for the sake of it?

[Miss Midnight||]

Runningpaw grinned. "Now? I have heard of him, he has killed so many cats. For that... He must pay." he hissed. His eyes suddenly cast a horrible glare at Darkspirit, he growled and began stalking off. His tail now was down, his ears flattened. "Do you wish to tag along?" he hissed not looking at the ebony tom.

[blowingwind]

Darkspirit grinned nastily, jumping after the white tom.
"Watch it, apprentice. You're welcome to give me a hand against this Touslepelt, but remember I could well change my mind....then it'd be you who's in trouble."
He didn't glance down at Runningpaw, but went on walking, his red eyes fixed in front of him.
"What's with your change, though? When I saw you earlier, you looked the perfect little angel."
His grin widened at his last words; would they annoy the white cat?
"But now...now you look totally different...in fact."
The black tom stopped walking and faced Runningpaw properly.
"What makes you think you're ready for Touslepelt? He'll be a good match...have you ever fought for your life?"

[Miss Midnight||]

"I guess something came over me that me think 'well I guess everyone should die'. Determination will keep me going, in the fight. Nothing can stop me if I set it to my mind." Runningpaw meowed. His voice was cold. He did not want to kill anyone, but yet he wanted to kill everyone. His mind was blurred with images of fightining cats, how every pawstep could be your last, every swipe of a claw could determine victory over defeat. The images played over and over. He knew what to do, and how to do it.

[blowingwind]

Darkspirit raised one eyebrow, then shrugged his black shoulders.
"As long as you know what you can and can't do...."
He turned away and went on walking.
He felt a lot of anticipation for the coming fight. Touslepelt was supposed to be formidable. But then, Redeyes also had been feared in his old territory. Before he'd become Darkspirit, and had moved. And joined Riverclan.
"Come on, if we run, we'll be at the Glade in no-time." the bony tom remarked to the white, before speeding up his pace and rushing off towards the rogue territory.

To: Toulepelt's Glade