[ti]Private[/ti]Life Is But A Dream

[Dragon]

Maplefire had been visiting the Dark forest now for twenty moons. Almost every night in his dreams he would come to this place for training. He was advancing slowly in ranks in the Dark Forest. He helped train new members that joined the Dark Forest at night when he dreamed. During the day he played the nice guy act and did all he could to keep his clan thinking he was the same kit they knew before his accident. A happy, friendly cat who worked hard for his clan. His hatred for his clan was building for they had giving his so called friend Gullhop an apprentice yet they still have not given him one. It was infuriating. But he had acted proud and even happy for Gullhop congratulating him on becoming a mentor. Someday he would get a mentor and he would bring them here to the Dark Forest to train. They would become a true warrior like him someday. But until than he would have to continue to put up an act.

That night he was planning to do some training himself so he didn't get rusty. He was looking for an opponent, someone he could really sink his claws into. He missed the feeling of his claws in another cats flesh. He had killed one cat but to keep his clan from finding out it was him he had to push her off the waterfall and than chased after her to drag her limp body out of the river after she had died. He had even made himself cry and blamed himself for her death in front of his clan. They had taken pity on him and to this day they still didn't realize he was the one that had killed Lilycloud. The mere thought had him laughing.

As Maplefire padded down the path a familiar scent reached his nose. His ears pricked up and surprise came over his face than he smiled and gave a small chuckle. Coming around a bush he spotted Pebbleshade. "Well, who do we have here. I never thought I'd see you here Pebbleshade." He had his act back on a big smile on his face and he made himself purr happily for he didn't yet know why Pebbleshade was here. Had he been training here? Was he hiding his true self when awake like he was? Or did he have another story or reason to be here.

[Fireflake]

Pebbleshade's ears shot upright at the sound of the other tom's voice. Instead of the overwhelming terror that should have seized him in that moment, a wave of relief washed over the warrior. "Maplefire!"
Pebbleshade had been there when the younger cat had dragged Lilycloud out of the current, not to mention the kit they'd saved from the river together. The grey cat had never seen Maplefire as anything other than a good warrior. While their surroundings should have tipped him off that this good warrior was not all that he appeared, he'd critically misjudged that as well.

Pebbleshade had been in the Dark Forest half of the time that Maplefire had, though really it was a lot less, as his own visits were infrequent. He would meet up with Foxeyes, learn or practice some battle moves, then wake up and carry on with life. Recently, this routine had been disrupted. Foxeyes had disappeared, and Pebbleshade had been unable to find him in the waking world or in the forest. He'd started to come every night instead of just a few nights a moon, just to see if he could find the other tom. Tonight he'd decided that just waiting where they used to train wasn't enough, and had ventured away from it, ending up hopelessly lost, until he'd come across Maplefire.

"It's good to see you. I didn't expect to run into you here either."
Pebbleshade didn't understand the Dark Forest, or how or why cats got there, but he'd gathered from his former apprentice's secrecy that not many cats knew, or were supposed to know, about the training that went on there. Had Pebbleshade been raised in MistClan, and heard the scary stories that most apparently did in these parts, he would likely have never ended up there, but nobody talked about it among adults. The innocent look behind the caution in his eyes betrayed this fact of Pebbleshade's ignorance.
"I don't suppose you've seen Foxeyes?"

[Dragon]

Maplefire looked the tom over the look in his eyes told him he didn't know the truth behind the Dark Forest. So why was he here? Was there a Dark Forest cat playing with him or trying to turn him? If so who was his mentor? He learned a moment later that his mentor was Foxeyes. This made him think fast on his paws. Foxeyes had disappeared some time ago no one not even his old mentor Sootface knew where they went, or if he did he had never told him. "Oh so your mentor is Foxeyes? Mine was Sootface. Sadly no I don't know where your mentor is. But if you need anyone to help you with training I'd be glad to help. I've been training here since I broke my leg." He licked his chest proudly than lifted his head and tail. "Recently I was made a warrior here and now I help others who... still need a little help."

The innocence in the toms eyes along with the caution warned Maplefire to be careful. "Maybe I can help you look, or if you want we can do some light training." His voice was smooth as silk and he made sure his eyes held nothing but worry and kindness for his "friend." Eventually he would test the tom like he was tested but the time wasn't right, and with Pebbleshade who knows if the tom would ever be right.

[Fireflake]

Pebbleshade pawed at a spot on the ground as Maplefire spoke, then slowly sat down as his apprehension began to fade. The forest floor here seemed somehow colder than it did when he was awake, sucking all the warmth out of him as well. Pebbleshade ignored that feeling. "Uh, yes, I suppose he was my mentor here."
His whiskers twitched with mild amusement, but the tired look never left his eyes. "It feels strange to say. I used to be his mentor, you see. Funny how things change."

It was kind of Maplefire, he thought, to offer his help looking for Foxeyes. He shook his head anyway. "I'm afraid I've been looking for him for a while now, and I don't think he's going to show up."
Pebbleshade had yet another apprentice to worry about now. He couldn't keep dwelling on things passed. "I think... he might just be gone. I can only pray he's alright."
Pebbleshade spoke the words with a disenchanted tone, like a cat trying to rally troops for a battle he knew was already lost.

His attitude turned around, however, as he continued, "If you wouldn't mind us training together, though, that would be great."
He stood again and braced, with a wary glance at Maplefire, even as he shook the soil off. "But wait, didn't you break your leg... back in the flood? When you were just a kit?"
The grey tom had never heard of Sootface, either, but didn't think he was a MistClan warrior. One of his ears pricked in curiosity.

[Dragon]

Yea here things are a little different, just like in the waking world you need to earn the honor of being a warrior. I'm sure if Foxeyes hadn't vanished you would have received your warrior ceremony here to."[/b] Ha doubtfully but he wanted to keep the top happy. Pebbleshade could still be of some use to him and Sootface in some way. "Well I am sorry, I'm sure where ever they are they're safe," he purred softly trying to take some of the toms fears away while inside he was screaming how kit like this tom was. Ugh he hated having' to act differently just because he knew his clan would never except his other wise.

Hearing Pebbleshade say he'd be happy to train with him got his blood going and his fur began to prick up with excitement. But that excitement was quickly dashed against the cold rocks when the tom mentioned the flood and how he broke it when he was a kit. "Yes, I was. One day in my dreams I was chasing a rabbit but than the scenery changed and there was Sootface. They promised that they could make me stronger and teach me moves I would never learn in my clan. The training was hard especially since when I dreamed here I still had my broken leg but I trained hard and worked hard to make Sootface proud of me... and my clan as well of course."

[Fireflake]

Pebbleshade flicked his tail-tip as he saw Maplefire's reaction to his question. Instantly, an apologetic look twitched across his face. Just a moment ago, Maplefire had comforted him, and Pebbleshade had to go and drag up a bad memory. The other tom didn't seem unhappy to talk about it, luckily. Pebbleshade pricked his ears to listen to the explanation of how Maplefire, apparently Maplekit back then, had been introduced to the Dark Forest.

"Ah, that's interesting. I didn't know that you could go from normal dreams into this place," he commented. "I've never really thought about it. I was brought here directly."
The grey tom paused for a moment, then cleared his throat. "And, sorry about bringing up the accident. It just seemed a little strange that you'd need to train here, with a mentor teaching you already. But I suppose, if you started before you'd been apprenticed in MistClan, that makes sense."

A nervous look crept into the tom's expression. "I don't think I've heard of Sootface before, though. Is he... from another clan? Or one of the cats that lives here permanently?"
He waited for an answer for just a heartbeat or two before shaking his head slightly. "Oh, never mind. Please, pardon all of the questions. I'm just surprised to see you here. Pleasantly surprised, of course."

Pebbleshade crouched down. "Is there anything specific you want to practice first?"

[Dragon]

Maplefire shrugged, "who knows the full abilities of this place and the cats who live here. Maybe it was only my mentor who can enter the dreams of other cats? Maybe all cats here can do it, who knows?" He nodded in understanding "Yea I know what you mean, after my first visit I always come straight here as well. No more dilly dallying in dream land," he chuckled softly.

Oh how badly he wanted to tell the tom how useless his living mentor was but that would give away to much. "Yea I couldn't exactly be made an apprentice with a broken leg. But Sootface had no problem bringing him here to train. But he couldn't say that to Pebbleshade. As Pebbleshade apologized he just shrugged as if it didn't matter. "You've got nothing to apologize for it was a perfectly understandable question to ask. Not many cats are lucky enough to have one great mentor and I had two."

Maplefire licked his chest fur thinking how he should answer Pebbleshade's next question. In the end he decided to tell the truth. But he lucked out with not having to tell as the tom apologized once again and told him he didn't need to answer. "It's good to see you here as well my friend. So shall we get some training in? Or do you just want to head back and get some real sleep," he chuckled.

[Fireflake]

"Oh, I wish," Pebbleshade said quietly, trying to smile as if it was funny. "Unfortunately, I don't think that's happening whether I go or not, so we may as well get some training in, right?"
Pebbleshade adjusted his posture to invite an attack. He had always known he was better at defense, and was hoping not to be forced into making the first move.

The tom glanced down at his paws. "Foxeyes and I used to train with claws unsheathed here, a lot of the time. Do you do that too?"
Pebbleshade spoke almost as if he was trying not to let anyone else overhear. It was still a strange idea for him, and felt taboo to bring up, though he'd become used to doing it over the moons.