I'm sorrys and other secrets {{Lionstrike}}

Khaki
There’s too much pain in goodbye.

Khaki slowly padded out of the underbrush and climbed up on the log quickly not even thinking about it and jumped down on the other side. She slowly looked around on the island where the clan cats met. She could feel something was different here, like something wasn't the same.
She slowly padded around and looked at the paw prints that were left in th dirt and the sand. These were bigger than those of any cat. In fact, they looked like two legs. She sniffed at one and pulled her head back quickly as two-leg reek filled her nose.
"ew...gross. Those Two-legs are nasty. Ugh" she muttered sitting down and wiping her nose. She slowly looked around again and couldn't help feel something else was wrong. She had noticed near the Shadowclan boarder that there were these strange blood marks on the trees, but again they didn't smell like blood.
She sighed softly, maybe she could as Lionstrike. Maybe he knew what as going on.
'by the way...where is he? she thought as she looked back toward the entrance.

Lionstrike wasn't that far behind Khaki, actually he was almost on her tail. After leaving the camp, he had soon spotted her; and he wasn't even trying. He was frustrated with her right now, she had just been caught by a RiverClan patrol, if she wasn't careful she could get in bigger trouble, or maybe even get him in trouble!

Shaking his head, Lionstrike followed Khaki. He couldn't be to harsh on her though. It might be a dangerous situation they were putting themselves in, but if it meant helping her to survive then he was going to do it.

When he came through the brambles, there was Khaki, setting right where a bright ray of moon light was falling on her. It illuminated her pelt and Lionstrike was transfixed. He just stood there for a moment, before giving himself a mental shake and padding forward.

As he walked over to Khaki, a chill crept up his spine. There was something going on here, Lionstrike could feel it. The stale scent of Twolegs hung in the air, which was very abnormal. Of course, he couldn't discuss it with his clan later. They'd be more curios about what he was doing here then Twolegs on the island. It had happened before, but it was still odd for so strong a scent to be left.

Reaching Khaki, Lionstrike sat down. "H-hello, Khaki." he meowed "You kn-know, you sh-sh-should b-b-b-be more c-c-careful. I sp-spotted you on th-the way here w-without even tr-trying."

Khaki
There’s too much pain in goodbye.

Khaki stood up as the tom jumped down from the log and started toward her. Something in the bushes caught her attention so she didn't see him stop but met him as he walked over. When lionstrike said something about seeing her without even trying, Khaki's ears laid back slightly in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry lionstrike." she murmured. "I was just thinking about how big the camp looked and how great it would be to live there. I guess i wasn't really paying attention t what was going on around me."
She felt really bad because she knew her stupid move could get Lionstrike in trouble and she really didn't want that. She really also hadn't been meaning to get caught but the Crimsonclaw cat found her and started bossing her around. She would have like to give him a few scratches but she knew if she did that, she'd never get into the clan. And right now that's what she wanted more than anything in the world.
Khaki looked at Lionstrike a more determined look on her face. "I'll do better lionstrike...i promise." she said, "So what are you teaching me today?"
Her tail quivered with excitement. Last time she had left lionstrike she had found a place with a lot of water and had practiced what he had taught her so far and she was fired up to show him.

Lionstrike was pleased to hear her apologize. Even so, he was still aprehensive about the whole ordeal. If she was caught again, then what would happen to her; what would happen to him? He couldn't dwell on it though. They were wasting moon-light that was to valuable to waste. "O-k." Lionstrike meowed "We're g-going to tr-try sw-sw-swimming strokes t-t-t-tonight."

The ginger tom lead the way to the lake edge. Khaki had done better then he had expected at the last lesson, so a taste of what she was going to experience when she would swim would do her good.

"Stay cl-close t-t-to me and d-do exactly wh-what I s-s-say."

Khaki
There’s too much pain in goodbye.

Khaki nodded and followed the tom into the cold water again. It was almost getting to a point where they would have to stop doing the water activities. Then they would have to start battle and hunting. That wouldn't bother her too much. Stoneshade had taught her quite a bit. She just hoped it was good enough to impress Lionstrike.
"great starclan, the water got cold fast." she muttered her tail quivering slightly as the cold water hit her belly fur. She hated to complain but she hadn't mean to let that one out. Surely Lionstrike wouldn't stop because of that.

Lionstrike lead the way into the water. The temperature was colder then he expected, but he held back a curse. It would do him or Khaki any good if he did that. It wouldn't be long before they had to stop with the swimming and perhaps move on to toning her battle and hunting skills. Perhaps even her stealth skills.

When Khaki spoke, Lionstrike chuckled. "I agr-gree, w-w-we c-c-c-can't stay in t-t-to long or w-we'll g-g-get hypothermia."

Padding further out, he went to where another couple of steps would lead to where they would have to swim. "Ok, h-here is w-w-what you n-need to d-d-do. J-just act like y-you're w-w-walking, t-t-take deep breaths, an k-k-k-keep your h-head held h-h-high."

Khaki
There’s too much pain in goodbye.

Khaki hesitated a moment as Lionstrike's fur slowly became emerged in water. She watched him quietly as he started to swim and swallowed hard. She couldn't chicken out now, but something made her feet stop and her breath catch in her throat.
When Lionstrike spoke to her a small wave of confidence washed over her and she took a few small steps closer to him. Soon the icy water had covered her belly and was crawling up her sides. Khaki's steadied her breath to where Lionstrike had said and lifted her head. now came the hard part. She was so used to having ground underneath her that whens he took her first step and didn't feel anything, she panicked at first. She ducked her head just a little but then kept going over Lionstrike's words.

Lionstrike watched Khaki intently. These next few minutes in the water would decide if she was cut out to do it. Cats are naturally afraid of water, even RiverClan cats. It takes a lot of training for an apprentice to get use to water and to be able to swim. Lionstrike had high hopes for Khaki though. He could see the determination in her eyes, more than even the usual RiverClan apprentice had at their first swim. Perhaps this would be so bad.

He thought to soon because at that moment he could see panic flash through her eyes. He had no need to worry though, Khaki quickly recovered. Coming closer to her, her placed his tail along her back to guide her. He didn't want to get her far out into the water in case she panicked again.

"Y-y-you're doing gr-gr-great!" Lionstrike encouraged "W-we'll swim in s-s-some c-c-circles and t-then head back to the isl-land."

Khaki
There’s too much pain in goodbye.

Khaki nodded slightly making sure not to duck her head under. She knew if she did that she probably would panic again. She slowly swam beside Lionstrike, his tail always resting on her back, a quiet reassurance to her. she glanced over at the tom as she started getting the hang of it.
She finally decided it was enough when she stopped feeling her paws. She got to where she could put her feet down and slowly padded up the shore onto dry land. She quickly shoo out her brown fur but the chill was still there. She could feel her legs shaking underneath her and couldn't help but notice how cold it really was. Winter, which was what she heard her two-legs say, was defiantly here. She just hoped her home would hold up right now.

Lionstrike kept an eye, and tail, on Khaki. He could see the confidence build up in her as they swam together. When Khaki shifted toward land, he let her. He wasn't going to break her confidence. This was something she would need to do herself, at her own speed.

Normally after having a swim, Lionstrike would have let it drip off of him. But since it was leaf-bare he couldn't risk catching a cold; or worse. Shaking out his fur, it stuck out in all directions. Still the chill of the water and air hung in the ginger fur. He was lucky to have such a long think coat, but he could tell by the way she was shaking Khaki wasn't.

Padding over he sat beside her, his fur pushed against hers to help warm her up. "J-just take d-d-deep breaths. Sh-shivering h-h-helps warm you up t-t-too." He would worry about what they would do next once she stopped shaking.

Khaki
There’s too much pain in goodbye.

Khaki nodded slightly and was glad that she ws getting some of Lionstrike's warmth. She let her body shiver and then slowly she did start warming up. She was so glad she wasn't goign to be shivering all night but she really didn't want to go home now either.
She looked up at the slightly lit sky and sighed softly. The moon was still a small shadow in the sky and it seemed to only be a sliver from being full.
"Well....tonight's going to be a gathering, correct?"[/b she mewed softly looking at Lionstrike. Stoneshade had told her once on a full moons night the cats from all clans gathered and met to share information. She knew she probably dind't need to come but seeing so many clan cats in harmony, that would be a sight to see.
Now that she thought about it, she had never seen any otehr cats besides Riverclan cats. Stoneshade had told her stories about the other clans, but the way she pictured them, it was almost to much for any cat to bear.
"You know...it would be nice to meet the otehr clans." she mewed, but tehn chuckled at herself for being so stupid. "Stoneshade promised me a long time ago, when i first got here, that he would get me into teh clan so i would meet the otehr clan cats."
She fell quiet as the tom's mangled body fileld her mind again. Why did he have to go so soon?

As the two cats sat there, Lionstrike could feel her shivering slowly fade away and warmth return from her. It wouldn't be long until they go their separate ways again, to meet another time to teach her the ways of a RiverClan cat. Which he shouldn't be doing in the first place. Why he was doing it was still hidden from himself. The fact that she was a loner should have sent him chasing her off on sight after pulling her out of the water; but he didn't. And coming from a tom who held the warrior code in high esteem it was flabbergasting to think about.

When Khaki spoke, Lionstrike turned his head to look at her. There were still a few drops of water clinging to her pelt. The cold air would turn it to ice if she didn't get those off quickly. He remembered times with his family during leaf-bare. After a swim they would always clean each others pelt of water; a frozen cat was no use to anyone.

"Y-yes. It should be t-t-tonight." Stoneshade seemed to have told her everything. The great warrior had a big secret. How the Clan would have reacted if it had been revealed while the warrior was still alive, Lionstrike didn't know. The she-cat seemed to know just about everything about warrior life.

Lionstrike lifted his head to look up at the moon. Stoneshade seemed to have made a lot of promises, some that could never be kept. She could never join RiverClan, they were to proud to take in a loner. They were the only ones who weren't tainted by loner blood. It would be best to keep it that way.

"You have to realize, Khaki, Clan life isn't as easy as you may think. It might even be harder then you think. It is a possibility you will not be accepted into any Clan."

It was only after he said the words he realized that he had not stuttered.