The idea came to me today on a sudden whim. I liked it. I sat down and wrote it. Now I'm posting it. Y'see how it works, baby?

I needed something new to write, something bright and cheerful and fresh. Writing this has satisfied that craving; I enjoyed typing this very much, and so I have decided to turn it into a series of written thoughts from the cats' points of view. The first installment is as follows.

Leaf-fall, Quarter Moon the Third

Dear Diary,

Squirrelpaw has disappeared from camp. At first, Dustpelt was really angry--he thought she was being lazy and sleeping in--but now I can tell that he's really worried. Don't bother to ask how I know; he's my father. I just...do.

After triple-checking the apprentices' den (and all the other dens as well, for that matter) it finally dawned on the Clan that she wasn't anywhere in camp. For some reason, Firestar was even more furious than I would have imagined. I mean, sure, she shouldn't have left camp without permission and all, but...over-reaction, much? Then again, Firestar's always been kind of a spazz, the old fart. Still, I wonder what got his tail tied up in such an ugly knot in the first place....

Anyway, a bunch of patrols were sent out to find her. I wanted to go and help search, too, but Thornclaw said that he meant to take another look at how my fighting moves were coming along. He promised that she would be found quickly, would be at home again soon.

Well, the sun is setting now, and she hasn't, and she isn't; the scouting cats were empty-pawed and glum as anything when they got back to camp. Personally, I still think that Firestar looked more like there was an irritating band of ticks dancing between his eyeballs rather than anxious about a missing daughter, but maybe that's just me. (After all, it's not like I of all cats have kits of my own to judge reactions on, right?) When I poked my head into the medicine den to ask for herbs to soothe Goldenflower's bellyache, Leafpaw, Squirrelpaw's sister and the medicine cat apprentice, simply looked downright miserable. Poor chick.

Oh, yeah; did I mention the other rather disturbing fact? Brambleclaw is gone, too. I guess that more or less explains why I forgot all about it, though. I mean, who really cares about that bossy furball? But, wait...a thought sorta just hit me, and…oh, great pile of foxdung. What if they--Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw--are out there somewhere together? Hidden away in the dark, creepy confines of a cave or something, alone? It rained last night, and… Oh, StarClan, I hope not. That makes me really angry, even to think about it. Grr. If I find out that he's harmed one little hair on her pelt, hurt her in even the smallest way... Well, let's just hope that it never comes down to that, okay? Okay. Good. Moving on, now.

When I was a kit in the nursery, my mother used to tell me and Spiderpaw all these "special thoughts," little things to remember and think about throughout your life. "To look to when you're bigger," Ferncloud would purr. She once told us that there was a saying that went something like "out of sight, out of mind." I don't believe in that, not one bit. Squirrelpaw may be gone, but I shall think of her every long day leading up to her return, whenever that may be.

I hope she comes back soon. I think I sort of miss her.

--Shrewpaw

=3 What a cutie-pie. -sigh- Well, you all know what happens from there. And you should also know what happens now. -coughreviewcoughangelicsmile-

Cheers,

--Annie;;/

Saturday January 3, 2008