Aurora

Friends

Jet's fur catches in my claws as I repeatedly scratch his exposed stomach. I snarl as he growls at me in frustration.

"Aurora, that's enough!" Cirrus calls sternly. I ignore him and continue to slice at Jet.

"AURORA!" I roll my eyes, reluctantly stepping off my opponent. Jet shakes out his fur, glaring at me.

"Are you alright, Jet?" Cirrus says hesitantly, knowing that "badass" Jet won't like his show of sympathy. Jet turns his glare to him instead.

"Well, Aurora, that was very good until you disobeyed me," Cirrus says, turning away from Jet. "You could have caused Jet serious harm."

"Thatwastheplan," I mutter. If Cirrus hears this last comment, he gives no sign of it.

"You're both free to go," he says tensely. "Don't do anything stupid." Jet and I share a loathing look before I stalk off toward the main camp.

As I scramble up the muddy slope back to the camp, I feel the wet ground slide away from under my feet. I tumble, cursing, back down again. As I stagger up to my feet again, I hear laughter from behind me. Glowering, I turn around to see who my malicious audience is. Jet's snickering face meets my eyes. Still laughing, he leaps up onto the muddy slope and bounds up it with apparent ease. I hiss softly. I hate him. Looking down at my paws, I start to struggle up the cliff again. Hearing a yelp from above me, I look up and narrowly miss getting mowed down by Jet as he comes tumbling down again. Smirking, my eyes move to the top of the hill and see Brook silhouetted there. I laugh and suddenly the cliff becomes a gentle hill which I run up easily.

"Thanks!" I call up to her as I reach the top. She smiles.

"That jackass Cirrus wants me to do double training with him, so I have to go down now."

I snicker. "Are you really that bad?" She gives me a friendly shove.

"You shut up. Just because I'M not super vicious and aggressive..." The effect of this remark is marred slightly by the fact that she's clearly trying to hide a smile.

"BROOK, I SWEAR, IF YOU ARE LATE ONE MORE TIME -" echoes from the wet valley below, in the direction of the training area. I smirk as she dashes past me, slipping and sliding on the cliff. I can still hear Jet struggling up from below. Leaving him, I walk towards the camp.

Completing my chores within five minutes, I am once again faced with an all-too-familiar train of thought. With a sigh, I stalk off to the border, where I seem to be spending more and more of my time.

I poke through the reeds to my favorite spot on the riverbank. Again, I contemplate the other side. It's been three days since the day I met Ash, and I've been trying not to think too much about our previous meeting. I really don't know why I keep coming back here, or what interest the BlitzClan side holds for me. All I know is that I've been very bored sitting around the AquaClan camp for the past three days, and I want to get away. Besides, says a small voice in my head, maybe you'll see Ash again...

I ignore the small voice.

"BOO!"

I leap up with fright. Apparently, this time I actually did fall asleep, and I've just received a rude awakening. I whirl around to face Ash, who, once again, is obeying the law and staying in the shallows.

"I scared you," he snickers. I try to glare and end up making a weird expression halfway between a glare and a smile. Ash laughs again.

"Same," he says. Suddenly, all awkwardness forgotten, I leap up and pounce on his tail, growling playfully. He flicks me aside, and we roll in the grass together, playing, neither of us noticing that his feet have come out of the river and are on the AquaClan side.

We play for hours and only stop when I fall into the river with a splash. Laughing, I clamber out again, my laughter slowly dying when I see Ash's expression.

"I just realized I'm in your territory," he said solemnly. I laugh.

"I won't tell anyone," I say. Still looking a little troubled, he walks back to the riverbank.

"I should probably go now," he says reluctantly, stepping back into the river. I nod in understanding.

"Same time tomorrow?"

He looks mildly surprised. "Sure, only let's play in the river next time so I'm not in your territory."

We walk off in our separate directions, and I finally have a reason to get through training without murdering Jet tomorrow.