Some Lost, Some Found (Open)

The white speckled tom was walking.

Not hunting. Not exploring. Just walking. Why? Well because he preferred walking to sitting or standing and he had little else to do until he died.

"Oh!"

Dewy's ears flicked at the noise. Someone was nearby.

"Well maybe it was... ah... oh dear."

The black tom flicked his tail. This cat was distressed. Not that it mattered to him. He turned in the opposite direction, but an insistent paw tugged at his fur. Bird. Dewy stopped, his strange eyes honed on the ground between his paws. This cat was not his responsibility. He had agreed to roam the lands until he died so he could be with his mate, but that hardly meant he was going to 'enjoy living'. Not without her. Not when he was alone.

Another insistent tug, this time at his heart. Bird had always been such a bleeding heart. It was ridiculous. For a cat that only knew violence, she sure figured out how to be kind and good to a saintly extent. She would have helped even the most useless of cats. It was simply her way -but not Dewy's way. He kept to his own and had no intention of changing that.

A miserable whimper sounded behind him.

No intention. Zero. Zippo.

Another tug.

Not gonna happen. He agreed to live, that was enough. He was not going off on rescue missions. This cat was gonna be fine. It's not like he was completely-

"I am so completely lost."

Shoot.

"Now what am I gonna do?"

Dewy sighed, grinding his teeth. Fine. He could take a hint. No need to beat him over the head with it. He worked his way over to the noise, with Leaffall setting in and light patches of snow scattered on the ground, he saw the other cat sooner than it saw him. It was fat. Great Cliffs, it was fat. How could a cat each that much and not make itself sick? It was either adorable or grotesque and Dewy was not a good judge to decide which. It was not until he was much closer that the distraught cat noticed him. When it did, it stiffened, one orange and one green eye wide with fear. What was its deal? Dewy was not welcoming, but he was not particularly intimidating either.

Frightpaw froze, fear icing down his veins as he looked up and saw a ghost. It was pretty, with a nice smile, but it was still transparent. Etheral. Wrong. It clung closely to a strange tom that was walking toward him. Frightpaw swallowed fearfully. He wanted to run. He hated ghosts! He wanted nothing to do with them. Nothing at all!

The ghost certainly noticed him noticing her though. It's pretty pale eyes widened in shock.

"You can see me?" The sound was a chill wind tickling over Frightpaw's fur, making his fur ruffle. He resisted the urge to squirm, not well.

"Don't do that," he whimpered, flicking his ears to try to get rid of the noise.

The stranger stopped, a confused look on his face. He cocked his head. Questioning. His eyes were suspicious. Lilac eyes. They were pretty. Ghostly. Ghost. 

Ghost. Ghost. Ghost.

"You can hear me!" the voice trilled in delight.

"No," he denied quickly. Even more narrowed eyes. Oh great. This was worse than the camp! At least there no one paid attention to him! "What I mean his," he tried to correct quickly. "Is... uh... no...no... no-ot. Not! You should not do that, uh, come closer. Not without a proper greeting!" Yeah. That made sense, didn't it?

"Please, sir, you must help me." The ghost begged. Yeah, and kits in camp wanted to explore the territory. Neither of them were getting what they wanted so they had better just deal.

"So, uhm, Greetings then. I guess," he mewed awkwardly. "Are you another rogue? I'm Frightpaw. What are you doing here? Are you, uh,-" Frightpaw glanced at the ghost. "-looking for someone?" 

Please say no. Please say no. Don't make me tell this guy his friend his dead. He'd kill me!

Dewy sat down beside the strange fat tom, Frightpaw. "What are you looking for?" Straight to the point. He would help this cat, but he didn't have to like it.

"What?" Frightpaw asked, his dual-colored eyes colored with confusion for a moment.

"You, um, were saying you were lost," the ghost pointed out meekly. It had taken to hiding behind this tom now that it knew it could be seen. They could be older brother and younger sister. She was a pretty but shy ghost it seemed, one who trusted and loved the tom she guarded. "I, uhm, brought Dewy over here to help you. I'm sorry if it's an inconvenience. I just wanted him to be of some help."

The confusion cleared. "It's fine," Frightpaw mewed uncomfortably. He did not like ghosts, but this one seemed genuinely sorry for causing him trouble. It was also oddly vibrant. Either it had just died recently or Dewy had cared about her very much to keep her here. Either way did not spell good news for the pudgy apprentice.

Dewy shifted. He was still waiting.

"Oh. Right. Well. It's not 'fine' really. Ahem. I'm lost. Rookshadow -my mentor- told me to meet her out at the training grounds, but I've only been here a few weeks and I don't remember where they are! I could just follow her scent trail, -I'm a very good scenter- but she must have gone out on a hunting patrol or midday patrol or something because I think I followed the wrong one and now I'm lost and now I'll never get my training!"

Dewy seemed unamused by Frightpaw's theatrics. His ghost was the same. Apparently these two did not get out much.

"Would this Rookshadow not come to find you?" Dewy questioned. Behind him, unseen-and-yet-seen, his ghost nodded in agreement.

Frightpaw winced at the idea. "Well, yeah, I supposed, but then I have to explain that I couldn't find my way there. This is my first time out really and I don't want to disappoint."

"Dewy could try to help you find her," the ghost offered quietly, pushing at the tom's fur.

Dewy growled, rustling his fur in annoyance at an odd feeling. Yes, universe. He got the message, now couldn't it leave him alone?

"I could try to help you find her," the tom ground out, irritation bleeding from every hair on his pelt.

"Er," Frightpaw did not want to get in the middle of this. "That's okay. I don't want to trouble you."

"It's no trouble!" the ghost reassured, jumping on Dewy's back and bouncing up and down to get his attention. Great Star Clan. How was Frightpaw supposed to keep a straight face watching this? Someone should give him a medal.

"It's..." More teeth grinding. "...no trouble."

I think I hear an echo.

"Alright then. I guess," the apprentice hedged uncomfortably. "Let's head off in, er... that way."

Dewy nodded, plodding along behind him. His ghost smiled quietly in victory. Frightpaw prayed the training grounds were close. Very close.