When You Were Young }{Open}{

[Inkpelt]

And sometimes you close your eyes
And see the place where you used to live
When you were young

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Inkpelt's light pawsteps were masked by the rushing of the river as she made her way towards it's edge. The pretty white and black she-cat sat down, wrapping her bottle brush tail delicately over her front paws, settling down quietly. Her bright green gaze washed over the river, the memory of a smile flicking the corners of her lips. The tip of her tail twitched anxiously as a sigh escaped her.

She remembered coming here with her siblings as an apprentice, playing on their off days in the water and catching fish to bring back to the fresh-kill pile. Those had been the days, when all she had to worry about was making sure she brought home prey, learning the ways of StarClan, and becoming strong and wise. Those days had faded quickly out of memory when she got her warrior name, along with her siblings and friends. She remembered that day like it was yesterday, five of them got their warrior names all at once. All of which who had gone on to become very..normal clan members. She was the only one of the group who still hadn't made a connection with anyone outside of her few friends and siblings. She'd still not found a tom she connected with enough to even pursue a relationship with.

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You sit there in your heartache
Waiting on some beautiful boy to
To save you from your old ways
You play forgiveness
Watch it now
Here he comes

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She flicked her ears, listening to the birds singing, the crickets chirruping, the rustle of the wind in the tall grasses, the gurgling of the river. Everything seemed so peaceful, then why did she feel so restless. She knew the borders were secure, there was no threat of starvation and the kits that had been born were getting along fine. Apprentice training was going well, the elders were content. Still, she felt like she shouldn't be resting, goofing off. She felt like she should be hunting, patrolling, something!

She stood up, shaking the leaves from her pelt as she moved to the edge of the river. She stared intently at her reflection, as if it would suddenly tell her what to do. She looked deeply into her own intimidating green gaze, the memory of her father's face creeping into her mind. She panicked, suddenly seeing her father's reflection staring back, the same haughty smirky she'd been told about greeting her. She jumped back from the water, he heart thundering. She was nothing like her father! She'd never betray her clan, leave her family, disobey StarClan. Perhaps that was her problem..she'd stuck so closely to the orders she'd been given by everyone around her, so worried about being his daughter and the stigma attached to it that she'd never truly shown her personality.

He doesnt look a thing like Jesus
But he talks like a gentleman
Like you imagined
When you were young

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Maybe sometimes it was okay not to be wary and constantly overworked. Perhaps sometimes it was okay to stray from duties to give time to herself. After all, she'd dedicated her life to the clan, shouldn't she be allowed to live her own life? She walked back over to the river, batting her reflection with a paw until it rippled off in many directions. That was it..she was stretching herself so thin she'd had no life outside of being a warrior. No time to make new friends, become a mate, a mother, have a family of her own. She'd tried so hard to prove herself that she'd lost herself along the way. She needed desperately to be seen as a perfect warrior, the perfect example of dedication. Maybe it'd be okay to not be perfect..once in a while.

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They say the devil's water
It ain't so sweet
You dont have to drink right now
But you can dip your feet
Every once in a little while

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