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Post by Hawkeyes258 on Jul 15, 2019 12:14:41 GMT -5
(Right)
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Post by Jekyll on Jul 15, 2019 15:22:52 GMT -5
Okee))
Spottedpath moved after a while, getting tired of sitting around so close to the thunderpath. "We should bury him. Vixenfrost, Blizzardpaw, and Spottedlegs, come help me with it will you." The she-cat moved toward the hedge and began digging, making the hole part way under the line of bushes. Blizzardpaw and Spottedlegs joined her soon enough, steadily digging and making the hole bigger, deeper, and wider.
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Post by Hawkeyes258 on Jul 15, 2019 15:27:28 GMT -5
Vixenfrost joins Spottedpath and helps the others dig the hole.
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Post by Jekyll on Jul 15, 2019 16:21:39 GMT -5
It didn't take long to dig the hole with all of them helping, and soon Spottedpath stepped back with the others, her paws brown from the dirt. "Let's move him now." She padded over and laid her tail on Coontail's shoulder. "We need to bury him, come on." After a few moments the tom nodded and stood, taking Jadeclaw's scruff and beginning to move him. Clearrain stepped over to help, followed by the others sitting to either side, making a path of sorts to the hole between them as the two carried the tom and placed him in the hole. "Maybe we should say some words about him? And after each cat speaks we scoop one pile of dirt into the hole, that way its... different somehow. Makes his burial one that will be cherished."
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Post by Hawkeyes258 on Jul 15, 2019 16:44:48 GMT -5
Vixenfrost glanced at the others before taking a step towards him. "I hope you are happy wherever you are. We didn't talk much within the clan but I felt like you understood me." She was going to say more but decided against it. She used her paw to scoop up some dirt and drop it down into the hole.
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Post by Jekyll on Jul 15, 2019 17:14:51 GMT -5
Clearrain padded up next. "You were a very nice and caring tom. I hope you and Hollyfall are together, watching over us." She scooped up a pawful and dropped it in.
Spottedlegs spoke up next. "You were a fine hunter and truly cared for us. I just wish you could have joined us in our new home." He followed suit, scooping some dirt into the hole.
Blizzardpaw went next, followed by Spottedpath and then finally Coontail, who stood silently for a bit.
"You were like a brother to me Jadeclaw. You helped me when we left the clans, when I was feeling homesick and missed my family. You were always by my side and truly understood me for me. I hope to one day meet with you again and be just as close as we were during our journey here. I will forever remember you, will forever keep your memory alive and tell your story." His words were hoarse as he tried to not cry, scooping some dirt into the hole before stepping back.
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Post by Hawkeyes258 on Jul 15, 2019 17:39:49 GMT -5
Vixenfrost lets out a small sigh and glanced at the others to make sure everyone was done speaking. "Is that everyone?" She asked.
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Post by Jekyll on Jul 15, 2019 18:15:52 GMT -5
"Not everyone." Clearrain said softly, looking over at where Clearfang had disappeared.
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Post by Hawkeyes258 on Jul 15, 2019 18:27:58 GMT -5
"Should someone go speak to him?" Vixenfrost asked.
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Post by Jekyll on Jul 15, 2019 19:25:19 GMT -5
"Perhaps. We can't continue on without him." She gazed around, catching sight of Honeyleaf. "Honeyleaf, you're the closest to him among us, could you go speak with him? You can follow his scent to find him." Brindlefern
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Post by Brindlefern on Jul 16, 2019 13:54:50 GMT -5
Honeyleaf had his eyes closed still, but he heard Clearrain as hinted by a twitch of one of his large ears. The tom sighed. "Yeah, yeah I, I know. I'll go look for him... we still need him after all." He had wanted to say "I" instead of "we", but hesitated to do so. It was no less of the truth either or. Clearfang started this journey with them and they were gonna help him finish it. There was this gut feeling in him still keeping him from giving up. Besides, he felt bad for going off on him. Giving the molly a touch on her ear with his nose, along with a brief mention to watch the others while he was away, the cream colored cat went off in the direction she looked. He hopped into the ditch and sniffed the tunnel lightly, Clearfang's silver and white marks and orange half giving him away in the dark. "Clearfang...?" Honeyleaf started but hesitated again, keeping his head low as he approached the other tom.
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Post by Jekyll on Jul 16, 2019 16:04:51 GMT -5
Clearfang flinched as he heard hi name called out, and then moved further back once he figured out who it belonged to. "Hello Honeyleaf. What do you need?" He tried to keep the guilt and sadness from his voice but failed to do so, his voice heavy with nothing but those emotions.
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Post by Brindlefern on Jul 16, 2019 17:06:56 GMT -5
Honeyleaf winced as he watched Clearfang move further from him, but took another step to have the original distance. "The group's waiting for you. We still need you as our leader." His mew was soft, and his throat was tight, but went on regardless. "You can't give up on us Clearfang now, we've come this far, and I, we know you can bring us to the end. I... I'm sorry for getting mad at you, it was just stressful, like unrealistic expectations are put on me just for being a Medicine Cat. But I can't save every cat. I'm not trained for what we had to deal with so far, as much as I want to, nor as much as I felt like we all weren't gonna just come out unscathed from all this. It's not your fault, okay?" He then sat with his tail curled around his paws, unable to look Clearfang fully in the eye, and his voice lowered to almost a whisper. "And.. I didn't mean to hurt you if I did...."
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Post by Jekyll on Jul 16, 2019 18:37:52 GMT -5
Clearfang shook his head softly. "You had a right to get mad. It was a stupid question to ask in the first place." He then let out a sigh. "How can I lead them when I can't even manage to keep them all alive? We've already lost two fine warriors and we haven't even found a camp, a place to truly call home, anything. Maybe I'm not meant to be the leader. You didn't hurt me, I hurt and let down all of you."
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Post by Brindlefern on Jul 16, 2019 21:36:19 GMT -5
Honeyleaf clutched the grass underneath him with his claws. He may have been right to be frustrated like he was, but he didn't want Clearfang to beat himself up this much. "But that was bad luck." Honeyleaf sighed again. "You had a good plan regarding the Thunderpath, and luck just... it wasn't on our side," The cat took a few steps closer, that feeling returning in his chest and clutching it. "Don't lose hope. You ARE our leader, other cats agreed you're the only one this far to have potential as one. You didn't hurt anyone, nobody believes you hurt anyone. No leader, not even cats that were ours, are perfect... I doubt Hollyfall and Jadeclaw would blame you, not even now."
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Post by Jekyll on Jul 17, 2019 0:24:36 GMT -5
"How can I lead them if I can't even keep them safe Honeyleaf? I failed Hollyfall by leaving them alone like that, I failed Jadeclaw by not moving fast enough across that thunderpath. I could've made it to him and gotten him the rest of the way across... but I was to slow." He sighed and laid his head onto his paws. "The leaders back at the lakes made this seem so easy, but it isn't. There's so much to take into account, so much to think about."
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Post by Brindlefern on Jul 17, 2019 12:59:42 GMT -5
"Not even our previous leaders could keep cats from dying Clearfang!" Honeyleaf's voice was clearly exasperated in trying not to rise to a yell, so it was stuck as a sorta harsh whisper. "You and I both know that, it was NEVER easy for them either. Even if they kept their cats contained in one space there was the chance of someone dying," He finally looked Clearfang in the eye. "Hollyfall was reckless and even she knew it, she wouldn't even dare let Coontail blame himself for her death. And had you rushed out there onto the Thunderpath you could've been killed along with Jadeclaw with how close it was, it almost killed Reedwillow with him." Honeyleaf felt a cold claw rush down his spine at the thought of the duel-colored tom getting struck. "You have to remember that we weren't getting through this journey without a casualty or two, as much as we wanted to. We lost two cats, but we shouldn't give up I.. you shouldn't give up. I can't lose you too, even if it's not through death." Honeyleaf barely noticed his paws shaking. To come this far, only to lose all hope now was making him scared for them all.
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Post by Jekyll on Jul 17, 2019 14:07:01 GMT -5
Clearfang looked up at the other as he spoke, his eyes lighting up in the dark tunnel as he noticed just how much this took for Honeylea to say, to do. Clearfang finally shifted, moving forward until he could nuzzle the other in the cramped space. "You're right Honeyleaf. Even though they have left our sides, they'll never truly be gone." He smiled softly. "I'm glad you came for me, I don't know what I'd do if we had lost you, if I had lost you."
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Post by Brindlefern on Jul 18, 2019 15:00:45 GMT -5
Honeyleaf sucked in a soft breath the moment he felt Clearfang nuzzle him in the tight tunnel, but pressed his muzzle to the other tom's neck nonetheless and let himself shake, breathing in his scent and enjoying his soft fur. The Medicine Cat's tail tip touched Clearfang's own, and he had to fight back a purr, that frustration slowly melting away. He needs me too... Honeyleaf felt warmth flow through him at the thought, unable to express what he was feeling at that moment. Well he could, but once more, words he wanted to say caught on his tongue, and with a slow exhale to calm his thumping heart, pulled away. Soon, tell him soon, when we make it to our new home. Though Honeyleaf's tail was still in contact with the duel-colored tom's. "So uhm.." He murmured, shuffling his paws shyly. "Are.. you okay now? Shall we head back to the others," He then added before he could stop himself... but then again Honeyleaf didn't want to. "Maybe together?"
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Post by Hawkeyes258 on Jul 18, 2019 21:01:52 GMT -5
aww)
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Post by Jekyll on Jul 18, 2019 21:52:10 GMT -5
Clearfang smiled softly and let out a sigh. "Come on then." Honeyleaf had to move backwards out of the tunnel first, Clearfang following behind him. The tom shook out his fur and stood fully, smiling at the other with warmth in his gaze. "Well then, let's head back to the others. Together."
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Post by Brindlefern on Jul 19, 2019 12:25:52 GMT -5
Honeyleaf's eyes were bright and a small tingle went from the tips of his ears to his tail at the other tom's warm gaze, and wordlessly as they made their way back to the group he didn't dare stray too far from Clearfang. They were in this together, all of them yes, but also the two of them.
It was almost easy to forget they had been mourning a cat not long ago, Honeyleaf wondered idly how they managed, they were back with the others soon enough and Reedwillow and Lilypaw were helping finish up patting down the rest of the soil, where Jadeclaw was respectably buried, one of the lavender that helped hide his death scent rested on top. The small tortie twitched an ear, before turning. "Clearfang, you're back." Lilypaw meowed, subdued once more, but relief was in her voice as she saw her leader in seemingly better state.
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Post by Jekyll on Jul 19, 2019 17:02:04 GMT -5
Clearfang looked around at the group and then toward the mound. He stepped toward the burial sight and laid his paw on the dirt, wishing for Jadeclaw to have safe passage to whatever afterlife now welcomed the outcasts. The tom then turned around and stood tall, gazing around at the group. "We have gone through much,and our journey has been hard. Two great warriors were lost and I am sorry for that." He then trailed his gaze toward a forest further onto the new lands in which they stood. "We will head to the orest and search for a camp finally. The trees are protection from the elements and will be great in hiding us as we gain our strength once more and finally join together as a full clan." He began to pad forward through the group and toward the trees. "Follow me everyone."
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Post by Hawkeyes258 on Jul 19, 2019 17:58:51 GMT -5
With a nod of his head his head and followed after Clearfang. He was happy that Clearfang managed to remember who he was. "Come on guys!" He called out eager to finally see their new home.
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Post by Brindlefern on Jul 20, 2019 14:33:53 GMT -5
Reedwillow flinched out of his vigil trance, but nonetheless, he gave the grave one last pat with his paw and turned to follow Clearfang and Honeyleaf, Stonefleck, and Vixenfrost. His fluffed up fur had flattened down to normal, but the red tabby stuck close to the other cats as usual, eyes flicking two and fro, keeping an eye on the kittypet specifically.
Lilypaw gave a soft smile, the most she could at the moment, and padded onward to the green forest a while away. Very green at that. Memories of her old home flooded her mind, but she shook her head free of the memories immediately after. No more thinking about Thunderclan now, she thought, time for new memories, with a new clan and friends... and her mentor... Lilypaw glanced at Clearrain with warmth, and couldn't resist a purr to the beautiful molly. Then she remembered something. "Hey Marble!" She meowed to the kittypet over her shoulder as they went on. "Thanks for helping us yeah? Will we see you again? Or maybe you can come with us!" She had been so nice to them, helping guide them through the maze of Twolegplace, it'd be a shame to never see her again.
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Post by Jekyll on Jul 20, 2019 14:45:52 GMT -5
Marble chuckled lightly and stopped. "I'm sure we'll meet again but for now, I stop here." The she-cat turned around toward two-leg place. "I hope you all find a great home for yourselves. If you ever need any help, count me on your side." The marbled she-cat then raced off back toward two-leg place.
Clearfang watched the she-cat go before nodding to everyone and continuing to lead the way. The sun began to descend from its apex as the tom finally stepped underneath the trees, the shade a great relief from the blistering hot sun. "Everyone, we have made it to the forest but we still have much to do. First things first, we need to find a camp. We'll split into patrols to search the forest. Once a patrol finds one, send the other cats to get th other patrol while one cat stays behind. Got it?"
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Post by Hawkeyes258 on Jul 20, 2019 20:22:23 GMT -5
Stonefleck and Vixenfrost nod their heads in agreement. They were so close!
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Post by Jekyll on Jul 27, 2019 13:40:01 GMT -5
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Post by Jekyll on Jul 27, 2019 13:45:33 GMT -5
Clearfang began to split everyone into patrols. He would lead one, Stonefleck would lead the second. The other two would be led by Spottedlegs and then Honeyleaf. Clearfang's patrol included Vixenfrost and Spottedpath. Stonefleck's included Clearrain and Lilypaw. Spottedlegs had Reedwillow. Finally, Honeyleaf's would include Coontail and Blizzardpaw.
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Post by Brindlefern on Jul 27, 2019 15:10:43 GMT -5
(Yeah I am, sorry, motive's been down again and I had to deal with a crappy stomach. Was supposed to have replied earlier but guess I didn't. x.x)
Lilypaw frowned a little. Truthfully she would've liked to hang around the kittypet some more... preferably outside the dreaded Twolegplace, she feels like they could've been good friends. But it was at least a little reassuring that Marble wasn't gonna be gone forever. She bounded off to follow Clearfang and wanted to just flop onto the cool grass, but was spared such luxury when she was assigned a patrol to explore. She didn't know Stonefleck very well so she wasn't certain on his leading skills. On the bright side, Clearrain was with her! She had to hold back a purr and bumped her head to the molly's shoulder. "Do you think we could practice a little more hunting on the way? A forest would be a little more easier for me to get around than open space, with all it's places to hide and all. Oh! Maybe I could teach YOU some things Thunderclan knows too, we can share our battle techniques and skills, because why hold secrets about our old clan anymore huh? They can't stop us now." The thought of "mentoring" her own mentor made her giggle.
Honeyleaf gave a small nod at the patrol he was assigned without too much complaint, through such a big forest was a little intimidating. Where would I even start? He was sorta fine out here in the wide open space, free to stretch his legs whenever, he wasn't the best at navigating forests. "Sounds decent enough. Shall we get started?"
Reedwillow just shifted his claws, eyes still staring at his paws. The red tom looked worse for wear still with his narrowed nervous eyes and drooping ears. Then again he might've always looked like that. He hoped silently he wouldn't be too unpleasant for Spottedlegs, what with being the only cat on his patrol. The tabby glanced at the beige tom, who barely spoke until the vigil and even now he had not said a word, he looked rather off in his own devices most of the time. I'll probably stay out of his way, if it'll keep me on his good side.
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