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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 23, 2019 22:30:42 GMT -5
“What does that, mean, ‘feel like a dream’?” Catchpaw demanded. He felt angry, betrayed almost but not with anyone here. He wanted to hit someone, but he suspected they didn’t exist to feel the blow. “I was a asleep and I saw stuff. I dreamed. It’s weird, yeah, but do we have to jump to the first conclusion we think of, or can we maybe try to think about it a little first?”
“Yes,” Nightpaw said, at the same time Firepaw said “no.” He looked at her, but her eyes were on the dirt between her toes as she flicked her claws in and out of their sheathes. “Thornpaw didn’t tell them.” She pointed out quietly when she finally found she could speak again. “So I don’t think we should, either. Besides, adults never believe anything you tell them.”
Splashpelt made a sharp, very high-pitched sound and tried to back up, only to find himself pinned by his own den. ”Spiderpaw...” He whispered, though he didn’t think this was Spiderpaw anymore. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know who it was.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Jun 24, 2019 10:41:45 GMT -5
“He has escaped the chains that kept him bound, and he comes to kill the one who - “ And then, abruptly, his eyes rolled up in his head, and he fainted, out cold before he hit the ground.
“I agree with Firepaw,” said Rainpaw, glancing at her with, surprisingly, approval in his icy-blue eyes. “Thornpaw obviously meant to share this with just us.”
But as Catchpaw spoke, all approval vanished from his eyes, and he turned to the other, shooting him a narrowed glance. “Are you stupid?” he said dryly, flicking his tail. “Think about what you just saw, and tell me it was a dream.”
“Hey,” said Sootpaw, rounding on Rainpaw, fur rising along his spine. “Don’t talk to him like that.”
“Well, I wouldn’t have to if - “
“Just shut up. What’s your problem, anyway??”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 24, 2019 19:04:42 GMT -5
Splashpelt moved fast, but Spiderpaw’s body moved faster and hit the ground before he could catch it. “Spiderpaw? Spiderpaw!” He called, panic pumping through his chest as his heart beat fast. He couldn’t be dead, he couldn’t be dead, not even Splashpelt thought he might be that cursed....come on, come on, wake up.
“But if this affects everyone, shouldn’t we tell them about it?” Nightpaw protested, alarm rising in his tone as he realized for the first time that they might not be going straight to Cowstar with this. Like he probably should have yesterday.
Firepaw brightened a little at the unexpected solidarity, meeting his approving gaze with her wide open enthusiasm, Which wavered a second later as he turned on Catchpaw. She pulled back, suddenly unsure what to do with the fact that she’d been praised by the same cat who had immediately gone on to insult someone close to her.
“Oh, hmm, thinking, thinking...” Catchpaw closed his eyes in mock concentration, then immediately opened them again and fixed Rainpaw with a glare. “Oh yeah it was a dream after all. At least, that’s what I call it when I see things while I'm asleep. Maybe Clan cats call it *visions from their dead relatives* but hey, same difference.” He was being harsh and he new it, but he didn’t want Sootpaw and Firepaw getting mixed up in this....whatever it was. He was spooked by the nightmare, sure, but there was nothing else it could be and that was all there was to it.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Jun 27, 2019 19:00:53 GMT -5
For a long, agonizing moment, Spiderpaw was still. Not moving, not breathing.
Then, after right around twenty heartbeats, he took a deep, panicking gasp of breath, his eyes flew open, and he began to struggle, flailing around in his nest. “Wha...it’s...where..”
“Okay, just...” Rainpaw closed his eyes, clearly battling deep frustration with the other apprentice. “Look. If you’re not convinced, you don’t have to help us. Just leave. But for those of us that are, we have decisions to make.” He glanced at Nightpaw. “Thornpaw asked us to help, and judging by there being no other cats flooding in here, she asked just us. Shouldn’t we respect her wishes?” Then he started, seeming to realized he was speaking to his brother for the first time in weeks, and averted his gaze a little, tail flicking restlessly.
Sootpaw glanced at Catchpaw, and for a moment, doubted himself, too. What he’d seen...could it really have just been a dream?
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 27, 2019 19:21:39 GMT -5
“Easy, easy, just breath.” Splashpelt breathed out, and only then did he realize how badly he was trembling. He shaky laugh burst out of him and he pressed his head into his apprentice’s warm fur and took his own advice and breathed. “You’re okay. Spiderpaw, it’s okay.”
Catchpaw caught Sootpaw’s glance and returned it with his own. He could see his brother’s doubt in his eyes. “Do you believe this?” He asked it before he could stop himself and then, once it was said, he didn’t back down. Just held Sootpaw’s eyes.
“It was real, okay?” Firepaw looked between Catchpaw and Sootpaw, wary as she sensed the conflict. “We don’t need to argue about that, we need to decide what to do about it.”
Nightpaw inhaled as his brother spoke to him. To him, not at him or through his as he’d been doing for weeks now. It felt odd, like he was older and young at the same time, anything but the age he actually was. “All right.” He agreed in a hoarse whisper. Thoughts of Thornpaw crowded out any doubt he has about keeping the secrets. “All right. You’re right. We have to trust Thornpaw.”
Crowfur walked with a confidence he’d missed for too long. He felt stronger than he could remember ever feeling, powerful like he’d longed to be, and he was almost home. He could smell it on the wind, different because it was no longer the camp he’d been born in - thanks for nothing, Cowstar - but the same because it was RoseClan. He felt almost giddy. He was going to see RoseClan again, going to be in her as a member and, at last, lead her to the potential she’d never touched. He knew he could do it this time, he had this body, didn’t he? Hadn’t he more than proven his determination by now? Wasn’t being killed twice enough to prove that he wasn’t going to quit?
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Post by <Raintalon> on Jun 29, 2019 19:19:44 GMT -5
Sootpaw looked at his paws for a long moment, thinking. About the sigil, and the blood, and the strange cat beckoning them with an unfamiliar voice. She’d seemed so desperate. “I...don’t know,” he said at last, flicking his tail restlessly. “But if it’s even possible that it was real, that some cat needs our help, I need to help.”
Spiderpaw was still and quiet now, sound asleep, but he was breathing normally, at least - it seemed whatever had happened had passed, at least for the moment.
“Stranger in the camp!” The loud, crowing voice came from Blazeclaw, instantly raising her tail in a warning as she approached the larger cat, ears stubbornly forward, fur rising along the top of her spine. “Hey. You. Stop right there.”
Cowstar glanced outside her den at the sound, and then hastily made her way down the cliff, trotting briskly across the clearing towards any cats who were outside. “Get inside,” she told them, ushering them hurriedly in the right direction to get them out of the stranger’s line of sight. This situationncalled for caution - at least until she knew for sure who the cat was and what he wanted.
Rainpaw’s head turned, ears flicked forward and eyes narrowed as he heard Blazeclaw’s call. As he saw the stranger appear in the entrance to camp, fur aflame in the rising sunlight like he was part of it, he turned back to the others. “I think it’s safe to say that whatever Thornpaw was warning us about, this is where it begins.”
...
She was somewhere.
She was alive...no, she wasn’t...as she floated, untethered, she recalled the numbness of a death without pain. Watching someone else suffer through her own dismemberment. She remembered...
Crowfur.
Get out...of my head... The thought escaped her before she could stop it, traveling through the unfamiliar corridors she was trapped in and echoing about like a sound would in a cave.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 29, 2019 19:56:18 GMT -5
Catchpaw started at him for a moment longer, then dropped his gaze and let out a short huff of a sigh. “Good enough for me.” He said simply. He didn’t think it was a ghost, but to put his brother’s mind at ease, he was willing to do almost anything. Certainly join this apprentice club.
Firepaw scampered to the front of the den and craned her neck to look out, her wide brown eyes scanning for any glimpse of the intruder. “Maybe it’s the danger....” She whispered. “But I didn’t see a stranger in my vision.”
Most of the newer RoseClan cats got out of the way, as they were told. Even Otterfrost seemed to think disobeying Cowstar was unwise in this situation, and ducked into a den before she even got to him. Rabbitsong paused, their light blue eyes cool and unreadable. “Extra pair of claws?” They suggested when Cowstar was near, tilting their head and unsheathing their long claws to demonstrate.
Crowfur stopped, but not because she....Blazepaw? No, older now, a warrior certainly, a mentor even perhaps,....ordered him to. No, it was the shaky voice that made his paws freeze to the ground and his ears flick back, shock stabbing at his heart. How are you alive? He hissed internally, cold fury replacing his second of surprise. But it didn’t make it past his mask, which was now smiling in a shy, nervous, desperately lonely sort of way. “Hello....my name is Redwhisker.”
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Post by <Raintalon> on Jun 30, 2019 15:50:24 GMT -5
“Hello,” returned Blazeclaw, cautious. “I’m Blazeclaw. Deputy of this Clan...and from your name, I assume you know what a Clan is?”
By this time, curious onlookers had begun to gather around, despite Cowstar’s instruction - Rainpaw slipped out first, and Sootpaw followed, but Lionstrike was first to make it from the front.”
“Oi,” she growled, raising her head high and fixing the other cats with a ferocious glare. “You heard her, right? Back your sorry tails up!”
“We want to see who’s here,” said Sootpaw, returning the fierce she-cat’s glare despite the tremor in his paws. “We have a right to know what’s going on, right?”
It...worked...then... the familiar voice said, not answering the question. The transfer. The reason you killed me.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 30, 2019 16:06:50 GMT -5
Correct. Crowfur answered, his fury settling down to a sort of cool irritation. It was annoying that he still had to put up with a voice in his head, sure, but he couldn’t see how it could mess up his plans anymore. It was his body, she was the parasite this round. Too bad you didn’t stay dead, though, eh? He let his eyes flick away from Blazepaw - claw - like any nervous stranger would, plug it gave him the opportunity to look at the cats he didn’t know. He was impressed for a moment, but luck was almost certainly responsible. He’d seen how well Cowstar faired when that element was against her. “I do.” He confirmed, looking back at Blazeclaw and holding her gaze this time. “Ever heard of heard of CinderClan?”
“Yeah, I thought we were one of you guys now?” Firepaw spoke up, puffing out her fur in an attempt to look bigger. It failed. “And we can help.” She added quickly, in case that was too aggressive.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Jun 30, 2019 16:21:01 GMT -5
“You brats need to listen to your elders, is what you need to do,” growled Lionstrike, tail giving a shiver of irritation. “Look, can’t you see we’ve got a situation here?”
“It’s alright, Lionstrike,” said Cowstar hastily, pushing her way through the gathering crowd with Rabbitsong at her side. “Rabbit, could you keep them back, please? Just a bit back - it’s alright if they see, I just don’t want anyone within hostage distance.” With that said, she slid in front of Blazeclaw, giving her a sharp nod. Blazeclaw retreated instantly, instinctively. “My name is Cowstar,” she said, sitting down and holding her head high. “I am this Clan’s leader. We’re relatively new to the area - can I assume you’re an emissary for CinderClan?”
“Or so he says,” muttered Rainpaw briefly, watching the interaction with rapt attention.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 30, 2019 17:47:16 GMT -5
Firepaw stuck out her tongue at the older cat, but was spared any other bad decisions by the leader separating them. Then the long-legged Sphinx cat took their place and nodded to Sootpaw, their restless tail twitching back and forth across the ground behind them like a snake. “You heard her. You can watch, but it’s just stupid to make yourself an easy target. Your small, which isn’t a bad thing, but it makes you easy to snatch if this guy wants leverage.”
Crowfur looked away, and his long tail curled tightly around his paws as he sat down. His shoulders slumped, and a tired smile tugged at his mouth. “I wish that were true. I really, really wish that were true.” He murmured. Then, louder. “CinderClan was destroyed, slowly. We got sick first. Then, unable to defend ourselves, rouges came and stole what food and herbs we had left, and we were left at the mercy of the cold.” He paused, and swallowed, then went on in a softer tone, just like he’d practiced dozens of times before. “There were five when we left. Two when you got here. Now...it’s just me, and I hate to admit it, but being alone is horrible.”
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Post by <Raintalon> on Jul 1, 2019 10:52:23 GMT -5
Cowstar dipped her head to the Clan cat, ears angled respectfully back. “I’m very sorry to hear that. We have cats with us who suffered a similar fate, and we would have followed suit, if not for this place.” She looked back up, trying to read the cat’s expression. He seemed very genuine - she could usually tell if a cat was lying to her, and he wasn’t. “You’re welcome to shelter here, if that’s what you’d like,” she said, standing up and gesturing with her tail to the camp. “If you wish to stay longer and pursue the path of a warrior, that is also something I can help you with, when the time comes.”
“If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you where the warriors’ den is,” said Blazeclaw, yielding to Cowstar’s judgement despite her own misgivings. “That’s where you’ll be sleeping.”
Sootpaw didn’t like it, but he stepped back as Rabbitsong ordered, flicking his ears back at the older warrior. As he looked away, avoiding their piercing gaze, his eyes found Nightpaw’s, and quickly, he made his way over to him. “So what do we do first?” he asked quietly, glancing about to make sure no one else was eavesdropping. “I mean, since we have to save the Clan and all.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jul 1, 2019 20:56:35 GMT -5
Crowfur raised his tail, letting hope spill over his sharp features as though he hadn’t let himself feel it. “Thank you.” He said, dipping his head respectfully and pushing a small smile on his face. “You have no idea how much it means to me to be here.” He turned to Blazeclaw, and as he did, his eyes flicked to the apprentice’s for less than a second. Nightpaw and Rainpaw, of course, siblings of the late Thornpaw. The other three were a mystery he’d soon unravel. ”Thank you.” He said again, this time to Blazeclaw. She seemed to be the deputy now, which would make taking over interesting. She was not to be underestimated, he’d learned that the hard way. He moved to follow her, his expression still tired tinged with fear, now glossed over with something like hope.
“Me?” Nightpaw whispered back, a bit alarmed to be sought out. It made sense, now that he thought about it; he’d had the dream first, he’d tried to tell them it was real. Of course he was expected to be a step ahead. The problem: he was not, in fact, even a kit step ahead. “I don’t know.” He admitted, giving up the idea of pretending he knew what he was doing instantly. “I just had the dream a day before, and I still have no idea why. What do you think we should do first?”
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Post by <Raintalon> on Jul 1, 2019 21:17:37 GMT -5
It seemed that Blazeclaw’s less physical senses had dulled throughout the years - unlike before, she didn’t seem tuned in to his presence at all, simply treating him like a normal cat as she began to walk him to the den. “So, Redwhisker, tell me about yourself. What position did you have in your old clan?”
Sootpaw glanced down at his paws, thinking. “I think we should figure it out together,” he said slowly, though he was aware that it wasn’t a very solid place to start. “The problem is finding a place and a time where we can talk privately.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jul 2, 2019 8:10:12 GMT -5
“I was the deputy.” Redwhisker answered easily. He’d practiced the words enough, so he could focus on his tone and expression. “I had been for quite a while, when things started to go wrong. I like to think I was good at it, but that may have been my leader’s encouragement getting to me. I didn’t know it was possible to be that stubborn and that kind at the same time, but she proved me wrong.” He glanced around again. ‘What about here? What’s this Clan like?” How badly have you hurt her?
Nightpaw nodded, relieved to have a good place to start. “I think you’re right, we need to have a place to work things out.” He said seriously. “There really isn’t a place in the camp, though. None of the dents are private, and I can’t think of anywhere else that isn’t in the open. But we’re going to be too busy to leave the camp now that we’re apprentices....”
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Post by <Raintalon> on Jul 3, 2019 19:36:07 GMT -5
“We’ve been through some hard times recently - we almost didn’t make it. But thanks to the cats who lived here before us, we’re doing really well now. We’ve got new apprentices for the first time in a long time, and we’re starting to get the lay of the land.” She purred lightly, whiskers twitching as Redwhisker mentioned his former leader. “Sounds like a good leader, then.”
“How about at night?” suggested Sootpaw, flicking his tail in thought. “I mean, you got out at night, and you only got caught cause you weren’t that careful - uhh, no offense,” he added hastily, shuffling his paws. “I’m sure you’re like, usually careful, and stuff.”
—
Cowstar leapt to the top of her den, perching on the jagged edge so everyone could hear her. “RoseClan!” she called, standing tall as Cloudstar leapt up with her - another joint announcement, it seemed. “I have an announcement to make. Everyone please gather.”
Talon was already nearby, but his gaze was angled away from Cloudstar, and strangely, he looked like he’d rather be anywhere else.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jul 3, 2019 20:26:44 GMT -5
“She certainly was.” Redwhisker agreed, smiling as though at fond memories. Cowstar’s call made his ears prick and he stopped, his eyes immediately trained on her, before he remembered Blazeclaw was there and played into it. “This isn’t about my arrival, I hope? I don’t want to annoy anyone.”
Nightpaw glared, then relented and smiled a little in spite of himself. “Yeah, no, I'm always that reckless.” He admitted with a decent amount of sheepishness, “it’s probably good you guys are hear to help, because Rainpaw is quiet but he doesn’t talk to me anymore.”
Hazelstreak looked up from her blackbird, a feather caught between her teeth. Her eyes darted rapidly between the two leaders, and she frowned a little at the look in Cloudstar’s eye. She looked....oddly happy. Happier than she had in a long time. Why was the leader of MoonClan so happy all of a sudden?
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Post by <Raintalon> on Jul 4, 2019 14:30:52 GMT -5
“Dunno,” said Blazeclaw, turning to head in the direction of the gathering group. “Don’t worry about it too much, though. She’s got to announce the arrival of every new cat.”
“What’s with that anyway - “ began Sootpaw, but was interrupted by Cowstar’s announcement. “Huh...must be about that new warrior,” he said, thinking out loud.
“As for the first announcement,” said Cowstar formally, dipping her head to Redwhisker’s position in the crowd, “we have a new warrior joining us, a refugee from a clan that faced similar difficulties to our own. Please give him a warm welcome, and treat him with hospitality befitting our Clan. As for the second bit of news...” She stepped back, allowing Cloudstar to take the stand.
“I’m leaving RoseClan.” She delivered the words in her usual blunt fashion, flicking an ear as her eyes darted from cat to cat. “This afternoon, I will be departing on a quest to breathe new life into the Clan I used to lead - into MoonClan, so that it can be reborn.” She took a deep breath. “I invite any one of you who feels the spirit of the moon to join me, but I especially extend an invitation to Talon, my own apprentice.”
Talon stiffened, but it looked like he’d been expecting this - they must’ve talked beforehand. He stared up at his leader, tongue frozen to the roof of his mouth as his panic grew. No right choice here. Of course there wasn’t. How was he even supposed to... No...he wasn’t going. Hazel would never want to, and he...well, he was loyal to her now. So that was just that. Right?
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jul 4, 2019 14:58:32 GMT -5
Redwhisker let his muscles relax a bit at Blazeclaws reassurance. It was a time-honored method of getting someone to be on your side; act like you trust them, they’ll start feeling close to you. Not that it matter so much with her. But that made her good for practicing on, right? Then his ears pricked, and disgust flashed for an instant through his eyes before he could stop it at the word, MoonClan. Was she the leader? Had RoseClan really been forced to allow that filth in her walls, babysit everything she was against? New loathing for Cowstar rose in his chest like a snake but he resisted it, swallowed it down and forced the kind, neutral look of Redwhisker back into his eyes. Not yet not yet not yet not yet not yet not yet not yet—
Hazelstreak stiffened, and her eyes found Talon before she’d fully understood the meaning of the words. She saw Blazeclaw instead, dutifully leading the stranger to his den. Seeing her was strange now. It wasn’t that things between them were broken, they were more...twisted. Bent was a good word to describe it. She looked at Adderleaf next. He was like her brother, her sweet, stupid brother. She would miss them. She knew she would miss them like a piece of herself torn away. “I will go with you.” She spoke up, her voice strong as she met the other leader’s eyes, not looking at anyone else, not even Talon.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Jul 4, 2019 15:55:16 GMT -5
Blazeclaw, luckily, seemed to have missed the flash of Crowfur that made it through, as she was too focused on what was going on. Her gaze shot to Hazel as she announced that she was going, and she felt...oddly calm. Happy for her.
Adderleaf blinked, heart sinking as he heard the news... His sister was going away? To where? And would she be alright? He shook his head, tail drooping, but tried not to project his feelings outward. Which was slightly easier when you were missing an eye.
Talon, however, lit up instantly as his problem suddenly, wonderfully, solved itself. “I will too,” he said, almost shouted in his hurry, scrambling over to join her. “Are you sure?” he mouthed, searching her gaze. He hadn’t expected anything like that from her.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jul 5, 2019 15:14:29 GMT -5
It was worth it. Hazelstreak met his eyes, seeing the worry there, the disbelief. This was something she could give him, something she could give up for the cat who’d lost everything else. And she nodded once, firmly. It was all she could manage, and she didn’t know what she would say, anyway. She wouldn’t have said it if she wasn’t sure, and he knew that, but he couldn’t believe it. She understood, and impulsively rubbed her head against his shoulder. She’d have to say goodbye. That would be the hardest part, that and facing them after she’d made her choice. But she knew she’d be okay, and so would her siblings, just... Just not side by side anymore.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Jul 14, 2019 19:43:13 GMT -5
Leaving was harder than Talon had thought it would be.
He realized it with a jolt as he, Cloudstar, and the love of his life all turned around at the camp entrance, calling out their goodbyes to the cats they were leaving behind. Adderleaf was shouting with all his strength, tail raised to the sky in a defiance of the sadness Talon knew he must be feeling, and Hazelstreak was trying desperately to keep her composure as she howled her own call out to the travelers. Cowstar looked...
Happy. Not all the way happy, it was bittersweet, but she had a tranquil look on her face, like she understood. With a jolt, that look gave him the key - the answer to his own sadness.
RoseClan had become his home. All this time, and all their travels together...he’d started to think of himself as one of them. Mintheart...despite his flaws...had been his friend, and all these cats had become precious to him over time. The pang in his heart told him that much.
“Goodbye!” He called suddenly, at the top of his voice, joining the fray in what seemed like the only way to stop his paws from betraying him, from turning to race back to camp. “Goodbye! We’ll miss you!”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jul 14, 2019 20:05:45 GMT -5
Crowfur opened his eyes. He still wasn’t used to needing sleep again, but he did have to admit it felt good. Refreshing, to be alive again. He got up and stretched each leg, then headed out, careful not to wake any other warriors. He supposed someone must have stayed up to make sure he didn’t slit their throats in the night, but he didn’t see anyone now, so it was possible Cowstar had forgotten. He wouldn’t put that past her. Hunger still felt foreign, but he’d begun to remember what it meant, so he headed for the fresh-kill pile.
Nightpaw sat still, cold settling in his small body as he ignored the tiredness. It was dawn. He hadn’t moved for hours, and when he did his joints cracked in protest. He winced and stretched slowly until his body woke up, then he headed into the apprentice’s den to see who else was awake, And, if he was honest, whether anyone else had spent the night thinking of Thornpaw and her warning.
Firepaw didn’t remember what she’d dreamt about. Just that she’d woken up trembling, her lip bleeding from her teeth against it, and a shriek in her throat that she choked back. “Soot?” She whispered, and rolled over, searching for her brother’s warmth. “Soot...paw?”
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Post by <Raintalon> on Jul 15, 2019 12:02:50 GMT -5
“Hhnn...what is it?” mumbled Sootpaw, stirring slowly as Firepaw pushed into his side. He blinked, bleary-eyed, at her, still too half-asleep to see that she was upset.
Rainpaw was asleep, sitting up with his head pressed uncomfortably against the wall in what was clearly a failed attempt to stay awake all night. As the commotion with their new guests reached him, he stirred a little, but didn’t quite wake.
Spiderpaw had been awake for three hours and approximately 3,9600 heartbeats, give or take a few from the couple of times he’d lost count. Really, he was waiting, because he didn’t dare move. His eyes were wide open - they had been for hours - but only darkness greeted him. He couldn’t see. And he had no idea why. So he waited. For his mentor to come back. Because he didn’t know what else to do.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jul 17, 2019 12:58:24 GMT -5
Splashpelt entered the den and hesitated, his step faltering as he met his apprentice’s blank stare. He didn’t stop, though. He forced himself forward, sure to step heavily enough to be heard, and stopped once he was right in front of Spiderpaw. “Spider? What are you doing?” He asked, his tone kind, but neutral.
“Sootpaw.” Firepaw pressed harder, his soft, steady fur warm against hers. “Sootpaw, wake up, wake up....” Her voice gave out in a whimper and her shivering tail curled around her body. Because it was just a nightmare, right? Just a nightmare, just like the nightmare that everyone agreed spelled out the death of life as they knew it, or something. But she found she didn’t have the words to say that. So she shivered and waited for her brother to make it bettter.
Nightpaw stopped, hesitant to wake his brother. If they were still anything alike, sleep was probably not a reliable thing in his life anymore, and there was nothing they knew how to do right then. He glanced at the other three, Sootpaw and Firepaw curled up together and- Catchpaw wasn’t there. Nightpaw swore under his breath, then caught himself, the familiar shudder of panic threatening to make him do something he’d regret. Probably he’d just gotten up early, right?
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Post by <Raintalon> on Jul 18, 2019 16:35:33 GMT -5
“Physiologically? Panicking,” said Spiderpaw tonelessly, staying prone on the ground where he was. But something else was odd now - with Splashpelt’s arrival had come strange splashes of what could be tentatively described as color in his mind’s eye, dancing about in a particular spot in the dark that he assumed to be where the medicine cat was. ...So now he was hallucinating? “I can’t see,” he admitted, tone still as level as he could possibly keep it. “What happened?”
Sootpaw finally stirred, flicking an ear and kicking a little to dislodge his sister. “Hhh...what, already??”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jul 18, 2019 19:40:21 GMT -5
Sympathy coursed through the medicine cat. Of course he wouldn’t remember. It would have been strange if he had, but.... He moved forward and pressed his soft pelt against the younger cat, his heartbeat a slow, gentle persuasion to return to the present. Spiderpaw felt like his opposite, in some ways, but right now he understood his perfectly, because he’d felt panic numb him countless times before and knew he’d feel it again, probably later today, tomorrow at the latest. “How much do you remember?” He asked in a low, calm tone after several minutes of silent breathing.
Temper flared suddenly in Firepaw’s chest as she was knocked off the definitely-not-older-cat. It wasn’t like he’d thrown her, but still,she didn’t have much room in her head to be reasonable at the moment. “Yes, already.” She snapped, flattening her ears. “Aren’t we all going to die soon or something? I thought we were supposed to be doing something about that?”
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Post by <Raintalon> on Aug 27, 2019 13:43:12 GMT -5
the forums told me I was necroposting for posting here it’s....been a minute)
Slowly, Spiderpaw’s body began to relax a little - not all the way, but some of his muscles began to unlock, and his breathing became less shallow and desperate. As much as he usually disliked physical contact, he had to admit that the older medicine cat’s methods seemed to hold weight. “I don’t remember anything,” he said, shaking his head. “Just going to sleep, and waking up blind. Why, what happened?”
Sootpaw’s ears flicked back as he finally woke up properly and found himself faced with his sister, snappy and anxious. “Woah, alright,” he said, scrambling up into a sitting position and yawning wide. “Look, see? I’m up. Time to save the world and everything.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Aug 27, 2019 14:05:49 GMT -5
I got the same message kaksksks resurrect the clan ))
Splashpelt stepped back to give Spiderpaw some room once their heartbeats matched and looked him over for signs of the attack on his mind, but other than his eyes, he looked fine. “I’m not sure what happened.” He said honestly. “You were asleep, and when I woke you up, you weren’t...you...anymore. You said someone was coming, that someone had broken free. Then you passed out.” He blinked slowly. “I think you were being possessed by someone. Do you have any idea who?”
Firepaw relaxed immediately. Once he was awake, she trusted Sootpaw with whatever was going on, and she knew he’d take her seriously when no one else would. “What should we do first today?” She asked. The food smelled good, but she doubted they had time for breakfast with the world ending and all. Hopefully Sootpaw had come up with a plan in the night, because though she hadn’t slept, she hadn’t come up with any solutions, either.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 1, 2019 18:56:46 GMT -5
(so I had a whole dream about roseclan and my muse was pulled from the dust)
Medicine den
Spiderpaw frowned, ears flicking back and forth to scan the room as he grew confused, picking up on the new signals better now that his mind was clearing. What....were they? They were like colors, or...no, that wasn’t quite right. He shook his head, frustrated, and then realized Splashpelt was talking past the whirl of input coming from around him.
“What? Oh, well...that doesn’t make any sense. I’ve never heard of dead cats being anything but dust and bones. Did you consider that I might have had a seizure?”
Apprentice’s den
“Well...” Sootpaw shuffled his paws, uncertain. What did they do now? How could they even begin to address this situation? But he couldn’t let Firepaw see that he was feeling nervous. Then she’d feel nervous, too. So he drew himself up and took a deep breath, trying to find determination somewhere in his chest. “Well...now, I guess, we figure out how to stop what’s coming. That’s what that cat...what Thornpaw...wanted us to do.” He paused, thinking. “What if we met at night? Just a little ways out of camp. It shouldn’t be that hard to sneak out, and then we wouldn’t have to worry about being overheard.”
Rainpaw watched them talk, but didn’t try to join the group. His tail flicked restlessly, and every so often, he cast a glance at the den entrance, making sure no one else was listening in.
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