(I missed you guys! But I have been so busy and depressed and etc. lately that I caught the deadly disease...Writer's Block! And it was real WB, worse than I've ever had it before. It was disheartening. Not to mention my lack of time... Anyways, glad to be back for whatever period of time I am back for.
I'm sorry Willow! 3= Nuuu, don't go hide in a cardboard box. You'll catch HIV! xD Because it totally works that way... o.O *Giggles* Your singing was very much enjoyed. ^-^ Lol
((Gasp! I just used chatspeak! Everyone document this moment, because I doubt it will ever happen again. XD))Thank you for editing your form, Morningpaw. ((And thanks for pointing it out, Silver. C;)) Your cats are accepted. Right now they would be at camp with their respective clanmates. Not much happening there currently. It should be pretty easy to jump in.)
FireClan
Flameheart padded sullenly beside Firedawn and Silverclaw through the stuffy FireClan jungle. It was especially humid today, making the ginger tom feel more like a WaterClan cat than anything else. Sweat clung to the three clanmates’ pelts, making them even more uncomfortable. When Silverclaw’s tail shot out as a signal to freeze, Flameheart remembered what he was supposed to be doing. The three cats were the hunting patrol that morning. Snowclaw had sent them out at dawn before running off to the Gathering-place for a meeting. They had had very little success so far, and it was discouraging. Flameheart was tired!
Silverclaw dropped into a hunting crouch, stalking prey Flameheart didn’t bother to search out. A few steps and one pounce later, the young she-cat dropped a plump shrew at Firedawn’s feet. Silently, the tom dug a shallow hole and pushed the shrew inside. Silverclaw patted dirt down over the body and continued walking. Flameheart sighed and followed. Patrolling was so boring.
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Hawkflame poked his head into the nursery, looking for his beloved daughter. Firekit lay curled in a little moss nest, looking like a bird of paradise flower all alone in the middle of the floor. A smile crept to the tom’s lips as he approached the sleeping kit, tiptoeing for fear of waking her up. Firekit was an unusually light sleeper. When Hawkflame was beside the nest, he reached down to lick his daughter’s forehead.
“Rah!” Firekit leapt out of her nest and onto her father’s head. The warrior stumbled in surprise and fell to the ground, imbalanced thanks to the extra weight.
“I got you!” the ginger kit crowed, her blue eyes shining as she tumbled off of her father. Hawkflame laughed good-naturedly.
“I guess you did.” Firekit rolled to her paws, grinning at her father’s response.
“You never get me,” she taunted, waving her white-tipped tail in the air.
“I guess I’ll have to change that.” Hawkflame sprang to his paws and in the direction of his daughter. She squealed with delight and scrambled out of his way and out the entrance of the nursery. The warrior could hear Firekit’s peals of laughter from outside the den.
“I’m gonna get you!”
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Nightfire padded silently along behind Foxflame as he navigated through the cavern. The tom appeared to be brooding, but there was so little light that it was impossible to tell. Besides, Nightfire had her own concerns. What had just happened? Foxflame had jumped down into the cave beside her, she had looked up…and couldn’t look away again. Foxflame couldn’t either; she had seen it in his vibrant green eyes. In fact, they were brighter than ever, almost feverishly bright. What had passed between them, so shocking it had felt like a lightning bolt? Surely they couldn't be- No. She refused to even let such thoughts pass through her mind. But one couldn't help but wonder...
Light streamed through an opening only a few fox-lengths ahead, forcing Nightfire to squint. Foxflame picked up the pace, and Nightfire also felt the exhiliration of freedom almost won. The pair broke through into the open air, both breathing deeply in an attempt to dispel the sour air from their lungs. After a moment, Foxflame turned to face her, steely-eyed and staring at the ground in front of her black paws.
"Go back to camp," he commanded, his voice low and gruff.
"But-"
"Go!" the tom interrupted, anger and despair filling the word. He dashed off into the trees before Nightfire could respond.
Well, that was that. Foxflame didn't want anything to do with her anymore. But ironically, he had been the one to head in the direction of camp, just after commanding her to do so. She couldn't very well follow him, now could she? There was still the opposite
way.
The she-cat began to tread in the direction of the Pine Forest border. No one could bother her there...
AirClan
Stormcall trotted through the hemlock grove, branches hanging down treacherously. WaterClan scent was scarce in this part of the territory.
I don't blame them, Stormcall thought as he ducked to avoid a low-hanging bough. Thankfully, the copse was wider than it was thick, and the disheveled tom broke through into open grassland. The familiar scents of his clanmates rushed up to meet him, causing a smile to spread across the tom's face. It didn't take long after that to reach the scattered clump of nests that embodied the AirClan camp. "Pebblestar?" he called out merrily. She had to be somewhere nearby.
Meeting
Brightpaw glanced up fiercely, ready to snap at the warrior who had dared to be so rude to Heathersong, but the LeafClan medicine cat just flicked her tail casually and stepped away from the group.
I'd better go now. The apprentice ran her tongue over Ravenkit's fur, frantically trying to smooth it a bit before leaving. If only she had thought of it before. After one last lick, Brightpaw dashed off in the direction of her territory. She would have to go somewhere out of earshot and check back every now and then to see if the kits were ready to come home.
Maybe Flowerface would like some burdock root for her stores.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dirtpath sat down heavily after gently lowering Lightwhisper to the ground beside her. She had practically had to carry her injured clanmate the whole way there and it had taken forever! Not that she really minded all that much. A little excersize is always good, and getting Lightwhisper up and about was essential to her recovery anyway. After a quick glance, Dirtpath noticed the young warrior's jaws clenched in pain. Her heart went out to Lightwhisper, but it wouldn't do much good in the face of a broken leg.
It appeared they had arrived just in time. All the other clans' chosen cats were present and accounted for, and they were starting to drift back into a more collected group. Heathersong stepped away, obviously wishing to address the cats she had assembled. Dirtpath settled down to listen.
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Heathersong turned to address the cats that had assembled at the base of the Centertree. She was a bit nervous, but a dream she had had the night before contained the information she needed to disclose. Unfortunately, disclosing was the hardest part of this whole dream business. Why did the timid tabby have to be given such a job as LeafClan medicine cat? Curse StarClan!
I take it back, I take it back! Enough thinking. It was time to talk. "Thank you all for coming to this meeting. The announcement last night was sudden, and I wouldn't blame you for staying home." Especially those who had injuries. All of them had come. "I have another announcement to make. All of you have been gifted with special powers," she meowed, taking courage from the marvelled expressions of her audience. "They were given with much thought, and are meant to help you in the race to defeat DarkClan. Use them wisely." Heathersong padded up to the first cat, Snowclaw. "Your contradicting essence is very clear in your power. You, Snowclaw, are able to emit both fire and ice from your claws." An interesting power, and seemingly fitting. Heathersong moved on to the apprentice nervously clinging to his deputy's side. "Mudpaw, you were given a ball of fire. It lives inside of you, so all you have to do is all it up. It will provide light and warmth, but it does not burn." Another apprentice sat calmly beside the first, her clear blue eyes as blue as the lake she inhabited. "Whisperpaw, you have a very dangerous power. You can call all the liquid out of any living being within sight." A dangerous power indeed. "Use it carefully," Heathersong added before continuing on to the next cat. "Silvertail. You have been known to melt under pressure. Now you physically can. Becoming a conscious liquid has its advantages." The next warrior gazed up at the LeafClan medicine cat with awestruck eyes. "Shinelight, you definitely have a special light inside of you." Heathersong winked happily. "That light will give you wings." That was all that needed to be said for now. The young AirClan cat would figure it out soon enough. "Gracepaw." So StarClan had chosen a medicine cat apprentice. A smile danced on Heathersong's lips as she spoke. "You, young medicine cat, have been given the gift of influence. You can influence the cats around you to feel any way you want them to." The next cat lay on the ground, having been carried in by her clanmate. Dear Lightwhisper. Heathersong had learned all about the pale female warrior from the EarthClan medicine cat. "Lightwhisper, you often find yourself troubled with visions of things that aren't there. StarClan says no longer. Now your visions will be of the future." It was hardly a blessing, but at least the EarthClan she-cat wouldn't think herself crazy anymore. Dirtpath sat beside her clanmate, seemingly frozen in shock. "Dirtpath, your power is to see through the ground to worlds below. Anything that is made of dirt becomes transparent to your eyes." With a fluttering heart, Heathersong moved on to the next cat in line. Whiterunner. She gulped nervously before opening her mouth to speak. "Whiterunner," she almost couldn't say his name, "you are known for your battle prowess. Now you are able to move faster than your opponents and anticipate their motions." That power was harder to explain. It was more like time slowed down when the tom went into "battle mode". Oh, well.
Moving on! Heathersong quickly stepped in front of Islandsong, the other chosen RockClan cat. "Islandsong, you can create a transparent shield with your mind that blocks out other cats' powers. Possibly even Icestar's." Heathersong, having recovered from her previous encounter, looked seriously at the creamy-pelted warrior, hoping she understood the importance of this information. Next! Pinewhisker, the IceClan medicine cat and one of Heathersong's friends. "You, Pinewhisker, have heightened hearing and can detect small noises at a reasonably large distance." The other IceClan cat had night black fur and a bright white star on his forehead. "Nightfall, your star will now absorb all visible light when you command it to do so, making the area you are in pitch black." Both of SunClan's chosen were kits, and they sat alertly, waiting for Heathersong to speak to them. One of them was five moons old. The other was five days. "Ravenkit, StarClan has given you the power to turn invisible. Melodykit, your songs contain your power. However, the effect they have on the world is unpredictable." The kits appeared to be intelligent enough to understand, so Heathersong padded in front of the last two cats, her own clanmates. "Leafshadow, you were given the power to sense any living thing nearby through heat waves. And Jaypaw, you are able to levitate objects with a bit of concentration." The brown tabby cat glided back to her position in front of them all and turned to face them once again. "Learn to use your gifts wisely and skillfully. They all come with dangers and limitations. Especially yours, Whisperpaw and Gracepaw. We are now ready to oppose DarkClan. United we will become the Warriors of the Dawn!"
DarkClan
As Hopeflight padded silently beside Flamefoot, the tight grip Icestar normally kept on her mind relaxed a bit.
My own thoughts! My thoughts are my own. Before she allowed them to wander, she needed to get away from Flamefoot.
"Hey, Flamefoot!" The large tom turned in surprise. "If we split up, we'll catch more prey. Meet back here?" He must have picked up on her urgency to move, because he agreed without asking for a further explanation. Hopeflight dashed off to the left and continued for several seconds before sliding to a stop under a large bush. The tabby collapsed on the ground, her violet eyes shining. Bright green eyes were etched into the insides of her eyelids. His eyes. She didn't know the tom's name, or his clan, or his history, or anything about him. She only knew his eyes, and that she loved him. That night of the battle, she had struck Flamefoot over the head, looked up, and been blasted away. One look was all the tom had needed to snatch her heart away. A troubling thought came to the she-cat's mind. Snatching away... Icestar! Hopeflight leapt to her feet, the fur along her spine bristling. If Icestar found out how much she cared for this cat, the wicked ruler would abduct him for sure!
That's not going to happen. She only had to push him to the back of her mind and not give Icestar any reason to want to dig deeper than the foremost thoughts. That was possible. Other minions were never bothered by Icestar all that much. Except when she got bored... But that was another story. Nothing would happen to her love.
Not if it's the last thing I ever do.