━━━ ✧ // all the other kids. a warriors rp. OPEN!!!! ◜

[Tsukỉ]

xx✧ -- ＳＴＯＲＭＳＴＡＲ !!
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// female // 43 moons // leader of fogclan // no romantic interest // tagged : pansy //

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xXxXxThe moments passed without much else to say, as the two DawnClanners nodded and her own deputy quickly shared a dipping of her head. DawnClan had been told what they needed to know, if either Pansystar or Swanbreeze had half the wits of a dead mouse. Between the two, the FogClan leader could impertinently assume that it was the former. They knew what they were doing when they had entered FogClan's borders, with a clear goal plastered within their DawnClan brains-- and yes, DawnClan.. the segregation was almost necessary for Stormstar to get comfortable with it. Generosity being out of the list of things to 'complete', Stormstar could begin the process of overplaying familiarity. Yes, yes, it was nice if strangers would recognize the whole of DawnClan and FogClan as 'FogClan', (the appropriate name) but if there was any way they'd ever even mislabel the FogClanners as 'DawnClan'.. or 'part-DawnClan'.. then her whole ideal and motivation had failed to run its course. Therefore, she was forced to make the borders clear and strong, while she was still averted with the sidelined unease (which she had just gotten over).

xXxXxThere was no unspoken boundaries; not anymore, as the Clan had basically signed a treaty of virtue and truce.. for the time being, needless to add. If Pansystar would just even mouth 'Yes,' it would be that. "Yes, of course. Swanbreeze, you have my permission to go through with this, as well." -Then it is decided, isn't it. Stormstar felt herself grin, just a little, just almost enough to show the long teeth that decorated the innards of her ruby-red mouth. It took her enough time to realize the benefits of this peace.. and much earlier, potential danger. The alliance she had would strengthen FogClan, just temporarily, but enough to satisfy their hunger.. the DawnClanners were suffering with it all the same, but their increased numbers ensured a good hunting and better protection from outside threats. Twolegs, foxes, badgers, whatever they may be. The milky tortoiseshell purred with excitement as she gave Pansystar a hidden, but satisfied smile-- her decision finally settling in with the mellow doubt she cast aside just moments earlier. "I hope that our clans can live together peacefully-" I'd make sure of that. "-until our three-moon deadline is up. Know that I am eternally grateful to you for allowing my clan to rest and recover here," Pansystar's eyes- wonder why the eyes held so much importance - were swirling around her and her deputy. "..and we can begin this patrol whenever you see fit." Seizing a half-torn meow towards Dogface, rather in instinct than disatisfaction, as one would expect, Stormstar began tucking the puffed furr of her chest back to size. ..Stormstar's gaze was shortly halted as the ebony beast grew auburn with her.. devilish eyes, piercing even when it didn't look directly at her. Her look alone could make mice drop dead with fear. Stormstar was used to this, monster, but alas, she was her deputy, and Stormstar wasn't an idiot for picking Dogface. She was efficent, ..l, loyal.. to her Clan, that might be added for clarification. Now, as she'd mentioned before, Dogface doesn't love, rather, she uses. Most things to her are mere toys for her sickened amusement, but Stormstar.. she has the brains (and brawn) to recognize the true capacity of this 'demented' she-cat. A devil hiding beneath her thick tufts, but, unfortunately, a cunning devil.. and that is all that should be said about this 'Dogface', at least for the time being. Stormstar lifted her eyes of Dogface, to take a look at the siamese right in front of her, whilst her brown, beady eyes speckled with the determination to continue.

xXxXxStormstar nodded hastily, as Pansystar's lithe head bent down in respect as her words trailed into a finish. "I believe that sounds like an eccellent idea, Pansystar." meowed the chocolate-tortie, not a breath of hesitation within her voice. There. Confirmation.. for the second time. Pansystar's frail figure then turned to Swanbreeze, as if in doubt or worry. ..Don't even say a thing out of line, Pansystar. You are at our mercy. A nick of tension began brewing from the bottoms of their feet, but Stormstar batted out the fire with her drapy locks. There may be no reason if the rest of DawnClan didn't want to stay. Mercuriously, the FogClan molly peered a little closer towards the rivaling leader, but with immense reluctance. She could notice Pansystar had a slight error in her ways-- for she seemed to of desperately wished (or as Stormstar could tell) that the two Clans would get along. Perhaps it wasn't clear.. while Stormstar wasn't a vile tyrant, she was one who ruled with an iron paw. But she was new, with the point aside. Within time, she'd learn to fit the blanks together. Isn't this why Dogface hadn't become leader yet?-- FogClan wasn't a Clan for the weak. ..and the indecisive molly scowled herself for the third time, shaking her head with embarrassment as she realized, yet again, she was trying to break her mold. She was going to be the 'fair', 'benevolent', 'generous', and.. kind. Without this, DawnClan would feel threatened, would they not? Isn't it the leader whom the cats of other Clans look to for an example of what the Clan itself is like? The Clan always follows after their leader-- and so with her setting the example, the generations below would soon follow. Forcing the youth, begging for them to sing a tune they never heard, was similarly, unheard of. With that in mind, Stormstar had to follow this moral with strict dedication. With this in mind, Pansystar better had been! ..With gregarious words to her-- Stormstar's --Clan.

xXxXx"Thank you, both of you, for agreeing." the silent breeze's regin was emptily disposed of within seconds as the hushed 'crowd' of four looked at eachother with mixed emotions. Yes, there was just too much stalling and not enough to go by, making the leader go mad with her secret boredom. She "If it's all the same to you two, I was thinking we should get a move on right away." Dogface's coarse voice began rumbling slightly lower as she beckoned Swanbreeze to come over; maybe some annoyance, or.. The molly didn't acquaint herself with her deputy's problems, so she stood in silent agony as her fur began to itch with lust for knowledge. What was passing through that skull of hers, and more of those 'obligatory', yet also derogatory questions. It was a little degrading to set every cat as a treasure chest, and while Stormstar's hobby was to pick-lock such things, (in the past) she had learned that it was more amusing to find the key and open it herself. There was less fun in her cheating ways. Struggling to get back to what Dogface was saying, Stormstar faked a small cough, enough to give herself a half-a-second to bear a confused expression. ...'I was thinking we should get a move on right away,'.. that's what she said. Stormstar, herself, hated the dread of being in wait, as the world around her progressed; and she didn't. She was to be in pace with everyone else; even faster, if allowed be. Akin to all leaders before her, each and every one of them had ambition.. pride. The self-confidence to be the head of the Clan. Any cat couldn't do the job, and only the top layer of the pond-- the water that forms into ice in a pond during leaf-bare; or the leaves at the bottom of the pile -- the one who got there first, was the one who got to do what they wanted. The superiority flashed beneath Stormstar's ambiguous chin (as it was surrounded and pillowed by a cushion of fluff). The molly-leader basked in her act of 'larceny', phasing through a flame-quick stage of pride, then monotone nothingness. Each happy moment was savored sparingly, considering the weight of the situation. "If we wait any longer, we won't be back until midnight." Pause, probably being a moment dedicated to some kind of thinking; "I want every cat to bed down tonight with a full belly," Stormfur almost snickered audibly at that. Dogface, you can't fool me, she almost laughed, holding back her giggles with intense negative emotion. She held it back with every ounce of life she had, knowing her.. and her daughter. I'm baffled if either of them believe you; even for a second. "So we should head off as soon as possible." Tamed by the "reassuring" words of Dogface, Stormstar refrained from embezzling the two subordinates who were soon to leave- with the lies of one. Besides, with the last thought in the back of her mind; it was a waste of a laugh-- while not to be shared with others, --and she wanted for nothing to go to waste. That was what she just did with DawnClan, wasn't it?

xXxXxThe time for their private discussion had almost reached and end-- the eagerness just pushing her farther and farther.. anticipating the finish line. Her pawpads were wet, face red, with proof of her avidity. The long tail that sprouted from the farthest of her back, also waggled with dog-like appetite for moving on to the next stage within this 'forged kinship'. With (and without) common courtesy, she gave just a single pause for Swanbreeze to share his views. His long locks of wiry white hair moved ever-so-slightly with his every breath. What was the gentle-hearted DawnClan deputy thinking? Was it identical to his leader's; thankful, respectful, utterly rewarding to see his Clan finally have a home? Something completely different; perhaps loathing, betrayal, hidden aminosity? Did he have something else in mind, completely unmatched and incompatible or.. with the twinkle in the blue eyes of the deputy, Stormstar begun to fathom what had passed through her radar for the whole of their conversation. An ephiphany roared through her patterned ears, and her eyes immediately narrowed, grimacing with each stare.. once between his eyes, where the white speckle of an imperfect diamond strew, second to his left, sky-struck baby blues. A writhing interest, beaming within those hidden, glassy outeriors and perfectly brushed, even matted, muzzle. For whom? This desire practically radiated from his fur, as if it had been torn from him. Certainly not Pansystar-- as she was not in his path of sight -- and StarClan forbid, even the mention of myself...

xXxXx(blank paragraph to reply to swanbreeze)

xXxXxHer obelisk-figure darted away alongside the impossibly-furry DawnClanner, then to be met with plenty of bewildered cats, demanding explanations.. which couldn't be helped, but still resulted in a sigh from the mixed-chocolate she-cat. With her peachy gaze off from the pair, she swiveled her ears towards the two instead, and nimbly decided to eavesdrop the deputies' attempt at crowd control-- the muffled cry of Dogface rang across camp, though Stormstar had quickly changed her mind to only give half her attention, blocking out her meows-- but not completely so that she was only hearing meaningless static. "Cats of ... Fogclan ... Dawnclan," "..hunt, or if you are strong enough to.." "there will ... no .. patrols .. until midnight," ".... and I will be ..." "-splitting the territory, and Fogclan and Dawnclan cats will be hunting with each other." Pleased with her discussion, Stormstar channeled out the last of her attention and poured it back to the whispy female, taking a look at her chiseled face and then to her lean muscles, then back up to her eyes. So far, this has been a breeze. Whatever path this 'DawnClan' thing may take, I sincerely hope it shall be a good one. And, for them to never figure out.. a thick, almost-stony lump of her own saliva passed (with trouble) down her ever-drying throat. ..perhaps.. I am just being hyperbolic. They wouldn't, and the cats with those, things, wouldn't dare reveal that sort of.. information. The tortie female didn't give Pansystar the chance to kickstart the interaction, before she began. And it was unruly of her, if Stormstar says herself.. it was spoken.. quite crudely. "Pansystar." Stormstar began, cooly, her eyelids lowering a good half-centimeter. "It appears we must discuss.." .. the most important part. There is, and there was no time for sulking around; as it was beginning to be evident that they needed to announce the plans for both Clans. DawnClanners, scared and afraid, on one corner-- FogClanners, perplexed.. about their arrival. It was old news to the 'progressive' Stormstar, but perhaps it was best to enlighten her Clan before anything else came up. They needed answers. "..what we are to do next."

[vertigo]

❝ ♛ -- Ｓ Ｗ Ａ Ｎ Ｂ Ｒ Ｅ Ｅ Ｚ Ｅ ！！
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( ● sex. male ) ( ● rank, deputy ) ( ● tagged. mentioned, others. ) ( ● words. 2593 )


indent.distance━calculations, yes . . . nonetheless. but the absence of his intellect━was never something that was left brewing in the crooks of his mind, his sky blue eyes━though they seemed dimmed by his lack of emotion, watchful they were, holding an intense note of attentiveness━diverting between each of the clan-leaders as they exchanged words, the words that were spoken quickly, and perhaps even with the slightest hint of a rushed manner. in the previous moments, swanbreeze had been able to quickly detect the subtle impatience that rang out in the tone of stormstar's voice━this, still shown visible in the orbs of the she-cat's eyes, it was muted, yes, but discernable, like two golden, fiery suns, just as much as in the words she parted her jaws to reveal, next, "you have my blessing, dogface." with this, as she begun, the grey-masked tom studied her words carefully, picking and pulling them apart━studying them, as he did with almost every word that passed through his ears━seeking any sort of fault . . . any sort of, vulnerability? from only his short while spent with her━the assembly only a momentary lapse of time━he had been able to piece together, and decipher that stormstar━with her mottled fur, fierce, chocolate-gold gaze and stance━was of a leader with powerfully built words, words that held meaning and well cordination, structured to compel all those she adressed. she was a planner, her mind constructed like a chess board, only, her words being the pieces, always placed with high certainty, for the wrong move could . . . put her at a strong disadvantage. in the situation that dawnclan, his clan, had put them in . . if one thing was for sure, stormstar definitely did not want that, and it didn't take a perceptive mind such as swanbreeze's to figure that out. maintaining his usual gargoyle-like expression, he felt a his uncertainty about the fogclanner's━once only a sliver━strengthen, even with the confirmation of stormstar's positive "leader" qualities. he tilted his head in thought, eyes narrowed remotely, i am still inclined to . . . pinpoint my uncertainty, my doubt . . i feel undecided, skeptical. but starclan━if you look to reach me━why must i regard our encounters with doubt? the connection of his pale blue's with stormstar's rosy brown forced him to swallow his uncertainties, though he oh, so wanted to ponder . . to make connections . . . to do what he was always was, and still is, known to do best━percieve.

indent."and I expect you to do the same, pansystar- swanbreeze," contemporaneously, the mottled she-cat declared, before continuing heartbeats later. although something about stormstar's immediate questioning━that they might have not, well, done the same━of their methods put swanbreeze off, he could see where the molly was coming from. this sparse moment, a small fragment of silence, granted swanbreeze with interest, awaiting her next statement━through two, doldrum eyes, he listened. "to follow through and arrange patrols of your own." in response, swanbreeze spoke nothing, and perhaps even looked off into nothing, atleast, that's how it would appear to be to the outside world. his head, slightly tilted━to stormstar, dogface . . even pansystar whom knew of him and his manners━he probably looked blank, like his mind was either soullessly empty. however so, his head was completely rushed by thoughts that tore at the very synapses of his brain, leaving him unresponsive in the feline's around him, presences. they came short, as he processed the happenings, ah . . my paws ache to set out, to gain a feel of my surroundings. i had wished to learn more, and my wish has been granted. before stormstar averted her eyes, swanbreeze finally offered her no more than a brief nod, as she looked his way, then focused coolly on pansystar━whom did the same━before breaking this absent stare, a looked crammed full of nothing other than "emotionless" blinks and lifeless orbs, on swanbreeze's part. now, it is only approval i strive for. come, quick, for sunhigh won't start without us. the sense of general unease that had taken dawnclan in the light of recent conflicts had not yet been lost, as the dawnclanners still grieved, the feeling of lose not yet stale. emotionless, perhaps, but swanbreeze was not one to wave a paw at reasonable actions, deeming them as boring. he was quite the opposite, taking every chance to absorb and analyze happenings. anyone surprised by this must have been living under a rock, or at the very least somewhere far away from the deputy. the untrained eye would think he wasn't affected by it in the slightest, yes, and there were few of the trained variety in the clan. getting close to the tom was much like attempting to befriend a cactus in the middle of leafbare. a cactus who had the ability to make you feel incredibly self-conscious in about four words, with his unsettling stares that had the habit of burning holes into your back. this was not a talent he'd have the opportunity to exercise too freely on this hunting patrol, though, as they were typically quiet affairs concerned more with not alerting small animals than socialising━not that he was one of many words, anyway. the task fit him relatively well, and was perhaps a better choice for his first time leading a patrol than a run on the border, in the new territory. though his eyes did not show impatient, he knew, himself━it was about time they get going.

indent.apparently, stormstar agreed, making one last addition, "we can disperse soon, if you wish," however, no, his attention was not brought to her and her final words, but to the black-and-white once more, whom currently seemed to desire to crack his shell as much as he saught with her. this was not the first time that silence had been equally shared between the two, a form of communication through icy glares, in which all were attempts at finding out something about eachother, anything. although swanbreeze knew that this was atleast . . what he wanted to do, he did not know that this was what she did indeed, intend as well. he did not part his gaze this time, for he did not feel the urge to . . he felt . . . odd, yes━yet━starving, insatiable . . for something he did not hold capacity in his mind of. he had managed to obtain a stone-like glare in his previous encounter with her, but now, he could practically feel the intensity radiating off of himself. but, relievingly, he could also, well . . . feel the irritance coming off of the she-cat's own gaze, another emotion, at last. she'd like to think that she's invincible, yes. well, weren't we all once before we felt loss for the first time? surely, dogface had had to go through a sort of trauma that . . caused her to be━or perhaps, seem━so harsh, so unforgiving. for swanbreeze, he had always been impartial, distant, and . . dull. but, could it be that she was once different? his mind wandered to the well-hidden, yet visible scar that plagued her face. with all the sudden calculations, twisting and turning like clockwork in the ragdoll's mind, he closed his eyes━this action, hiding the clouds that had begun to form in his eyes━briefly in thought, lips parting slightly with a soundless sigh. you can bury all your emotions, burn all of your feelings . . but it doesn't make it any better━does it make it any better? and with this last thought of swanbreeze, pansystar, one whom had grown silent like the rest, throughout the final moments of the gathering, stepped forward, her voice soft and gentle, yet and dipped in━if swanbreeze's detections were correct━a firm sense of certainty━her words, had usually been painted with some sort of doubt or anxiety━but he only heard appreciation, respect at best.

indent."yes, of course. swanbreeze, you have my permission to go through with this, as well," she begun, eyes switching to swanbreeze━whom's eyes had now reoppened, wide and calm━only briefly, before traveling over to rest on the tense gaze of stormstar, "i hope that our clans can live together peacefully until our three moon deadline is up. know that i am eternally grateful to you for allowing my clan to rest and recover here. we can begin this patrol whenever you see fit." she concluded, with a dip of her head, her bright blue eyes falling to the ground before rising up once more, and darting towards stormstar, the signs of hope sparkling within her iris'. immediately, swanbreeze followed her gaze, hungry to absorb the reaction that left stormstar, whom seemed to be . . . perhaps even a bit too oddly, relieved, joyous, and satisfied. for, plastered upon her the maw of her tortoiseshell face sat a grin that crept towards the corners of each of her eyes, wide and toothy. the dawnclan deputy assumed that not only she, but pansystar held high hopes for her clan━to be his clan . . one day, though hopefully not anytime soon━swanbreeze felt the urge to step forward, but instead, he merely parted his jaws, to mew a simple, "as do i"━this however, was cut off before the words could even touch his lips . . . by a sharp, declarative voice, hard at the edges yet quick to reveal the point━stormstar, again, whom apparently did not get everything off of her chest in the previous moments . . . she wanted things to get done. "i believe that sounds like an eccellent idea, pansystar." confirmed the fogclan leader, her voice not losing strength or momentum at the slightest . . . once again. he felt his eyes narrow as they followed stormstar's now traveling gaze, as it slowly moved towards pansystar, from swanbreeze, himself. she seemed to be analyzing pansystar . . attempting to pull out and take note of her mistakes, though to what swanbreeze understood, the molly had yet to assemble a wronging. he stood a little taller and took the spare moments of quiet to stretch, front legs reaching out in front of him for a moment, before taking full stand. there was something freeing about not having to worry about whatever looming political disaster━both clans agreed with eachother, now, didn't they?━might arise at the patrol that was set to take place. certainly, it'd give him some time to socialize━not that he was much of a talker, preferring to be on the outskirts of everything, watching, studying everything from afar━a bit once everyone was there; he'd not had the time to see much of the other clans' members when he arrived, and he was a tad bit curious as to how much he could discern about them from one night now that he was focused.

indent."shall we-" and there was dogface, "thank you, both of you, for agreeing." his reply was cut off with amazing speed and volume by the other deputy's . . sudden decision to speak. all things considered, he wouldn't exactly say that he had been irritated by this, but the level of irritation with which the she-cat seemed to undertake approximately every heartbeat of this assembly was... exhausting? perplexing? he pondered over calling back a rather flat, "yes, thank you," with a hardly raised voice, but the words never came. instead, his white-tufted ears only flattened a bit in irritation. the expression softened back into his usual focus as he switched his eyes to rest upon the she-cat, as she continued, "if it's all the same to you two, i was thinking we should get a move on right away. if we wait any longer, we won't be back until midnight" she then took a pause, perhaps, taking a heartbeat to plan her next words━plotting her next move━ever so carefully. a final note, she added, "i want every cat to bed down tonight with a full belly, so we should head off as soon as possible." before clearly denoting with a bow a farewell, that implied she was ready to set off. with a long stride, she then disappeared from the den. before swanbreeze moved to follow her, he glanced from stormstar, to pansystar, back to stormstar once more, and mewed, before exiting, "i must be on my way, yes." . . . before he knew it, he'd already adopted a businesslike pace━much similar to dogface's━as followed closely behind the black and white molly.

indent.dogface immediately made "cats of both fogclan and dawnclan, gather here if you either would like to hunt, or if you are strong enough to. there will be no patrols today until midnight, only hunting. swanbreeze and i will be taking two hunting parties, splitting the territory, and fogclan and dawnclan cats will be hunting with each other." a follow up the the fogclan deputy's words, swanbreeze, nodding, gave a short, "indeed, patrol's on its way out. we'll be hunting today," and a glance to those his announcement pertained to. admittedly, the deputy felt very odd, very out of place━this wasn't his clan . . yes here he was, orders falling off of his tongue. please, grant me with strength . . put my questions and curiousity to rest, guide my paws on these unfamiliar grounds. and ah, please let me be sent out with like-minded cats -- or rather, tolerable ones. normally, he would have only left enough time for those in attendance to get caught up, before pausing at the camp enterance. unlike most leaders of patrols, there was not the slightest bit of impatience in the way he always stood, his posture tall and eyes unreadable, sky-blue eyes occasionally casting glances back to the rest of the camp. his mind would come to those whom his words passed closest too, his mind already jumping to plan ahead for whatever trouble they'd━possibly, hopefully not━get themselves in. and once the patrol arrived, ready to leave, he would glance over the attendees with the usual air of blankness, numbness, emptiness he so perpetually carried. but this time, no, he only stood, silent as a ghost, next to dogface, awaiting as she finished, "i know that many of you are confused right now, but i promise you, stormstar and pansystar are figuring things out as i speak, and we will hear from them soon."

indent.shortly, cats amongst each clan began to flood around the two highly ranked felines, their eyes holding the questions that their voices had yet to reveal. swanbreeze, turned to a few of the cats whom he recognized to be of dawnclan━his eyes met littlepaw first, whom seemed to have his attention partially somewhere else. . . to rosewhisker . . and another feline whom stood close by━mewing flatly, in a hushed manner, "condolences, dawnclanners. you know how to hunt, yes? because that's all you need. we'll head out, you'll stay within a certain area and avoid doing anything that may be deemed as improper. as guests, see to behave at your best." and with that said, he turned to step back, prepared to lead the group out of camp. he wasn't sure exactly where that question had come from. he hadn't been imposing that sort of thing on his own apprentice, littlepaw. it wasn't a difficult concept to get one's mind around. it was a hunting patrol, so they'd hunt, and hopefully bring back enough to please most importantly, fogclan, but nonethless, dawnclan as well. perhaps the need to explain something like this had irritated him just a bit━he didn't show this, however, no.

[V.Vulpes]

[Warrior of Dawnclan] [Tom] [34 Moons] [Tagged: Littlepaw]xxxxxxxxxx

xxx[Rosewhisker]

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xxxRosewhisker looked away from Littlepaw, back to the outside of the den where cats of both clans were waking, his ears flicked back in worry. If they were talking about joining together like Littlepaw hoped, wouldn’t Pansystar and Swanbreeze want to talk with the rest of the clan first? It wouldn’t make sense, to him at least, for them to just agree to a merger without even a word with the rest of the clan, though they could call a meeting later and ask. The sandy tom didn’t know whether or not his clanmates would even agree to a merger with this strange clan or if Fogclan members would accept Dawnclan. The only good Rosewhisker could see in the merger would be more muscle to protect both clans and claws to catch prey. It would also mean multiple hungry mouths to feed. Besides what would they even call themselves? Dawnfogclan and Fogdawnclan sound ridiculous. Besides the name, what of leadership as well? It wouldn’t be possible to have two leaders and two deputies so one pair would have to take over.
xxx“But, Rosewhisker,” Littlepaw’s urgent voice snapped Rosewhisker out of his thoughts and he once again found himself looking down at the brindle-faced apprentice. The anxiety that Rosewhisker felt before came back at the sound of urgency in Littlepaw’s voice. He had heard the slight fidget of Littlepaw’s paws but hadn’t thought much about it as he wondered about the future. “What if... What if they are talking about us merging into one clan? I get what you're saying about fogclan not wanting to share, but how could they not discuss such matters? After all that has happened with the fire and the..” there was a pause. Scared, worried, it sounded like Littlepaw had swallowed a hard piece of fresh kill and was trying to force it out, “scorching of our old home, do you think that pansystar and swanbreeze want to have a nice, friendly chat with the head cats of a rival clan? I mean . . I just. .” The words made Rosewhisker’s tail-tip twitch.
xxxOnce more, Rosewhisker found himself staying quiet while Littlepaw poured his heart out. Poor Littlepaw, he has too big of a heart to be in the situation that we’re in. Rosewhisker dipped his head and let out a soft sigh but to show that he wasn’t mad or disappointed in the young cat he brushed his tail along Littlepaw’s back in a calming motion as he thought of what to say. Only after Littlepaw apologized did Rosewhisker speak, “you don’t need to apologize, Littlepaw, I understand. You’re young and worried, we all are worried, besides you could be right,” he hesitated then mumbled, “it would be nice to not travel anymore and to find peace again. Starclan knows we need it.” Unless they don’t watch over us anymore, the fire was an obvious sign of their anger. He pulled his tail away from Littlepaw.
xxxRosewhisker’s ears pricked and looked back out of the den at Littlepaw’s nod. “Meeting's over,” the sandy tom whispered, mostly to himself, “hopefully they’ve decided on patrols so at least we could fill our empty bellies.” Rosewhisker stayed sitting while the black and white Fogclan deputy spoke. There was power in her voice but still hesitant as she ended her call to hunt. This deputy was opposite of Swanbreeze, where he’s gentle and soft with a shyness almost like Rosewhisker’s, hers is louder and commanding and indeed a little creepy. Littlepaw had commented earlier that she was creepy and evil-looking but Rosewhisker just shrugged it off but now he could really see why Littlepaw called her creepy. She made Rosewhisker nervous already, from there it would only grow.
xxxIt took Rosewhisker a few minutes to fight through his nervousness and realize that cats were leaving the den around them. He felt a body huddle close to him. However, he sat up tall and watched the clearing fill with familiar and unfamiliar figures alike but not moving at all. Anxiety pierced him. Hunting with Fogclan cats? How in Starclan’s name can I do that, he thought, his tail tip twitching as he did, they’re going to think I’m no good if I fail and, oh, what will they think of Dawnclan if I mess something up? As much as he felt like speeding over to Swanbreeze and asking to join the patrols, his paws were glued to the ground.
xxx “well, i suppose you have your answer.” Littlepaw’s voice startled the older warrior. Rosewhisker finally got to his paws, listening to Littlepaw's proposal, and shook out his pelt in case any rubbish was stuck to it.
xxx “That sounds like a perfect idea. To be honest I’m nervous about meeting Fogclan,” he admitted, his ears flicking back in slight embarrassment, “but I do think if I have you in the same hunting patrol, I’ll be fine.” He gave a smile, hoping that sharing his own insecurities would help Littlepaw. Then, with slow steps, he exited the den to wait near the two high ranking cats for just how these patrols would be settled.

[feyre.archeron]

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Ｊｕｎｉｐｅｒｌｅａｆ
elder
twenty five moons
molly
location: forest
tags: mangledfoot

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‘Sunlight danced across the earth, creating stories among the shadows. The tortoiseshell molly sat with her head held towards the sky, admiring the blue mottled with the white of the clouds. Warmth tugged at her pelt but only the colors and the movements drew the youngster’s attention. She was wide eyed like a kit out of the nursery for the first time. Every muscle seemed tense, poised for any action that may occur. With a slowness that seemed to drag, she dropped her head, examining the way her claws unsheathed from her toes, digging into the soft earth beneath them. From their her head snapped to the trees as the slightest of movements developed. The leaves shifted, shuffling against each other to create a rustling sound that reverberated through her ears. Just as gently the tree released the green leaf, allowing it to drift gently across the air currents, landing with a soft huff of air upon the forest floor.’ A branch snapped and just like that the colors were torn away from her, her mottled head snapping up with precision, blank eyes staring at nothing. A sigh escaped her maw and her head fell to her paws in defeat. It would be yet another day in which she would see darkness, follow darkness and walk in darkness. She blinked her unseeing eyes, twitching her ears towards the sounds of the clan shuffling about as they did every morning. It was her routine to listen to the sounds the clan made, living vicariously through their movements. Some days, when she could smell fresh vole in the air, she would twitch her nose and think of the times she had caught voles with her clanmates, the feel of her muscles working beneath her taught pelt, eyes burning into the forest as the sound of paws shuffling across the forest floor made her whiskers twitch. In her dreams the world was bright as it was then, however there was no fog to tell her she was in her territory, rather it was all greens and blues, shivering in the wind. Sure there were the clouds, but as similar as they were, they were not fog. With reluctance she pushed herself to her paws, her forelegs falling until her body curled, muscles rippling beneath her pelt. At seventeen moons old, the elders den was certainly no place for a young warrior, yet somehow fate and, she supposed, StarClan had placed her in such a predicament. It was a nightmare she refused to forget, but one she chose not to relieve. Her eyes, once a brilliant green now washed over in pale whites, announcing the lake of sight that overwhelmed the young molly. In front of her clanmates she would never say that the blindness bothered her, perhaps occasionally, she would become frustrated with it but she remained cheerful and happy, optimistic so to speak. However, in the safety of her own den, her sights were not so positive. They focused little on the good and more so on the bad. She could never be a warrior, never fight or hunt for her clan. Perhaps never even become a queen, and even if she could she often questioned who could love a cat that could give the clan nothing. To evaporate the thoughts, she systematically blinked, tail curling in discontent as she trudged forward. She knew her way around camp rather well and in fact knew most of the territory, but if she were to be caught unawares there was no way she could defend herself. Her reflexes were not honed enough to fight back and her lack of sight would allow her little knowledge of the cats whereabouts unless all was silent and she could hear the way their paws danced across the soft ground. As she trudged out she could smell moisture in the air and pictured the light haze of fog sliding across the forest’s path, her ears falling towards the back of her head with displeasure that she could not truly see the fog. She flicked her ears towards the noise of the clan and fall back to the side of the camp walls. Her fur brushed against, guiding her towards the exit of camp. Her paws moved swiftly across the moistened ground as she hurried from camp, determined not to let another cat spot her dark mottled pelt amongst the shadows she was sure she slid through like fog. She blinked, dipping her head as she could smell the forest. She felt the gust of fresh air wash over her as she assumedly slid from camp, breezes ruffling her fur. However, she didn’t stop, afraid if she paused so soon to enjoy the comfort of the freedom she felt, she would be spotted. He lengthy fur tugged at branches as she darted forward, clinging to the twigs, leaving her scent to guide her back to camp should anything happen. It wasn’t until she had crossed a good portion of territory that she paused, blinking and opening her maw to taste the air around her. Ears flickered, catching every soft rustle of leaves among the branches. She sighed with relief, welcoming the darkness for once as the sounds of the forest drifted across her senses. The joys of her blindness were there and she was well aware of them. Her hearing was more acute and her sense of smell was not one to be tampered with. She could smell blood a mile away if need be, and often heard the shriek of prey as its life ebbed away. She flicked her ear forward, catching the slight sound of pawsteps a short distance away. As she lifted her maw, all attempts to scent the creature was futile, the fog swallowing her senses. Her pelt prickled with tension as she started towards the noise, perhaps she could scare the creature away. The pawsteps weren’t heavy enough to be a predator but not light enough to be pray and so she was certain it was another cat. A loner? A clanmate? A fogclan cat? She couldn’t be sure but she readied herself either way, however, as she tracked forward, her paw caught clumsily on a fallen branch, sending her vaulting forward. She tumbled, fur catching on the twigs that spread across the earth, until something halted her tumble. She parted her jaw, taking in the scent of another cat. Immediately she hurried to her paws, tail lashing nervously “Who are you?” she growled, to startled to make a proper analysis of the scents before her. She shifted from paw to paw with a nervous twitch, ears pinned to her head.

[lysistraticmuse]

▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓➳ebonycry➳▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
{warrior of dawnclan} {tom, 24 moons} {apprentice;; robinpaw} {mood;; shaken, anxious, wanting attention} {tags;; Cloudcatcher} {location;; Beside the entrance of the makeshift Dawnclan den} {word count;;542}

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Ebonycry jumped harshly at the sudden sound of the Fogclan cat next to him, seeming to have appeared out of nowhere. His slim body rose quickly into a standing position to greet the cat, ignoring his cracked and sore paw pads as he did. Though strained, he put a kind smile on his face as he listened to what the White she-cat had to say. The Tom had assumed that she was a healer from the strong scent of juniper and sage emanating from her pelt, and this was confirmed by her greeting.

Nodding, the Tom dipped his head in a respectful gesture, his black fur suddenly uncomfortably warm against his skin. "Greetings Cloudcatcher, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm not sure of any cats in particular that need attention, but I'm sure most of us have sore and cracked paw pads. Aches in joints too, likely," the oriental spoke, his words a kind and slightly flirty fashion. Turning slightly with a pop from his joints, bat like ears pricked to listen for Hollyleaf, the medicine cat of Dawnclan. Her voice caught the air, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly, though it was likely she was still inside the den or somewhere close by. The Tom recalled having seen her apprentice run out of the den earlier, so perhaps she had known where the black cat had gone off to. Probably looking for her Fogclan equal he mused, a slight laugh in his eyes.

Bemused expression on his face, he turns back to the smaller cat,"Well ma'am, I believe she's that black cat just a few paces towards the proper Warriors den. Her name's Hollyleaf, and her apprentice, is the small white furball about to approach your apprentice there dear haha." He laughed, watching as the blind heterochromatic molly made her way to the darker apprentice, lightly brushing the other's shoulder with her tail to get an accurate reading on her placement.

Smiling at the small snowy form that he had helped save from the fire, he focused his attention once more on the cat in front of him, expression more somber than previously. "When you see to cats, some of their injuries aren't physical, just as a precaution. We all lost someone that night," Ebonycry mused, eyes glazing over with a thin layer of sadness. "Well, if you have a minute, could I get you to take a look at these paw pads? I don't know if I'll be much of a help to any hunting parties before then!" The last part was spoken more as he listened to Fogclan's declaration of hunting that was to happen, and he wished that he could go and be of some service to clanmates. For the ability to hunt on their land, the oriental was grateful, especially knowing the horrors associated with feeding a big clan. It put much strain on the environment, and the cats that had to provide the hunting.

Shaking himself from the thoughts that were certain to take a turn for the worse, he returned to his flirty expression, lightly flicking his tail in question to his opposite. "That is, if you're not too busy dear. I wouldn't want to delay you from your other duties."

▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓➳snowpaw➳▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
{apprentice of dawnclan} {she-cat, 10 moons} {mentor;; hollyleaf} {mood;; Smokepaw, Robinpaw} {tags;;} {location;; in the clearing of Fogclan} {word count;;691}

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A soft, thankful purr escaped the molly in response to Robin agreeing to perform as her eyes for the time being. Robinpaw was so sweet, one of the reasons why Snow simply adored having her as a friend. Pricking her ears as the bird spoke to her the reasons why they should probably stick to a cat of a well, kinder demeanor, she laughed slightly. "That's understandable Birdie, but just think about this: us, waltzing straight up to a pair of bur coated toms in the middle of a conversation, and knowing me, I'd trip right in the middle of them! You'd probably have a nice snowy hide to line your nest with though haha," she spoke, playfully nudging her shoulder against her companion's. "I suppose you're right Robin. But, we would make an attractive pair of earless cats!" Another burst of laughter caused her petite form to rock slightly, something that looked like a twitching rabbit's foot to one who hadn't seen her full body laugh previously.

Calming down from the hilarity of the thought (one which she would definitely return to muse on later), she sat herself back down slightly while waiting for the younger fæ to speak once again, telling her of which direction they should put themselves into. While this was happening, she let herself catch the melody of the morning happening around camp, it's wonderful harmonies gracing her triangular audits with a gentle kiss. The wonderful melody was a blend of the trees, the cicadas, and the birds; beautiful, and nostalgic. Although it was different from the song that she remembered, it brought her back to her young mornings in the nursery, waking up with her still developing ears catching the faint vocals of the tune. She wondered if Robinpaw remembered the song of the lost, especially as she was even younger than herself when they were forced to leave it. One day, she'd definitely have to ask the bicolor about that.

“There’s a molly over there, Snowpaw. She looks to be a bit older than me, and she looks quite friendly. Maybe we could talk to her?”

Snowpaw sprang up into a standing position quickly, and exuberant smile on her features. That sounded like the perfect cat to talk to! Beaming she turned to the younger (and slightly shorter) cat,"That's perfect Robin! Leave it to you to find the perfect specimen to focus our questions," she spoke, voice praising as her sightless eyes attempted to make contact with the ginger's amber eyes. Her plume of a tail brushed against the fæ's shoulder as she spoke again, tone extremely exited. "Shall we go?"

Turning herself in what she thought (and quite hoped) to be the right direction, she began to March her way over to the Molly of which Robin spoke of. As she neared closer to where Snow supposed herself to be heading, she kept her tail firmly against Robin's shoulder as sort of a guide. In a few days she would be navigating the camp easily without the need for help, but now, it was unfamiliar territory. Like an unmapped road in which you're blinded of what's around you. So for now, it was better to be safe than sorry. When a strong scent of herbs and Fogclan coming from a younger she, the apprentice reached out her tail to get a better grasp of where her conversational focus was. Aside from being excited just to finallly speak to a Fogclanner, it just so happened that she would get to speak to their medicine apprentice! Good job Robinpaw, she thought, internally praising the pretty ginger. Once she was confident that she was sitting in at least a decent position, her tail found its place behind the petite she-cat as she began to speak. "Greetings Fogclanner! Sorry about the tail thing, I should have asked you first," the Molly said, tone bubbly and high as she spoke. "My name's Snowpaw, and this beautiful lady is Robinpaw! It's nice to meet you, and from the smell of your pelt, you must be the medicine apprentice! May I ask your name?"

▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓➳crookedbreath➳▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
{warrior of fogclan} {tom, 67 moons} {apprentice;; nettlepaw} {mood;; sociable, talkative, slightly sleepy} {tags;; Dogface, Swanbreeze} {location;; in camp} {word count;;538}

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Pink darted over the brown tabby's thick coat, creating neat rows in his pelt as he moved along his routine with a tired practice, not entirely aware of what he was doing at the moment. Ice surveyed the camp as an aching paw washed his face, still sore from the moisture that had been setting into the air recently. It was warmer than it had been when he'd first woken up, so at least the day had that going for it already. He liked the cold, but his bones sure did prefer a warmer climate to reside in when he was doing something. Which was pretty much always, but the thought still crossed his mind. One could really say that he needed to take some time to relax before getting straight to work. A small laugh escaped him as he licked a small drop of crimson from one of his claws, seemingly coming from one of the two birds he'd returned with on his previous trip out into the hunting grounds.

He'd allowed himself a small nap when he got back, his eyes too tired to stay open and alert without a moment of rest. Arching his back, he rose to attention as the two leaders and deputies emerged from their meeting places, tail held high in interest. In his crooked gait, he made his way over to Dogface and Stormstar, waiting quietly as they spoke. His ears pricked at the mention of the two interclan hunting parties, even though he himself had just returned from a solo hunting patrol. It was important that every cat in the camp be fed, no matter which claim they pledged allegiance to, and for that, there was much hunting to be done. As soon as the dark deputy finished speaking, he approached the younger molly with his head bowed in respect. "Dogface, I think I'll head out with Swanbreeze's party. It might help to have a willing senior warrior of our clan with them. And, I don't see many Fogclanners jumping to head out with him," he spoke, his voice calm with a bit of humor as his eyes locked with hers. "I will put in an extra training session with Nettlepaw in the event that we don't have the opportunity to train today, so his eduction won't be lacking, don't worry. I'll be off then, I'll let you know how things go."

Quickly, the Tom cantered after the already moving hunting party lead by the fluffy white and gray deputy, younger than him, but obviously quite fitting for his role. Forcing himself a bit faster, he approached Swanbreeze's side, carefully avoiding contact with his fluffy pelt as he did so. "Swanbreeze, nice to make your acquaintance. I'm known as Crookedbreath, a senior warrior of Fogclan. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you sir," the older man spoke, voice rough with a strange drawl, but obviously respectful to the younger tom's authority. "Until you need me, I'll flank behind the rest a bit." Nodding, he slowed his pace to walk slowly behind the rest of the cats in the party, enjoying the birds singing the song of the mountain as they neared deeper into its hearth.

[deftonesly]

--.-( `♕ -- ＤＯＧＦＡＣＥ ! )
----━-age. 41 m--rank. fog deputy--located. camp ; forest, clearing--tagged. swan, cats ; party--words. 2,279
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there were cats everywhere. dogface hadn't realized how many dawnclanners there were━and their numbers combined with fogclan's just made the sheer tidal wave of paws and claws that fell upon her and swanbreeze all the more intimidating. the scarred deputy had grown up in fogclan, born with her powers and fully pure-blooded. so to see so many cats after many, many seasons of living in relative seclusion from those that were not family, friends, or average clanmates . . it was unnerving, to say the least. she tried not to show how psyched out she was by the turnout, but she couldn't help backing up a step as her own clanmates━a few dawnclanners mixed in there, too━swarmed her. asking where they would be going; pondering if they really had to work with the stinky, smokey dawnclanners; whispering about how much had changed and would be changing. although all she had been wanting to do all morning was this━be in control, get away from stormstar and panystar━dogface suddenly desired nothing more than to bolt from the chaos of waving tails and wide, earnest eyes and bemused expressions. teleport as far and as fast as she could away from here, for as long as her limited powers would let her. but she was dogface, and she did not run from anything anymore; that was blacktuft's job, or had been. now she would be the cat that stayed. besides, these hunting parties had been the deputy's idea, so it was her duty to see it brought to life. to orchestrate the hunting with as little arguing and scraps as possible. dogface raised her thick, feather-soft tail high into the air, silently calling for order. she would not give anyone the satisfaction of words, so she waited patiently until everyone saw the flagged appendage.

indent once the dawnclanners and fogclanners had calmed down and the cats had grouped around whichever deputies they wanted to accompany, she hollered, "thank you to those of you that have gathered here today. if you would like to come with me, to your left, and swanbreeze━to your right. please give your deputies a moment to discuss the territory, and then we will be on our way promptly." she ducked her head to no cat in particular, waltzed confidently through her own throng and then the group around swanbreeze, and asked him to come with her for a second. "swanbreeze." just his name was more than enough. she led the way from the assembly, and he was right behind her, his big paws thumping the earth. at the moment that they were far enough away from the hustle and bustle to allow themselves to at least think, dogface whipped around on her heels, almost smacking swanbreeze with her tail as she did. when she barked at him━very gruffly, very concise and to the point━her eyes were slits and her voice like windblown ice, "as for my plan to split the territory, i will guide you to the point that we will separate: a clearing ringed by pines. my party shall take the eastern side of this clearing, and yours the western. once the sun is setting, we shall all meet back up in the clearing and head . ." home? this is my home, but it's not dawnclan's . . and never will be. so what do i say? she hesitated with a lash of her tail, refusing to show how much the concept of sharing their territory━which was surely what stormstar was planning━rubbed her fur in the wrong direction. the short, muscular molly finished: "and head back to camp together to split our earnings amongst the clans."

indent dogface twitched an ear and nodded, half to herself, as she backed up her idea with more words. then she swept past swanbreeze, eager to be gone, and as she did . . . her shoulder brushed his own much thicker and fluffier one. she stared down the length of her broad muzzle at him━sternly, with warning not to get in her way, much like she had glared at nettlepaw━and then trotted back to her ready and capable group as fast as her legs could take her. her pelt felt hot and her paws were prickling with sweat . . all for reasons she could not hope to ever explain━even to her own complicated self. this was exactly the sort of thing she had feared would happen; this was exactly why she needed to stay away from the surly, gray-masked male now trailing after her. and what dogface feared? that was feeling. because when her and swanbreeze's shoulders brushed and their gazes met━a sky blue enough to fly into and want to soar for all eternity, and a fiery sunset-orange glare that scorched if one grew too close━dogface felt. she felt for the first time since . . . stagheart. since lightkit and wiltkit had entered her life. and in all honesty and secrecy, succumbing to what remained of blacktuft was a horrifying, groundbreaking thought. dogface couldn't even handle the wee, meek possibility of swanbreeze releasing her from her prison in dogface's soul. so, like always, the deputy bottled up what she felt . . what was rising to the surface like a traitorous, nasty bile. her former self was clawing at her throat and the imaginary bars braced around her, wailing to be free . . . to become lost in swanbreeze's orbs forever, no matter how silly and compulsive it was. but blacktuft was a weak, sniveling poison, so dogface slapped and snarled at her as she pushed her way through her gathered hunting party.

indent i don't want to think about any of this right now. i don't want to think about possibilities or probabilities ever again. it is dangerous, naive, and stupid . . . and dogface is none of those things. well, except dangerous. she unsheathed her claws and stopped in the middle of the mass of clanmates and strangers around her. she readied herself to speak, and as she did, all that came from her mind was a murmur from blacktuft: but imagine what could be if you let me live again? and dogface feared the way her old self was nagging at her, so when she yowled to the clans again, her throat felt like it had a rabbit foot lodged in it. "dawnclan and fogclan! swanbreeze and i, dogface, have devised a way to evenly share the terrain between the two hunting groups." she reached out a paw and motioned to swanbreeze, who had now rejoined the action and was amidst his mostly-dawnclan group. the entire sentence was a lie. she had come up with everything, right from the start, but she didn't want dawnclan to think that she was being unfair . . so dogface begrudgingly shared the credit. on the inside though, she sneered. it did not matter what swanbreeze thought. this was her territory, her clan, her idea . . and she had the upper paw, plain and simple. anything she said━went. because swanbreeze and his clan were guests, and guests had to obey the rules of those hospitable to them. what was the best part was that dogface suspected swanbreeze knew that as well as she did. oh, how much fun it was to the devilish cat to see the emotions conflict in swanbreeze's eyes . . to witness their strain to be free.

indent swiveling her owl-like head away from the deputy, who was watching her intently, unreadably, she went on. dogface recited almost the exact sentences she had snapped to swanbreeze, except her voice was much more civil and calming. tension was electrifying the air, and nerves were frying every cat's fur; it was her job as the one in charge to put them all at ease, to have everyone get along. her words and tone seemed to leave a positive streak, because when she was done, the clans were nodding and whispering excitedly━even amongst each other. ( and though seeing her beloved clan and their soon-to-be-enemies chattering amongst themselves worried and vexed her, she prided herself on her soothing. ) dogface meowed, once she had explained where they would be going and splitting up, "all right! let us waste not one moment more. those of you that are with me, follow my lead!" and with a jerk of her head and a swish of her tail, the black-and-white molly broke into a lilting jog out of the crowd. as soon as she was free, she felt the powerful urge to teleport . . which, of course, could not happen with so many dawnclan eyes on her. the deputy settled for using brute strength━as beneficial as her power was, she still had the ability and the muscle to move quickly. dogface rocketed forward out of the camp, casting a cool glance over her shoulder as she slipped through the ferns and brambles of the camp entrance. a horde of cats of all sizes, shapes, pelt colors, and scents were following her . . and behind their rippling pelts was swanbreeze. he was watching her and her party exit, presumably waiting until her cats had cleared out before leading his after them.

indent she pushed the gray-masked cotton ball of a cat to the back of her mind, focusing on the well-worn path through the shrubbery ahead. and on not teleporting. her small, white-patched feet were light on the earth, and her legs, short as they were, moved effortlessly. she exploded through the forest with a surprising amount of speed, nonchalant to the prickles and burrs that snagged at her pelt, or the gradually receding fog that would confuse any ordinary cat. feeling power flow through her veins and roar in her ears━a lovely sensation━she pressed on through fogclan's territory with her head low and her long tail streaming out behind her. she leaped over a fallen pine tree shrouded in lichens and moss, landing gracefully on the opposite side and hitting the ground at a run. dogface tried her best not to totally lose herself in the forest, for she knew that there were dawnclanners with her━and they could have a hard time keeping up. she made it a habit to look back every so often, even draw to a halt if she saw that her party was panting too much, or their sides were heaving. the deputy herself almost never grew tired ( the only exception being when she teleported too far, too fast ) so in the moments that she stopped, she scarcely breathed. dogface was an incredible piece of work and raw talent. she ducked and lunged above every obstacle in her path, skirting shrubbery like she had been doing it since the day she was born. the she-cat's heart soared into her throat when she took a flying leap over a holly bush and then skidded around a tree, almost bumping into it in her haste. it'd been so long since she had been able to run like this, darting around thickets with the ease and precision of a hare . . . clearing brambles that snaked across her path in the blink of an eye before disappearing into shadow and fog once more. she almost never joined hunting parties these days, forced to spend most of her time in camp passing out orders and watching clanmates head out on trips like this one. it's so liberating and freeing, running with a party again, feeling everyone's bodies press together as we work as one body and mind.

indent dogface was almost taken with the sense of longing and euphoria that coursed through her. but then she realized that the foliage around her had grown thicker, far more tangled and complex in its craze, and she forced herself to slow down to a walk. her party came crashing through the underbrush around her, most of them panting hard and squinting in the dispersing fog. dogface ignored their labored breathing and pushed on, aware that this was the place: the thickest, gnarliest stretch of forest that fogclan owned was also home to the clearing were the parties would be splitting. it was smack-dab in the middle of their terrain, but that was only partially why dogface had chosen the clearing and its surrounding, messy vegetation as the meeting place. she poked around the trees and towering brush, occasionally leaping over dense patches of foliage, until she spotted the ring of pines up ahead. dogface sprinted to it and then slowed once she shouldered her way between two of the gigantic protectors of the sandy space beyond. while she sniffed about and watched the rest of her party trickle into the small clearing, she thought with an air of mischief, i gave swanbreeze the toughest section of the forest to master. the land to the west only worsens in its crowdedness, while to the east reside hillsides and even more clearings like these. she twitched an ear, pleased with herself and her connivery. hopefully swanbreeze and his dawnclanners will not like what they find waiting for them out westward. with that brute's tangled mat of hair, i wouldn't be surprised if he took one look at the brambles and led his group home! starclan, please let this work, she prayed. though this is surely one of many plans i will concoct to be rid of dawnclan, please spare me the effort of creating more. please let this deter our guests from staying one heartbeat longer━or, even better, discourage them from splitting our territory apart.

indent fixating her orange orbs on the cats that were filing in, dogface settled on her hocks and waited for swanbreeze.

--.-( `☼ -- ＬＩＴＴＬＥＰＡＷ ! )
----━-age. 11 m--rank. dawn app--located. den ; camp ; forest, clearing--tagged. rose, dog, cats--words. 1,856
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littlepaw glanced upward with admiration and relief in his humongous orbs when rosewhisker got to his paws and mewed, "that sounds like a perfect idea." there was a pause as the lanky, sand-colored warrior shook out his pelt and plucked pieces of the bramble den━moss, twigs, leaves . . the usual━from it. littlepaw watched him for a second, and then decided to take the moment of silence to also clean himself up. he skipped to his paws in a flurry of rotund limbs and brindle-splashed cream fur, his turquoise eyes wild with excitement. he did his best to copy the easy movements of rosewhisker's tongue, jealous of how thin his coat was and how simple it seemed to preen it. when the warrior was finished, littlepaw was still struggling with the same patch of fur he had started with . . . so he just gave up. he had somewhat cared about his first impression on the fogclanners, but now he found sprucing up to be pointless and tedious, as a hunt in unfamiliar lands was ahead of him. leaving his fur tangled and horribly disturbed, he looped impatient circles around rosewhisker while they waited for their clanmates to all clamber outside. once they had, rosewhisker still hesitated, his green eyes round and his ears flicking backward in what could only be perceived as nerves. he murmured to littlepaw in his soft, gentle voice, stopping the apprentice from bouncing out of the den, "to be honest, i'm nervous about meeting fogclan." littlepaw looked up at him, his expression half-empathetic, half-sympathetic all bundled into one. "but i do think if i have you in the same hunting patrol, i'll be fine." littlepaw's face broke open in a wide grin, and he wagged his tail at the warrior like some sort of stumpy canine. "it's okay, rosewhisker. i'm sure everyone's nervous. i am, too!" he purred, doing his best to reassure.

indent he started to edge out of the den, but he kept his━always flitting━attention on the tall cat by his side. "it's strange, this entire ordeal. every cat's on edge . . starclan, maybe even that black-and-white deputy." as littlepaw ducked to scurry beneath the low-dangling branches of the bramble bush, he caught sight of the creepy molly again. she stood out like a piece of mange in the bright white-gray fog of the morning . . as dark and as angry-looking as any sour wound. his muzzle wrinkled at the sight of her, and though he wasn't one to judge a cat just by looking at them . . the deputy gave him the heebie-jeebies. well, the apprentice thought, every cat except her. she doesn't seem ruffled at all. like an entire clan just comes parading through her home every other day. he turned back to rosewhisker as the warrior shunted his way out into the open. "point is, we're all self-conscious and wary of one another. you don't have anything to fret about. and if any cat tells you otherwise, holler for me, and i'll give them the what-for, eh?" he chuckled, dropping into a playful bowing position and batting at rosewhisker's namesake whiskers; they were marvelously long and soft. slipping back into a more serious attitude, he straightened and chirped, "so . . that said . . i think we should join miss 'weird, scarred deputy' and her lot of fogclanners. it'll give us the opportunity to meet with them and make some friends!" should we stay here for long, littlepaw thought inwardly. he was still concerned about what the leaders and deputies had been discussing. had they drawn a conclusion?

indent being careful to slow himself down and go at a more rosewhisker-y pace, he led the sandy male forward. he pushed aside his desire to sprint ahead and start mingling with the amassing group around the fogclan deputy, instead talking to rosewhisker in an attempt to calm him . . but also bring himself some relief. some things were better left said, as they could provoke more powerful results. "i know it may not seem like the smartest thing to do, but i figure if we're going to be staying here, we may as well make some pals. you know? anyway, never fear, littlepaw's h-" the last word died in his throat with a fizzle as the black-and-white molly they were slipping through the crowd towards began to yowl. "i know that many of you are confused right now, but i promise you, stormstar and pansystar are figuring things out as i speak, and we will hear from them soon." littlepaw halted in the middle of the throng of cats, craning his neck to see the speaker and almost breaking it in his attempts to do so. his small ears were pricked and lightning bolts of nerves and a lust for more knowledge kept shooting along his spine. he did his best to listen over the faint murmur of the cats around him. but the molly had stopped and was waving her tail through the foggy air, clearly demanding silence━which the felines gave. when she spoke again, her voice rang loud and clear, calm and confident. "thank you to those of you that have gathered here today. if you would like to come with me, to your left, and swanbreeze━to your right. please give your deputies a moment to discuss the territory, and then we will be on our way promptly." she swept off through the crowd, and a heartbeat later, swanbreeze's great, shaggy pelt could be seen following her. littlepaw sat back on his haunches, only then realizing that he had been on his tiptoes in an effort to watch the odd, emotionless deputy. to rosewhisker, who was also studying her and the cats around them with interest, the apprentice mewed, "looks like we're in the right place."

indent the warrior and the apprentice waited in tension-packed silence for the next few moments. littlepaw was far too excited to hear the scarred she-cat's plans to get wrapped up in socializing, so he watched the sky, not even bothering to converse with rosewhisker. the sun was poking through the fog, which was draped across the camp like a downy blanket of white-gray moss; it would not be much longer before littlepaw could actually see more than five tail-lengths in front of him. thank the stars! he was snapped out of his gazing reverie when the molly reappeared, this time looking . . . flustered? uncomfortable? with so many heads and ears in the tubby apprentice's way, he wasn't positive. her voice was hoarse when she picked up right where she left off, but the crack in her stoic foundation sealed itself the more she talked. "dawnclan and fogclan! swanbreeze and i, dogface, have devised a way to evenly share the terrain between the two hunting groups." she then droned on about where they would be going: a clearing ringed by pine trees, or something of the sort. and how they would be splitting up . . or . . whatnot. it was whatever. littlepaw didn't worry about the location, since she was the leader of their party and would take them there whether he was confused or not. he was sure he would stink at hunting as per usual. he found that all he could think about was this dogface's name; it stuck with him more than her duel hunting expedition plans did. he didn't think he'd ever heard of a cat with such a prefix. it was so foreign to his ears that he had to lean over to rosewhisker and mumble, "terrifying name for a terrifying cat. i shoulda known . ." the sandy tom didn't respond to littlepaw in time, and anything he did say was lost in a haze of excited mewls and thumping paws. because suddenly dogface was on the move, cantering through the cats surrounding her and then breaking into a full-on sprint to the camp entrance. she hollered, voice betraying the smallest traces of vigor, "all right! let us waste not one moment more. those of you that are with me, follow my lead!"

indent littlepaw's belly howled in agreement, and before he knew what he was doing, he was swept along with the others, his paws flying on their own accord. he somehow wound up in the center of the mass of bodies and heat with rosewhisker running easily by his side. littlepaw's stocky, short legs had to work overtime to keep up with the warrior's longer strides; he tried not to show how winded he already was when they tore out of camp. dogface was nowhere in sight, having raced ahead, and the apprentice felt a flash of annoyance. could she not wait for the slower cats? and since the black-and-white was gone, littlepaw and rosewhisker had to rely on the cats behind her to guide them, really. everything sank into a blur and lost its novelty to littlepaw; he just tried to focus on running and not stumbling, therefore getting caught up in the current of pelts behind him. what good were the green and black and white-gray blurs of the forest and the fog when he could not stop to admire their beauty? the brindle-faced cat's world quickly became a whirling one of colors, scents, snippets of sounds, occasional halting for a breather, and rosewhisker's lean sandy shoulder bumping into him. and then a message seemed to pass through dogface's hunting party━somewhere up ahead, she had come to a stop. they were almost there. the felines, fogclan and dawnclan alike, all relaxed and slowed; almost everyone was panting hard, their heads bowed in relief that they had finally caught up with the deputy. now that the speed and intensity of the run had ceased, littlepaw got the opportunity to look around. dogface had led them to a tangled, very populated portion of the forest; the apprentice could hardly step anywhere without meeting a length of briar, or getting his pelt knotted and stuck in prickles. he could see why dogface had led them here━surely there were prey-creatures galore━but his pelt was going to cause him grief if he could hardly take three footsteps without getting caught in a bush.

indent after gazing around with something like mixed disgust and dismay in his turquoise eyes, he finally spotted the copse of pine trees that was their destination over the heads of the others. he struggled through more vegetation, batting it away and wrestling with it, causing rosewhisker to stop multiple times and assist him. eventually, the pair staggered into the clearing, ducking under the low-hanging, spiny branches of the pines. as soon as littlepaw was in the clearing, his paws sinking into some sort of grainy sand, he flopped onto his belly with a grunt and a fwooosh of dust particles. from his place on the ground and in his very messy, dirty state, littlepaw panted to rosewhisker, who stood over him, "thank starclan we've finally made it! what have i committed to . . ? i hope i never have to see another bramble bush for as long as i live!"

[V.Vulpes]

[Warrior of Dawnclan] [Tom] [34 Moons] [Tagged: Littlepaw]xxxxxxxxxx

xxx[Rosewhisker]

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xxxRosewhisker gave a small half-smile down to the brindled apprentice. Though, that smile faltered once he realized just how many cats were out there, too many for nerves, it was really a lot for the nervous pale tabby to take in. He was glad to see that some Dawnclan and Fogclan were actually conversing. Near the entrance, Rosewhisker could see the familiar black pelt of Ebonycry talking to a white she-cat. A dark tabby Fogclan apprentice was nearby chatting to Robinpaw and Snowpaw. A part of Rosewhisker felt that he was being rude since he hadn’t even uttered a word to one of their hosts but thinking of talking to those strangers made the warrior even more nervous. Come on, Rosewhisker, what would Willowheart or Firepaw say if they saw you shaking like a kit when you know you have your clanmates with you. It will come in time, just keep your cool. Keep calm… Keep calm…
xxx“…ange, this entire ordeal. every cat's on edge . . starclan, maybe even that black-and-white deputy.” As Rosewhisker was trying to calm his nerves, he hadn’t realized that Littlepaw was talking to him as the light ginger exited the den behind the small apprentice. “Hm, what?” was his quick, natural response, “Oh, uh yeah, this is all so strange. I’m just ready for this hunting patrol to start.” His ears pricked as Littlepaw turned to face him. He chuckled softly when Littlepaw started to bat at his whiskers, Rosewhisker even playfully swiped back. “Making friends will be easy for you,” he laughed, flicking his tail at Littlepaw, “you’re just a little ball of sunshine.”
xxxRosewhisker stayed a pawstep behind Littlepaw – perfectly fine with him leading. The tall tabby stood still, the only movement was the tip of his tail, watching and listening to the Fogclan deputy pronounce a greeting. The fog that surrounded her brought a chill to Rosewhisker’s spine, it reminded him of the fire’s smoke, he drew in a deep, sharp breath then shook his head to clear his mind. The fire was in the past. Instead, he focused on the deputy. Her sleek, black-and-white form seemed to swim in and out of the fog like a fish going down a stream. He also only now noticed a rather large scar on her jaw. As soon as both deputies left, cats moved about to choose which hunting party to join. He only nodded quickly at Littlepaw’s comment.
xxxAn awkward silence commenced when things died down. Rosewhisker shot a quick glance at Littlepaw, who just seemed to stare at the sky. Instead of saying anything, Rosewhisker just looked around the foggy camp. Patch-heart would like this place, he decided, he liked the rain, rainy mornings and such, didn’t he? Having thought about the fire a moment ago led his thoughts to his brother. If only he hadn’t saved me, he’d have lived to see this place... Oh she’s back. The movement of the Fogclan cat cause him to promptly look to where she stood and started speaking once more. Dogface. A fitting yet odd prefix for the frightening deputy. The plan was laid out and Rosewhisker finally felt excited and wished to already be at that pine ringed clearing.
xxxRosewhisker opened his mouth to reply but Dogface’s yowl stopped him. “all right! let us waste not one moment more. those of you that are with me, follow my lead!” At first, his paws didn’t move – they just seemed to run in place – then his paws caught up to his mind and he ran ahead of Littlepaw. It was finally time to hunt and run freely, not trapped in a strange camp. The land may be just as strange but the prey, the prey that Rosewhisker knew like his own claws, was the same. This was what the lanky tom was born for! It took a moment for him to realize Littlepaw wasn’t near him so he slowed to where he was sprinting next to the already panting apprentice. The burrs and brambles of this forest grabbed at Rosewhisker’s thin pelt but it didn’t matter to him but it did to Littlepaw. Every so often, the older would stop to help him out of a bramble or briar that caught his thick fur.
xxxCats ahead of them started slowing down until Rosewhisker went at a slow trot and, after helping out Littlepaw once more, found that they were now in the clearing promised to them by Dogface. He breathed deeply for a moment with his mouth open and dug his claws into the sandy soil; the pine scent flooded his scent glands. “I’m afraid you’re going to meet many more brambles before this is over. Besides, you did rather well, despite those few small snags." He leaned down and plucked a small piece of bramble that clung to Littlepaw's thick creamy back fur.”

[Medicine Cat Apprentice of Fogclan] [She-Cat] [8 Moons] [Tagged: Robinpaw, Snowpaw]xx

xx[Smokepaw]

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xxx"Well, Smokepaw, if a bunch of randos came to your den and wanted herbs… Would you do it?” Wiltpaw asked, seeming to not even want a response. Like Smokepaw didn’t have an answer to that. “I’m training to be a medicine cat,” Smokepaw responded in an almost matter of fact tone, “if they really needed my help I would want to try and help in any way I could. Helping is our job.” Smokepaw said no more after Wiltpaw said her abrupt ‘No’ and left quickly. “Oh, well uh, talk to you later, Wiltpaw! Remember what Cloudcatcher said about your tail!” She called, her ears flicking back in worry.
xxxSmokepaw sat, letting her limp leg fray out beside her oddly, and drew her long tail around her front paws. She didn’t want to interrupt her mentor so she only watched Cloudcatcher and the charming Dawnclan tom talk. However, she slowly drifted away from listening to their conversation to listening and looking around at the now lively camp. The huge hunting patrol that consists of both clans was forming around Dogface and the Dawnclan deputy. The black and white she-cat was yelling orders and everyone seemed scared of her. Ahh, the normal charming Dogface.
xxxUnaware of the approach of the two Dawnclan apprentices, Smokepaw jumped up when she felt an odd snake-like something touch her. She stumbled, composed herself, then looked at the pair, her ears going hot in embarrassment. Why hadn’t I noticed them there? "Greetings Fogclanner! Sorry about the tail thing, I should have asked you first. My name's Snowpaw, and this beautiful lady is Robinpaw! It's nice to meet you, and from the smell of your pelt, you must be the medicine apprentice! May I ask your name?" The pure white she-cat addressed for both of them.
xxxSmokepaw sat down as she had done before and answered, “the name’s Smokepaw, nice to meet you Snowpaw and Robinpaw,” she nodded her head to both respectfully already trying to learn their names, “And yes, I’m the medicine cat apprentice,” A welcoming smile appeared on her maw then she flicked her tail towards Cloudcatcher, “that’s my mentor, Cloudcatcher, speaking to your clanmate there. We’re actually trying to find your medicine cat or their apprentice and checking to see if anyone’s injured.” She wound down her spiel then cocked her head and asked, “are either of you hurt?”

[Birchii]

🌩 ＲＯＢＩＮＰＡＷ ;

{eight moons}▸{molly}▸{dawnclan app}▸{camp, then territory}▸{cats (m), Smokepaw + Snowpaw }
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xXxXxRobinpaw let herself laugh with the white molly beside her, enjoying the light-hearted humour that had been hard to find on their travels. Snowpaw was such a contrast to the ginger-and-white apprentice, much more jolly and not as timid or wary, and she was always up for a conversation. The company was wonderful for Robinpaw; it was nice to have someone she could call a friend, especially since the other apprentices of DawnClan were slightly older than her. Not that they excluded her from conversation or activities, just she felt the age gap between them made Robinpaw’s more anxious disposition more of an issue than it would be.

xXxXxThe young apprentice smiled at the continued enthusiasm of Snowpaw, also raising to her paws. As the blind molly began her walk to the FogClan apprentice, she moved closer to her, ensuring that she wouldn’t stray off in the wrong direction, whilst not to completely protect her. She slowed as they reached the smoky tabby, who had not yet noted their arrival until Snowpaw’s pluming tail switched from her own shoulder to discover where the stranger was located exactly. Robinpaw gave a small smile to the unknown apprentice; a timid greeting and apologetic look for startling her. She sat down carefully, beside Snowpaw, her tail-tip gently flicking against the white molly to reassure that she was sitting correctly.

xXxXxA warm flush crossed her face as Snowpaw introduced her, and smiled again at the FogClan molly, noting that she was indeed surrounded with scents of herbs, a larger smile as she dipped her head in greeting. Her ears flicked as she heard a FogClan cat, their deputy she assumed, address the group of cats gathering for a hunting party, and she glanced over. ‘I should join them,’ she thought silently, a slight wince at the barking of the FogClan molly. “Nice to meet you as well, Smokepaw.” Robinpaw always made it her policy to be polite to those she didn’t know, especially considering that Smokepaw – ‘I must remember names. Smoky tabby, Smokepaw’ – was a medicine cat apprentice, and would be interacting with DawnClan quite a lot. She turned her head to look at the direction Smokepaw indicated to, spotting the cat named Cloudcatcher speaking with Ebonycry, her mentor. “Ah, she’s speaking to Ebonycry,” Robinpaw informed Snowpaw, lifting her gaze to meet Smokepaw’s again. “Snowpaw here is actually our medicine cat apprentice, though I’m not certain where her mentor is…”

xXxXxHearing the FogClan deputy call out again made Robinpaw jump, her tail-tip flicking anxiously, and she rose to her paws. “I’m alright, I have the youngest paws of our clan, so I’ve healed up pretty well,” she informed the smoky tabby. ‘Emotional and mental state is a bit rocky though…’ she silently sighed, shaking the thoughts away with a swivel of her ears. “I should probably go and join the hunting patrol – try and use my skills the best I can,” she turned her head to look anxiously at the now moving party, quickly flashing her eyes back to Snowpaw. “You’ll be alright without me, Snowpaw, you can get back into your skillset too,” she smiled, dipping her head to Smokepaw. “Sorry to leave so suddenly. It was nice meeting you!” Without hesitating another moment, the ginger-and-white apprentice bounded after the hunting party.

xXxXxHer white-tipped tail hunt low as the small molly anxiously fell into the group that was gathering for Swanbreeze’s hunting party. Ears pricked and eyes wide, Robinpaw was assessing the land surrounding her; it was almost suffocating. The fog made a blanket that was all too similar to the cover of smoke that had absorbed DawnClan’s old home, and though she had only been a young kit at the time, it still made her shift uneasily on her paws. The atmosphere was unusual, one that Robinpaw had yet to experience in her short life, and it unsettled her. She kept her body low, ears twitching frequently as they often did when her anxiety or discomfort levels were higher than usual. The scene did nothing to help the peculiar mood she felt between the two clans. Working together, yet not united. It was such a contrast to only being with DawnClan, helping each other to continue on through the terrain they had traversed, never letting another fall behind. Now? ‘If twolegs were to come bounding through those trees, I doubt FogClan would help. Especially not that deputy…’

xXxXxHer gaze lifted to observe the black-and-white molly as she strutted out of camp, her warriors trudging after her. She let her vision linger on the molly only for a brief moment, her curiosity overruling her fear of the feline, only to flicker away again. Robinpaw often stole moments like these, taking time to look and assess, but never longer than she needed to. Instead, she let her sight fall upon a familiar sight – Swanbreeze. The apprentice looked up to the deputy, as he wasn’t a loud-and-proud feline like Dogface, no, he spoke with a more calm and gentle tone. ‘It gives me hope, that someone introverted like me can do so well in a clan,’ she pondered, her haze resting fondly on the grey-and-white tom. A rustle in the trees caused her to flick her eyes away and scan the horizon.

xXxXxThere was something slightly off about this land. The land, and its occupants. Ominous. Robinpaw couldn’t quite figure it out, but when she raised her head again to watch the FogClan cats moving away from the camp, another word arose in her head. Doomed. She shook her fur, chastising herself for the foolish and absurd idea, shaking away the dark images. These cats couldn’t be evil, or even hostile. They’d taken in another clan, a clan of complete strangers, and had even allowed them to hunt in their territory. They were uncomfortable and wary, but then, which sane cat wouldn’t be? Even in your home, with familiar surroundings and knowledge of what your allies can do, a bunch of strangers strolling in is going to put you on edge a little. ‘I need to focus. Hunt. We have to provide for the clan. Clans,’ she silently informed herself, taking a deep breath and suppressing the urge to turn tail and find company in the kinder Snowpaw and Smokepaw.

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{twenty-nine moons}▸{molly}▸{fogclan warrior}▸{camp, then territory}▸{dog, swan, cats (m)}
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xXxXxLarkheart had been watching. Sitting in the camp since before the sun rose, making her name after the morning bird quite an adept one, quietly observing the DawnClan cats. It was likely an odd sight to any of the FogClanners; her laughter was almost always heard early in the morning, a soft, high sound that melted away into the chorus of singing birds. Today was different. Larkheart was suddenly surrounded by strangers, their nervous dispositions evident by low tails, flattened ears and hushed voices. If she was to strike up a conversation with one of the DawnClan cats, was she betraying the Warrior Code? Did she break it by not talking to them? The devout warrior’s tail-tip flicked in irritation as she argued with herself internally. ‘I know they just lost their home… but this territory cannot provide for us all, surely?’ Her face tightened as her thoughts led her deeper into confusion and agitation. ‘But then, if the Clans’ roles were reversed, I would feel great anger and disappointment in fellow followers of the Warrior Code…’

xXxXxThe molly snapped out of her deep musings at the barking of Dogface, calling all able-bodied felines to gather. She rose to her white feet, stretching them out to remove the stiffness that had slithered into them whilst she sat, and approached the black-and-white deputy. She eyed up the other feline, a soft-looking, white-and-grey tom with deep eyes. ‘He looks so… soft, in comparison to Dogface. He must be the DawnClan deputy…’ Her gaze swept over the other newcomers, most revealing anxiety in one way or another – a rapid swishing tail here, wide and wary eyes there – though all showed curiosity of what was to happen, regardless of Clan. Larkheart returned her attention dutifully to Dogface when she resumed her speech, nodding slightly as she took in the information provided. Hunting was a good plan. Assessing the strangers whilst stocking up for meals. She rose quickly at Dogface’s announcement of departure, following dutifully a few paces behind, tail raised high as she slowly returned to her jollier self.

[paper planets]

──── ( ✰ ✰ ✰ ) ───────────────── (( ＲＵＳＨＰＡＷ !!! ✰✰✰

" hold on, hold tight.. come on take me far away tonight! "
✰ ( she cat ) . ( apprentice of fogclan ) . ( fogclan territory ) . ( dogface, hunting patrol ) ✰


Rushpaw had always been extremely dependant and she had always felt comfortable when within the ranks of her own clan, with familiar faces surrounding her. But, now, there were unfamiliar faces everywhere. She was quite jittery at the sheer amount of cats that shuffled around her and she only got glimpses of familiar faces. She had heard Dogface was assembling a large hunting patrol, along with the Dawnclan deputy, and she had jumped at the chance to hunt amungst her clan mates, hunting, as if things were normal once more. But, she had the feeling that things wouldn't be normal for a long time.. Especially when she wasn't normal.

The apprentice weaved through the unfamiliar pelts and she shoved away the feeling of choking as the strange scent of the Dawnclan cats filled her nose. She pushed through the crowd until the black and white pelt of Dogface came into view, then she settled in between two cats of her own clan and she felt the familiar scent of Fogclan that enveloped her calm her nerves. As the cats settled, Rushpaw felt her tense muscles relax and her thumping heart slowed. Perhaps it had been the shuffling paws, lashing tails, suffocating scent and the amount of cats all trying to settle comfortably that has sent the nervous shock through her system. The blue-grey she cat also felt more comfortable now that she had multiple Fogclanners in her sights.

The she cat turned her green gaze to the Fogclan deputy as her voice raised above the thunderous murmuring of the two clans as they all took their places in front of the two deputies. The she cat's voice cut off all conversations and the two clans fell into silence as they listened to Dogface.

A few moments after Dogface had started to speak, Rushpaw's mind was taken up with distracting thoughts. She peered around the Fogclan cat whom she was seated by and let her rounded green eyes travel over the Dawnclan cats. She knew what had happened to them and their clan territory, when they had arrived the night before she had been unable to sleep. She had slunk out of the apprentices den and peered at the tired Dawnclan cats with curiousity clear in her brightened, green orbs. Then, she had eventually heard from her fellow clan mates about the fire that drove Dawnclan from her home and sent them to Fogclan in their peaceful, mountain-side camp. As she studied the cats she wondered if their warrior ancestors had followed them here.. Would her own warrior ancestors be going through the same thing as Fogclan as they tried to situate generations of Dawnclan ancestors into their starry ranks?

Rushpaw hadn't had an exact vision about the Dawnclan cats coming to the camp. She had only see ranks of unfamiliar faces entering Fogclan territory. Flames had danced in the unfamiliar eyes and dark ash had rained down upon the clan of unfamiliar cats as a thick, dark smoke had followed them as they entered Fogclan's territory. The long-pelted she cat had been terrified and she had run straight to Stormstar, fear had glowed through her eyes like the flames that has burned in the eyes of those unfamiliar cats...

"... Those of you who are with me, follow my lead!"

Dogface's voice snapped Rushpaw from her daze and she was pushed to her paws as the cats around her began to move and follow the deputy. As the huge patrols began to file out of the camp, she strained her neck to look over the throng of cats to try and find her mentor among the crowd, but the colourful pelts were blocking her sight and she had to bound forward after Dogface as quickly as she could so that she was not trampled by the forest of legs that stormed after her. She didn't worry about her mentor not being near, instead, she joined into the ranks of Fogclan and kept pace with the longer legged warriors. There were plenty of familiar faces on Dogface's patrol, if her mentor was not part of the patrol, the other warriors would be there.

Rushpaw was able to catch a glimpse of Dogface and she made sure she was, once again, at the front of the crowd. She didn't want to feel trapped while in the middle of crowd, or else she would probably have a panic attack and she didn't want the Dawnclan cats to see that.

[we leaving]

Ｌ Ｉ Ｇ Ｈ Ｔ Ｓ Ｔ Ｒ Ｅ Ａ Ｍ
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♟ ┈ molly ┈ twenty-nine m ┈ fogclan ┈ [ t ] dog [ m ] both clans, swan

meowing. deputies. clans. lightstream couldn't handle it. the mutters and talking irked her ears. her blue eyes drifted up towards the two deputies and leaders. too much fogclan and dawnclan cats were here. she stood to her paws, backing out from the others. her fur. it felt all matted up and dirty. psh, how could it be dirty, like she was rolling around in mud, or dirt? it was just her thoughts. one thing she noticed, is how the cats swarmed the deputies and leaders, like a bunch of mad cats. her ears strained as she heard the yowl of dogface. "thank you for those who have gathered here today." dogface meowed. that made lightstream leap to her paws. relief almost swept lightstream off her paws.

they were finally leaving! excitement bubbled up in her. of course, some of the cat were happy, right? finally leaving, she thought. i'm tired of being here already! suddenly, a lump flew inside her throat. it felt like it made her stop breathing, tossing her thinking off. she just now realized that the territory was split up into half. it felt really strange in her... made her feel zany. the she-cat looked up at dogface as she started speaking again. "those of you that are with me, follow my lead!" she heard. quickly, she pelted towards the fogclan deputy, a bigger lump growing in her throat. thoughts then filled her head, stopping her from focusing. she had too much on her shoulders, feeling like as if large boulders were placed on her shoulders.

it's strange... she thought. having territory hewed into half, and now hunting... her thoughts suddenly drifted off. lightstream snapped back to reality as her stomach bellowed for food. many cats squished her. she hissed, moving out of the way. "take your time. great starclan!" she muttered with irritation. "it's not like something is really important..." now she regret saying that. something was important. it bothered lightstream. a lot. territory split in half. now she just wanted to see the riddance of dawnclan go. her stomach bellowed again, but much louder. she needed to hunt, now. her velveteens inhaled sharply, trying to pick up any scents of prey.

heh, no scents. her stomach had to wait for a while. she needed to pay attention towards dogface now. no time to hunt. why didn't i hunt earlier? lightstream thought. one thing she noticed, is that the hunting patrol was prodigious. aren't they hungry too? she notioned. lightstream continued sauntering, suddenly feeling tired. she ignored every bellow of her stomach. wait... she wanted to say to her stomach. and if she did, then it would catch other cats attention. ignoring the others, she kept moving on. her paws felt tired. she made her way towards the front, as she was tired from getting squished. her coat was matted, again. she hissed, irked again. her whiskers twitched, glancing at dogface. the deputy was settled down.

lightstream decided to take a rest for a few heartbeats. she sat on her haunches, taking a few laps at paw and swiping it over her ears.







Ｉ Ｖ Ｙ
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♟ ┈ lad ┈ twenty-four m ┈ dawnclan ┈ [ t ] xxx [ m ] both clans

"thank you for those—" blah blah blah. ivy thought. this is really boring. "what are they talking about...?" he muttered. his green eyes drifted towards the deputies. they were talking together; about something. of course, if ivy got really close, he'd be sure to interrupt the "meeting." his ears strained as the fogclan deupty, dogface, continued talking. "swanbreeze, and i, dogface, have devised a way to evenly share the terrain between the two hunting grou—"

"wait, what?" ivy gasped softly. his tail flicked with surprise, sitting up on his haunches. "a hunting party? how odd." he muttered. his ears swiveled, continuing to listen. fright crawled in his skin as he heard dogface, "those of you that are with me, follow my lead!" oh dear. he—he couldn't let himself be seen from fogclan! his heart hammered. ivy panicked for a second, disappearing under the bush he was hiding in. he bunched his legs together, ready to leap onto a tree. suddenly, ivy came to a standstill. if he leaped... then obviously, the cats would see him. just jump. his mind whispered. jump—jump! then he leaped. he fastened his claws into the tree, deep into the bark.

he then climbed up, shifting all of his weight to his legs and paws. he had to move quickly. ivy leaped onto a branch, relief sweeping over him. but still, he hadn't realized that his scent was left on the ground. that made him feel angst. he spun around, until he saw the tree bark again. he had to go see what fogclan was doing. following fogclan, he noticed how the cats were all clustered together. silently, he followed. it was hard being mute. leaves rustled, some even plummeting down. i can't be up in these trees. the lad thought. ivy leaped down, landing into a bush. he stayed in the shadows, hoping the dirt that was on his coat hid his scent. his yellow-green eyes were visible, of course. what are they doing? he thought quietly. are they heading back home—or something else?

"oh yeah," ivy now remembered. "they had set up this... hunting party." he also noticed how quiet they were. they must be really tired. the tom followed the same pace as fogclan, glancing at them every heartbeat.