Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
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GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by BlooRey DVD on Aug 14, 2013 23:23:42 GMT -5
[smear:999999]Feathercloud[/smear:ffffff] ~~~~~~~~~
The silver she-cat strode with confidence, her tall, lithe frame weaving easily amongst the group of younger cats. Her sleek, soft silver pelt was perfectly groomed, her fur shining in the sunlight. Her ice blue eyes flicked from one apprentice to the other, her paws carrying her straight up to the den in question. Lionstar had given her the task of helping with the expansion of the apprentice den, space having grown a little cramped in that den since more and more kits had been made apprentices. It was for this particular reason that the newly named warrior was standing before the group of gathered apprentices.
Standing tall to address them all, the silver she-cat began, her strong voice almost teasing as she called out. "Alright, you young TreeClanners! It was brought to my attention that you little ones are running out of space to sleep! It was a bit crowded when I was there, but with all the new apprentices joining you, I can't image you are very comfortable at all. Instead of complaining about it, I have a grand idea! Let's do something about it, hm? Lionstar has given be permission to aid in the expansion of the apprentice's den for you lot. Now, quit your groaning, and let's get a move on, hm?" She was aware that she wasn't much older than some of the apprentices, and there was one in particular that was older than she was. It didn't stop her from playing her little game. You could say that being named Feathercloud had gotten to her head a little bit. Perhaps. But most of it was the simple fact that she loved to tease others, especially a particular tom.
She could still hear some of the apprentices whining, causing her to snort slightly. "Oh come now, you lazy cats! It's not like we have to build anything! The only thing you are being asked is to take some of the wall apart and push what's left further into the den! Now quit your whining and let's move!" She purred at them, shaking her head and ducking into the den. She slipped through the familiar den, a pang of nostalgia sweeping over her momentarily. Moving to the back, where the weaved wall kept as much warmth near the sleeping spaces as possible stood, Feathercloud took a moment to examine it, before rising slightly to begin clawing at it, tearing pieces out. Taking a hold of one of the larger, unneeded branches in her teeth, she signalled for the accompanying apprentices to do the same, she pulled the branch out the entrance of the den, and all the way out to the entrance of the camp. Starting a neat pile, the TreeClan warrior deposited the branch out of the way, pausing to ensure that others didn't block the entrance with their deposits.
She began to trot back towards the den, prepared to duck back in once more, but something stopped her. She paused, where she was certain she would be heard by all the apprentices, calling out to them once more. "Keep it moving guys! You can do it! If this grumbling continues, I'll make you guys do the final weaving too! I was going to be generous and offer to do it for you. Remember, silence is golden!" Laughing, the silver warrior's blue eyes gaze swept over the gathered cats as they grudgingly clamped their jaws shut, her threat having worked to a certain extent.
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Post by Fawn on Aug 15, 2013 15:07:51 GMT -5
[Smear:4b77aa]IRONPAW[/smear:0c468a] 18 Moons. Ex-StoneClan Tom. Six whole moons of Ironpaw's life had passed in the heavily forested embrace of TreeClan; having spent the same number of months in StoneClan since the moment of his birth to beginning of apprenticeship, it wasn't out of the question to compare and contrast the two. From what he remembered of the Clan so aptly named for it's rocky terrain, there was no question as to the openness of the territory, something seemed to mirror in the hearts and minds of the Clan-cats as well, considering StoneClan could claim a great deal of kittypet blood in their lineage.
As for TreeClan, which was old and powerful and somewhat set in their ways, they were still more accepting than other Clans, but not quite to the level that StoneClan had been – to his very scarce knowledge, at least – even without clarifying his origins, Ironpaw was still granted funny looks and none-too-subtle avoidance, queens murmuring amongst themselves as their kits would peer out to get a good look at him.
This didn't bother him as much as he'd thought it would; perhaps because he was in agreement?
He didn't really fit in here, did he?
Too heavy to climb trees or particularly enjoy the snug layout of the forest, Ironpaw oftentimes found himself thirsting for more open environments, to feel the breeze unhindered by dense foliage and immovable trunks, to sink his paws into something a little more solid than dirt. He was missing the mountains more than he'd ever thought he would; ironic how, in his efforts to appease Featherpaw (Feathercloud, now) he had left his home on the promise that he would try to talk sense into his mother, but upon arrival, StoneClan had apparently been chased off into the mountains he'd just left.
No thanks to TreeClan, apparently.
There was one thing that was making his stay in TreeClan somewhat worthwhile, and that was the presence of a particularly hot-tempered she-cat, whose voice he could recognize even from outside of camp, the long-haired dark blue tom trotting through the entrance, past the ancient stump to spot her barking orders to a couple of apprentices. Though technically carrying the title of apprentice, Ironpaw was mentored by anyone in particular, not yet a part of the Clan where he could earn a warrior name from Lionstar and be made a fully fledged member of the Clan. He was in some sort of limbo, not quite a guest and not quite a prisoner of Smokeface's unpleasant war.
”And bossiness is silver?” mewed Ironpaw over the heads of TreeClan's youth, a fully fledged adult though he was still technically of their rank, orange eyes seeking out Feathercloud's bright blue, his radiating a warm humor, his lips pulling back in a grin. He waded through the youngsters to approach her, greeting with a friendly flick of the ear with his tail tip. ”Need any help, or do you have everything under control, Miss Warrior?” I think her rank is starting to get to her head a little. He suppressed a chuckle, meeting her gaze evenly, intending to play along if it would distract him from how down he'd been feeling lately.
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Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
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GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by BlooRey DVD on Aug 15, 2013 19:45:04 GMT -5
[smear:999999]Feathercloud[/smear:ffffff] ~~~~~~~~~
A familiar voice had the silver warrior's ears swivelling around, quickly followed by her head. The pale furred she-cat's ice blue eyes landed upon the warmth-filled yellow-toned eyes of a familiar face, one which had Feathercloud's tail flicking with recognition. Her eyes seemed to light up as she watched Ironpaw approach, though they flared slightly, playfully as she registered the teasing words he had spoken. Her feather-light laugh escaped from her mouth, her tail flicking to and fro, her joy obvious. "Well spoken, Ironpaw. It is indeed. And might I add that it is very... Stunning, hm? Silver is my favorite color~" She teased him as he closed the distance between them.
His grin was infectious, splitting her lips in a smile as she felt the tip of his tail flick her ear tip. It twitched slightly in response, her attentive stare upon him as he spoke once more. "Well, Mister Muscles, I always have things under control. But we can always use help! We could use a big strong guy like you to haul some branches and things." Shifting slightly, she butted him with her rump, grinning and laughing all the while. Letting her tail flick him beneath the chin gently, Feathercloud motioned for him to follow her as she ducked back into the apprentice's den, weaving around a few of them as they exited with their own branches in tow.
Coming face to face with the wall, the silver she-cat's paws began to work at loosening the weave, freeing up some more of the branches. As apprentices approached, she handed them a branch, according to their size and strength. Ice blue eyes flashed in the darkness as she grinned, holding out one of the bigger ones to Ironpaw. "I'm sure you won't have any trouble at all with that one, right Ironpaw? Of course, if you don't think you can handle it, I can always help you out. After all, I am a warrior." Putting some teasing emphasis on the word warrior, Feathercloud's gentle laugh sounded once more as she bent to grasp her own branch. As she began tugging it out the entrance of the apprentice's den, her blue gaze lingered on Ironpaw.
Admittedly, he'd been on her mind a lot recently. Part of her worried about how he felt in TreeClan. He was bigger than a lot of the warriors, obviously a StoneClan cat, and not a TreeClanner. It had been a few moons since he had joined them, and still... She knew that not everyone thought of him as part of the Clan.
The other part of her was distracted by.. Well him. No matter how much she tried to deny it to herself, in her heart she knew that she was developing feelings for the tom. The way he could make her feel... Happy simply by walking up to her, it was intoxicating. A distracted glaze covered her eyes momentarily as she hauled the branch outside of camp, depositing it on the pile and straightening the gathered branches as best as she could. Once satisfied, she glanced up, almost hoping that he would be right behind her.
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Post by Fawn on Aug 15, 2013 20:17:23 GMT -5
[Smear:4b77aa]IRONPAW[/smear:0c468a] 18 Moons. Ex-StoneClan Tom. "You may be a warrior but I'm still older than you," he mock-growled through the sturdy branch clamped between powerful jaws, the heavily built tom parting the apprentices with little regard for the smaller paws he might be treading on accidentally. A charcoal gray kitten, the spitting image of her father, Grayowl, glared at Ironpaw as he passed by, making no attempt to hide her dislike, one paw lifted as though it had been a victim of his heavy stride.
Feathercloud's laugh was what made his time spent in TreeClan the most bearable, made it easier to fall asleep in his own nest separate from the other apprentices - he was too big to possibly be with the other apprentices, and it wasn't as though he was getting any sort of formal training - made it easier to put up with all of these trees and so few glimpses of the sky. The closest thing he saw to it without having to go well out of his way to find a place where the trees thinned, was in Feathercloud's eyes.
Dropping the stick onto the pile, Ironpaw raised a paw to wipe the detritus off a rough pink tongue, shaking it from his whiskers as well - a low rumbling purr rising up in his throat when he noticed Feathercloud looking at him. "As you can see, I handled it." He mewed back, in no rush to get another stick. It was nice just to spend a little time with her, though another kitten - an impatient looking apprentice by the name of Barkpaw butting against the strange-smelling foreigner with the top of his head. "You're in the way! Move!" He grumbled through the stick, and Ironpaw snorted.
"That's how you talk to someone who's got at least 10 moons on you? Ask me again, nicely this time." Ironpaw wasn't truly upset, but could borrow a little of Feathercloud's superiority in the face of such a rude little pipsqueak, regarding him with a boredly narrowed orange eye.
Barkpaw bit the stick harder, glaring at him - and then addressed Feathercloud. "Feathercloud, tell this Mountain cat to get out of the way! He's blocking the whole stick pile."
Ironpaw's ears almost flattened. Great StarClan this kit can whine.
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Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
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GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by BlooRey DVD on Aug 15, 2013 21:08:32 GMT -5
[smear:999999]Feathercloud[/smear:ffffff] ~~~~~~~~~
Much to her joy, Ironpaw's familiar, large figure appeared, hauling the branch she had given him all the way to the pile of sticks that had been gathered. Letting her purr join his, the silver warrior grinned back at him, her tail curling slightly. She glanced from the large branch he had brought, back to him before giving a slight dip of her head. "I do see that you handled it. And very well, I might say. I'll be sure to report that to those observing your training!" She told him, the playful glint ever present in her gaze.
Another voice caught her attention, however, drawing her gaze away from Ironpaw, to the much smaller figure of Barkpaw hauling his own stick. The slight narrowing of her gaze, and the way she seemed to inspect the apprentice depicted her dissatisfaction with the way he spoke to Ironpaw. Staying silent for the time being, Feathercloud let Ironpaw address the younger apprentice.
It wasn't until Barkpaw's impatient gaze was turned to her, a terrible whining sound escaping him as he addressed her, that Feathercloud straightened slightly. With a soft snort, she gazed down upon the apprentice, tail tip twitching to and fro. "Barkpaw, you should know better than to speak to anyone that way. Next time, perhaps choose a better fitted, nicer way of speaking. You'll find it tends to work a bit better, hm?" She told him, her voice a little on the stern side. She made an effort to control her temper around the younger cats. After all, she'd been just like them not all that long ago.
Even so, that was no excuse for Barkpaw to be treating Ironpaw so rudely. "Watch your tongue, Barkpaw, or I'll let your mentor know he needs to train your manners as well. When you come to your senses, I expect an apology for Ironpaw." Turning her attention away from Barkpaw and back to Ironpaw, the silver feline tipped her head back towards the apprentice den, indicating they should head back that way. "Ironpaw, let's move out of the way because we were asked so nicely." With one final, stern glance in Barkpaw's direction, the she-cat set off, back to the work area. This time, however, her pace was slow, easily allowing Ironpaw to catch up to her if he chose to.
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Post by Fawn on Aug 16, 2013 20:18:13 GMT -5
[Smear:4b77aa]IRONPAW[/smear:0c468a] 18 Moons. Ex-StoneClan Tom. The smaller tom gave Feathercloud a rather mutinous glare, before he let the fire of indignation die and accepted her words with a gruff nod; Ironpaw smirked. Serves you right, you little earwig. Ironpaw didn't necessarily want an apology from Barkpaw - he highly doubted it's sincerity, not to mention he wasn't particularly disgruntled by the whole ordeal, despite how he might look - but he listened nonetheless as Barkpaw swallowed his pride, choking out the words "Sorry," with a meaningful glance in Feathercloud's direction, as though begging to be excused so he might hate the outsider in relative peace.
When Feathercloud returned to their present project, Ironpaw took his time, surveying the progress that had been made so far - as well as observing how much of a wide berth they were giving him. He wasn't the only 'strange face' in TreeClan these days, the incorrigible loner-turned-Clan cat - Zephyrfang, or something - had joined after professing his love for the mute warrioress Brokensong, and no one else was giving him quite as much grief as Ironpaw was getting.
The blue tom's tail tip twitched, a little annoyed.
Finally shifting from his spot, the stocky StoneClan-blooded tom put on an extra burst of speed to catch up with Feathercloud, brushing along the length of her body to speak just by her ear, not wanting to be overheard by the little pests they were surrounded with. "As soon as we're done here, want to go for a walk? I'm in the mood to go somewhere without so many trees." She would understand. He'd spent most of his life in the mountains - feeling crowded or 'blocked in' by the forest she called home wouldn't be an exaggeration of any kind, or him being over-dramatic. He needed to feel some stone under his paws, no more roots and the leafy detritus of a forest floor walked through by so many others.
He needed a little more 'wilderness' and a little less 'endless forest'.
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Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
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GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by BlooRey DVD on Aug 16, 2013 20:48:32 GMT -5
[smear:999999]Feathercloud[/smear:ffffff] ~~~~~~~~~
The silver warrioress had gone back to work soon after the conversation with Barkpaw, though she hadn't done anymore hauling branches. She had remained mostly inside the den, tearing the bits of the wall that needed to be torn off down with swift paws. When the branches began piling up again, Feathercloud grabbed one and made the journey once more, her pace quickened, as though she wanted to finish this task to be able to move onto something else. She couldn't figure out why she was feeling this way, but she just felt that she needed to be somewhere else at the moment.
As she made her way back towards the den, the silver she-cat paused, allowing some of the apprentices carrying branches to exit before she ducked in. She didn't have a chance to move, however, as someone was suddenly brushing up against her side, freezing her to the spot, making her fur prickle slightly in surprise. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the feeling of the blue fur mingling with hers. It was the fact that perhaps she enjoyed it a little too much. Feeling her skin heat up beneath her pelt, the warrior flicked her tail slightly, ear pivoting to mask her surprise. She was standing a little stiffer than normal, hyperaware of his fur against hers.
When his voice reached her ears, his breath tickling one of them slightly, Feathercloud felt almost as though he had just shared a secret with her. An odd giddiness filled her chest, and slowly she turned her head to focus her blue eyes on him. Conscious of just how close they were, close enough that if she leaned forward a little, they would touch noses, Feathercloud concentrated hard on dipping her head, barely able to utter her two word response. "Of course..."
Quickly turning from him to hide the embarrassment that threatened her, she ducked back into the den, ordering the apprentices to stand back from the wall. It lay on the ground now, too thin to reach both sides of the branch they stood in. After messing with it for a second, Feathercloud was able to get it upright again, pushing it further back into the den until it jammed on the sides. Examining it quickly, the silver she-cat made a few adjustments, weaving a few smaller branches into its frame to ensure it would remain standing, even if an apprentice were to accidentally hit it in their sleep.
Once satisfied with their job, the silver she-cat congratulated the apprentices for their hard work, giving them one final order of clearing their den of any remains of their handiwork. With that said, she pivoted, her sharp blue gaze landing upon Ironpaw once more. Without saying another word, Feathercloud dipped her head to him, tail waving behind her, before she headed out of the camp entrance. She wasn't all too sure what the point of this journey was. She knew that Ironpaw wasn't used to living in a forest, and that he more than likely wanted to get out for a bit. But was there a reason he was bringing her along too? Unsure of where exactly he wanted to go, she kept her pace slow, glancing over one shoulder to ensure he was following. She would let him pass her, and she would follow him to wherever he wanted to go.
What is he thinking about...
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Post by Fawn on Aug 18, 2013 16:18:10 GMT -5
[Smear:4b77aa]IRONPAW[/smear:0c468a] 18 Moons. Ex-StoneClan Tom. Throughout the duration of his stay with TreeClan, it hadn't really occurred to him to visit StoneClan's abandoned territory; for one, he'd never considered himself still a StoneClan cat, so what did he care? And two, even if he went to go check it out, what would he possibly expect to find? A message left over from his family? Deep in his heart of hearts, the dark blue tom was still wishing for a sign, some semblance of familial love from the kin who had chased him out and presumed him dead.
Leaving behind the now familiar territory of his host Clan, Ironpaw felt the tension start to leave his body, fully aware of Feathercloud's silence, which was entirely unusual in of itself; he couldn't help but call attention to it. ”You're awfully quiet.” He observed, tone expectant as if she might have something to share on the matter, ”Usually silent and brooding is my job.”
So sharp was the contrast between now and only a few heartbeats earlier when she'd been putting the apprentices to work, that he began to be legitimately concerned that she was unwell or unhappy about something. Observing her in all her silence, Ironpaw's ears went sideways momentarily; is she uncomfortable around me now too? Had suddenly bridging the gap between apprenticeship and warriorhood unintentionally set her against him? No...he was being paranoid. Maybe she was quiet now due to maturity and not some kind of strange falling out between them?
Maturity. Ironpaw resisted the urge to snort out loud, walking alongside the beautiful sparkling brook which led all the way to StarClan's Claws – the only place safe for them to cross into StoneClan – Feathercloud had changed a great deal over the past few moons, and while yes he supposed he could owe it in some part to maturity, physical at least, he still couldn't look at her without seeing that aggressive, hot-headed loud-mouthed bossypelt she-cat he'd first met in the Mountains. Looking back on their first encounter now, Ironpaw couldn't fight off a small smirk; hadn't she gotten herself lost and delirious from dehydration?
She completely owed him for that. Not for saving her life and following up with her to make sure she didn't die out there – but for not telling her Clanmates what he considered to be a pretty embarrassing story.
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Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
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GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by BlooRey DVD on Aug 21, 2013 18:13:38 GMT -5
[smear:999999]Feathercloud[/smear:ffffff] ~~~~~~~~~
The change in him was tangible. The moment they stepped out of TreeClan's territory, the tom seemed to relax, the tightness that had been sitting in his shoulders melting off of him as though it never existed. The opposite effect seemed to take over the she-cat. She could suddenly feel the tension, like a sudden weight on her shoulders. Blue eyes glanced about wearily as the pair padded past StarClan's Claws. She could tell now that they were heading towards StoneClan's old territory, which had the she-cat's tail twitching to and fro in a slightly uncomfortable manner, but her steps never faltered.
And then he spoke, wondering at her silence. She started slightly, her paws threatening to cause her to face plant. Catching herself quickly, she scoffed slightly, giving her shoulders a shrug. "Brooding? I'm not brooding! Silent.. Maybe, but I was just thinking, that's all." Picking up her pace, the silver she-cat pulled ahead of him, her tail flicking behind her. She held her tail high, almost in a sign of defiance, as though whatever the tom had said was absolutely ridiculous. The further she pulled away from him, however, the more uncertain she suddenly felt, the burst of courage crushed almost instantly.
Her tail dropped slightly, and the silver warrioress glanced over her silver shoulder, back towards the dark blue furred tom. Pausing to allow him to catch up, the she-cat glanced towards the territory she was moments from crossing into. She wasn't sure what had her speaking again, but suddenly she was blurting out more words. "I'm just.. Not used to the idea of going into StoneClan territory, I guess. I mean.. Sure they aren't there anymore... But it's still... Their's, you know?" Her blue gaze turned back to the rocky terrain that began unfolding in the distance. Silver paws hesitated along the border as Feathercloud pulled herself to a complete stop.
Suddenly wishing for the familiar, comforting feel of his fur against hers, the warrioress remembered the last time she had set out onto terrain similar to StoneClan's. Her paws seemed to throb at the memory of the hard ground, rocks pricking and cutting into her paw pads whenever she wasn't careful. Glancing around wearily, the silver feline had to suppress a shiver that threatened her. Her claws stretched out, scrapping at the ground, her hesitation clear. "I guess... I'm just not made for rocky terrain..." She whispered, though it was mostly to herself, silver pelt prickling ever so slightly.
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Post by Fawn on Aug 22, 2013 18:05:58 GMT -5
[Smear:4b77aa]IRONPAW[/smear:0c468a] 18 Moons. Ex-StoneClan Tom. Oh. So she was just uncomfortable because they were technically going into another Clan's territory; Ironpaw supposed he could believe that. Considering he hadn't grown up with this whole 'boundaries' thing, as there was no territory disputes or respect for certain spaces in the mountains, it would make sense that a Clan cat would view this little excursion a little differently. Suddenly made aware of another possible reason for her strange behavior, Ironpaw surged forward to catch up, brushing his dense blue coat against hers as he retook the lead.
”It's not some kind of weird TreeClan guilt, is it? For letting StoneClan lose their territory?” This was likely a sore topic for some TreeClanners – at least the few who hadn't sided with Lionstar's decision not to raise a paw in StoneClan's aid, but given Feathercloud's diehard support of her mentor, he didn't anticipate her to get too affronted. After all, her precious leader could never make a bad decision in his life.
When Ironpaw had first heard the news that StoneClan had been chased into the mountains, he had viewed it as some kind of twisted form of karma; if the Clan that housed blood-traitors like his own family had been given the same treatment as he had, then they probably deserved it. Holding onto this aggressive, cold view, it had taken Ironpaw a few sleepless nights to come to grips that an entire Clan was likely dealing with all the misery and pain and confusion that he had when he'd first been chased off.
If it was an entire Clan, then it must've been kits, queens and elders kicked out as well – cats who did not deserve that kind of treatment. This had invoked an ire towards LightningClan and RainClan that Ironpaw hadn't anticipated feeling; finding his anger towards them unusual but not unwelcome. It meant he still felt connected to StoneClan, no matter how small that connection might be.
As the days rolled past and the moons waxed and waned, Ironpaw had been thinking more and more about TreeClan's involvement – or lack thereof – in StoneClan's unnecessary banishment. From what he'd been able to glean, Lionstar had deemed it not a battle worthy of spilling TreeClan blood, and had even turned away a desperate cry for help from a StoneClan warrior, the golden tom only bothering to spare a handful of fighters to go and aid StoneClan in a battle they knew they couldn't win. He probably sent them just to clear his conscience a little.
Ironpaw's lip curled, glancing away so Feathercloud could not see his expression, forcing his features to relax.
For the nobility that apparently surrounded TreeClan's leader like a golden ray of light, there was one young tom who was struggling to see it.
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Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
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GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by BlooRey DVD on Aug 27, 2013 11:19:31 GMT -5
[smear:999999]Feathercloud[/smear:ffffff] ~~~~~~~~~
For a brief moment, Feathercloud felt relieved, the feel of Ironpaw's thicker, dark blue fur brushing against hers as he bounded to catch up. If she hadn't currently been walking forward, she might just have leaned into his touch. She felt a bizarre sort of... yearning for his touch. She couldn't quite place it, her head still trying to wrap itself around what her heart had been trying to tell her for quite a few moons now. And yet... For all the times Feathercloud had ever spoken what she felt, she couldn't find it in her to fully accept it.
It was almost as though a part of her didn't want to trust him with her heart. It couldn't be because he was technically a StoneClanner. His origin didn't bother her like it bothered others. And yet... She couldn't deny the fact that there was something about their current situation that kept her quiet. Her blue eyes stared down at the ground, half lidded, almost as though she were being filled with a sadness that she could not place. Her silver tail flicked behind her as the silver TreeClan warrior simply continued to pad forward, leaving the border behind her.
When Ironpaw spoke, something that he said hit her hard. It raised within her the desire, the need to protect TreeClan. Though Ironpaw hadn't said anything that was really against TreeClan, something was setting off the alarm bells in the silver feline's head. Her paws stopped moving suddenly, leaving Feathercloud standing in StoneClan territory. Her eyes were opened properly now. They burned with a cold fire as she fixated her icy gaze upon the figure of Ironpaw, not caring if he turned to look at her or not. Her lip twitched slightly, and she could feel the fur along her spine beginning to prick to attention.
"TreeClan guilt?" Her voice held a weariness to it as she gazed at him questioningly. There was a defensive air about her as her tail twitched and curled, almost like an adder preparing to strike. She never lifted her hardened gaze from Ironpaw's figure, letting her sleek, shining silver fur bristle as she remembered his words. "Letting StoneClan lose their territory..?" Her claws would have dug into the ground below their paws, but instead, they were left to scratch against the hard stone below. It wasn't the same, it wasn't as therapeutic as the dirt was, in fact, it seemed to only succeed in making her more uncomfortable.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
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Post by Fawn on Aug 27, 2013 13:32:50 GMT -5
[Smear:4b77aa]IRONPAW[/smear:0c468a] 18 Moons. Ex-StoneClan Tom. Was she kidding?
Everything about her screamed defensiveness and agitation, as though he had somehow picked at a raw nerve; Ironpaw snorted, shaking his dark blue head as he turned around to face her. ”What are you getting so upset over? The truth?” Orange eyes darted to the small silvery paws currently trying to grip at the rocky, unyielding soil with needle-sharp claws. ”In the six moons that I've been here, Feathercloud, I was able to find out what happened to StoneClan – did you ever ask Lionstar what he did? Or what he didn't do?” Had she really just gone through her new status as a warrior without a care in the world?
That wasn't like her. Or maybe she'd been so relieved that Smokeface was gone with the rest of StoneClan, and thus the threat to her mentor had been eradicated that she felt happy the fifth Clan was absent from the forest? That made sense. Even if Feathercloud didn't yet realize it for herself, TreeClan had come out of the battle with a lot of good things; more territory, the threat to their leader gone, and with a chance to eliminate border squabbles once and for all.
Shame it had to come at the cost of an entire group of cats.
Ironpaw felt a small spike of anger as he once again, considered the betrayal and the anger and the hurt StoneClan was likely to feel because of such a disgusting injustice, of TreeClan all but turning the other cheek while StormClan drove them to the mountains. ”Actually here's a better question, how could you not feel guilty? And don't stand there and tell me that TreeClan is blameless in all of this. I'm not even speaking as a StoneClan cat,” he lifted his chin, his eyes narrowing into hard orange slits. ”I'm speaking as an outsider looking in.”
She may not see how TreeClan was at fault here, considering she was the leader's former apprentice and had been a TreeClan cat all her life, but Ironpaw's view was different. His was removed, able to look at the forest with minimal bias; it wasn't as if he was jumping at the chance to rejoin is old Clan. He wouldn't deny that there was a part of him that was still StoneClan, but he wasn't letting that dominate his thoughts lately; he was letting his ability to sympathize with the victims, having faced very similar circumstances, rule his head and heart for the time being.
If Feathercloud had a problem with that, then he was more than willing to handle it.
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Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
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GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by BlooRey DVD on Aug 27, 2013 21:24:55 GMT -5
[smear:999999]Feathercloud[/smear:ffffff] ~~~~~~~~~
"The truth?!"
Her screech tore into the otherwise silent air as her anger burst through her. She could feel it, burning hotter than a wild fire, ripping through her in an instant. It was reflected in her eyes, which were a perfect contradiction. Cold as ice, yet heated by a fire. "How dare you? You have no idea how difficult a decision Lionstar had to make! I don't expect you to ever understand, but here, for us Clans, the best interest of the Clan is what is most important. By the time the StoneClan warrior made it here, who knew how much damage StoneClan had already taken?"
She snarled at him, refusing to go any closer than she was. Her tail was now lashing in her anger, her voice rising, threatening to screech with every heated word that fell from her mouth. "Two Clan against one... What would have happened to TreeClan if, by the time we got there, the StoneClan cats had already almost been completely subdued, huh? Then it would be TreeClan versus the force of StormClan. Lionstar made the decision he did for the best interest of TreeClan as a whole. We didn't agree with what StormClan did. We didn't back them up on their endeavour."
By now her eyes were beginning to sting, her chest tight with anger as she spat the words out at Ironpaw. The tone in her voice could be called by no other name than disgust. She couldn't believe what Ironpaw had said, what he had implied. "We didn't do anything wrong. Lionstar was protecting his Clan, and that's the vow we all take at some point in our lives. We don't swear to protect another Clan, even at the cost of our lives." Her fur continued to bristle, her anger radiating from her as she finished.
"How could I expect you to understand? You said it yourself, you're an outsider. You have no right to judge Lionstar's, or TreeClan's actions." With the final, snarling hiss, the silver feline turned on her heels and took off. She tore across what little StoneClan territory they'd walked on, streaking straight passed StarClan's Claws, before throwing herself back into the comfort of TreeClan's territory. As the tears stung at her eyes, her heart seizing with anger, she didn't stop. She couldn't. She ran and ran, ducking and weaving around trees, heading nowhere in particular, until her body could take it no longer.
Her lungs were burning by the time the silver warrioress slowed to a stop. Her shoulders sagged as she fought to regain her breath, panting heavily. She didn't even care where she was. She just didn't care. Sinking to her haunches, the silver felines weakly looked about, noticing how parched she was feeling. Somewhere in the nearby area, her ears picked out the sound of a stream. Rising on shaky, tired limbs, Feathercloud padded forward slowly until she came across the little stream. Bending to lap at the water, she felt its cool touch against her tongue, quenching the thirst she had acquired during her run.
Once satisfied, she slowly sunk to the ground, staring at the gentle stream as it splashed on by. Reaching a paw out, she dipped it in the cold water, feeling the way it swirled around her outstretched paw, seeping between her paw pads. It was almost... Relaxing. She didn't remove her paw immediately, instead playing with the water, swishing her paw about tiredly. Somewhere, she thought she heard the approach of paw steps, but between the exhaustion from her run, the anger that was still causing her pelt to prickle slightly, and a near overwhelming, inexplicable sadness.... The sound was the least of her worries.
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Post by Fawn on Aug 28, 2013 20:31:25 GMT -5
"Sometimes the Clan that does nothing at all is worse!"
Ironpaw shouted after the furious she-cat, his own tail lashing from side to side with movements sharp enough it looked as though he might severe the grass blades. I have no right to judge Lionstar? Oh I don't, do I? And she had no right to be so completely blind to the truth. She's only taking his side because he's her mentor, because she's TreeClan, Ironpaw spat on the ground, feeling raw anger, like a fire that had just been stoked, flood into his veins, his teeth showing in a terrible snarl.
If he didn't have a right to judge Lionstar for his unwillingness to help prevent a Clan from being massacred, then who did?
StarClan?
As if prepared to challenge them to a fight, Ironpaw's dark blue muzzle was lifted towards the sky, his expression as hard and cold as his namesake. ”And it's not as if you aren't just as much to blame for all of this.” What good were prophecies if no one was going to actually heed them? What good were prophecies if even if they did try to do something about it, it was just going to happen anyway?
Ironpaw stared at the spot Feathercloud had last occupied, his expression grim, the anger still roiling beneath his fur.
He was getting pretty sick of TreeClan right about now.
~*~
Great StarClan, what's the matter with Feathercloud?
He knew she was upset over Silverpaw's unexpected journey into the mountains, but he hadn't anticipated that it would show like this; the she-cat looked like an absolute mess, as though she'd run all the way around the forest twice.
She probably doesn't want to be disturbed. Said the sensible voice inside his head, but the other voice, the stronger voice, wouldn't let him just walk on past without saying something, without finding out what was wrong.
Sprucefur set down the squirrel he was carrying, calling softly in an attempt at breaking her reverie, ”Have you taken up fishing as a hobby? Or is something on your mind?” And if she tells you to go away, that's exactly what you deserve nosyfur.
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Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
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GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by BlooRey DVD on Aug 28, 2013 21:10:24 GMT -5
[smear:999999]Feathercloud[/smear:ffffff] ~~~~~~~~~
A soft voice broke through her thoughts, snapping her out of her daydream the way the approaching paw steps had not. Blue eyes blinking in startled confusion, the silver feline glanced over her shoulder. When she found the tom who had spoken, she hesitated for a moment, as though she didn't recognize him. Still coming out of her distracted, angry state, the silver warrior probably wouldn't have recognized her own mother. ...Okay, bad example. She didn't speak to her mother these days anyway. When everything finally clicked into place in her mind, Feathercloud blinked once more, before glancing back towards her paw, which was still soaking in the chilling waters of the stream.
"I'll leave you to guess which is the answer to that." When she spoke, her voice was flat, lacking the usual spunk it carried around. Pulling her frozen paw from the waters, she flexed it, curling her claws towards her paw pads, hoping to return feeling to her numbed paw. She repeated the procedure a few times, waiting until she could feel again. She considered leaving Sprucefur with what she had said, and simply walking away... And yet a part of her felt guilty for even thinking that.
Don't take out the bad mood Ironpaw set upon you on Sprucefur. He's never done anything wrong to you. She scolded herself. The thought had her turning to face the lighter colored version of TreeClan's leader once more, examining him in silence for another moment. She took note of the squirrel that was laying by his paws, and her long plume-like tail flicking slightly on the ground. As she rose to her paws slowly, her muscles didn't exactly agree with moving again just yet. Ignoring their protests, she padded forward until she was standing right about in front of him. With another glance at the squirrel, she made a slight nod towards it, indicating it.
"Nice catch. You done hunting, or are you planning on going out again? If you're planning on continuing, mind if I join you?" Though her voice was still drier than it should have been, at least the silvery she-cat seemed to be interested in something other than her blank staring into the stream. As she awaited Sprucefur's reply, she turned her usually sharp blue gaze back towards him, meeting his gaze evenly.
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