[Deleted]

Sunstride
The Brightest Flame
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire

Adderstrike
The Snake of Treeclan
I am not alone, Not beaten down just yet
I am not afraid,
Of the voices in my head

---

The sun was barely peaking at the bottom of tree line, sweet full-leaf dew was stick stuck to the grasses and leaves in the tall trees. A cooling wind breezed through the Treeclan camp, blowing some of the still morning heat and bringing in a breath of fresh air. The clan was still asleep, cats in there den except for those few who had been out of night watch, who were now returning to their nest since the night was now over.

The broad shoulders of the large, dark ginger snake of Treeclan pushed through the entrance of the Warrior's Den as he made his way out into the camp. Cold, steely blue eyes looked around with what seemed to be a permanent scowl etched across his face. Flicking his tail, Adderstrike reached over to lick what little fur he had left of his scared left shoulder. His rough tongue running against three, old, and deep scars before he shook out his fur and continued his quiet walk towards the camp entrance.

Not long after Adderstrike's exit, came his more calm and collected brother. The younger, white and ginger tomcat's fur was well groomed, each piece of fur correctly put in place to make him look sleek and well kept. He was of course, a perfectionist, any Treeclan cat could tell you that. Sunstride's fur was always well kept, his walk was paced decently and he always brought home a certain amount of prey to take care of the clan. And it always had to be the same amount, not a morsel off.

Sunstride strode through the camp with his decent little walk, stopping by the Freshkill pile, his nose sniffing over each carcass that lay there, his ginger head bobbing as he moved from one piece to another before lifting up his head and continuing his stride towards where his already seemingly agitated brother stood, waiting for the Dawn Patrol to assemble so they could get going. Adderstrike was not the most patient cat in the world. 

"Couldn't find a piece of prey that was perfect enough for you?" Adderstrike sneered at his younger brother, tail twitching with agitation as sneering blue eyes met Sunstride's almost emotion voided green orbs. As unlikely as it seemed, the two actually got a long pretty well, especially with Adderstrike having... well Adderstrike's attitude. There were only a few cats who could put up with the moody ginger tom, and his siblings were most of them.

Sunstride flicked one of his ginger ears towards his brother, ignoring the snide comment about him being a perfectionist. The younger tom took a seat near the entrance, opposite of Adderstrike, before he decided to reply. "I wasn't looking for food, Adderstrike." He started, wrapping his tail around his white paws as he continued after stifling a yawn, "I don't ever eat before Dawn Patrol, you know that. I prefer to eat once my duty has been done."

Adderstrike snorted, it didn't surprise him, he watched Sunstride do the same thing every morning. The older tom just felt like growling at someone this morning, and well his brother was first one out of the den after him, so why not growl at him. Logical, right? Sunstride would be so proud. Sunstride was merely checking the level of the pile so he could make sure how much time he had before he needed to go out hunting to provide for Treeclan.

 Those cold blue orbs glanced up, watching as the sun grew a little higher in the sky, if more lazy cats didn't get up soon, they would soon have an angry snake on their paws. And Adderstrike wasn't gentle with his venomous tongue. Wildpaw could adhere to that statment. He turned his attention back to his brother, who was once again grooming his already perfectly placed pelt. "Is that pest of yours coming?"

Sunstride continued to lick his pelt with his rough tongue, only pausing between every few strokes to respond. "That's up to him." After a moment, he decided he was finished with that one tuff of fur on his chest before turning back to Adderstrike and narrowing his eyes, "Besides, his name is Crimsonpaw." He knew that he and Crimsonpaw never got along that well, but over time and maturing, Crimsonpaw seemed to steadily attempt to learn from Sunstride. "It's about time he receives his name. I've told Lionstar, and I'm sure Crimsonpaw would be quite pleased with become a warrior. I believe he was worked rather hard."

There was another snort from Adderstrike, "Yeah, he's worked hard trying become Grayowl's little puppet." Unfortunately, Sunstride could only silently agree with his brother. It seemed that the warrior Grayowl had Crimsonpaw and Onyxpaw in his terrible, curled claws, holding them on leashes and waiting to use them to his advantage. While it worried Sunstride, it just annoyed Adderstrike, though there was little that didn't annoy the green eyed ginger tomcat.

Ears of both toms twitched and served towards the Warrior's Den as movement sounded inside, "It's about time." Adderstrike grumbled angerly as Sunstride let out a sigh. Today was going to be long, and the Dawn Patrol was not about to be a fun experience.

---

There's this love that is burning, Deep in my soul
Constantly yearning to get out of control
Wanting to fly higher and higher
I can't abide, Standing outside the fire

Down the darkest road, Something follows me
I am not alone
Cause misery loves my company,
Misery loves my company

[Phoenix]

Sootpaw

- - -

It was times like these where he did not mind that he was a light sleeper, waking at odd hours with his mind churning as though it were the middle of the day. His den mates grumbled when they received word that they were to accompany the dawn patrol the next day, but the inconvenience was nonexistent for him. As if on cue, Sootpaw woke as he did every morning, just as hints of the sun’s light began to chase away the darkness. Instantly alert, he rose to his paws, emotionless mask unconsciously falling into place. With mere luck allowing him to avoid stepping on the tails of his fellow apprentices – he certainly did not put much effort into worrying about where he placed his paws if his den mates were foolish enough to sleep sprawled across the den floor – the gray apprentice exited the den to the sound of heavy, even breathing.

A cursory glance of camp told him that, as expected, the majority of the clan were still nestled in their nests. Bickering off to his side drew his attention to the brothers by the warriors den, and pale blue landed on the pair as he recognized them as the warriors with whom he would ensure TreeClan’s continued safety. Gray paws carried him toward the two, and upon approaching them, he merely acknowledged them with a slight inclination of the head. Hind legs folded beneath him as he lowered his haunches to the ground, casting another glance around him. Never one for small talk, he questioned emotionlessly, ”Is anyone else joining us?”

- - -

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:000000]Broken[/smear:ff6633][smear:ff6633]song[/smear:ffffff]

~~~~~~~~~

Tortoiseshell ears pivoted slightly at the sound of stirring in the den. They followed the sound of first one cat, then a second, processing why two figures would have gotten up at such an early time. After deciding that it was more than likely the members of the Dawn Patrol getting ready to go out, the pretty she-cat was just about to let her mind slip into unconsciousness once more. It was right about then that she remembered the previous day. She herself had been assigned to accompany the Dawn Patrol, which meant she needed to get up. Like... Now.

Hazel-green eyes snapped open as her tri-colored head shot up, instantly alert to the world around her. Glancing around, trying to discern the just how light it was outside, and how late she was, Brokensong rose to her paws carefully, keeping her feathery tail nearby as not to accidentally tickle someone's nose. Running a quick tongue over her coat to get rid of any pieces of her nest that might be sticking to her, the mute she-cat decided it would be best for her to stretch once she was outside the warrior's den. Less risk of hitting anyone then.

Dainty paws moved rapidly and carefully across the den, picking her path amongst the maze of sleeping masses. Their even, steady breathing, and the warmth of the den made it almost irresistible to just climb back into her nest and sleep some more, but she had a duty to attend to, and she wasn't about to disappoint the Clan like that. After narrowly avoiding stepping on the big white tom she recognized as Skyfall, the tortoiseshell warrioress had finally made it to the entrance. As she slipped outside into the slowly warming, oddly still air, Brokensong allowed herself to fall into a quick stretch.

Her muscles tightened before steadily relaxing as she lowered the front half of her body. It was a glorious feeling, which she quickly transferred to the front, her hind legs stretching as far as they could. Even her tail seemed to stretch, staying parallel with the ground in a near perfect straight light, before relaxing back into a more natural curve, tail tip flicking out of habit as she resettled properly on her paws. No one would be able to hear it, but a purr rumbled through her chest, one of pure, innocent satisfaction.

Gentle eyes looked up towards the sky, where she could just barely make out a few stars that remained, moments from disappearing into the light of the rising sun. Tipping her head to the side slightly, she couldn't stop herself from sending a silent greeting to the stars above, to one tom in particular who now walked amongst the ranks of StarClan. To a father who always loved, who never gave up hope, and who will never be forgotten. May you strive, renewed, Thornshadow. She closed her eyes then, allowing the breeze that ghosted through the camp to tug at her long, soft fur, unable to keep the smile that danced over her lips at bay.

Now that her gaze had dropped back to the earth below, she spotted the three gathered toms near the entrance to the TreeClan camp. Figuring that they had been waiting far too long already, Brokensong picked up her pace, trotting over to them. Her tail seemed to dance behind her, flicking to and fro, a strangely... Happy air to the mute she-cat. There were some who would still feel some sort of pity for her, because she was born without the ability to speak, presumably without the ability to communicate.

But that idea was false. Perhaps she couldn't communicate in the traditional sense, and it was true that her way of communicating might alarm some cats who weren't used to such a contact-oriented she-cat, but she did have a way. She almost had her own private language, made up solely of body language and gentle touches, or expressions flickering over her expressive visage. All you had to do was take a moment to look, take a moment to try to understand just what it was she was trying to tell you. Then you might be surprised at just how vocal she truly was.

Coming to terms with the idea of personal boundaries, Brokensong didn't approach anyone in particular. She came to a stop at Adderstrike's side, between the snake of TreeClan and the apprentice, whom she recognized as Sootpaw. Offering a smile to Sunstride, who was opposite her, she gave a slight dip of her head in greeting, before doing the same to Sootpaw. When it came to Adderstrike, the more familiar brother to one of her closest friends, the mute she-cat gave him a slightly more comfortable smile, one that had her beautifully colored eyes closing, and her tail flicking contently behind her.

There was a time when she would be far more inclined to simply touch her nose to someone's shoulder, or even to their cheek, but she'd seen far too many alarmed gazes, cats who weren't use to contact that could be perceived as so intimate. Now, she had a tendency to allow others to approach first. If they were familiar with her, comfortable with her, they would initiate the contact, and she would gladly return it. But until then, she settled down easily, turning a questioning gaze to the two brothers, knowing one of them must be the patrol leader.

Now it was a waiting game.

[Deleted]

QUIETSTORM

---

The skinny tomcat's pelt was a disheveled mess when he awoke. Pieces of moss were picked and pushed off of him by his initial stirrings and stretchings. When Quietstorm finally came to his senses, he was in a foul mood. He had had a lot of trouble sleeping and had finally gotten to sleep at a very odd angle for his sore and aching back. Not to mention THIS. Having to get up early was not something the warrior was used to, and the conditions surrounding today's activities were enough to make him heave. Despite being fully awake, the tall tan tom flopped back down from his stretchings and buried his head in his strewn about nest. I hate everything, the TreeClanner thought dramatically before letting out an unrestrained groan.

Quietstorm was seriously contemplating missing out on the dawn patrol, when Brokensong edged past him in the cramped space of the warrior den. Once he could see that he was finally alone, the tom cat rose to his paws with some effort. Standing in the warrior's den, Quietstorm pulled and stretched at his stiff limbs, quivering and trying to make the morning as pleasant as he could make it. I can't let the mute one one-up me like that, the tom thought to himself, using his desire for superiority as his primary motivator for fulfilling warrior duties that Quietstorm felt were, for sure, the result of somebody's spite. 

The TreeClanner finally made it out of the warrior's den to meet his fellow clan mates outside. Blinking a few times to adjust his bright yellow eyes to the startling light of new leaf, Quietstorm looked at who he had as company. "Oh, don't look so excited," the tom spat sarcastically after a few moments of silent waiting. They all wore the same disgruntled look -- a look the somali knew all too well. "Yea, I don't want to be here either. Can we please just get this over with?" the tom half-growled, looking at Sootpaw's clearly unamused features as fuel for sustained frustration.

you'll never make a saint of me

2/6

[Deleted]

Sunstride
The Brightest Flame
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire

Adderstrike
The Snake of Treeclan
I am not alone, Not beaten down just yet
I am not afraid,
Of the voices in my head

---

It was slightly a relief when more cats started to stir and appear from their dens, relieving the brothers of having to sit with each other any longer. A cat could only take so much of either Adderstrike or Sunstride, despite their loyalty and devotion. They were rather annoying toms, to be toms anways. Though it was likely that some cats found other cats more annoying then the two that were waiting for the rest of their patrol to gather around the camp entrance before trailing off to check the border between Treeclan and Nightclan.

The younger, ginger and white tom turned his electric green eyes towards Sootpaw, as Grayowl's son padded forwards, quiet, calm and very well collected for a young cat such as himself. It was a little unsettling for Sunstride, as he saw the same manners in Crimsonpaw at times, as well as his sister Onyxpaw and of course, Sootpaw's ominous father Grayowl. Sunstride would never say something out loud about a clanmate, not unless he had stone cold proof. And why would Sunstride want to seek out proof like that, he wanted to believe his clan just had odd, quiet cats, not cats who were planning heinous and dangerous crimes.

Before Adderstrike could snap at Sootpaw, the young brother spoke up, his voice calm and held in a monotonous sound. "Brokensong will be joining us," He paused, remembering how excited the mute she-cat had been the day before, bouncing around at the fact that she would be going on patrol with Sunstride and Adderstrike. From experience, Sunstride knew that Brokensong felt so at home when she was in the forest, walking around the trees and bushes, just free. "I believe Quietstorm... will be coming with us as well." He turned to look at Adderstrike, making sure that was the correct half sibling of Lionstar that he was naming.

The full ginger tom turned his steel blue eyes from Sootpaw to Sunstride, flicking an ear slightly, "As long as it isn't Appleshade." To which Sunstride wanted to snort too. However, Adderstrike's attention was taken from his brother as both Brokensong, and a couple of pawsteps after, Quietstorm padded over to join their small patrol. There was a small flicker in Adderstrike's tail, nothing more than a tick, unless you were Sunstride and knew most of all Adderstrike's quirks and queries. And his tail tip twitching wasn't one of them.

Letting Brokensong fall into place besides him, the slightly larger tom reached over to touch his nose to the multicolored she-cat's ear. Bidding her both a hello and a warm reassurance that he was glad Brokensong was joining them this morning. As soon as his nose left the warm fur of Brokensong's ear, he turned to the rest of them. "What are you standing around for?" A rather annoyed snap, pin pointed at the other three males that would be in the Dawn Patrol. "Nightclan's going to think we are too lazy to take care of our borders." He growled, before walking forwards, waiting for the rest of the group to follow him.


He paused, only once, while the others pushed past the entrance barrier. Adderstrike's blue eyes sought and found the Nursery den, his ears laid against the back of his head before picking them back up and trotting back to catch up and take the front of the patrol.

Sunstride followed behind his brother, completely aware of the look he watched his brother give to where their deranged sister was currently staying. Most cats didn't think Adderstrike had a weakness, maybe only dead scared the big brutish tom, But Sunstride knew better. The only weakness that the snake of Treeclan had was his sisters, both Gentlebreeze and Moonshimmer, and the white and ginger tom was sure that Brokensong was sneaking up into that very small space. 

---

There's this love that is burning, Deep in my soul
Constantly yearning to get out of control
Wanting to fly higher and higher
I can't abide, Standing outside the fire

Down the darkest road, Something follows me
I am not alone
Cause misery loves my company,
Misery loves my company