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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2015 19:43:46 GMT -5
they say pride comes before the fall, but i am pride, and i am the fall
The sunhigh patrol had just returned to camp and broke apart, with Nettlefur disappearing into Ravenstar's den to report the quiet on the RainClan border. Poisonleaf made her way to the edge of the camp, finding a spot next to the cave wall to rest. With one final glance around camp, the calico she-cat began to lick the mud from her paws, spitting at the foul taste. No matter how often she cleaned herself, or how long she'd lived, she could never get used to that taste and didn't understand how some cats could live with it.
It took time, but eventually her multicolored coat was groomed to perfection. She looked over herself one last time, making sure every hair was in place. Satisfied, she settled herself daintily, tail curling over her small paws tucked close to her. She let her gaze skim over the camp, taking in the various Clan activities. Her pale green eyes narrowed sharply as she skimmed the nursery, catching sight of a certain she-cat. Ghostlight's belly was swollen with kits, the black she-cat lounging on her side, as Poisonleaf's eyes burned a hole through her. The calico's hackles began to rise just watching her. There was so much anger and jealously and hate that came with Ghostlight's pregnancy, and Poisonleaf would like nothing more than to rip the unborn right from her belly and watch the light go out of the other she-cat's eyes.
Movement from the warrior's den caught her eye, and Poisonleaf turned her head to watch another black cat, one she enjoyed the sight of so much more. She rose and moved across the camp, her gait feminine and graceful. She purred as she neared him, bumping her shoulder gently into his. "Blackwolf," she smiled at him, blinking slowly. "Would you like to go hunting with me?" She moved past him, letting her tail drag along his flank, and headed toward the camp entrance, hoping he would follow. She glanced back and flashed him a bright smile, before slipping out of camp and into the marsh.
P O I S O N L E A F
Fawn |
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Post by Fawn on Jan 3, 2015 22:30:27 GMT -5
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If anyone had told him he'd be excited to someday have kits of his own, he would have pulled up his lip and sneered them into silence. But here he was. Older, smarter, tougher, and apparently a little more open to the normal progression of a distinguished warrior's life, Blackwolf was walking with his chin up higher than it was by default. Though his ego was large enough to have its own warrior naming ceremony, it was certainly not built upon empty promises of strength and cunning; he was every bit as capable as others assumed him to be.
But would he make a good father? Blackwolf certainly thought so. He could, at the very least, be better than his own father. A three-legged blind crow could've been a more loving father than Hawkscreech, he had been telling Ghostlight last night, the two soon-to-be-parents spending much of their time together, when he wasn't out hunting to ensure she had a warm piece of prey for her at every meal. If his arrogance wasn't so stifling, the other NightClan cats might've perceived his behavior as sweet if not doting, when directed towards his pregnant mate.
Leaving Ghostlight to tear into a grackle, the jet black tom swaggered across the cavern, his gaze caught on a familiar multicolored pelt, his ears snagged by the sultry voice that went with the fur. "Sure, why not~". He could spare a little time for an old friend. Not that Blackwolf was the king of perception when it came to the moods of others, from what he could pick up on Poisonleaf, the warrioress was in a good mood - or it certainly seemed so as she flirted him right out of camp. So certain of his own romantic status, he didn't see anything wrong with this. It wasn't gonna go anywhere, they had to both know that. Well, it could've gone somewhere once, but apparently Ghostlight preferred loyalty in a tom, and he couldn't see himself breaking her trust without a really good reason.
Blackwolf's lips pulled into a subtle side-smirk; he could say with absolute certainy that when he'd taken Ghostlight as his mate, a dozen hearts had broken themselves in half. If Ghostlight didn't have any female friends before, then she wasn't getting any now. But they'd get over themselves eventually. And if they didn't, she didn't need them anyway.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2015 0:08:23 GMT -5
they say pride comes before the fall, but i am pride, and i am the fall
The calico bounded off in the direction of the black forest. It wasn't the prettiest of places, and there were likely better places to hunt, but Poisonleaf knew it was a place where they were sure to be alone, and that's what she really wanted right now. To get Blackwolf away from camp, to get him by himself, so that it could be just the two of them, and they could have a peaceful outing together. She ran through the trees, scattering pine needles out behind her. Every few fox-lengths she would glance over her shoulder, swelling with triumph as she saw him still following her every time.
As the trees thinned ahead, Poisonleaf slowed. She walked from the dark bark of the live trees to the darker, ashy bark of the dead. "I think here is a good place to start. No patrols have come through recently." 'Nor will one come through soon.' She stalked away from him, light on her paws, tasting the air for prey.
She felt the passage of time as her hunt continued, uneventful, and they ventured deeper into the burned lands. She would catch traces of scents on the wind, but they were gone sooner than she could react to them. Finally, she gave up. Rising from her crouch, she turned her eyes to Blackwolf, moving closer to him. "Blackwolf..." She spoke softly, looking at him with solemn green eyes. "Tell me something. Why did you choose her? Ghostlight, over all the rest?"
P O I S O N L E A F
I have no idea what the fuck I'm doing anymore. Fawn |
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Post by Fawn on Jan 8, 2015 22:50:06 GMT -5
 For a couple of heartbeats, the infamous NightClanner didn't know how to answer Poisonleaf. How was he supposed to explain why he'd chosen Ghostlight? He just had, it made sense on a level of thinking he couldn't really share with others, because he hadn't really thought much about it himself. It had just felt right. Mismatched eyes met the poignant green gaze of one of the few she-cats in this Clan that wasn't drooling at his every move or spoken word; "I just did." Anyone else saying this, it would've sounded lacking, but Blackwolf was one of those cats who rarely knew the emotion called doubt, and his response came out cool and certain, as was the usual.
"I can't see myself choosing anyone else. Why?" Blue and gold narrowed, carrying a goading glint within. "Are you jealous?" This was meant to be a tease and nothing more, though if he really asked himself, deep down, if he thought Poisonleaf had feelings for him, he would've said yes. Practically everyone did. Though maybe that's what he initially liked Ghostlight for - she wasn't some slobbering halfbrain who threw herself at his paws, practically begging him to be one in a multitude of very similar she-cats all vying for his affections (and probably his offspring). Poisonleaf was another one who was different, though he regarded her differently than the way he had with Ghostlight, in the beginning... Poisonleaf had made it pretty clear that she liked being in his company, and she'd fit right into their little posse without too much fuss. She must have felt something for him.
Why else would a she-cat hang around him? Unless she was into other she-cats. .... Come to mention it, he'd never seen Poisonleaf show much of an interest in any other toms. On the cusp of a potentially very strange, friendship-altering epiphany, Blackwolf's expression quickly melted into reproach, lip twitching. "You're not one of those cats, are you?" Cats like... Applewhisker, if he could even bring himself to say the name.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2015 23:40:07 GMT -5
they say pride comes before the fall, but i am pride, and i am the fall
His answer was infuriating. He just did? How in the world do you just pick someone and say 'hey, have my babies and we can be together'? Her eyes narrowed as anger built inside. "I can't see myself choosing anyone else. Why? Are you jealous?"
Yes, actually, very much. So jealous, in fact, that she wouldn't give a rat's ass if Ghostlight and her kits fell off the face of the earth. And, come to think of it, Blackwolf too, if he still had strong feelings for that fat black she-cat. She was collecting her thoughts, trying to figure out how to speak to him without spitting venom onto his fur, when he spoke again.
"You're not one of those cats, are you?" The disgust in his voice was obvious. She jerked back slightly, confused for just a moment. "What? No! Definitely not." It was upsetting that he would even think that about her. Was it really that hard for him to see how she felt about him? It's not like she tried to hide it. She was closer to him than any she-cat, or so she had thought.
"Are you really that blind?" Fantastic. Start off with an insult, that way he doesn't think you mean it. Way to go, Poisonleaf. "Can't you see that I love you? I always have, and yet you still chose her." She spit the pronoun out like it tasted foul. "What does she have that I don't?" Her fur began to rise in anger. How could he, after all they'd been through? Not only was it a low blow to her pride, but had their relationship really been that unimportant to him? "Through everything, I've been there by your side. Does that mean nothing to you?"
Her anger kept rising, and she stared daggers at him. She wanted him to question his decision to choose Ghostlight over her. Wanted him to understand that it was wrong, that it was illogical. He should be hers and hers alone. Why could he not see that? She fought the urge to pace, or to pounce, or to do anything overwhelmingly stupid. So instead she dug her claws into the ground beneath her, gritting her teeth and trying to get her emotions back in check.
She inhaled sharply and raised her eyes to his. "I know I haven't shown it well. But I did try. Apparently I wasn't being obvious enough. Maybe I should have just come out with it. I love you, Blackwolf, but apparently I'm just not good enough for you."
P O I S O N L E A F
Fawn |
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Post by Fawn on Jan 19, 2015 12:42:55 GMT -5
"Can't you see that I love you?"
A better tom than he wouldn't have snorted, wouldn't have reacted as if she was the one out of line, deliberately causing problems in this world he'd set up for himself so perfectly. Was she kidding? His mate was pregnant with their first litter, and now Poisonleaf declared she had feelings for him? This was both shocking, and not shocking at all. She was female, it was only a matter of time, and yet, they had been friends for so long, she, a prominent member of his pack, that he had considered her one of the toms. It wouldn't be out of line for her to have a crush on him, but full blown love? That wasn't what he wanted from her; she had permission to feel that way originally, but after so many moons together, he would have thought those feelings had evolved into loyalty, not love. She was meant to be a reliable (albeit acid-tongued) companion he could count on, especially when he was still allowing Ratfur to hang out with the rest of them. That hateful stare she directed his way was returned with a raised chin and a slight sneer. "Look at you, blaming me for not loving you back." He spat, mismatched gaze hard and with a mocking glint. "I thought you were above this, I thought you were a friend of mine, but noooo. You had to go and get too attached."
If anyone should have felt betrayed, it was him. Poisonleaf wasn't supposed to ruin the dynamics of their relationship, she wasn't supposed to be another slack-jawed she-cat mooning after him as if he made the sun rise each morning. Her jealousy over Ghostlight - that had been the tipping point, him taking Ghostlight for a mate, he now realized - couldn't have been more inconvenient and pointless, in his eyes. Well that's tough toad, isn't it?
He didn't have to listen to this. He didn't have to watch their friendship drown itself right in front of them. What did she think was going to happen? That he was going to suddenly abandon his pregnant mate for her, whose feelings he hadn't even noticed until now? A part of himself hadn't even really thought her capable of loving another tom - not in a romantic sense. He had always thought she could toy with toms, she would have a litter of kits when she felt like it, when she wanted to; never had it occurred to Blackwolf that she would have her heart set on someone, that she would betray his perceptions of her by falling in love the same way he had. He hadn't expected it to be him. Maybe he had liked that about her, in the beginning. That she, like him, wasn't capable of falling in love -- apparently they'd both been wrong about that. Him especially.
"I love you, Blackwolf, but apparently I'm just not good enough for you."
"Oh don't give me that frog dung, Poisonleaf. Not good enough?" The dark tom's body half-turned back towards camp, as if he intended to end this nasty little conversation before she attacked him - or he said something he would truly regret. For whatever their friendship had been worth to her, he added in a low, serious growl that was different from his haughty, embittered words from earlier. "I considered you a friend. I would've killed for you." And Hollowcry. And Ravenstar. And Ghostlight. "You were always good enough for me, it just wasn't in the way you wanted." She had been part of his trusted, inner circle of friends almost since the beginning, she had been his audience and his accomplice, his friend and his fighting partner on more than one occasion.
That made her better than everyone else. For a few heartbeats, Blackwolf almost wished she was into she-cats; then they wouldn't be having this stupid fight, their friendship wouldn't be over, and he wouldn't be mad at her for being just like everyone else.
Amber |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2015 15:54:17 GMT -5
they say pride comes before the fall, but i am pride, and i am the fall
The haughty challenge in his gaze wasn't what she expected as he mocked her. Her she was, pouring her heart out to him, and he had the audacity to mock her? Then again, what had she really expected? This was Blackwolf, after all. He wasn't famous for his empathy and understanding. Did she really expect him to let her down easy?
His words stung, but she pressed on. It was already started, and she couldn't back out now. Even if it was all tumbling out of control, she still had to get it off her chest. She couldn't leave the job half-done. He had to know everything. She added her own sting to her last words, but it apparently had no effect.
"Oh don't give me that frog dung, Poisonleaf. Not good enough?" Again, he rebuked her. He started to turn away, and she felt something snap. She'd never shown heart, always toyed with everyone, but only because there was only one she wanted. And here he was, turning away from her, treating her like a worthless pile of crow-food. "I considered you a friend. I would've killed for you." And I the same. She wanted to scream. To yell at him, to make him see... to make him see what, exactly? She just wanted him to understand. It should've been her. It should've been her. Had she come forth sooner, things could have been, would have been different.
"You were always good enough for me, it just wasn't in the way you wanted." Those last words almost broke her. She had been good enough? Their friendship actually mattered to him? If he hadn't already refused her so harshly, her heart might have soared. All the words meant now, however, was that somehow, somewhere in the distant future, there might be a chance to rebuild their friendship, a friendship that was so obviously shattered by her confessions.
She didn't know what to say to him, but thankfully, she didn't have to. A young warrior came rushing over to them, shouting for Blackwolf. "Blackwolf! I've been looking everywhere for you! Come quick! Ghostlight's kitting!" She waited for him to look at her again, but he didn't. He only grumbled at the warrior for 'not finding him sooner' before racing off in the direction of camp. Watching him leave, her heart breaking, she made one of the toughest decisions of her life.
He might have looked back, but the calico she-cat didn't know, for she was already gone.
P O I S O N L E A F
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