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Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2015 23:13:08 GMT -5
Smokefur descent from the mountains had left her feeling less like the prophetical bringer of salvation and more akin to a poorly groomed, starved she-cat. Her meticulous grooming habits had been left on the wayside so she could complete the mission that had been handed down to her from the highest of authorities, and she had to move quickly or the mission would end a complete and utter failure. Alas she wasn't alone in her return, and toting a scrap of kit with her made the nonstop journey back to Nigthclan even more uncomfortable. She had no way to feed the kit, and she couldn't afford to stop which would put his already fragile life in further risk.
She had been travelling for what felt like lifetimes, and her short time in the mountains left her feeling aged, both physically and emotionally. Her current state did little to help these feelings as she was afraid she was as close to dying of hunger as the kit, she had no time to hunt and in the mountains she lacked the ability as well. It however was not all a loss as she felt the pull of starclan guidance stronger than she had ever before, and she thought it was her state of being that made this possible. With all the time in the world to be with herself, shutting out the kits mewling as best she could, she wondered how her return would be received. Even more so she wondered how well the little tom would fair with her prejudiced sister as the clans leader, she loved her so but feared what she perceived as a darkness in her heart.
Smokefur was not clear on the meaning of her mission even if she was positive of its importance, the messenger doesn't have to understand the message after all. These feelings of righteous passion burned along side her faith and kept her paws steady as her body weakened with each step, but as if to signal she faith was being rewarded she found herself staring at the entrance to Nightclan camp as it grew larger with each step she took. Finally she pushed her way into camp, and it seemed as if her legs were going to give out. They couldn't however, as the hardest steps of the journey were taken leading her towards her sisters' den. She ignored all her clanmates not hearing a word as she stepped in unannounced, she knew she would find her sister inside. Her state left her with a heightened sense the grand scheme, she was tuned into her ancestors and she knew this is where the battle would begin.
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Post by Fate Admin on Jan 28, 2015 21:14:20 GMT -5
Sitting her nest, Ravenstar went through the monotonous and exceedingly time consuming task of grooming her ridiculous fur, cursing under her breath with every long stroke of her tongue. Why couldn’t she have been born with Blackbird’s short, dense fur? Palegaze had cursed her with her own long fur instead. Grimjaw and Smokefur had been lucky enough to inherit their father’s short fur, but not her. Though if she thought about it, without her longer fur she would appear even smaller. She was cursed either way. She snorted derisively at her own idiotic situation as she groomed her plume of a tail.
Glancing toward the entrance to her den, she noted the fading of what little light penetrated NightClan’s camp. The dusk patrol should be going out soon. Her ears angled forward as suddenly murmurs and exclamations broke out in the main part of camp. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she stood, but failed to move further as paw steps sounded at her den entrance and a faded but painfully familiar scent drifted down the narrow tunnel of a cavern she called her den. Her usual pungent scent, full of the scents of various herbs, was masked by that of cold and stone and wind, but beneath that it was still there, unmistakable.
“… Smokefur?” Her pale eyes widened in the darkness as her sister came to a stop before her. She lifted her paw, hesitant, unsure, and stepped forward, disbelieving. She stepped closer, stiff and tense, as though moving too quickly would cause her sister to dissolve before her eyes. Her tone was hushed, giving away all her uncertainty, “Am I… dreaming…?” Surely she had to be dreaming. Smokefur was dead, she had resigned herself to that thought. She was never coming back. In her shock and confusion, she had yet to notice the little bundle her sister carried with her.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2015 21:46:13 GMT -5
Smokefur noted that her sudden presence had widened the eyes of her sister, "...Smokefur?" Her sister ventured as she lifted a paw, the medicine cat's gaze fell to the paw and lingered there for a few moments before it rose again to look into Ravenstar's eyes as she asked "Am I... dreaming...?" Smokefur waited a long while before walking over and setting the kit down half a tail length from her, lowering herself to the ground she wrapped around the kit to keep it warm. "It is me sister." She said ignoring the look she knew she had to be getting from Ravenstar in favor of grooming the kit to warm it up.
"Ravenstar, I have returned from my mission." She said triumphantly, even though she knew the hardest part of her journey had begun. Days of endless travel, an empty stomach and bleeding paws were nothing compared to the ridicule she was sure to face from her sister. "This was my mission from Starclan..." She said as she moved her head, showing the bundle to her sister. She hoped that her close proximity to Ravenstar would keep their conversations private from prying ears. She could think of a few that would stick their noses where they most certainly didn't belong, and Blackwolf was her chief contender. The cat she would be seeing personally within the next few days, she had things to discuss with him as well.
"Where do we start my dear sister? It has been a trying few moons for me." She said before looking deep into her sisters eyes waiting for what she could only describe as the most dangerous game to begin.
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Post by Fate Admin on Jan 29, 2015 20:37:28 GMT -5
The silence drew out between them and Ravenstar could only stare, afraid to blink and open her eyes again from that brief instant of darkness to see no one standing where her sister now stood. Her fur fluffed out as Smokefur made her way closer and Ravenstar finally saw what it was her sister had returned with. Her eyes widened further, for a moment, then narrowed in confusion and suspicion. She watched as Smokefur began to groom the tiny scrap of fur, but her sister spoke before she could say anything about it.
Her mission? Featherpaw had said Smokefur’s paws were guided by StarClan when she’d disappeared. Ravenstar wasn’t sure if that was true or not, Featherpaw was so young with very little training at the time. She couldn’t believe her sister would leave the Clan with an untrained medicine cat. What could possibly have been more important than training the Clan’s healer? She stared down at the kit which was apparently her answer. Her plumed tail twitched behind her as she raised her pale yellow gaze to her sister’s blue.
The first thing she could think to say spewed forth, a low growl edging her mew, “Is it yours?” She stared her sister down, wondering if she had broken her medicine cat code, if she had taken a mate, and wondered who he might be. What other explanation was there? She disappears for a couple moons and returns with a kit? What else could she think? And there was no way Smokefur having a kit was in any way part of StarClan’s plans. Had Featherpaw known? Known she was pregnant and lied for her? Her tail lashed once behind her, “And who is the father?” She continued without giving her sister much time to respond, simply assuming, “You haven’t brought some half-Clan mongrel into my camp, have you?”
Why else would she have run away to have the kit? Yes, she was a medicine cat, but she was still her sister. If the kit was pure NightClan, Ravenstar would have simply given the kit to Ghostlight to care for so that Smokefur might continue her work as medicine cat. There was no other reason to run. Had her own sister betrayed the Clan by taking some filthy outsider as a mate? Her claws flexed against the stone beneath her paws, scraping in some attempt to ground herself and at least allow her sister to explain herself before she continued her tirade.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2015 18:15:04 GMT -5
Smokefur was not at all surprised when Ravenstar asked if the kit was hers, the timeline was much too perfect and she was honestly miffed that Starclan had put it all together in such a way. She hoped it wasn’t part of their plan, her patience and faith need not be tested further after her long and grueling journey. Without even having time to answer her sister bombarded her with more questions having assumed without an answer that it was obviously hers. ‘Thanks.’ She thought to herself getting offended that her commitment to the medicine cat code could be so easily questioned, more so by the cat who Smokefur had tried to push to follow the code more closely countless times.
She had figured this was going to be the case however and luckily had already planned ways to make her case, the kit wasn’t hers and she didn’t need anyone thinking it was. Her life was spinning out of control too much at the moment to add that kind of pressure as well. “If it was my kit, what can I expect as a consequence?” She asked completely ignoring Ravenstars' questions, hoping she wouldn’t get upset that she was not being very cooperative. Ceasing her grooming of the kit and wrapping herself tightly around him to keep the small scrap warm in the cool, dark den.
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Post by Fate Admin on Jan 30, 2015 19:24:30 GMT -5
“Consequence?” her tail lashed again behind her as she looked from the kit to her sister, “That all depends on just who the father is.” She closed her eyes briefly, her relief and happiness at having her sister back warring with her suspicion and confusion over this unexpected situation. She forced herself into a sitting position, wrapping her tail around her paws as though she might be able to root herself to the spot, and returned her pale gaze to Smokefur, “If it is a NightClan kit, it is more than welcome here. As are you.”
Her gaze narrowed, “I will not allow half-Clan filth into my Clan, or the traitor that birthed it. If that is the case, both of you can beg its father’s Clan to take you in.” Smokefur was rather calm, all things considering, and Ravenstar flicked her tail impatiently, “So which is it?” She had not at all considered that the kit might not be Smokefur’s. That made absolutely no sense whatsoever. Why would Smokefur have gone for moons only to bring back some strange kit of unknown origins? Therefore the possibility simply had not crossed her mind.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2015 20:42:22 GMT -5
Smokefur snorted flicking her tail in agitation at her sisters’ second answer, she found her bitter attitude revolting and certainly expressed those feelings in her reply. “I’m relieved to see your bigotry hasn’t improved in my time away, I would hate for your frozen heart to thaw even slightly.” She figured she would get scolded for the comment, or perhaps even punished. It wasn’t uncommon for Ravenstar to starve her as punishment for her insolence, and she was starting to regret her actions already. She hadn’t eaten in a while and hunger and exhaustion were causing her great pain. If Ravenstar decided to keep her hungry for a while long it would be nothing less than a spirit crusher.
She quickly answered the question in hopes that her first comment would be ignored, or at least taken less seriously. “The kit is pure loner, just like both of his parents.” She said lifting her gaze to meet Ravenstars’ gaze, “The kit is not mine, and as I have no punishment to fear I have no reason to lie to you.” She kept her gaze steady trying to exude confidence, “I may not feel the burning hatred for the other clans you feel, but I would never disrespect Nightclan in that way… And I would most certainly never do something to hurt you that badly.”
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Post by Fate Admin on Jan 30, 2015 21:21:16 GMT -5
Ravenstar’s fur raised in agitation at her sister’s disrespectful words and her claws unsheathed once more, scraping the stone floor for purchase to keep her grounded and sitting rather than battering some respect into the silver tabby she-cat before her. Ravenstar couldn’t see what was so wrong with having pride in your Clan. So what if she thought her own Clan was better than the rest, what Clan cat wouldn’t think such a thing about their birth Clan? Unnatural cats, that’s who. Traitors who could never be trusted. She would never understand how any cat could leave their birth Clan for another Clan, or how any leader could ever allow it to happen, could ever trust such a cat who could so easily throw away their loyalty to everything they had ever known. If having pride in her Clan and being suspicious of traitors made her coldhearted then fine, she would happily accept the title.
Smokefur continued before she could say anything on the matter, however. Her ears flicked back skeptically as Smokefur finally answered the question, claiming the kit was some loner’s and not hers at all. A low growl was working its way up her throat until Smokefur spoke again. She met her sister’s gaze for a moment, and her fur began to lie flat again as she released a heavy sigh. The sincerity in Smokefur’s words was clear enough, even in the haze of anger that had begun to build up around her. She looked again at the kit, her ears flicking back again, “Then… why bring it here? Why leave in the first place?” She shook her head, though the venom had gone from her voice, replaced only with confusion, “It doesn’t make any sense. Why would StarClan send you to find this kit?” What importance could some random loner possibly be?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2015 0:54:07 GMT -5
Smokefur noted that her sister was getting agitated for quite a while, until she eventually deflated with a heavy sigh. As she was questioned by Ravenstar yet again, asking why she left and why she was to bring a kit back. She knew the answer well as it was a question she had asked herself many times. During her time away she had decided it was best not to question her ancestors, they had a plan and it was her job to be their instrument. “Ravenstar I was sent away to find this kit by our ancestors, NIGHTCLAN ancestors.” She insisted adding, “It is best not to question, but to understand that this kit belongs here.”
She was afraid that her sister would blow off this response as poor justification for her time away, she wished there was a way she could share her faith with her sister. Meeting her gaze again she held it for a long time before speaking again. “Ravenstar, I am in tune with Starclan more than I have ever been… In my starved, weakened state I am flirting with death.” She made sure not to shift her gaze, staring intently into her sisters eyes. “I can feel… these emotions. I know what I did was right.” Finally shifting her gaze she knew it was time to deliver the information she had been instructed to relay, “However it’s not just feelings, I have been told to inform you… ‘This is your last chance to open your heart.’”
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Post by Fate Admin on Feb 2, 2015 19:50:14 GMT -5
Ravenstar stared down at her sister as she gave a very StarClanish explanation. She nearly snorted derisively. If StarClan wanted their descendents to do or learn something, they should just come out with it and stop chasing their tails. It was ridiculous that the meanings of everything they said and did had to be guessed at. Sometimes she wondered if they even cared if the living cats they watched over ever figured any of it out, or if this was just some sort of game they played in the afterlife. After all, it must be awfully boring up there, forced to mingle peacefully with every Clan cat that had the misfortune to finally meet their end.
She looked back at the tiny kit, he couldn’t be more than a few days old. He belonged here, did he? She couldn’t comprehend why he hadn’t just been born into the Clan, if he belonged here so much. StarClan and their mysteries. How hard was it for ancient cats to just say what they meant? She blinked down at Smokefur as she began speaking again… apparently delivering to her a message as well as a kit. Last chance to open her heart? What was that supposed to mean? Did StarClan want her to just allow any mangy rogue to join NightClan? Not likely. Her tail flicked dismissively at the message. If StarClan wanted her to do something they could come tell her themselves, and they could say it straight instead of making her chase after the answer. If they couldn’t do that, then obviously it wasn’t all that important after all.
“Whatever the reasons,” she murmured, “You’re back… and it’s clear you haven’t had an easy journey.” She stood again, at last, “You should eat and rest… and so should the kit.” She glanced to the pale scrap of fur briefly, “Ghostlight has just had her kits, she may be willing to nurse him.” She hesitated, then bent down to take the kit’s scruff gingerly between her teeth. Smokefur’s weakened state was apparent; she didn’t need to carry the kit any farther.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2015 11:45:46 GMT -5
Smokefur watched as Ravenstar rose and picked up the kit, thankful that she wasn’t going to have to carry the poor scrap to the nursery. She also counted her blessings that there was a perfectly timed litter the kit could be raised with. She was slightly worried that the father of the litter was Blackwolf, but that was a problem for another time as she had no energy to spend worrying about such things. She stood slowly, shaking all the way into the upright position swaying unsteadily as she waited. She wasn’t quite sure what she was supposed to do now, it seemed Ravenstar didn’t need her help delivering the kit to the nursery. She told her to eat and rest, and knowing her sister it was probably more an order than a polite suggestion however she had no appetite at all. She felt nothing less than sick to her stomach, the journey had left her dazed and everything hurt.
Worse yet there was no rest for the weary and she knew that Featherpaw would find her soon enough when she ventured out, and there were probably plenty of cats that wished to see her after her time away. Smokefur wasn’t ready for any of that yet, she cared not to be bothered even if it was just cats making sure she was alright. So heading further into the den as oppose to further out she plopped down on Ravnestars' nest. “I figure I will be bothered less if I stay in here… just for a little while.” She said laying her head down and closing her eyes before curling in tightly and covering her nose with her tail. “I’m not ready to see them all… quite yet…”
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