[Fawn]

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[/style][STYLE= background-color:#000000; width:450px; line-height: 10px; font-family:Arial; letter-spacing:3px; font-size:9px; color:#2F4F4F; text-transform:uppercase; text-align:center;]38 Moons - Medicine Cat - Tom - LightningClan
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The last breath of life had scarcely departed from the body, and it was already cooling inside the dark, santuary-like den of the LightningClan Medicine Cat. Studiously checking for signs of life one last time, Rookfrost pronounced the small brown apprentice deceased. He would have to make his report to Redwind later in the morning; with Blazestar having already departed, along with numerous other LightningClan cats who had not been strong enough to fight off the greencough (which in some cases had turned incredibly severe).

Had the position of LightningClan Medicine Cat gone to any other creature, the rising body count would have shattered their self-esteem and their ability to concentrate; but not Rookfrost. So what if a few cats died from Greencough? Should he feel guilty after he had done everything he could possibly do in terms of medicine, quarantine and any other needs that had been more than met? Should he let this besmirch all of the lives he DID save, all of the broken bones he'd healed, the wounds he'd fixed, the limbs he had popped back into place, the kittens he'd pulled from the brink of death?

Of course not.

There was no such shift in Rookfrost's thinking or personality as he went to approach the fraternal sibling of the deceased Wasp-paw, the Medicine Cat still smelling strongly of catmint and other assorted herbs he'd used to fight off what he could of the infection. They were all starting to look the same, to be completely honest with himself - the cats who died and the families/mates/apprentices/friends he had to break the unfortunate news to. Fixing a pale gray gaze upon Spiderpaw, he waited only a split second for Spiderpaw to look up at him before quietly, coldly and properly shattering the young tom's world.
"Your brother Wasp-paw is dead. He will be taken from the camp to be buried near the mountains, so that any lingering illness will not infect those still living. I would say your final goodbyes while you can."

The last line, though, Rookfrost had been forced to soften out of keeping up with social appearances - after all, no one was really supposed to know he didn't give two shakes of a rat's tail that an apprentice had just died on his watch, hell,l he'd been expecting it. Rookfrost was not some faith healer; he was a doctor, a scientist, a studier, a researcher. He was not a believer of false hope.

He was a realist, cynically so.

And cat's died all the time, some just left larger or smaller grieving parties than others.

[/style][STYLE= background-color:#000000; width:450px; line-height: 10px; font-family:Arial; letter-spacing:3px; font-size:9px; color:#595959; text-transform:uppercase; text-align:center;]What's wrong with you cats, why aren't any of you dying?[/style][STYLE= background-color:#000000; width:450px; line-height: 10px; font-family:Arial; letter-spacing:3px; font-size:9px; color:#595959; text-transform:uppercase; text-align:center;]© LISE of BACK TO NEVERLAND[/style]

[Hellion]

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[atrb=style, background-color: #D0C6A4; border-top: 5px solid #75531E; border-bottom: 5px solid #75531E;][STYLE=border: 4px solid #75531E; height: 100px; width: 100px; margin-left: 15px; margin-bottom: -33px; margin-top: 7px;][/style][STYLE=float: right; width: 277px; font-size: 50px; color: #75531E; font-family: georgia; text-align: center; margin-right: 15px; margin-left: 123px; text-transform: lowercase; margin-top: -45px; letter-spacing: -3px;]SPIDERPAW[/style][STYLE=background-color: #EFE9E0; border-top: 4px solid #75531E; margin-right: 15px; font-family: arial narrow; letter-spacing: 2px; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: -9px; margin-left: 123px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; color: #75531E;]I'm THE KIND OF FELINE WRECKAGE THAT YOU LOVE![/style] [STYLE=margin-right: 15px; margin-left: 15px; font-size: 10px; font-family: arial; text-align: justify; background-color: #EFE9E0; padding: 17px; color: #3C2E16; margin-top: 8px; opacity: 0.9; border-top: 4px solid #75531E; border-right: 1px dotted #9D6F25; border-left: 1px dotted #75531E;] Four That was the amount of sunrises he saw without his twin beside him. The brown tom without any family sat there alone just outside the medicine cat as dead cats or dying cats exited or entered the den. He was a little pushed off toward the side, not in the way but clear visible. He hadn't eaten much and what he did eat he only ate half, his mind and body too used to share food with his siblings. Spiderpaw an apprentice and rare sight with his mixed matched eyes hadn't moved a hair from the entrance of the den. He waited for four painfully lonely days. Few cats bothered him and the ones clueless enough to stumble upon him where quickly sent away with snarl and hisses. Even the deputy was surprised by the tom's quick actions and nearly sent him out of camp on an order. Still he remained a silent vigil upon the den of Rookfrost. He exited and the dry reek of the herbs filled his nose and nearly made him gag, he never understood how a cat could deal with so many intense scents, but the tom was no prepared for those words he dreaded. "Your brother Wasp-paw is dead.--" Spiderpaw didn't bother to listen to the rest of what he said, only that his twin his only family was dead and to be buried far from camp. Anger filled his entire body, every fiber of his entire body burned his anger and hate. However, no anger was placed on Rookfrost it was entirely placed on Wasp-paw the dead. How could he? Just leave his poor brother, they were always so in-sync but now his twin laid dead on a pile of stinking moss that smelled of rotting herbs and dead cat. Spiderpaw couldn't even stomach the move from outside in the fresh air into the dark den of Rookfrost but he still did it. However, Spiderpaw didn't go as far he stayed a good tail length away his nose wrinkled and eyes burning from the smell. Before him laid a cat that he didn't remember, the cat before him looked like his brother and barely smelled like him too, if the herbs weren't so strong. Yet Spiderpaw wouldn't accept the fact his brother was dead and on his way to be buried. Spiderpaw wanted to picture his life image of his brother as the tom that helped him put a spider in Lillypaw's nest one night, not a pile of dead fur. That mounting anger only grew as Spiderpaw mentally started to bombard his brother with screams and yowls of how stupid he was offering to take food to a sick elder, Wasp-paw was the fool to die a dishonorable death. Spiderpaw was the survivor and even more superior of the two, Spiderpaw wasn't a fool to die like an aging elder. Looking upward toward Rookfrost he flicked his tail. "I'm not going any closer to him. He died and left me, far as I am concerned I'm the survivor. Just like when we survived our birth, I survived this illness." Spiderpaw spoke for the first time since taking the vigil outside the den and his voice sounded harsher and more disconnected than he remembered. "There is no reason to say goodbye, like you said back at the gathering we aren't sew together. I live while he dies." He spoke darkly, eyes glued on his brother, the tom that shared his eyes. "I won't mourn his death, he died a fool." He spoke and felt his words fall flat. He lied but he wasn't going to admit it not even to himself. Spiderpaw would mourn his brother's death for moon to come. They had done everything together and in a way they still would. Spiderpaw was so set in his way that only the perfect replacement would be able to fix this broken pair, but the stubborn cat known as Spiderpaw wouldn't dare look for one. He'd rather mourn his brother's passing with silence. Never allowing himself to cry or yowl in pain for his brother, it was wasted energy. Spiderpaw from the start saw a cruel world, known for stealing his mother's life, what if he did that just now? What if he stole his brother's life and he would truly be stronger of the two, that was an idea that sparked a deadly cycle in his head, what if that was his gift. "Roosfrost, what if I took his life?" He asked slowly at first, eyes moving upward toward the taller tom. "That was the rumor when my mother died when we were born. Wasp-paw and I stole her life, what if I did that just now without knowing it. Could it be possible?" He ask, his voice now becoming more like his own, but still husky and dark. His eyes staring at his brother, his dark mind churning with this idea. WORDS! 000 TAGS! dey go right here. NOTES! whatever you want, bruh. [/style]

[STYLE=width: 400px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; color: #75531E; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase; margin-top: -4px;]made by kiwii at btn![/style]

[Fawn]

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[/style][STYLE= background-color:#000000; width:450px; line-height: 10px; font-family:Arial; letter-spacing:3px; font-size:9px; color:#2F4F4F; text-transform:uppercase; text-align:center;]41 Moons - Medicine Cat - Tom - LightningClan
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Rookfrost had not been listening to Spiderpaw's grief-stricken, anger-fueled rant about not saying goodbye to his brother Wasp-paw, but the nature of the younger, surviving tom's question snapped Rookfrost back to attention.

""Roosfrost, what if I took his life?""That was the rumor when my mother died when we were born. Wasp-paw and I stole her life, what if I did that just now without knowing it. Could it be possible?"

"No." Replied the Medicine cat, not wanting to waste time explaining that 'special powers' did not exist, nor did the ability to steal the life from a creature without having to touch them - unless you poisoned them, but there was hardly anything mystical or beyond-the-veil-related in that.
"Unless you purposefully infected him with greencough, and purposefully made it difficult for him to breathe in his final hours." Considering he hadn't left his den for much more than to scarf down a mouse in two bites, make dirt, drink some water, Rookfrost was absolutely, unquestionably certain the young brown-furred tom had not slipped in when he wasn't looking and murdered his twin in cold blood.

Even if he had, there was nothing Rookfrost planned to do about it.

"Your mother died of complications at birth, you did not steal the life from her either, not beyond the poetic sense, at least." If someone with a flair for the dramatic wanted to chalk it up to Spider and Wasp having sapped their mother's strength and thus her life at the time of the birth, they could.

Rookfrost didn't like flair. Determinedly seeing the world in grayscale, the jet black tom drew pale eyes upon the mismatched, grief-stricken orbs of the young Spiderpaw. He wasn't surprised to see that, in the presence of a cat's emotional suffering, he felt nothing in response. Not even pity. He didn't have time for pity. Pity did not resurrect the dead, and even if it did, he most certainly wouldn't be doing that.

What was dead should stay dead. Such was the order of things. Despite not really being all that emotionally attached and emotionally in the moment, any secondhand sorrow from Spiderpaw was rolling off his pelt like rain from a waxy holly leaf, though he was a tad concerned with the tom's mental state. Would it be enough to break him, the loss of his twin?

Rookfrost's black plume swept through the air in one sharp sweep, like the slice of a scalpel through soft tissue. He would just have to wait and watch to find out.

[/style][STYLE= background-color:#000000; width:450px; line-height: 10px; font-family:Arial; letter-spacing:3px; font-size:9px; color:#595959; text-transform:uppercase; text-align:center;]What's wrong with you cats, why aren't any of you dying?[/style][STYLE= background-color:#000000; width:450px; line-height: 10px; font-family:Arial; letter-spacing:3px; font-size:9px; color:#595959; text-transform:uppercase; text-align:center;]© LISE of BACK TO NEVERLAND[/style]

[Hellion]

Spiderpaw's fear or possibly his hopes were crushed by the simple facts the ebony colored medicine cat spoke. With his own brown ears twitching, the tom rose up and nodded his head to Rookfrost.

"Just because my twin is dead does not mean I am" The mix-matched eyes of Spiderpaw studied the black tom for a moment, trying just a little to get a read on Rookfrost but after a few moments he gave up and simply flicked his tail as he left, but he paused before leaving the den. "Remember that night at the gathering you ask me to gather some news about the other clans. I'm up to work for. I'm pretty good at sneaking in and sneaking out, I was the one that caused the elder's den to have such a big draft. Wasp-paw and I made a weakened spot so when they brushed against them it broke just a little. " He spoke and admitted a deed they had done, it was mostly Wasp-paw idea, an elder had yelled at him the day before. Spiderpaw was simply the muscle behind the entire mess. Still he knew his skills were what Rookfrost might be looking for, after all things were coming to a boiling point with prey being stolen and hostile border disputes with StoneClan.

[/blockquote]

[Fawn]

[STYLE= font-family:Georgia; font-size:45px; letter-spacing:30px; width:450px; text-transform:lowercase; font-style:italic; color:#1E1E1E; line-height: 25px; background-color:#000000; text-align:center;]Rookfrost
[/style][STYLE= background-color:#000000; width:450px; line-height: 10px; font-family:Arial; letter-spacing:3px; font-size:9px; color:#2F4F4F; text-transform:uppercase; text-align:center;]38 Moons - Medicine Cat - Tom - LightningClan
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"Remember that night at the gathering you ask me to gather some news about the other clans. I'm up to work for. I'm pretty good at sneaking in and sneaking out, I was the one that caused the elder's den to have such a big draft. Wasp-paw and I made a weakened spot so when they brushed against them it broke just a little. "

The jet black shadow blinked icy gray eyes in response. Why would Spiderpaw be telling him this? Did he feel as though his brief bought of shenanigans denoted some sort of stealth tactics? While yes it took a certain amount of skill to do something frowned upon without being caught, but the elders weren't exactly a bunch of sharp-eyed, ever-vigilant group of warriors. Rookfrost flicked his tail from one side to the other.

Well...since Spiderpaw appeared so willing to be of some service to the shadowy Medicine Cat with the tufted ears, the healer made a small noise of distinction, as though in quiet contemplation of what it was Spiderpaw was proposing.
"Since you so desire a purpose, there may yet be use for you." Concluded Rookfrost, his low, machine-like method of speaking not spared in the wake of a grieving, 'stranded' apprentice. "StoneClan has just lost their deputy due to an unforeseen pregnancy, and their lack of a significant pillar of leadership will leave them vulnerable. See what you can see."

Rookfrost had known the StoneClan deputy had been carrying kits the moment he'd caught sight of her at the gathering; in times of such devastating lack of prey, there was no reason she should be so plump. No other plausible explanation other than the force of her added weight was not extra prey but rather extra mouths to feed. He'd stored this information away, for times like this.

There was a difference between a Clan without a deputy and a Clan without a leader; Redwind was fully prepared (in theory) to take the place of Blazestar, and it would take no time at all in choosing a new deputy. With a deputyless Clan, however, should Fallingstar fall in battle as many times as needed to send her permanently to the abode of her ancestors, then StoneClan would become a snake without a head. Fallingstar would not have time to appoint a new deputy if LightningClan and RainClan both began to press in on them from both sides.

The medicine cat's tail-tip twitched, and his posture, however mechanical it appeared, seem to ease just slightly, the ebony warrior's eyes glinting like cold steel from an equally dark visage.
"Should anyone ask of your whereabouts, I trust that you will use those brain cells not currently employed with grieving or scheming to construct an appropriate lie."

He didn't need to tell Spiderpaw to be secretive. Rookfrost could not remember LightningClan possessing a more naturally reclusive, secretive creature save for the albino warrior, Whiteshade. Hoping to cultivate Spiderpaw into a tool to be used repeatedly rather than just another boring Clanmate not worth his time unless he had contracted some sort of infection or was dying some horrible, unexplainable death, Rookfrost's cold temperament was one of great calculation, as Spiderpaw would soon see.

[/style][STYLE= background-color:#000000; width:450px; line-height: 10px; font-family:Arial; letter-spacing:3px; font-size:9px; color:#595959; text-transform:uppercase; text-align:center;]What's wrong with you cats, why aren't any of you dying?[/style][STYLE= background-color:#000000; width:450px; line-height: 10px; font-family:Arial; letter-spacing:3px; font-size:9px; color:#595959; text-transform:uppercase; text-align:center;]© LISE of BACK TO NEVERLAND[/style]

[Hellion]

Spiderpaw remained silent, he did not see a reason to speak but instead thought of how to outright spy on StoneClan, the simplest and by far the easiest would be to befriend a StoneClan apprentice. That idea wouldn't be entirely difficult, in fact Spiderpaw was looking forward to it.

The tone of voice that Rookfrost carried sparked the reels in Spiderpaw's brain to start to churn faster, he was born for this! Flexing his claws he kneaded them on the soft ground of his den. This fur felt alive and warm, hardly the sickly disgusting sight of Wasp-paw dead body. Rookfrost might have created a deadly little spy, granted he'd be able to achieve his task.

Standing taller he turned to move toward the exit, but paused and looked back toward Rookfrost before excusing himself. "I will bring back more information for you Rookfrost." He said quickly before exiting the den without a second glance for his dead brother.

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