[Fawn]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true] Lionstar - 36 Moons - Tom - TreeClan[style=border-top: solid 4px #000000; border-left: solid 4px #000000; border-right: solid 4px #000000; background-color: #FEDD87; overflow: auto; Width: 450px; Height: 450px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 10px; text-align: left] "What. Was. That." "Which part?" Lionstar replied with a dry attempt at humor, his tail swishing behind him, the tom shaking flakes off of his dense, heavily-ticked pelt. "If you're talking about Mockingjay - he's always like that. Unshakeable and just a little bit aggravating." As they continued walking, Lionstar waited until they were a few fox lengths into TreeClan territory before he brought up the other thing she was possibly referring to. "As for Smokeface, do you remember Warhawk? He fell into the river and drowned? Well that was her son. Her eldest son, and from what I've been getting, her favorite." Lionstar was certain she could fill in the blanks as to why the mother of Warhawk might want his head served upon the bones of his loved ones. Smokeface was likely never going to forgive him, and he would have been just fine with that, understanding even, had she not taken such a severe route and declared it a blood feud. He was a Clan leader, for StarClan's sake - he didn't need a Blood Feud, his life was complicated and stressful enough. That crazy she-cat had enough children to fill two attack patrols! Expression darkening, the lion stalked through the snowy undergrowth, form shifting into one of agitation and slight moodiness, as though he were contemplating battle strategies. "The plan was to deal with this as quietly as possible, but if Smokeface is going to be targeting you and everyone I care about, then it's probably for the best that you know." Notes: Word Count: 289 Pictures: All Rights Reserved to Lisa Beattie.

[BlooRey DVD]

Featherpaw
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The silver apprentice listened to what her mentor had to say, but she didn't answer. She stared at the ground, blue eyes narrowed slightly, and padded forward in complete silence. It might actually be something you might consider to be frightening, when Featherpaw was as quiet as she was just now. Her mind was whirring, trying to process just what was going on. She did remember vaguely about Warhawk and when he drowned. What she couldn't figure out was why Smokeface was so angry with Lionstar. Her blue eyes flicked from place to place on the ground, watching where she was stepping carefully. Too carefully.

Slowly, she lifted her head, blue eyes moving to blink at Lionstar. For a moment, she didn't answer however, as they arrived at the spot where they had buried their prey. She quickly unburied her catches, placing them in front of her to glance at Lionstar. She knew that as soon as they began moving with the prey in their mouths, there would be no talking at all. "Okay.... Why does Smokeface want your head, Lionstar?"

If you looked close enough, amidst the blue sheen of her eyes, beyond the confusion, there was something else. A flare of stronger emotion. Concern.

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[Fawn]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true] Lionstar - 36 Moons - Tom - TreeClan[style=border-top: solid 4px #000000; border-left: solid 4px #000000; border-right: solid 4px #000000; background-color: #FEDD87; overflow: auto; Width: 450px; Height: 450px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 10px; text-align: left] Large golden paws scooped through the layers of snow and dirt to reach the cold prey underneath, Lionstar taking Featherpaw's silence as just a little unsettling. What was running through that sharp mind of hers? Was she angry? Was she confused? Could she understand both sides of the issue at hand? Lionstar's questions were in part answered when he heard a soft voice just by his ear; "Okay.... Why does Smokeface want your head, Lionstar?" Whiskers twitching in surprise, Lionstar set down his fresh kill, half-turning on the spot to fully address his young apprentice, seeing the concern glittering up at him from the blue sheen of her eyes. "Because Smokeface blames me for the death of her son. It's likely that Raccoonmask reported back to her that I am the one responsible for Warhawk falling into the river, as I was the last one to strike him." Though his tone was quietly sober, there was a note of remorse hidden in there too that reflected itself in the half-flattening of his ears and the sudden rigidness of his tail, as though he too blamed himself for the loss of Smokeface's eldest son. He had spent many many nights fretting over the whole ordeal. It would take him a while still to make peace with the accidental death of Warhawk - particularly since the tom had such a bright future ahead of him, and had been a heavily family oriented tom. Warhawk had had a mate and four kits, he was the eldest brother of Smokeface's entire brood, and would have likely become StoneClan's next deputy had he not died quite so young. The expression "a crying shame" never seemed more appropriate. Notes: Word Count: 289 Pictures: All Rights Reserved to Lisa Beattie.

[BlooRey DVD]

Featherpaw

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A sudden flurry of emotions crossed the she-cat's face. Anger. Confusion. Concern. And anger once again. Her ears pinned back and her lips twitched as she fought back the obvious snarl that was trying to break free. Her voice was rough when she spoke, her strain obvious. "That's not fair. It was an accident, right? You didn't mean for him to fall in the river. What right has she got to hold that against you. It wasn't your fault!"

She hadn't meant to raise her voice, but in the end she did, and found herself quite literally yelling at Lionstar, even though he wasn't the target of her anger. She spun suddenly claws unsheathed as she struck out violently, raking at the bark of a tree. She knew she risked tearing a claw, but in her frustration, she couldn't have cared less. Sharp claws ripped through the bark, leaving deep scores in the softer parts. She sprang away from the tree, breathing heavy and eyes wild as they locked back onto Lionstar. "It wasn't your fault!" She screamed again, her eyes wide, ears flat against her skull.

Her voice quieted suddenly, cracking slightly as her voice broke into a lost rasp. "It's... It's just not fair." With that, the silver she-cat spun on her paws, kicking up bits of snow. She hurriedly grabbed her pieces of prey, taking off at a full on sprint away from the Great Maple, towards the camp. She didn't expect to outrun Lionstar. She figured that, if he wanted to, he could easily catch up to her. She was fast, but she wasn't full grown yet, didn't have his longer stride. Maybe in a moon or two, but not now.

As she pelted through the forest, towards the safety of the TreeClan camp, she tried desperately to fight the anger and the concern that tore through her body. She had to do something. She just had to.

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