We are born with a DNA blueprint into a world of scenario and circumstance we don't control |
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Co-Captain
INVENTORY
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Post by Phoenix on Oct 13, 2015 21:28:46 GMT -5
TRY AND DIG DOWN DEEPER IF YOU CAN As of late, the LightningClan border had been oddly silent, and though he found himself slightly more suspicious of the apparent peace between them and NightClan, it was through the Open Woods that he had chosen to wander. In his mind, it was only a matter of time before the tentative quiet between them and their forested neighbors was shattered by battle cries; at least with LightningClan, they stood a slightly better chance of maintaining the tranquility. However, neither matters of peace nor war had drawn him to the normally highly contested border between the clans. Rather, his presence was the product of chance, his paws carrying him arbitrarily toward the invisible boundary. He had no purpose in mind as he strode along his side of the line, occasionally stopping to renew the scent markings along the way.
A cool leaf-fall breeze carried with it the scents of the open moor, and he paused to see if he would soon find himself in the company of a LightningClan cat. Recognized only rabbit and faint traces of the neighboring clan, he determined that he could enjoy his solitude at least for the foreseeable future. He was perfectly content with that. Even before his father had been exiled form TreeClan, he had been an outsider. As he has never been struck by life as powerfully as those around him, his ability - and willingness - to relate to others never fully manifested themselves, and though he knew full well how his father intended him to use what he taught, Sootmask had found himself far more intrigued by the secret lessons he received from Grayowl. Learning how to fight, how to kill - it was an experience thus far unrivaled by any other. A machine more than a feline, he had no qualms about using the power that rested at the tips of his claws.
But he was smart enough not to. The life of a loner was a harsh one, and a survivor at heart, he had no plans to give up the comforts of clan life in order to experience it for himself.
Pausing, he interrupted both his train of thought and his striding to glance around him once more. It truly was a bit disconcerting to see a border to devoid of any feline life on the other side. The faint LightningClan scent marks had suggested that he might run into a patrol of some form or another, but he had yet to see any trace of new arrivals from the other clan. Perhaps they were all simply hunting deeper within the territory; after all, it was leaf-fall, and he had a sneaking suspicion that the oncoming leaf-bare would be a harsh one. It was probably wise to catch as much prey as possible before it began.
Sootmask | TreeClan | Warrior | welcome to the masquerade - thousand foot krutch WELCOME TO THE MASQUERADE
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Post by Fawn on Nov 17, 2015 1:57:18 GMT -5
Lionstar 54 Moons || Tom || TreeClan
Prosperous times of green-leaf were behind them, and the Clan's leader chose to make the most of the dwindling daylight to hunt as much and as often as was reasonable. It had taken time, in the beginning of his leadership, to balance his role as a cat expected to hunt and train and fight just like the rest of TreeClan along with his guardianship duties. That no longer troubled him, after more than twenty moons serving his Clan.
The choice to hunt in the open woods, the natural divide between TreeClan's territory and LightningClan's, had not been mere coincidence. Lionstar felt the scents of the moorland ride the cool autumn winds sweeping through the valley, his shaggy golden mane blown against him as he stepped around the wide base of a sycamore. He scent-marked the border personally, and then contented himself with tracking what smelled like a cardinal pecking at the ground nearby.
Peaceful though he was, that sense of tranquility didn't last, as he picked up a scent he couldn't say he was fond of. Sootmask. What was he doing out here? Suspicions aside, probably hunting to feed his Clan, like the proper young warrior he was. If Lionstar let the paranoia sneak back in, then he could just as easily draw the conclusion that Sootmask was here to meet his father, with some nefarious plot in the works.
Lionstar shook his head. You're getting paranoid in your old age, sneered the sensible voice inside his head. After successfully catching and burying the bird he'd been stalking, the golden tom felt the need to speak with the young warrior he had once felt such uneasiness towards. With Sootmask's... almost peculiar lack of emotion (yet not lacking intelligence, which he had proven several times before), Lionstar wouldn't have known how to communicate with his enemy's son—if it weren't for Littletimber. That cat had been peculiar long before Sootmask had even been a malevolent twinkle in his fox-hearted father's eye.
When he saw the young warrior, and addressed him, he didn't expect a long answer. "Hunting well?" Lionstar cast a wary glance across the border to LightningClan's territory, half-expecting to see a familiar gray shape slinking off across the moorlands...
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Word Count: 364 WordsTags:PhoenixNotes: Hope you don't mind if I jump in!
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Post by Insidious on Dec 12, 2015 22:45:38 GMT -5
Perhaps he wasn't slinking off across the moorlands, but he was in a tree which, arguably, could be worse - it meant he was a whole lot closer to TreeClan land than Lionstar had even intended for him to be. The charcoal tom would need to be forgiven for not taking the benevolent leader's warning to heart; it wasn't like he had planned for his son to be here or, even more coincidentally, the tom whose life his sole purpose was to destroy, and at the same time no less.
He had half the mind to laugh, for surely it was funny, but it hardly seemed like the appropriate time. Besides, he still had an advantage to carelessly toss to the wind. "I'm afraid the prey has been unusually quiet as of late, but thanks for asking." His voice would, perhaps, be even more menacing than it was usually credited for, given how long it had been since Lionstar had the pleasure of hearing it. He rested his chin on the branch, eyes of dark gold hardened around the edges to better communicate his unspoken hostility.
In the presence of his enemy, he'd almost forgotten that his son was here, too. He turned to him, then, the notion a side thought, offering the closest to a smile that he could muster. "My, how you've grown. I'm sure that's what a father's supposed to say when they've been taken away from their son and are seeing them again at long last." His lip curled wryly, dragging his sights back to the TreeClan leader, almost surprised that he hadn't already began working his way up the tree to slaughter him once and for all. Surely he would have some idea in his head of how this was a planned meeting between father and son. It wasn't, of course, but he would have no reason to take Grayowl at his word.
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We are born with a DNA blueprint into a world of scenario and circumstance we don't control |
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Co-Captain
INVENTORY
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Post by Phoenix on Dec 13, 2015 0:00:45 GMT -5
TRY AND DIG DOWN DEEPER IF YOU CAN When he caught sight of a distinctive golden pelt, the young warrior paused, turning slightly to watch as the other tom approached him. He had thought, perhaps, that his solitude would be broken by a LightningClan patrol, but apparently he had not been the only one of his clan to decide to patrol along this particular border. As he did every other feline, he regarded the leader neutrally, piercing blue eyes unnerving against his expressionless face. Jaws parted and the words nearly leapt from the tip of his tongue, but when a voice broke the silence, it was not his own.
Many moons had passed since his father had been any more than a passing memory in his mind, and any pity that might have been offered to the pair of poor, young apprentices who no longer had a father had long since evaporated. A lingering air of distrust had replaced it. He could see the wariness lurking in the shadows of Lionstar’s eyes and hear it in the stilted tones of his fellow warriors when they addressed him. One might think that they judged harshly, for his only crime was, perhaps, to have been born to the wrong father; however, having never particularly cared about something as subjective as his own reputation, Sootmask had not gone out of his way to reassure them of his loyalty to the clan. And that, he knew, was what they were truly waiting for, whether they realized it or not.
Indeed, Grayowl had long since left TreeClan’s territory, yet his specter remained. And now, it seemed, he had returned, bringing with him time-worn memories of days long passed.
Faint amusement tickling the corners of his mind, Sootmask cast a quick glance in Lionstar’s direction before turning his gaze upward, tracking the familiar voice to the top of a nearby tree. Much had changed after the yellow-eyed demon had been chased from his home, but standing now in front of his father felt like slipping back into an old skin, somewhat comforting in its familiarity. It was never safe to play games with his father – he had a scar on his ear from one of their training sessions – but doing so was far more intellectually stimulating than anything he had encountered as of late. With Lionstar there, the challenge was doubled. The enigmatic tom had little desire to experience the harsh life of a loner, particularly in the face of the coming leaf-bare, but he knew that Grayowl would likely consider him expendable if he thought that the golden leader held too much influence over him. That would not do either, for Sootmask preferred his current status of alive and healthy. Despite the thin line he knew he would have to walk, he welcomed the challenge and returned the gray tom’s ghost of a grin with a slight inclination of his head.
“And I respond with ‘I’ve missed you so much’, correct?” He asked, his flat tone making a mockery of what would otherwise, between any other pair, be a touching moment. Sootmask | TreeClan | Warrior | welcome to the masquerade - thousand foot krutch WELCOME TO THE MASQUERADE Fawn Insidious
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Post by Fawn on Jan 4, 2016 23:57:20 GMT -5
Lionstar 54 Moons || Tom || TreeClan
For a long time, he had wished for Grayowl to be nothing more than a whisper on the wind, a shadow in the long dark that was no more tangible than his memories of the traitorous feline. But this was not so. Lionstar's golden eyes narrowed, and he made no effort to hide the heavy bristling of his dark tawny pelt; he wanted his hatred of the tom clear. So what if Sootmask stood before him? Even if he suspected father and son to have derived some sort of nefarious allegiance, it would not stop him from showing his open contempt. He could handle both in a fight. This would be a selfish reason to lose a life, but the urge to provoke the hornets' nest burned in his chest.
For a long time, he had dreamed of encounters such as these. Meeting Grayowl at the edges of his subconscious dreaming, knowing his enemy lurked so close by yet always just out of reach. "Clanlessness seems to be suiting you," said Lionstar, the coolness of his tone at conflict with the heated fury in his heart. Tactically, he was at a disadvantage. With Grayowl above him, the rogue could sneak up on him as he turned his back to deal with the threat Sootmask prevented. Or vice versa. To say this position was unfavorable was an understatement. StarClan, I hope you're keeping an eye on this. Both eyes.
This meeting didn't have to come to blows. But Lionstar didn't pretend that was the outcome he wanted. Fairness and compassion were fine traits to have in a leader, in fact he'd go so far as to say they were necessary, but whenever Grayowl was present, the golden tom often fought his own more baser, more aggressive personality aspects. Lionstar had once preferred to solve his problems with unsheathed claws, to make his problems bleed until they permanently went away.
But times has changed. That wasn't acceptable behavior for a Clan leader. ... Right? "Oh don't hold back on my account," he mewed to the son and the father. "I love a good happy reunion."
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Post by Insidious on Jan 13, 2016 13:40:59 GMT -5
To expect anything more than what he got from his son would've been foolish. The two of them had never been close, not in the way he wanted them to be - not in the way he was with Mockingbird - but that was precisely why it was okay for him to behave so dispassionately. Grayowl had lost his initial expectations, and Sootmask had resultantly been downgraded from being one of his puppets to being just another clan cat. Despite their shared blood, the charcoal tom felt coolly detached from him, acknowledging his comment with an amused pull of his lip. Would he truly miss the necessity of proving useful, lest he lose his life?
"Yes," he mewed, gold eyes finding that of the TreeClan leader's with notable distaste, "the solitude has given me time alone with my thoughts to regrettably mull over my choices." He spoke of regret, but it didn't reach his eyes. Even if he could turn back the clock and see into the future, his exile, his unfortunate protégée turning to the good side, his sister returning from the grave, he wouldn't change anything that he had done. It hadn't worked in his favour, that was true, but as long as he was alive Lionstar was suffering, and that was worlds more satisfying than his status as a warrior. "I've never held back on your account, why would I start now?"
Grayowl flashed his teeth, inching towards the end of his perch with panther-like grace. "You seem tense, Lionstar. Are you uncomfortable?" His attention switched to Sootmask, then, observing the young warrior, offering a quick smile for all the wrong reasons. "Does it make you nervous not knowing which way to turn?" His son wouldn't risk the safety of a clan to backup his father in a fight against the leader. He was too sensible to be drawn into Grayowl's game, and he knew that - but did Lionstar? He was willing to find out, and willing to bet that Sootmask would, as per usual, avoid explicitly choosing a side.
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We are born with a DNA blueprint into a world of scenario and circumstance we don't control |
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Co-Captain
INVENTORY
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Post by Phoenix on Jan 18, 2016 8:52:47 GMT -5
TRY AND DIG DOWN DEEPER IF YOU CAN Expressionless, the young warrior watched the exchange between his father and leader. Having never expected that the now-loner’s absence would make Lionstar’s heart grow fonder, Sootmask was hardly surprised by the hostility, for any cat with eyes could have seen, even before Grayowl’s exile, the tension between the two toms. It thickened the air and made his fur prickle, but he had learned long ago how to ignore that particular distraction. The only difference was, perhaps, that the aggression was more open and no longer shrouded in the required niceties that came with living in the same clan. He found it almost refreshing, even seemed the golden tom turned to include him in the crosshairs.
Interesting. A thought struck him, and it appeared as though the same thought had come to his father as well, if the smirk sent in his direction meant anything. Lionstar assumed that he would side with his father if push came to shove – indeed, at one point in his life, he had considered it – but the leader remained unaware of the conclusions that he had drawn from his deliberating: that when it came to survival, clan life held more advantages than disadvantages, and so, until that changed, he would stay. As his father’s words pierced the air, Sootmask swung his head around to watch Lionstar with a cool blue gaze. Poke too hard and claws might come unsheathed – well, then he could certainly claim self-defense against either party, for if it came to blows, the young warrior would decidedly not be the first to attack. Sootmask | TreeClan | Warrior | welcome to the masquerade - thousand foot krutch WELCOME TO THE MASQUERADE Crappy post but anyway Fawn Insidious
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Post by Fawn on Jan 21, 2016 17:28:06 GMT -5
♕ LIONSTAR 57 Moons. Leader of TreeClan
Sootmask. The young tom was neither hunting nor seeming to actively converse with his father. His presence did nothing but chafe Lionstar’s already tensed nerves. Both to remove Grayowl’s advantage and to ensure Sootmask remembered where he laid his head at night, Lionstar addressed the younger warrior. ”Go back to camp, Sootmask. This is between me and Grayowl.” As if just saying the words aloud had hardened the golden tom’s resolve, his eyes took on the solid edge of fossilized amber, the pupils trapped in narrowed discs of gold.
Whether or not Grayowl was still protected by the Code—that Lionstar was to take the life of another only when absolutely necessary—wasn’t at the center of the Clan leader’s thoughts. In times like these, of famine and ice and death, it was more than easy to forget their ancestors. Forget the ways that made them more than savages, tearing at each other with the kind of wild lawlessness that would frighten any well-meaning Clan-cat to this day.
Lionstar now faced Grayowl directly, watching his most hated enemy lounging in the trees above, more than likely made content by his own strong emotional reactions to him. Lionstar didn't try to hide them. Why should he? He refused to let himself be dragged further into Grayowl's mind games. These petty (though potentially lethal) stare downs.
"What is your plan, Grayowl?" Oh, how his claws ached to rip him limb from limb, to be rid of this headache once and for all. "To mock from afar? To wait until I have my back turned?" Not gonna happen. Lionstar let out a low, uncharacteristically humorless chuckle. "To carry on lurking in the shadows? I think you and I both know I've won this game. Surviving this leafbare is difficult even when you have hunting parties going out each day. Surviving on your own, however..." As great as the temptation to say good luck was, Lionstar held his tongue. He would wish Grayowl no success. Not even mockingly.
DID YOU SEE THE SPARKS FILLED WITH HOPE? CAUSE YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
SOMEONE'S OUT THERE, SENDING OUT FLARES.
Word Count: 350 Words Tags: Insidious , Phoenix Notes: xD hope you don't mind that Lionstar is kicking Sootmask out, Phoenix!
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Post by Insidious on Jan 22, 2016 10:49:48 GMT -5
Lionstar dismissed the traitor's son which was, all around, a smart move, not that Grayowl intended to give the maned tom credit at any point that it was due. Eyes of dark amber flickered in the young warrior's direction, knowing his move before he made it; to leave a lasting impression of his influence, however, no matter how great or minuscule, he offered his permission, too. "No need to fret, son. I can take of this on my own." His lips pulled away from his teeth, but it wasn't so much a snarl as it was a twist on a smile. If Grayowl made him choose, than he truly would've lost the game. It wasn't entirely pleasant to choose, either way, between having a warm bed, and having your father's promise of payback lurking just over your shoulder, but he was gracious enough to let it slide. The glint in his eyes, although lethal, although a promise of something, weren't meant for Sootmask.
"Don't concern yourself with my survival, Lionstar, I assure you I'll be just fine." The tom fluttered his eyes, his expression almost... lazy, like he was quickly growing tired of this exchange. "Consider your suffering one of my main food sources, hm?"
At this, he leapt from the tree, landing smoothly. Perhaps it would come as a surprise that he didn't attack, but there was a reason for everything he did, was there not? "My plan is for you, believe it or not. Good things come to those who wait." While he wanted the leader of TreeClan dead more than he could possibly say, he hadn't pained him enough yet. When he died, Grayowl wanted him to be filled to the bone with hate, with regret, with guilt, and with every awful emotion in the book that he could squeeze into one miserable existence at the same time. "If you think my exile decided a winner, you're wrong. When this game is over, you and I will both know it."
Grayowl took a step away, as though he made to leave, but to do so cautiously in the chance it would provoke Lionstar to be rid of him while he had the chance. Did his precious code not matter when Grayowl was on the receiving end of his claws? It was a curiosity, for if not, then he was already one step closer to ruining him than he previously thought. "Take care," unlike his counterpart, he was not opposed to wishing well when it was done out of falsity, "may we meet again soon."
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