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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2017 19:45:54 GMT -5
Born to live your legacy,
existing just to fill your needs...
Eaglekit tumbled around in the moss with his sister, pinning her down with needle-sharp claws until she squealed while Morningfrost watched their progress through icy blue eyes.
“Hah, you're DEAD!” Eaglekit announced, releasing her and stepping back, but Dawnkit wasn't ready to surrender. She leaped up, wrapping her paws around her brother's neck and taking him down, but Eaglekit quickly gained the upper paw once more, giving her a merciless bite for good measure that sent Dawnkit tearing away from her brother and wailing to Morningfrost.
“Mother he BIT me!” she cried, looking up at her mother.
Morningfrost's tail flicked dismissively, her icy gaze cold with reproach, “That is what enemies do, my dear. How do you think you're going to become a strong warrior if you cannot handle a little bite?”
Eaglekit padded over, tail held high and proud over his victory, sneering at his sister, “Yeah, Dawnkit. You're not going to be a very good warrior at all.”
“Shut up!” Dawnkit hissed at him, fur fluffed out indignantly.
Eaglekit crouched and wriggled his haunches tauntingly, “Who's gonna make me? You?”
Dawnkit launched herself back at her brother with an angry screech and the two tumbled away.
Morningfrost frowned slightly, concerned with how Dawnkit was shaping up. Were all her daughters doomed to failure? Her gaze narrowed as her kits tumbled toward the only other queen currently occupying the nursery, though she could hardly be called such. She had no kits of her own, and in fact was barely even a warrior, and even then....
The writhing mass of tiny claws and teeth ran straight into Cloudyfeather and broke apart, glancing up at the other she-cat and then back at their mother questioningly. A scowl flashed over Morningfrost's features and she flicked her tail once more, turning a commanding stare to her kits, “Go outside, the nursery is too small for fighting.”
Dawnkit and Eaglekit did not have to be told twice, quickly scampering out the nursery entrance. She called after them, “And don't get under any warriors' paws!” Her ears twitched as she looked out the entrance for a long moment, loathe to acknowledge the other she-cat she was forced to share the nursery with. She did not want her kits associating with this she-cat at all. At last she turned her gaze to Cloudyfeather, “Do you plan to have kits soon? You must feel so useless lazing about all day without any.” She began to casually groom herself, “Do you even have a mate?” What LightningClan cat in their right mind would choose some loner-born she-cat to bear their kits anyway? Even Larkfeather was a better choice. Her first daughter didn't amount to much, but she at least hailed from a proper LightningClan family.
A casualty of this so called family
that you have turned into a travesty. Fawn
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Post by Fawn on Jun 12, 2017 17:38:06 GMT -5
Cloudyfeather 20 Moons, LightningClan QueenIt was a miracle, but Cloudyfeather had actually been sleeping before the commotion started. When a whirlwind of kit teeth and kit claws collided with her flank, Cloudyfeather's fur fluffed and her head shot up from her paws in surprise. Oh! Realizing it was only Eaglekit and Dawnkit (they were certainly very rowdy these days, weren't they?), Cloudyfeather smiled at them, shaking the bits of moss out of her fur as her heart rate began to settle again.
That smile slipped, however, as she made brief eye-contact with Morningfrost.
She had been a warrior for a grand total of two days. It hadn't been a very welcome two days, in no small part due to Morningfrost's cold, scrutinizing eye set upon her in the quiet moments, but Cloudyfeather was trying not to let it bother her.
Trying.
“Do you plan to have kits soon? You must feel so useless lazing about all day without any.”
Cloudyfeather's ears tucked down, her expression something similar to a scolded apprentice. That's exactly what she felt like whenever Morningfrost set her sights on her. Somehow, her two sons and daughter, Harestrike, Thrushwhisker and Larkfeather seemed like nice enough cats… But she was…
Right. She DID feel useless, though she'd only been a queen for all of two days.
"I-I plan to have some soon." This was hardly enough to appease the more experienced queen, because her next question was equally as scorn-filled.
“Do you even have a mate?”
Cloudyfeather didn't answer. What could she even say? 'N-No, at least I don't think so'. And then Morningfrost would laugh at her. I thought things would be different now that I'm a warrior but… s-some cats still see me as loner-born. Desperately, Cloudyfeather clung to the words Firestar had spoken at her ceremony. The leader's opinions mattered more than the antagonistic views of a pawful of cats, didn't it? If Firestar thought she was a true LightningClan cat, then she was.
Right… ?
But what if… What if no toms wanted to father a litter with her, because her parents had been loners? What if she was stuck being a queen without kits forever? Cloudyfeather nervously groomed down the spiked fur along her tail, her heart squeezing painfully as if under Morningfrost's cruel, heavy paw. She missed her siblings, and she missed Batchaser.
At least when she'd been around them, she hadn't felt… so alone.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2017 11:38:33 GMT -5
Born to live your legacy,
existing just to fill your needs...
Eyeing Cloudyfeather as she awaited a response to her second question, she let out a derisive snort when her only answer was silence. How unsurprising. She had little respect for she-cats that went straight to the nursery after earning their name. It seemed a lazy path to take when you had no mate and would likely not be expecting kits for some moons yet. Not that she had any respect for Cloudyfeather to begin with, but this choice of hers only dragged her opinion lower.
She was convinced Firestar had made her a warrior too soon. She didn't seem to understand what being part of a Clan meant. You had to contribute, you could not just choose the easiest path in life and expect your Clanmates to take of you while you sat around doing nothing day in and day out. Elders had earned that luxury with a lifetime of service, and they still contributed on occasion, given the sacred duty of burying the dead and often watching over kits for short periods of time to give queens a break, and kits were exempt, but every other cat contributed somehow.
She put on a tone so sweet it could only be fake, “You know, dear... perhaps if you proved yourself as a warrior first, you might be able to attract a tom.” While it was decent advice, she was more concerned with getting Cloudyfeather out of the nursery and away from her kits than anything. She studied the younger she-cat, “Are you... good at anything?” By the tone of her voice, it was clear she wouldn't believe anything the she-cat said.
A casualty of this so called family
that you have turned into a travesty. Fawn
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Post by Fawn on Jun 13, 2017 21:41:00 GMT -5
Cloudyfeather 20 Moons, LightningClan Queen “Are you... good at anything?”
Morningfrost was like every doubtful voice, every little self-criticism she had, had suddenly grown a fur coat and was now lounging in the nursery grooming as if she'd been there the whole time. Cloudyfeather winced. "I-I'm a good hunter..." It was an answer so small, so quiet, she might as well have said nothing at all.
Inside, her throat felt tight as a crashing wave of unhappiness hit her square in the chest. Cloudyfeather stood up, mumbling. "I'll go ch-check the fresh kill pile." Anything to get out of the nursery. Cloudyfeather's heart ached; Morningfrost was taking the positive associations she had with her favorite part of Clan life, and souring them.
Maybe she should have been a warrior first. Every one must think I'm so awful. Hurrying out of the nursery as quickly as she could, Cloudyfeather stared down at her paws, skirting the aggressive playing of Eaglekit and Dawnkit. Where is-- A quick glance into the warriors' den told her that both parents, and all of her siblings were out. Not even Niko was hanging around camp. "B-Batchaser?" Cloudyfeather whispered, her voice cracking.
Silence.
Distraught, and unable to find Nightstep either, Cloudyfeather made a bee-line for the elders' den. If she couldn't help with kits, then she could... she could groom the elders' pelts for ticks o-or... or go be useless somewhere else.
Cloudyfeather squeaked abruptly as she bumped into someone standing in the entrance. "I-I'm so sorry!" Her voice was high, a little unpleasantly shrill, and her eyes were watering as if she'd been hit on the nose.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2017 1:12:55 GMT -5
They can't break me as long as I know who I am. They can't see me, but I'm still here.
They can't tell me who to be cause I'm not what they see.
She claimed to be good at hunting in a voice so small and quiet even cats that had seen her hunting skills for themselves wouldn't have believed her before quickly excusing herself. Morningfrost watched her go with a purr of satisfaction, hoping she'd take her advice to heart and make herself a nest in the warriors' den, away from Morningfrost and her kits.
Blazefang was growing restless in the elders' den. He could only nap and lie about for so long before the desire to be doing something grew nearly overwhelming. How any elder didn't just run straight into Demon's jaws after a few days of retirement, he didn't understand. He stood, wincing as pain shot through his leg. He growled in annoyance, apparently he had slept on it wrong.
Half limping, and doing his best not to, he made his way toward the den entrance, only for some cat to run straight into him. With an oof he stumbled back, hissing in pain as he put more weight on it than he meant to in order to steady himself. He almost hissed again, this time aiming it at the cat that had so carelessly run into him, ready to tell her to watch where she was going and get out of his way, but the younger she-cat stuttered an apology, looking up at him like he was about to eat her.
“Hey, what's your problem...? I know my reputation must be pretty awesome and all, but you're a Clanmate, you don't gotta be afraid of me.” His ears flicked back against his head. He eyed her a moment before her name came to him. Cloudyfeather, one of LightningClan's newest warriors. “Erm...,” he glanced back into the den just so he wouldn't have to look at her pitiful expression anymore. Firebird and Darkcloud were inside, but that was it, “Were you... looking for some cat or something?”
Yeah, the world is still sleeping while I keep on dreaming for me,
And their words are just whispers and lies that I'll never believe. Fawn
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Post by Fawn on Jun 14, 2017 22:08:34 GMT -5
Cloudyfeather 20 Moons, LightningClan QueenCloudyfeather trembled. I can't do anything right... Blazefang's voice was louder than Morningfrost's, but it had a resonance that the other queen's voice did not; and from this distance, his words went right through her like wind through leaves. "S-Sorry," whispered the she-cat, wrapping her tail around herself in absence of another cat she could lean (or hide) against.
"I-I was just--" Cloudyfeather hiccuped, eyes watering harder. "--I-I was just trying to be hel-helpful! But Morn-Morningfrost is right. I'm useless." Indecision bit and scratched at her like rats, leaving panic seeping into her chest, her vision too blurred by tears to see her paws as anything more than fuzzy white splotches against the flattened grass.
Don't just cry in front of Blazefang, whispered a mortified voice in the back of her mind. Cloudyfeather made a noise between a whimper and a squeak, and delicately rubbed her face with one white paw, beads of moisture sliding from the ends of her whiskers. "Y-You must think so too," Cloudyfeather's ears seemed to disappear, tucked as tightly as they were.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2017 19:21:54 GMT -5
They can't break me as long as I know who I am. They can't see me, but I'm still here.
They can't tell me who to be cause I'm not what they see.
Cloudyfeather seemed to wilt in front him. Blazefang had a moment to wonder what in StarClan's name had her cowering like a kit that had just received a thorough tongue-lashing from their mother for some particularly grievous offense before she stuttered out the very reason. “Morningfrost?” He snorted dismissively at the name. Morningfrost had always been stuck up and annoying. He always felt bad for Harestrike whenever she had come around, all she seemed to do was criticize every cat around her, even her own kits.
His tail whipped to one side angrily at Cloudyfeather's revelation that Morningfrost had apparently told her she was useless. As if he didn't know how that felt, but so far no cat had dared to agree with him. What sort of cat said that to their own Clanmate? “Why in StarClan's name do you give a rat's tail about anything Morningfrost says? Her opinion on any cat is worth about as much as haredung,” he spat, his hackles bristling.
He stepped around Cloudyfeather, flicking her with his tail, “You've got four good legs, don't you?” Any cat who could claim that was certainly more useful than he was, but he wasn't about to turn this chance encounter into a pity party for two. “You're not useless,” he mewed firmly, “Come on. Get outta camp with me and away from Morningfrost for a while. You'll feel better.” Getting out of camp for a while always made him feel better anyway.
He wasn't really sure why he cared, but he supposed now that he knew what it felt like, he didn't like the thought of any of his Clanmates feeling like they were useless. It wasn't a good feeling. His ears flicked as he looked down at Cloudyfeather expectantly. After a moment, he leaned down to nudge her forward, “Come on, feeling the wind in your fur will help you remember you're a LightningClan cat, the best Clan in the valley, and that makes you... that makes you worth something.” Poetic, sappy speeches weren't really Blazefang's thing, but he'd dug deep for that, because its often how he reassured himself.
Yeah, the world is still sleeping while I keep on dreaming for me,
And their words are just whispers and lies that I'll never believe. Fawn
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Post by Fawn on Jun 19, 2017 6:37:16 GMT -5
Cloudyfeather 20 Moons, LightningClan Queen Cloudyfeather had, at first, flinched away from Blazefang's bristled, vehement retort that Morningfrost's opinion wasn't worth prey droppings. She flushed under her pelt (her family never used such strong language), afraid to agree with him in case anyone overheard. H-He's trying to help me. The tabby and white queen felt a startling surge of appreciation for the gruff warrior; he had more attitude than fur these days, but he was... he was what you were supposed to think of when someone said Clanmate.
Blazefang gave her a nudge, and Cloudyfeather was almost knocked over - seemingly as light as her namesake. With a soft noise of surprise, Cloudyfeather righted herself, sheepishly looking at him. "O-Okay. I'm a LightningClan cat. We're LightningClan cats." Her whispery, leaf-thin voice gradually grew stronger as she repeated this mantra out loud, encouraged by this unexpected support.
Slowly, Cloudyfeather's posture began to look less like a frightened rabbit's, and more along the lines of a feline. Timidly, her ears began to straighten, and Cloudyfeather took her first real breath once they were a fox length out of camp. "T-Thank you for treating me like a Clanmate, Blazefang," Cloudyfeather confessed, kneading the ground with uncertain emotions. He was the first cat apart from Batchaswer and Nightstep that had told her she was worth something.
Blazefang's opinion is worth more than Morningfrost's, Cloudyfeather thought, surprised by how ardently she believed that. Blazefang had been forced to retire due to his injury... How had that made him feel? She was a queen with no kits, and he was a warrior who couldn't be a warrior. Her situation was fixable, but his...
Cloudyfeather privately promised herself that she would visit him often. It must have been lonely, to be the only young cat in a den full of cats who had served LightningClan for so long. H-He deserves to feel appreciated too! The right words didn't come to mind immediately. She couldn't think of anything more eloquent than 'you're worth something too', which sounded pitiful in her head.
The she-cat glanced back the way they had come, as if afraid Morningfrost might appear to roll her eyes at every little decision she ever made (or didn't make). "Do y-you want to go to the crystal creek?" asked Cloudyfeather, wanting to put a bit more distance between them and the nursery.
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