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Post by Taxx on Nov 7, 2018 20:33:43 GMT -5
Leaf-fall Day Twenty-four: A light drizzle begins in the early morning and doesn't stop until late in the night You knocked me down, but I got up There was still light, though it was fading, and the Tribe were relaxing. Light was guarding the entrance, Moth was sharing prey with Storm, and her two kits were tumbling around in play close by, while the to-bes did their own 'play', which they'd probably insist was training. Snow lay close the prey-hunters' nests, paws tucked under her chest as she watched the cats go about her- sharing tongues, she'd called it once, but they had a different name for it.
Was it wrong for her to prefer the Clans' expression? She had changed everything else, from the way she hunted to how she viewed the cats she lived and hunted with, but she was too reluctant to let go the term that meant comfort from the Clan she'd come from.
A restless itch gnawed at her and Snow rose, stretching out her legs as she did so, her gaze falling on Dusk. For just a moment she hesitated, wondering if he'd even agree to what she had in mind, but she supposed it wouldn't hurt to ask, and see how he responded, instead of assuming...
Pausing at his side, Snow gave a nod of greeting, flicking her tail to the cave entrance. "Care for a walk before night sets in? I could do with some exercise before I sleep, how about you?" Sunrise on Fallen Snow 63 Moons Prey Hunter Tribe of Forgotten Water Fawn || Made by Fawn || Notes |
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Post by Fawn on Dec 2, 2018 20:22:24 GMT -5
Dusk that Shrouds the Forest If you get lost you can always be found Prey-Hunter, 57 Moons Dusk had just finished grooming himself when Snow came over, inviting him on a walk. He almost refused, feeling a nearly irrefutable tug to be at Darkblaze's and Ebonypaw's sides at all times, at least until they were settled. But the promise of cool evening air and good company was too much for him to turn down.
The tortoiseshell tom stood, shaking out his splotched coat, whiskers twitching as he smiled. "Promise not to call it exercise anymore, and I'd love to." 'Exercise' almost made it sound like a chore, or something to do with their training; these friendly moments between them hardly fit into that category. Dusk thought of her as a friend, and he inwardly marveled at how relaxed he was feeling as soon as he stepped into her company.
The Tribe was winding down, there were more cats turning in for an early night than there had been a short while ago, but Dusk was still awake. Though he'd let go of his NightClan sleeping patterns, he still somewhat mourned the dwindled opportunities to experience the world beneath starlight. His eyesight, at least, was just as good as any other cat's, and he enjoyed evening and nighttime all the more for it.
Dusk padded to the entrance, nodding politely to Roar of Rushing River. The white and brown tom nodded - then looked uncertain, as if they might be breaking the rules but their senior status had him hesitating to speak on it.
"We've both had combat training, Roar. We'll be alright." He glanced at Snow for confirmation. "We won't go far?"
Roar still frowned. "Oh, okay. Just... try to be back soon!"
Roar didn't have to say it out loud, but Dusk knew the young Cave-Guard was worried he'd get into trouble for this little allowance. Dusk hid a smile.
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Post by Taxx on Dec 31, 2018 15:40:55 GMT -5
You knocked me down, but I got up With a purr, Snow dipped her head in agreement, and as Dusk rose she padded with him toward the mouth of the cave where Roar was sitting. Who was clearly reluctant to let them go alone, despite the tom's assurances; Snow flicked her tail at the tortoiseshell tom as they headed down the path, waiting until she was out of earshot before speaking. "If we went too far, we'd have a shadow." Her whiskers rippled with amusement and she just managed not to cast a glance back over her shoulder at the young cave-guard.
She padded side-by-side with Dusk to the end of the path that led to the Slope and then she stopped, her gaze lifting upward to the sky stretched overhead, too wide to take in with a single glance, where the first warriors of StarClan- of the Tribe of Endless Hunting?- were beginning to appear. Bramblestorm was watching over her, wasn't he? She didn't have anyone in the Tribe's ancestors to look forward to meeting when she was gone- whenever that was.
Glancing at Dusk again, she swept her tail against his side as she stepped on to a smooth stone, large enough for both of them. "How are Darkblaze and Ebonypaw?" she asked; she'd been worried when Dusk had not returned with the rest of the Tribe on the night of the Gathering, with nothing more than a vague recollection from Light that the tortoiseshell tom had been alive, crouched beside another cat, and she had been surprised herself at the depth of relief when he had showed up safe, with his brother and the apprentice in tow.
She knew the pain the NightClan cat had been through, losing his kit, but she'd said very little to him- Dusk had hardly left his side in the days since, a constant comfort for the grieving tom. Gently leaning a shoulder against the dark form of the cat at her side, Snow pulled in a breath, let it out; she said nothing, merely staying quiet for Dusk's answer. Sunrise on Fallen Snow Prey-hunter of the Tribe of Forgotten Waters Fawn || Made by Fawn || Notes |
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Post by Fawn on Jan 8, 2019 21:55:11 GMT -5
Dusk that Shrouds the Forest Home is when you're right where you should be Prey-Hunter, 57 Moons "How are Darkblaze and Ebonypaw?"
"He's..." Dusk trailed off, trying to find the right words to describe his brother. "Darkblaze was always the strong, silent type. But he's even quieter now. I know he's still hurting - and I can't imagine the pain he's going through." Dusk was heartbroken for his littermate, and it showed in the hitch in his voice. "I hope StarClan gives him some peace and security for the upcoming seasons. Ebonypaw, too. I know what it's like to lose a sibling... It's numbing. It makes you feel raw and lost. It's like plunging into a lake of icy water." Dusk shivered, remembering all too clearly the feeling of unreality that had hit him over Brightfeather's death.
One moment, their family was whole.
The next, it was broken. An enormous piece taken right out of it.
Dusk's gaze flicked to Snow's, and he flashed an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I've already turned the conversation into something heavy and unpleasant. I'm usually better company than this." Dusk laughed at himself, ears twitching awkwardly. "I-I think."
He tried to pull from his limited pool of conversation topics to find one that wasn't laced with pain or discomfort for one or both of them. He was curious about LightningClan, but was that a safe thing to talk about? I don't have an answer for that, better to talk about the present instead of the past. He had no idea what sort of life she'd left behind in her old Clan. Dusk had been fortunate that he had left not due to tragedy, but for a personal reason. He had not been exiled, he had left of his own accord - and he was forever grateful to Foxstar for having the freedom to answer this question burning in him since kithood.
The question of where he belonged.
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Post by Taxx on Jan 26, 2019 10:43:15 GMT -5
You knocked me down, but I got up "Nobody can," Snow replied, her tail flicking where it was curled around her paws. You could never know what it was like to lose a kit- unless you had. It was different even from losing a brother or sister, a mother or father. Losing a kit was the hardest thing any cat could go through, because they weren't supposed to join StarClan before their parents. Having to let go of a cat you'd cared for since their birth, had watched grow, had celebrated triumphs and helped through failures... Even her own loss paled in comparison to Dark's. She'd never had a chance to know her kits as he had known Shadepaw.
Dusk's apology had Snow shaking her head. "I asked. I'm sorry for him- he's going through a tough time. I'm glad you were there for him, when he needed you. You probably helped him more than you know." As awful as the attack must have been, she was glad Dusk had been present to help his brother, at a time when he had been most in need of support. She almost wished she could go visit her own kin, but at the same time, wasn't it better to stay away? They would know she was alive, since she had told Mudpelt, and she couldn't just take off to see them whenever she wanted. Maybe if she were chosen to go to a Gathering- if Skyteller was still intending to join the Clans during the full moon- she would see her former Clanmates again.
"What are you talking about? It's been a hard time, that's all. You've been great company to me... and Peregrine likes you, I know." Her ears flicked and she glanced away, warmth pricking at her at her admission- not ashamed, really, but it had been... sudden. Certainly true, and even the old wariness of being friends with a cat of another Clan had faded by now. Those old rules no longer applied, not when they were both Tribe now. Sunrise on Fallen Snow Prey-hunter of the Tribe of Forgotten Waters Fawn || Made by Fawn || Notes |
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Post by Fawn on Feb 2, 2019 10:41:08 GMT -5
Dusk that Shrouds the Forest Home is when you're right where you should be Prey-Hunter, 60 Moons "Y-Yeah?" He stammered, laughing with relief. "I like Peregrine too." The ginger and white she-cat looked away, and Dusk felt his throat go dry with nerves. Oh StarClan, had he said the wrong thing? "I like your company too," mewed Dusk quickly. Did that sound forced? The tortoiseshell babbled a bit, as if trying to regain his footing on terrain he was unsure about. "I know we're from different Clans, but it doesn't feel that way anymore. You're my Tribemate. We've been experiencing this new life together, even if we haven't always been right next to each other. We've got a bond - " Dusk flushed. "Er, we have a connection? Sorry. This is the longest conversation I've ever had with a she-cat that wasn't kin."
His talks with Peregrine had gone on for a while, during the initial peppering-her-with-questions-about-the-Tribe stage of their friendship, but it hadn't felt like this. These talks felt like Snow was trying to get to know him. She had asked him on this walk, so she must have been interested in his company - and she'd even brought up Darkblaze and Ebonypaw. He didn't hope for anything more than friendship, from the former LightningClan cat.
After all, he was fairly certain no cat had ever looked at him as anything more than a friend. His condition had been unwelcome in NightClan, and he had most assuredly been banned from ever having a family, according to Dimstar's regulations.
Dusk's tail tip twitched, thinking of a very impassioned Squirrelheart, and how she had stood up for him - even when he wouldn't even stand up for himself. Maybe he needed to come out of his shell? Maybe he needed to start seeing himself the way that one brave warrior had. He wasn't a fumbling, drowsy warrior anymore.
Don't get ahead of yourself, frogbrain. Just try not to mess up.
Dusk smiled, even as his self-consciousness had him anxiously reassessing how much goatweed he'd eaten today. "So, uh..." Think, Dusk, think. Say something... charming.
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Post by Taxx on Feb 11, 2019 20:54:47 GMT -5
You knocked me down, but I got up It was almost a relief to know that Dusk was as uncertain as she was about this- had he ever had someone interested in him? The question hung in the air for a moment, but she decided not to ask in the end. She felt as he did- how else would she have ever got so close to a NightClan cat, otherwise? Having relationships in other Clans was often more trouble than they were worth, and even if there was love between cats, it was all too common for them to end, no matter how hard the two might try to keep it going- unless one cat joined their mate’s Clan.
They didn’t have that problem. They were one Tribe now, and Snow turned to blink at Dusk as he came to an end. Smiling in return, she waited a moment for him to finish the sentence he’d started; as the silence stretched out, she gave a quiet purr, drew a breath, and leaned forward to stroke her head against his. “It’s okay. We can go slow- if that’s what you want…?”
A flash of light drew her attention to the sky then, and she nudged Dusk. “Look. StarClan are running.” Thin streaks of light raced past, far overhead, shining brightly for a brief second before fading again. Entranced, Snow watched, wondering if it was anyone she knew- Dovesong? Snowheart? Or Galekit? “I’m glad, even if they’re gone from our sides, that we know that their spirits are at rest.” Sunrise on Fallen Snow 63 Moons Prey Hunter Tribe of Forgotten Water Fawn || Made by Fawn || Notes |
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