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Post by Taxx on May 22, 2019 15:23:11 GMT -5
CINDERFUR NIGHTCLAN rather be the hunter than the prey
Cinderfur padded along the border with Lightstep and Oakblaze, eyes and ears tuned for anything out of the ordinary. So far it had been an uneventful patrol and it was looking like it would stay that way- he wondered how the one along the TreeClan border was faring. Of course Gracklestrike had volunteered for that one, but Rainfur had felt it would be better for more even-tempered cats to patrol, for now; Cinderfur approved. His sister might not like it, but constant strife would do no cat any good. Their deputy was a sensible cat.
Ahead, the border curved back along the RainClan scentline and the three halted. Oakblaze bounced off, explaining how he was quite about to faint from hunger, and Lightstep followed with a purr. She looked back, asked Cinderfur if he was coming. "In a minute. I want to get a drink first." She nodded and turned to hurry after Oakblaze. Cinderfur approached one of the pools on the border, crouching to lap up the cool water. He was aware of another cat appearing, a large tom with a dark tabby pelt, and he gave Cinderfur a nod of acknowledgement before quite brazenly settling down to drink as well.
He wasn't a Clan cat, his scent didn't carry the smell of fish and water that was RainClan's signature stench, and so that meant he had to be a loner. He probably didn't have much to worry about, either, in regards to being attacked. He was as muscled as Cindefur was, as tall and broad. Relaxed as if he belonged, the tom straightened, shook his head to flick water off his chin, and glanced over at Cinderfur, who stared back. "Nice day," the loner remarked, and the young NightClan tom's ears flicked. Was he serious? Rising, Cinderfur gave a non-committal shrug. He had better things to do than get drawn into pointless chatter with a loner.
"Oh- hey, wait!" the cat called, taking a few steps after him; whipping back around, Cinderfur laid back his ears and growled.
"Get off our territory," he warned, tail lashing. Eyes widening, the tom obeyed, backtracking quickly until he was back on RainClan's side of the border.
"Okay, look, relax. I just wanted to ask you something, okay? You probably don't know me but I was around some, about last newleaf, maybe the end of leafbare... anyway," he rushed on, sensing Cinderfur's irritation in the twitch of his tail, "I was hoping to talk to a cat, if you know her? I'd be grateful."
His ears flicking back, Cinderfur eyed the stranger. He wanted to talk to one of NightClan's she-cats? "Why?" he asked, eyes narrowed and tail slowly swaying back and forth. "What business do you have with one of my Clan?"
"Just to talk," the other replied calmly, as though that made everything fine. He sat, tail tip resting on his paws as he added, "I can wait right here, and I won't set paw on your territory. Okay?"
He seemed friendly enough but Cinderfur didn't like it. Which cat was meeting loners on the border? He couldn't think of any reasons that were in any way within the warrior code, or that would cause half, if not all, of NightClan to look sideways at the she-cat, and for whispers and rumors to start flying. The young warrior shifted a bit, glanced over to where Oakblaze and Lightstep had gone, and then back at the loner. "Who?" he asked.
"Her name is Sootfeather," the tom answered, and it was like ice freezing in Cinderfur's blood. Cold swept through him from nose to the tip of his tail and he stared, fur prickling in utter shock. "I imagine you know what she looks like." And he purred, a warm sound that was at such odds with the stunning revelation that he could only blink, struck dumb by the thoughts running wild through his head.
In the end, he could only turn and pad away, ignoring the questioning calls from the loner and the final confused, "Okay, I'll just wait here!"
Back to camp he went, striding along blankly at first. A loner tom- looking for Sootfeather. His mother. Who was dead. The fact that no tom had claimed him, or Gracklestrike or Privetshade. Was this why? Because their father wasn't a NightClan cat? Starlingcry had told him it was the size of his mother, against the size of the kits, that had led to her death. She'd given them life, and given up her own in the process. And looking at the loner, Cinderfur could see where he and his sister had gotten their size. Oh, StarClan, Gracklestrike would hate this. Maybe, if he kept it from her?
But he had to know. For certain. Which was why, when he reached camp again, he headed for the medicine den. Shadowchaser was alone, thankfully, but Cinderfur made no attempt at small talk. He looked the medicine cat in the eye and asked him to dream. To visit Sootfeather and ask her, straight, who their father was. He said nothing else, gave no reply as to the sudden need to know when he'd never pushed this before, only repeated the request and then turned to leave. He'd return, he told the Clan's healer, the next day, in the hopes of having the answer he sought. No matter what that answer might be- he had to know. And Sootfeather was the only cat who could tell him. Fawn || Trouble's cominggg
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Post by Fawn on May 24, 2019 16:45:07 GMT -5
curiosity is not a sin... ...but we should exercise caution with our curiosity Shadowchaser The young Cinderfur had appeared out of nowhere, no small talk on his tongue and no friendliness or camraderie in his eye. Instead, the new warrior had been all business, Shadowchaser quiet taken aback as he nudged aside the pile of raspberry leaves he'd been sorting.
He wanted to know who his father was. Shadowchaser's pelt prickled with forgotten anxieties. A long talk with Echobreeze had soothed some of the hurt in Shadowchaser's heart over the truth about his own parentage, but that still made him hesitant to fulfill Cinderfur's request.
"Are you sure?" he asked, golden eyes large and full of personal trials on the subject of fatherhood. "You may not like what I have to find out." There was no requirement for she-cats to announce who the sires of their litters were; it wasn't anyone else's business. That was a good rule, except... It left open the possibility that the sire was not of NightClan, or of any Clan.
Of What he knew of Sootfeather, Shadowchaser had a hard time picturing her outright betraying the Clan with a cross-Clan fling. Would StarClan have allowed her to give Darkstar a life, if that were the case? That didn't clear Sootfeather of all suspicions, but it was one more piece of the puzzle.
Cinderfur was adament. He had to know.
Shadowchaser's throat ached with unasked questions - what prompted this? Did something happen? If you need someone to listen to you, I am here - but he allowed the young cat to depart free of a medicine cat's cross-examination.
The svelte chestnut tom adjusted the fresh moss in his nest, a sprig of chamomile woven into the cushy moss as an added calming effect to aid with sleeping. And what do I tell him, if Sootfeather decides not to tell me? If I do not dream at all? That was part of being a medicine cat, Shadowchaser knew. Sometimes you had to give answers no one wanted, or even no answer at all.
Tucking his tail over his nose, the medicine cat let go of consciousness, drifting away to StarClan's hallowed forests to the steady rhythm of his own peaceful breathing...
There was that split-second of dread when he opened his eyes, that the first cat he would see was Pinefur. But it was not his birth father that awaited him; rather, it was a familiar black pelt and bright eyes. Shadowchaser purred a greeting, despite the nervous twitch of his tail over the question he must ask of her.
"Greetings Sootfeather. Thank you, I was not sure StarClan would allow me the chance to see you outside of the Moon Tree." Shadowchaser dipped his head, showing all the respect he could muster to the StarClan cat - to the queen whose young were prospering, her sacrifice proving its worth every single day. medicine cat of nightclan Taxx | jk rowling | background image | table by phoenix
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Post by Taxx on May 24, 2019 18:29:46 GMT -5
Sootfeather sat still, a slight nod of her own in return to the medicine cat's greeting, but her eyes stayed fixed on him and there was a hint of apprehension about her. Her voice was steady, though, as she answered. "You wanted to see me and I came. You have questions. I thought this might happen, some day." Her gaze broke, then, her head swiveling to watch as a shadowed form raced past on the heels of a squirrel. Rising, she flicked her tail at the dark tom in a beckon. "Come; walk with me, Shadowchaser."What would her family say, if they knew? Her mother, her brothers- her kits? Her father? It was his decree that had put this idea in her mind in the first place. Mate not for love, but for strength. And she had. She could not regret it, when she looked down on her kits and felt such pride in their accomplishments. Despite her wish that she could have lived it all with them, she was still proud of how far they had come from the tiny mewling kits she'd fought to birth. "Are you sure you want to ask?" she spoke after a moment, glancing over at Shadowchaser. "Were it possible, I would give the answer to Cinderfur myself... of all the dreams I had, while I carried them, I never imagined a future where I would not be there for them. I wish I had been stronger. Starlingcry has been so good to them, but it's hard- growing up knowing that your mother died for you, and never having a father to take interest." She settled again in the shelter of a broad bush, crouching among the leaves and glancing again at the younger of the medicine cats. "If you ask, and he knows, there will be no going back from this."Fawn
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Post by Fawn on May 24, 2019 20:49:52 GMT -5
curiosity is not a sin... ...but we should exercise caution with our curiosity Shadowchaser "If it were up to me, I would gladly give you your privacy," Shadowchaser confessed, whiskers twitching with sadness. "I... I am curious, but I have been burned by curiosity in the past. I don't want Cinderfur to feel the same." It was clear to him now that there was a secret in Sootfeather's eyes. Why else would the conversation play out this way? Why else would Sootfeather say something so ominous?
Shadowchaser felt the leaves press against his short pelt, and he did not fight it. Rather, he chose to sit beside her, quiet and respectful of the delicate situation at paw. "I wish I had been able to save you, Sootfeather." Shadowchaser whispered, still nurturing a touch of guilt and remorse over the loss of the young queen's life. "I'll leave the choice to you, whether to tell Cinderfur the truth. If you think he is strong enough, mature enough to handle what you have to say, then I'll speak to him on your behalf."
A dark tail twitched, too subtle and too slow to set the leaves rustling. Shadowchaser exhaled softly. "This is none of my business, and I certainly won't press you on the matter - even if that sullies my relationship with Cinderfur." In his heart, he felt as though those were the right words, yet something... niggled him.
When had the thoughts and feelings of the dead, become more important than the living? He was placing Sootfeather's comfort and privacy to a higher priority than Cinderfur's quest for answers. There was no easy side to pick, not here. The young healer vowed to tread carefully, and listened for the dead queen's decision as studiously as he had once listened to Smokefur's lessons. medicine cat of nightclan Taxx | jk rowling | background image | table by phoenix
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Post by Taxx on May 25, 2019 8:36:37 GMT -5
Neither did she. But how could she refuse him the truth, when he had met the tom already? She'd never really expected the loner to come back... had she lived, would she have been able to tell him to keep away? Her gaze dropped to her paws and her tail curled around, the tip twitching incessantly. She shook her head and reached over to nudge her nose against his cheek in an attempt to offer comfort. "You did your best, and you know it. It's done; you shouldn't dwell on it your whole life."A sigh, and one more shake of her head. Her son deserved to know. She worried about how he would take it- would he tell Gracklestrike? The fiery young she-cat would not react well, of that Sootfeather was certain. Perhaps the question of their father had never crossed her daughter's mind- she was doing just fine on her own, after all. "He was a loner. I only ever met him a couple times; when I found I was expecting kits I never saw him again. I went my way, and he went his. I don't even remember his name. There was no love, merely... a want. For all that he was a loner he was a strong cat, and that was what I desired. I knew NightClan would judge them if I told, so I didn't. Their blood may be mixed but their loyalties are not. They are all three warriors worthy of the title. That squirrelbrain should have just stayed away." Her last words ended on a growl, her tail lashing in a moment of temper. "Tell Cinderfur that I am sorry. It will be up to him to decide what to do with this. I don't want them to suffer for my choice."Fawn
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Post by Fawn on May 26, 2019 10:56:36 GMT -5
curiosity is not a sin... ...but we should exercise caution with our curiosity Shadowchaser "They won't suffer," Shadowchaser said, wanting to return some of the comfort Sootfeather had shown him. "In your own words, their blood may be mixed but their loyalties - there's no question that they are NightClan in heart and soul."
Despite those words, Shadowchaser could not deny himself a second to feel... sorry? Remorseful, to young Cinderfur and his siblings. Gracklefire ultimately wouldn't care what their father's name was, but Shadowchaser did not know how Cinderfur might feel with such little information. There was a chance he could bump into that loner again - but there was just as much a chance that he wouldn't. And Cinderfur would only ever know one side of his parentage.
Was that one side enough?
"I understand why you chose a strong loner to sire your offspring," he began quietly. "I don't know how Pinefur and Ebonywing felt when they were expecting me, but I have hope that my birth wasn't... an accident." It was better to at least be sired deliberately, than just be the rotten fruit of his parents' rocky, tenuous relationship that ultimately failed.
Shadowchaser let his shoulder fur mingle with Sootfeather's, sighing softly into the StarClan breeze teasing the tops of his ears. "I believe knowing how much you loved them, and how much Starlingcry loves them, will be enough. They're surrounded by kin and friends, and I feel... almost like an uncle to Cinderfur especially. I will say nothing to Darkstar or my family. What's done is done, and I don't want to put them in a difficult position by sharing your secret."
Golden eyes settled upon her soft features, and Shadowchaser forced a low purr. She had an ally in him, no matter what. "Is there anything else you wish me to know? Any other messages I can relay?" medicine cat of nightclan Taxx | jk rowling | background image | table by phoenix
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Post by Taxx on May 30, 2019 19:14:29 GMT -5
CINDERFUR NIGHTCLAN rather be the hunter than the prey
Anything else? For a moment misery flared in the queen's eyes; having to rely on another to pass on her words when she wanted to do it herself. Shadowchaser would no doubt pass on the message, but how could he convey the emotion she felt? She loves you, he would say while keeping his distance. There would be emotion, certainly, in the fervent way he would pass on the words, but it would be far from the love and pride she felt. She would not be the one to look him in the eye and give the truth he deserved; there would be no nuzzle, no comforting rasp of her tongue over an ear...
"Tell them that I love them with all my heart. That I am so proud of them all. That I watch over them every day and wish them well in whatever they do." Her throat closed and she rose, turning to pad away, the branches of the bush rattling as she left its cover. "There's nothing left to say now, Shadowchaser. Wake up." -- He'd slept well, rather to his surprise. He had laid awake a bit, gaze fixed on the medicine cats' den and thoughts spinning round in his mind, but when he woke again he felt rested. Still, it took only a moment for the memory to grip him again and he was on his paws quickly, exiting the warriors' den as stealthily as possible and entering Smokefur and Shadowchaser's domain. The younger of the two was still curled in his nest, and though he hesitated a moment, impatience soon led Cinderfur to reach out a paw to shake the tom.
"Shadowchaser. Wake up." He forced himself not to demand answers immediately, stepping back to give the older tom a chance to grow alert on his own time, but his tail flicked back and forth in a restless rhythm, leaning forward with eyes wide and ears pricked. "Did you see her?"
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Post by Fawn on Jun 20, 2019 22:44:41 GMT -5
curiosity is not a sin... ...but we should exercise caution with our curiosity Shadowchaser The vista changed from star-studded pines to deep-yellow eyes, full of questions and hope. Shadowchaser shook himself awake, allowing all that Sootfeather had told him to start settling into place; a great deal of dust had been kicked up in the medicine cat's mind, and he needed a chance to breathe. In the last few heartbeats of his time with Sootfeather, he had felt a piercing thorn of anguish in his chest, felt a little of her grief over the way her life had ended so soon.
Shadowchaser nodded gently, mindful of Smokefur sleeping nearby. "I saw her. Come with me, I think we'd better talk by the pond." Cinderfur was nothing if not agreeable, so great was his thirst for the truth. Shadowchaser, however, was grateful for the brisk nighttime walk, letting the cool touch of air on his whiskers and the fur between his ears to put him into more of a relaxed mindset.
Both toms drew level with the heavily-shaded pond, and a clutch of dragonflies darted off as they got too close to the water's edge. Shadowchaser lapped at it, sat back, and then spoke. "The most important thing I have to tell you tonight is that your mother loves you with the entirety of her being. She wanted to apologize for leaving you, and for any heartache the truth may cause you." Shadowchaser tilted his head back, rounded features pointed to the swathe of stars beginning to wink out as the first touch of dawn began to spill over the tree tops. It was still dark where they sat, so heavily covered was the forest by the dense growth of pine and spruce.
But there was light to be seen through the needles, no matter how small. "Your father is the loner you met the day before; Sootfeather chose him for his strength, something she thought would benefit NightClan. No one else knows about him, apart from me and apart from you." Shadowchaser's gaze was fixed on the young tom's. "No matter what you may think of the circumstances, I believe Sootfeather has no regrets over it. She's proud of you all."
It was the best explanation he could give to young Cinderfur. He could not provide a name, or a further examination into Sootfeather's thoughts back then - but he could pass along messages from mother to son. It was going to be a lot to process, and Shadowchaser prepared himself for a negative reaction - tempers were volatile at that age, and life was still so confusing, especially when uncertain parentage came in.
Shadowchaser sympathized, and privately hoped Cinderfur would not go through even half the anguish he had over Pinefur and Ebonywing. medicine cat of nightclan Taxx | jk rowling | background image | table by phoenix
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Post by Taxx on Jun 25, 2019 19:28:47 GMT -5
CINDERFUR NIGHTCLAN rather be the hunter than the prey
Padding at Shadowchaser's side, Cinderfur could hardly keep his eyes on the ground underpaw. The peace he'd known on waking was already gone, replaced by anxious need to know what Sootfeather had said. He knew the privacy would keep anyone who didn't need to know from overhearing, but he hated the wait, tightly wound as he kept pace with the younger medicine cat. They reached the Ambush Pond and Cinderfur sat, claws sinking into the ground as he stared at Shadowchaser, tail flicking restlessly. Waiting.
His ears faced forward at Shadowchaser's first word, and the words were like leafbare's cold closing around him. They felt like an attempt to console him before he was told what he didn't want to hear. Which was exactly what he did hear, when Shadowchaser spoke again. His suspicion confirmed, his mother's disloyalty to the Clan voiced aloud. His status as half loner realized. And nobody knew but him, and Shadowchaser, and Sootfeather. His chest felt too tight and he had to fight to take deep breaths, struggling to keep himself together.
"No regrets," he choked out. "No regrets over what she did to us. It's all right for her, she's dead. We're the ones who have to live with the truth. Knowing that she broke the code and let that... that rogue father us. Knowing what NightClan would do if they ever learned the truth." He couldn't tell them- how could he? He knew plenty of cats who would look sideways at him, Gracklestrike and Privetshade. Cats to who blood mattered, who wouldn't think twice about scorning them for something they had no say in, even though they had spent every day as Clanmates, when neither had known and they had put full trust in Cinderfur.
And Gracklestrike. He knew how she felt about loners; telling her that her own father had been one? He couldn't imagine how she'd take it, but it wouldn't be in any positive way. Cinderfur didn't think he was taking it any better.
"I'm so glad she has no regrets over any of this." Head bowed, Cinderfur stared at the ground between his paws, ears pinned back and tail curled close. Everything he'd known, everything he'd taken for granted- it lay at his paws, broken, and his future lay ahead, suddenly bleak. He couldn't help remembering what he'd once said to Shadowchaser, proclaiming himself a NightClan cat and feeling the certainty of his statement. It had been a lie. He hadn't even known it at the time. How could he be NightClan if he was part loner?
Cinderfur lifted his head a bit, flashing a glance at Shadowchaser. "I'm not who I thought I was." His shoulders hunched and he swallowed, feeling a hard lump in his throat, and his thoughts spun, going back over and over to the tom he'd met who didn't even know they were related, to the times he'd called himself a NightClan cat with pride, and back to Shadowchaser's confirmation. "How can I face them, knowing that- that we're a lie?"
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Post by Fawn on Jul 5, 2019 19:59:46 GMT -5
curiosity is not a sin... ...but we should exercise caution with our curiosity Shadowchaser Cinderfur's breathing grew strained, and Shadowchaser flinched, seeing the betrayal and the horror mounting in the young warrior's eyes like a tidal wave. "You're not a lie," Shadowchaser interjected, speaking more sternly then he had to any cat in his entire life. "Loyalty isn't mist; it doesn't just vanish or grow thin over time. You've been raised in NightClan, you've trained for NightClan, and it was NightClan that gave you your warrior name."
Golden eyes, searching Cinderfur's distraught face for signs of understanding, softened to coincide with his tone. "When you stood before Darkstar, and she asked you to swear an oath to uphold the code and defend NightClan - no matter the cost, do you remember what you said? Did you mean it? Would your answer change, if Darkstar were to do your ceremony all over again?"
"You may not believe me," said Shadowchaser, more than a touch of sadness invading his voice. "But I know what you are going through. I discovered recently that the cats who raised me are not my birth parents. It... It crushed me. Turned everything I ever knew into a lie." Golden eyes flashed with an unspoken question. Does that sound familiar? The medicine cat continued. "Except everything I thought had changed, hadn't. The cats I still call my parents are my parents, and to everyone I hold dear, the truth about my birth didn't matter. Not a whisker. The only thing that changed, Cinderfur, was how I saw myself."
Echobreeze's scent came to him in a memory, and he had to pause long enough to clear the lump in his throat, that overwhelming rush of gratitude still lurking beneath the surface whenever he replayed her words in his head. You are my son, she had told him, and not even StarClan can take you away from me.
"When I looked up and realized I was the only one who couldn't get over it, I tried to see myself through the eyes of my family. They didn't see a little abandoned kit that no one wanted. They saw a son, or a brother. They saw a Clanmate. A medicine cat. What do you think your siblings see, when they look at you? What your mentor sees? It's going to feel like you've... lost a part of yourself tonight," the slender tom laid a tail over Cinderfur's back, trying to comfort him. "But once that feeling goes away, you'll find out you still have so much more to you than who your sire was." medicine cat of nightclan Taxx | jk rowling | background image | table by phoenix
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Post by Taxx on Jul 15, 2019 13:04:27 GMT -5
CINDERFUR NIGHTCLAN rather be the hunter than the prey
Shadowchaser was trying to be helpful, Cinderfur knew. His attempts at reassurance, at admitting his own uncertainty over his parentage, his reminder of the oath Cinderfur had sworn before Darkstar and all of NightClan, when the new leader had returned from her visit to StarClan. But Cinderfur only turned his head away, edging away from the tail the medicine cat laid over his back. "Do you honestly think that no cat would care? That Darkstar wouldn't look at us differently if she knew the truth? We are a lie," he repeated, voice edging on a snarl. "We were led to believe that our blood was pure. But it's not. And our father is a cat who stands for no cat but himself- he knows nothing of the warrior code, or our way of life. He didn't even know me!"
His voice choked off, remembering staring into the tabby tom's eyes and realizing that the other had never known that he even had kits. That he had been speaking to his son, believing them to have nothing in common, any more than he shared with Shadowchaser. He tried not to think about whether or not he'd do the same, if he had known. Would he have tried harder, struggled to prove himself to his Clanmates, doubt that he was worthy in their eyes? Every negative thought sprang forward, viewed in a different light: his lax attitude about the warrior code, his attempt to remain civil with other Clans... his ongoing relationship with Stag, from the Tribe.
"You can't understand. Your parents were both NightClan. Our mother chose an outsider. And she left us to deal with the truth." Had she thought it would never come out? Possibly it wouldn't have, if Cinderfur hadn't come across that loner. But now that he had, it was all he could think about. How could Shadowchaser understand? The attempt, while nice of him to offer, meant nothing, and Cinderfur rose, turning away from the younger medicine cat. "Thanks for telling me, Shadowchaser. I'm going to go for a walk- I guess I'll see you later." Without another word, without a glance back, Cinderfur skirted the edge of the pond and headed deeper into the woods, seeking peace and solitude, to think about what he was going to do now.
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