[KARAZHAL]

Birdstar had tried to lounge inside his camp, but the air inside the hill was stifling, unmoving as death itself, and the prospect of moving outside did not appeal to him--but it had to be done. The ground baked to a searing degree everywhere there wasn't shade. The air shimmered under the burning sun and a thin haze of cloud cover. The heat made prey slow and bloated, and anything they killed, they had to eat quickly or it'd be cooked and dried out. He dismissed his hunting patrol to spare their paws. Instead of returning to camp, he proffered the idea of spending time at the springs.

The warm moss felt good under their feet as his patrol abandoned the scrublands for the meadow and the springs beyond. Birdstar was first to pass between the shade of the tall boulders. The area opened up to a cluster shiny reflective mirrors. His eyes widened in glee. Most cats disliked water, but Birdstar was willing to put aside all that for the sake of staying cool. With unrestrained delight, he leapt forward and got into the nearest spring, breaking through the warm placid water and feeling immediate relief on his too-hot paws.

To his surprise, none of the water had dried up under the sun, and StoneClan didn't yet have a drought. He counted all of their blessings and was grateful to StarClan for granting them such a boon. "Come on in! This isn't the river where you have to worry about pike!" he called to his fellow hunters. "You've all earned some relaxation."

[Jos]

Cloudtail

Cloudtail endured the hunting patrol.  

He did not particularly enjoy hunting in the searing heat, though he supposed he should be grateful that his pelt did not gorge itself on the sun like his darker clanmates. The whiteness of his fur, though blinding, did seem to brush the heat off a tad. Not that the color of his fur helped his poor feet, which stung a bit every time he took a step.  

But of course, something as insignificant as the blazing sun would not stop Cloudtail from performing his duties…dutifully. He prided himself in that, in his stoicism. In the way that he buried his emotions and his thoughts deep, deep down where no cat could ever find them, not even himself. It had been that way ever since his sister died.


Cloudtail had not felt much of anything since Redpaw died. He learned almost at once that throwing himself into his duties would keep him from having to confront those feelings he had worked so hard to put to rest. Now that he was older, though, he found himself laying awake in the warriors den wondering: at what cost?  

Birdstar seemed to be doing well for himself. On some level Cloudtail was proud of his brother, if not a bit jealous. It was easy to ignore Birdtalon when they were merely warriors but when he was appointed deputy and then to leader, it became more and more difficult to avoid him. Not that Cloudtail wanted to alienate his brother he just knew that they would begin to talk about things that Cloudtail would really rather not discuss. Things like Redpaw.  

The weary white warrior followed Birdstar to Sky Springs, hoping a nice cool drink would keep his mind off the heat, at least. He was a bit shocked to see Birdstar frolicking in the water, like an apprentice. Such behavior was unbefitting of a clan leader, he thought. Then again, Birdstar may be on to something. Cloudtail hesitantly waded in to the springs and began paddling about. The cold water absorbed into his fur like moss, and he sighed in relief as it refreshed the skin under his pelt.  

Cloudtail swam up to Birdstar, his green eyes glinting with what could possibly be described as joy, “We haven’t done this in many moons. Is this what you do instead of leading our clan?” he teased playfully, “You’re more fish than cat at this point.” 

((KARAZHAL ^_^ ))

[KARAZHAL]

Birdstar had known that he would be a different sort of leader. The circumstances of his ascension had only been one indicator. In truth, the tom still had yet to adjust to the idea of ordering his clanmates around, cats he considered his peers and friends. He did not want cats he saw as his equals to think of him as unapproachable or too important for their time. In his mind, he was their clanmate first and their leader second. Whether that was a plus or negative had yet to be seen. Did other cats hate that about him or find him relatable? He hoped it was the latter.

Despite having his own brother in his hunting patrol, the tom decided to let loose and show his clanmates he had plenty of vitality. He knew it was behavior expected of a kit, but the weather was too ridiculous to prop himself on pride. Once he wasn't burning in his own pelt, maybe he could worry about propriety and looking the part. Still, he was surprised to see Cloudtail join him, the white tom's fur puddling up around him as the other tom paddled toward him. Birdstar felt a strange touch of ego when his brother actually took his advice; it had nothing to do with him obeying his leader and everything to do with obeying his "lesser" little brother.

He blinked at Cloudtail, lowering his head and blowing bubbles through his nose. Birdstar's ears perked as he rose further out of the water. "Fishstar of StoneClan sounds ridiculous," he laughed. "You seem like you're enjoying it though, Fishtail. That's... kind of a surprise, actually." He looked away, unsure of how to really talk to his brother. They hadn't been friends as apprentices, more like rivals, and now that they were both adults, they'd grown apart and made their own ways.

Jos

[Jos]

Cloudtail

Cloudtail was willing to go for a swim but he drew the line at blowing nose bubbles, and he did little to hide the look of disgust on his face as Birdstar did exactly that. "You know, the others are watching. It's all well and good to 'have fun' and 'joke' but do try to show some decorum, you are our leader after all. Fishstar." he couldn't help but to add that little barb in at the very end, whiskers twitching with mild amusement. 

Cloudtail really did live up to his namesake while he swam. His long white fur billowing out around him like a cloud on a clear day. His tail fanned out and streamed behind him like a big, wet feather, and would no doubt turn into a rat tail as soon as he climbed up on to dry land. His fur would be a nightmare to groom. Despite that, something had compelled him to follow his brother into the water, and he knew that it would be now or never to try to spark even the littlest bit of a relationship between them. After all, they had never truly been friends, and the one strand that kept them together died with Redpaw. Perhaps she was in Starclan right now, forcing his paws? It wasn't impossible.

The prickly tom snorted at his brother's observation, "I am allowed to have fun, aren't I? Oh but, don't tell the apprentices I have fun or you might scare them." he said dryly, "Speaking of apprentices...I am ready for another. I know it has been a while since I have volunteered myself for one, but we do need more warriors." he began wading towards the bank, his soaking pelt hanging off him like moss. "If that is all right with you, of course, Birdstar."

But something was still on Cloudtails mind. His blue eyes were troubled, his words had less bite to them than normal. He seemed unsure how to speak to Birdstar: as the brother he never bothered to know, or as the new leader of Stoneclan? Or both? And how in Starclan's name would he ever go about undoing moons and moons of unfamiliarity? Am I mousebrained? he wondered, This is a waste of time. 

And yet, there he was, belly deep in the water. Making conversation.


Cloudtail was giving it his best shot.

((KARAZHAL  ))

[Ghost the Undead Goddess]

Cobrashadow

Beware the Coiled Snake

You got your rules and your religion

All designed to keep you safe

But when rules start getting broken

You start questionin' your faith

---

"I knew we had Fishbrains in Stoneclan."

The good-natured quip came quick upon a gruff tone as the older tomcat sat comfortably away from the pond upon a rock. The sun filtered down upon his already golden coat as he resembled a warrior from the Leopardclan of old with his black spotted markings. Though the crooked jaw made it seem like the Senior Warrior was smirking, there was nothing hostile within his handsome green pools that calmly eyed the younger siblings belly deep within the cooling touch of the water around them. He sat with his black tipped tail hanging off the edge of the bolder, the still-warm body of a bird beside his flat paws.

Cobrashadow often hunted prey that flew, he possessed that unique ability to spring high enough to catch low swooping raptors, something that only seemed prevalent within the ranks and genes of Stoneclanners. Generally he hunted alongside either Viperstrike or Adderstone, his littermates, and more recently the beautiful molly known as Petalrain though being a rather irritable tomcat he often spent plenty of time stalking through the barrens on his own while successfully avoiding the hungry gaze of predators larger than his rather average stature. Today, happened to be one of the days he preferred the silence around him while out within the lengths of his clan's territory, though how fortunate for the spotted warrior to wander upon his leader and their alabaster sibling splashing about within the Sky Springs.

Though, he often didn't engage himself with the younger of the three that stood water deep below where he sat, comfortably dry. They shared a father, thought that was about the only thing they shared and the relationship between elder litter and younger litter was skewed since the birth of Birdstar, Cloudtail and... Redpaw. Normally the irritable tom didn't think about her, still shielding himself from the pain he felt watching her die at his paws after facing the onslaught of a badger. Of the five remaining offspring of Silentstrike, it definitely effected each one of them differently, and some bitterly. Green hues shifted from the floating white orb of Cloudtail to Birdstar, a tom that had once been Cobrashadow's own apprentice. It was interesting, knowing that a warrior he trained was now the leader of the whole clan.

Perhaps he felt proud for his younger littermate, it was difficult to tell for one who normally ignored more sensible feelings.

In all honesty, the prickly tomcat was slowly finding his temper easing within the past moons and it was more than likely due to the fact that he had been within the company of Petalrain more often than not. The two of them to compliment each other well, and the pretty tabby seemed to be the only one who could soothe his irritation despite what or who was causing it. He had always been a rather hot-headed tomcat, even at a young age and yet somehow she cooled the flames of his explosive temperament. The swell of pride surged within his chest again as he remembered her news from this morning when she greeted him before his little hunting excursion by the entrance of the camp.

"Cloudtail is right, Stoneclan needs more warriors." His emerald gaze hardened like the stones in which the clan was made for a moment, the rock slide still fresh within every warrior and apprentice and elder who witnessed the death of several of their fellow clanmates buried beneath layers of earth, stone and mud. Luckily, there was a nursery full of kits waiting, impatiently, for their last three moons within the nursery to pass to ascend on into apprenticeship. The black tip of Cobrashadow's striped tail twitched against the smooth edge of the rock he sat upon as that flicker of pride of within his green pools once more, crooked maw parting to speak in that gruff tone of his. "And come Leafbare, my kits will be old enough to train."

Though the spotted senior warrior was not fond of nor had the patience for kits, there was a certain excitement that bubbled beneath his belt at the prospect of his offspring, his kits, running around Stoneclan and eventually standing tall as strong, powerful warriors that.

---

I have a voice that is my savior

Hates to love and loves to hate

I have a voice that has the knowledge

And the power to rule your fate

760 Words || KARAZHAL Jos  ♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 (Because Petalrain is preggy )

[KARAZHAL]

Was it time to forgive and forget? They were no longer apprentices, and Birdstar was no longer the boy held firmly under the grasp of more dominant toms: getting orders barked at him by his father, getting trained into the dust by his older brother, or getting dogpiled by his littermate. The gray tom couldn't help but be reminded of this at Cloudtail's lecturing tone.

"Just because we're called StoneClan doesn't mean I have to have the emotional range of a rock, you know," he sighed. "Just because... just because I'm leader doesn't mean I want to be above them. I'm capable of having fun, too." Unlike most leaders, he had never spent a pawstep as deputy first. There were no moons of preparation for him to take the role. There was no leader telling him what they expected of him. In a blink of an eye, the walls had come down all around him, and he had grasped the torch to lead his Clan out of the ensuing darkness.

He was just an ordinary man in an extraordinary circumstance. Did Cloudtail understand that? He was about to ask that when out of nowhere, Cobrashadow appeared. Birdstar couldn't help but tense, feeling suddenly like a rabbit cornered between these two larger toms despite being leader over both of them. The little brother feeling couldn't exactly dissipate. The uneasiness within him intensified, and the brief window of emotional opening up that had begun was already closing in Cobrashadow's presence. Cloudtail's badgering could be ignored, annoying as it was, but now in the presence of two prickly toms, Birdstar began putting on his hat and coat to exit stage left, thank you very much.

Birdstar rose so that he stood up in the shallow pool, his belly dripping, spilling ripples in all directions. Despite his statement just a few minutes earlier to Cloudtail, one could see him slipping back into the armor of leadership. "Shadepool's kits will be of age soon so you will have your chance with them, Cloudtail. The past two seasons have not been kind to our clan. We might have to recruit new blood ourselves instead of waiting on queens," he told the toms. Minkfire had returned to StoneClan pregnant many moons ago but left just as quickly as she arrived, and sadly, Birdstar wasn't sure if Yewkit would be an apprentice as quickly as Cloudtail wanted her to be. In the aftermath of two leaders' deaths, the nursery was nearly as barren as StoneClan's territory. Only recently had Petalrain announced her pregnancy, the most joy the Clan had in moons.

He was willing to bring in and train loners if it meant strengthening StoneClan. It was risky, and he was prepared to be argued with about it, especially in regards to the cost and effort, especially if it didn't pay off. A loner not raised in the Clan couldn't be expected to show the same loyalty as a born-and-bred StoneClanner. Still, Birdstar had faith in loners. He glanced at the two of them, wondering how they would react to his idea, in lieu of Valiantstride giving him advice.

Jos Ghost the Undead Goddess

[Jos]

Cloudtail

Cloudtail’s pelt prickled at Cobrashadow’s quip, despite the lack of malice in his tone. The two litters never seemed to get along and it was not until after his mother’s death that Cloudtail realized his mother was to blame. Foxwhisker took any chance she got to turn her kits against Adderstone, Cobrashadow, and Viperstrike, and Cloudtail had subscribed whole-heartedly to her rhetoric. Redpaw’s death cemented his hatred for his half-siblings. So Cloudtail was certainly not happy to see Cobrashadow, nor to have Cobrashadow see him swimming around like some Rainclan cat.

His instinct was to snarl Cobrashadow off, make some snide remark and to generally be hostile. But ever since Foxwhisker’s death, he had been free to make his own opinions about his half-siblings, and he was finding the hostility was fading.

Still, he did not take kindly to being called a fishbrain, “At least Birdstar and I are cool and happy. Besides, swimming is a good skill. What if we were to fight Rainclan? Think of the looks on their faces when Stoneclan come swimming at them.” He followed Birdstar to the shallows anyways, and then out onto the bank where he shook his mass of white fur. As he groomed himself he listened to the conversation between his two brothers.

A clan-born apprentice would have been ideal, and there was one kit in the nursery with more on the way. Cloudtail was willing to wait as long as it took to get another apprentice, even if he needed to wait six moons. Then again, Birdstar was right: they needed warriors now. It was a risky proposition, one that did not sit quite right in Cloudtail’s stomach.

“Are you sure? Taking in loners or rogues could be dangerous. Will they understand the loyalty a warrior needs to have towards their clan? Would they accept Starclan? I would be afraid they would decide to just leave when time got lean, like in leafbare.” He gave his stomach a couple of licks to rough up the fur and dry it out, “Besides,” he said between licks, “Where would we find loners or rogues to join us? We would need to go outside of clan territory, with a small patrol, maybe for a quarter moon before we found any cat suitable enough.” It would be quite the undertaking. “It won’t be easy.”

((KARAZHAL Ghost the Undead Goddess ))

[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

Lightningflash STONECLAN WARRIOR not a yes, sir. not a follower. The cloud cover was hardly enough to stifle the heat that bore down on his black and white pelt. While other cats suffered, Lightningflash, despite his short coat, felt almost as though his dark fur attracted the sun somehow. He squinted up at the hazy sky, his golden eyes glazed with exhaustion. Man, this was the least fun a patrol had ever been, and the most miserable Lightningflash had felt on this stony territory. He trudged behind Birdstar and Cloudtail, struggling to keep his mind focused on the hunt. At one stage, he almost lost a bird because his paws landed beside it instead of upon it. His tongue was so dry he could barely taste the blood as he killed it, his drooping head scarcely lifting the feathered creature off the ground. Unfortunately, the bird dried up and spoiled so quickly under the heat that his kill was useless. Feeling annoyed as he buried it under the dirt, he was relieved when Birdstar decided that hunting at this time of day would yield no results. His paw pads were rough from an early life of long journeys, but even his paws ached as they trekked warily out of the rocky scrub lands. It was a relief to feel fluffy, springy moss beneath his soles. Following Birdstar almost mindlessly through the tall boulders, Lightningflash nearly crashed into the blue-grey tom as he halted in front of him. "Hey-" He began, about to ask him what the matter was. But as he followed the blue-green gaze of the older tom, Lightningflash found his own jaw dropping in delighted amazement. The springs looked glorious, glinting beneath the sun, inviting them to dip their toes. Lightningflash watched with a rogueish grin as Birdstar lobbed himself into the water. "Come on in! This isn't the river where you have to worry about pike!" The tom called, up to his neck in refreshing water. "You've all earned some relaxation." Lightningflash laughed out loud when he turned his head to see Cloudtail staring at Birdstar in bewildered shock, as if he couldn't believe the tom were acting like a kit. It was endearing to watch the white-furred tom ease himself into the water and allow a small moment of reprieve from his stoic nature. “We haven’t done this in many moons. Is this what you do instead of leading our clan? You’re more fish than cat at this point.” Cloudtail teased, and Lightningflash, though he still felt somewhat on the outside when it came to his clanmates, felt a burst of affection for these cats. It was so lovely for them to take a moment to just enjoy the beautiful day, the tantalising springs, and feel pleasure simply in being alive. He backed up slightly, his yellow eyes glinting with playfulness. Charging forward with all the speed he'd been named for, he launched himself into the water next to Birdstar and Cloudtail, sending a torrent of water towards the two toms. He broke the surface with a gasp and a chuckle, smirking at the other two warriors. "Hey, you said you wanted to cool down." He purred, drifting upside down in the water. "Fishstar of StoneClan sounds ridiculous," Birdstar proclaimed, blowing bubbles in the beautiful spring water. "You seem like you're enjoying it though, Fishtail. That's... kind of a surprise, actually." Lightningflash snorted, shaking away the droplets that were dripping down into his eyes. "Guess I'm Fishflash now. Most silly name I've heard in my life." He joked, but his humour died away as he noticed the look that passed between Cloudtail and Birdstar. Yikes. He hoped he wasn't interrupting a 'brother moment'. He paddled idly, blissful in the coolness that swamped his pelt. It felt so wonderful to not be baking under the sun. "You know, the others are watching. It's all well and good to 'have fun' and 'joke' but do try to show some decorum, you are our leader after all. Fishstar." Cloudtail pointed out, his tone disapproving. But since he finished with a 'Fishstar', Lightningflash figured he was learning how to have fun, after all. The black and white tom chose this moment to swipe his paw at the water, sending an arc of droplets at the white-furred tom. "Aw, lighten up, Cloudkit." Lightningflash sniggered. "Nothing wrong with lettin' yourself be young and free for a few minutes." Just in case the other tom retaliated, he paddled as quick as he could to try and get out of range. He wasn't much of a swimmer, any RainClan cat would have laughed at the slow, desperate manner with which the tuxedo tom swam. "I am allowed to have fun, aren't I? Oh but, don't tell the apprentices I have fun or you might scare them." Cloudtail joked, and Lightningflash was amazed to see that the stoic tom actually did have a sense of humour, or at least some semblance of it. It lasted only a few moments before Cloudtail's mind was on official business again. "Speaking of apprentices...I am ready for another. I know it has been a while since I have volunteered myself for one, but we do need more warriors." Lightningflash found the idea of mentors very interesting. He had been taught everything he knew by his mother, and he wasn't her only student. She'd had Tumbleheart's education to worry about, too. So he hadn't exactly had a one-on-one learning experience. It sounded like a good idea, so long as you matched apprentices to the right cat. All the focus would be on them and their needs, their preferred way of learning. Lightningflash had always thought he would be passing on the knowledge Wander had given him to his own kits, but as he grew, he came to realise that kits may not be what he wanted, after all. "Just because we're called StoneClan doesn't mean I have to have the emotional range of a rock, you know," Birdstar's voice was thoughtful. "Just because... just because I'm leader doesn't mean I want to be above them. I'm capable of having fun, too." Lightningflash paddled, finding a shallow part of the pool to rest his paws on so he could sit and listen. He admired Birdstar for saying that, and felt that this Clan was lucky to have a cat in charge who didn't behave all high and mighty about it. Birdstar was a cat that Lightningflash could really respect and listen to, because Birdstar treated him and the rest of StoneClan with the utmost respect. Feeling acknowledged, understood and respected helped the cats of StoneClan feel at ease, he felt, especially after so much tragedy. Lightningflash winced at the memory, turning his golden gaze aside. That had been the worst thing he'd ever seen in his entire life. Mudslides and broken, battered feline bodies still crept into his nightmares. The thought of RainClan staring open-mouthed as a patrol of StoneClan cats paddled up their river made Lightningflash grin. That was an image he would rather preserve in his mind, not the one of New-leaf pain and suffering. His back paw lifted up to scratch under his chin, whiskers dripping with water. His paw froze mid-scratch as the conversation continued, and Cloudtail voiced his doubts about taking loners into StoneClan. He waited for the tom to finish before speaking up. "Loyalty is not a clanborn trait." He meowed quietly, turning his yellow eyes to Cloudtail. "Cats with loyal hearts can be born anywhere." He flicked his tail, somewhat frustrated by the implication that it would be easier to live as a loner than as a member of a Clan.  "Out there, in the mountains? Leaf-bare is always lean. You don't have entire patrols out searching for your food, and if you get old or sick, you don't have anyone else to take care of you." He thought sadly of the many cats out in the wild that fall prey to Demon or some other wild animal once they got too frail to outrun or outfight them. "Me and Tumbleheart were lucky that we had our family, but even then, it was harder for us out there than it is for StoneClan here." He frowned disapprovingly, a rare expression of anger. "Until you've tried to live alone out there without anyone else to ward Demon and coyotes and foxes away from you, you can't claim that the life of a loner is easier." He gestured with a paw towards the border, his ears flat. "Outside the valley, unless you're lucky enough to have a caring family, you're on your own." He turned his eyes back towards Cloudtail, climbing up out of the pool, water dripping from his black and white pelt. "And I have never seen or heard of a loner or a rogue reach the ages that StoneClan's elders do."  i was lightning before the thunder

WORDs: 1,469 / tags: KARAZHAL , Ghost the Undead Goddess , Jos