[lone]

Originally Posted by goose

This seemed rich, coming from a cat like her. Milkweed raised a lip over one of her fangs, eyes narrowing with practiced ease. Amberflame seemed hell-bent on getting a reaction out of her. “My kind?” She repeated those words alone-- they were the ones most in need of scrutiny, of constantly referring back to every time she laid eyes on the thick-furred molly. Her heart belonged to no-one; the only time she gave it over to her own had resulted in events more disastrous than she could ever imagine. Constant prodding and examination was something that she had gotten far too used to, but the cold claw of-- shame? Embarrassment? Whatever it was, it pressed much farther than she was comfortable with. Amberflame couldn’t be ‘hurt’ by her defiance. If she was, that was her problem for growing up with a weak skin.

Tail lashing, Milkweed raised her head, feeling a tightness in her chest that was predictable, at the very least. This she-cat wasn’t the smartest out of all of Thunderclan, was she? The blind faith, the weak replies, the fact that she didn’t get the message to leave Milkweed alone was probably it. It had to be, didn’t it? “You’re not my leader,” she merely replied. “I know your kind. Do you know why you’re not already a deputy? Behaving what you believe to be a ‘noble, pure warrior’ will net you almost no status in this life, because.. Well. You’ve probably heard this before, haven’t you? Nobody likes a busybody. I’m not going anywhere, because unlike you, I don’t have to go anywhere to give my life any meaning. I already know what I am, and where I’m going to be. Deluding myself with power fantasies doesn’t sound like the best hobby, huh?”

Exaggeratedly, she laid back down, practically sinking into the forest floor this time. “Cats like you are what make Clan life unlivable. Now, since you’ve got dung-for-brains, could you please--” Here, she took a deep breath. “Leave me alone? Maybe?”

Taking on a defensive stance, just in case she would need it, Amberflame's eyes narrowed and her own fangs showed in an angry snarl. "Think carefully about what you want to say next." She growled in a low voice, her tail twitching back and forth in anger. If only she had been someone else in that moment. If only she had known when enough was enough, and when to back down, and when her opponent was beaten. But she wasn't someone else, she was herself. There was never enough. Milkweed clearly wasn't beaten, either, because she went on a rant about Amberflame and her kind. The multicolored she cat couldn't deny that the other cat's words stung, but she also couldn't deny that she was furious with Amberflame at the moment. A furious expression crossed her face, and she looked just about ready to lash out at Milkweed. Instead of doing so, however, she remained in her defensive stance.

She would NOT attack a clanmate... the last time she had done that had been during the Evil Era, and she had sworn that she would never do it again. She never wanted to do it again. "I'm not trying to be deputy, mouse-brain! I never said I was, and you have no right to assume that just because I work hard and I'm loyal to my Clan that I want to be deputy. I want to serve my Clan - that's it." The she cat hissed, her eyes snapping angrily, tail unconciously lashing behind her as she glared at Milkweed. She was really upset with the other she cat at the moment, and she was planning on doing her best to try and ignore her in this current state. Amberflame's eyes flashed, but as Milkweed settled back down, she lowered her defensive stance.

Her muscles were still tensed and ready to spring if she really needed to, but at least she appeared calmer then before. "Fine. Right." Her stance became rigid, her features looking like they had been set in stone, and she took a breath. Her expression changed slightly to become curious, not quite overly so, however. With a deep breath, Amberflame squared her shoulders and turned to pad away before she froze. Did this mean that - that Milkweed had won their argument? Because, if so... oh HELL no. Amberflame was not going down without a good fight. One that she would ultimately win.



A grey tom entered the clearing, his eyes carefully sweeping it like he was the king, like he had nowhere better to be. This was his kingdom. This was his Clan. He might not lead, but he was still the type of tom who wasn't afraid to offer his opinion every once in a while. No one turned to look at him, yet he might as well have been commanding their presence with the way he walked. It was not quite stiff, but sophisticated - he had the gait of someone who was looking for somewhere to go. His eyes met the gazes of his clanmates who did turn and give him questioning looks, but their thoughts were to remain their own - Stonegazer said nothing to any of them. He remained stiff, padding along with a calm expression on his features.

When he settled down, his tail almost automatically curled around his paws, without him having to think about it. There was no movement anywhere on his cold features. It was no wonder this tom was called Stonegazer - his eyes did indeed seem to be made of stone, as did the rest of his body. Now, Stonegazer was simply a cat who did not often involve a lot in small talk. If he had something to say, he said it. Something that he needed to get off his mind? He would introduce himself, do whatever amount of annoying small-talk seemed polite, then transfer into the thing that was really bothering him. His eyes continued flitting around the clearing, never changing expression, never growing wider or narrower.

Nothing fazed him; nothing surprised him. It was as though everything was as it should be. He was oblivious to the angry conversations of cats, or the loving comments... though what would appear to be a trick of the light was in fact Stonegazer's expression softening as it landed on two young kits playing a game. It felt like so long ago that he had been a kit in the nursery himself. It had been around thirty moons, he wasn't sure of the exact time - he was around 35 moons old. How long it had been since he had enjoyed a good game.

Warriors should not conduct themselves in such a manner. They should be calm, sturdy, stone-like warriors who were unfazed, unstartled by everyday occurances. They should be warriors like Stonegazer himself.

@tinyalienboy