ShadowClan Life Before Destruction

[ShadowFire 1967]

Originally Posted by Liekki

Nightshadow shrugged, "my brother disowned me a while ago because of... anyway, he's my only family. I guess he still loves me, though he never talks to me anymore. We just grew apart I guess." She averted her eyes, "we can both have different approaches to life. No matter what happens in the middle, we all end up in the same place: dead." The molly knew she was probably being a bit harsh, but it was one of her traits to be blunt. Most cats were scared of the truth, so she liked to use it as much as possible.

Maybe I can try and bring you guys closer he's your brother and he should always be with you not staying away from you he should protect you and love you is here something I can do to help *he asks*

[graves]

Originally Posted by blue jellie

As the feline calmed, she felt the warm presence of Daydream's fur by her side. Letting out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, Flashpaw answered shakily, "I- I'm fine. Just another bad dream. Nothing to worry about." She almost hardened her scared frown into a grin and faked a happy tone, before realizing how easily her new mentor would see through the facade. Hoping that Daydream wouldn't pester her to elaborate, she gave a little, real smile in their direction and tried to fight through the worst of the fright she had received.

"I thought we were past the Im fines." they replied gently. they didnt want flashpaw to feel like she had to fake a smile anymore, or be happy just because she didnt want other cats to worry. daydream only knew too well of what that was like, and it was exsausting. they knew what it was like to wake up in fear from something that felt so real, that had made your heart hurt that much more. because of that, they didnt sleep often. only sleeping when they passed out from the lack of it. they didnt want flashpaw to be overtaken by paranoia like they had, so they would be there for her. "Im here for you, its better to talk about things then bottling things up, but i wont push if you dont want to, i get what having nightmares are like." it hurt to see her so young, just as they used to be, and going through the same thing they did. they wanted a better path for flashpaw then what they had been given.

Originally Posted by Charmer

Nightpaw heard Daydream belt out a mighty yowl at the same moment she looked back at the dog. She expected to see it charging toward her again, and saw with sudden horror that it had started to, but now it had turned it's head, and its big gnarly ears were perked up as it looked right at the medicine cat. "No!" she screamed. The black shecat staggered forward, crying out as her injured leg hit the ground. "Daydream what are you doing here? Run!" she cried, limping as she panted with effort and and pain. "You have to run!" Daydream couldn't be hurt because of her too. Every cat who tried to help her seemed to get her. But not Daydream. Starclan, have mercy. Not Daydream!

(In case you are shy about controlling the actions of the dog, let me officially tell you that you can feel free to take liberties and go wild.)

daydream looked right in that dogs eyes. it was another close to death senerio, nothing that they werent used to. but nightpaw was right, they needed to run. there was no way that they could take on a dog alone, and daydream knew if they were injured in a dream theyd suffer in the morning. so they did. they ran. and ran. letting their claws dig into the ground and shoot them forward, their chest heaving in the process. amber eyes darted around the yard they were in for anyway to exscape, then they had their eyes set on a tree. it was low to the ground by high enough for the dog to not climb it. they were running so fast they feared that they wouldnt jump on the tree corectly, but that didnt stop them. at the tree grew closer and closer, and the feeling of the dogs breath on their neck growing dangerous, they lurched forward, extending their claws as they jumped in the air, extending their body as much as they could. they made contact with the trunk, digging their claws in immediatly as they scrabled to get to higher parts of it, leaving claw marks behind in the bark. they hoped nightpaw had gotten to safer ground in the process.

[Panda]

Originally Posted by OmbreFeather

She stopped flicking her tail and sent a friend look her mentors way as she continued. Dawnpaw noticed her troubled face and quickly realized her mistake. "I'm annoyed my brother isn't out yet." She said airily, casting another look at the apprentice den with a shrug. "Are we going to do training today?" She asked, changing the subject.

Smallleopard sighed in relief once Dawnpaw explained her irritation. She stood up, and licked her own muzzle to clean off any remaining fresh kill on it. She gave a gentle nod to the apprentice. "Well I hadn't planned on it, but if you want to there's still plenty of time in the day to learn our territory borders and such." She looked up at the sky once more to check. It was barely visible through the trees, but she could just make out the sun sitting in the middle of the sky. This meant they had plenty of time for any type of basic training.

[graves]

Originally Posted by Spirit

@king kaleb!

Moondancer had just returned from one of her daily runs, slipping into the clearing and going straight to the fresh-kill pile. Shrugging lightly as she saw her earlier kill still lying around, she picked out the fish and padded to a free spot in the clearing with It, circling the ground a few times whilst pawing in the grass before she lied down, gently placing the fish in front of her. Not many ShadowClanners knew how to fish, let alone liked the taste. But Moondancer had trained with her sister in secret while being an apprentice herself, since her sister and father resided in River clan. Moondancer didn't speak to them anymore. But the fact that the territory had a little lake in it delighted Moondancer. She wasn't a fan of swimming. But fishing was fun. It was something she took pride in knowing.
Peering up as the warrior heard the sounds of familiar pawsteps, the molly was surprised to see her former apprentice pad over to her. "Daydream! she said happily, watching the cat approach her. She remembered mentoring the medicine cat once they had been a warrior apprentice. Learning them to fight, hunt, and once in a while, she'd have tried to show them how to fish. And in all honesty, she had been proud once her apprentice had revealed their new rank to her. She wasn't ashamed or annoyed at all. Being medicine cat was a great honor, and she somehow found pride in having been Daydreams mentor.
"Congratulations on the new apprentice, I can't wait to meet them. she said once the cat had come a little closer. Trying to strike up conversation as to not make it awkward. They hadn't talked in a while. Moondancer had left Daydream to their own, to be able to focus on their new tasks and what not. And then the whole worrying had taken a hold on Moondancer and she had spend less and less time with anyone of her friends really. She had lost three of her kits to Twolegs, and it had thrown her into a shell, made her take frequent runs alone in the territory and secluding herself from everyone. But she wanted to change that soon.

daydreams ears perked as their name was called. moondancer. they really hadnt spoken to the molly in awhile and it showed. they had grown so much, almost twice their size of before. dont get the wrong, they were still very small compared to other grown cats. they now had new scars from battle, using the skills that moondancer had taught them. and even if they were a medicine cat, they would pass those skills on to flashpaw. those skills had svaed their life countless times with how violent things can get sometimes. it was because of her that they knew how to fish, how to hunt, how to defend themselves. they missed being a warrior apprentice, they really did, and they could only hope that moondancer was still proud of them. "Im sure she'll she care about you just as much as i do," they said affectionatly. they were less tense and agressive when around cats that they knew, and moondancer had seen all of their years growing up, she almost knew everything. how hard it was to get daydream out of camp, how their mouth could be snappy towards warriors sometimes, how they complained about how dark it was at times when hunting. they couldnt help but feel at ease around the molly, she was basically family. "How have things been since youve stepped down from deputy? im sorry ive been so busy lately, ive meant to catch up with you long before this."

[Thistledawn]

Originally Posted by Boba Fett

Inkjoy sighed in relief, So I'm not mean. Or anything like that... Thank goodness... she thought. She passed up to Ashnose settling down next to him and willing his gaze to meet her's,"Come on Ashnose. He cant control where he was born. Its like Shadetail's pelt color, its not something that he could just have chosen," then she nuzzled his shoulder, trying to lighten his up a bit,"Besides, if he could have chosen, I'm sure he'd have chosen ShadowClan!" She purred, only half-joking.

Ashnose widened his amber eyes, not entirely surprised that the she-cat was fighting on Shadetail's side, but appalled that she'd practically chosen Shadetail over Ashnose. He shook his head, not having anything that Inkjoy was saying. "I know all of that, I'm not a kit." The gray tom grumbled at first. "But there are certain places for certain cats. ShadowClan cats should be in ShadowClan. Syndicate cats should be in the Syndicate- or wherever those mouse-brains are these days." He added, remembering that the Dusk Syndicate didn't exist anymore. "Syndicate cats shouldn't be in ShadowClan. They shouldn't be in any of the Clans. The only cats capable of understanding the warrior code and Clan life are Clan cats. Sure, maybe he would have chosen ShadowClan, but no cat can chose where they're born, so there's no point in even discussing it." Ashnose's tone was harsh, which made him feel guilty. Inkjoy hadn't really done anything wrong, just defended Shadetail. It may have irritated him just a bit, but she was a true Clanmate. Even thinking about fighting with one of his actual Clanmates made Ashnose feel guilty.

[fresh]

Originally Posted by king kaleb!

"I thought we were past the Im fines." they replied gently. they didnt want flashpaw to feel like she had to fake a smile anymore, or be happy just because she didnt want other cats to worry. daydream only knew too well of what that was like, and it was exsausting. they knew what it was like to wake up in fear from something that felt so real, that had made your heart hurt that much more. because of that, they didnt sleep often. only sleeping when they passed out from the lack of it. they didnt want flashpaw to be overtaken by paranoia like they had, so they would be there for her. "Im here for you, its better to talk about things then bottling things up, but i wont push if you dont want to, i get what having nightmares are like." it hurt to see her so young, just as they used to be, and going through the same thing they did. they wanted a better path for flashpaw then what they had been given.

Flashpaw grew hot beneath her fur, wanting nothing more than to shy away from the questions and pressing remarks. But she was torn between embarrassment, fear, and respect. Daydream was right about one thing- the pair should be past the “I’m fine”s. And she had to respect that. She didn’t have to hide anymore. She could let everything out. Letting out another sigh, she lowered her ears slightly. “I... I guess you’re right.” At the final statement from them, Flashpaw studied the medicine cat. She never truly realized that Daydream had nightmares as well, despite the fact that she had visited them so often. Surely the topic should’ve come up before? Averting her gaze as to not cause awkwardness, she coughed a little, and began to explain. “It’s... It’s about Branchpaw.” A pause. A breath. Flashpaw tried again. “He was... he was telling me that I failed him. That I was too weak to save him. That he was... he... he was only my friend because he took pity on me.” Exhaling in relief, she stared worriedly at her mentor, prepared for the lecture every cat she opened up about her dreams told her- It’s not real. Keep telling yourself that. And yet, she had hopes that maybe Daydream was different. After all, they were the only cat that truly got her- unless you counted Rosepaw. But she was family; that was different.

[appariitiion]

@king kaleb!

The orange tom peeped his head into the den, blood trickling down his cheek from his right eye, which was shut tight. "Um, Daydream?" He meowed, voice noticeably strained because dear StarClan, it hurt. He brushed his paw across his face to try to get wipe the blood off of his fur, a look of clear distress and pain in his gaze. The situation was troubling the new warrior greatly, but he mostly managed to keep his cool on the outside. It actually surprised himself that he wasn't freaking out at the moment. Perhaps it didn't come across his mind yet that there was the possibility of the loss of sight in his damaged eye. No, he hadn't thought of anything like that, because why bother? Worrying wouldn't change the outcome, so he was able to convince himself that the wound was most likely not a big deal. "I got a thorn in my eye."

[Mauve]

Originally Posted by blue jellie

The female fidgeted uncomfortably as her sister listed pranks on her new mentor. Her fur grew hot, and she wanted so badly to just be normal for once and play those kinds of tricks. But... it would be extremely disrespectful of the cat that had gone out of their way to help her and give her a better life. Flashpaw was torn between loyalty to her new mentor and having fun with her sister- the only cat left in the world that could make her laugh. The offer was very enticing. And yet... there were so many probabilities of the way Daydream could react. A rare bit of her original personality shined through as she determined the possible scenarios and punishments that could occur due to her disobedience. The rate of it even succeeding, by Flashpaw’s calculations, were 43.678%. Not good odds, but respectable ones. And yet, the average rate of Daydream understanding was an astonishing 86.19%. Maybe... maybe this was good for her health and all after all.
Looking warily at her mischievous sister, the black feline pleaded, “Don’t make it too horrible!” and smiled at her snarky sibling, her gray eyes warm. And she laughed at Rosepaw’s comment afterwards, purring as she cuffed her ear lightly. “Sure you have. And it can’t hurt to have some fun every now and then, I guess.” Even though she was a nervous wreck and 99% unsure of her decision, she knew this would be good for the both of them- even if punishments were laced into the future.

At first, Rosepaw could hardly believe the words that were hitting her ears. Was her littermate, the one who was known now for being a bit more recluse than her wild and aggressive self, actually agreeing to joining her on a prank? Was this in itself a prank? Though Rosepaw was still concerned a bit if this statement was true or not, she decided to not think twice and instead let a wide smile stretch across her face. "Okay, you said yes! There's no backing out now!" she purred, standing straight up and waving her tail excitedly. Her fur fluffed out everywhere and a wild look gleamed deep within her pale gaze as she watched Flashpaw. She had missed this - and certainly hadn't seen her sister this happy since before Branchpaw had disappeared. For a moment, a pang of guilt struck her heart and Rosepaw regretted not making more of an effort to reach out and comfort Flashpaw. After all, she often felt like it was the two of them against the world. Flashpaw had her nightmares, and Rosepaw... well, she was only eight moons old and already building herself a reputation among her Clanmates. Flashpaw happened to be one of the only cats left in ShadowClan that still greeted her with a warm, genuine smile.

"It won't be too bad, I promise," Rosepaw purred sweetly, batting her eyes in a way that let her sister know she would try her best to not make it too terrible on Daydream, but there were no concrete promises. A slight breeze blew past and ruffled her fur, causing the young she-cat to shiver a bit. "We'll have to plan it out though. All good pranks don't go well unless you plan them out carefully and precisely." Spoken as a true prankster, Rosepaw didn't look the least bit worried about the consequences. That was the major difference, she knew, between herself and Flashpaw. While Flashpaw was more calculated and weighed the risk of certain actions, Rosepaw tended to dive in nose first and suffer the pain of whatever punishment followed usually. She had no problem tacking on an extra moon to her training, or cleaning out the elders' den - it was often where she heard the best pranks, from the elders.

[rascalcats]

Originally Posted by ItsATryp

"Don't worry about it, bro," Sunray assured him in response, sitting back down in his nest. "Unless you want to, then alright, whatever. Hey, when did you even wake up? If you're this tired, it must have been early."

"No, seriously, let's go," Cloudheart insisted, standing up and stretching. "It'll wake me up." When asked what time he woke up, he shrugged. "Sometime before dawn, I dunno," he meowed, flicking his tail back and forth as he slowly led the way towards the entrance of the Warrior's Den. "Someone had to go hunting."

[Liekki]

Originally Posted by ShadowFire 1967

Maybe I can try and bring you guys closer he's your brother and he should always be with you not staying away from you he should protect you and love you is here something I can do to help *he asks*

Nightshadow shook her head, "there's nothing you can do. It's my own fault and I've got to deal with the consequences." She sighed and looked down at the ground, a picture of her brother flashed into her mind. "We don't get along very well... but then again, I don't get along well with anyone," she commented, raising her head to look at Shadowfire. She cleared her throat, "so anyway, how'd you get the suffix '-fire'? Seems like it would have to do with your passion, as you seem to be passionate about what you believe in." The molly found the conversation awkward, and wanted to lighten up the conversation so she didn't have to talk about her personal life.