ShadowClan Life Before Destruction

[pidgeon]

Originally Posted by Hyp3rGamin

(Mind if I join in with Scorchingclaw, my ShadowClan warrior?)

Sure, go for it!

[Hyp3rGamin]

Originally Posted by CasperCreates

Sure, go for it!

(Thanks!)
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ScorchingClaw's ears perked up at the voice of his clanmate, who was addressing the whole clan about the fire. The fire has spread here already?!? Oh StarClan! The prey must be scattered! He thought as he got up from his spot in the clan clearing, stretching in a downward dog position, before padding briskly over to OwlFeather, listening to her speech intently.

"How far past the border did it go?" He asked, a hint of worry in his usually strong, humorous voice.

[pidgeon]

Originally Posted by Hyp3rGamin

(Thanks!)
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ScorchingClaw's ears perked up at the voice of his clanmate, who was addressing the whole clan about the fire. The fire has spread here already?!? Oh StarClan! The prey must be scattered! He thought as he got up from his spot in the clan clearing, stretching in a downward dog position, before padding briskly over to OwlFeather, listening to her speech intently.

"How far past the border did it go?" He asked, a hint of worry in his usually strong, humorous voice.

"The damage looks to have stretched across nearly half of our territory," Owlfeather sighed, feeling defeated. "It began at the ThunderClan border and crept inwards, until the rains put most of it out. It stopped far enough away that we can't see it from camp, thank StarClan, but it's still not far from us."

[Hyp3rGamin]

Originally Posted by CasperCreates

"The damage looks to have stretched across nearly half of our territory," Owlfeather sighed, feeling defeated. "It began at the ThunderClan border and crept inwards, until the rains put most of it out. It stopped far enough away that we can't see it from camp, thank StarClan, but it's still not far from us."

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Scorchingclaw internally sighed, feeling relieved that the fire hadn't burned too close to camp, but still worried about the food supply. He sat down, folding his tail so that it peeked out from between his front paws, and flicked his ear as a small bug flew by, then glanced back over at Owlfeather.

"Is there any sign of prey in that half of the territory?" He asked, his gaze questioning. He glanced over at the modest pile of fresh kill that was to feed the clan, then back to Owlfeather. It is going to be a rough few days, by the looks of it.

[wren]

Originally Posted by The Cannibal

{Totally fine, my replies can take some time as well haha}

'Lovely, the rain is coming.' The thought drifted through the young toms mind as he felt one, and then two drops plop onto his back and head. There wasn't really an emotion associated with the thought, no anger, no disgust, no happiness, it was just a thought, an observation. He didn't have a problem with the rain or getting wet. There were few things that bothered Dampbark, and few things that stirred strong emotions within him. Sometimes even those were questionable, he wasn't sure if he fabricated the thought of them or not. Sometimes he felt as if he were a sociopath, incapable of feeling emotions in any form. It was confusing and it unnerved him, he tried to convince himself he was just apathetic most of the time, but.. He wasn't sure. Regardless, that wasn't why he was here right now, he wasn't here to discuss his internal turmoil with this other tom, he was here to talk. Here to make a 'friend'. A friend.. Was it a friend? He hasn't decided, most cats he was just collecting to run experiments, social experiments, on in the future. And to have cats on his side if things turned sour at any point in time. It was a good time in his life to make allies, he was young, he had moons upon moons to build these relationships and bonds.
Seeing the lightened expression and smile, a spark of possible joy fluttered in his chest. 'Open for conversation.' He loved seeing others receptive to conversation, it made his job easier, though he liked to think he could warm up anyone he came across. He tended to be particularly good with his words.

Playing his part, Dampbark would sigh quietly in relief as Troutsplash stated he didn't think it was an omen, deciding it was good enough, he wouldn't call him out on his lie. The only one who would know for sure was Agaveheart. Cats not used to omens could easily see this string of bad luck as a message from Starclan, they were paranoid like that. But Troutsplash saying that he didn't think so meant he was either trying to calm his 'nervousness', or he was an optimistic cat who didn't think the clan was being punished. It was a brief insight into the white furred tom.

Though he wasn't scared of lightning, the young warrior pretended to flinch in fear as the light lit up the area around them for a moment, followed by a rolling boom. He was going to say something, to keep the conversation going, but to his surprise the older warrior said something on his own. Dampbark turned his gaze from the sky to Troutsplash again. "That's a good way of looking a-at it, pretty optimistic.. But I much prefer the heat of greenleaf to the cold of leafbare w-with this short fur." It was hard, acting out a nervous stutter, but he liked to think he was doing well enough at it. The warmth in the others tom was nice, he seemed like a goodhearted cat, easy to befriend. "O-Oh, yes.. I'm still getting used t-to the new name it feels. I was hoping for a more f-fierce sounding name, like Damproar or Dampstrike, but I-I can't complain too much." Clearing his throat, the younger warrior shifted closer as more drops began to fall from the sky. "I-um.. I d-don't think I know your n-name though.."

At first when Dampbark had pitched the question he hadn’t thought much of it, he would’ve completely overlooked the inquiry if he had said “oh do you think this is part of some sort of crazy coincidence” or maybe “do you think starclan is upset with us?” But using the word omen seemed to set the whole thing in stone? In a creepy unsettling way. Then again omens could be good things? But nothing good had been happening recently… maybe it was denial that kept him from believing maybe it was a bad omen. The horrible storm that was soon to come and the death and resignation of both leader and deputy, what was to come of shadow clan then? Perhaps it was true, starclan wanted shadowclan to cease in existence and decided this was the best way to do it. Leave the cats leaderless with no opportunity to catch a breath from the domino effect of events. It was a troubling thing to think about, a cruel way to go out too considering how slow everything was going. It wasn’t long before things fell to pieces and all was lost to greed.
Those are quite some big thoughts eh, especially for you. he found himself lightening his own thoughts with a douse of humour. As Trout would normally do. Not that everybody else was the same way- so set on the idea that nothing was ever going to get better. There was no use worrying when it was just out of his paws. Besides who was he without his optimism?

Catching a break from the negative thoughts he watched as the Tom flinched at another claw of lighting tore through the sky leaving the clearing light for another few seconds. He glanced upwards catching Dampbark flinching out of the corner of his eye. It seemed almost mechanical, perhaps he was sore. He exhaled between his teeth as a sign of relief, any moment now the gates of heaven would open up and drench the entirety of shadowclan in water, that lightning was just too convincing that it would happen even sooner.

Troutsplash didn’t bother to lower his gaze to the other tom as he examined the clouds, they seemed to be drawing nearer. Almost suffocatingly in a way. ’ ‘ I suppose I might fit in better with the fish eaters hm? I wonder if frog tastes any different then fish… I’ve never seen a fish before but I’m assuming they’re the same thing. ‘ ‘ he let his thoughts get the better of him, his curious mind running rabbit trails. ‘ ‘ they both swim and lay eggs. Perhaps they are.. fins are like.. flippers? ‘ ‘ he sat for a moment thinking on the subject before realizing he must’ve been boring the poor tom to death he jerked his thoughts away from his frog and fish theory to better focus in. ‘ ‘ sorry, I tend to get carried away ‘ ‘ he mrrowed with a rather pleasant smile on his face, hopefully he didn’t think he was weird. Otherwise the rest of this conversation was bound to get awkward.

At his comment on his name troutsplash offered a chuckle ‘ ‘ oh come on, I like it. Besides you kinda do look like a log ‘ ‘ he offered a playful glance, clearly in a light hearted teasing manner ‘ ‘ you look the part, now all you gotta do is stand upright on your back legs and not move. ‘ ‘ his smile grew even more trying to erase the toms nervousness, he’d picked up on it a while ago. Perhaps if he lightened the mood with teasing he’d drop his shoulders a bit and relax.

The tom wrapped his tail comfortably around his paws and adjusted to face the younger warrior ’ ‘ ah, troutsplash. Where are my manners today? geez ‘ ‘ he added with another chuckle mostly laughing to himself.

[pidgeon]

Originally Posted by Hyp3rGamin

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Scorchingclaw internally sighed, feeling relieved that the fire hadn't burned too close to camp, but still worried about the food supply. He sat down, folding his tail so that it peeked out from between his front paws, and flicked his ear as a small bug flew by, then glanced back over at Owlfeather.

"Is there any sign of prey in that half of the territory?" He asked, his gaze questioning. He glanced over at the modest pile of fresh kill that was to feed the clan, then back to Owlfeather. It is going to be a rough few days, by the looks of it.

Owlfeather gazed at Scorchingclaw, finding it oddly therapeutic to answer his questions, as if informing her clanmates gave her a purpose and made her feel useful.
"We didn't stay long, but from what we saw, it looks like any form of prey fled the burnt area. There's not many resources left for prey to use; the trees are brittle and soot-covered, and any nuts or seeds are essentially useless. Any prey we caught was far towards the RiverClan border, which could cause even more problems, for obvious reasons." She, too, looked sadly at the fresh-kill pile. It was small, but it would do for now. But what would happen after this round of prey was gone? How close to the RiverClan border would the patrols have to venture?

She dreaded the thought of arousing more conflict with the hostile clan, when they clearly wouldn't be able to win a fight with them. Just wait until we're back at full strength, she thought with a snarl. We'll show them we're not a force to be messed with.

[Hyp3rGamin]

Originally Posted by CasperCreates

Owlfeather gazed at Scorchingclaw, finding it oddly therapeutic to answer his questions, as if informing her clanmates gave her a purpose and made her feel useful.
"We didn't stay long, but from what we saw, it looks like any form of prey fled the burnt area. There's not many resources left for prey to use; the trees are brittle and soot-covered, and any nuts or seeds are essentially useless. Any prey we caught was far towards the RiverClan border, which could cause even more problems, for obvious reasons." She, too, looked sadly at the fresh-kill pile. It was small, but it would do for now. But what would happen after this round of prey was gone? How close to the RiverClan border would the patrols have to venture?

She dreaded the thought of arousing more conflict with the hostile clan, when they clearly wouldn't be able to win a fight with them. Just wait until we're back at full strength, she thought with a snarl. We'll show them we're not a force to be messed with.

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Scorchingclaw pawed the ground as he listened, feeling like a helpless kit. I have to help my clan, I can't just watch as our fresh kill pile grows lower and lower. By what Owlfeather is saying, is sounds like I will have to hunt by the RiverClan border.

Scorchingclaw stood up, lashing his tail, determination forcing out any room for worry.

"I can't just let our clan starve." Scorchingclaw growled.

ShadowClan will hunt, whether RiverClan likes it or not.

[TitaniumCat]

Weaseljaw's secret plea to the medicine cat:

Agaveheart, it has come upon me that we are postponing Starclan. Shadowclan has yet to have a leader or a deputy, and many a nightfall has fallen. I miss Windystar as much as the next Shadowclan cat, but we cannot ignore Starclan forever. Agaveheart, I trust it in your paws to choose a willing Shadowclan leader and deputy. Your greatest regrets,
Weaseljaw

[pidgeon]

Originally Posted by Hyp3rGamin

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Scorchingclaw pawed the ground as he listened, feeling like a helpless kit. I have to help my clan, I can't just watch as our fresh kill pile grows lower and lower. By what Owlfeather is saying, is sounds like I will have to hunt by the RiverClan border.

Scorchingclaw stood up, lashing his tail, determination forcing out any room for worry.

"I can't just let our clan starve." Scorchingclaw growled.

ShadowClan will hunt, whether RiverClan likes it or not.

"Remember to take a few cats with you," The old tortoiseshell reminded him, calling after him with a voice tinged with worry. "It's far too dangerous for any cat to hunt alone, especially close to the border." She stood up, unfurling her tail from around her, and paced the clearing anxiously. Her eyes darted over each cat in the clearing, as if memorizing each of their faces once more, ingraining them into her brain. She would do anything for them. Or, most of them.

[mochi]

Originally Posted by Dirtfur

Redpaw shook their head lightly, trying to clear the feeling of unease away; but the tom's eyes still shows a glint of trepidation. Flickering his ears as he heard the Scottish fold's remark, replacing trepidation with exhilaration. "Really?! Whiteshadow, is okay that Rabbitpaw and I battle each other?" trilled Redpaw, then look fixedly at Snowfrost. "Can we?"

@Moonraven @little-life-light

Originally Posted by Moonraven

Snowfrost was rather pleased to see that Rabbitpaw didn't flinch at the sight of Whiteshadow. Most young cats who caught sight of the scowling warrior often smelt a little like fear. If the older warrior was impressed in any way by the Scottish fold, he gave no sign of it. Whiteshadow expected no less from a cat being trained by Snowfrost, she had been one of the rare few that he could talk to without being intimidated by him. It was why they were good friends to this day.

A long sigh escaped the tom's maw when Redpaw requested a sparring match with Snowfrost's apprentice. The muscles in his body tensed and relaxed as he lifted one great paw to scratch at an itch behind his ear. Honestly, he didn't mind if the two fought each other, however, his only concern was any damage that might comes out of this. He did not need Leaftail stepping on his paws should he return Redpaw with scratches or bruises. Worse than that he really did not want to be on the wrong side of Snowfrost's claws should something happen with her apprentice, despite how chilly she appeared, he knew very well how fiercely protective Snowfrost was of those she felt she needed to protect. So instead of answering, Whiteshadow looked to Snowfrost, letting her decide what should be done.

Snowfrost could already feel the maine coon's eyes on her, she disregarded them in favor of watching Redpaw. Did he know he wore his emotions on his face? The she-cat was trying to figure out why the apprentice appeared so uneasy and apprehensive? It was gone as soon as something distracted him, still, it was concerning. Perhaps he was worried about Whiteshadow, although in her opinion the white mountain of a cat was being rather nice for Whiteshadow. She'd ask Whiteshadow about it later.

"Rabbitpaw? What do you think? Can you take him?" She inquired, tearing her frosty gaze away from Redpaw to look back at her apprentice. Snowfrost noted the mild age gap between the two apprentices, she assumed Redpaw had a little more knowledge in the art of battling comparing to Rabbitpaw, Snowfrost doubted this would deter her apprentice in the slightest. Besides, having two apprentices battling would get better results than had Snowfrost sparred with Rabbitpaw.

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Rabbitpaw
The gray-and-white apprentice looked excitedly over at Redpaw, her tail straight up in the air with anticipation. She barely noticed the glint of unease as it flickered into exhilaration at the request, and she figured the tom was probably nervous at the thought of a fight. But, if that was the case, then was he faking the excitement? Or maybe he was nervous just from meeting them? She couldn't tell, and she didn't want to linger in her thoughts, instead turning her focus on the enormous white warrior.

Bright yellow eyes watched the tom intently, her body almost completely motionless as she waited for an answer. The senior warrior remained silent after a long moment and a heavy sigh, before looking to her mentor. Raising her brows, the scottish fold also turned her attention to Snowfrost, curious what she would say. Though her mentor was watching Redpaw for some reason. She glanced curiously over at the other apprentice, flicking her eyes back to Snowfrost as she spoke.

A cheeky grin spread across Rabbitpaw's features at the question. Sure, battle training with Snowfrost was enlightening and she always walked away feeling even stronger than before having learned something new. But training with another apprentice sounded absolutely thrilling. She could use the moves she's learned and try out ones she's only seen or thought of. And most importantly, she had a higher chance of coming out successful. With Snowfrost, winning a spar seemed far out of her reach, and definitely wouldn't happen anytime soon unless she had a stroke of incredible luck. Redpaw was a different story. Even though he was about a moon older and probably had more fighting experience, she at least had a shot.

"Oh, I can take him."