ShadowClan Life Before Destruction

[RedHead]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

"Wolfglare." Forestpelt's family had never really been much into... love. It wasn't that they didn't care about each other-- and she knew that if the time came when she would need her brother's support, he would give it. Depending on what she needed 'it' for. Forestpelt glanced up at him with her now completely calm green hues. Though it might sound cliche, the fact that there was always a storm brewing underneath her calm exterior was a hundred percent true. She was often angry. Not the most pleasant cat to have around under any circumstances. Especially when she was furious.
See, for Forestpelt, the words angry and furious seemed to hold two different meanings. "You're doing well, I gather. Hope you're doing as well when the warmer moons come." Even though it was already new-leaf, the warm weather hadn't set in quite yet. Most of the time it was rainy and dreary, not at all the type of weather that Forestpelt loved. Once the rainier season was over, then there would be a moon or so of pleasant warmth-- not too bad, before green-leaf set in and everything was burning.
Of course there was the occasional hot day. "You already knew that Moondancer was stripped of her position, I assume. Halestar's getting more and more paranoid. Too bad we got stuck with a leader like that." Her hues snapped, showing her frustration. It wasn't often that Forestpelt spoke ill out loud of the leader... just in case she overheard. While that was unlikely, Forestpelt kept it in mind anyways. Gossip was not something that the black feline often took part in, but lately she had been listening to the news of the Clan more then she normally did. Just the basic ups and downs. And, thanks to that, she knew that Cloverwhisker was deputy. Forestpelt didn't like her any better then she had liked Halestar, or Moondancer. What they needed was a strong leader.

Wolfglare huffed at her comment about the warmer seasons. He knew that she clearly knew that during those seasons, he was a mess. He got extremely hot very quickly, and the only time he relished during that season was the night. He usually slept during the day, and then hunted and patrolled during the night, when it was a whole lot cooler than during the day. Yes, Wolfglare was a night cat, even in the colder seasons. His coat kept him nice and warm, and he could easily blend in with the darkness of night.
"You know I won't be doing too well during the warmer seasons." Wolfglare meowed, no hint of any emotion in his voice. If he was out for too long during the day, then Wolfglare could easily get sick with heat exhaustion and other things like that. And the tom hated being sick. Or weak for that matter.
At her next statement, Wolfglare's icy eyes showed the slightest bit of surprise, surprise that his sister was talking ill of their leader out loud. But, that surprise was quickly replaced by agreement. He knew very well of the rank changes happening in Shadowclan, and did not approve of them. If there was one thing this dark-furred tom loved, it was his clan. Just not specifically the cats in the clan. He wanted a strong leader to rise from their ranks, to take control of Shadowclan and lead them to their former glory. Halestar was a weak leader, Wolfglare agreed. And he wasn't to fond of Cloverwhisker and Moondancer as well. He just hoped that the new medicine cat had some potential.
"Yes, I am aware of the frequent rank changes. I sure hope that a new, stronger leader rises from our ranks soon." Wolfglare meowed, making sure to keep his deep voice quiet, so that it did not resonate around the clearing.

[Random Melody]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Taking a deep breath, and doing something that looked like he was mustering up all his courage, Smokepaw gingerly sat down near the caracal apprentice. What must she think of him? He was always awkward. And weird. Nobody wanted to stay friends with Smokepaw for very long... that was why Crimsonmoon had gone with Timberstar instead, who would ever love him? Nobody. That was why all he had were friends. Love was overrated, anyways... at least he tried to tell himself that. His family had always been unlucky in this area, too. Perhaps it was a curse. "S-so, uh... you said your name was, umm... was Leopardpaw? That's... that's a nice name, heh..." His voice trailed off and he realized how strange he must sound. That's a nice name? Seriously? That was all he could say?
　
Not something about her appearance?
　
A comment about how nice she looked would have been better. But, he didn't know how sensitive she was. "Are you an, um... older apprentice, Leopard... Leopardpaw?" He was still having a little trouble getting the name out. Funny, she didn't look like a leopard-- but then again, he didn't know her past. And he wasn't going to inquire into it. Some cats were a lot more sensitive about their pasts then Smokepaw was. Because he tended to wear his sharper pain more proudly... to be honest. Proud might not be the word for it, but that was what it felt like to Smokepaw. He would be a warrior within a few days. He hoped. Soon he would no longer be an apprentice. Soon he would be old enough to train his own apprentice. Had Leopardpaw still been a kit, he might have thought about training her.
　
She was quiet.
　
And nice, both things that Smokepaw appreciated in other cats. He didn't meet that many quiet and nice cats nowadays. It seemed most were louder and ruder. Not to mention with the recent resignation of Kestrelberry, and Daypaw becoming the Medicine Cat... Smokepaw felt a little more on edge. He was more nervous because of the removal of Moondancer's rank as well. Was Halestar just going to keep removing deputies? Was she really that determined, that set on finding the perfect one? And if she appointed them deputy... wasn't she supposed to keep them? Smokepaw could only hope that he wouldn't be next. He didn't want to face Halestar's either anger or calmness as she told him that he would no longer be deputy. Was that what had happened to Moondancer? And if so... how had she felt?
　
Smokepaw could only guess at that.

Leopardpaw watched him sit beside her, an almost wary look in her gaze. The Tom seemed nice enough, but Leopard had learned the hard way that first impressions didnt always mean everything. Shifting onto her side, but not getting comfortable, Leopardpaw allowed her gaze to rake over his pelt, admiring it for a moment. Smokepaw certainly fit him. As the Tom began to speak again, Leopardpaw nearly flinched, expecting a scathing remark about her name. She knew she looked nothing like a leopard, and she was often teased for that, too. Giving him an incredulous look, Leopardpaw spoke again, her voice soft and nervous sounding.

"R...Re..Really?" She sounded almost disbelieving. He liked her name?

Leopardpaw was still confused, trying to understand why Smokepaw was being nice to her. Did he know cats always avoided her? Did he just not care? At his next question, Leopardpaw frowned and shook her head. "N..No. I j-just became an app..Apprentice.." Stop stammering. She mentally scolded herself, her face heating up as she looked away, ears flat to her head. Everything was so much simpler as a kit - She could hide in the nursery away from other cats. Though, Smokepaw didnt seem...Half bad.

He was nicer than others.

Leopardpaw liked nice cats. Unfortunately, there was hardly any of them that wanted anything to do with her. Who would want to spend time with a squeaky, stuttering, terrified she-cat? It was probably the case with Smokepaw too. Once he'd had enough of her, he'd leave. Become one of her bullies. But, she was used to that. Maybe it wouldnt hurt as much this time.

[lone]

Originally Posted by RedHead

Wolfglare huffed at her comment about the warmer seasons. He knew that she clearly knew that during those seasons, he was a mess. He got extremely hot very quickly, and the only time he relished during that season was the night. He usually slept during the day, and then hunted and patrolled during the night, when it was a whole lot cooler than during the day. Yes, Wolfglare was a night cat, even in the colder seasons. His coat kept him nice and warm, and he could easily blend in with the darkness of night.

"You know I won't be doing too well during the warmer seasons." Wolfglare meowed, no hint of any emotion in his voice. If he was out for too long during the day, then Wolfglare could easily get sick with heat exhaustion and other things like that. And the tom hated being sick. Or weak for that matter.
At her next statement, Wolfglare's icy eyes showed the slightest bit of surprise, surprise that his sister was talking ill of their leader out loud. But, that surprise was quickly replaced by agreement. He knew very well of the rank changes happening in Shadowclan, and did not approve of them. If there was one thing this dark-furred tom loved, it was his clan. Just not specifically the cats in the clan. He wanted a strong leader to rise from their ranks, to take control of Shadowclan and lead them to their former glory. Halestar was a weak leader, Wolfglare agreed. And he wasn't to fond of Cloverwhisker and Moondancer as well. He just hoped that the new medicine cat had some potential.
"Yes, I am aware of the frequent rank changes. I sure hope that a new, stronger leader rises from our ranks soon." Wolfglare meowed, making sure to keep his deep voice quiet, so that it did not resonate around the clearing.

Forestpelt's green hues gleamed ever so slightly, but she kept her maw shut. She had already known that her brother didn't do well during the warmer seasons; but she had wanted to irritate him. Irritation. It was what seemed to keep Forestpelt going sometimes, and while it was no pleasant thing, not to mention she was quite annoying while doing it, she didn't care. Who would? After all, all siblings fought. She knew this quite well. She had known it since the day she met Dawnstorm-- which most cats still didn't know about. She kept it a careful secret, though he was long gone. Why hadn't she been more loyal back then? Why had she been so... so careless with her heart? And then that filthy WindClanner had broken it. Thank goodness she was going to be more careful now.
　
She was smarter now.
　
At his own agreement, Forestpelt looked a little surprised. True; she knew that Wolfglare most likely wouldn't be pleased with all the rank changing happening. It was a mark of a weaker leader, after all. If Halestar was really that paranoid then she shouldn't be leading a Clan at all. And yet, she was. Why? Forestpelt couldn't possibly imagine. "Perhaps someday. ShadowClan's fallen a long ways from our original power. I don't think the other Clans are as intimidated by us anymore." Because of Halestar. It was all the leader's fault, she had made ShadowClan much weaker.
　
Why had Blazingnight died?
　
The old leader had been much stronger and more capable of leading the Clan. And yet those stupid SkyClan cats had come and ruined everything. No more fear and mystery. Just openness and a leader who was more paranoid then any other cat Forestpelt had met. "Was there something in particular you needed to talk about, brother? It's been a while since I've had the pleasure of your company." Her voice held a sarcastic note, but she was truly curious about this.
　
No one just wanted to hear another cat speak.

@Random Melody

Smokepaw's ears flattened and he looked in the other direction, trying to find anything else to look at but Leopardpaw in that moment. It had been a dumb thing to say. He knew that. Why would he tell her that? Of course he meant it... but it was still not the best of compliments. If he had really wanted to make her feel good there were so many other things to say, and yet they had all left his mind in that one moment. That one second. Was there something wrong with him? No one needed to answer that question. Smokepaw already knew that. And, he was used to being brushed off when he complimented other cats. He'd come on too strong with Crimsonmoon-- Crimsonpaw at the time, and he'd had to learn that his words were more powerful then he thought they were.
　
But he did think her name was nice.
　
And her appearance was unique, unlike any other that he had seen. There were always cool-looking cats hanging around. But Leopardpaw seemed to top them with one of the most unusual appearances Smokepaw had ever seen. And he had thought Crimsonpaw was unique. Well, it looked like he could retract that thought... she was gone anyways, so it didn't matter. But he was learning. He was healing. And he would now be able to figure out what had happened to her someday. Why hadn't Bravestep been able to save Crimsonmoon? Even though she had rejected him, he still cared about her.
　
And she was gone from him now.
　
They would never see each other, at least on earth, again. "I... I do, uh... it's really-- really nice." Okay. At least he'd said something. Finally. At her remark about her age, his ears went back again and he looked down at the ground. Another wrong comment? Really? "Oh. Who, uh... who's your, your mentor... heh..." What was with him? Was it really this hard to carry on a simple conversation with a perfectly lovely cat? She was trying to be nice-- at least he thought she was. Maybe she thought he was stupid.
　
But again... only she knew.

[Random Melody]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

@Random Melody

Smokepaw's ears flattened and he looked in the other direction, trying to find anything else to look at but Leopardpaw in that moment. It had been a dumb thing to say. He knew that. Why would he tell her that? Of course he meant it... but it was still not the best of compliments. If he had really wanted to make her feel good there were so many other things to say, and yet they had all left his mind in that one moment. That one second. Was there something wrong with him? No one needed to answer that question. Smokepaw already knew that. And, he was used to being brushed off when he complimented other cats. He'd come on too strong with Crimsonmoon-- Crimsonpaw at the time, and he'd had to learn that his words were more powerful then he thought they were.
　
But he did think her name was nice.
　
And her appearance was unique, unlike any other that he had seen. There were always cool-looking cats hanging around. But Leopardpaw seemed to top them with one of the most unusual appearances Smokepaw had ever seen. And he had thought Crimsonpaw was unique. Well, it looked like he could retract that thought... she was gone anyways, so it didn't matter. But he was learning. He was healing. And he would now be able to figure out what had happened to her someday. Why hadn't Bravestep been able to save Crimsonmoon? Even though she had rejected him, he still cared about her.
　
And she was gone from him now.
　
They would never see each other, at least on earth, again. "I... I do, uh... it's really-- really nice." Okay. At least he'd said something. Finally. At her remark about her age, his ears went back again and he looked down at the ground. Another wrong comment? Really? "Oh. Who, uh... who's your, your mentor... heh..." What was with him? Was it really this hard to carry on a simple conversation with a perfectly lovely cat? She was trying to be nice-- at least he thought she was. Maybe she thought he was stupid.
　
But again... only she knew.

Leopardpaw looked down at her paws, knowing he was trying to avoid looking at her. Great. She'd made things awkward. Right? She always seemed to do that. Sighing, she ducked her head and pinned her rather large ears back against her head, gazing at the grass with a deep frown on her maw. Her blue hues flickered with mixed emotions. The awkward silence carried on, but Leopard didnt mind it honestly. If it was silent, she wasnt being bullied or put down.

Something she was all too used to.

Leopardpaw wanted to stand up to all the cats that were mean to her, but she didnt know how. She was scared of them. Sure, they only verbally abused her, but what if it turned physical the moment she tried to step up. Leopardpaw shivered at the thought, deciding she liked it better just being put down. At least she wasnt getting hurt. Physically. Emotionally, she was bleeding. Shifting positions again, since she could never seem to get comfortable, Leopardpaw glanced up at Smokepaw before looking down again. She wasnt scared of him anymore. In fact, she was starting to like him.

But things were just really, really awkward now.

Leopardpaw wanted to laugh, finding it almost funny. Funny-sad. It was always awkward with her. "Thanks." She murmured, her voice still low as she gazed down. When Smokepaw brought up mentors, Leopardpaw blinked in confusion and looked up at him. "M..Mentor? O..Oh. I dont ha..Have one." Her ears flattened even more, the frown on her face deepening as she looked away. She wasnt sure why she didnt have one - Probably because nobody wanted to try and train the frightful apprentice.

[lone]

Originally Posted by Random Melody

Leopardpaw looked down at her paws, knowing he was trying to avoid looking at her. Great. She'd made things awkward. Right? She always seemed to do that. Sighing, she ducked her head and pinned her rather large ears back against her head, gazing at the grass with a deep frown on her maw. Her blue hues flickered with mixed emotions. The awkward silence carried on, but Leopard didnt mind it honestly. If it was silent, she wasnt being bullied or put down.

Something she was all too used to.

Leopardpaw wanted to stand up to all the cats that were mean to her, but she didnt know how. She was scared of them. Sure, they only verbally abused her, but what if it turned physical the moment she tried to step up. Leopardpaw shivered at the thought, deciding she liked it better just being put down. At least she wasnt getting hurt. Physically. Emotionally, she was bleeding. Shifting positions again, since she could never seem to get comfortable, Leopardpaw glanced up at Smokepaw before looking down again. She wasnt scared of him anymore. In fact, she was starting to like him.

But things were just really, really awkward now.

Leopardpaw wanted to laugh, finding it almost funny. Funny-sad. It was always awkward with her. "Thanks." She murmured, her voice still low as she gazed down. When Smokepaw brought up mentors, Leopardpaw blinked in confusion and looked up at him. "M..Mentor? O..Oh. I dont ha..Have one." Her ears flattened even more, the frown on her face deepening as she looked away. She wasnt sure why she didnt have one - Probably because nobody wanted to try and train the frightful apprentice.

She doesn't... she doesn't have one? Smokepaw's expression changed instantly to one of worry and sympathy. Though he tried to wipe the sympathetic expression off quickly, not everyone wanted to get sympathy. He knew he just wanted acceptance. Leopardpaw? He didn't know about her. "Oh, uh..." This is awkward. But he didn't say that out loud. He didn't want to hurt her feelings. Some cats (like himself) couldn't help it. And besides, he had started the whole exchange. Why, oh why had he chosen her of all cats? Because she was alone. Because you had to play the nice guy. Because you were bored. Because-- Smokepaw quickly shut off his thoughts. So maybe he did know why. But then he had gone ahead and actually carried it out... why?

　
Just why.
　
That was all he wanted to know, was why he had listened to his thoughts telling him that she was lonely. "I'm, I'm... I'm... sorry about that, you, uh... you need to have a mentor, uh... to train... w-would you want me to, um, help? Just while, you... while you... you know, until you get a, uh... another one." So awkward. He seemed to be good at that, though. Perhaps that was why he did it so often, because it was one of the things he was good at. Why hadn't he been like this with Crimsonpaw? Maybe then things would have been different. Maybe then he would be different now. But no, confidence had been his downfall. So confident in his younger moons. And with Leopardpaw so young, it made him worried that she was so nervous all the time. Was she going to be okay?
　
Or was there something actually wrong?
　
Smokepaw knew he was made fun of. Why, he still hadn't figured out. It stopped bothering him after a while but he remembered always thinking there was something wrong with him. Inside him. No one wanted to be friends because he was selfish, or dorky, or awkward, or weird. No one wanted to be friends with him because he was himself. No one wanted to be friends with him because no one wanted a cat like him for their friend. And yet he had friends now. So he must have been wrong. Smokepaw wished and wished that he could travel back in time and change the things that couldn't be changed now. Undo the things that had made him who he was now, because to be honest... sometimes Smokepaw wasn't so sure that who he was was a good thing. After all, he was way too awkward.
　
And he didn't make the best friend.

[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by Bella~

Cloverwhisker blinked and turned to scan the clearing "What could kill your mood?" She asked as she spotted him. She smiled widely and bounced over to him, she tackled him "Coldhearted!" She mewerd excitedly.

Just as Chrysanthemumshade was about to answer, Cloverwhisker had bounded over to the nearby tom, who was grooming himself in a shaded gloomy area. Her sister let out a hiss but bounded over to them, keeping silent. Coldhearted fell over, taken by surprised. His ears has flattened when he noticed it was only Cloverwhisker. "Hey!" The tom shoved her off, albeit gently. "Haven't you heard of personal space!" He gave a slight growl.

"Don't talk to my sister like that!" Chrysanthemumshade growled, staring at the ginger tom. "How can you seem so friendly with his, Clovey?"

[Ripplekit]

Originally Posted by Silvershadow

Fang yawned and curled her tail around her paws. The moon was high in the night sky now and she was starting to feel tired. She noted that Moonfur looked half-asleep and stood on long legs. She nudged the silver tom and padded over to a small den that was sheltered by an old oak tree. Fang padded inside and layed down, wrapping her tail around her.

Moonfur decided to follow Fang, laying down next to her and wrapping his tail around her. He then nuzzled into her and fell asleep.

[Honeycrisp]

Originally Posted by Little Bird

Gingerpaw gave a snort. She accepted that he wouldn't tell her, but she snorted anyway, she then turned away and padded towards the apprentices den.

Stagwhisper gave a sigh as the prying apprentice padded away, mostly out of relief. He lapped up a couple of drops of crisp water out of the puddle before padding over to some ferns.

[Silvershadow]

Originally Posted by Ripplekit

Moonfur decided to follow Fang, laying down next to her and wrapping his tail around her. He then nuzzled into her and fell asleep.

Fang yawned and layed her head down on her paws, sleep taking over. The last thing she felt was Moonfur lying next to her and his warmth.

[Ripplekit]

Originally Posted by Silvershadow

Fang yawned and layed her head down on her paws, sleep taking over. The last thing she felt was Moonfur lying next to her and his warmth.

After waking up when the sun was just rising, Moonfur stretched a little. After that, he nuzzled into Fang.