ShadowClan Life Before Destruction

[lio]

Originally Posted by CactusHeart

“Really?! How? Why? Now?” He bounces around with excitement, and then stopped and flicked his tail. “What would we do there?” He glanced around to make sure no cats were watching

"well, if you stop bouncing around like a rabbit, you'll find the answer to your questions," he purred, looking around before slipping towards an area behind one of the dens. mountainpaw's tail flicked, signalling for furrowpaw to be quiet as he made his way through an opening and into the territory. once out, he sat down and turned around, waiting for the other.

[[ next post in the territory ]]

[Gone]

Making his way out of the apprentice's den, a young, brown tabby stretched his paws, his green hues slowly scanning the clearing, searching for a cream, ginger and brown she-cat, after all, he hadn't seen her in the den, so he could only guess that she was out here, in the clearing, and he was right. Not too far away from him was the she-ct and, as he saw her, he couldn't help but smile. Slowly making his way over to her, his fur was neatly groomed, after all, he always made sure to be presentable to others. "Hey, Creampaw." The tom mewed softly as he made it to the she-cat's side and gave her cheek a lick. "How are you today?" He asked, he preferred to start the conversation this way and not just ask her to come with him to hunt, doing such a thing would be kind of idiotic on his part, also considering he had barely woken up. Not able to contain it, the tom gave a huge yawn and turned red from embarassment.

@Fuzzyfeline

[0Rainlight0]

Originally Posted by Strange Rainbow

Breezetail looked at her friend, not once breaking her frown. It had been so many moons since she had last smile. It took a lot to make her laugh or giggle. The molly starred off into space as her fur began to fluff up for no reason. "Hello." meowed Breezetail, letting out a purr, a smile still not visible. On the inside she was glad to have her best friend beside her. Breezetail couldn't hold a frown for too long as a smirk appeared on her muzzle. "Nobody's bothering me. I don't think anybody will, especially since your here now." replied Breezetail. A few cats starred at thr pair before their gazes left to look at somewhere else. Nobody dared to catch her eyes. They wouldn't want to be caught up in a fight with her, she would end up ripping their fur apart. "I saw that you went hunting today. Anything happen to you out there?" meowed Breezetail, wanting ti start a real conversation other wise she would think the whole thing a waist of time even if she were talking to one of her closest friends. Breezetail took a bite out of her vole, swallowing a peice down.

Redlight's shoulders relaxed as she did, smoothing a bit of her rumpled fur gently with his tail before retracting the contact swiftly, settling down on his haunches and hooking a crow from the pile with a long claw, splitting the bird down the middle to reveal the edible parts. He sighed heavily, rolling his eyes at the mention of his "hunting trip".

'Yeah, Galetuft basically questioned my entire existence, and reason for being in the clan. Though, whats new?'

Hiw jaw kept firmly shut as the words flashed in his mind, and he sharply shook his head to himself, opting to change the sentence.

"Nah, just ran into a clanmate who chased the mouse into my paws. No one interesting, so I got bored and came back."

His words were calloused and cold, but the chuckle he gave her at the end was warmer than most of his interactions with even the leader of Shadowclan. The tom gave her a tiny, teasing smirk, chuckling softly again.

"You're so fluffed up, Breezetail. What has you all on edge? No one will have the gall to attack you or say anything. Although the puffed up dandelion look does work on you..."

His tone was teasing, and he reached out a paw, poking her cheek before setting the huge appendage back on the floor and dipping to bite into the crow at his feet.

[Empress Of Evil]

Originally Posted by Celestial

@Empress Of Evil
posts will get longer after a while


Paws paddling furiously in mid air, eyes wide and frantic and a tunnel of light slowly fading and closing up ahead of him. He couldn't quite reach it, he knew he was moving but he wasn't moving fast enough, the light was going away and he couldn't reach it in time.. He just couldn't. the black and brown tom began to twitch, his paws paddling gently in the air and his tail twitching occasionally. Don't go away, don't leave me behind. I can't stay in the dark forever... Please don't leave me. It was a sense of unease that woke tallwhisker, the sense that something was seemingly missing from him. A bead of sweat had formed above his left eyebrow and hung there, his chest pouncing and his claws unsheathed, he was scared and it really wasn't hard to see. His brilliant yellow eyes pierced the darknes of the den, glazed over with both exhaustion and fear. She left me behind. the Tom felt himself tuck his paws closer to him and curl his tail around his hindlegs, he was being left behind, to rot, alone.

Quick shaky movements brought the tom out of his nest. Tallwhisker eagerly slipped out of the warm den into the brisk morninglight, the ground still coated in a silvery film of frost from overnight. Orange and violet light streamed between the dark pine trees casting eerie shadows faintly across the clearing. The large tom felt the slight breeze brush back his thin fur causing a ripple to go down his back and flick off the end of his tail. For a moment his black and white figure blending into the hues of the clearings surroundings. It appeared as though nobody was up quite yet, he was the first, in fact he could faintly recall passing by windygale on his way out of the den. The tom trode across the clearing his paws crunching in the soaked grass til he reached the kill pile, its inhabitants deceased and coated in more frost. The toms pink nose rolled over a particular shrew rolling it onto its back which revealed the still untouched belly. He recoiled and studied it for a moment. Goldenstar. Goldenstar can tell me what's wrong. he bent and nipped the shrew with his teeth, rearing his head and starting off for the leaders den again, knowing full well he had walked the same path too many times to count.

Although he reached the base of the rocks leading to the slumbering tabby he found himself slowing and finally reaching a stop just below the looming climb to his den. His long snake like tail gave a lash behind him than promptly fell by his haunches and remained still, part of him guessed Bella was up there with him cuddling in his small nest or even sharing tongues in the early morning hours. He felt his stomach churn uneasily and his claws tangle in their seathes. He understood that there was nothing wrong about her, but the fact she had stolen his best friends attention was slowly crushing him on the inside. His claws flexed into the spongy earth once of twice than retracted into their seathes where he left them. Part of him still yearned to seek out the comfort of the tabby leader but part of him despised the thought of finding Bella up there with him. Promptly he turned and padded back to the pile, tossing the shrew carelessly back onto it. Briefly the stilt like Tom shook his shoulders and pulled his eyes into a squint as his muscles grow taut with a long stretch. I don't need them. he kneaded the ground uneasily and longingly glanced towards the warriors den once again.

Shaking his head reluctantly he turned towards the exit when briefly another thought crossed his mind, more like a memory, small bunnykit curled up in the snow. A shiver worked its way down his spine again, being flicked off the end of his tail. Slowly he cranned his neck and turned to face the nursery, the sweetest scent of the queens and kits wafting out to fill the clearing with its warm embrace. His pericing yellow eyes studied the entrance, as if he where looking to see someone walk out any moment, but nobody did, and he remained standing. Bunnykit. his claws flexed. Why are you avoiding her? She needs you as much as you need her... You need her. his gaze gently drifted to his paws than slowly back up before he turned fully to face the nursery. The tom rose up to his paws and trode through the crunching grass, his ears directed forward and his stance less than confident. He didn't belong in a place so dainty and delicate, despite the fact he would seek after the small she kit and ensure she was still where goldenstar and Bella had left her.

As he neared he poked his head through the entrance and forced his breaths to slow and gradually become quieter before he took a delicate step into the nursery, feeling the warmth kiss his face causing his whiskers to twitch. ' ' bunnykit? ' ' he breathed gently, fearing his voice would awaken an angry queen or rambunctious kits. ' ' bunnykit, are you in here? ' ' he asked again suckin further into the den and glancing around for her.

The Siamese twitched in her sleep. After a long day of exploring the camp with Goldenstar and Bella, the she-cat was totally exhausted and had fallen asleep right as soon as she hit her nest. Her stomach rose up and down as she stood even breaths, her nose buried in her tail and her body appearing to be a pile of snow from a distance. The little kit was dreaming. She was dreaming of the warriors’ den, she was dreaming about food, and she was dreaming about herself as a warrior. And then she woke.

Bunnykit opened her eyes slowly, not moving at first. She blinked the sleep away from her eyes and stretched in her nest. She stretched her paws out first, and then she rolled her shoulders, doing all of this while still lying down amongst the moss and feathers. She rolled over onto her stomach and lifted her head, using her elbows to prop herself up and peer over the nest. She could see that Pinewish, the queen that had kindly volunteered to look after her in the nursery, lay not too far away, surrounded by the other kits that she had also taken in. A small smile grew on the kit’s maw before she rolled onto her back and let her head drop, her nest cushioning her head as it went down heavily. The Siamese was small, even for her age, and she had much more moss and feathers than what she needed, thanks to the kind cats around her. She often sneaked bits and pieces of her nest into the other nests though, feeling bad for having more than she needed. But even then she had quite a cosy nest.

The she-cat spent a few minutes staring up at the ceiling of the nursery den. No one was awake yet it seemed. When she had looked around, she hadn’t spotted anyone who looked like they were awake. She was the only one. Bunnykit turned her head slightly to look in the direction of the nursery entrance and her icy blue gaze lingered there for a bit. It was tempting. She could see the slightest orange glow of the sunrise, mixed with darkness. From that she concluded that it was considerably early and by the sounds of it, hardly anyone was up yet. Bunnykit desperately wanted to go out there and do some more exploring. After getting a taste of ShadowClan’s camp, she wanted more. She wanted to go further and find good hiding spots. But she knew that she couldn’t. Goldenstar and Bella had disapproved of her sneaking out of the nursery without Pinewish’s permission last time and she had gotten away with it, but she might not be so lucky if she did it again, just one day after.

Bunnykit let out a small groan. Why had she chosen to get up? Now she had nothing to do because no one was awake. She could always try to go back to sleep, but she had already wiped the sleep out of her eyes and gotten her mind thinking. It was hard to get her to go back to sleep after that. She then rose to her paws. She stood in her nest and looked around for something interesting. Her eyes then landed on an abandoned moss ball, it had probably been used yesterday. She hopped out of her nest and made her way towards the moss ball, being as careful as possible to not step on any limbs or tails.

Bunnykit tossed the mossball around for a bit, trying her best to be as creative as possible with what she could do with it. Unfortunately, there was very little that she could do with a mossball when she was just playing by herself. The Siamese gave up and plopped down on the nursery floor, a frown on her maw as she sulked. Why couldn’t somebody just wake up now? She was tempted to wake somebody up, but she knew it was wrong. The queens probably wanted their rest from looking after their kits all day and the kits naturally needed enough sleep. Bunnykit’s tail lashed in frustration, and opened her mouth to let out a quiet whine, when suddenly a voice in the silence caught her attention.

Bunnykit turned her head curiously. “Tallwhisker!” she whisper-shouted excitedly. She wasn’t sure when the last time he’d visited had been. Surely a while though. She ran over to the tom, this time not taking so much care to avoid tails and legs and she stumbled over to the tom. She crashed into one of his legs and wrapped her paws around it in a hugging motion.

[RedHead]

@Aurora Australis

A ginger-and-white feline paced in the clearing, her paws moving in a rhythmic beat as she traced and retraced her steps. She went a few paces in one direction, the whipped quickly around and went a few paces in the other direction. Her golden yellow eyes were focused on her paws as she walked, the bright orbs clouded with thought.
The molly was in quite a predicament with her life at the moment. After losing a lot of her family, some of them simply disappearing and others dying, she’d gone into a small state of depression. It wasn’t permanent, and she’d climbed out of it soon after, picking up her grief and continuing on with her life with her kits. But shortly after, she lost three of her kits, and though she never saw them die, she just supposed they were dead. She was only left with her son Flamespaw, of whom she’d grown super protective of. She didn’t want anything to happen to her remaining kit, and though he reminded her of what horrible things she’d been through, she loved him dearly, and he was one of the cats that kept her away from the brink of instantly.

Ambercrackle abruptly stopped in her pacing, realizing how stressed she must look. She didn’t want any other cats to think she was weak, no. She wanted them to know she was strong, and that she could handle what she was going through. And stress, to her, was a sign of weakness.
Forcing her rump onto the ground, Ambercrackle flicked her ginger ears, letting her gaze roll across the clearing. She saw cats, and birds, trees, and other things, but none of this she really took in. She was more staring off into the distance, her wild thoughts churning themselves around in her mind as she desperately tried to get ahold of them.

[Mistyfoot⚜]

Hummingbirdpaw padded into the clearing, scents of slightly old fresh kill mixing with the aromas of other felines in the area. She smelled her own fresh kill as well, causing her mouth to water. She caught a plump mouse for herself, and also Blackpaw, a cousin who she promised to spend some time with. She gazed all around the camp, looking for the cat whom she had said to meet up with. She decided to find a nice place near the entrance of the apprentice den to put down the mouse and make a nice spot for Blackpaw and her. It was a nice and quiet place, but also a place where Blackpaw was guaranteed to see her, as maybe she was simply taking a nap. But still, it was a high chance that Blackpaw would see her from anywhere in the camp. All she had to do was wait, and try not to think about the mouse presented in front of her.

@Fuzzyfeline

[vellichor]

@Empress Of Evil

Windygale sighed, his breath a whisper of regret. He sat, hunched over, staring at the grit beneath his dirty paws. His usually relaxed muscles were taut, tense. His amber orbs, usually so bright, we’re dull and cloudy. The deputy was lost in his own thoughts, as he was a lot nowadays. His thoughts were usually a loop of ‘Why me? Why did he pick me? Of all the cats who were perfect for the job, me, the forgetful, stupid, talkative warrior? At least I was good at being a warrior. Now all I feel is stress. I’m not meant to do this. Why me?’ On and on again. His plumed tail twitched sporadically, as if it had a mind of its own. Finally, another sigh emitted from the tom, and a single tear dropped onto the ground, mixing with the dusty dirt beneath him. Quickly, he scuffed away the mark, throwing up a small cloud of grit. He had to be strong. He had to be brave. The deputy Goldenstar wanted him to be. Not this sad, hollowed out shell of a cat. How could he handle the position of a leader if he couldn’t handle the position of deputy?

Besides, he couldn’t show these cats that stress was finally taking its toll on him. He had a reputation to uphold. He had to be the happy, trusting cat everyone knew he was. Of course, he was still happy and trusting, but the stress of being deputy made him feel a bit... different than he usually was. Less... annoyingly optimistic, and more sensible. He tried to think on the bright side. “You can do this, Windy.” Windygale felt a bit stronger once he murmured that to himself, sitting up straighter. He aimed for good posture now; he quickly washed his dirty paws and sat up straight. He was going to be a good deputy, gosh darn it. He’d set a good example, Blaze trails for others to follow. ‘Well, lets start with watching around camp.’ A little optimism was all it took for the feline to sit up and be alert, his amber orbs clear and bright once more.

Of course, there was still that nagging feeling that he wasn’t good enough. That even if he tried, he’d fail. Why try at all? He profusely pushed away that part. He simply gazed around the clearing, looking for some cat to approach, or any cat to approach him.

[Empress Of Evil]

Originally Posted by Aurora Australis

@Empress Of Evil

Windygale sighed, his breath a whisper of regret. He sat, hunched over, staring at the grit beneath his dirty paws. His usually relaxed muscles were taut, tense. His amber orbs, usually so bright, we’re dull and cloudy. The deputy was lost in his own thoughts, as he was a lot nowadays. His thoughts were usually a loop of ‘Why me? Why did he pick me? Of all the cats who were perfect for the job, me, the forgetful, stupid, talkative warrior? At least I was good at being a warrior. Now all I feel is stress. I’m not meant to do this. Why me?’ On and on again. His plumed tail twitched sporadically, as if it had a mind of its own. Finally, another sigh emitted from the tom, and a single tear dropped onto the ground, mixing with the dusty dirt beneath him. Quickly, he scuffed away the mark, throwing up a small cloud of grit. He had to be strong. He had to be brave. The deputy Goldenstar wanted him to be. Not this sad, hollowed out shell of a cat. How could he handle the position of a leader if he couldn’t handle the position of deputy?

Besides, he couldn’t show these cats that stress was finally taking its toll on him. He had a reputation to uphold. He had to be the happy, trusting cat everyone knew he was. Of course, he was still happy and trusting, but the stress of being deputy made him feel a bit... different than he usually was. Less... annoyingly optimistic, and more sensible. He tried to think on the bright side. “You can do this, Windy.” Windygale felt a bit stronger once he murmured that to himself, sitting up straighter. He aimed for good posture now; he quickly washed his dirty paws and sat up straight. He was going to be a good deputy, gosh darn it. He’d set a good example, Blaze trails for others to follow. ‘Well, lets start with watching around camp.’ A little optimism was all it took for the feline to sit up and be alert, his amber orbs clear and bright once more.

Of course, there was still that nagging feeling that he wasn’t good enough. That even if he tried, he’d fail. Why try at all? He profusely pushed away that part. He simply gazed around the clearing, looking for some cat to approach, or any cat to approach him.

A russet warrior lay on a soft patch of grass in the camp, out in the open so that he could absorb all of the heat from the sun. He lazily licked his paw and drew it over his head. Honestly Cardinalsnake couldn’t think of anything that was better than lying in the warmth of the sun. Some cats might regard Cardinalsnake as lazy. He had to admit, he could be lazy, but when he wanted to he could be hardworking. He was generally quite a hardworking warrior. He worked hard on patrols and always worked put his life on the line when it came to defending his clan. But at the same time he could be lazy. If he knew that he had some spare time, he usually chose to embrace it by sunbathing. Either that, or he would go off and mess with some random cat.
Cardinalsnake closed his eyes and let out a relaxed sigh. This was one of his favourite spots. It wasn’t out in the middle of the camp but it wasn’t right next to the camp wall, and the sunlight could reach every part of him. The Somali was being lazy and he knew it. I’ll volunteer for an evening patrol later, he thought. I just have to find Windygale. He opened his eyes slowly and the usually vibrant green gaze darkened a little. The warrior couldn’t say that he was particularly fond of the new deputy. Actually, to be brutally honest, he didn’t like him at all. Yes, he knew that the clan needed to have a deputy, but the childish part of him was whining against it. His best friend, Halfgaze, had been the best ShadowClan deputy in his eyes and he knew that no matter what, he was not going to like the cat that had replaced Halfgaze.

“Windygale,” he muttered with disgust. “So childish and unbelievably happy,” he remarked. Even with the tensions between the clans, the deputy did not appear to be worried by any of it from what he had seen. He always looked cheerful. Cardinalsnake struggled to take him seriously. Halfgaze had been more serious and he liked that. Although maybe he was just being biased because Halfgaze had been his best friend. He’d also never actually had a proper conversation with the tom so he probably couldn’t make very good judgments, but they were good enough to him. The warrior couldn’t really explain his hatred towards the tom cat. It just seemed to come naturally to him. He propped himself up on his elbows and scanned the camp. It didn’t take long for the tom to spot the deputy, sitting by himself and looking as content as ever. Hmm, maybe I can…poke at him, Cardinalsnake suddenly thought, a lightbulb switching on. He let out a deep chuckle and grinned wickedly. “This is going to be fun,” he remarked.

He gracefully rose to his paws and made his way over to Windygale. “Good morning,” he said politely as he approached the deputy. Cardinalsnake usually liked to introduce himself to new cats with a polite tone. He felt that it made it a lot easier for cats to respect him. “I’m Cardinalsnake. I don’t believe we’ve really talked before,” he said, giving the tom a fake, but realistic warm smile.

[RedHead]

Originally Posted by Mauve

Camp life had been rather boring as of late for Rosepaw, with her sister busy learning and her other friends focused on training. There wasn't a lot for her to do in between her apprentice duties and training with Crowheart. The promise to play a small prank on Daydream seemed to be fading more and more each day as her sister delved further into the herb world, and it put the gray-and-cream colored molly in a rather sour mood. She kicked a pebble that was in her way as she padded around camp aimlessly. She knew if her sister saw her like this, it would frustrate the darker feline, sending her into a lecture about how Rosepaw should focus on her training, and be lucky she didn't have something to actually slow her down like asthma did for Flashpaw. A mix of a low growl and sign left Rosepaw's maw as she sat down, her yellow-green eyes staring across camp.

Huh... she thought to herself as her gaze landed on a rather unfamiliar pelt. Rosepaw took pride in knowing each member of ShadowClan, new and old, but the tiny fur bundle that was sitting near the nursery stumped her. Curiosity was enough to propel her up off her paws and over to the mysterious kit that had captured her attention. "Hey there, squirt," she called, ears flicking as she used one of her paws to lightly nudge Shiverkit. "Aren't you a little young to be out and about with the warriors?" There was a bit of a teasing tone mixed in with her words, and a smirk danced across Rosepaw's face as she took a seat in front of Shiverkit, settling into a comfortable position. It had been days since she'd messed with anyone in the Clan, and she was sure Goldenstar "missed" disciplining her from her mischievous actions. Manipulating a kit? Perfect.

The white-furred kitten’s nose flared as he sensed a cat coming closer to him. Puffing up his fur to make himself look bigger, he awaited the words that he figured would soon exit the feline’s mouth. The scent of this cat was odd to him, though he could definitley pinpoint that she was a molly. By the sound of her voice that reached his ears, Shiverkit had to guess she was younger, probably a few moons older than himself.
He didn’t have a moment to brace himself before he felt her paw in his side, and though it had been meant to be a small nudge, Shiverkit visibly stumbled. Instantly, his temper flared and his orange eyes flashed with anger, no longer looking like a blank stare. Though he couldn’t see, he focused his two orbs on the feline who had spoken, directing himself by the sound of her voice. He did not take kindly to be pushed around. Or being called a squirt.

Stepping towards the feline, Shiverkit raised his muzzle up until he could feel her warm breath on his nose. “First off...” He started, his voice coming out in its normal higher pitch. “My name is Shiverkit, not squirt.” He spat, lashing his tail angrily. “Secondly..” Here he stepped back, crouching low to the ground as he swept his tail through the air. “I’m almost five moons old. Plenty old enough to be out in the clearing.” He chirped, turning his head towards the young molly as he scented her move a little bit to sit herself in front of where he was still currently crouching on the ground.

[ShiningFern]

A dark grey and white she-cat entered the clearing, swiveling her ears around. There wasn't much for her to do lately with her littermates and friends busy with their training. She sighed and sat down by the fresh-kill pile, bored. She fidgeted a bit and looked around. Why did Newleaf and Greenleaf make everything so boring in camp? There was absolutely no one around that wasn't busy doing something. Whether it be eating, resting, patrolling or training. The apprentice closed her eyes halfway, waiting for some cat to come to talk to her. Waiting for anything half interesting to happen.

@Checkmate