ShadowClan Life Before Destruction

[wolfie]

Originally Posted by Fae

Snowpaw had been watching their Clanmates go about their business from the shadows, red eyes beaming in the darkness. It wasn't exactly their favorite past time, and they'd rather be out exploring with Mudfern, but today seemed to be a slow day.

But when they caught sight of a cat...hitting the dirt? Playing with it? What even was he doing? They became intrigued.

They slowly approached the tom from behind, cocking their head around him to see what he was doing. He was making clawmarks? "You know, your claws are made for digging into flesh, not the earth." Snowpaw spoke up, now sitting right beside the tom.

"Unless you're muse in life is to become a mole." They snickered.

[ sorry about taking so long to respond <3 some stuff happened so i didn't really have any time to get on wco ]
Jaypaw practically jumped five feet into the air as Snowpaw suddenly appeared. His gaze flickered to the albino molly, raising a brow because woah. Gleaming red eyes. Blood-like eyes.

He scooted a couple paw-steps away from Snowpaw, swallowing back a comment. He shuddered at the thought of his.. claws.. being in--, "Gr..ross, " Jaypaw mewed-- shaking his head. Flesh. Blood. N..nah.

He sheathed his claws, shaking his paws to get rid of the dirt. "Per..rsonally, I th..hink being a m..mole would be pr..retty cool. Yknow, just dig..gging holes and livi..vng, " Jaypaw shrugged his shoulders, gazing Snowpaw up and down. He wasn't trying to be rude-- I mean, he was pretty funky looking himself but..

"Why are your eyes r..red?" Jaypaw asked, titling his head. "It's kinda scary looking but like, in a cool way."

[wolfie]

[ really sorry about not being active in this, a lot of stuff happened ! just gonna have jaypaw exit the scene so he ain't just standing there <3 also not mentioning since he isn't interacting with anyone. ]

he didn't.. know,, what was happening. he just stood in front of the kits, his legs trembling and threatening to give out as he watched hopelessly. jaypaw's first action should have just been grab irisflame or,, or just even comfort the kits but he didn't. he couldn't.

jaypaw's ears flattened to his skull and he wanted to vomit but someone's voice gave his mind a bit of peace. he turned his head, blinking at stormfly. "o--oh! yeah, !! um, ye..yeaH!" he squeaked out and scrambled out of the gore-covered den.

though, stagpaw was um. already doing that and-- jaypaw felt a bit useless. it would feel awkward if he just rushed in too so,, instead,, he retreated to the apprentice's den. probably to go question life. again.

[Moon Lily]

[ @Wings @Rainquail @Mumble @Beau @x ghostie @Slushie @BILL. @Scum @Fuzzy -I am so confused there are so many mentions]

Irisflame watched as Stagpaw hared back towards the elder's den, where this 'kit-eating Foxbite' was. She had her doubts about the story. As well as she could see the panic on the young cat's face, eyes wide with terror, the story remained unconvincing. A cannibal cat? She'd never seen, heard, or even though of one before, for that matter. Echopaw, on the other hand looked so anxious that she could practically nudge her and she'd collapse into a mess on the floor. She snorted as her apprentice remembered the herbs, and then hobbled over to the store. These cats should be happy she was actually listening to their crazy tale! Packing the essentials into an large, browning oak leaf, she nabbed the parcel in her maw. Poppy seeds, marigold, dandelion and cobwebs. They'd do the trick.
"C'mon. Let's follow the lil' dude."

[Elder's den]

Irisflame had been wrong. An outcome that she hadn't expected at all, especially considering the situation. The metallic tang of blood hit her before everything else, and she paused mid-step, the scent halting her in her tracks. Could it be...? No. Of course not. But despite her thoughts, her ever-growing suspicion that Stagpaw may have been right frightened her. She walked a little faster, her steps swifter and more meaningful. Her frown deepened as she pushed through the missy overhang that covered the den, the green pelt making her sneeze. She nearly dropped her herbs at what faced her next, and she was now forever glad that she'd brought them.
"Glidingleaf..." She breathed, dropping down beside the worried mother. How could he? How could this Foxbite do this to these kits? How could he do this to an already grieving cat? Her gaze burned with anger.
"What the hell's been going on here! I want the full story, pronto."

[Abyssopelagic]

Stormfly didn't expect the kits to answer, everything considering. "I heard the screaming and came running. Do you remember the cat Foxpudge? The one we accepted from Windclan?" Her gaze hardened.
Outsiders didn't belong here and this is exactly why. You can't trust them.
"He had started ripping into the kits and only stopped because a larger meal presented itself. Dawnstripe chased him out."
If she hadn't, I'd have more than a twisted leg.
The disbelief on Irisflame's face made anger flare is her belly. "See to the kits first. Beechkit I believe is the worse off among them."

She turned to Glidingleaf. "The healers are here. Let them do what they need to." She gently nudged the other queen.

@Moon Lily @Beau @Fuzzy @Slushie @Scum [sorry about jumping in a lot, it made sense considering; I'll be in the background more now that Stormfly's kinda useless here]

[BEAR.]

[ Fox is no longer here so there's no need to mention me! His body is in Whispering Wetlands. ]

[Moon Lily]

[ @Hazel Nut -oh, because that post was in the nursery! And he rped Fawnleap's brother/mate/friend. I honestly don't know which it was lol],

[ @Wings @bmkmb @Pluto ]

Irisflame purred in amusement at Flintfreckle's little smile, glad to see that this whole Mood Face interaction was getting him pumped. She finished sticking the silky cobwebs on the apprentice's wounds, remembering not to press quite so hard. This wasn't just another pesky apprentice, after all. She sat back on her haunches as Echopaw finished up, eager to make conversation with the speckled tom. Surprisingly, Freckles was actually up for it. Her blue-grey pelt fluffed with interest as he spoke, his eager replies alightening a spark of pride in her chest. Perhaps the little therapy session they'd done had worked, somehow.
"Pretty cool practice session, then! I bet you weren't expecting a barrier though, huh?" She laughed, the thrum rippling across her merrily. The next question surprised her, to be perfectly honest. No one had been very interested in her own mentorship. Good ol' Freckles, being the observant fella he was!
"I've been having a blast! I hope Speedy here has too, cause she's been smiling a lot." She exclaimed, her eyes squinting contentedly. Frostpaw's slight confuddledment at the sudden nickname change churned up a while new fit of giggles. She enjoy Mood Face's expressions. The whole harrier conversation was getting to be pretty interesting too. Echopaw seemed hooked.
"Harrier, raptor, white streaks, no streaks- I don't want you hugging any big birds anytime soon." She mewed, raising an eyebrow, "All good, Speedy. Plop those cobwebs on, and we should be done!"

[ @Shimm @Wings -just found the form! ]

Irisflame looked up curiously as a new pair of paws padded in the den, sounding like her another apprentice. She swore, if it was Dewpaw or another one of those little brats, she- wait...no, it was a newbie. She flexed her pads and allowed herself a quick yawn before she limped after Echopaw. The Speed Demon had bested her yet again. And tere was no way she was cat up anytime soon, not with this leg! She exchanged a quick glance with Echopaw as she greeted the she-cat with ease, revealing her to be 'Duskpaw'. A friend of hers, she assumed, with this attitude. The older she-cat nodded to the bloodied paw, a question in her blue gaze. The blood had splattered over only one, which lead her to guess a cut of some sort, or a split pad pad. Those could get nasty if they weren't treated.
"What happened to you, Echo-friend?" She'd work on the nickname later, it wasn't a concern of hers for now.

[Moon Lily]

[ @Wings @Hazel Nut @AJtheWarr10r @~RooRoo~ @Socks @~Splash~ ]

Irisflame smiled down at the kits, the small wriggling things easing the stress off of her shoulders. It may have been quite the chaotic process, birthing these three, but gazing down at the precious pelts left her with a new sense of meaning. Her gaze immediately softened as she watched them, so new to the world. Her usual annoyance at kits was immediately forgotten as the quiet things suckled at Fawnleap's belly. She nodded to Echopaw after she gave the queen her borage, beginning to pad to the exit. They should give her some space and some time to ce!enrage with her new family.
"We'll be going. Please tell me if you need any more help." She murmured to the queen, voice low so that she wouldn't disturb the kittens. And with that, she left the bustling den.

[That'll be all from me! I know this break posting order, but due to multiple references and also the fact that this is easier, I posted. It was great rping with you all!]

[Moon Lily]

[ @Wings @Casper ]

Irisflame slipped out of the medicine den, watching as Echopaw's familiar silver pelt disappeared into the dim light of Icestar's den. Her mind silently registered the meaning behind doing so, which came fairly quickly. It was likely about the whole Dewpaw incident. She snorted, following the apprentice's faint scuffing in the dusty ground. As she emerged into the musty cave, her blue gaze flickered over to watch as Echopaw announced the very thing that she'd guessed. But...a demotion? Wasn't that taking everything a bit far?
"Echopaw." She mewed simply as she padded over to sit by the new apprentice, "Is that really necessary? As much as I loathe him, he was just being an ass. He deserves a moon confined to camp doing chores and things."

[BEAR.]

Falcondive's breathing had began to settle down, in part from exhaustion and in part from being successfully calmed to some degree. He was still a little tense-- a lingering paranoia about the outside world that had harmed him in the past, but it was.. better. Manageable.

That was until Glidingleaf began to speak again, to stir the memories Falcondive tried to shove aside to keep his guard up.

Because there was no happiness in the past. Isolation, harsh beatings. Ostracization. A loneliness that came from being unlike the others-- shunned and disregarded, treated like rot for differing beliefs. Being told he was wrong with very little to back it beyond sour words and superiority.

Constant abandonment.

The closest thing he had to happiness was his parents. Falcondive's faith in Hailstorm had died long ago, and his parents..

.. they died the same day of the trap.

This was like stirring a pot of repressed emotions, stabbing him where it hurt and Falcondive was struggling to maintain his already weak composure. Instead of.. wheezing, he was trying to use his fur to suppress the sobs that escaped him.

This was the only time he felt remotely comforted in moons, and he was a mess. Stars, kill him now. Falcondive was.. ashamed, with his lack of control but the kindness had chucked his expectations across the forest. He was so.. accustomed to the negativity, and the continued compassion just made him cry harder into his pelt.

He was undeserving of the only cats in ShadowClan with a heart.

[ @Beau, @cwoudii ]

[nocturnal]

Frostpaw watched as Doepaw plopped down into the nest, and turned away from her, only to meet the molly's gaze once again when she asked that question. "No, you haven't. I have nothing against ThunderClan or their stench, despite how they treated me." A few moons ago, the apprentice would've closed down at the scent, but he's made a point as to get over it since then.

The white tom took a second to ponder why Doepaw had assumed that he was offended. Yes, his voice was steely most of the time, but not actively cold - not unless he was irritated, and the only thing that he could think of that would cause that at the moment was Doepaw's stutter. He'd gotten used to Nightpaw stuttering a while back and it no longer bothered him, but really? Did ShadowClan really need three stuttering apprentices?

Frostpaw couldn't recall many from his life in ThunderClan. The lack of meaningful interactions he'd had there was astounding. Few cats had acknowledged his existence back then, so he wasn't sure whether Doepaw knew of his past. The apprentice contemplated explaining what he meant, but decided against it. If Doepaw knew, then she knew. If she didn't, it was none of her business, at least until they got to know each other better.

"The scent doesn't bother me, but it might bother our clanmates. You should go wash it off in the river when you can," Frostpaw said, effectively ignoring that Doepaw would need a warrior to supervise her out of camp. He wasn't sure if she wanted to go into the territory so quickly, or if she was even allowed to. The white tom had been confined in camp for a moon after he transferred to the clan of shadows.

@Arie