ShadowClan Life Before Destruction

[Arie]

-- @bmkmb --

Ever so slowly her nose began waking up as well, and Doepaw looked ridiculous as the brown tabby molly sat there and scratched her nose again her paw. She needed to get the blood flow through to it before it worked fully and finally finishing rubbing it she took in a few deep breaths. She could actually scent something. Her nose had woken up and faster than it usually did. Maybe actually talking with someone and having the need to scent and find her way around would help her senses wake up faster? She didn't know, she just knew her ears were still ringing slightly, even from the soft sounds of their muffled voices. Feeling for the ground beneath her paws, she pushed off and slowly stood up outside of the nest, shaking her fur before settling down into a seated position. Having regained at least one of her stronger senses she would be able to somewhat function and begin grooming the fur she felt stood up like spikes. It was typical, but nevertheless annoying and would only hinder her in hunting of whatever she would be doing this upcoming day. Yet the teasing from Frostpaw was not what she expected and her ears twitched with mild amusement from their pinned down position. It was something new, and surprising... but then again she'd not known the tom for more than a day. A lot of things would be surprising to her, as she started to learn more about these cats that hid in the shadows. Settling down and beginning to groom her chest, she slowly started to open up her ears, the sensitive flaps rising to the front of her head and slowly rotating, they felt better. She wasn't 'blind' anymore, not helpless... Well not for now. Thumping a paw against the ground, an echo came against somewhere close too her, quite close and she slowly turned her head and drew in a breath. Yes, Frostpaw. Here he was. She'd only taken half the day for her senses to wake up... Maybe... she could sass him back? That was another strange feeling. She'd wanted to be explosive... to be strong in Shadowclan, but Frostpaw had just... accepted her as who she was and it was.. strange. But it was indeed what she had been looking for, being herself without being judged on the basis of her blindness, of the lack of skills in sight, but abilities in others. "An accident... you say?" her voice was soft... but teasing. She'd only play fought once, and that was as a kit... yet everyone else seemed to do it constantly and well, it would be worth a try wouldn't it? And if she was correct and the den's light was slightly dimmed, then she would be able to at least do something before his sight would take over most of her senses and he would be able to overpower her simply because of her waking ears. A soft smile building on her face, she lifted her front paw, slowly sliding it across the floor before in a fast move, aimed to swipe Frostpaw's two front paws off the floor... "That... was an accident too," she twittered to him in a soft tone, her words warm and laughter bubbling. This... was nice. And he was being nicer to her than anyone ever had... it was strange somewhat. But she would take strange over uncomfortable any day.

[NightpawUwU]

Nightpaw entered into the den with a mouse from the fresh kill pile. Her tail flicked happily as she sat down to eat it.

[Undertaker]

Originally Posted by Arie

Doepaw flickered her ears before lying them low at his somewhat loud laugh. She did feel like laughing too, but she was also still trying to get used to all the other sounds and she wouldn't want to over stress her ears... It wouldn't do her any good to incapacitate herself on the first day. Yet she did feel better and when he just brushed off her gratitude she could't exactly do more. It wasn't like saying thanks again would help, it would just make her come off as pestering. And she wasn't one to pester others. She took a deep breath, and slowly felt the control returning over her emotions. They'd been running up on high ends of her head all throughout the day... and she finally felt more settled... more calm. Was it due to Beastspark's calming presence and reassurance? She didn't know, but if it was due to that... well she would take it. And use it to her own benefit. She did need to be more aware though of loud voices... one of the many disadvantages of relying on her ears was that one voice could easily over power the echos she used to locate where things where, so when he offered to show her around... she nodded. She would take this opportunity to learn and to memorise. Camp clearings was something she preferred to memorise rather than actually listen around in, the sounds and talking of her clanmates often made it quite hard to see the walls of the camp as her ears had gotten used to voices rather than the passive echos bouncing off anything that was not passable. "I could... know my way around... but it would take time." He probably had a million questions due to that simple sentence... should she elaborate? It was an entirely complex system of how she was capable of seeing with her ears instead of her nose... which was not common. Most learned to see with their nose and adapting to scenting things rather than hearing things... but for Doe nevertheless it was her hearing that made her see. Or at least kept her aware of her surroundings. And for once she actually felt comfortable. Here... as she'd started to realise, she was being treated... like any other cat... and the marshy ground beneath her paws did provide itself nicely to reflecting off the echos. Her ears flicked once again back and forth and she took in a deep breath, trying to get an idea on how to address this. "I see... with my ears. As you might... see distances with... your eyes...I can hear.. the echoes... bouncing off walls.. and other cats. It is... harder... in a camp... lots of noises.. all around. Disturbs the echoes and... thereby disturbs... my ability to... 'see' things." It was the essence of it and she hoped he wouldn't judge her for it... not that he had so far. It was still a thing to consider... but as soon as she had memorized the positions of the dens, she would have a good base to go off. So giving a nod she spoke again, "Lead... the way."

Beastspark's tail swished loudly behind him as he observed the molly. She appeared far more sensitive to... well everything then he's ever been. Beast might have taken his eyesight for granted, he shut his eyes for a moment and frowned. It did seem to him that everything was almost amplified, the sounds at least. He was sure if he tried to stand and walk he'd have very little sense of balance. His green eyes are open once again as he peers up at the overhead, the pine trees keep light out but not completely. The day was warm and breezeless and peaceful. It was a great day to be a ShadowClan warrior.

He drops his head and stares at Doepaw, watching her ears. Her remark was a little vague and left him more curious about how she planned to know her way around. Could she tell the difference in scents and ages from warriors to apprentice? If so she had to have an astonishing nose. Doepaw appeared to the type who would adapt quickly to any changing in her surroundings, she wondered how she'd do with prey. ThunderClan and ShadowClan weren't as different as WindClan and RiverClan, one having little to nothing for protection and the other surrounded by all types of water. ThunderClan and ShadowClan were both forest territories if Doepaw had earned the rank of a warrior she must be good at hunting around trees.

"You see with your ears?!" Puzzlement could be heard in his low tone. That made no sense to him. Ears are not eyes, hearing is not seeing...is it? He thinks back to the times he's gone hunting in the darkness. He'd admit that he did use his ears to judge the distances so really it wasn't that farfetched. If he thought about it without jumping to conclusions, he could probably tell cats apart by the sound of their paws steps if he listened and focused hard enough, locate the dens and those within merely by the sound of their voices if he was committed to that kind of training. He didn't think he was, but maybe he could get some tips about that from the blind she-cat.

"That makes sense. If you really use sound like a bat then I can understand how a million different sounds coming at you all at once would... excuse my wording," He purred, "blinding." His long curved claws slide out and dig into the mucky ground as he stretches out his body seeing as she was ready to be shown around. He slips around her and slowly makes his way over to the biggest den in camp with a smile on his maw. He didn't bother with slowly his pace for her. He didn't think she'd need him too nor would she appreciate it. He'd treat her like simply clanmate and an apprentice, he was sure it would be easier for everyone if they did that.

"This is the warriors' den." He calls over his shoulder, stopping in front of it. "I doubt it much different from the one in ThunderClan, besides the cats who live in it." Beastspark blinked his eyes. He paused and waited to see if she had any questions before making his way over to the nursery. "Over here's the nursery. Most of the kits are pretty nice, some have a habit of not listening and doing as they please. I wouldn't go in there without making a friend out of a queen first." He wasn't sure how they'd react to a new face and one formerly from ThunderClan at that. While waiting for her, Beastspark's thoughts wandered elsewhere while taking her over towards the apprentice den.

"Doepaw, if hosted a little gathering for the apprentices would you help me out?" He tips his head to the side with the question. "ShadowClan has become rather strong thanks to Icestar's leadership and the clan's strength itself. However, I think a lot of cats have forgotten why ShadowClan is named as it is. I would like to try doing a training session at night, I think it would be fun and the apprentices would enjoy it." He meowed, it might be a little strange asking a cat he barely knew and just joined the clan. But as he thought before, he liked Doepaw, she'd make a good friend and felt like the clan could learn something from her blindness.

[Moon Lily]

[ @~RooRoo~ @Mentallyunstable @lilac flower - guys, I was tolerant the first few times, but you really can't come into the den without applying first. It's irritating for those that have already signed up and will have to wait because the meddie den got busy all of a sudden. Can you please apply? If your character is giving birth, has a site-wide-plot-related injury, you don't have to apply, but in this case you would.]

[ @Wings ]

[MagicCat99]

Originally Posted by PeppermintRabbit

@MagicCat99 Rabbitkit hopped out of the nursery, and accidentally stepped on Cottonkit's tail. "Sorry," he said and continued on his way.

Cottonkit snarled. "Watch where you're going!" The large kit hissed.

[Arie]

Originally Posted by Undertaker

Beastspark's tail swished loudly behind him as he observed the molly. She appeared far more sensitive to... well everything then he's ever been. Beast might have taken his eyesight for granted, he shut his eyes for a moment and frowned. It did seem to him that everything was almost amplified, the sounds at least. He was sure if he tried to stand and walk he'd have very little sense of balance. His green eyes are open once again as he peers up at the overhead, the pine trees keep light out but not completely. The day was warm and breezeless and peaceful. It was a great day to be a ShadowClan warrior.

He drops his head and stares at Doepaw, watching her ears. Her remark was a little vague and left him more curious about how she planned to know her way around. Could she tell the difference in scents and ages from warriors to apprentice? If so she had to have an astonishing nose. Doepaw appeared to the type who would adapt quickly to any changing in her surroundings, she wondered how she'd do with prey. ThunderClan and ShadowClan weren't as different as WindClan and RiverClan, one having little to nothing for protection and the other surrounded by all types of water. ThunderClan and ShadowClan were both forest territories if Doepaw had earned the rank of a warrior she must be good at hunting around trees.

"You see with your ears?!" Puzzlement could be heard in his low tone. That made no sense to him. Ears are not eyes, hearing is not seeing...is it? He thinks back to the times he's gone hunting in the darkness. He'd admit that he did use his ears to judge the distances so really it wasn't that farfetched. If he thought about it without jumping to conclusions, he could probably tell cats apart by the sound of their paws steps if he listened and focused hard enough, locate the dens and those within merely by the sound of their voices if he was committed to that kind of training. He didn't think he was, but maybe he could get some tips about that from the blind she-cat.

"That makes sense. If you really use sound like a bat then I can understand how a million different sounds coming at you all at once would... excuse my wording," He purred, "blinding." His long curved claws slide out and dig into the mucky ground as he stretches out his body seeing as she was ready to be shown around. He slips around her and slowly makes his way over to the biggest den in camp with a smile on his maw. He didn't bother with slowly his pace for her. He didn't think she'd need him too nor would she appreciate it. He'd treat her like simply clanmate and an apprentice, he was sure it would be easier for everyone if they did that.

"This is the warriors' den." He calls over his shoulder, stopping in front of it. "I doubt it much different from the one in ThunderClan, besides the cats who live in it." Beastspark blinked his eyes. He paused and waited to see if she had any questions before making his way over to the nursery. "Over here's the nursery. Most of the kits are pretty nice, some have a habit of not listening and doing as they please. I wouldn't go in there without making a friend out of a queen first." He wasn't sure how they'd react to a new face and one formerly from ThunderClan at that. While waiting for her, Beastspark's thoughts wandered elsewhere while taking her over towards the apprentice den.

"Doepaw, if hosted a little gathering for the apprentices would you help me out?" He tips his head to the side with the question. "ShadowClan has become rather strong thanks to Icestar's leadership and the clan's strength itself. However, I think a lot of cats have forgotten why ShadowClan is named as it is. I would like to try doing a training session at night, I think it would be fun and the apprentices would enjoy it." He meowed, it might be a little strange asking a cat he barely knew and just joined the clan. But as he thought before, he liked Doepaw, she'd make a good friend and felt like the clan could learn something from her blindness.

Doepaw could not resist this time and the little molly let out a soft small laugh at his astonished exclamation. "Yes... I do 'see'... with my ears. Again...not like... I get to see... the wonderful colours... or objects... sighties always talk.. about. But.. I get an idea of where they are..." but before she could finish Beastspark was walking off and she flicked her ears slightly. She had expected him to show her around but not go off all of a sudden.
Yet when he stopped in front of the warrior's den and called back to her she flicked her ears in mild amused irritation. "One thing... If you call... back at me... your voice does not bounce off... of what you're talking about. I will.. need to know your... position. Your voice... goes back to me... not lighting what... you're talking about. So... now I know... the warrior's den is... in front of you... and where your... position is. But not if the den... is to the left or right... or directly in front... of you." It was a minor thing, but these minor things were often the hardest challenges for a blind cat. It was like telling her to 'go there' despite her lacking the ability to know where 'there' was. Some might take it her asking to be treated differently but she just all in all wanted to know where things were. It wasn't like she was going to be turning her head when she was out hunting anyway. So walking up next to Beastspark, sliding her paws slowly across the floor she patted the ground a bit, stepping on a pine needle and heard the crack. An echo soon came back to her open ears, barely audible and she nodded. "I know where it is now. Thank you."
Yet as they continued and when they arrived by the nursery Doepaw had to pin her ears... The shrill sounds was going to break a blood vessel or two if she wasn't careful and well... having bleeding ears wasn't something she particularly wanted to deal with. Bleeding ears was not in her interest, so despite the coordination she would loose, she pinned them nonetheless, the flaps lying tightly against her neck. She might be unable to hear the echos now and the sound might be muffled but it was better than having to go to the medicine den on her first day, with cause of potential sensory overload from bleeding ears. Finally leaving the den, Doepaw just kept up with Beastspark by having her head closer to the ground and following his scent.
When he paused, she finally unfolded her ears from their lying down position and was relieved that despite still being able to hear the kits squeaks it wasn't as loud as it had been before. Sitting down next to him she folded her tail over her paws as she listened intently. A gathering? Her first appearance at the actual gathering hadn't gone all too well... The sand was not nice for her paws and it made too many sounds and got into crevasses she couldn't reach. Yet her interest spiked as he started talking about training at night and she let out a small and soft laugh once again. "You sure... the other apprentices... are smart... enough for that?" She would be willing to help him out of course, but there was the matter of the intellectual level of the other apprentices. "Would they enjoy... falling over nettles... into bushes... and then getting stuck in mud? Probably." All new apprentices loved it... or so it at least was back in Thunderclan. "I can help you out... Despite not knowing the territory... too well, I've got... my advantage."
And maybe she should try to at least help him out. Moving a bit further away and then sitting down again she tapped her paw against the ground. "I see in... two ways... One by which the sounds of... others are... reflected against... objects or other... cats. A second... in which.... I tap the ground," and she did just that with the paw once again, "and the echo... comes back. It tells... me the distance. They are... both situational. Both got... their disadvantages... and both can be... disrupted by other sounds." That was the hardest challenge for her, differentiating which sounds she was listening for and which she wasn't... and being able to draw conclusions from that. "Judging distances... is the hardest thing. You might be able... to sense the tree... but if there is... a squirrel in front... of it... the squirrel... blocks the echo... so you won't know... where the... tree is... in comparison... to the squirrel." It was an easy analogy she hoped he would be able to follow.

[~RooRoo~]

How? I only applied a month ago! @Moon Lily

[nocturnal]

His white fur was never too messy in the mornings, but it sure looked odd to see lone blades of fur randomly ruffled up. Frostpaw began grooming himself, seeing that Doepaw was doing the same. The white apprentice preferred doing it himself rather than sharing tongues near the fresh-kill pile. While he was loyal to the clan of shadows and would no doubt give his life for it should there be no other choice, he didn't actually trust his clanmates, didn't want them touching him, not even in such a trivial manner. It wasn't their fault. He supposed that if he hated physical contact, then it was all Stormgorse's fault. And he said 'if' because he didn't dislike contact, really. It just made him slightly tense and wary.

The tom didn't notice a grey-brown paw sliding across the floor of the apprentices' den until it struck his forelegs. In a sudden movement, one of his paws were knocked to the side and the other tensed before following suit. Frostpaw shifted his weight to his back legs in a desperate attempt to retain his balance and his forelegs pawed at the air. For a second, he resembled a horse rearing up, although he wouldn't have known that. Setting all four paws back onto the floor, the apprentice turned to Doepaw in bemusement. The molly had a soft smile on her maw and she was... laughing.

Against his will, a smirk slithered onto Frostpaw's maw, which was more or less the closest he ever got to a true smile. He supposed that this was amusing. It had been... fun. "Should I be prepared to avoid being attacked in my own nest every day from now on?" the apprentice asked wryly. He had to admit, he wouldn't mind if the answer turned out to be 'yes'. It was frowned upon to randomly attack a clanmate, and no cat dared to attack the thunderborn apprentice, anyway. All his battle experience from ShadowClan onwards came from participating in raids, which seemed to happen surprisingly often. This was different. A reminder to stay alert at all times, maybe.

Had it been any other cat to swipe at him, they likely would've received a glare, perhaps a cuff back for their insolence. It wasn't unlikely; Frostpaw could think of a certain kit who deserved such punishment. Trying to teach the thing about respect was going fairly well. Slowly and he very much wanted to knock some sense into the kit and get over it, but otherwise well. Anyhow, Frostpaw's reaction to Doepaw was different and even for the stars, he couldn't figure out why. Doepaw was his friend. He had met the molly just a day ago, but was already closer to her than he was to more than four-fifths of his clanmates. He enjoyed spending time with her, or he believed so. And... what? The trail ended there; he still didn't understand the she-cat.

Dismissing those thoughts, Frostpaw noticed something else. When he had woken earlier, he hadn't been facing at the dark corner of the apprentices' den like usual. Somehow, he had turned in his sleep, waking with his nose pointing in the direction of the den entrance. That had never happened before, not in all his time of living with the clan of shadows. It probably didn't mean anything, but it might. And odd things had happened yesterday night. No, he shouldn't be wondering about things like that. If it happened today, too, though... then perhaps it was a sign. Mentally, Frostpaw scoffed. He sounded like a medicine cat trying to decipher an omen of some sort.

@Arie

[Arie]

-- @bmkmb --

At Frostpaw's comment, Doepaw stuck her nose up in the air letting out a small huff of ignorance. This was fun. She was having fun for once... and it surprised her. She was enjoying herself and... sarcasm and amusement was what was flowing through her at this very moment. "I would like... to correct you. I did not... 'attack' you...as you... stated. It was... an accident." An accident.. yeah. She could not resist letting a thrill of laughter slip through her mouth and so it rumbled through the den, and to her waking ears. Twitching them like a bird often preened its feathers, she let out another laugh as she placed her paws back together on the ground. "However... if you don't mind... being attacked... I am sure... we could work.... something out," she said with a soft smile, her tail tapping a steady rhythm on the ground and making her aware of all her surroundings once again despite being unable to see it. "You need... to use those... eyes... you sighties... got. If I managed... to do this... imagine someone else." She wasn't the most powerfully built cat she knew that. Based on the sound of Frostpaw's voice and where it usually came from in correlation with her own position it was clear that the other cat was taller than her by a long shot, and that she was probably no where near his size either despite her suspecting she was older by a tiny bit. It was just in the way they'd talked about their past events she'd managed to guesstimate that part. Yet it was all still strange to her. She'd never felt this confident, felt this sure in her skills... it was all coming together but she didn't know how, didn't know why and it frustrates her and unintentionally she pinned her ears at the frustrating thoughts that was bothering her. She didn't exactly care much for them, they were just... existing there to annoy her. And so her thoughts drifted on to the ever changing topic that was Frostpaw. There was something... just what was what she didn't know. She felt comfortable around him... but contrary to the comforting presence of Flintspirit and Beastspark, this was... another feeling. Was it... relation? She didn't know the proper word for it, and gave up.. but it was something in their shared experiences... They'd both lived through their own versions of hell but had come out stronger because of it. If she'd not decided to take the rash decision to join the clan that embodied what she wished she could be, she would have never got to experience all of this... and it was this... this thing she didn't know what was that kept her here. It was like a strange tether to something, but that something she didn't know what was. However continuing on the conversation she slowly made her way over to him, sitting a bit closer before returning to groom her own fur before she got an idea... probably a bad idea based on his reaction to her hugging him and she dismissed immediately as she began grooming her own fur again... She'd only shared tongues with Flintspirit and... Pinepuff? And Pinepuff had only done it to help stem the blood from the wound in her head after the woodpecker attack. He'd probably realised the scar there by now... Would he like to know the story? All these thoughts went through her head as she just started to wash her chest and by accident bumped the back of her head against Frostpaw's chest, but not noticing too focused on her work that was the spiked up chest fur of her own.

[Exis]

I'm very sorry, I'll get on that right away.
@Moon Lily