ShadowClan Clearing - Page 576

**taillow** · #**5751** February 26th, 2023, 11:37 PM

Looking up from her mouse that she hadn't even gotten to take a bite out of yet, Mirehound blinked. Ah, so perhaps she had misjudged the Enforcers of the Clan. And it was Shadowfur. "Shadowfur," she shot back, tone even as her blue eyes stared up at her former mentor. The intimidation factor may have worked on others, but she knew who he was. He didn't scare her, much as he probably wished he could.

There it was. Feigning a look of shock, which quickly faded into annoyance, she took a moment to take a bite, chew, and swallow before answering. "I was under the impression that crow-food didn't belong on the fresh-kill pile, so I removed it seeing as no one else had yet." A slight challenge. There was a gleam in her eye, wondering if her former mentor would actually toss her into the queen's den for something logical - something that he himself had done not even a quarter moon prior. "I figured it needed to be disposed of away from camp, less we want to shove cats into Elmshadow's den for easily avoidable illnesses."

[ @Cherry~ ]

**Pitou** · #**5752** February 26th, 2023, 11:42 PM

**Sunsetthorn**

With the sun working its descent, casting an eerie dull grey light through the heavy clouds, Sunsetthorn had ensured her kits were tucked in and asleep before slipping out of the nursery. She hadn't felt like herself lately. No, that was only somewhat true. It'd been far longer than lately, but then at what point was this new version of her "herself"? She was nothing as she'd been growing up, with her mother and sister around her and looking up respectfully to her distant father, but then how could she be? She loved Branchfire and Mousekit and Hazelkit were her world, but was that enough if she no longer recognized herself. She stopped as she realized her paws had carried her to the camp entrance. Dawnstar's orders rang in her ears, No one's allowed to wander outside of camp unsupervised... Her paws shifted, the sudden need to go out seized her like an insatiable craving. She wouldn't be able to rest until she got out, and she understood in one sweeping realization why. She'd lost herself but she'd also lost her mother. Before losing Goldenstep she always knew she had somewhere to turn, without that stability in her life she'd felt like she was free floating until she met Branchfire. But even then, she'd already lost herself so completely, her mate could do nothing beyond grounding her so she wouldn't be lost any further. It was Goldenstep who held the landmark to returning to the path she was supposed to lead but she knew she'd never find anything of her mother left in this camp. Goldenstep had left Shadowclan of her own freewill, taking her and her sisters and uncle along with. No, the last place Goldenstep would ever want to spend her days after life was back in this camp which had served only to oppress her. So she needed to get out.

As Sunsetthorn's paw lifted from the soggy ground, a familiar voice sent a chill up her spine and she felt her muscles tense unconsciously. "Where are you off to?"

Her single eye closed slowly then opened as she turned to face her father, his grey pelt blurring into the greyness of the lowlight. She held his green stare for a few heartbeats before looking away and turning her body away from the entrance to walk back past him. She meowed venomously, "Nowhere."

Elmshadow didn't move, his eyes not even following his estranged daughter as he replied coolly, "Nobody is permitted to go out of camp alone." Sunsetthorn made for another step, ignoring her father. She could remember respecting him and looking up to him as a then respected warrior, but now she couldn't remember why. But she stopped at his following offer. "But if you had somewhere you wanted to go, I can join you, as supervision. I was heading out myself anyway with no particular direction in mind."

A seething sparked in Sunsetthorn's belly. There was no way Elmshadow was trying to make nice with her, not now, not after everything he'd done, or rather hadn't done. Likely it was just another ploy to further his own interests, but she wouldn't continue to be some pawn in his life.

But even through the indignation, she realized she hadn't continued walking. She growled inwardly, angry at herself more than anybody else. That need to go out hadn't simply vanished with the appearance of Elmshadow, though she wanted desperately to return to the nursery and slip into whatever fitful, uneven sleep she could manage if only to spite Elmshadow, but her paws wouldn't carry her. The opening to leave camp had been put forth. She willed him to take it back, to remove the temptation, but her stoic father didn't even twitch. She let out a huff then flipped back around and, without so much as a glance in Elmshadow's direction, she stalked straight out. At this point she didn't even much care if he was following or not. If he left her out to face the punishment of leaving camp alone after offering to go along then...Then what? My Hazelkit and Mousekit lose their mother? The wind left her and she faltered, but before she could turn to look back, Elmshadow bulky grey shape moved up beside her though his green eyes did not turn on her. Relief washed through her but it brought mixed emotions with it. She'd been expecting her father to let her down again but he hadn't, but that didn't make her feel any better. She wanted to hate him and, in that moment, she hated him even more for not doing what she expected of him. Setting herself determinedly again, she set off through the darkening forest.

**occultation** · #**5753** February 26th, 2023, 11:49 PM

[ @daenerys ]

Shadowfur scrunched his nose. Figures. Couldn't have been something I could actually feel good about being mad about, like hunting foxes or angrily stomping around.

"You know the rules, Mirehound," he growled. "Warriors are not to leave camp unaccompanied, for any reason, for the foreseeable future. You should've asked someone else to go with you. Even though your thought process was good, your execution could've been better." A line he'd said many times to her during her training. He wondered if she'd get anything out of that. He often wondered if she remembered anything from those days. Perhaps she was like him, trying desperately to just forget.

**taillow** · #**5754** February 26th, 2023, 11:57 PM

Did Shadowfur know that the nose-scrunch thing made him look like a shriveled blackberry? It was difficult for Mirehound to not crack a laugh, but her maw did twitch in a half-smirk at the sight. She restrained herself from saying anything though, knowing that if she did it would result in a swat over the ears.

"I'm not a kit anymore, and it wasn't that far," she growled lightly, tail flicking back and forth as she rolled her eyes. The added line, one that she'd heard countless times over the course of her training, garnered a sharp look. Briefly, she wondered if that was all he remembered from their days training together. It certainly wasn't the case for her. It was burned into her mind, that day. The dirt, the suffocating feeling, the blue sky being too far to reach up and pretend to touch...

"My execution was fine." Realizing that the fur along the back of her neck was lifting up, Mirehound make quick work of forcing it flat and taking an angry bite out of the mouse. She returned her gaze to her former mentor, waiting for his last words. She knew he would send her to Dawnstar, she knew it in her bones. If that was how he wanted to play, so be it. Swallowing she waited for whatever was going to come next.

[ @Cherry~ ]

**occultation** · #**5755** February 27th, 2023, 01:05 AM

[ @daenerys ]

Shadowfur caught the half-smirk that crossed her face, causing his tail to flick. He hoped she hadn’t gotten an attitude over the moons, since becoming a warrior. It was certainly a far cry from the naïve apprentice she’d been, or the bundle of bitter anger she’d become.

He sighed at her retort. “Really,” he deadpanned. “I wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t told me; I was just wondering how your mother managed to share a nest with you comfortably.” Truly, he was not in the mood to play games of state the obvious.

Shadowfur took note of the fur rising along the back of her neck. Purely out of reflex, he dropped his voice to a murmur. “Control your emotions. Don’t let a cat see you’re rattled.”

The moment came and went without much fanfare in Shadowfur’s mind. His mind didn’t really register what he’d said properly; it was as natural to him as walking or eating, by this point.

He jerked his head toward Dawnstar’s den as she protested that her execution was perfect. “Clearly not, because you got caught. Aren’t you supposed to be the great shadow cat? Come on. We’re going to see Dawnstar.”

( I’ll VM Taker and post a starter once he gives me the go-ahead )

**taillow** · #**5756** February 27th, 2023, 01:20 AM

Cruel words that would sliced deep - if Mirehound gave any care to her long-since-gone mother... A simple flick of her ear at the comment, but her gaze did turn away for a moment. "Perhaps that's why she left us," came the snort from the shadow warrior, the humor thick and evident. For any cat who didn't know better, it truly seemed that the comment didn't phase her all that much.

His advice to control her emotions was met with a glare however. Burning blue eyes that bore into green, anger from moons ago that was resurfacing. He didn't get to do that anymore. He didn't get to give a rats ass about her emotions, not after... everything. But she stifled a rising growl and kept her claws from coming out - because most likely they would've whacked him right across the face.

And now he was bringing her to Dawnstar. Oh, this ought to be good. "Wasting Dawnstar's time are we? I'm going to love seeing how she reacts to this." The mouse was practically finished so Mirehound made quick work of burying the scraps that remained before rising to her paws. With a raised brow, she added, "After you, Shadowfur."

[ @Cherry~ ]