ShadowClan Life Before Destruction

[Ever]

Blazingnight chuckled at Liontuft's words. She'd always been obsessed with her pelt being perfectly groomed too, it would be nice to have a helper. "I hope you know that I'll hold you accountable to that Liontuft." She queen said with a golden wink. Her eyes caught the sparkling eyes of Auroraeyes. She could see herself in a way, looking at the kits that had so much potential in them. The leader could tell that the young molly wanted to be a part of shaping them into perfection and she made a mental note to remember that. Aurora would make a good mentor, she was ambitious and very to the point. Blazingnight was rather fond of the way she carried and presented herself. She looked down at the kits again and smiled at them, then her eyes raised to Burdock with curiosity. She'd never heard the story of how he'd joined the clan, she wanted to immediately. Though she could see the pain that time of his life brought him so she didn't press him for information right away, simply looked back over the kits. They surely would be welcomed into the clan well. She hoped that they will make the finest warriors one day.

[Ever]

Originally Posted by Dux

@Ever @JustJoye

Augustus frowned slightly when Finneous added a desperate plea after he spoke. He was much too proud for his own good - he and Finn were complete opposites. He didn't make a big deal about the added words, though, knowing his companion also had a right to speak. When BlazingNight replied with a `no`, however, Augustus prepared himself to start an argument. His shoulders tensed, and he had bared his teeth in the beginnings of a snarl. No way would he return to the others with a `we were turned down` speech.

When she allowed them to stay - in the territory - he let his muscles relax and a bright, cocky smile replaced his frown. Augustus whipped his tail wildly with glee, and he looked down at Finneous with joy in his green eyes. ``I knew I could convince you,`` He purred. His voice was laced with arrogance as if it were only him who had got the leader to agree to their needs. Most likely, though, he had nothing to do with BlazingNight's decision. He would've given her a friendly shove as if they've been friends since kithood, but he feared she would send them away with nicks in their ears. Automatically, he folded his ears back discreetly as if to protect them from unsheathed claws.

``Anyhoo,`` He drawled, stretching his neck out to peer over the leader's head even though he was taller than her, and the action would be useless. Augustus swiveled his head around, his confusion obvious as he basically repeated Finneous' question. ``Who's our escort?``

Blazingnight's fur raised as his lip curled and she produced her own angry snarl as he spoke. "You convinced me of nothing." She growled low and angry, her golden eyes ablaze. She looked between them to see they seemed very contempt with what she'd given than and decided to further explain the restrictions and their responsibilities while they stayed here. "You two are not to be seen anywhere near camp while you are here either. You are to stay strictly in the territory, I expect you each to catch enough prey to feed two cats per day you are here and I will have your escort collect this payment for shelter daily. Do not eat more than you need, or you will be punished. The moment your scent is detected freshly within eyesight of camp you will be banished. Is this clear?" The dark tabby wanted this conversation over, her whole body itched with anger that they were even here. Let alone that she had to allow them to stay on her territory to avoid further punishment.
She glanced around the clearing for someone handy to escort them, her eyes dropping on a mottled black and white molly. it was an injured shecat, so even if the Dusk Syndicate cats tried to pull some folly, it wouldn't be a loss to the clan. She put on an impatient smile and called the cat over. "Marbledface." She called quickly, the young molly's head snapped up so quick at the sound of the leader's voice. Her eyes were wide with eagerness to please her idolized leader and she trotted over quickly. Her shoulder was well rested since it's latest flare up and she was already back on patrols. Her heart raced as she glanced at the unfamiliar toms, they smelled foreign and strange. The look on the shorter one's face threw her off a little, but the grey tom seemed more approachable.
"Lead them to the tunnels as far out into the territory as possible. They will be staying there for five sunrises, then they are to leave. You are in charge of monitoring their activity, collecting their payment of prey every evening, and making sure they do not pass the boundaries set for them. Understood?" The short tabby said, and before awaiting an answer she twirled and began to walk away. "I'll explain the details of their restrictions when you return." She said quickly before disappearing behind the warriors den on the way back to her own.
Alone with the strangers Marbledface studied them for a silent moment curiously. She wondered why the leader was letter random cats seek shelter in their clan, but she wasn't going to question Blazingnight and simply obeyed. With a quick nod she pointed a direction and started into the territory. "This way." She said quietly, trying not to reveal how nervous she was.

[Derpple and Ashie]

"I never break my promises," vowed Liontuft, "and I don't say things half-halfheartedly. They'll be so well groomed the whole clan will forsake their wretched ways and learn how to finally keep themselves presentable!"

"I swear you care more about fur than your clan," snickered Auroraeyes.

"A lie," he meowed with a regal tone, "but a fair enough thought." He flicked his tail, and smiled at the kits. Mountainkit blinked at him with blurry eyes, but already the fur between his ears was puffing up and sweeping back. "Oh, this one will look as handsome as his father," Liontuft praised. "Look at that fur."

Burdockpool rolled his eyes, and licked each other their kits. "It's nice that this is the hardest it will be for them as kits. Surrounded by family, loved and cared for. I had to prove I was strong enough to be in the clan the moment I could walk and see. Couldn't even talk right, and I had to avoid being hurt by Deceptionstar's ways. Winterstar, she was just the deputy then, had found my mother in the woods hunting for food for my brother and I to eat. She let her come back to the clan, rather than chase her away, and we stayed there until Deceptionstar came to power. I was just old enough to be tested, as they called it. They always changed what it was, but mine I had to face two warriors and not be harmed. Volefury... and Moleclaw." His hazel eyes flickered over to his half-sister as she tensed at the mention of her father. "I know they took it easy, but it was hard enough for Deceptionstar to believe. If I'd have failed... Well these adorable kits wouldn't be here, and neither would I."

[Ever]

Ash listened to his story intently, her curiosity satiated. Though she felt pain in his story, it was sad that they made apprentices at such a fragile age. She firmly believed in letting them get strong first, that way when they began training they better understood and were better able to improve quickly. She glanced down at them, her golden eyes sad for him. Her tail flicked over and against his side, flicking against it softly to try and comfort him from the memory. She found herself at a bit of a loss of what to say next, how to respond to his story. She felt a little sad for not knowing his background all too well, though it was a very sensitive subject and she hated to see him down.

She was relieved when one of the kits broke the silence with an impatient screech for attention. Dovekit had fallen asleep at her belly, and it was rather the earthy tabby who was yowling. With a quick swipe of her paw she scooped the kit and tucked her on her back between her front paws, gently grooming her belly. She purred softly. "It's really too bad they don't stay small for long." She mewed softly.

[Derpple and Ashie]

"Trust me," meowed Whitesplash, admiring the kits and their happy mother, "by the time they're ready to leave your side you'll be aching for the chance to stretch your legs without worrying about them needing you immediately. In just a few days they'll be meowing all in your ears too." She nudged her son with a smile. "If any of them take after him in those grooming sessions, they'll probably never shut up." He rolled his eyes at her, and picked up the little seashell gift.

"I could groom you if you'd like," he meowed with a laugh, smiling at Blazingnight. "Or I could try and tackle that mohawk of yours," he snickered at Burdockpool who rolled hazel eyes.

The brown furred tom smiled at his mate softly, glad that she would never be like that particular past leader. He nuzzled her, licking that particular white spot on her brow he so loved. "Don't even try," he snickered at his cousin or great nephew, whichever he was.

[Ever]

Blazing shook her head at the offer with an easy smile. No thanks to for me too, I'm very particular about my fur." She said, knowing he would understand. Though she really just wasn't a touchy cat except for when it came to her mate. She pushed her head against his as he gave her a soft muzzle. His tongue felt rough and soft against her fur. She let out a strong spurt of purr before being broken away from him from the once again squealing Tawnykit. She didn't want to admit Whitestorm was correct on the fact though and quickly silenced the small and obnoxious noise by grooming the little tabby's belly. Her tail still flicked against Burdockpool though. She took a quick break to glance up at her guests again, she'd been pretty holed up the last few days so she might as well ask how things are running. "How's the clan? Is food still coming in okay?" She asked, quickly returning to grooming the needy kit.

[Derpple and Ashie]

Liontuft put the seashell back down, and frowned with thought as she asked of the status of the clan. "Yeah," he meowed softly, a surprising seriousness in his words for a tom who seemed rarely such a thing. "There's been some fires, but they didn't touch us as you know. ThunderClan and.... WindClan however. I think something bad went down."

"What kind of bad are we talking about?" Burdockpool asked with a heavy tone, his tail curling around the kits a bit more protectively. Mountainkit squeaked in disapproval as a tail brushed into his face and forced him to flop further into the kitten pile. Blackkit fumbled his way to his father as well, only to scramble to his mother as his brother forced him out of the way. He practically turned invisible once he was against Blazingnight's dark fur, tabby hidden against tabby. "War? Famine? Dark Forest plots?"

"I don't know," meowed Liontuft, his mother and Auroraeyes staring with silent interest. He shifted his paws, and looked away. "I was at the border with WindClan when it happened, trying to see if the fires were coming close to us," he meowed, half lying. "We're lucky they didn't, and that the rains put them out before they could but... It felt wrong. Something was amiss with it all." He was of course keeping the part where he was trying to see if the she-cat he had fallen for had been safe, having met Driftstream on the border in the aftermath of the raging flames.

Whitesplash was frowning, and caught the look in Burdockpool's hazel eyes. "I'm sure it was just because of how little rain we'd gotten before then," she tried to soothe the tension rising in the air. "It had been almost a moon without rain!"

Burdockpool settled his gaze on her however, frowning thickly. "Then we'd have all burned, not the two clans with a leader still carrying the title of star." He avoided saying Bucknight himself, hoping to not get his mate in trouble for him knowing the truth of who lead the clan, all of them. "The Ocean King," he uttered softly, seeing the echoes of pain in Whitesplash as she recalled her time imprisoned in the first Evil Era.

[Ever]

Blazing knew about the fires. She'd known about them long before they happened, she'd just not told anyone. So she mocked surprise when Liontuft announced it and her face creased with concern. She knew Burdock more than likely wouldn't fall for it, he saw through her like no other cat. Though she was a master of deception so hopefully she'd fool the rest. "Well hopefully every cat is alright, we'll have to discuss it at the next gathering." She said softly, her voice haunted. When she looked back down at Tawnykit, the youngster was asleep and she sighed in relief. It seemed the meeting had tuckered out all their children and they were now pressed against their parents' fur, beginning to settle down. She thought about the fires, the time of year and a spark game in mind. "Would either of you mind running an extra border patrol at dawn and dusk then? If the neighboring clans burned they might try and sneak prey off our land." She said with a frown. It was a difficult situation as she didn't want the suffering clans to starve, but with leaf bare having arrived prey was scarce, fire or not.

[Hexict]

Originally Posted by Ever

Eversong frowned at him grumpily as he sat down and turned to walk away from him. Though he brought up a subject that involved them both and she felt required to reply. It didn't happen without the fur on her back raising angrily first as she turned to glare at him again. Though as she though about it, she hadn't seen the young molly around lately, and worry prickled in her chest. She'd noticed a few cats had mysteriously disappeared from the clan ever since the arrival of the new leader and felt the worry grow in her chest.
She laid her ears at the end however and resisted the urge to smack him up the side of his head. "She can care for herself, you don't know her well enough to know that." She hissed. Silentpaw was training to be a true warrior, and though Eversong had never put much interest in the youngster, she knew that she was doing well. If her training wasn't good and she was worried she would have told her. Right? "I'll look for her. And before you ask, no I don't need and I don't want your help." Her emerald hues were aflame that he had even noticed her being gone when she hadn't. Though what could she expect, she'd never thought the last person who loved her would disappear. Silentpaw was so full of goodness, always helpful, always trying to be kind and the best warrior possible with her abilities and limitations. She didn't think that Silent would leave the clan.

Iceclaw watched Eversong's reaction to his news. He looked saddened when she made it clear how much she wished for their little conversation to end even before it started, wishing for him to leave her presence. Every time he saw his first love, he couldn't help but regret how their relationship ended up. But there was no changing it - she wanted nothing to do with and the same goes for their two remaining kits, that is if nothing Happened to Silentpaw.

He was a bit take a back when she seemed affected by this news. Like many others, he was aware about her mental state and the way she was numb towards her feelings. But she seemed to actually care that Silentpaw had recently gone missing. Not only did she seem to care, but she also stuck up for their blind daughter. His ears flattened and Iceclaw even seemed ashamed for saying that Silentpaw would be rendered useless if something were to happen to her out there. She's right, Silentpaw could probably take care of herself, he knew that she had trained to become a warrior, had been trying hard for moons. Though he wasn't here for the beginning of her training, he was still able to tell that she tried hard.

The black and white tom opened his mouth to volunteer in looking for Silentpaw, but stopped when Eversong was quick to tell him not to come. "B-but," he stuttered slightly. I know you don't like me, but I still care for you guys! "She's my daughter too, and I'm worried for her safety as well," he pointed out. "I'm going to look for her too - we don't have to talk while we're out there,but I just want to make sure that she's alright," Iceclaw's blue orbs were desperate as he was almost begging to go with her.

[Derpple and Ashie]

Instantly Auroraeyes straightened up. "I will," she immediately offered, always trying to impress her leader. "I'll make sure none of them think that just because they caught fire means we're going to help them out. Stealing prey from us is a bad idea." She spoke faintly of the war with the clans that had happened some time ago, though in those days ShadowClan had been the one blamed for stealing prey.

Burdockpool watched his mate closely, and a part of him grew weak as he realized she had to have known. His immediate thoughts of Bucknight were surely correct as the face she always used when acting a part slipped across her. She was good, but he was her mate and knew her best, allowing him to see past it. A small sigh almost escaped him, and he instead turned to lick his kits. "Whatever it is," he meowed, "I'm sure we'll all find out soon."