Skip Navigation
ringmaster [open, rc x sc]
heronstrike
RiverClan
Posts: 3 
Rank: Deputy
Age: 50 moons
Gender: Tom
Apprentice: Sleetpaw
Played By: Pumpkin
|
Post by heronstrike on Jun 25, 2015 23:13:19 GMT -5
claws scraped unpleasantly against algae-covered slippery stone as a tabby pointed cat pulled himself from the sluggishly running river. water rolled off of heronstrike's pelt as he shrugged his shoulders and arched his back. he stretched languidly on the stone and yawned luxuriously, jaws gaping to reveal the yellowed length of his sharp fangs. he settled back and licked his whiskers, carefully considering the land in front of him like he might consider a plump fish or water vole.
the border between riverclan and shadowclan stretched before him. honestly, if one asked heronstrike, he would say that the border was the clearest sign that starclan favored riverclan over their swamp-bound kin. he could see the river weave forward through the border and give way to the sunken woods. he snorted with disgust. fitting that their lands were just as filthy as the cats themselves. the sunken woods were nothing like the rivers and streams of riverclan - clean and pure, fit for the consumption of cats.
but then again, there was nothing pure about shadowclan.
he sneered, running a paw over his ear. it would be fortunate if a patrol came across him now - he was feeling on edge, the kind of itchy feeling he got when he needed to destroy something. he wanted to break something into pieces, feel something coming apart in his paws. but he couldn't just run about breaking cats apart, even if it was fun. even if it was just as fun to piece them back together and send them back to their clans to give word of him. he was deputy now. he needed to act in a way that benefited riverclan.
he could do that.
he just needed a shadowclan cat to give him a little help.
|
|
sleetpaw
RiverClan
Posts: 1 
Rank: Apprentice
Age: 10 moons
Gender: She-cat
Mentor: Heronstrike
Played By: Ales
|
Post by sleetpaw on Jun 26, 2015 3:38:46 GMT -5
Farther down the river, another cat is padding slowly over the rocks resting on the shore. Before, she was following a trail, but at this point she knows enough to simply follow the river until it leads her where she wants to go. The trees on the other side of the river loom darkly, the shadows providing ample cover for anyone who could be hiding there on the other side of the river. She knows this, but is unconcerned. Even if she couldn't take a Shadowclan cat, her mentor is just ahead.
She had been given a free day today, but she has come to learn that her mentor will sometimes do very exciting things when he lets her take a day to herself. So instead of simply wandering along the safer banks near the heart of her clan's territory, or perhaps trying to find her warrior friend, she has instead tracked her mentor out here. It was a chance to track her mentor when he wasn't intending to leave a trail for her, and maybe an opportunity to join her mentor in a little bit of havoc-causing.
She rounds the final bend in the bank, and down the river she sees the tabby cat sitting on the water's edge, glaring pointedly into the shadows cast by the trees. She meanders towards him and then sits a ways off from him, flicking her tail in a way that seems almost arrogant.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2015 5:00:06 GMT -5
bunched muscles released themselves suddenly as swannose sprung forward, paws outstretched and closing themselves quickly around her target. before the water vole could scurry out from her grasp, the white warrior had bent down, giving it a quick and well-aimed bite to the back of the neck.
thank you, starclan. as she felt the little creature go limp in her paws, still warm as in life, she moved to pick it up within her jaws, turning and padding further down along the riverbank to where she had buried her other two catches - a carp and a tiny nutria (swannose felt a little bad at the thought that it had seemed to be little more than a baby. still, a kill was a kill.) feeling the familiar pride of a successful hunt but with hunger gnawing at her belly, the she-cat paused for a moment after she had buried her kill as if to consider whether to call the hunt done; however, that would mean digging right back up the prey she'd hidden so far and she was not ready to do that. instead, she would try for a minnow or two further down the river, perhaps; she'd technically already gone on a hunting patrol earlier that day, though it had been very early in the morning - so she could have a light snack before carrying her prey back without breaking the code. (swannose wouldn't dare to do otherwise - even if no other cat might see her. the code was important - at the very least the parts of it that were feasibly followed. there was no excuse for breaking a rule as easy as that one and she would not allow herself to make any excuses.)
as swannose quietly padded further along the riverbank, gazing into the water (and careful to keep her shadow off of it), eventually her vision shifted of its own accord - no longer staring into the river's depths but instead quite abruptly taking in the cat that stared back at her instead. she froze then, blinking; though their pelts were of a different pattern, there was no denying that starlingheart was her littermate. they had the same nose, same angled eyes, same round muzzle. swannose narrowed her gaze. starlingheart was a coward, hiding her true self behind false bravado and feigned narcissism. though she'd never confirmed that her sister had felt similarly to her, sensitive and fearful at heart despite her own tough exterior, the way she had acted now in hindsight made it all the more clear to her that they were the same.
except they weren't the same. starlingheart was embracing that false side of her, projecting it outwards with more and more intensity until she'd become nothing more than a bully. every time swannose looked at her she was reminded of the sad, pathetic cat she herself had once been - a bully, too, and a cat certainly deserving of scorn.
and now everytime i look at myself i'm reminded of that too, because all i can see is her, she thought with disgust, turning away from her reflection then. she hurried forward, no longer caring where she was going and having lost the thrill of the hunt entirely. her appetite was gone. i'm not that cat anymore. i'm not HER. i won't be her, not anymore. she broke into a run in her surge of emotion, no doubt scaring away any fish in the river below with the pounding of her paws. she didn't know why she was running or where - no doubt she'd stop in a moment, but --
sleetpaw! she'd caught the scent of her friend on the breeze, and skidding to a sudden halt, she paused to part her jaws and taste the air. her friend had been on this stretch of the river, and somewhat recently - so hurriedly she moved to follow her, surprised she hadn't caught the scent before what with her usual good senses. she'd been a little distracted, though. as she neared the border, she could tell that sleetpaw was definitely close by - and heronstrike was, too. hadn't he given the apprentice a free day today? huh. she'd been hoping to find her friend later, as well, having heard from another that she'd been off duties. maybe he had changed his mind? but what were the two of them doing at the shadowclan border alone?
as she passed the final bend in the bank, she spotted the two cats, seated near the trees but a small distance apart from each other. without another word, she approached the two and then stood somewhat awkwardly between them, though much closer to sleetpaw, at the younger she-cat's side. "heronstrike," she mewed gruffly, giving him a respectful dip of the head. "any trouble from shadowclan yet?" the last word she had spoken hung in the air, as if to say that it was only a matter of time before they caused it. if it was a fight the deputy was looking for, she would of course join in, although her typical quick-to-hostile nature towards the other clans was not so easily backed up on account of her aversion to truly harming others and her poor combat skills. still. she'd do what was expected of her, to the best of her abilities. even if they weren't the best.
"hey, sleetpaw," she greeted her friend then as she glanced over at her, tone quieter now as if not for the deputy's ears now that she had dropped her more formal tone. "sup? thought you had the day off. i was looking for you earlier. too bad we couldn't hang out." she gave the apprentice a friendly flick across the ear with her tail. "i totally could have shown you up with my mad hunting skills." at least this was not just bragging. she'd been named for them, after all. though she was certain too that her friend was no poor hunter either; it was likely that if they had competed, sleetpaw at least could have provided a challenge for the young warrior.
|
|
firedream
ShadowClan
Posts: 4
Rank: Medicine Cat
Gender: Tom
Mentor: Cranewing
Apprentice: TBA
Played By: Boggs
|
Post by firedream on Jun 26, 2015 5:57:07 GMT -5
Though his eyes had not taken in the murky woods that Shadowclan called home for many moons, Firedream knew them well. He stepped carefully through the marshes, weaving his way through puddles that he could feel lapping at the tips of his toes any time he stepped just off of his usual path. The ginger and white tom cat kept his body close to the ground, his tail sweeping out behind him as long whiskers gently brushed across the often times damp earth. He had seen this path in his dreams—he needed to walk it in the waking world to try and see why it was Starclan had sent him such a strange dream.
If they had. Doubt began to coil inside of his belly like a venomous snake, and the medicine cat promptly pushed it away. It was a black owl, he reminded himself, feeling his coat prickle as his side graced against the bark of a tall tree. Were it not for his whiskers and the slowness of his step, he may have walked straight into the gnarled root that protruded from the muck below it, but as it was, Firedream was practiced enough to give pause and feel his way around his obstacle. He could smell the river, though within Shadowclan’s territory, the familiar scents of home had a tendency to make it seem out of place. Fresh water was vital to life, but so were their swamps.
If the earth ever sopped up the wetness that lingered, Firedream was loathe to think of what may happen to their prey and herb supplies. So much of their clan’s strength depended upon the shadows that hung low over their territory—shadows that Firedream had come to be intimately familiar with. As he neared what had become their Riverclan border (something he was still growing used to, in moons past, the border had been placed farther down, near a small grouping of large rocks. Now? It was anyone’s guess), Firedream could almost see it in his mind’s eye once again.
In his dreams, the waters had been running fast and ravenously, tumbling over the riverbeds and sucking at the earth. The owl had flown low over the surface, his talons dipping beneath and sending dark ripples out—tainting the river. Skies beyond their territory had darkened.
”But is it for us…?” he whispered to himself, slowly slipping from one bit of shade until he could stoop at the very edge of the river—still a portion inside of Shadowclan’s territory—and drink his fill.
As the coolness of the water entered his maw, Firedream startled as a young she-cat’s voice came to him from outside of Shadowclan’s murky woods. He could tell from the way her voice traveled freely—words spoken in Shadowclan had a tendency to sound more muffled from the same distance, as though the fogs within the woods tried just as hard to keep their secrets as the cats in the clan did. A sense of dread settled in his belly. He felt the warmth of sunlight on part of his pelt, and that meant that he was not completely hidden. Moreover, with the heavy smell of herbs and roots that clung to his pelt, he knew that it wouldn’t be long before he was found. Swallowing nervously, the petite, fluffy tom turned towards the sunlight and the sound and smell of fresh running water, walking slowly along the border. Sure enough, the smell of cat made it to his nose—one that he recognized far too well, too.
Heronstrike. The two she-cats, he didn’t know yet. Firedream was plainly visible now as the last of Shadowclan's concealment slipped free of him, and though he felt horribly vulnerable--especially so close to a territory unknown to him--he doubted that Riverclan would have the gal to try anything against a medicine cat. Starclan's wrath would have been swift and deadly, surely.
”My dear,” Firedream’s soft voice did well at concealing his anxiety, but there was a hint of patient amusement at Swannose’s idle question to Heronstrike, ”Trouble does not last long in Shadowclan,” he finished mildly. Was it a threat? It was difficult to tell, but nevertheless, the tom took to waving his tail in a gesture that was almost welcoming—had it not been for the clan they called home, and how greatly he was out-numbered. ”Quite the lovely day, isn’t it?” the medicine cat added hopefully. With luck, it wouldn’t turn to bloodshed. He couldn't see them where they sat across the border, but he knew that they were there.
|
|
spiderstep
ShadowClan
Posts: 6
Rank: Warrior
Age: 58
Gender: Male
Mate: Cherrystorm
Played By: Aubergine
|
Post by spiderstep on Jun 30, 2015 23:42:00 GMT -5
The muscles in Spiderstep's leg twitched as he moved through the fallen trees and fetid water that bordered Riverclan, landing awkwardly as he neared the edge of Shadowclan's territory. Even before he lagged behind others as they leapt through the waterlogged trees and pulled themselves from muck with little problems, Spiderstep had always preferred to be alone. It wasn't that he disliked his clanmates- it was just that he spent time thinking, and casual conversation cut in to those thoughts sometimes. That was why walks helped.
Or, why they helped most of the time. The scent of Riverclan was even heavier than he had expected, and the reason soon became clear. Though Spiderstep was sure to not let it show, he felt anger curl in to his heart at the sight of the deputy. His muscles twitched as he let his gaze drag over the other cats at the border. The two Riverclan ones, he didn't recognize- one was certainly no warrior, which was a relief. Heronstrike was a brutal, cruel fantatic of a cat, but even he wasn't going to put the life of an apprentice at risk in a useless border skirmish. Or, so he hoped. "Firedream." He said in recognition of the medicine cat- having Cherrystorm's brother there was some sort of comfort, if only because having others around made it easier to remember the careful way he would have to place his words.
Either way, his paws soon carried him far out of the cover of the hollow, water-logged trees and retreat no longer became an option. The tom's shoulders straightened and his chin was lifted, sure to calculate each and every step until he got close enough to talk clearly but close enough to be too threatening. "Heronstrike." Spiderstep's voice was as amicable as he could manage, forcibly relaxing his body posture as he stared at the cat that had nearly drowned him moons ago. "What gives us the honor of your visit?" Of course, if the other had any designs on Shadowclan territory, they'd never hear a word of the plans. Heronstrike was not a cat to be underestimated, as much as it pained Spiderstep to admit that.
"Your apprentice?" He asked, head inclined towards Sleetpaw. "Or just one that you've decided to take under your wing for extra tutoring?" The tom's eyes flicked to Swannose, though he still couldn't recall her name or face. A mistake, perhaps, if she was important and he had forgotten a critical detail. Hopefully, though, he was right in thinking his almost-killer was more of an immediate threat than her. Otherwise, he and Firedream were in more than a little bit of trouble. |
|
heronstrike
RiverClan
Posts: 3
Rank: Deputy
Age: 50 moons
Gender: Tom
Apprentice: Sleetpaw
Played By: Pumpkin
|
Post by heronstrike on Jul 1, 2015 13:10:35 GMT -5
"sleetpaw!"
one would think that heronstrike was a kit greeting a favored playmate from the enthusiasm in his voice upon spotting his apprentice. his ears perked and his eyes brightened as he twisted to lay eyes upon the strange little cat, precious little cat that was such an interesting challenge. she wasn't like shellpelt who had been so grumpy - half the fun of training that one, really - or shy little smokeheart, but she was certainly a cat who needed to be molded carefully.
"you're just in time." he purred to his apprentice, gesturing her closer with a flick of his tail.
the second cat to arrive was little swannose. he curled his tail at her and purred in pleasure at being joined by two of his younger clanmates. precious little lives. still open to being molded into good warriors, even if swannose had already graduated. "swannose." he mimicked her gruff tone, dropping his voice a few octaves until he sounded quite ludicrous. he puffed out his cheeks, clearly intending on taking the joke further - but her question brought him short. he shook his head. "not yet."
he turned his head away as swannose spoke to his silent apprentice. none of his business if the younger folk jabbered among themselves. it was good for sleetpaw to have friends. he had more pressing matters to attend to, after all - he could smell herbs. it wasn't long before firedream announced himself, and heronstrike splashed down from his perch on the stone into a shallower part of the river. "firedream," he greeted, crooning out the name of the medicine cat. he approached the border, stopping a scant few tail lengths away from the closest scent marker. "it's been a while, brother."
despite the appearance of a shadowclan cat, heronstrike remained relaxed - he even sat and yawned before continuing on with his speech. "do the stars fare well, friend?" and he looked at firedream not like the cat was unclean and tainted by his shadowclan blood, but like he was something special - something to be scooped up and held close, a precious diamond among the rough of his clanmates. "hey, maybe you can help a cat out." he yawned again. "i had a wicked dream last night 'bout my ma. she had two heads, 'cept one of them kind of looked like cardinalstar and it kept puking up snakes... you think that's a sign from starclan?"
he folded his ears back. "i'd ask halfpatch but... y'know." he waved a paw.
the appearance of a dark form behind firedream, however, had all of heronstrike's casualness fading in favor of a predatory alertness. the deputy climbed to his feet and leered across the border at spiderstep. "thought i'd check up on you, boo." he said, ears pointing towards the dark tom. "how's the leg? firedream patch you up all nice and neat? no hard feelings, right sweetums?"
he shifted so that he was closer to sleetpaw, expression growing less mocking and more aggressive.
"sleetpaw is mine." he confirmed, baring his fangs at spiderstep. "you throwing my mentoring under doubt? a cat might remind you that he's got a better record than you." his ears twitched and he scanned the land behind the border. "speakin' of, where's your cute little shadow?"
|
|
|
