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Post by - Steph - on Dec 8, 2011 0:29:23 GMT -5
A thin fog filled the air. Dawn was quickly approaching, but most life was still sound asleep--most life.
The sound of approaching padsteps barely cut the silent air; whatever was approaching was clearly trying to be quiet, but was utterly failing. Barely visible in the darkness, a dark, long-haired tom appeared out of the fog, his tail slowly swaying back and forth. The tom opened his mouth, tasting the air around him. Suddenly, he darted to the left, intent on getting somewhere fast.
"Of course," the tom suddenly spat, angrily shaking his head. "Northclan crossing the borders again.".
Instad of dwelling on this unfortunate fact, the tom began marking his appropriate territory, his ears on the lookout for any suspicious noises. It was bad enough that his clan was barely keeping up with their responsibilities. If the tom were to run into a Northclan hunting patrol, he would have to fight alone.
After properly marking all boundaries, the tom sat near the intricate tunnels, staring into the shadows. The sun began slowly creeping up on him, but the tom wasn't paying attention to the sun. He needed some time to himself to think about the recent turn of events.
Westclan had no leader. It was StarClan's will that a rogue took over, right?[/i] The tom shook his head violently. Has StarClan really abandoned us? The thought haunted him every day. Imagining a time without StarClan's guidance sounded so lost, so broken. Scarletstar was already quickly establishing herself and getting the clan in order. This tom was not one who liked disorder--the pathetic border patrols, the scarce hunting patrols, it was beginning to drive him crazy. It was clear that his clan needed someone to step up. Scarletstar's organization and will to keep this clan's honor alive made him respect her. Trust, trust was a completely different thing that Scarletstar had not yet received from him. He would always remain faithful to WestClan; a clan that let a rogue walk in and take over was clearly hopeless. When did it get to be this bad....
The tom sighed, curling his tail closer to his body. The wind picked up ever so slightly, causing his long fur to ruffle uncomfortably.
Lost in his thoughts, the tom ignored the chilling wind, and continued staring into the shadows.....
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Post by SWEET♥ on Dec 8, 2011 17:36:57 GMT -5
[bg=black][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=border,0,true] RAVENSPIRIT: WESTCLAN MEDICINE CAT
The medicine cat of WestClan walked casually towards the Tunnelplace. It had been a long time since she'd been out looking for herbs, but she knew that there were some around there. It was taking her a lot of time to adjust to her new life, and the new leader of the Clan. She had lied about StarClan's approval of Scarletstar, if only because StarClan hadn't spoken to Ravenspirit at all.
She now had a new apprentice to help her around the camp with treating wounds and injuries, and she was getting the hang of being a medicine cat. She didn't think she was a complete medicine cat, though, because she simply had no communication with StarClan. Of course, no other cats had either, so it wasn't like she was being singled out or anything.
Ravenspirit lifted her head. She now sensed that another cat was nearby. She knew by the scent that it was one of her clanmate, a warrior out probably on a hunt or marking the territory borders. A closer look revealed that it was Shadedstripe, one of the loyal warriors that WestClan prided itself in. She prowled up to him quietly.
"Greetings, Shadedstripe," meowed the medicine cat. "How goes your patrol?" She looked around, hoping that she hadn't startled the other cat. Everything smelled freshly marked, so it was clear that the warrior was doing his job very well.
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Post by - Steph - on Dec 8, 2011 19:11:22 GMT -5
"Greetings, Shadedstripe, how goes your patrol?"
Shadedstripe jumped, startled by Ravenspirit's voice. So lost in his thoughts, the tom didn't even notice the she-cat come up behind him. He sighed, feeling like he had just been caught goofing around instead of what he was supposed to be doing.
"Ravenspirit,"[/color] he spoke, dipping his head in respect to her. Out of all the leaders in the clan, it was she who he respected and trusted the most. As he looked into her strong eyes, he knew that Westclan's medicine cat had to know what she was doing--even if Starclan had abandoned them. As he examined the sturdy she-cat, he realized that he would stand by her word no matter what. If this was true, why was he having such a hard time with his thoughts? Shadedstripe tilted his head towards the tunnels, the stale smell of Northclan still lingering around his nose.
"I think Northclan's been hunting here again."[/color] The tom couldn't help but give a look of frustration. He quickly regained his composure, knowing that he had no right to complain about what was going on with the clan. However, it took a lot for the tom to stop himself there. Thoughts about recent events continued swimming in his head, driving him crazy. He wanted to talk to someone about everything that was happening, but he didn't want anyone to think he was speaking out against his clan. Shadedstripe wanted everyone to know where his loyalties would always lie. He sighed, looking back up at Ravenspirit. She could probably read his thoughts so easily; who didn't have doubts in Westclan right now? Still, he knew he shouldn't be included in the group who felt hopeless. If anything, he wanted to restore honor within his clan.
Even in the tom's hesitation, there was one question he wanted to ask the she-cat...[/size]
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Post by ember on Dec 10, 2011 23:54:34 GMT -5
OOC: Mind if I join?
A mottled brown tom crawled through the ferns until he reached the tunnelplace. It had been a long journey through the swamp and undergrowth, but he smelled that there were other cats out there. He stared at them from a distance through narrowed yellow eyes. He mostly had nothing but disdain towards the members of his own Clan.
He heard the medicine cat and the warrior talking about patrols and the fact that NorthClan had crossed onto WestClan territory once again. Ever since Jaggedstar swore the two Clans to be enemies, NorthClan had nothing but hatred for WestClan in their hearts. WestClan was more than happy to return the favor.
Brackenwind remained where he was, listening in on the conversations of the two cats, just in case there was anything interesting he could overhear.
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Post by SWEET♥ on Dec 11, 2011 0:08:15 GMT -5
[bg=black][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=border,0,true]RAVENSPIRIT: WESTCLAN MEDICINE CAT
Ravenspirit shot him a brief look of concern when she heard that NorthClan was crossing the borders. That Clan had become increasingly more chaotic, and disregarded the boundaries that were supposed to have been set. They'd had a bad run of leaders, save for Pebblestar, but she had been mysteriously replaced by the ruthless Scatterstar after only a few moons of leadership.
Sometimes Ravenspirit had to wonder what went on in other Clans. She knew very little about them, and gatherings had been fewer and fewer until Ravenspirit wondered if they would ever happen again. The warrior code was falling apart, and she felt helpless to stop it. She tried not to let her worries get in the way of her duties to the Clan.
She caught Shadedstripe's eye and realized that he probably shared her worries. WestClan was still getting back on it's feet after so long of not having a leader, and practically being an anarchy. Not to mention, a rogue as a leader had also shaken up the structure of the Clan. Ravenspirit was surprised that many warriors hadn't left altogether.
"You're worried about the Clan, aren't you?" she murmured. "I think we all are. Times have changed, and they're only going to keep changing. I'm not sure if traditions are going to hold us much longer." She knew that there would come a time when the Clans might have to change the ways that they had known for so long. It almost hurt her to think about that, though.
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Post by - Steph - on Dec 11, 2011 12:10:12 GMT -5
Even though Brackenwind crept in the tunnels, Shadedstripe was completely distracted with his thoughts and his conversation with Ravenspirit. Lucky for him, the intruder was also seated downwind from the two Westclan cats, giving him the perfect spot to eavesdrop. Even if the tom was seated in range of Shadedstripe's sense of smell, the tom probably still would not notice; he was completely at a loss right now. However, his drop of defenses did not mean Shadedstripe was unable to defend his borders. The dark-furred tom was very prepared to fight any Northclan cat who dared cross his borders. True to Shadedstripe's character, he would never start a fight if it wasn't necessary.
"You're worried about the Clan, aren't you? I think we all are. Times have changed, and they're only going to keep changing. I'm not sure if traditions are going to hold us much longer."
Even though Shadedstripe knew this was true, he couldn't help but feel his heart sink. Clanlife...without structure? Without traditions? How else was Westclan supposed to run properly? Shadedstripe felt his front paws skidding forward, laying down clumsily, a distant look in his eye. Shadedstripe was a very organized tom. All the chaos throughout Westclan was killing him.
The tom couldn't help but think back to the legends, of clans, becoming power hungry, rising up against the others. Shadedstripe's biggest fear was being part of the power hungry clan, and having to choose what was right or allegiance to his clan. A decision like that would completely tear him apart. He wanted to know Scatterstar's motivations behind running Westclan.
"Do you think--"[/color] Shadedstripe stopped himself short, unsure if he was even allowed to question the loyalty of his leader. "Do you think her intentions are pure?"[/color] Even though the warrior was 31 moons old, his eyes became childlike, almost pleading with Ravenspirit to give the answer he wanted. He closed his eyes briefly, breathing in slowly and deeply. Everything was under control, he just needed to trust Starclan--
Shadedstripe stopped his thoughts short, finally opening his eyes. They really have abandoned us, have they,[/i] he thought warily. The hopelessness showed in his eyes as he gazed onto Ravenspirit, waiting for her response. He just wanted to be told that everything was going to be okay, yet in his heart, he knew that everything in the clans was truly about to change. Outside of Westclan, the tom had no idea what he would do.
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Post by ember on Dec 12, 2011 11:45:56 GMT -5
Brackenwind flicked his ears as he continued to listen to the two of them talk. There seemed to be doubt above everything. As an anarchist who had approved of WestClan's non-leader time period, he took their fretting over the rogue leader to just be another sign that he was right. It had been different when WestClan had just been a leaderless, united group, but it had brought them all closer together.
He had to stifle a laugh when he saw that these dilemas could make full grown warriors act like whimpering kits. So get rid of Scarletstar, he thought viciously. Then we can have the Clan to ourselves again. He slipped a little bit and let some pebbles scatter in front of him, so he ducked back and hoped he wasn't heard.
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Post by SWEET♥ on Dec 16, 2011 15:59:11 GMT -5
[bg=black][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=border,0,true]RAVENSPIRIT: WESTCLAN MEDICINE CAT
The she-cat was more than willing to listen to the troubles of the warrior, because it was as though he were voicing her problems as well. It gave her a chance to recognize that she wasn't the only one who was having issues with everything, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Shadedstripe seemed very concerned about the likelihood of strong change in the structure of the Clan.
When he spoke of Scarletstar, she cast a look to the side. The rogue leader had been gone to them so far, but it had been difficult for some of the WestClan cats to get used to being ordered around by an outsider. She could only hope that they would never experience and uprising like that of SouthClan, when they rebelled against the outsider who led their Clan.
"I think she's only doing what's best for us," she replied. "She saw that we were in need, and she only wanted to help." That's what I think, anyway, she thought. If Scarletstar had any ulterior motives, she didn't know of them. Maybe it would be better if a true WestClan cat were the leader, or any Clan cat at all. Having a rogue as a leader was strange. She could almost see why SouthClan had rebelled against Montana and all the other outsiders.
Their rebellion had been led by their medicine cat. Could I ever bring myself to do something like that? she thought. Her morals weren't completely on the side of good, but she tried to do what she thought was right for herself or those she cared about. If worse came to worse, could I really lead my Clan against our own leader? She didn't know how Hawkeye had pulled off such a scheme.
She heard a sudden noise, and looked around. Someone else was around the tunnelplace nearby. "Hello?" she called out.
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