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Post by Rtais Strobe on Feb 3, 2007 12:24:32 GMT -5
These forest cats didn't know what they had. Water, water everywhere. A native of the driest lands on the planet, Strobe would not have thought it possible for so much water to exist on once place. But apparently it did, and it was odd to not have to worry constantly about water, the main bone of contention among the Clans of the desert from which Strobe had come. The muddy sand felt odd as it oozed between his toes as he padded along the water bank. Finally, he came to a place where large rocks had formed a deep and relatively still pool. Strobe regarded it silently for a moment with his head tilted slightly to the right.
Unexpectedly, he slipped and fell into the water.
He made quite a splash as he landed and sank briefly below the surface. A second later, his head pushed back into the air. With his long limbs and large paws, he paddled around the pool a few times, using his long tail as a rudder. Gasping, he dragged himself back onto the bank again. He shook the water from his fur and turned to regard the pool again. The look in his eyes, usually cold, was thoughtful, and perhaps a little bit sad as a wave homesickness overwhelmed him. He would trade all the water of this forest in a second if he could only go home -- home to the desert, home to his Clan.
Strobe, called Longtail of RedClan, glanced tragically at the clear blue sky overhead.
"Blast it all..." he cursed softly.
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Galestar
Clan Leader
Leader of RedClan
Posts: 125
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Post by Galestar on Feb 4, 2007 17:26:09 GMT -5
A single mouse dangled from the gray-and-white tom's mouth, the warm, sweet scent of life flooding his nostrils. It had been a quick catch, nothing entirely special about it; the poor mouse didn't stand a chance. Galestar was hoping to find a few extra little things, and hurry back to camp to share the gossip of the day with his clanmates. Things had been going smoothly--in his eyes--for some time...what was the harm in a little meal with his warriors?
The RedClan leader cleared his throat as he laid the mouse down, and perked his ears at the sound of a heavy splash. The mouse-scent was still heavy on his muzzle, but the tom picked up another odor that was anything but fresh-kill. Galestar cast the mouse a glance, before padding through the small ferns and underbrush to find Longtail climbing out of the pool.
His eyes grew wide with amusement, and his ears focused forward. "Are we going for a swim? I would have come sooner if I knew," A soft purr bubbled in his throat, but was quick to disperse. Galestar overlooked the warrior's words, and scanned the tom's sopping body. A slight mrrow of laughter played at his voice.
"I'm going to hunt a bit longer, you're free to join me, or continue by yourself." The leader assumed that the tom was already hunting, whether Longtail was or not, it didn't appear to bother Galestar on this fine day.
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Post by Rtais Strobe on Feb 4, 2007 17:47:27 GMT -5
Strobe turned at the sound of Galestar's approach. A soft 'uh' rumbled deeply in the back of his throat as he shook his head, flinging more water drops from his fur. All emotion and thought vanished from his tarnished gold eyes as they locked onto Galestar. Strobe had joined RedClan no more than three months ago, and he was not yet on intimate, or even civil, terms with any of the other members. Still a rogue, among other things, in many ways, he was the villain of RedClan. Therefore, Strobe supposed Galestar's affable mood towards him to be either faked or temporary.
But Strobe, as dark and foul-tempered as he could be, was not inclined to meanness or disrespect towards his leader He was aggressive and had a tendency to instigate fights, but he was not disrespectful.
Irked at whatever amusement Galestar found in him, Strobe merely nodded silently and gave a flick of his long tail. Then he gave his fur another vigorous shake, throwing even more water through the air. Some of it surely got onto Galestar. Strobe had not regrets about that.
"I will go with you, if you wish it," he growled at length.
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Galestar
Clan Leader
Leader of RedClan
Posts: 125
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Post by Galestar on Feb 5, 2007 15:21:04 GMT -5
As the sopping tom shook himself, splattering Galestar in a shower of light droplets, the leader flicked his tail and blinked. He felt several drops stream down his fur, but didn't take the time to shake himself.
Galestar smiled, content with the tom's decision. Despite the fact that RedClan had taken the loner in, who wouldn't find the topic of finding him--any cat with a scornful disposition, really--fallen into a pool of water? Maybe the fact that Longtail was relatively new to the clan made it even...slightly more humorous
"Great, I'd like to get a chance to see you hunt. When we're finished you can take your share to the queen's, I'm sure they would appreciate it," despite the lack of current severity in his voice, Galestar managed to place authority into the meaning as he turned with a flick of his tail. He padded to his mouse, and scraped leaves over it; so that he could collect it later on.
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Post by Rtais Strobe on Feb 5, 2007 17:06:05 GMT -5
"Aye..." Strobe muttered, nodding. As Galestar turned to attend to his mouse, Strobe shrugged to himself, trying to let Galestar's comment roll off of his shoulders. 'Great, I'd like to get a chance to see you hunt,' Galestar had said. Strobe's yellow eyes narrowed. Surely the RedClan leader did not doubt Strobe's hunting skills. Had he not done his share (and then some) of hunting for RedClan these past three months?
Leaving Galestar to do what he would, Strobe stalked a few meters downstream and slipped into the trees. As the shadows of the forest fell over him, he sank into a hunter's crouch and proceeded to stalk and kill a mouse. He brought his paws down on top of the creature and killed it with a bite to the neck with a satisfying release of wild fury. He swung it up into his jaws by its tail and smiled grimly to himself.
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Galestar
Clan Leader
Leader of RedClan
Posts: 125
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Post by Galestar on Feb 6, 2007 18:30:09 GMT -5
The leader's eyes flashed as the tom stalked off. He finished burying his mouse and padded after, as the sounds of scrambling came to his ears. Galestar assumed that Longtail had already caught something, or scared it off... He closed the fox-lengths between himself and the warrior, to see that the tom had caught a mouse. The RedClan leader blinked his approval, and surveyed the marshy forest.
"Quick catch," he meowed, "at that rate you would be done before sunhigh. If it isn't a problem--and I'm sure it's not, Longtail--bring what you can back to camp, but save something for yourself. I think I would like you to lead the evening patrol." The gray and white leader took a seat, and began to lick his chest in a rhythmic motion.
Despite the fact that Longtail, as Galestar truly preferred to call him, was a rogue of sorts...It had been several moons since he was introduced into the camp. Loyalty to the clan was was something, that if disobeyed, came with severe consequences. Galestar was confident that Longtail wouldn't disregard the warrior code so soon; but what if he did, and RedClan lost valuable members in the process?
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Adderthorn
Clan Deputy
Deputy of RedClan
Member of RedClan
Posts: 4
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Post by Adderthorn on Feb 6, 2007 21:41:07 GMT -5
Mouse. Water. Fish. Sparrow. All these scents flooded to Adderthorn's nose as she prowled through the underbrush of the forest, close enough to smell and hear the gently moving streams. The smell of fish- one of her least favorite foods- stung her nose, and although Adderthorn longed to turn tail and head straight back in to camp, the shallow streams was a good place to hunt.
The scent of sparrow was now stronger than the rest, so Adderthorn dropped into a practiced hunting crouch, her green-yellow eyes glittering with the thrill of the kill. The bird was now in sight, pecking along the edge of the nearest stream. Adderthorn's excuse for a tail twitched, and she launched herself into the air, landing neatly on top of the helpless sparrow. She dispatched it quickly, and picked it up in her jaws to carry back in the forest.
It was then that her eyes finally wandered over to her left, where two familiar cats were sitting nearby. Adderthorn perked her ears and padded over, recognizing Galestar and Longtail in an instant. She saw that Galestar had settled on his haunches, and her bright eyes narrowed. Had her leader been having a conversation with the former loner, Longtail, that she had just walked in on? She looked from Longtail to Galestar, shrugging her thoughts off. If these two needed to talk like queens, they could take it back to camp.
"Been for a swim, have we?" Adderthorn mewed dryly in Longtail's direction, peering at his slightly damp fur. She was positive that Galestar had already poked fun at him for it, but Adderthorn couldn't help it. It seemed that Longtail had just caught some animal or another, but the scent of water and her own catch made it indiscernible. "Galestar," Adderthorn began, blowing off Longtail completely, "Have you decided who was to lead the evening patrol?" She had already been out for the dawn patrol this morning, but her paws were restless, and she couldn't bear to just sit around in the camp. It took a while for her to register that she hadn't greeted Galestar, but too bad. She didn't have time for formalities.
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Post by Rtais Strobe on Feb 7, 2007 17:33:17 GMT -5
'I think I would like you to lead the evening patrol.' Surprise flickered in Strobe's eyes at this. Him, lead the evening patrol? He had not expected this. Despite his years, so obvious by his many scars, he was the least of RedClan's warriors. In the three months since he had joined RedClan, he had become one of the least trusted and least liked members. He was still a rogue, among other things, in many ways.
Strobe's eyes narrowed, and he opened his mouth with the intention of voicing a refusal. No doubt the rest of the Clan still thought of him as a rogue, unsafe and untrustworthy, and the warriors would scowl at the idea of subordinating themselves to a cat who spat on their StarClan and their traditions. They would go with him, but they whisper behind his back and accuse him with the looks in his eyes. The honor of leading the evening patrol was a tainted one, for it was also a cruel reminder that he was not truly one of them, that he would never be one of them, that he did not deserve to be one of them.
He was a pariah, an outcast, and disgusted at what he had allowed himself to become, at how far from his home he had allowed himself to run. 'Once a warrior of Rosacre, always a warrior of Rosacre,' Kida's soft voice, speaking from long ago memory, whispered to him. But Rosacre was dead, and it had long since bled to death in the desert sands along with the blood of her warriors. And so, in a sense, he was dead also, a dead cat walking. He was a walking shadow. Look at yourself, Rtais. Look at what you have allowed yourself to become, he thought contemptuously. Despair, and now be lost in darkness. And now, out! out! brief candle!
That was not to say that he did not deserve his fate. The blood of his own Clan was on his paws. In his desperate to save them all, he had himself destroyed them. And so this was his punishment -- to live on, having realized too late to save anything else but his own sorry skin, that he had brought all of this upon himself.
Enter Adderthorn. Strobe flattened his ears and took a step away, taken aback by the way she treated him. The bitter fire that burned, secret and concealed, in his black heart intensified slightly, fueled by this one slight on top of all the rest. 'Have you decided who was to lead the evening patrol?' Strobe remained silent for a moment as he regarded both Galestar and Adderthorn with cold yellow eyes, eyes that betrayed nothing of his emotions or thoughts at the moment.
"The senior warrior always leads the patrol," he murmured at length, his eyes locking with those of Galestar. Never this treacherous rogue, never me.
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Galestar
Clan Leader
Leader of RedClan
Posts: 125
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Post by Galestar on Feb 7, 2007 18:24:28 GMT -5
If Longtail so felt his presence was a burden to the clan, then why did he chose to stay? If Galestar were aware of his every thought, the leader may have asked, but the tom was worth a second chance in life, wasn't he? Did every cat not deserve a trial, another chance at life; to start anew?
Perhaps one day Galestar would discuss with Longtail his observations, things he did not notice now--other than the tone and choice of words that the tom seemed to choose, and open the opportunity for the warrior to leave to some place more welcoming. The opportunity was always there; to leave on his own free will, but where did dignity seem to fit in that?
Some members of the clan were not as rash and harsh as others. They were not all unwelcoming beasts with stone-cold hearts. After all, what cats made up the clan...?
The leader's ears flicked as the sound of some cat approached. He turned his head to see Adderthorn, and dipped his head in greeting. He gave his chest a few more quick licks and got to his paws. The tom left her question unanswered for the moment, as he turned to Longtail with his eyes narrowed precariously.
"If you feel you're not a good choice, then Adderthorn here will lead. You, then, could busy yourself in cleaning out the moss in the elder's den." The white and gray cat, flicked his tail impatiently. If it were such a spoiled honor, then Longtail could spend his evening doing something that fit his rank so much better.
He turned, and flicked his tail for the deputy to follow. Galestar made to tell the tom to continue his hunt, snapped his jaws together and turned away before his mind was settled on doing so.
ooc: Galestar's left the scene. Like magic.
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Adderthorn
Clan Deputy
Deputy of RedClan
Member of RedClan
Posts: 4
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Post by Adderthorn on Feb 8, 2007 16:36:59 GMT -5
It was all Adderthorn could do to hold her barbed tongue back. Her eyes had flashed over to Longtail just in time to see his eyes flash and ears flatten. What, did he expect her to sit and chat with him while there were things to do? Even the Clan cats knew better than to expect a pleasant conversation from Adderthorn. Her lips lifted, about to speak, but she held her tongue back, for Galestar alone. She could already see that her leader was exasperated with Longtail- not because he was a loner, but because of how ungrateful he was to the Clan.
When she heard Galestar speak, she was surprised to hear that Longtail had been about to lead the evening patrol and he thought he had not been a worthy choice, her tail bristled violently. How dare he? Galestar was treating him like a normal member of the Clan, and yet he had the gumption to refuse a task suhc as leading the evening patrol... how mouse brained was that? No matter. If he wasnt going to lead the evening patrol, she would have to herself. Things needed to get done around here.
She saw Galestar walk away out of the corner of her eye, then turned to Longtail. Her jaw jutted out and her tail was lifted straight up. "You're like a mouse jumping in to the snakes jaws," she mewed, her eyes flashing. "But you're not a mouse, you're supposed to be a warrior... at least you should be."
And with that, she turned tail and dashed after Galestar, her jaw clamped so hard that her teeth began to ache.
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