Originally Posted by Mauve
Pushing his way through the thick brambles that lined the entrance to camp, Shadetail grunted around the mouthful of sparrow feathers held tightly between his jaws. He wasn't new to the prickling sensation he got each time he entered and exited the camp, but that didn't mean he liked it any more so. "Stupid brambles," he muttered, padding forward on slow, calculated steps to make his deposit onto the fresh-kill pile. To him it had been dwindling down since they had returned to camp, and despite misconceptions of where his loyalties lay, he was still a warrior of ShadowClan.
It wasn't often that the opinions of his Clanmates fell heavy upon him, but when they did his whole demeanor changed drastically. No, Shadetail was definitely not the more gleeful cat in the forest, but he wasn't downright cold either. He considered himself a hardworking member of ShadowClan, one who awoke early to be apart of every dawn patrol that he could. Even during the flood, which had left them stranded in RiverClan for quite some time, he had spent a majority of his waking hours tending to those who needed his help. As a stronger warrior, he took it upon himself to be a backbone within ShadowClan, a cat whom his fellow warriors could rely on.
Blinking back to reality, Shadetail had now moved away from the center of camp and took up a post off to the side, out of the way of the main activity. He focused his eyes on the dirt below him, trailing through the soft substance aimlessly with one sheathed paw. His tail flicked back and forth at his side, sending up fluffs of dust every time it landed. Whiskers twitching, Shadetail tilted his head as he studied the line he had drawn. It was nothing special, and the tom heaved a sigh, swiping it away with a flick of his now dusty gray paw.
The warrior looked up then, and ahead of him saw two apprentices rolling around in the dirt while a trail of kits cheered loudly from the sidelines. Off to the side of the tussling young cats, a group of warriors were approaching the fresh-kill pile, nosing through and causing Shadetail's carefully placed sparrow to roll down to the bottom of the stack. "Hmph," he grunted, narrowing his yellow hues just a bit at the sight. He knew they couldn't possibly have known the sparrow was the one he had almost lost a claw for in catching, but a tiny thorn pierced his heart. It seemed as though no matter what he did, his Syndicate heritage would always follow him like a shadow. Shadetail knew it was a silly thought, especially from an action that miniscule, but it didn't stop him from glaring daggers at the warriors backs as they left with their selctions; a tiny mouse and a plump shrew.
The young warrior shook his head in disgust and rose to his paws, dismantling the dust that clung to his fur. Giving a sweeping glance around the clearing, his yellow gaze landed on a warrior he knew of only by name, but a cat that intrigued him. He hadn't much made any close friends since joining ShadowClan just a few nights, but if he was ever going to place a paw in the right direction of proving himself as a true member of ShadowClan, building roots was a good place to start. "Meadowflower, is it?" he asked as he neared the she-cat. His tone was clear and precise, annunciating each syllable in a pristine sound. The edge of his maw turned up in the attempt at a smile, and he dipped his head in a sign of friendliness towards the fellow ShadowClan warrior.[/CENTER]
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