[mvoxhu]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Once again, the WindClan tom was slipping into the night. Heading for the border, though why, he wasn't quite sure. Call it stupidity or a whim, but Addaxclaw had had the sudden urge to head out towards the ShadowClan border. He knew that ShadowClan was home again. And, if he wasn't mistaken? There was a certain grumpy tom who had returned home with them. Especially after the recent events, he wanted to see if the other cat was still there. Sides heaving as he raced across the moors, Addaxclaw was once again reminded of the days when he had lived on his own. Running there, under the stars, he was pretty sure that he could have lived like this for the rest of his life. So why the sudden change? Well, being able to live one way for the rest of your life and guessing that another would lengthen your lifespan, Addaxclaw had chosen to join a Clan.

That wasn't even to mention that he had found their loyalty fascinating. How did a group of cats just decide that they were going to have each other's backs, that they were going to stick together and take care of each other through thick and thin? That they were like... well... brothers, or sisters, almost? However it had happened, that was what had attracted Addaxclaw. That loyalty. And the food hadn't seemed too unappealing either, it seemed like they had been eating pretty well at the time. The tom had guessed he would get an easy meal as long as he took care of the next cat. Well, guess what?

He hadn't been counting on some of the stuff that had been going down lately. And, he hadn't been too old when he had joined the Clan either - it was about six moons ago now, wasn't it? He was... 18 moons old now, so that sounded about accurate. After eight moons of living with his family and then four on his own, Addaxclaw almost felt like he was in a real home now. A place where he would be taken care of. As said before, as long as he was taking care of the next cat. Upon reaching the border, the tom skidded to a stop and looked along the line that separated WindClan from ShadowClan. Part of him was tempted to cross over. The smell coming from the other side was tempting. It had a pine-y and forest-y scent, one that made Addaxclaw wonder if ShadowClan would have been the better Clan to join.

On the open moors of WindClan, he felt more free, but there - perhaps there was more secure. He would have to ask Lynxthroat about it, if the tom was there, that was. Not like Addaxclaw was waiting for him or anything. No, he was just here for strictly - professional reasons, yeah. He couldn't sleep! Not in the warriors' den, with dozens of warriors in there at the moment, some snoring, all curled up and happy and unaware of the problems that lay out there for loners. It was something that Addaxclaw thought of every night. The fact that everyone was so blissfully unaware of what happened to loners when they were out there alone in the world.

And, sitting there right then, he felt lucky. Lucky to be a part of something like this and lucky to have a home. Lucky to know that he would have someone to watch his back tomorrow, that he would probably eat tomorrow, that there were cats back in the Clan who cared for and counted on him and would die for him if needed. Complete strangers, even, would die for him - because that was how the Clans worked, wasn't it? They were so selfless it was almost enough to make Addaxclaw sick. He wasn't sure how anyone could care that much. But somehow they did, and he wasn't sure if he would ever be enough.

They prayed to their Clan of stars, their... their StarClan, was it? But he didn't believe that dead cats could help them. It was just luck. It was fate. It was something beyond anyone's control, and fate was smiling on WindClan at the moment. Despite everything that had happened - it was smiling on ALL the Clans.

As per usual, the tom-cat was out of camp once again. Sleep wasn't the reason this time, however, he just felt slightly claustrophobic after being hidden up in the camp for so long. Shadowclan had been so caught up with travelling back to their own territory, and then with the fight at the gathering; everything just seemed so horrible. Maybe Starclan was against them as a clan. It seemed that way at least, with all the pain that they were inflicting upon the felines. Shadowclan may not have been properly infatuated with the war at the gathering, but family members were slaughtered, and friends were relentlessly turning on one another. When some of the warriors returned to camp with their heads bowed, and sides heaving with matted fur; Lynxthroat almost felt bad for them, without even knowing what had happened. Some of the younger cats whom he had associated himself with had even got caught up in the fight. They didn't want to risk their lives, but in the spite of the moment, Shadowclan would always protect themselves before anyone else. It riled Lynxthroat up, because he wished so badly to be able to turn back time, and fix the whole thing up; but his brain was realistic and told him that it wasn't possible. That didn't mean that he wouldn't try though.

I guess you could say that Lynxthroat had changed a little after the whole scenario. Sympathy flowed more strongly through his veins, although it was still outbalanced by his hatred. He became more understanding of other feline's lives, and how much some of them had lost in the past moon or so. But, most of all, the bob-tailed feline had lost respect for the leaders of Thunderclan and Windclan, which was kind of sad. The members of both clans were undeniably strong-willed and powerful, yet their leaders had superiority; and they decided to use that superiority to get the better hand. Only, it didn't work out in this circumstance. If Shadowclan had been ready, and they had enough time to regain themselves after the flooding, then they could of fought back no problem. Most of them were still getting comfortable with Goldenstar's leadership as well! Gosh, it all seemed like it was timed to affect Shadowclan. Despite the fact that it had nothing to do with them.

Sticky mud could be felt under-paw, causing Lynxthroat's gaze to travel downwards. He observed the mess around his paws and legs, but decided to ignore it. Hey, apparently mud was soothing for paw-pads, according to some cats. And, anyways, it could've been worse. The tom-cat had stood on thorns before, so this was basically nothing. Dragging his viridescent globes up from the oozing mud, Lynxthroat came to the realisation that he was rather close to the border between Shadowclan and Windclan. Perhaps he should scout out the border, just in case the Windclan cats had the guts to push their boundaries. If Thunderclan and Shadowclan became angered by them, then they were in trouble. A lot of trouble. He decided for the best, and increased his pace to a steady trot; willing himself that this was the best option, and that it was a good idea for him to check for any dangers.

A figure of cat, or so he assumed, outlined by the moonlight from behind it. They were close enough to the border for Lynxthroat to jump into a jog towards them. He could've been running head-first into something he shouldn't be, but since when did that stop him? Legs extending, and air blossoming out from his tainted lips; like he was simply kissing the air. As he approached the feline, something hit him; like he had remembered something that had been lost. A smirk tugged at his lips, and a playful demeanour replaced that tensed-up one. His neck fur still bristled, signifying that the male was still a little scared, but otherwise his bodice was usual. Not calm: just usual.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here." The brute commented, now turning the earth up from underneath him. He stood a length or two away from the other tom, but he could clearly trace the lines of his frame without a problem. The feline looked well, he probably hadn't been all too active in the fight either; although, maybe he had just been exceptional at battle. His eyes were the same as when they had first met, and Lynxthroat could feel himself just trailing his eyes across the other tom's coat. It was odd, yes, he just felt as if he could let his guard down when he was around Addaxclaw. Nothing more.