ShadowClan Life Before Destruction

[wickedvirtues]

Originally Posted by The Little Robin

Pinewhisker wasn’t honestly certain with the reasoning behind his current mood, feeling so pensive and silent compared to times in the past. It made him feel rather strange with these various emotions that didn’t often plague his mind. However, he shook his head once more, refusing to dwell on some silly nonsense such as this as he leaned down and took a softened bite of the limp mouse that rested between his paws in the loose dirt. The young warrior winced ever so slightly at the taste, cold and tough, which made him think that the prey was from fresh, but in the slightest thought of positivity, he was glad to have eaten it rather than given the chance that an elder or nursery queen could have. They deserved the freshest prey, in his opinion, after all. To his surprise, although, his quiet conversation that he was having with himself mentally was soon disrupted by a familiar sweetened shy tone of a shecat. He lifted his head from his meal to meet the gentle gaze of none other than Needlescar, the kindhearted female that had slipped into his thoughts only moments before. Almost immediately, Pinewhisker found himself smiling at her coming around to be with him at this moment. She looked rather pretty in the sunlight that broke through the trees into the clearing. “Hello, Needlescar.” He said, a lightened purr stirring from the male as she sat down besides him now, which made him even happier than before, knowing that the warrior was here to stay for the time-being. “I’d offer you some of my mouse, but I’m afraid it isn’t the freshest in the freshkill pile.” He said with a chuckle, poking the limp mouse with one paw, “I suppose it’s better than nothing though, considering that leafbare is right around the corner.” He grew quiet, however, when the young warrior noticed how she laid down, resting her head on her paws. She looked troubled, from his point of view. “Are you alright?” Pinewhisker asked, concern in his warm tone.

Needlescar glanced over at him, smiling. "It's fine, maybe i'll hunt later, there's probably something decent out there for the others." She mewed, feeling hollow with dread herself. Now she was here, in an enviornment she knew, where the only cat (who spoke to her and was kind) was Pinewhisker. She lifted her head at his question. "Just..nervous I guess. There are a few cats i'm not looking forward to seeing regularly again." She replied, a bit vague. She didn't want him to have to worry over her. She didn't want to seem weak, so she sat up and swiftly licked her fur. She glanced around the clearing, not seeing a certain cat, and relaxing visibly. Good. She thought, a tiny smile appearing on her face as she turned to Pinewhisker, and she blushed slightly. "You don't, er..have to, but maybe we could..do something later?" She mumbled, ears flicking back slightly. Why was she being so stupid around him? They were just semi-close friends. Needlescar curled her tail around her paws, trying to look stronger than she felt, but slightly failing. She shouldn't be so nervous, but she couldn't help but be nervous...why did this all have to be so confusing?! She chewed her lip, eyes sparkling with a mix of emotions, mostly negative, as she hoped nobody but him tried to..talk with her. "I'll be..right back." She spoke suddenly, walking over to the fresh kill pile. Her stomach urged her to pick something, so she chose a scrawny looking mouse, and her thoughts collected themselves. She just had to be less..awkward. Yeah, like that was going to happen. She took the mouse, biting into it with a tiny glance at Pinewhisker. She smiled softly, swallowing the small bite.

[Redfeather90]

Fallensnow lifted his head as he twitched an ear he couldn't help but listen in some conversaitions, he was bored and he wanted to know what was going on with the clan and know if he could help in some way he looked down at his paws sighing, I'm just a muted warrior what can I do? the twitch of his tail gave away the irritaition of his worry, it annoyed him that he couldn't help but worry about everything no matter how much he tried he knew he wouldn't ever be a mentor or deputy, and it was all just because he couldn't speak.

[bobtail]

Originally Posted by woly

daypaw eyed the molly for a second. they knew something was wrong, could taste it in the air, but they said nothing. it wasnt their job to force words out of another cat if they wouldnt tell them. ¨if you form any other injuries, dont hesitate to come to me. and try to stop in when you can about your paw so i can keep updated.¨ they mewed. usually they would bluntly call out another cat when it came to them hiding injuries, but with so little herbs and leaf fall here, daypaw could only spare what they could.

Palegleam nodded to her medicine cat. "Of course, Daypaw." She shifted her injured leg slightly and turned her gaze to the den entrance. If Daypaw allowed, she would stay here until the poppy seeds kicked in, and then go find Darkpaw. Even now she could feel her senses dulling slightly, the pain in her limb fading to a dull ache. It shouldn't be much longer now.

[dionysus]

Originally Posted by ✨Blue Wishes✨

Goldenstar saw that Halfgaze had directed her gaze to the other cats, and slowly followed it. Looking around, he was amazed to see cats acting almost as though nothing wrong had happened. After all the destruction, he couldn’t help but be amazed that cats could just move on. He wasn’t like that to be honest, he always held things in, regretting them, and all that good stuff. Either way, he found himself admiring his clanmates, his bi-colored eyes watching everyone for awhile. “Yes, I do,” he murmured, trying to hide the break in his voice. He lost that kit, and now he couldn’t remember anything about him, he felt so bad, but didn’t know how to express it. “And yes, we should,” he added. “Do you have any ideas?” He asked, tilting his head slightly. It was interesting to hear what others thought, especially about things that anyone could have any sort of opinion about, watching the other cats quietly as he sat there.

Halfgaze noticed through her peripheral vision that Goldenstar had followed her gaze and was now too looking at the cats in the clearing. He must have been very proud of the clan, Halfgaze knew, but also very worried. It was a leader's job to worry, but he had become leader in the middle of a crisis only a few days ago. Surely that would stress out any cat even more than the regular leader duties. As Goldenstar responded to her inquiry, Halfgaze turned her eyes on him with a frown, regretting the question. Obviously it must have been hard on the young leader. At his question, Halfgaze thought for a moment. She had had an idea earlier, and recalled it swiftly, relating it to the leader with a nod. "I thought perhaps we could ask Riverclan to teach some of our warriors basic swimming. Not enough to invade them, but enough that if this should happen again, our clan will be better prepared. Or perhaps we could find some other cat to teach us, if you think Riverclan would not be willing." Halfgaze doubted the other clan would be comfortable with assisting Shadowclan with knowledge the clan could use against them, she knew that she wouldn't want to do that for Riverclan if they asked. However, the tortoiseshell felt strongly that some Shadowclanners needed to know how to swim in order to save as many cats as possible in the next flood.

[lone]

Originally Posted by Aquarius

@Lonestar23
---
It felt like a miracle to be back in camp. Darkzephyr had never used the word "miracle" to describe anything that had happened in his life. In fact, the tom's life was rather stoic - and a living hell at the same time. At least, that's how he liked to describe it. Now that the camp wasn't totally destroyed, and not on the verge of being crushed under massive floods, the tom's attitude still hadn't changed. He was in a less "miserable" mood - but honestly, that didn't mean much. Even his happy mood would be considered miserable by most cat's standards. His dark fur rippled as he padded over to the fresh-kill pile, the pine needles under his paws feeling more welcoming than ever. Carefully he grasped a small, scrappy thrush in his paws, that he already knew wouldn't serve him more than a few bites. Through the floods, all the prey was flushed out, and hunting patrols were catching next to nothing. The morsels that did happen to be brought back to camp were drowned and thin, and most of the cats in camp were starving. Not that Darkzephyr really cared about anyone around him, even if he had grown up with them, but watching his camp fall to pieces around him was surely not fun. Without a ShadowClan, there wasn't a ShadowClan leader. How could he satisfy his dark ambition, if the rank he desired no longer existed? It was almost like a science in the tom's mind, and he swiped his tongue around his jaws hungrily as he looked at the scrap of a creature.

By the time he was done mulling over his thoughts, the tom was already crouched in the corner of camp, away from the other frivilous cat. He purred to himself and ate a few bites out of the creature, and there was all but nothing left on the fur and bones. He hadn't gone out hunting that day, but there was no way he was going to wait to ear - there wasn't enough prey as it was. The elders and queens were weak as it was, he saw it as nothing to lose. The weak never survive. Not under his rule, or anyone else's. He knew very well he was stealing prey from needy cats, but in his twisted mind, it meant next to nothing to him. He stretched out on the ground, tucking his paws under him and curling his tipped tail neatly around himself, as if this was an everyday routine he was getting quickly tired of. He yawned, looking around to see if there was anyone else who had been excused from helping rebuild the camp. Anyways, he hadn't been excused - he just hadn't done it from the beginning. Why did they need his help, when all the other, younger warriors and apprentices could use the practice? This surely wasn't the last time that ShadowClan would be horribly struck by natural disaster.

At least, now he was away from all the foul-smelling RiverClan cats. Not only had his Clan lost it's dignity by gaining their help, but they had to eat and sleep with cats who thought they were slimy eels. It was utterly disgusting, and he had gotten out of their camp every time he had the chance. Yet, something good had come out of that unexpected rooming arrangement. He had struck up a conversation with one of his Clanmates, one he had barely known. And now, he felt as if he almost knew too much. A molly, one who had been betrayed by one of her best friend's and desired lover, had come to him in boredom. He was proud of how he had appeared as a normal, emotional cat, that supported her and generally enjoyed her company. That was not the situation at all. Caracalfrost didn't have a clue what his ulterior motives was - and in his sights, he swore she never would. He would gain her trust, pretend to love her, and then use her for the simple facts that she was capable of bearing kits. If, in the furture, he figured that the molly actually was barren, she would soon be in a pool of crimson, where no one would ever know. That was how he always dreamed to end such a situation.

Being back home felt... well, amazing. Caracalfrost was so glad to be back in ShadowClan she hadn't spent much time thanking StarClan, and she had spent even less time in the clearing. Constantly she had been hunting, exploring, and trying to find Sorreltuft so that she could celebrate their return with her best friend. Except, he hadn't really been around. Caracalfrost figured that that was because he was too busy spending time with the needy Everwhisper - no, again, she had just labeled his mate as something. She really needed to stop doing that! It was wrong, and she knew it. Jealousy was stupid. So incredibly stupid. And yet here she was, jealous of her constant enemy's happiness. They just didn't get along well together.

And whether that was because she was mates with Caracalfrost's best friend (and long time interest), or because their personalities clashed, it was unknown. Bright golden optics sparkled as she spotted a cat who had kept her company back in RiverClan - and had given her a conversation that she very much had appreciated. "Hello, Darkzephyr!" The she cat purred as she approached the tom she believed to be her friend. "How does it feel to be back in ShadowClan?" The she cat was friendly towards everybody, and especially this tom. Having been shown kindness, she was determined to be kind to him as well. Maybe they would be closer friends in the future! And she was glad to see him, because other then her best friend, he was the only cat she felt like she could already trust.

What was with Caracalfrost? Most of the time she was more intelligent then this, being careful not to throw her trust away, but with him... it was like he had put a spell on her. And it was like she had given in to his spell, believing every word that he threw her way. She felt pathetic, just a little bit, for acting so needy. But it was almost as though she couldn't help it. Like him being around was feeding into her neediness. That was okay, though, everything would turn out... fine. It would have to turn out fine. The she cat was nervous as she sat down beside him, giving him a smile.

For whatever reason, it felt like recently, he had been a little... offputting. Made her feel like there was something wrong with having her around. Maybe she was wrong, it had to just be in her gut. It was that feeling that she was being a pain when she wasn't, the feeling that she very much hated. Even though she knew that couldn't be true, it wasn't true... was it? It wasn't, right? Darkzephyr liked her! He did genuinely like her, Caracalfrost... thought. At least that was her hope. If it wasn't true, well, she had been played like nothing else. Everything was going to be fine, though - he wasn't tricking her! She liked him. And he liked her. That was the only thing that she knew right now, and she believed it to be true.

[Charmer]

Originally Posted by woly

¨ill try not to hurt you too bad,¨ they snorted, looking towards the den exit. ¨when training we arent allowed to use our claws,teeth, and stuff like that. it keeps others safe. but in actual battle, you can do what you want.¨ they mewed. they figured nightpaw didnt know that, seeing as she was still new to this whole clan thing. padding out of the exit, the lead her along to the training clearing.
[go ahead and post in the training area! c;]

Nightpaw followed Daypaw to the training ground, a clearing among the pines with level earth and no roots to trip over. For the fourth time, she looked at her own paws to make sure they were properly sheathed. No claws, and no teeth, she repeated to herself. The little shecat was nervous. She knew of course that this was just practice and that Daypaw was well aware of the fact that she had no knowledge of battle moves, but she still felt the pressure to prove in some way that she deserved to be a part of Shadowclan. She stood in the clearing and took a deep, long breath in and out to calm herself. "Alrighty then, how do we start?"

[:blue:]

Originally Posted by Beau

Halfgaze noticed through her peripheral vision that Goldenstar had followed her gaze and was now too looking at the cats in the clearing. He must have been very proud of the clan, Halfgaze knew, but also very worried. It was a leader's job to worry, but he had become leader in the middle of a crisis only a few days ago. Surely that would stress out any cat even more than the regular leader duties. As Goldenstar responded to her inquiry, Halfgaze turned her eyes on him with a frown, regretting the question. Obviously it must have been hard on the young leader. At his question, Halfgaze thought for a moment. She had had an idea earlier, and recalled it swiftly, relating it to the leader with a nod. "I thought perhaps we could ask Riverclan to teach some of our warriors basic swimming. Not enough to invade them, but enough that if this should happen again, our clan will be better prepared. Or perhaps we could find some other cat to teach us, if you think Riverclan would not be willing." Halfgaze doubted the other clan would be comfortable with assisting Shadowclan with knowledge the clan could use against them, she knew that she wouldn't want to do that for Riverclan if they asked. However, the tortoiseshell felt strongly that some Shadowclanners needed to know how to swim in order to save as many cats as possible in the next flood.

Goldenstar nodded once, thinking about what the deputy had said. “I don’t know exactly how Halestar’s interaction with Russetstar went when she asked for us to take shelter in their clan, but, I don’t know if they could be willing to do this,” He shrugged. “However, it is a good idea,” he admitted, “I’ll ask Russetstar about it at the next gathering,” he finished, nodding to himself. He had to wonder what the other leader’s response would be, a little nervous on what it might be. It could be no, however, it could be yes as well. However, he would just have to wait for awhile. “We could try to learn ourselves,” he murmured, before realizing what a stupid idea that was, his pelt heating up as he did so. “We’ll See,” he finished after a moment, still embarrassed.

[Darkflame]

[Mango]

Rasberrybubble licked her fur and headed off to hunt.

[Captain]

Originally Posted by CandyFlossCat

Needlescar glanced over at him, smiling. "It's fine, maybe i'll hunt later, there's probably something decent out there for the others." She mewed, feeling hollow with dread herself. Now she was here, in an enviornment she knew, where the only cat (who spoke to her and was kind) was Pinewhisker. She lifted her head at his question. "Just..nervous I guess. There are a few cats i'm not looking forward to seeing regularly again." She replied, a bit vague. She didn't want him to have to worry over her. She didn't want to seem weak, so she sat up and swiftly licked her fur. She glanced around the clearing, not seeing a certain cat, and relaxing visibly. Good. She thought, a tiny smile appearing on her face as she turned to Pinewhisker, and she blushed slightly. "You don't, er..have to, but maybe we could..do something later?" She mumbled, ears flicking back slightly. Why was she being so stupid around him? They were just semi-close friends. Needlescar curled her tail around her paws, trying to look stronger than she felt, but slightly failing. She shouldn't be so nervous, but she couldn't help but be nervous...why did this all have to be so confusing?! She chewed her lip, eyes sparkling with a mix of emotions, mostly negative, as she hoped nobody but him tried to..talk with her. "I'll be..right back." She spoke suddenly, walking over to the fresh kill pile. Her stomach urged her to pick something, so she chose a scrawny looking mouse, and her thoughts collected themselves. She just had to be less..awkward. Yeah, like that was going to happen. She took the mouse, biting into it with a tiny glance at Pinewhisker. She smiled softly, swallowing the small bite.

“Heh, I suppose we aren’t too different when it comes to caring about the wellbeing of our clanmates.” Pinewhisker mentioned, his tone soft and kind when he returned the sweetened smile that Needlescar had sent his way only moments before, “I always try to make sure to leave the plumpest of prey for the nursery queens and elders, they deserve it more than I do, without a doubt.” He grew silent, however, when the shecat told him now of her worries that made the warrior seem so anxious and on edge for the moment. The brown-furred male glanced around the clearing with his quiet, yet observant gaze, wondering to himself - what cat would cause such worry to this kindhearted female that made his heart flutter so? Could someone truly be that heartless? Now that the tomcat thought about it, the answer was absolutely when it came to how cats could be or any creature for that matter. There were coldhearted creatures with no sense of friendly or compassionate traits within them, especially to the ones who truly deserved it. “You have no need to be nervous, Needlescar.” He mentioned, turning his head to peer at her now as he spoke, “Trust me on this, alright?” Pinewhisker was not a violent type of cat nor was he a bully, but when he saw his dear friend so frightened because of these unknown threats to her everyday life - it made the young warrior feel rather uneasy and a sense of unexplained protectiveness seemed to blossom within him, though he did not voice this. The brown-furred male gave a small, relaxed sigh to calm his ruffled fur that stand on the back of his neck as he slowly eased himself into a sitting position, glancing at Needlescar who sat beside him. He knew that it was rude to stare, but sometimes, even the well-mannered male couldn’t keep himself from slight temptations and opportunities like this. He admired the colors of her fur and the small features on her face that made her unique compared to all the other shecats of Shadowclan and to be honest, Pinewhisker adored that about her. What most males would see as flaws, he saw as unique and special to his own eye. When she eventually turned to look at him, the tom looked down at his paws with a slight wave of heated embarrassment coming over him as he nonchalantly tried to act like he was admiring something in the dirt - making the warrior look like a mousebrain. Her mumbled, shy words made his ears perk and his head lifted to look at Needlescar. Did she just ask him to do something with her? The realization made his heart quicken slightly, but he kept his cool, being the calm and civil cat that everyone knew. “I’d love to.” He said, purring slightly to hide the shakiness of his tone, “What would you have in mind? I have my own ideas, but I wouldn’t want to hog the spotlight.” Pinewhisker joked with a smile returning to his expression. The young warrior’s excitement grew to slight worry when she spoke abruptly and walked away - had he said something wrong? Oh Starclan, what had he said wrong this time? Pinewhisker’s whiskers twitched as he shook his head, trying to not make a big deal over such small, overanalyzed things. Besides, Needlescar soon returned to his side with a piece of prey of her own, biting into the mouse as she glanced at him with a sweet smile that made his head spin. “If you wouldn’t mind..” Pinewhisker murmured, his eyes drifting off to the trees in the near distance, “I would love to treat you to a walk in the forest tonight.”