ShadowClan Nursery

[Cobra]

Iciclekit's eyes tracked the movement in the den, watching. Waiting. Any sign of weakness, anything that showed weakness, she would pounce. She would destroy. She would purify the world, awash it in blood and glory. Make everything hers.. the black-and-white she-cat's breath caught in her throat. Obstacles stand in the way, but I must kill them. Kill them all.

[Polaris]

~Open~

Mudkit stood in the middle of the camp, turning from left to right, his legs moving quickly, looking for an escape route. He was panting wildly, trying to drown out the taunts of his clanmates. His light blue eyes searched franticly for a way to get out. He tripped as a paw was flung out in his path and rolled a few times before stopping. The jeers of his clanmates filled his ears, making it impossible to think of anything else. He lay quivering on the ground as they surround him, continuing to mock and laugh at him. "Look at him, laying there like a baby." "He couldn't make a warrior if he trained his whole life!" "Who does he think he is?" Mudkit put his paws over his ears, trying in vain to block out the voices. He jumped to his feet as a paw slammed against his head. He looked around wildly as the cats laughed and pointed their paws at him. Why are they doing this? What did I do? His ears were flat against his head as he searched for an opening in the wild mass of cats. He saw a small sliver of a gap and blindly raced through. He pushed through the cats, ignoring the pain of sharp claws on his pelt. He raced through the entrance of the camp, running away. He didn't know where he was running, he was just running AWAY. He couldn't be there any more. He needed to escape. All of the sudden, instead of the soft padding of pine needles beneath his feet, there was nothing but air. He looked blindly around him as he started to fall. He was falling down...down into nothing. The jeers of his clanmates rang through his head as he fell. He saw the ground approaching and closed his eyes, waiting for the end.

Mudkit woke up, panting heavily as he looked wildly around the nursery. He jumped to his feet, his back arched and his fur fluffed out. His breathing started to slow as he realized that it had only been a dream. He took deep, slow breaths, trying to get his racing heart to ease up. He closed his eyes, waiting for the ground to stop swaying beneath him. When he opened them, his heartbeat was normal and the ground had stopped moving. Mudkit shook his short brown tabby pelt and looked at his surroundings again with his light blue eyes. He walked slowly around the sleeping bodies of his clanmates in their nests and stopped at the entrance of the dark nursery. He sighed and looked out at the moon, hoping that no one had heard him wake up. As he stared at the moon, he tried to forget the bad memories of the dream. He let his head be filled with the thought of the moon. It's light. How it shone through the darkness.

[ChillCat]

Originally Posted by ~Mud

~Open~

Mudkit stood in the middle of the camp, turning from left to right, his legs moving quickly, looking for an escape route. He was panting wildly, trying to drown out the taunts of his clanmates. His light blue eyes searched franticly for a way to get out. He tripped as a paw was flung out in his path and rolled a few times before stopping. The jeers of his clanmates filled his ears, making it impossible to think of anything else. He lay quivering on the ground as they surround him, continuing to mock and laugh at him. "Look at him, laying there like a baby." "He couldn't make a warrior if he trained his whole life!" "Who does he think he is?" Mudkit put his paws over his ears, trying in vain to block out the voices. He jumped to his feet as a paw slammed against his head. He looked around wildly as the cats laughed and pointed their paws at him. Why are they doing this? What did I do? His ears were flat against his head as he searched for an opening in the wild mass of cats. He saw a small sliver of a gap and blindly raced through. He pushed through the cats, ignoring the pain of sharp claws on his pelt. He raced through the entrance of the camp, running away. He didn't know where he was running, he was just running AWAY. He couldn't be there any more. He needed to escape. All of the sudden, instead of the soft padding of pine needles beneath his feet, there was nothing but air. He looked blindly around him as he started to fall. He was falling down...down into nothing. The jeers of his clanmates rang through his head as he fell. He saw the ground approaching and closed his eyes, waiting for the end.

Mudkit woke up, panting heavily as he looked wildly around the nursery. He jumped to his feet, his back arched and his fur fluffed out. His breathing started to slow as he realized that it had only been a dream. He took deep, slow breaths, trying to get his racing heart to ease up. He closed his eyes, waiting for the ground to stop swaying beneath him. When he opened them, his heartbeat was normal and the ground had stopped moving. Mudkit shook his short brown tabby pelt and looked at his surroundings again with his light blue eyes. He walked slowly around the sleeping bodies of his clanmates in their nests and stopped at the entrance of the dark nursery. He sighed and looked out at the moon, hoping that no one had heard him wake up. As he stared at the moon, he tried to forget the bad memories of the dream. He let his head be filled with the thought of the moon. It's light. How it shone through the darkness.

(Sorry if someone already replied @~Mud ) Scorchstrike couldn't take being in the medicine den for that long stretch of time. Now that Irisflame wasn't even there, there wasn't much of a reason to stick around. She sat in a clearing and set about grooming her stuck up fur, when she scented a kit alone. At this time of night? How odd. "Hello dear. Couldn't sleep?" Kits didn't often try to sneak out of camp at night, so this kit was most likely scared.

[Polaris]

Originally Posted by ChillCat

(Sorry if someone already replied @~Mud ) Scorchstrike couldn't take being in the medicine den for that long stretch of time. Now that Irisflame wasn't even there, there wasn't much of a reason to stick around. She sat in a clearing and set about grooming her stuck up fur, when she scented a kit alone. At this time of night? How odd. "Hello dear. Couldn't sleep?" Kits didn't often try to sneak out of camp at night, so this kit was most likely scared.

Mudkit's thoughts were still completely on the moon, not wanting to remember the bad dream. As he breathed in the scent of the night, hoping to catch the scent of the moon, he nearly jumped out of the fur when he heard the sound of another cat meowing to him. He jumped up and bristled his fur out, his back arched as he looked at the cat that spoke to him. Thoughts raced through his mind as he looked at the cat, his eyes adjusting to looking at shadows instead of the bright light of the moon. Is it a rouge? A kittypet? A cat from another clan? All this time he kept his gaze fixed on the shadow of a cat, waiting until his eyes could see who it was. As his nose caught the scent and his eyes finally allowed him to see who the cat was, his fur started to lay flat and he relaxed a little, though not all the way, knowing that this cat was his clanmate. As he was able to see the she-cat clearly, he remembered that her name was Scorchstrike. He sat down and curled his tail over his paws, feeling a little embarrassed that this cat had scared him so badly.

Mudkit looked at the cat, trying to remember the tone of her voice when she had spoken to him. Had she been making fun of him? He couldn't remember...He took a deep breath, making sure still not to take his eyes off of her. He was still on edge after his dream. He lifted his chin a little before replying in a grouchy voice, "I slept fine actually! I just came out here too..." He racked through his mind for an excuse. This cat couldn't know he had bad dreams! No one could! They'd make fun of him just like in the dream! As soon as his thoughts drifted to the dream, he was thrown into a flashback. The cats jeering in his face. Slamming their paws against his head. The panic that he had felt as he looked for a way out. He was pulled out of the nightmare by the hoot of an owl in the distance. He was silent for a moment, waiting for his body to stop shivering. He remembered he hadn't answered her yet. "I was just coming out here to look at the moon..." He made sure not to say why he wanted to look at the moon.

[ChillCat]

Looking at the moon? It had come out ages before kits went to bed. If he wanted to look at the moon he could have done so hours ago. This kit was not a wonderful liar. "You know, if you have bad dreams, you can tell cats. I'm sure they won't make fun of you." Scorchstrike really didn't like when kits were scared or hurt, and this kit was no exception. When she was a kit, her mother had always told her she would make a good parent, after the younger kits in the nursery would hurt their paws, she would comfort them and make them feel better. Scorchstrike had always said "No, Mama, I want to be a warrior! I want to hunt and fight, not be stuck in the nursery looking after kits!" But now that she thought about it, maybe kits weren't so bad. Not when she thought about Irisflame... @~Mud

[Polaris]

Originally Posted by ChillCat

Looking at the moon? It had come out ages before kits went to bed. If he wanted to look at the moon he could have done so hours ago. This kit was not a wonderful liar. "You know, if you have bad dreams, you can tell cats. I'm sure they won't make fun of you." Scorchstrike really didn't like when kits were scared or hurt, and this kit was no exception. When she was a kit, her mother had always told her she would make a good parent, after the younger kits in the nursery would hurt their paws, she would comfort them and make them feel better. Scorchstrike had always said "No, Mama, I want to be a warrior! I want to hunt and fight, not be stuck in the nursery looking after kits!" But now that she thought about it, maybe kits weren't so bad. Not when she thought about Irisflame... @~Mud

Mudkit bristled his pelt and shuffled his paws, thinking about how to respond to Scortchstrike. How dare she say that?! How would she know? She isn't me! She doesn't know what it's like for me...How real the dreams feel...He let thoughts run through his brain, trying to decide what to say. How did she know I was lying? Am I really that bad? I need to get better... He shook his head, trying to clear his mind and sort through all the thoughts running through his mind like a monster on a thunderpath. There was no way the kits wouldn't make fun of him. No one would ever understand him. They wouldn't know what it was like...He took a deep breath before saying in a grouchy voice, "I didn't have a bad dream! Maybe I just couldn't fall asleep because I ate too much prey and have a stomach ache! Stop acting like you know what you're talking about. Because you don't." He looked at the ground, remembering the dream.

The paws slamming into his head. He started to quiver. The claws slashing at his pelt as he tried to run. He dug his claws into the ground. He shook his head, pleading for the thoughts to go and never return. He sat there, shaking with his eyes squeezed shut, waiting for the bad dream to leave his mind. When the last traces of it were gone he opened his eyes and took a deep breath of air, only now realizing he had been holding his breath. He willed his body to stop shaking and then turned to look at Scortchstrike, his eyes wild. She had seen him! She would tell everyone! He would never be able to stay here! They'd drive him out! He looked away, his eyes on his feet as he saw that his claws were still in the ground. He took several deep breaths and pulled them out. He looked up at the moon, forgetting about the she-cat for a moment while he watched the moon. Her calm serenity seemed to seep into him as he sat there in the peace of the night, forgetting about the world around him.

[ChillCat]

@~Mud lmao he needs therapy)

Wow, how rude. Well, he was still a kit, so she didn't blame him too much. Poor thing was shaking like a leaf. Scorchstrike stretched to lay down. Maybe she would go hunting later if she wasn't too tired. Maybe he did have a stomachache and she was wrong, but she decided to go for it anyway. Setting about to groom her face wound, she said, "Well, I had a bad dream. That's why I'm out here. Everyone dreams about what they're scared of most. Do you want to hear about it?" If Scorchstrike wasn't mistaken and he did have a nightmare, maybe telling others about it would make him feel better. It helped her all the time.

[ChillCat]

@Paradise

So, was Silentkit a member of this 'Shadowclan' now? Dawnstar had plopped her in a den of other cats, most of them young, some of them not, and she was scared and confused. She licked her burn scars and curled up in a ball.

[Polaris]

Originally Posted by ChillCat

@~Mud lmao he needs therapy)

Wow, how rude. Well, he was still a kit, so she didn't blame him too much. Poor thing was shaking like a leaf. Scorchstrike stretched to lay down. Maybe she would go hunting later if she wasn't too tired. Maybe he did have a stomachache and she was wrong, but she decided to go for it anyway. Setting about to groom her face wound, she said, "Well, I had a bad dream. That's why I'm out here. Everyone dreams about what they're scared of most. Do you want to hear about it?" If Scorchstrike wasn't mistaken and he did have a nightmare, maybe telling others about it would make him feel better. It helped her all the time.

Mudkit was pulled out of his fixation on the moon by the movement of Scortchstrike moving into a laying position. His pelt bristled a little, but he calmed down and gave it a few licks, telling himself to make sure she didn't see how uneasy he was. He was looking at her body moving up and down with the rhythm of her breathing when she spoke. He pricked his ears, kind of interested about how she would reply. He knew that he had been rude to her and he kind of regretted it now, but he couldn't do anything about it now. He tilted his head a little after she finished speaking.

She had a bad dream? She comes out here too because of it? Does the moon calm her down too? He shook his pelt, taking off the look of interest on his face and replacing it with one that was unreadable. What she said rang through his head. Everyone dreams of what they're scared of most... He looked around for a moment, making sure that no one else was around before saying in a slightly less grouchy voice, "Fine. It's not like I have anything else to do..." He settled on his paws, the tip of his tail flicking lazily, looking at her with a gleam of interest in his eyes, in spite of his efforts to show no emotion. Maybe she had the same fear as him! Maybe he really wasn't alone! As these thoughts ran through his head, the terrifying moments from the dream were far from his mind, drifting in a place where it would remain forgotten. Until they would be called on to be remembered again.

[ChillCat]

"You wanna know how I got these scars?" Scorchstrike said, gesturing to her face. "Lemme give you a real solid piece of advice. Dogs. You see a dog, you run and tell someone. Don't try to deal with it on your own. They WILL mess you up. That's how my face got wrecked. And that's what my nightmare was about." She shuddered, remembering that unholy creature. "I'm walking through the woods you see, all dark and scary, and it's stalking me from the shadows. BAM! I'm in the medicine den, and Dawnstar tells be to beat it out of Shadowclan because I'm useless. And even Dream Me knows that's stupid, because there are literally blind cats in Shadowclan that still do their job, and at least one of my eyes still works. But whatever, dreams don't make sense. So Dawn kicks me out and I'm walking out through the territory, the dog eats me and I'm dead." It was a pretty silly dream now that she said it out loud. @~Mud