Sweet Nightmares... [P]

[Tiabirb]

Poisonberry...

Poisonberry lifted her chin, listening to this youngster's outburst. "She said such awful things about me?" Poisonberry looked wounded, "And here I thought she was the nice one..."

"I guess you can never truly know one based on first impressions...and dreams can be so...misleading." Poisonberry's tone was that of a disappointed mother, and indeed she was disappointed by his quick defense of Sweetsong. "You've never met her in your life. Not your waking one at least..." She chuckled softly, "How naive are you to take a stranger's word so easily? Anyone can talk fox-dung about the dead; The dead cannot defend themselves so easily, can they? But how do you know what is the truth and what is a lie when you look at the world so plainly?"

Poisonberry sighed, her broad shoulders sagging. "Was I truly meant to be here in this wretched place? What have I done that was so wrong? To deserve never to see my son in StarClan?" Poisonberry's tone became sharp and angry, "Siblings fight, they happen." She frowned, "Sometimes I've wondered if it was Sweetsong's belief that sent me here...She was always such an extreme believer when someone was too aggressive or violent that they belonged here...not you of course. Deep down your anger is a result of your distress..."

Her frown turned upward, and she let out another slow laugh, "You have to watch the ones who act too nicely...always out to smooth the pelts of others...they always hide something...they hold so many secrets. Do you plan to ask Sweetsong what her secrets are when you see her again?" Poisonberry smiled, showing an interest in his response.

@SpiritedWarrior

[SpiritedWarrior]

Crowpaw
Purrks: Heightened Perception and Agatha Kitty
@Tiabirb

He could tell something was off about Poisonberry by the way she looked at him while he told her off. There were many red flags: first, the Dark Forest. Second? What Sweetsong had said about her sister. And third? Poisonberry didn't take the chance she could have to redeem herself in her sister's eyes. "Sweetsong's secrets are hers to share. If she won't tell me, that's fine. I respect her privacy. If she is who you say she is, I'll deal with her myself. I fought a fox without much help and survived. I can take a warrior on." The one thing Crowpaw has never doubted was his ability to fight. Sure, the day he fought that fox, he lost his sister and gained the scars on his face, but he managed to survive and have enough energy in his body to climb up and down a tree and walk back to camp hauling a body. Crowpaw will never doubt the strength he was born with.

"I may not know the difference between a truth and a lie..." He shot an icy glare at Poisonberry and smirked. "... But I know the difference between right and wrong." Deep down, he was trying desperately to find out what it was that Poisonberry wanted. I'll ask her in a bit...

The silver and black she-cat's question brought an amused glint into his eyes. He was amused in the way that all the other residents in the Dark Forest probably asked themselves that same question. "I think you should ask yourself that question, though I doubt you'd have the right answer." he muttered under his breath and looked at his paws, listening to the she-cat's next words carefully. "Siblings fight, yes... but do they loathe each other? No. At least they shouldn't." Crowpaw knew what it was like to have family members that loathed him and it was a horrible feeling. Whatever secrets Sweetsong was hiding would reveal themselves in time. He'd just have to keep a better eye on her during their conversations. "You hurt her. Haunted her dreams through the experiences you gave her. She hoped the best for you... hoped you went to StarClan after your death, and yet here you are: the Dark Forest."

Crowpaw scrunched his nose, regaining his confidence. "You've done things. Horrible things. And she hoped the best for you because you were her sister. Her family. Her blood. Now- I don't know what you did, but I know what it's like to have a family member that's done absolutely horrible deeds. I know where they ended up... And you? I know the type of cat you are. You're here for a reason... I don't believe it was Sweetsong's doing." He smiled fondly at the thought of the sweet ginger she-cat that pulled him out of the darkness. If she was who Poisonberry said who she was, Crowpaw would've probably already gotten a feeling about the RiverClanner, but like he promised himself, it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on her. After all: RiverClan and ThunderClan are enemies right now.

"Cats go to either the Dark Forest or StarClan because of what they've done in life. You chose to not apologize to your sister when you had the chance... which only proves my point. Instead of apologizing to her like you say you want, you lunged at her. Terrified her. I lunged at you to protect her and to get you out of my dream. Your son? He deserved a better mother than I know you were." Quietpaw, I don't know if you can hear me from here, but please watch after Poisonberry's son.

[Tiabirb]

Poisonberry...

"Did she tell you how I died? I wasn't off murdering innocents. I was calming down, when an owl came upon me." Poisonberry recalled her death with a sorrowful look, "I fought to free myself, desperate to return to my kit...wanting to see him become a fine warrior...but when it released me..my death came regardless."

The silver and black tabby turned to her right, showing the signs of her death, the scarred punctures where the branch had impaled her; Throat, ribs, and flank."I think it's quite rude to assume I had the chance to apologize, when my death was unexpected, to say the very least." Her eyes narrowed dangerously, "She didn't tell you how I died...I find that odd...very odd."

"When one does not clarify the cause of death, that can leave so much room for gossip and rumor, and those are very dangerous." Poisonberry looked at the scars on her body, "Did I deserve to come here just because I never apologized? Don't be ridiculous." She snorted, "Cats come to this place if they are honorless and codeless..." She raised a paw, examining the long, silver talons with a smile. "Murderers and their ilk...and who have I killed?"

Poisonberry gave Crowpaw a serious look. "You can't answer that, can you? You don't know who I am. And you don't know my sister as deeply as I do...trusting her is putting your faith in a cat who would watch your life leave your eyes and say 'thank StarClan'....like she did to me. How could I apologize to her when she stood there as I'm choking, unable to speak with a branch in my throat?" Poisonberry's dark eyes flashed, and her lips curled back.
"You'd be astonished what her religious little heart will believe of someone...how strong her convictions truly are...how dark her secrets are..." Poisonberry growled low and deep, "But I have secrets too, Crowpaw...and I can teach you some that will make you an unstoppable force for all the foxhearts that hide behind kind faces and sweet eyes..."

@SpiritedWarrior

[SpiritedWarrior]

Crowpaw
Purrks: Heightened Perception and Agatha Kitty
@Tiabirb

"You know... I think you would have lived had you not been an idiot and went to your warrior den instead of... oh, I don't know... going out in the middle of the night when predators roam the skies." Crowpaw couldn't help but think exactly what he said. What smart warrior would go wandering the forest at night when there are plenty of predators to snatch you off the ground?

Despite the annoyance he felt toward the idiocy, Crowpaw did feel bad for her kit. Boulderkit had lost his mother, and having lost his own mother at a young age he could sympathize with the little tom. As the Dark warrior turned to show off the scars she earned upon her death, the mud-brown tabby couldn't help but grimace in disgust. Was it really necessary for him to see the scars? Poisonberry wants me to trust her. Why?

"You may not be a murderer... but you are here for a reason. I find it hard to belief a single cat could send another to the Dark Forest. You have one chance to tell me why you ended up here. What exactly was it that you did in your life to merit an afterlife as horrible as my own nightmares?" Crowpaw wanted to find out more. Poisonberry was a lot more hostile than Sweetsong, and to be able to go from one emotion to the next with a twitch of a whisker? Something was not adding up here.

He thought back to what his father had done. Thrushstar never killed anyone, but he was codeless and his honor was either buried deep under that tan feathery fur or nonexistent. "I know my father's here. I know my mother's here. They never killed anyone, but yet... they were codeless. You don't have to be a murderer to be codeless and I find that a foolish thought to entertain as much as you have."

Perhaps he was foolish in thinking speaking his mind in front of a dead and clearly dangerous warrior was a great idea. "You think I'm worthy to keep these secrets of yours... but why should I think you worthy of sharing them? All the cats that have wronged me disappeared."

[Tiabirb]

Poisonberry
--------------

She thrust her face into his, but the cold, chilling smile never left. "If I didn't think you worthy of sharing secrets, little one, I'd have killed you and left your soul to ROT in this desolate place for such disrespect." Her tone never changed from it's deep, seductive purr. "I know you have daddy issues, darling, so don't give me so much guff just because you heard a few nasty things about ol' Poisonberry. That doesn't mean you know me, dear."

She pulled back, chuckling softly, "I have no idea why I am here. I was hoping you could help me, but since you are so combative, I think it's only fair we start with our first lesson..."

Like a viper, Poisonberry lunged for Crowpaw, long, curved claws slashing toward his blind side, aiming for his shoulder, though she would miss this first slashing blow. However, she would bring her other massive paw up from below, claws aimed for the soft parts of his throat.
It was an anticipation counter, one she had created, and her first of many secret battle techniques she had mastered...

@SpiritedWarrior

[SpiritedWarrior]

Crowpaw
Purrks: Heightened Perception and Agatha Kitty
@Tiabirb

Fear did not show in his eyes as Poisonberry got nose to nose with the young tom. Instead, Crowpaw's eyes shown great annoyance. He didn't necessarily think getting up in someone's face was a good intimidation tactic, but it was funny to think that that's what was going on in the other's head.

The dead she-cat did have an excellent point, but on flaw that could be used to his advantage. Poisonberry was an intolerable warrior. It was astonishing to think this cat was Sweetsong's sister. All of this was making him wonder what their parents were like. Were they like Sweetsong? Or Poisonberry? "You're right... it doesn't mean I know you. However, it means I know some things about you, just like you do me."

Help her? Yeah... not happening. Not happening at all. She'd be a fool to think I would after what she did during this conversation. The older, and much more dead, warrior's actions were quick, but thankfully Crowpaw wasn't completely blind in his one lacking eye. He had managed to get just out of reach of the she-cat, only to have his neck cut by her other paw. The smell of fresh blood worried him. He was still dreaming, would his fellow Clanmates suspect him of training in the Dark Forest, when that was not the case (even though Poisonberry seemed to not think he wasn't training)?

Or would they just think he kicked himself in his sleep? That's not a pretty bad excuse, actually. The tom rose up to his hind legs and fell backward, tossing his legs up in the air in an attempt to mimic the attack she had done as well as create some distance between the two. Crowpaw's heart was racing. Not from adrenaline, but from the flashbacks from the fox attack he was trying his best to keep out of his mind.

[Tiabirb]

Poisonberry
-----------------

He was a quick study! Which was good, and Poisonberry felt his claws score over her cheek. But within the same heartbeat of his claws coming into contact with her face, her head jerked and jaws clamped around his foreleg, and the massive silver tabby would pull Crowpaw off-balance, then with her hind legs, she struck out at his back paws, intending to send him to the ground.


She released his leg with a sneer, "You pick up fast, but like all cats of the forest, you fight like a tree; You root yourself and lash out with your branches." Poisonberry grinned and lashed her tail, "But a smart warrior learns to fight like all of the elements. Fast and striking like wind, smooth and flowing like water, strong and sturdy like trees, clever and cunning like the shadows." Poisonberry stalked around Crowpaw slowly, purring, no, growling, deep in her chest.

"I can teach you how to fight like all of them...to be the best there can be for any Clan. Skills worthy of a promising young leader..." She narrowed her gaze, her sneer changing into a soft smile. "Forget my silly dispute with my sister; I can teach you how to protect her. You've seen how tiny she is...she was the runt of our litter...our mother always told me to protect her. Perhaps I grew resentful of such a burden when I was so young. But nonetheless, my sister has never lifted so much as a claw to defend herself since she was born...she needs someone to keep her safe."


Poisonberry was quiet for a time, and then she lowered her head, her eyes gleaming, "I want you to keep her safe, Crowpaw..but to do that, you need to learn more than what those lazy ThunderClanners can teach you..."

@SpiritedWarrior

[SpiritedWarrior]

Crowpaw
Purrks: Heightened Perception and Agatha Kitty
@Tiabirb

Fighting with a Dark Forest warrior was not an event Crowpaw would have ever imagined himself doing. It was scary fighting with a dead cat, and it was even more scary knowing that he was getting his blood spilt. What would he tell ThunderClan? He couldn't just go with a 'scratched self in sleep' excuse anymore. He rose up to his paws, noticing he had scratched Poisonberry. For a fraction of a second, he carried a smirk, half-proud of himself, the other half was simply because he was an ass sometimes.

He felt teeth latch themselves onto his leg, and he tried to shake himself free of Poisonberry's fangs, desperate to have all four paws on the dark and muddy ground. In a way, he got his wish, just... not the way he expected it. Before he knew it, his hip and shoulder stung from the impact they had made with the ground.

His whole arm stung from the pain. Teeth marks, blood, and a sore shoulder. How will I ever explain this to ThunderClan... I can't just tell them I slept on thorns or scratched myself. I might have to tell them the truth! Oh, gosh... what will they do to me? Think I'm a traitor?! If he was thought of as a traitor, that would mean he'd be murdered. I... I can't... I can't leave Sweetsong! StarClan, I don't know if you can hear me- I don't even know if you'll answer... but please, please don't let me die.

Were these the thoughts Quietpaw had when she was dying? She was certainly not thinking about execution or what ThunderClan thought, but she was scared to die, just like Crowpaw is. He felt his leg thump on the ground, taking him out of his thoughts. He looked up at her, maintaining eye contact with the warrior as she walked around him, returning her sneer with a sneer of his own. "I'm a ThunderClanner. What did you expect from me? That I fight like a Clan I've never lived in?"

It was quite idiotic to him. What exactly was Poisonberry trying to do? She spoke of him becoming a young leader... he thought of what type of leader Thrushstar was and internally grimaced. He had never thought of himself as a Clan leader before, but he wasn't entirely sure if he even had the full capability to take care of an entire Clan when he had failed to take care of his sisters. Thrushstar didn't take care of his kits, and look at the type of leader it made him!

"Your 'silly' dispute with your sister hurt her... it still does, in case you didn't notice how she reacted in my dream. I have protected her... I protect anyone I consider myself close with. I fought a fox in an attempt to save my sister's life, I sacrificed my image in the Clan in an effort to give my sister a life I could never have! And I was willing to fight you to protect Sweetsong! I'd be willing to fight the whole Dark Forest off for her, too. And the whole of StarClan, if that's what it took to keep her safe. I didn't need your permission then, I don't need it now."

For Sweetsong never having lifted a claw to defend herself, Crowpaw was astonished that she had made it so far in Clan life. At least one of his questions was answered... Poisonberry got her issues from herself, not from her parents. "ThunderClan may be lazy, and they may have questionable motives... but they're not idiots. Whatever they can teach, they do. Of course... what can I expect you, a dead RiverClanner, to know? Especially if you've been in this dump since the day you died." He brought his hind legs under him and ran for the exit, only to turn on his heels and jump for Poisonberry's throat. If he couldn't beat her, he'd try and incapacitate her to give him time to wake up from this nightmare.

[Tiabirb]

Poisonberry
--------------




Oh good grief. She saw this one coming all the way from StarClan. Crowpaw tried to fake her out, and his lunge left him landing in empty space, and Poisonberry reared back. Bringing her full weight down onto the center of his back, Poisonberry pinned the young ThunderClan tom beneath her, and she leaned down, her teeth bared as she hissed soft and slow into his ear.

"I'd be careful, Crowpaw," She chided him like a scolding mother, pressing a large paw onto his shoulder, "Attacking cats in this place? A less merciful cat would have killed you...and did you know that if you die here in your dreams, your soul becomes trapped here?" She looked genuinely disappointed as she pulled back, "Don't bring us to that. It would break my sister's heart in so many ways...and it'd be entirely your mistake. And you wouldn't be able to see her again....her belief in StarClan, her love for them, would make her blind to you, Crowpaw....so if I truly did not care...why would I warn you of such a fate?" She tipped her head to one side, those dark green eyes narrowed and thoughtful. "I'll give you some time to think...you must be tired..."


@SpiritedWarrior

[SpiritedWarrior]

Crowpaw
Purrks: Heightened Perception and Agatha Kitty
@Tiabirb

As his paws touched the rather nasty-feeling ground, Crowpaw felt his back suddenly fall from the impact of two heavy paws coming down on top. His eyes widened with shock and he turned his head to stare up at Poisonberry as he landed, her paw on his shoulder. He couldn’t do anything but listen to the chilling voice that was his friend’s sister.

Crowpaw hated to admit it, but Poisonberry did have an excellent point. She could have easily killed him, but she didn’t. She could kill him now, and she wasn’t. “Except I didn’t attack you. I was defending myself… you shed the first blood. My blood. All I did was give you a scratch… you’re the one pinning me down.” Jeez… if she was going to pawn the blame off to him, she could have at least gotten her facts straight. I said it once. I’ll say it again: idiot.

Though… he is learning a lot from Poisonberry already. He never knew he could be trapped in the Dark Forest forever if he ended up dying in his dream. And I don’t want to spend any time as her prisoner, nor do I want to spend time in the same afterlife as my asshole of a father.

If what Poisonberry was saying about Sweetsong was true, that her heart would be shattered to discover Crowpaw was trapped in the Dark Forest, then… perhaps he needed to talk to her about this. About his fears. She’s the only one who’d listen, and if she could give him any advice that’d help him go against the Dark warrior, he’d take it. She lived with Poisonberry longer than I’ve known either of them. She’s the only chance I’ve got.

’...so if I truly did not care...why would I warn you of such a fate?’ Crowpaw wanted to roll his eyes. He wanted to showcase his annoyance and bubbling anger. But… she could snap at any moment and all the life force would be drained. And he’d be lost in the Dark Forest forever with no way to contact the one who truly cared for him.

“Damn right I’m tired. You beat the crap outta me and all I was trying to do was talk.” And find out more information about you. Okay, perhaps he did deserve the beating. But it was more than that. She was as sour as they could come… no wonder she ended up in the Dark Forest. Her violent tendencies… makes sense why she’s here now.