The Venom Tree

[Abyssopelagic]

Stormfly circled the dead land she'd chosen to scout, testing that it would prove suitable for her purposes. She purred, malice lacing every noise and movement she made.
Yes, this will do nicely.
It was one of the less frightening areas of the Dark Forest. A trait she'd chosen to lull the apprentice she was about to pluck up into a dream.
She'd been eying ThunderClan for awhile upon realizing the devastating chaos they were causing for ShadowClan. She watched intently, carefully for any strings she could pluck.
Information she could bring to Dawnstar to give her Clan a leg up against the menace little Clan, a cat she could use for her own goals and sees further discontent among the herd.
And there she'd found it: a darling little apprentice by the name of Treepaw, and mad as a March hare.
Her little murderous rampage had not gone unnoticed, and though she'd once killed one of their apprentices, it seemed the little sapling had begun to turn her attention inward. The unexplained deaths of so many squirrels would have been noticed by anyone paying half an ounce of attention to ThunderClan. But she - she had noticed the eye of this little storm.
Raging and nearly as devastating to those she turned her claws against.
It put a smile on her face and warmed her dead little heart.

With such a colourful and fanciful little creature, it'd be a shame not to equip her with a number of little tools for her job. The influx of snakes with fangs whose stinging kiss meant death, she had the perfect little plan for the endearing creature she'd grown so fond of. A perfect tool for her to wield, and one that would make her oh so efficient.
The moment the apprentice entered her line of sight, she gave a smile, practiced to perfection to hold a friendly warmth. It should pair quite nicely with the soft, affectionate crooning tone to her voice.
"Hello there, dear one."

[ @SuspiciousMindz ]

[SuspiciousMindz]

[Treepaw] | Trees Friend
​ThunderClan Apprentice
Silver Tongue

The young feline blinked sleepy eyes open to see a familiar place. It wasn't the normal spot she woke up to, no. This was not the dream Thrush would've put her in. This was not the area he dwelled in. She'd been there twice, but already knew.

Green eyes focused on a new face. An unfamiliar face. One that dripped with venom. Treepaw wasn't dumb. She'd met evil more than once to know what it looked like when it stared back at her. A throbbing took over her head and she knew what was about to happen.

HEAR HER OUT. HEAR HER OUT.

Her friend chanted in her mind. The apprentice tried so hard to hide it, but couldn't hide the small wince that escaped her. "Hello. . ." she'd speak, echoing the tone given to her. "Who are you? Where's Thrush?" She inquired. Should she worry for her small dream friend? Surely, he was fine. Perhaps he sent her here? Treepaw was just confused why she was here and not seeing him.

@Abyssopelagic

[Abyssopelagic]

Try as the apprentice might, there was no hiding the way she flinched from Stormfly's gaze as she'd spoken. She let her shoulders relax, making herself seem less tall and imposing, and let a little of her prideful exterior peel away. She tried to make her expression more.... Open, honest.
She did not need her pretty little plan falling apart because she spooked the most important piece to this carefully crafted machine.
Her ears twitched at the sound of a name that belonged to one she'd never met. Heard of, perhaps, if she really dug through her memories. She had no opinion of him, even now that she was faced with one who seemed to be his masterful and murderous little protege. Perhaps he had a paw in her development, and shaped her to be the glorious weapon she was now. In the end, until she could gather her own conclusion about the usefulness of this cat, she would be reserving judgement.

"Of course, where are manners?"
She dipped her head to be level with her shoulders, all the while maintaining eye contact with Treepaw.
"I am Stormfly."
She would have continued to talk about herself, of course, if it weren't for a question that seemed to be buzzing around the apprentices mind like a nasty little fly. Soon the question was put in the open, for her to dissect and consider.
She raised her head to a comfortable height for herself, and allowed the motion to buy her precious seconds to decide how she wished to address this.
"Thrush has other matters to attend to for the moment. Worry not, though, for he is well." It wasn't a lie, but neither was it a promise she could keep. She doubted the small tom would be in too much danger, especially anything of real consequence to residents of such a dreary and dreadful place.
"I cannot claim that I have been sent in his place, but it is your training with him that draws me to seek you out."
Her tail curls from the middle to the end, folding itself closer to her side.
"I am always seeking to form ties - friendships - with like minded cats and you.... You are someone I wish to know."
The tortoiseshell tilts her head ever so slightly to the right as she lets her gaze slide over the apprentice once again. She felt her whiskers catch an errant and rare breeze through this desolate wasteland, and found herself averting her gaze and closing her eyes to enjoy it for a moment, before returning her attention to Treepaw, waiting patiently for her thoughts.

[ @SuspiciousMindz ]

[SuspiciousMindz]

[Treepaw] | Trees Friend
​ThunderClan Apprentice
Silver Tongue

He was busy?
Too busy for me?

It was a shock to her heart she wasn't expecting. She was taken aback by the statement but was quickly brought back when Stormfly mentioned a friendship. Her ears instantly perked upwards and towards the deceased warrior. No other word mattered more than that at that moment. "Wait-" Treepaw began, almost wanting to shuffle closer to Stormfly. "Yo- You want to be my friend? You think we could do that? Just like Thrush and I?"

friend. friend. friend.

A chanting that filled an insatiable appetite.
It pumped the adrenaline she craved.

She didn't have many cats she could trust and with Stormfly seeming to want to be that open so quickly, she couldn't pass it up. She'd have to mention this to Thrush later. Thank him, even, for the friends he kept pushing her towards. Stormfly's words were deceiving enough to put Treepaw under the impression they were acquaintances. She didn't dwell on it long outside of that.

friend. frIEND. FRIEND.

"I think. . . I think I will enjoy this, yes," Treepaw would eventually state, although her green hues were out of focus. Her mental friend was occupying some of her thoughts. It was always hard for her to focus when they did this. Physically, it was obvious she was starting to stare off into the oblivion due to it.

@Abyssopelagic

[Abyssopelagic]

Stormfly gave a smile that was almost genuine, though it faltered as her eyes caught Treepaw's stillness, and the glassy eyed appearance she had noticed occasionally when she'd first taken an interest in her. Her ears twitched and for a moment she wondered if she was hearing something the warrior couldn't.
She tilted her head, watching her for a moment.
Although it was odd, she supposed it didn't truly bother her. It did not detract from what she wanted, and what the apprentice could do.

She gave a false purr, venomous lies of companionship expressed in every rumble of her chest. She beckoned the apprentice closer, tail tip curling out and then towards the dark furred tortoiseshell.
"I am very glad."
She flashed a beaming smile, then let her face slacken, eyes still acting out the appearance of warmth and oppeness.
"I've a gift for you, too."
The real reason she'd sought the little creature here. She had some chaos to see to, to bring forth into reality.
Now, she did not wish harm upon her dearest agent of chaos, so she'd looked high and low for something for her to scavenge rather than asking the dear thing to risk her life. But it wouldn't last her forever, no.
She would eventually need to catch her own tools, and she would give her the knowledge she would need for exactly that. For now, she would tide her over, promise more, and then come to satiate that hunger for her knowledge.

Her chin lowered as her head rolled ever so slightly, allowing her eyes to slide over from Treepaw, to the hungry shadows that always encased these lands. For a brief moment, her eyes stared for perhaps a moment too long at the natural shadow the young cat cast, and she could almost swear that she saw the darkness beneath her shift and sway without her.
Curious, she tried to subtly lean forward, but by then the darkness had corrected itself, and she couldn't be sure she hadn't simply been seeing things.
Stormfly did not dwell on this, and instead shifted her gaze back to Treepaw.
"Come closer, so I can show you, tell you something special. Where you can find the gift I have for you."
Sadly, she could not move or manifest objects, much less creatures. Her little murderous beastie will have to try to find it herself, but she would do her best to lead her paw steps where she needed. Gazing I to the living world was surprisingly easy, given she would have suspected that the Star Dwellers would have tried to cut them off from the living.
But no, she could scour every inch of whatever she wanted, and could even show it to another as well. And this was perfect for everything that was to come.


[ @SuspiciousMindz ]

[SuspiciousMindz]

[Treepaw] | Trees Friend
​ThunderClan Apprentice
Silver Tongue

Treepaw listened carefully, drinking in each word Stormfly offered her. It didn't matter if she could pickup the subtle venom behind those purrs and words; what mattered was the promise being offered.

A GIFT! gift. gift.

"A gift?" Treepaw would echo the words blaring in her head. Her eyes would round out with curisousity as she pondered moving towards the feline. Something was screaming at her to stop -- the good that still lingered perhaps? The rest was overwhelming, though. She couldn't pass on the temptation.

Keep happy. Keep happy.
I know. . . keep her happy. I know. . .

Treepaw took the few steps forward, closing the distance between her and Stormfly. Her eyes remained rounded out as she studied the dark molly. "I have to find it? It's not here?" Treepaw would inquire softly, looking a little confused now. Still, she drew close to the feline, sitting down with her head tilted so her ears would catch the words easier.

@Abyssopelagic

[Abyssopelagic]

Stormfly sighs, not at dearest Treepaw, but at the fact she must send the apprentice on a scavenger hunt. While she would show her exactly where to find it, and how to get there, there wasn't a guarantee that nothing would disturb the gift before Treepaw could find it.
"It does not please me, either, that I cannot give it to you directly, but I will show you where and how to find it," she promises, her tail gently tapping Treepaw's ear.
"But first, I will show you how to use your gift to its greatest potential, and how to find such things on your own."
Stormfly reached a paw among the roots of the tree, claws sinking into the scaled flesh of the snake she'd found in the Dark Forest, nearly identical to those that had come to inhabit ThunderClan's territory. She gently placed it between herself and Treepaw. The beast was a dusky brown colour, and banded with patches of black scales, giving it a most distinct look.
"I do not know how widely known it is to ThunderClan, but some seasons ago, these snakes began to inhabit your territory. Unlike the snakes we are used to dealing with, these little creatures have a bite most dangerous, deadly enough to quickly kill a cat of any size."
Her eyes gleamed, and she ducked her head to be at eye level with the apprentice.
"I will teach you how to kill these scaled creatures in a way that you will avoid being bitten yourself."
This was not all, of course, and would not come until she proved she was willing to use this gift for it's intended purpose. That lesson, how to utilize this menaces venom, would come today.
"Before I will teach you how to kill them .... It is important to also not let such hard earnes prizes go to waste. I have found one, dead within your territory, near to your camp. It should be simple to find, and I will show you the path to find it, but first, I wish to show you how you can use these creatures to their fullest potential."
Stormfly gestures for Treepaw to step closer, her tail coming to carefully wrap around her front paws, and drape itself over the corpse of the snake in front of her. In the dim light of the Dark Forest, poised with her back nearly hunched over, the tortoiseshell looked awfully similar to the snake at her paws.


[ @SuspiciousMindz ]

[SuspiciousMindz]

[Treepaw] | Trees Friend
​ThunderClan Apprentice
Silver Tongue

Green eyes followed Stormfly as she worked displayed the snake hidden within the roots. The creature wasn't moving, clearly paralyzed or dead. Not a threat that'd trigger the Bengal apprentice into a frenzy. Not that Stormfly knew that could happen, but good for the duo nonetheless. Her ears would twitch at the words of being trained. A skill that not many cats knew? Would she be the only one in ThunderClan with said skill? It might come in handy with the impending battles she could sense coming with the increase in border skirmishes.

"They're still present in our territory? Should I keep one trapped somehow? Or just hunt for them when I need them. I guess I don't know how rare they are," Treepaw started thinking out loud before a different thought crossed her mind. "Can I store their venom somehow or would it dry up?" Surely, it'd just dry up. Maybe it could dry in some moss and she could lace objects with that. There was a multitude of things she was thinking but refused to voice. Stormfly surely had her own ideas or would answer the many unasked questions festering in her dark little mind.

Treepaw shuffled forward, settling in fairly close to Stormfly. This would be an interesting lesson and her mind would absorb everything like a sponge. If it would keep her new-found friend happy, she'd do it. This knowledge seemed unique, too. Why waste this chance over her own nerves.

@Abyssopelagic