WarriorCats (Forest Home)

[Ayashe]

Ravenfeather's claws snag golden fur and he nearly loses his balance when he manages to rip Thunderstrike off his father. The rain makes it hard to think, but somehow he finds his scattered thoughts among the puddles and crack of thunder and he holds onto Thunderstrike, not about to let him slink off now. He's pressing the yellow warrior into the mud forming on the well-worn ground of the camp, and a sick satisfaction wells up in him. For once he's dealing with this hurricane of emotions in a method that feels good. Sulking in the woods was usually the only option he ever considered, but taking it out on Thunderstrike suddenly looked much more effective.
Somehow he resists causing bloodshed, but there's nothing to keep the snarl from his voice as he finally leans down, amber eyes glaring at the warrior below him, and snaps, "I trust you have a good reason for deciding to turn on your own clanmate." A low growl eases from his throat as he looks over at Tornear's disappearing form into the recesses of the elders' den. "Not that I care about him. Let Death* take him however and whenever he wishes," the words are laced with venom, but inside he feels a longing to push past his anger and just let Tornear be what he is, a father. Not just any father, but Ravenfeather's father. Something the black cat thought he'd lost long ago to the cold, uncaring stars of night.
Now he's shaking. Whether from cold or anger, he can't tell. His amber eyes fix back on the soaked form beneath him and he growls, deathly quiet, "Get out of my sight." His tone is clipped and thankfully he manages to keep his voice from breaking. All the fight drains from him at that moment and he slumps back on his haunches, letting the yellow tom get to his paws. He studies the ground with troubled eyes and waits for the guilt to catch up to him. Apologies and pleas for forgiveness are already finding their way to his tongue, but he can't bring himself to even look at Thunderstrike. Maybe this is why he shouldn't try and make friends, and definitely nothing more than friends. Mental breakdowns couldn't do anything but hurt such a relationship.

((OOC: *Capitolized because Raven is referring to death as if it were another animal, hence the 'however and whenever he wishes'))

[Alexander]

The yellow tom growled lowly, though there was a strong sense of shock, almost like a 'If I knew anyone that would talk to me like this, you'd be the last I'd expect.' His eyes averted to the muddy ground. His shiny yellow fur was being tainted by the heavy weight of what he thought may have been a good friend to him. "Would you act any different if your old mentor, your old friend told you that you were just another stupid kitty pet, that you had no place in this Clan? How dare you try me with those words. If anything he was the one telling me that I was no clanmate at all. How about you tell me the day when I'm actually respected here. Also, tell me when there was ever a day that I have done this to someone, when I could have about what? 20,000 times?" The tom snapped back at Ravenfeather, ears folded back. He finally got up, already seemingly done with this little scene. "How about you tell me the day when I mean something to anyone other than the other kitty pets that know my pain?" With that, the warrior lowered his eyes in anger and a slight bit of confusion, returning to the warrior's den if nothing else was to come out of the situation.
(Xat)

[Ayashe]

The words stung because they were true. Ravenfeather flinched at the tone of Thunderstrike's voice. He was nothing more than a coward. One who took advantage of others problems to fix his own. The small black and white-tom ground his teeth and glared at the muddy surface beneath him as if it held all the answers to life.
Thunderstrike's last sentence made him swallow, because there was a day that Thunderstrike had meant something much more to someone than just a burdening kittypet. There were multiple. In fact, today was one of those days.
And look at how he'd showed his care.
Ravenfeather scrambled to his paws but he couldn't force himself to run after Thunderstrike's retreating form. "Wait!" he cried, but thunder drowned his voice and he was left to watch Thunderstrike disappear into the Warriors' den. The rain was letting up now, but he didn't seem to notice. Suddenly something warm pressed against him, and he looked over to see Dawnpaw's emerald eyes gazing up at him, a mixture of fear and confusion. Ravenfeather quietly sighed and sat back down. The little tabby beside him didn't seem to care that he was soaked and muddy, and he was grateful that she stayed pressed up against him while the last of the rain clouds made way for an afternoon sun.

((OOC: I don't really like the beginning of this post all that much. I think I just needed to warm up or something. xD))

[StarWolf]

Cedarleaf watcched as the two cats who had seemed to be close at one point snarl at eachother. He felt a pang of sadness at the look on his comrade's face- his teacher looked guilty and agonized all at once.
He had seen that look before, on a different face in a different time. The only difference was that it had been in the reflections he had constantly gazed at during his younger age.
The ginger-chested tom watched with hesitance as a younger she-cat comforted his mentor, wondering if he should do the same. He wanted to know why Ravenfeather was sad, as confusing as it was- why he seemed so absurdly upset by the other tom.
"I'm sure he'll open up to you if you do the same." The words were spoken in monotone, and Cedarleaf jumped as he finally noticed his sister standing next to him. Her face was almost emotionless, almost like how he remembered their father- but he could see tiny shreds of heartbreak and acceptacne in them.
"You're back, then." He growled stiffly, ignoring how harsh the words sounded to himself.
"Of course I'm back. Be ungreatful if you want, but you're my brother and it's my responsibilty to make sure you don't do something stupid." A glimmer of old mirth entered her eyes, making the she-cat more recognizable. "Which, by the way, you seem to do so very often."
"Whatever." The grunt was accompanied by a slight whisker twitch, signalling a slight relaxing. The slightly awkward atmosphere was broken in that heartbeat, and Kin proceeded to groom out her fur, the lingering scent of a certain Vile member still on her pelt.
Her brother watched her, his eyes narrowing. Springsand shrank slightly at his glare and flinched when he pushed his nose into her fur for a deep sniff.
"You smell weird..." He growled low, staring at her while waiting for an answer.
"Oh. Uh. Glad you noticed, it was totally the rain and grass and mice... nothing suspicous about that, yes?" His sister spoke swiftly, not allowing a reply in return. Cedar glared at her for a few more minutes before turning it onto his mentor, still being comforted by the smaller brown kitten.
"You really think that's all it would take? A story for a story?" He asked lowly, staring at the dark shape of the other tom.
"Of course. Not everyone is like Snake, you know. Not emotionally constipated- that was only him. You're getting there, though." She joked lightly, before the laughter died at his cold glare.
Clearly, he didn't like being compared to his father.
"Just go talk to him. Stop being such a love-stricken she-cat. It's not very attractive, no matter how you look at it." The tom swiped at her head this time, which she neatly dodged before giving him a mischievous look. "Unless, of course, you mean to practice your charming ways on-"
"If you know what is good for you, then shut up.."
The she-cat was silent for a full five seconds before speaking again. "You know, I can always give you tips on-"
Her face soon became quite acquainted with the dirt.

[Alexander]

Thunderstrike stomped into the warrior's den, heavily annoyed. He felt like a fool for destroying two friendships. Actually, no. Only one, and probably the one he'd regret most. He didn't destroy his friendship with Tornear, though. The foxdung-ed elder did. It was pretty dark. He felt alone. The rain didn't help this depressing cause rising in his body. He was choking on his depression, his regret. What was he regretting, though? Thunderstrike had to strike back, he had to defend himself. He had to show his standards because no one else seemed to bother hearing how much he had to deal with all of the hate and threats. Tornear threatened, him threatened him and hurt him emotionally. Tornear wanted to die, and Thunderstrike already knew of that. He thought no sense of it, though. Thinking he was alone (in case he wasn't), the male slugged over to a trusty cold walling of the den, laying his muddy side against it. This was probably the stupidest thing he's done yet, though, as he'd most likely get stuck if he let the mud dry there. The tears finally show up, as if everything finally broke to him. Everything was shattering, falling a part in his life, but the more he thought of that, the more he thought of how it's not like it ever stopped when he realized the threats toward him. Firestar was lucky compared to Thunderstrike. Even when he showed his utmost strength and amazing agility, speed, even then it seems like all of the cats find him useless and uncivilized. The one time he fends for himself is the time when he loses friends. It was best to cry it out now and seemingly forget about it later, just like how it's always been.
A picture of Moondust flew across his mind. His ears lowered. What will she think of this? Will she be against him? Would he lose his chance to.. to befriend her, of course? Thunderstrike shook his head at himself. He knew he had fallen for her right from the start. Love at first sight, which most people tend not to believe, or simply choose not to. He wasn't sure if he believed it or not, as he wouldn't know how Moondust felt about him. He knew he was an idiot more than half of the time. Then again, that's what makes him silly, doesn't it? Between his depressing thoughts, he couldn't help but to smile.
Moondust was his sanity.

Betelgeuse's mood dropped to maybe the worse it's ever been. He growled. There was a drop tapping on his head as fast as he could claw at the tree, which he did in pure frustration. He barked orders at all of his members, completely ignoring what they had to say. He threatened most of them, even, scaring them with his angry, dull mood. He was in a frantic rage. He was in love with a member's daughter. His lover, of which he planned on asking out soon, longing to have her attention, does not like this father. He was infuriated! He's living with a father unliked by anyone! No one likes him. He's blocked by a wall because of this father. He can't do anything as well because of his lover's brother. That seems to be an issue too. Betel rolled his eyes. How much worse could it get? "Test me more, gods." He growled lowly, ears folded back. "I dare you." He challenged. After saying that, a fairly large, icy droplet plops on his head, splashing over his face. Soaked and surprised, the leader blinked, not understanding what just happened. Was that mockery? Do they think he was a fool? The leader growled, tearing at patches of grass around him. How dare they mock at the most amazing, somehow angelic and of course the most handsome tom around these parts. The whole world, whatever's bigger than that. He scoffed at these so called gods. Apparently it was funny to make a cat more wet, with water being their enemy. At this point, Betel just wanted a roof over his head.

[Ayashe]

Moondust had watched the scene unfold from the cover of the warriors' den after Dawnpaw directed her to the shelter. She blinked, unable to understand what had just happened exactly and tried not to stare at Thunderstrike as he laid down, soaked and muddy in his nest. The light she-cat swallowed hard before picking her way around the other moss beds and sitting down beside him. She settled down, paws out in front of her, and touched his ear lightly with her nose.
"Are you okay?" she whispered, eyes round with concern. She didn't see any blood from either of his fights, but it wasn't only the physical damage she was questioning. Whatever had been said out there was lost to the wind and rain, but she knew that he had been hurt very badly just by the look on his face. She had to force her tail to lay still and not lash back and forth in agitation at that black and white tom. He had no business yelling at Thunderstrike like that. Moondust made a mental note to give him a taste of his own medicine the next time they crossed paths.

[Alexander]

Thunderstrike's eyes widened, the feeling of a nose poke his ear, and then hearing the gentle voice of Moondust. He closed his eyes as hard as he could, forcing himself to regain his composure, to not choke on his words as he spoke. "I'm hanging there.." He spoke soft, his voice was rattling because he was shaking. He had only realized that just now. The yellow warrior took a long, deep breath. In and out, relax. "I didn't want you to see it, Moondust. I didn't want it to happen. You don't know how horrible I feel, even though I also feel that what I did was right. I didn't want any of this to happen, but I'm responsible for my actions, even though Tornear started the taunting..." His eyes drifted to the darkness on the other side of the den, voice slowing down. He didn't want to speak about it anymore. The tom scoot himself up, pawing for Moondust's paw and gently lay it there, on hers.
"But of course I'll feel better tomorrow. A new day is a fresh start, and while people may linger on to tonight's event, I'll be the one focused on tomorrow." He smiled in the darkness, assuring not only to Moondust, but also to himself. He was telling himself to do this, to not let it get to him. He made a mistake, but you learn from them, and that's where you start a better future for yourself and give inspiring stories to others.

[Ayashe]

Moondust smiled fondly at Thunderstrike's determination and her heart felt light to see him push through the problem so easily. At first she had searched his eyes, looking for hints of what she called 'bottling it all up' rather than actually getting over it. She was a bit surprised to find none, but also glad.
This bushiness with Tornear, who she assumed was the elder, was still nagging at her. What had sparked such a fight between the two? Thunderstrike said taunting, but was that normal? Somehow she felt there was something wrong with the old cat, but didn't express her worries. Thunderstrike didn't seem eager to continue on the topic as he placed his larger paw on her own.
The she-cat purred with amusement suddenly and caught a bit of grass from his neck fur and smirked. "You'll need to clean up a bit, I'm afraid. That roll in the mud didn't help bring out your charming looks very much, sorry."

[Alexander]

Thunderstrike frowned innocently at Moondust's words, large eyes with the most innocent expression. "But.. but.." He pleaded, begging for anything but a forced bath upon him. If anything, she'd either have to force him to herself or get others to do it. The thought made him shiver. Water was his greatest enemy. He began to steadily lick his muddy fur, the taste of mud wanting to make him gag in disgust, but he thought of it much better than a bath.

[StarWolf]

After Springsand's inevitable meeting with hard-packed earth, she took to cat-watching.
Or, more precisely, brother-and-mentor watching.
It was quite frustrating, really. Cedarleaf kept shooting glances at their sullen teacher, as if he wanted to go comfort his friend. If that is, they even were friends.
He's such a coward, sometimes... throw a couple enemies at him, and he slits their throats without a second thought. Throw a distressed companion at him, and he turns into a turtle...
"Oh my gods, Nik. Just go talk to him. You're starting to get on my nerves." She growled at him, rubbing a paw over her muzzle to scrape off any leftover dirt.
"Why should I?" Her brother's response was filled with barely veiled hesitance. He really is a turtle.
"Because you keep looking at him and you seem like you really want to go comfort him for whatever got him down in the first place. So go over there, open your mouth, and talk." Springsand's voice was filled with impatience and some scolding. He deserved it- cats were not turtles. Cats did not have shells to hide behind.
"But-"
"But nothing, idiot. If you're going to lay down next to me, then talk to me. If you keep looking at someone who obviously needs the company of a trusted one, then go talk to them. Don't lie here and keep staring at them. It's creepy."
"Like you're one to judge. You used to stalk me whenever I went off for a walk alone."
"I just wanted to make sure you didn't meet any she-cat and run off with her or something... besides, you can cheer some cats up. You know tons more stories than I do." She was going to add that Snake hadn't told her anything like what Nik and their little brother had learned from their mother, but then remembered that he would most likely get sucked into another flashback and come out even more unsure of himself.
"What story should I tell him?" He muttered, doubt written across his face.
"Uh... the one with the lights and rain and godliness."
"... Kin, almost half the stories I know are about that."
"Obviously, you need a more varied story-shelf then, Mr. Turtle. Just... go over there or something. Aren't things more sappy when you're all silent and understanding or something?" With a huff, the pale she-cat got to her feet and walked off towards the camp entrance with a twitching tail, leaving her uncertain brother behind.
Cedarleaf was confused. His sister first told him to just talk to their teacher. Then, she told him to go tell a story of the Gods. Then she said to be silent and understanding, before walking off and letting him deal with an emotional comrade. What a hypocrite.
The tom pushed himself to his paws, shaking his fur out a little before walking hesitantly towards the other siblings. His ears were slightly pressed back a little in discomfort- the last time he had ever shown any reassurance towards anyone had been his little brother, and even then it was mostly the younger cat lifting his own spirits.
No. Don't think about him. Raven is here now, Yin has been gone for a long time, he mentally scolded himself when he felt grief begin to prick his heart.
The dark brown tom paused slightly on the other side of his mentor, avoiding any eyes that might have looked at him, feeling more self-conscious than usual. He lightly pressed himself into his mentor's pelt, allowing their fur to brush softly before laying his head down on his front paws.
For a moment, he swore he could feel his sister's triumphant look from the trees before it vanished just as quickly.

[Ayashe]

Ravenfeather stiffened at the sound of approaching paw-steps, but refused to look back at them. He guessed it to be Tornear, judging by the hesitance in the quiet padding.
The black and white tom became even more impossibly tense when the soft brush of fur on his own was felt, but he still glared in the opposite direction.
Dawnpaw blinked at Cedarleaf. She wondered if she should warn him off since Ravenfeather's breakdowns, though rare, were somewhat known to the clan and most were smart enough to avoid him like the plague afterwards. Dawnpaw didn't really care because it was very hard to dampen her spirit and felt accurately equipped to deal with her big brother's brooding.
The tabby suddenly had an odd feeling that she was intruding and stood up to give the two some privacy, though one part of her was reluctant to leave.
As Dawnpaw quietly padded away, Ravenfeather sighed, and when he did he caught the scent of Cedarleaf. So it wasn't Tornear. Ravenfeather relaxed and glanced at the brown tom, feeling embarrassed and ashamed to be seen in his current state.
"Sorry," he muttered. It was the only thing he could think of, even if it didn't really make any sense. Not to mention, he had no idea what he was apologizing for.

Dawnpaw glanced back at the pair before slipping into the Warriors' den. She blinked at the sight before her. Moondust had a very amused smirk on her muzzle and Thunderstrike was vigorously ridding his once-golden fur of the mud and debris it had collected in the fight. Dawnpaw couldn't see his face very clearly as he groomed, but her mentor seemed to exude a content air rather than the foul or hurt mood she had been expecting. Dawnpaw gave Moondust a quizzical look, but the lighter she-cat waved it off with her tail. Dawnpaw studied the two for a moment, then a smug grin graced her snout and she picked her way down to sit by her mentor.
"Rain stopped," she mewed, controlling her features to an mirthful smirk, much like Moondust's.
"I noticed," the older she-cat meowed, but threw a glance at the dripping den entrance as if to make sure. Dawnpaw rolled over onto her back, enjoying the soft springy moss.
"So do we get to finish hunting? All the prey is soggy and I'll bet-" she almost said Tornear, but caught herself, "the queens would prefer some fresh food."

[Alexander]

The yellow tom continued to lick off the mud from his fur until he thought it was good enough. He blinked, noticing Dawnpaw in the den. His tongue was stupidly stuck out from his muzzle, eyes questioning and curious. "Why do you look much taller?" He asked with a mix of a blank and confused stare. It's as if in a depressed mood, he makes sense out of nothing. He awkwardly sat up, the mud making him feel unbalanced. He then shook himself until he was dizzy enough to wobble and nearly fall back onto the ground. He looked at Dawnpaw. "Yes, the Queens love the best quality we can offer. We'll get to hunting as soon as the sun rises. You should get some rest. You'll need as much energy as possible for tomorrow." He smiled, feeling a little down that he may have made Dawnpaw disappointed because they weren't able to actually hunt today. He turned his head to meet Moondust, gently swaying his tail as he lay somewhat close to her, hoping she wouldn't bring up the subject of having to take a bath.

[StarWolf]

Cedarleaf gave a quiet grunt at the other's apology. "You have nothing to be sorry for." He muttered. Unlike me, he silently added. You don't have to be sorry for abondoning a dying brother, and then turning on the only one you had left to rid yourself of the guilt... and I've never apologized for it.
He was almost jealous of the other. Ravenfeather seemed to have a much easier life. All he had to do was follow orders from another, where as Cedarleaf had to lead the life of two when he was barely more than a kit. Do I really have the right to be jealous of him? The dark brown tom turned his gaze slightly to observe the other as he pondered his thoughts. I don't know him any better than he knows me. We hardly know eachother, yet I want to know him better... do I really want to replace my brother so easily?

Springsand hopped over debris on her way back to her earlier kills, having almost forgotten them. Her brother was bound to be hungry by the time she got back. He'll be too caught up with our mentor to even notice. She purred in amusement at this thought; her brother wasn't really one for conversations, but when he did, he tended to forget about everything else. When he was ranting about something to his sister, she wittingly would make a half-insult directed at him, and he would immediately get into and playful arguement while forgetting what it was that had him ranting in the first place. "He's such a dense idiot," she muttered to herself as she finally arrived at her first food cache. "He doesn't even understand his own feelings or things going on around him, and when he does, he chooses to ignore them." The rest of her self-rant was soon muffled by feathers and fur of her prey, mouth now stuffed full.

[Ayashe]

Dawnpaw derp'd at Thunderstrike, not exactly registering the fact that he was talking to her.

-CUT!-

Dawnpaw rolled over onto her stomach and tilted her head at Thunderstrike. "Taller? What?" She gave him a confused look then blinked up at Moondust. The pale she-cat gave a small shrug before stretching and settling down into the nest beside the yellow furred tom. Dawnpaw wished she could stay in here with them, but suddenly got the idea that they would be absolutely fine without her in here, so she scrambled to her feet and made her way to the den entrance.
"Uh, I gotta..y'know. Apprentice's den," she flicked her tail towards the mouth of the den awkwardly and slipped out into the falling night.
Moondust's tail twitched as she wondered what had Dawnpaw so fidgety. She tried to fight off the sudden urge to yawn but failed misreably. "It's been quite a long day. Usually I'd have been in bed an hour ago..."
Moondust trailed off and she found herself wondering what everyone at home thought of her disappearance. Sadness and guilt threatened to dampen her mood but she wouldn't stand for that. They'll get another cat, maybe a kitten. That old dog was a nice playmate when I was little.
With a soft sigh, Moondust curled up beside the warrior, content to share her warmth with him. The nights were beginning to become a little chilly, but Moondust wasn't worried.

Ravenfeather tilted his amber gaze upwards, not sure about what to say to Cedarleaf's response. A fleeting thought crossed his mind, and it was hard to push it away. What would his father have done? Not Tornear. No, his real father. The one that taught him the ways of the clans and showed him what his purpose as a future warrior was. The cat who helped him sort right from wrong and find a way to balance each.
What would that cat have done in his situation, or the one he had been earlier?
Ravenfeather finally shoved the question away, deciding it was a stupid one because his father was gone. Thinking of the dead has gotten him nowhere.
His mind wonders to Cedarleaf sitting quietly beside him, practically a living, breathing secret, taunting Ravenfeather with everything he does. Where did you come from? Where did you both come from, for that matter?
Ravenfeather's eyes narrowed as he mulled over the recent events, trying to pick out some clues to help him find a satisfying answer, but nothing came to him. With a frustrated sigh, the black cat turned to Cedarleaf again. "You know, you're really mysterious, you and Kin. Do you two have some amazing background you came from or something? I get an odd feeling that you aren't just a pair of rogues born in a barn." At this point, Ravenfeather wasn't really thinking the whole thing through, and it never occurred to him that he might be being a little nosy.

[Alexander]

Thunderstrike looked awkwardly at Dawnpaw as she left. The blonde noticed Moondust's yawn, making him feel somewhat sad. He scoot himself closer to her, making sure she'd stay warm for the night. He knew that the first moon would be a difficult turnaround of cultures for her. He, almost naturally, brushed against her fur. It was nice, however embarrassment and guilt rushed over him. What did he just do? me gusta. He thought to himself with a weird derp face, then lay his head down, not expecting a reaction from the be-- new friend of his.