Meanwhile, Firtail, heartbroken by the loss of his favored cousin, wandered the forest. He padded through the mushy soil that chilled him from paw-pads to the bone, ducked under low hanging leaves, and scent-marked random rocks and trees. He had grieved for Mistsoul as long as he could sit still, but a restlessness had filled him so he began to wander.

Hawkmask had left camp a while before him and she had yet to return. With loss of Snowkit to a rogue, he worried about the gentle she-cat's safety. The forest just wasn't as safe as it used to be. Ever since the two-legs decided they could take it and flatten it, everything had changed. Death hung over the clan like a fog that would never leave, and no matter how much they prayed to StarClan for the sun to burn it off, it never seemed to come. Why do I even bother praying to those proud, arrogant cats? he thought bitterly. They do nothing for us. But his aquamarine eyes softened as he imagined Mistsoul, shimmering in stardust, staring down at him from StarClan. She is anything but proud or arrogant. Then a picture of his proud uncle came to mind. Leopardheart is proud, but only because of his wisdom, Firtail thought with a sigh. The cats of StarClan were probably doing the best they could. The two-legs were difficult creatures to understand. I can only hope that you are protecting Hawkmask until I find her, he silently prayed to his starry ancestors and family.

His sensitive nostrils caught scent of the wonderful she-cat, so he quickened his pace to a run. His fur rippled with weakening strenght from the lack of prey, but his youth kept him strong. "Hawkmask," he yowled into the bushes before bushing through them. She wasn't there, but she was close by, "Hawkmask, it's Firtail. Where are you?" Trotting along he caught sight of her pretty colored pelt through a break in the brush. "There you are, you had me worried."

The sun was high in the sky now, its light shining fully onto the bare trees below. The ground was littered with twigs and a few dead leaves that protruded out of the belly-high snow. The snow was unblemished, not a single pawprint sullied its flawlessness. The branches of the leaf-bare trees creaked under the weight of the snow on top of it and a cool wind wafted through the woods, stirring the few leaves that still clung to the trees.

A bird perched on a thin bough, claws clutching it tightly as it opened its beak and began to trill its song. The exquisite warble shrilled through the copse, a singularly beautiful song that could touch the heart of any beast that heard it, excluding one particular predator who stalked through the undergrowth.

Lifting his head up cautiously the feline sniffed the air delicately, his mouth opening to allow the scent to waft through, eyes closing with delight as he smelled the prey-scent. Yellow eyes glared dimly in the brush as he examined the area around it.

There’s some prey, finally. But…is that Clan that I smell? I’m too close…far too close.

Hissing with ire the tom skirted around a small clump of bracken and attempted to turn back to his own miniature territory, but only succeeded in confusing himself. Growling with displeasure he slithered through a small opening in the copse, thin, angular body wriggling slightly as he pushed through.

Great job Spider, you’ve just gotten yourself stuck in enemy territory and you have no idea where you are, he berated himself angrily. What now?

Spider now stood on the other side of the gorse thicket, surveying the territory below him. He was viewing the camp. Shivering Spider turned to go, but something compelled him to stay.

They all have someone, he contemplated morosely. Another cat that cares for them. They hunt for each other, worry for each other, and I don’t have anycat. I’m alone in this world.

OoC: Ok, the last one now. ::Pats Swiftdarkness:: He is so patient. ^.^ Sorry about the wait, Fullmoon. He'll be up in a min.

All around the temporary camp seemed to be bristling with activity. This old ebony tom just wanted to have a quick nap, but time spent with his kit was better than any sleep. He was over come with joy as she told him that she was determined to get her warriors name. It seemed so easy, but Swiftdarkness knew that these times made that simple task nearly impossible. The lack of prey made it hard to show off great hunting skills, and the hunger kept each clan to themselves so no display of loyalty or pride could be shown in battle. I had it so much easier when I was an apprentice, the old warrior thought. Licking his she-kit's head lovingly, Swiftdarkness's sapphire eyes locked onto an approaching tom.

The air was fresh and crisp as a breeze snaked through the camp, ruffling his matted fur. He hated how grotesque he had become, lack of grooming, but things had gotten so stressful of late that it escaped his notice. Though, Swiftdarkness noted, he wasn't the only one. Starpaw, all bones and clumsiness, padded up to him with clumps of fur missing and, what was left, matted dull gray tuffs. The new medicine cat apprentice, of Nightfall, seemed more down than normal. His eyes had begun to have a shine to them even since Nightfall took him in, but now they were stricken and slightly dull again. "I...I brought this for you. I went herb hunting a actually caught a mouse." Fear-scent surrounded the small tom. He's lying to me, Swiftdarkness thought with a start. He never thought that the apprentice would do such a thing. The tom had been fearful of the clan at first, but Swiftdarkness knew that he now loved each cat like family. What would make him do such a thing? he wondered. Pausing in his attentions to Littlepaw, Swiftdarkness sat to listen more to Starpaw. "I wanted you to have half, and I'm giving Rainstar the other half. What good would it be if we lost our two greatest warriors?"

"That is a very noble thing to do, Starpaw," Swiftdarkness praised. Looking down at the half of a mouse, he wondered why Starpaw would lie about catching it. Hoping that praise of his false action would encourage the tom to confess, Swiftdarkness continued, "With such large paws and skinny legs it must have been a hard catch. You do IceClan proud, Starpaw. Are you sure you don't want to continue as Windprint's apprentice?" His sapphire eyes shimmered as he looked down at Littlepaw, "The two of you would still be named together." I must talk to Rainstar about naming. These apprentices' have gone too long with their apprentice names. They have long since become warriors in heart. But saddness filled Swiftdarkness at the thought of Starpaw lying to him. When had the rogue tom become fouled? He had been nothing but gentle and kind since he came into the clan. Was it because Panthergaze left? Did that cause him to hate IceClan?

Shaken from his thoughts, Swiftdarkness stiffened at the mention of another rogue attack. Looking at Littlepaw and the half mouse, he purred, "You haven't eaten, go ahead and eat this for me. I'm not hungry yet." With a hiss, he pelted across the clearing to Blackwolf. Looking down at the poor, beaten Featherpaw, Swiftdarkness went into action as a deputy should. "Blackwolf, I want you to take Windprint and Raveneyes to the spot where Featherpaw was attacked. See it you can scent the rogue!" He ordered sternly. Turning back to Featherpaw he grimaced. The poor apprentice was torn up badly. It looked more like a fox attack than a rogue attack.

Licking the wounds on her cheek, to keep them from infecting because that was all that he knew, Swiftdarkness rasped words of encouragement. When the oddly color apprentice weakly rasped, "It was B-Blackwolf...Blackwolf did this to me. Crimsonfang had nothing to do with this." Shock rippled through Swiftdarkness. Such corruption surly wasn't within IceClan for a mentor to attack his own apprentice like this. "I am fine!" she yowled suddenly, waking him from his thoughts. "I don't need some stupid medicine cat to give me stuff that doesn't work."

Watching Featherpaw huff away, Swiftdarkness quickly feared for the life of Windprint and Raveneyes. Again he made his weakening muscles spring into action as he raced toward Blackwolf's retreating form. He didn't even hesitate to listen to Featherpaw. The little she-cat was the daught of noble Redclaw and wise Eaglestar. Blackwolf, on the other paw, he couldn't stand. Something about the tom hadn't seemed right even since the strange gathering, so many moons ago. "Hault, Blackwolf!" Swiftdarkness yowled. "I have reason to believe you are a traitor to all of IceClan! Rainstar and I will judge you to see if you are innocent or guilty."

Littlepaw stared at the mouse, licking her lips. But then she had a sudden thought; The Clan needed the warriors to be strong, not her. The mouse was cut in a ragged line, blood oozng from its pores. She licked the blood off the gra'ss, and found it tasted quite funny... almost foul. Maybe it's rotten? She looked in it for maggots, but nothing was out of place. Huh. I might as well throw it out anyway.
Littlepaw grabbed the mouse by it's tail. It bounced against Littlepaw's chest as she walked over to the place they made dirt, and buried it there. (I hope this is okay.)

Bloodmist sighed. She needed to do something. She needed to hunt. "I'll stay near camp..." She muttered to herself. The sun one her back, she walked out the makeshift entrace, feeling the prickly thorns against her fur. She walked silently, enjoying the gentle twitterings of birds in the trees. She had a bet they were saying, 'Have you heard, have you heard? Poor trees, poor trees!'

Bloodmist had almost hadn't believed the monsters were going to destroy their home, even though she'd seen them at work with her own eyes.

But it's gone, Bloodmist. She consoled herself. We're moving. Her paws now stuck sand, and the sun stuck her freely, now that she had no cover. She was headed for a green patch that was just a few fox-lengths away. She suddenly stopped, her paws digging into the golden grains of sand. She listened hard, and peered into the foliage (Love that word xD) She saw movement. Not fox, for it wouldn't smelled her and ran away, or attacked if it was hungry.

She sniffed the air, scenting birds, mice, snakes, and many other things. But she picked out a certan scent, one she'd never scented before.
The unique scent of only a cat. She hissed. It had to be a rouge. She would chase it off, no problem. She took off at a brisk trot, making sure she was quiet.

The scent seemed nice to her, but it didn't matter, good scent or not a good scent, it was a rouge. She yowled, and jumped in front of her target "Why are you here?" She hissed to the rouge. "Go find your own territory, loner!"

She noted the rouge was sleek and black, so she made a mental note to make sure he couldn't run away until she was finished. She hissed and lashed her tail. "Do you not understand the meanings of borders?"

Hissing Spider whirled around to face the furious she-cat, muscles rippling sleekly under his pelt. “Borders? I’m a rogue, Clan-cat. What would I know of boundaries and borders? Besides, are all of you Clan-cats so hostile to outsiders? Looks like you could use some help, considering how thin and skeletal you are.”

Yellow eyes glinted dangerously as Spider lifted his head defiantly. Shifting his weight he stood poised for action on the snow, large gangly paws spread wide to hold his bulk. Though he bared his fangs and growled menacingly at the she-cat, his eyes betrayed no emotion that would give away his moves. Spider held his tail still and kept his legs tensed, knowing the she-cat could, and most likely would, attack at any moment.

“I hope you don’t mean to attack,” he meowed icily, slitting his eyes. “Because no matter how fast you are, I’ll be faster. Body size and weight means nothing in this sort of terrain. You’ll break the snow if you charge at me, and it’s belly-height.”

Littlepaw whipped around when she heard Blackwolf's call. Tiredness forgotten, she charged at Blackwolf, snarling. "YOU WILL NOT PUT A SCRATCH ON MY FATHER!!!" She jumped at him, claws unsheathed. She landed on his face, and she raked her claws into the cats face.
She was in a rage. It was all Blackwolf's fault... Eerything! She clawed and raked, hacked and slashed, until she couldn't feel her paws. She let out a cough, then landed in front of her father, hissing. Her legs hurt painfully, and she had to almost sit to help them rest.

((I hopes this is okay. D: I wanted to unleash the inner Littlepaw, who is OMGPWN. ;D))

"Thanks for the advise." She purred mockingly. She had been planning a charge, but the cat's comment changed her plans. She hurtled through the air, but she missed her mark, landing in the snow in front of Spider. "Just leave, okay?" She hissed, lashing her tail again at the outsider. "We don't take kindly to strangers."

She stared defiantly at the cat, daring him to say something. He was like her in a way, with coat colour, and possibly attitude. She looks at him, and analized him again. He seemed very headstrong and irratable, but sometthing was trying to get him, maybe the fact he was alone?

She snorted. Loners weren't affected by p*censored*ion. They didn't even know what it meant. "Go back to living your regular, alone rogue life." She meowed, hoping she striked a nerve in ths annoying cat.-Fail-

OoC; East missed a lot. Darn homework!

POst up soon!

Kestrelheart's many coloured fur birstled up against the cool breeze. His fur, once thick and lustrous had barely any sheen to it. His belly recently full disagreed with the hunger. All these things were going to drive him insane, so he decided to go for a walk. There e scented something, rather someone, unusual. Scents of different clan cats weren't uncommon around here but this cat belonged to no clan. On the same breeze, he caught the scent of Bloodmist and decided to check it out. At the scene he saw Bloodmist snarling at some rogue and he snapped at her, "Stop. Now" his voice held authority, though by clan rules he was no more powerful than her. "Greeitings." Kestrelheart mewed to the cat, dipping his head, holding out his paw, in a sign of welcoming, "Where do you com from?"

~

Raveeneyed walked into the makeshift camp, a scrawny vole in his mouth. He padded to his mate, Emeraldrain and mewed, after dropping the prey, "Hree. Eat" His navy eyes glinted with hunger, pain and guilt and he continued, "You need it more than  I do."

~  

 Ravenfeather awoke with a start. HIs dreams were menacing. The image of Eaglestar's bloody body still fresh in his mind as if the jurder was yesterday, rather than 4 moons ago. Shaking it off herpadded to the apprentice den and called for Cardinalpaw.

~

Larkpaw woke to Ravenfeather calling and dipped her head to him as she stumbled blindly out of her nest. She padded to Roepaw and la down next to her, "Hi sister"

“Are you attempting to raise my ire?” Spider asked in a sardonic tone, blinking his gold eyes derisively. “I don’t get affected by emotions as easily as you weak Clan cats. I wouldn’t bother trying.” Settling down he curled his tail over his paws and glanced at the she-cat, sizing her up.

Shaking his head ruefully he let out an amused purr. “There’s not much that annoys me. As for you treating strangers disrespectfully, isn’t that a bit judgmental? What if you need help from another cat or Clan, but treated one of their cats discourteously? I’d feel sorry for your clan, if you weren’t such a bitter she-cat.”

Yawning lazily he scratched his ear and gave her a questioning look. “So, are you even strong enough to beat me in an unfair fight?” he asked scornfully.

[Definitely not my best post. :/]

Featherpaw burst into the Camp, her fur on end as she listened to Blackfang's speech. "Noo.... oh starClan no.." she muttered to herself as she looked at her other sisters. Rosepaw gave her a glance of disbeleif, and knowing that she was telling the truth was probably making her feel even worse about what she had said to Featherpaw earlier about the lies she was using to cover her mother's death up. They weren't lies. she thought as she tried to move forward. 

Her legs were locked, "No!" she hissed, but the fear had froze her, and she turned her head to see Rainstar leap into the tussling group of Cats. 

>> 

"Stop!" Yowled Rainstar with all the anger slowing out through her voice. That never works. she reminded herself. As she seen the cats attacking each other, anger and fear gripped her. Unsheathing her m*censored*ive black claws, she leaped forward, silver pelt streaking through the wind toward the battling Cats. 

As her black paws skimmed the earth, her Claws scored the snow lightly, and she could already see some cats with fear and amazement in there eyes from how fast she was running and her Claws. With a huge leap, she skimmed the snake gra.ss, and landed on Blackwolf, digging her sharp white teeth into his neck and flinging him out of the fight. 

With her piercing ice blue eyes wild with fire, she ran up to him, her tall figure towering over him. "I knew it." she hissed, remembering the day that Featherpaw was given him as a mentor and the fear in her eyes. "You killed Eaglestar," she hissed stepping forward, "To make me leader, so that I could make you deputy." 

Leaping onto him and pinning him down, she hissed, "You thought I would trust you enough to make you deputy." She looked down at him, her ice blue eyes insane. Black ears back, claws unsheathed, and whiskers forward, she was ready for anything. Looking into his blue eyes, she knew she could not kill him.

But that was not the justice and honor Eaglestar had taught her. Taking a breath and snarling before she spat, "You were wrong."

 >>

Nightfall looked at Patchpelt, her eyes traveled around her as she felt suddenly disturbed. "Good Idea, I guess you are comin' with us Sharptallon." she meowed to him, trying to stop her voice from shaking. Should I go back to the Clan.? Something is wrong. she felt uneasy when they started walking again. No, you must continue traveling.  Nightfall knew Nightfang was right, and then padded beside Patchpelt, knowing that she was too far away to help the Clan, and whatever it was facing.  

>>

Emeraldrain took a wobbly step outside the nursery, her sight was dizzy, and a horrible head-ache split through her head. "I will be ok.." she repeated to herself. But she knew it was wrong. Something was defiantly wrong. Her eyes continued to try closing, but with an amazing force, she kept them open. A strike of pain ripped through her soft coat, and mussels rippled in the after shock of it. 

Slumping her shoulders, she fell to the ground with a deadly thump. Her eyes narrowed from pain, and her voice rasping, "Help...." 

>> ooc;

As much as I love Emeraldrain, her path must end somewhere... :