ıllıllı eмвerclan // rp тнread ıllıllı

{ I apologize for inactivity as well. My birthday just passed, so it's been a pretty busy week. Anyway, I'll be more active from now on x3 }

Pepperedstep nodded in acknowledgement to Lionfang's call and pushed himself to his paws, padding towards where he and Sootskies stood as they waited for Stripetail to arrive. The brawny warrior flicked his ears at the sound of Sootskies' irritated comment, sparing her a speculative glance before turning his molten gaze back towards the entrance to camp. Pepperedstep had been bound to his previous tribe by honor and respect--two values by which he continued to thrive on. Upon arriving here, he had learned very quickly that the cats in Emberclan lived a very different way of life than his tribe had. Back in his old tribe, everyone had been willing to serve without question, either out of fear or respect. Although he'd always known that clan cats were much different than those that dwelled in tribes, he was surprised to find that these were cats who dared to challenge authority, who allowed themselves to get distracted from their duties by meaningless things, who constantly sought out danger for the sake of getting an adrenaline rush. It was a curious way of life that these cats lived, and he wasn't sure whether or not he liked it.

"The ability to serve your clan is an honor. Once you're old and stuck in the elder's den all day, unable to do anything for yourself, you'll only wish you could be out hunting with the warriors. You would do well to remember that while you're young," he muttered in that low, gruff tone of his that always seemed to surface as a growl. Pepperedstep himself wasn't a very old cat; however, he must have been at least seven or eight years senior to most, if not all, of his clanmates. Growing old wasn't a very familiar concept to him. Back in his tribe, it was believed that dying young and in battle was more valiant than growing old and relying on other cats to care for you. The fact that clan cats valued their elders rather than detested them, that they cared for them just as they would helpless little kits, was one of the biggest differences he'd learned about between clan and tribe cats, among other things. They were indeed much different from the cats he was used to--they spoke differently, acted differently, fought differently, thought differently...he couldn't really think of any similarities between clan and tribe cats, apart from the fact that they looked alike--and even that fact could be challenged.

He had thought that their warriors, at least, would be bigger.

--

Silvershadow swore under her breath as she drew her paw away from the river's surface, watching dejectedly as the faint outline of her missed prey disappeared beneath the river's icy depths. She'd already managed to hook a few fish, which lay motionless on the bank beside her; however, she refused to return to camp without catching at least one more. She couldn't really think of many cats who actually liked the taste of fish--even she had a hard time choking back the slimy prey. Even so, she couldn't think of a better way to stall for time. She remained in the same mopey, sulking mood that she had been in earlier when she'd snapped at Shadowstar, and she expected that her sullen presence in camp would do nothing to lift the morale of her clanmates. Even so, she couldn't just sit by the river all day waiting for a fish to swim by. She had duties to attend to, after all. The last thing that she wanted to do was invoke the wrath of their leader.

Letting out breath, she cast a final morose look down at the water's surface before picking up her prey and padding in the direction of camp, resisting the urge to retch as the taste of fish flooded her mouth. As she walked, the mingled scents of a number of cats began to flood her nose. She continued on, somewhat puzzled as the why everyone seemed to have left camp at the same time. After a few moments, however, realization swept over her, bringing with it a sinking feeling. It was far past sun-high--she should have arranged the patrols ages ago. Letting out a muffled groan around the fish in her jaws, she picked up her pace, although she knew that she couldn't possible make it to camp fast enough to make up for slacking on her duties.

{ xD i know the feeling }

Pepperedstep padded at a leisurely pace, falling into step behind Lionfang. His heavy paw steps left shallow indentations in the dirt below, grinding bits of twigs and leaves into dust as he treaded over them. The fluffy, black tip of his tail swept up leaves and mounds of dirt behind him. He stared directly ahead, his molten gaze flicking between the bases of trees, scanning the ground for any signs of prey. He had grown increasingly frustrated with himself and his abilities in recent moons--his sight wasn't quite as pristine as it had once been; the vibrant, mingled smells of prey no longer filled his nose when he stepped into the forest; and as hard as he tried, he couldn't pick up the sound of small, scurrying paws as well as he had once been able to. In battle, his movements were much slower and clumsier than they had once been, and he found it increasingly more difficult to keep up with the fast-paced movements of the fleet-footed younger cats. He was growing older, losing touch with his skills and abilities. Granted, there was a while still to go before he moved to the elder's den; however, if he was lucky, he would be spared the shame of having to rely on the rest of the clan to keep him alive.

--

Silvershadow continued to pick up speed until she was crashing through the brush, barreling towards camp. Heavy thoughts occupied her mind, distracting her from her surroundings. It wasn't until she heard the distinct sound of paws trampling undergrowth that she thought to look up, and her eyes widened as the familiar pelts of Emberclan cats came into sight. A patrol of four cats stood directly in her path. Swearing under her breath, she dug her paws into the ground, trying to slow herself before she crashed into the patrol. She succeeded in jarring herself to a stop; however, momentum carried her forward over her front paws, and she tumbled head over heels, landing in a disoriented heap at Lionfang's paws. Somewhat shaken, she quickly scrambled to her paws, offering the others an apologetic look.

"Looks like Shadowstar organized patrols," she said sheepishly, shaking bits of crumpled leaves off of herself."I'm...sorry I wasn't there to do it myself. I was a little distracted this morning," came the quickly mumbled apology as she glanced down at her paws, shuffling them in embarrassment."I'm...sure he's probably fuming. I hope I haven't put him in too bad of a mood," she rambled on, a frown tugging at her maw. What was she thinking? Shadowstar was always in a bad mood.

"Now that I think about it, maybe I should tag along with you guys. I could do with a bit more hunting," she said casually, trying her best to appear unconcerned. "You can never catch too much prey, right?" In all honesty, the last thing she wanted to do was more hunting; however, she also couldn't stand to face Shadowstar. It wasn't for fear that he'd be angry at her--she'd dealt with an angry Shadowstar plenty of times. His bad attitude didn't phase her. Instead, she worried that he might be disappointed in her. She had let down Silverfeather time and time and again in the past, and she couldn't stand the thought of disappointing yet another cat that she looked up to.