ıllıllı eмвerclan // rp тнread ıllıllı

{ 3 days, and counting. i was behind on 14 french assignments. now i'm down to 8. someone shoot me.

anyway, sorry for the lengthy response time. it's been a rough week in school e_e i'm trying to balance 3 projects and a term paper, on top of nightly homework..as well as making up a bunch of overdue assignments. i'm completely checked out. thankfully, it's the weekend, so my stress has eased up enough for me to squeeze out a few posts~ }

The tawny furred she-kit lay quietly in the center of the nursery, paws curled beneath her chest and tail slowly sweeping away at the floor behind her. She stared out into the clearing, watching nothing or no one in particular. There wasn't much going on--everyone, for the most part, seemed to have left, and the clearing was nearly deserted. Not that she had expected anything differently, of course. Every day, the apprentices went out to train, and the warriors went about their daily routine while she wasted away in a stuffy den with nothing but herself and the quiet. Quite frankly, she was bored.

The sound of a voice nearby drew her from her thoughts. She raised her golden gaze to Shadowstar's emerald one, a small ounce of surprise flickering across her expression.

"Shadowstar!" She purred delightedly, standing to her paws and shaking out her pelt. It wasn't often that she got visitors here in the nursery. Apart from Honeydapple, Hawkkit didn't have anyone here with her. No bumbling kits, no talkative little bundles of fur. No one for her to socialize or play with. Of course, she didn't mind. Hawkkit had never been a very social kitten, and she liked the quiet of the nursery. Even so, getting a visitor always brought about a small spark of excitement within her--and from the clan leader himself, at that!

"Is there something you need?" Any other time, she would have assumed that Shadowstar was coming to speak to Honeydapple; however, Honeydapple wasn't currently in the nursery. Besides, he had called out to her specifically. She sat down and gingerly rested her tail across her paws, waiting patiently for Shadowstar's response.

--

Pepperedstep's only response was an agitated grunt. He lowered his head, jaws slightly parted and whiskers twitching as he tried to place the smell. There was certainly a foul odour in the air--how could Stripedtail not scent it? Pepperedstep took a few steps away from the forest's edge--away from Emberclan territory--and into the field beyond.

"Try harder," he growled, a commanding sound. There was no way that the seasoned warrior was leaving until he had placed a source to the odd scent.

{ also, im not sure what i was getting at with Pepperdstripe smelling weird stuff, but that can go along with it. there could be a pack of evil rogues that have been wandering along the edge of the territory that eventually recruit hawkpaw/blizzardpaw. Pepperedstep would try to warn everyone and seem like some crazy old senile cat for a while, and then turn out to have been right the whole time, and that would amuse me greatly. }

Hawkkit didn't respond, only gave the older cat a curt nod, padding after him into the clearing. She blinked, the dazzling light that poured into the clearing momentarily dazing her. Since coming to Emberclan, she had gotten used to the gloominess of the nursery. Before, her entire world had been the sky. Now, every time she looked up, she saw only a dull, grey ceiling. Of course, she did occasionally get to venture out of the nursery, such as when Sootskies had taken her out to practice battle techniques. And for that, she was thankful. Even so, her muscles ached every moment she was away from the trees.

Her home, after all, had always been the sky.

Hawkkit allowed her gaze to wander around camp as she exited the nursery. A glimpse of white in the corner of her vision drew her gaze, and she found herself staring at a cat that she couldn't recall ever having seen before; one that she couldn't place a name to. She watched him for a while--Hawkkit had always been known for staring. Her gaze was filled with vague interest--not the look of endless wonder that many kits tended to throw around; but rather, a look of subtle intrigue. She studied him for a few more moments before looking away, turning her gaze back to Shadowstar.

--

Pepperedstep let out a low growl, watchful gaze continuously prowling their surroundings.

"Go and get the others? So that they, too, can mock me for scenting invisible cats?" He reeled on Stripedtail, eyes alight with annoyance. Surely, Stripedtail could smell what he was scenting? Surely, the younger cat picked up on the ominous feeling that the senior warrior felt? Perhaps Pepperedstep was losing his senses; if that were the case, however, he would be smelling nothing at all. No, there was something sharp in the air--something strong. But if Stripedtail couldn't sense it, then there was no point in prolonging the confrontation. He would return on his own at a later time.

"I do not make things up, warrior. And I do not make mistakes. But do as you will," Pepperedstep growled, shouldering past Stripedtail and heading back into the thick of the forest. "Go, then, and find the others, if that is what you wish to do. If none of you, as the protectors of Emberclan, can pick up on the looming threat of danger, then we are all truly lost." Pepperedstep slowly made his way into the brush, tail sweeping up leaves behind him.

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Silvershadow trudged through the forest, dragging along a plump rabbit and two small mice. She had been out hunting--or, rather, stalling the inevitable--from sunrise to sunset. It was time to return and face Shadowstar. She felt somewhat ashamed of herself, running from her responsibilities in order to avoid retribution. Even so, she tried to console herself with the fact that Shadowstar couldn't be as disappointed or angry with her as he might have been had she returned earlier. After all, he's had an entire day to cool off. Still, as much as she tried to convince herself, she knew that she was only feeding herself utter fox-dung. In fact, Shadowstar would probably be even more furious than before, even more upset than he would have been had she simply shown up hours before.

"If you weren't such a sourpuss, I wouldn't have had to run from you all day," she muttered under her breath, trying to place the fault on Shadowstar. However, she was more annoyed at herself than anything.

--

Pepperedstep continued to pad in the direction of camp, sparing a momentary glance in Lionfang's direction as the cat fell into step beside him. He looked away, continuing onward.

"I sense that there is an unwanted presence nearby," he mumbled, his tone gruff. His voice hinted at exhaustion. He was a very large cat, and burned off energy considerably quickly. That, combined with the fact that he wasn't exactly in his prime, made him tire easily. He hadn't been out for very long, but his sprint through the forest had already caused an ache to set into his bones, as well as the few times he'd stopped to hunt on the way back. Quite frankly, his paws wouldn't carry him for much longer. He seemed considerably less intimidating when weariness etched his features; however, he didn't let his guard down any less.

"But it would seem that my instincts are...misguided," he went on. "According to Stripedtail, at least. If you wish to verify whether or not there truly is something amiss, then I would advise that you find him. Otherwise, there is nothing more to discuss." With that, he padded onward.

{ if you don't like it, we can trash it. just tossing around ideas~ i know the feeling. }