Posts by COSENTiNO

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Taken a bit off guard by the Omen's remark, Cosentino blushed underneath his silver fur. It was true that he was always scouting out for trespassers to interrogate and, occasionally, antagonize... but he wasn't expecting her to ask him what to do. Pondering her question for a moment or two, the Skeleton eyed Faithsong and Lucian as they began to bicker with Kexdrop. He had predicted that would happen, but he turned back to Hazeleyes and ran his tongue over his teeth.

"Well," he meowed, beginning to brew an idea within his head. They always just had a little battle and they were either accepting or not. He was tired of it. It was time to spice it up and step out of their routine. There were many other possibilities for initiations. Cats had told him that the Elite had orientations where challenges were thought up and near the end they had to drink the leaders blood.

He wanted something to do with stamina. Every good BoneClanner had some of it. There needed to be some means of restraint, as well as the ability to carry on with their harsh training. Laughing a little at the BloodClanner's rermark, he shuffled his paws against the ground. "Well, if you guys decide to let him carry on with the assessment, I was running over some broken rock shards yesterday." He raised his head pointedly, as if saying 'don't ask.' "We could have him run over those while we stand at the opposite sides of it, with our arms out and claws unsheathed." He shrugged, thinking of the tunnel of claws over broken minerals. It sounded a bit challenging to him. "If he falls and won't get up before you guys decide to accept him, then he doesn't join." It sounded interesting enough to him. Shrugging, he licked at his whiskers.

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Blinking and nodding to show his acknowledgement of Sayrian as his fellow Skeleton padded over to the gathered and frantic cats, Cosentino eyed Faithsong. He knew Radium couldn't be on a walk. She rarely ever left her post, and when she did she would inform someone. Perhaps it would be Cherrypaw, or Izabella; but no one knew where the Herb was now. That concerned him. Swiveling around as Lexlythor spoke to him, the tom nodded.

"Sure, Lex. Once Hysteria finds out." Radium was a good friend of his, and it would relieve him to search for her. He didn't want to sit around and wait out her disappearance. What good would that do, anyhow? Pressing his lips together, the ten-moon-old tom nodded. "Don't worry," he said, blinking his silver eyes as he addressed Radium's lover. "We'll find her."

Flicking his tail into the air pointedly, the tom's ears twitched. At least he hoped they would find the jet black female. They didn't know how long she had been missing. She could be anywhere. Cosentino had never been much of an optimist, but he tried to find a little hope within himself.

Noting Austere as she came along, the tom slid swiftly to her side and stood beside her protectively. He felt a pang of worry for the beautiful young torbie. If they had captured their Herb, why wouldn't they target a princess? The Skeleton nodded to his gal. "Can't we bring Lex along, as well?" His silver eyes met hers as he tried to send her a message. The tuxedo feline in front of him was obviously in distress, and had asked him to come with him. He didn't want to let Radium's lover down. He seemed depressed already. "It couldn't hurt."

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"Well we don't have to heal him," mumbled the leader's apprentice pointedly as Faithsong padded off. He clawed himself towards the camp as an un-weened kitten of a moon old, carrying kittencough. Nobody had done anything about it, or about his infected wounds. And he was alive and well, was he not? They all had to accustom to BoneClan sometime. He had just started early off. Pressing his lips together, he turned back to face Kexdrop and the others.

Even if he wanted his idea to come into play, Cosentino wasn't going to press the matter. Taking a seat and winding his banded tail over his paws, the Skeleton shrugged apathetically. Hazeleyes had asked a question and he had answered it. The tom tried to have some restraint.

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"Gah!" Cosentino let out a forceful breath as he listened to Austere's words from afar and tried to think of a suitable answer for her riddle. They had had a lot of sparring competitions lately. Perhaps a mind game would change things up a little. Furrowing his nonexistent eyebrows and scrunching his face up, one of the older Skeletons pondered. Sadly, he did not know the answer. Creating a riddle of his own, he nodded enthusiastically before waltzing up to Austere.

"I have one," he meowed, clearing his throat as he prepared to tell of his riddle. "Until I am measured," the tom began cryptically, silver eyes twinkling thoughtfully, "I am not known." Cosentino paused for dramatic affect, letting his words sink in before he continued his riddle. Going on, the silver-blue ticked tabby kept talking.

"Yet how you miss me when I have flown," he finished, letting them answer his riddle. Whiskers twitching, he kept trying to think of an answer for the torbie's question.

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Cosentino himself had been feeling quite bored as of late. The metallic tom needed something to entertain himself. Talking to Austere and battling it out with passing rogues was well and good, but he was tired of his routine and wanted something new. Sadly, the clan was small and it was not likely to happen. The only new things were cats disappearing, and that was not exactly favorable. Silver eyes glinting in the dim light of the caves, the Skeleton's tail swished in the air as he marched forwards with a dutiful air.

"Hello, Brandi!" the tom greeted brightly, noting the daughter of Radium. Of course, the Herb had many children now so it was no use keeping track. However, he felt obligated to know the names of each and every one of his clanmates. Dipping his head to the pretty and shapely figure, he smiled gentlemanly. "How are you?"

The brawny male sat down briskly, tail wrapping around his paws in a large sweeping movement. He wasn't sure why he was all of a sudden acting so happy, but seeing familiar cats tended to brighten his dreary moods.

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"That's great, Austere!" Cosentino grinned and licked her ear affectionately, not minding the missing eye. She would always be beautiful to him, no matter how scratched up or mauled she became. Austere was perfect, and always would be in his eyes. It didn't make any difference, what people said and did to her. She was his gal, and he would always defend her and admire her. The brawny tom smiled, genuinely glad that she had healed alright.

Even though she was looking better and better every day, he missed the moons where he didn't have to worry about her. Now that she had been injured he always felt a pang of worry when he saw her, and felt immediately overprotective. No longer could he cuff her ear without the fear of hurting her. He felt the urge to yell and people who verbally attacked her. She was his whole life.

The Skeleton paused for a moment, and realized that something else was evidently going on. "But what's up, Austere?" he meowed thoughtfully, lightly placing his paw on top of hers. "You look... troubled, I guess. Confused and angry."

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Cosentino quite remember Panoply. But then again, he seemed to know all of the trespassers. He just liked to hang around and help with assessments. The bright ginger she-cat was no new news to him. "Hi, Miss Panoply," he greeted her, banded tail swishing in the air as he waltzed over to Austere and Creed, as well as the tenderfoot. He remembered quite clearly their accepting her. She had been quite the stubborn feline in Cosentino's eyes, but he enjoyed the way she did things.

"How are you enjoying BoneClan so far?" he asked, sitting beside a familiar torbie and draping his tail over her before resting his chin on the top of her head protectively. He had never been one to baby Austere, but now that it seemed she-cats were dropping like flies he wanted to keep her safe. Shatter, Radium, Amani, Hydra... they were all gone. To where, he hadn't the faintest clue.

He knew that some of them were still out there. He could feel it in his blood, in his veins, in his bones. Perhaps they were not all bound by relation, but you made family. You didn't only have to stick with the ones you had. Silver eyes glinting in the light, the tom purred slightly.

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"Yep, it was time!" he grinned in reply to Austere, licking at a paw and drawing it over his ear in a calm, sweeping motion. He began to think of her newest riddle, and pressed his lips together with a thoughtful expression.

"A bleeding Lexlythor," he answered, utilizing the first answer that popped into his head. Cosentino had immediately thought of the tuxedo tom before sheepishly shuffling his paws against the stone floor. "Heh, sorry," he meowed meekly, whiskers twitching with slight amusement. "Not a good joke, my bad." The silver-blue ticked tabby shrugged, still trying to summon a reasonable answer for his gal's riddle. Turning pointedly to Creed with an amused and troubled grin, he shrugged.

What exactly was black and white and red all over? Nothing logical he knew, that was for sure. Except for bleeding, bicolored things. But that was just gross.

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The silver-blue tabby pricked his ears as Hysteria, Rose, and himself reached the forest. Pausing as their mentor halted him, the Skeleton listened intently to what the leader had to say. Gray eyes fixed on the pebble as the golden tabby lanced it across the hollow, he nodded and rose up on his hackles before lightly stalking off.

Sensing something amiss from Rosarypaw, Cosentino decided not to press the matter. The old Rose was fun. The Rose that wanted to finish the sparring match he had so abruptly handed off to Fatale, whom did not have a partner at the time. He wanted that Rose: the stubborn and seemingly fearless one that could be slightly annoying at times but fun. This she-cat, however... well, he didn't know who she was.

Cutting his train off thought off by lowering his chest closer to the ground, just so the furs on his torso did not touch the dirt, he utilized his hunting crouch. The Skeleton moved forward-- quickly, but not as agile as he should have been. Cosentino moved from side to side as he ran, before making sure to stay downwind of the rock so it didn't "scent" him. Pouncing on it, he pretended to sink his ivory teeth into it before standing up and alertly looking back to his two companions.

Silver eyes bright, he regarded the pair eagerly. He wanted his evaluation: things he needed to improve and things that were all right.

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"I love her," the tom meowed absently, pointedly staring at his large paws as he went on speaking. Right now he didn't care who he was in front of. It didn't matter that he was talking to his role model and father figure-- he didn't care that this was his mentor and his leader: his idol. Cosentino was pouring out his heart in soul without knowing it, and suddenly everything else was whisked out of his head in one brisk movement. Pressing his lips together, the Skeleton let out a tight sigh.

"I'd never do anything to hurt her, you know," he turned to face Hysteria, a serious expression having settled on his face. "Honest." He stood up and began to pace around the den worrisomely, thinking about Austere and the hardships they were facing as of late. "I feel like I need to protect her," he explained quietly, stopping his swift and thoughtful stride quite abruptly. "Radium was a close friend of mine, and now she's gone." His silver eyes seemed to burn into the limestone wall opposite from himself. "And Egotist... I..." He broke off, spinning on his heels to face the leader.

"I miss them. And I know I'm not the giddy little kid I was before, but I still haven't forgot Ego. And Radium has to be out there somewhere." There was a larger glint of determination in his eyes, much more sure than he usually carried around. "But now that they're gone, and that Hydra, Shatter, and Jenu are gone... I feel like I need to be around her. More than usual."

Cosentino warily licked his lips, ear tips twitching as he sat down again with a thoughtful expression beginning to ripple across his ever changing face. "I just thought you'd like to now that," he meowed in a quiet tone. "That I love her, I mean. And that I respect her, and that I'd never, ever do anything to hurt her, or something she felt wasn't right." He licked at a paw and drew it over his ear in silence. "I think... I think she used to guide me through life. But now? I feel like I'm guiding her." He wore an expression of malice as he let out a disdainful chuckle.

He missed the days where Austere ordered him around. Now it seemed like she was all to herself, and he was the one coming up with new things and leading her through life. But it may have just been him. Either way, he wanted the old Austere back.

Wherever she was.

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"Radium!" A silver tinted tom noted the presence of their Herb and trotted up to her, smiling broadly at the reappearance of their beloved she-cat. Licking her squarely on the ear in an affectionate and friendly manner, his whiskers twitched with abundant worry. What on earth had happened to her, and why did she seem so happy after being kidnapped. Didn't she know how worried they had all been because of her disappearance?

"Where've you been, for Kiami's sake!" he inquired quickly, in a hushed tone. Standing beside Austere, the Skeleton furrowed his eyebrows and blinked. "We were worrying all over the place," Cosentino remarked matter-of-factually, letting out a small sigh before shrugging.

"Anyways, glad you're back." The stoic tom nodded, letting a smile engulf his maw like it commonly did. He licked at his paw and ran it over his ear with nonchalance. Glancing towards Creedite, the tom nodded. "You can tell us all about it." Chuckling in a jocular manner, he grinned.

"Mind getting me some, while you're at it?" Hysteria's apprentice meowed teasingly, flicking his banded tail over Creed's ear as he spoke. Times were changing, and he knew it. Some were sinking into oblivion, the others growing up and turning into great people. They all needed to get with it, so he would start now. Decisively swishing his tail into the air, Cosentino's ears twitched.

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"Woah," the metallic Skeleton meowed jokingly, steel tinted eyes glinting in the subtle light that streamed in through the cave's entrance. Looking enthralled, Cosentino bounded up to the gathered cats with a twitching tail. "Do my eyes deceive me? Is it... Naminé? Naminé and... Hydra?" He purred his approval and happiness to have the two felines back in their possession. He had thought both of the females had disappeared into thin air.

The older apprentice remembered the two from his kitten days. They'd been kind to him, just like the rest of them had been. Hydra with her silly and entertaining questions, Naminé with her brave and encouraging words. They all had special quirks to them. He was warmed by the nostalgic feel to it all. Sayrian had always been so jocular and entertaining. Austere had regarded him as a goody-two-shoes, but look how things had changed.

"It's nice to see you gals around again," the brawny tom remarked, purring. With twitching whiskers, the tom settled himself down and put his tail over his paws with a flourish. "How are you two?"

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"Hi, Kairi," the brawny older Skeleton meowed gently, his slender yet muscular figure seeming to mystically arise from the shadows in a low arc of movement. He didn't want to stir the Herb-in-Training any more than she already had been, if she was talking about her mother already. He missed Amani, he did. She was the cat who had healed his first injury-- a broken leg, when she had only been training to become an Herb. It made him slightly nostalgic to think about it all, and the tom smiled a bit distantly. The look on his face was pure melancholy.

"Congratulations on your promotion," he added decisively, licking at his paw and swiping it over his ear as his banded tail made relentless arcs in the humid air. Cosentino blinked his silver eyes, trying to read the small girl's facial expressions. Was she desolate and weary? Or was she simply reliving all of the memories they she and the former Herb had shared, just like he was?

The days when Sayrian would ramble about how great Amani was seemed to far behind. BoneClan was changing: whether for better or for worse, he really could not tell. Regarding the array of cats with an easily mustered smile, the trainee conducted a quick nod before letting his facial features soften.

"We all miss Amani," he agreed, wrapping his tail around his large paws. "But of course she wouldn't want you to die. And she might not be dead, either." There was always that sliver of hope, even for those who truly weren't optimists.

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Promotions were one of the few good things that changed around BoneClan camp, as Cosentino recalled. New hierarchy was a fine turn of events, as long as the proper cats filled the places of leadership. Clearly hearing the leader's call from his place inside of the cave system, the Skeleton raised his head and trotted out of the small tunnel before placing himself in front of Hysteria.

Lately he had been concerned about the rule of their group. It seemed like no one was around anymore-- like they were dying off. His mentor had opened new ambitions to him. He aspired to someday lead, and he knew that it took patience. Hysteria had taught him that.

The older apprentice tilted his head up to get a clearer view of his leader, concrete colored optics glinting with evident excitement in the dim light of the area as he focused in on the large golden tabby. The brawny silver feline licked at a paw before driving it over his ear in a brisk motion, curious as to what Hysteria was going to say.

Cosentino wrapped his banded tail over his paws, ears twitching with nonchalance. He new many deserving cats around, and he was sure they'd receive something during the meeting. Spine straight and ears pricked at alert, he waited for the leader to speak.

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"Oh, wow." Cosentino was slightly dumbfounded by the sight of a snow leopard cub within Blackrain's wide and gaping jaws. Not in a million years would he have pictured such a light and delicate creature in the brute feline's mouth. Approaching the gathered slender figures, the Skeleton looked to his friend Radium and blinked his seemingly enigmatic gray eyes.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" the silver and blue ticked tabby offered, licking at at his paw nonchalantly. It was true that he felt a need to assist in these kind of situations. He didn't really see the harm in it. After all, it could only help.

Once again he looked at the small kitten like it was some kind of alien. It seemed impossible that Blackrain had purposely... well, mated with someone and created it. Shrugging his wonderings off, his tail tip twitched in midair.

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Listening intently to the leader's speech, he nodded through Hysteria's words. He agreed that BoneClan didn't seem to have significantly changed with their lack of deputies. It was evident that he missed the content lot of felines, but change was in order and he would respect the clan's decisions. If he was leading, he probably would have done it himself. Cosentino couldn't deny that it seemed like their former hierarchy had been a bit... distant? It just hadn't seemed like they were around.

And then came the next announcement-- word of a new position. Blinking as the golden tabby went on about the Omen-in-Training, he nodded slowly. But suddenly, his name was mentioned. The stoic silver-blue ticked tabby nearly choked on the spit he had been swallowing before unraveling himself and stepping forwards with a thumping heart.

Him, promoted? He wouldn't have imagined this! After all, he had come from another clan as a groveling kitten. Somehow things had escalated from there, but all this time he had only been ambitious. He hadn't expected this.

Humbly shuffling forwards as he grinned congratulations to two of his friends, Creed and Presposterouspaw, he nodded. "I accept the position," he meowed, shakily dipping his head towards his mentor.

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He had been completely dumbfounded about his promotion, but he decided to to dwell about the whys and hows and rather get to work! The fresh Omen-in-Training dutifully padded towards the kitten, silver eyes glinting with inquisition. Cosentino's ears twitched as he let out a small yawn. "What are you doing here?" the tom inquired curiously, tail tip twitching in the air.

In all honesty, fitting his new position didn't seem much different from what he had done as a regular Skeleton. He was more often than not present at the assessments of new cats, and he took his part in what was needed to accept the feline into the clan. He liked fighting-- he certainly proved better at it than he did hunting.

Hysteria's apprentice decided to ramble on within his head about it any more. What happened had happened and he was thankful. Cosentino tended to undermine himself and the others would probably appreciate that he was finally starting to get a feel of how they all felt about him.

"Do you wish to join?" he questioned, not feeling the need to immediately shoo the kitten off the territory like some of the other Omens did. He was certainly a bit more subtle than the rest of them, but that was just him. He wasn't the type to be entirely harsh. The metallic tom sat, blinking his silver eyes slowly.

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He recognized that scent.

It pained him to remember it all. It was the pungent smell of memories. Well, it was the smell of badgers, to be precise. Cosentino recognized the acrid fragrance in the air, although he didn't know that it had a sentimental value to Hazeleyes like it did to him. He had killed a baby badger with Austere in his first moons living in BoneClan. Oh, how things had changed since then.

Shatter, Jenu, Amani, Coffee, Egotist, Havoc. They all seemed to be gone. His attitude and outlook on the world had changed. Austere and him seemed to be growing distant. He was slowly making his way up the ladder that was life. Maybe battling along with the Omen would give him release.

Standing up from his watch post just barely within the cave, Cosentino cautiously followed Hazeleyes' scent before reaching her. She looked majestic and ready-- prepared to plunge herself into what was sure to be a dutiful battle. The silver-blue ticked tabby gave her a nod before plunging up the hill towards her, not wanting to stir the burly badgers on the other end.

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The metallic tom chuckled a bit at the reminder of his plan to have a cat run over some pointy stones through a tunnel of outstretched claws. He had thought it a great idea at the time, but in retrospect it would just be a waste of time (and herbs, as Faithsong had pointed out). Stepping forwards and regarding the kit with a curt nod, he sat down in front of him. He had wanted to think out of the box and whatnot, but right now he could on remember the usual. Perhaps he'd tweak it a bit.

Distancing himself from the kitten, he suggested something that would require drastic levels of restraint from himself. Eyeing the kitten with calm gray eyes, he nodded and collected himself. "I will sit here," he informed the small kitten, "and will not dodge or retort your attacks. If you can place any significant injuries on me, then you will gain entry to BoneClan." His silver optics flicked over to Hazeleyes, asking for approval of any sort, but he just shook his head and turned back to his opponent of sorts.

It was a kitten. How wonderful and fighting could he really be? Dutifully straightening his spine up, the large and brawny tom waited for the first blow. "You may begin," he meowed, a small smile creeping up onto his face as he eyed Toxic.

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Grinning wildly as he plunged himself, along with Hazeleyes, into the heart of the battle, Cosentino let out a low growl and a laugh. The badger beside him swiping as his side was so refreshing, and it made him feel so powerful. He wasn't falling. Tiny droplets of blood spurted at his flanks, and it stung. But it didn't hurt. Adrenaline pushed him forward, and so was the fact that this was what he had been made to do.

The tom cat rammed himself into one of the creature's sides, not knocking it over but unbalancing it so that is wobbled on it's boxy paws. While it was momentarily stunned, he took advantage of the situation and slashed it across the face. One of its eyes were slashed into shreds, and the badger retaliating with a blow that knocked the Omen-in-Training over. Head spinning, he attempted to get up, but was hampered by the creature slashing at his shoulder and adding to his array of scars. The mammal attempted to injure him again, but this time he dodged and ducked under a shining claw.

Cosentino stood up once more, silver eyes glinting with more determination than they seemed to have ever had before. Fur bristling on his shoulders, he got onto his opponent's blind side and pushed himself off the ground, onto its shoulder. Suddenly feeling a gut-wrenching sense of terror as he seemed to ride the animal's bad, the metallic tabby suddenly grinned. Hysteria had taught him exactly how to do this.

Unsheathing his claws into the badger's back, he tore through the thing's skin and bit down on its neck before it collapsed and the feline slid off of its back. It wasn't dead-- he knew that quite well. Carefully eyeing it, the tom jumped as it sliced under his legs, but it was too late. It had caused no real damage, but many marks were evident along his lean limbs. Wincing, he turned back to the thing and spat before slicing it across the stomach and dutifully taking a step back as it gargled.

His head was spinning, he noted, as he sat down. Scarlet blood was pouring from his sides, and his numbness of adrenaline was beginning to fade. However, he was still exhilarated from the heat of the battle, and so he would finish it all of. Moving onto the next badger, he continued to staying near its backside.

What he didn't know was the badger that he had just "killed" wasn't dead. It was dying, but it was not dead. The badger rose to its paws, waltzing up to Cosentino before it bowled him over and the battle begun again. He slashed and kicked and eventually got the thing off, but did not succeed without multiple blows to his arms and legs. Smiling broadly, he charged towards the badger without realizing how lightheaded he felt.

He'd finish this thing off. He wasn't about to step down from a fight.