Posts by Gojira

"Old tom?" Shrivel grunted then dug his claws into the ground, bracing himself for Lavenderpaw's leap. He furiously batted at her ears with sheathed claws as she bit into his fur. He lashed his tail then reared up on his hind paws, readying himself to slam his paws down on the smaller apprentice. He brought them down hard, but Lavenderpaw dodged to the side; obviously much more nimble than he was, though he would've caught her tail if it had still been there. "Maybe it's an advantage not having it!" He puffed then crouched, ready to leap onto Lavenderpaw's shoulders.

Shrivel let out a mrrow of surprise as Lavenderpaw landed on his shoulders. He stumbled forward and tried to stop himself from crashing, but his paws slipped on the wet swampy ground and he fell onto his side. He growled and tried to roll himself over, but Lavenderpaw landed with her paws on him as she held him down. "That's much better," he puffed.

Shrivel hauled himself up with Lavenderpaw's help. He shook out his fur and looked at her with a hint of pride gleaming in his eyes. "I'd say; if you still had it, I would've nabbed it ages ago." He motioned for Lavenderpaw to follow him as he started making his way back to camp. He sniffed a bit, trying to figure out where they had come from; the gnarled and crooked trees of this place really seemed to throw him off and the air was heavy with rain, though he eventually found their stale scent trail and started to follow it back. "I think you've earned a nice piece of prey," he nodded with approval. He secretly hoped that Lavenderpaw had forgotten about asking where he'd come from so he would've have to embarrass himself just yet.

Shrivel looked a bit curious as he padded along side Lavenderpaw. Crowstorm had never mentioned anything to him about how the lot of them ended up where they were and he had always thought that it was a bit strange to be living in such a dark and damp place. "Betrayed?" It was a pretty harsh word, but then again, Crowstorm had a pretty hot temper. "What exactly happened?" Shrivel asked as his eyes rounded a bit, lowering his voice a bit as they kept on the path back to camp.

Shrivel's eyes rounded with surprise. "They killed a cat?" His pelt prickled with unease as he glanced towards the direction of the camp. He was now questioning even staying here, with cats that would be willing to do something like that to anyone else. He shook out his pelt, as if shaking the thoughts from his mind. He's never threatened me and I suppose I can do my best to help everyone else if they need it. He turned his attention to Lavenderpaw. "I'm sure he is, though I'm not to sure what StarClan is myself."

Shrivel nodded and he trusted Lavenderpaw's word, but he figured he'd keep an eye on both of them; just in case. "I've noticed how angry he gets," he murmured quietly. "Even around his kits; he must have felt really hurt." His pelt prickled and he shook his head. "Not that I'm saying he was right for doing what he did." He shrugged and slipped in to camp, just in time to see Crowstorm's tail quickly disappear into Laurelsong's den. He tipped his head to the side then shrugged it off before padded over to the freshkill pile.

Shrivel raised a brow as Raven bounced around him. "That's because she doesn't want you getting into trouble again," he purred and flashed Raven a mischievous look. He continued his way over to the freshkill pile, dragging the little kit alone by his paw. "If you've been good, I'll give you a badger ride or two." He meowed as he hooked a plump looking bird from the prey pile.

Shrikeclaw nodded as he pricked his ears, looking in the direction of Laurelsong's den. He blinked as he snapped back to Lavenderpaw then purred. "Training was better?" He asked curiously and glanced back at the she-cat's tail. "I guess it's harder to catch now."

Crowstorm's eyes were narrowed as he loomed over Laurelsong in her den, the tip of his tail flicking back and forth. "I killed him," he hissed and dug his claws into the dirt floor of the den. "I know I did, how did he come back!?" The thought of how he could never win against Rowanstar made him angrier and angrier.

Laurelsong shifted nervously on her paws, though she tried not to let her unease show. "It must be something to do with StarClan," she murmured then turned to the moss she had collected earlier that morning. Her fur bristled when Crowstorm growled and asked her more questiones, she flinched backwards and looked at him with wide eyes. "I d-don't know," she stammered and swallowed hard. She hated the idea of bringing Crowstorm to the MoonCaves, but maybe it was something that StarClan wanted; for them to be a real Clan too. She forced her fur flat then looked to Crowstorm. "I can take you to the MoonStone at nightfall," she sighed at last.

Shrivel settled himself down, pulling his bird closer with both paws. "Well if your mother says you have then I believe you." He touched the tip of his tail to Raven's nose then took a bite from his prey, crunching on it a bit loud; he didn't realize how hungry he had gotten after training with Lavenderpaw.

Shrikeclaw's eyes rounded in confusion. "Distracted by what?" He meowed innocently and blinked at Lavenderpaw. He curled his tail close to his side and tucked his paws under himself. "I think I would've been a good mentor," he mumbled, looking a bit offended, but there was a mischievous gleam in his eye and he obviously wasn't hurt at all.

Crowstorm stared intently at Laurelsong for a moment or two then turned, whisking his tail as he did. "Good," he hissed then quickly slipped out of the den. He trudged across the clearing, muttering to himself with narrowed eyes.

Shrivel ate his meal quickly then rose to his paws, shaking out his ruffled pelt. "Come on you," he grunted then helped Raven up onto his shoulders. "Hang on," he huffed then started to parade around the camp as the angriest badger that'd he'd ever seen; pouncing and hopping around the clearing with the little kit on his shoulders, though not enough for her to be sent from his back.

Shrikeclaw felt a pang in his chest as he listened to Lavenderpaw. Of course she wants to go back, she must miss everyone, he thought sadly. He wished desperately that she would stay here, know that he could never go back himself, but he knew that Lavenderpaw would be much happier with Tigerstripe and the others. He nodded quietly, pretending not to hear the last part she had mentioned as he turned his attention to Soot and Shade, who were scuffling and rough-housing in the clear. "I hope I get to mentor one of them too, it must be fun," he purred.

Shrivel jumped a bit, surprised by Night's sudden appearance. He forced his fur flat and took notice of the sleeping kits and made sure to stay as quiet as he could, so not to wake them. "I'm not sure," he meowed and glanced over his shoulder just in time to see the tip of Crowstorm's tail disappear out of the camp. "He said something about MoonCaves or stones or something." He then looked back to night and shrugged his shoulders. "And something else about StarClan." He looked a bit skeptical for a moment then shook his head silently.

Shrivel nodded, though he was somewhat interested in the whole "warrior" thing that Crowstorm had gone on about recently. He gave a slight purr and looked to Night. "If he's not back by then, I'll go out and look for him myself." He gave her a reassuring nod then quietly padded towards his nest.

Crowstorm padded quickly after Laurelsong as she lead the way to the MoonCaves. He took note of which direction they were going, in case he ever needed to come back this way on his own. "Are we almost there?" He hissed, fixing his narrowed gaze on his sister.

Laurelsong tensed at Crowstorm's voice, almost afraid that he was going to pounce on her at any moment. "Almost," she murmured as she approached the mouth of the tunnel that lead deep down into the caves of the Moonstone. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears and she looked around warily; she knew Ghoststep often visited the Moonstone and her biggest fear was running into him now, especially with Crowstorm waiting impatiently behind her. She took a deep breath then flicked her tail for her brother to follow her then made her way into the caves.

Crowstorm blinked his amber eyes as he peered around the darkness. He felt it somewhat comforting in the pitch black and pressing walls of the cave. He could tell Laurelsong was nervous, but he stayed quiet, feeling the tip of her tail with his whiskers ever so often so he wouldn't end up getting lost. After what seemed like an eternity, the narrow tunnels opened up into a large cave and Crowstorm had to squint his eyes against the light. Crystals hung from the ceiling and sprouted up from the ground like flowers, and there was one massive one in the middle surrounded by a pool of water. "Whoa," he breathed and followed his sister over to the stone. She instructed him to drink from the pool and once he did, Crowstorm started to feel drowsy. He blinked at Lauresong before his eyes closed.

Once he opened his eyes, he looked around and realized he was no longer in the cave or with the Moonstone. He was now in a familiar place, with a dark sky and glowing mushrooms that grew on the bottoms of crooked and gnarled tree roots. His eyes grew wide then flickered with excitement as he recognized a familiar dark gray pelt padding towards him. "Darkecho!" He called as the massive tom padded towards Crowstorm, followed by a group of other cats; mostly ones that Crowstorm didn't know.

Darkecho narrowed his eyes and lifted his chin, looking Crowstorm over like a piece of prey. He then let out a hearty purr and gave the black tom a quick dip of his head. "Well done, my apprentice. You've done well to get rid of that snakeheart and form your own Clan." He took a pace forward and circled around Crowstorm. "However, to be a real Clan leader, you must have the lives to protect it." He scanned around the group of assembled cats who nodded and murmured in agreement. "So I'm glad you've come; we can give them to you."

Crowstorm's body shuddered with pain after each new life he received. After Cranefeather took a step back from him, he say another cat take her place. This one was skinny with white fur and a long scar that ran from his ear all the way down to his belly. He announced himself as Snowtuft and gave Crowstorm the life of determination. The next one stepped up, Redwillow, and the tom gave him the life of bravery. Every time one cat gave him a life, another would take their place; Sparrowfeather the life of endurance, Rushtooth the life of strength, Darkstripe the life of pride and Silverhawk the life of resilience. With every life he received, Crowstorm felt like his paws were going to give out from under him, but they were rooted to the ground. His legs shook as he looked up at the final cat that approached him; Darkecho. The huge gray tom looked at him proudly and Crowstorm braced himself for his final life.

Darkecho let a devious purr rumble in his throat as he padded closer to Crowstorm. "Crowstorm. You've completed your StarClan training," he paused and glanced around the group of cats who all gave him amused glances then he turned his attention back on the black tom. "And now I am ready to give you your final life. I, Darkecho of ShadowClan, give you the life of instincts. Always trust your insticts, Crowstorm. They will never fail you." He touched his nose to the top of Crowstorm's head, feeling the young tom shudder with pain then took a step away from him. "We now welcome you, Crowstar of CrowClan."

Crowstar woke with a jolt, scrambling to his paws before he realized that he was back in the cave with Laurelsong. He looked around as his fur bristled then tried to blinked the bleariness from his eyes.

Laurelsong's eyes rounded with concern. "What happened? Are you alright?" She asked, giving him a once over to make sure there wasn't anything physically wrong with him.

Crowstar slowly nodded, glancing to his sister then he puffed out his chest a bit. "I'm Crowstar now," he announced and flicked his tail in the direction they had come from. "And we're called CrowClan." He nodded his head to Laurelsong, silently telling her to lead him back. She stared at him for a moment or two then began to lead him back out through the caves and to the forest.

Linnetcloud leaned closer to Dovekit and rasped her tongue between the she-kit's ears. "It's alright, Dovekit." Concern flashed in her eyes as she watched Dovekit try to wiggled into her way into her fur. "It's just a bad dream," Linnetcloud assured her, speaking softly.

Wheatkit stretched out his paws, being woken up by both Dovekit and Linnetcloud. "She's probably just hungry," he mumbled then let out a massive yawn before curling his paws around his face and trying to block out the warm sun that was hurting his sleepy eyes.

Rowanstar drowsily lifted his head as Ghoststep walked in. He let out a yawn and shook his head. The wound still ached, but it wasn't something he couldn't handle. "I think I'm alright," he meowed to the medicine cat and tucked his paws under himself as he tried to get comfortable. "It's still a bit sore, though." He stretched his neck up a bit so Ghoststep could get a better look at the wound.

Linnetcloud frowned as she watched Dovekit; she didn't know what to do about bad dreams, or even if she could do anything at all. At a loss for words, she wrapped her tail around Dovekit and continued to comfort her the best she could, rasping her tongue between the little kit's ears as she did.

"They're just dreams, silly!" Wheatkit squeaked and crawled on top of Dovekit, sprawling out over her. "Maybe you just had too much to eat before sleeping." He stretched again then pinned his ears back in embarrassment as his tiny belly let out a loud rumble.

Crowstar looked at the kits as he quietly padded into the den, making sure not to wake them. He turned to Night and brushed his cheek against her's. "Of course I made it back," he whispered as his eyes glittered in the dim light. "And with nine lives." He announced excitedly.

Rowanstar nodded a bit and shifted in his nest. "I honestly didn't believe it myself," he meowed and glanced down at the floor of the den. I still wished the conversation with Crowstorm went better, just so Foxfur wouldn't feel so down about it anymore. He was quiet for a few heartbeats then looked at Ghoststep curiously. "How is Foxfur?" He had to keep reminding himself about the kits, he still couldn't believe that his own kits would be here and bouncing around the clearing soon enough.

Wheatkit fell over with a thump. "Oof!" He squeaked as he landed on his chin. He rose to his paws and shook out his fur, giving Dovekit a look. He then bounded out of the den and into the clearing. "Fine, I'm going to get breakfast!"

Linnetcloud watched the little tom go, but was still concerned about Dovekit's strange dreams. They're just dreams, she told herself as she got to her paws. They can't hurt her. She touched her nose to the top of Dovekit's head. "Come on, I'm sure your brother will come up with some game to play and you'll forget all about it." Linnetcloud tried not to sound doubtful, but she had noticed how often Dovekit seemed to be having these bad dreams. She nudged the little kit with her nose then made her way towards the medicine den and sat outside, waiting for Ghoststep to return.

A soft purr rumbled in Crowstar's throat as he settled down beside Night. "I plan on it," he meowed and glanced to the kits, who were still balled up together in a pile. He narrowed his eyes, looking thoughtful for a moment or two. I plan on taking them, not losing them. Suddenly feeling exhausted from his ceremony and the trip to the Moonstone, Crowstar let out a yawn and rested his head on his paws then closed his eyes.

Rowanstar's eyes lit up and he tried to peer out into the clearing. He could hear Wheatkit and Dovekit in the clearing and pride swelled in his chest as he thought of his own kits playing with them. "Thanks, Ghoststep," he purred as he looked back to the medicine cat.

Wheatkit eyed Dovekit warily as he wrapped his paws around his bird. "Are you gonna push me again?" He asked, whiskers twitching. When she shook her head, Wheatkit sighed and pushed the piece of prey between them. "Okay then," he mewed. "We can share."

Shrivel shook his head as he padded along side Lavenderpaw. "He went to something called the MoonCaves," he grunted as he launched himself up onto a massive gnarled tree root. He parted his jaws to scent the air then hopped back down on the other side. "Going on about StarClan or whatever." His eyes rounded a bit and he looked at Lavenderpaw curiously. "That sort of stuff can't be real, right?"

Linnetcloud shook her head, watching Dovekit closely then turned and slipped into Ghoststep's den. She waited for him to follow her in then looked at the medicine cat with eyes full of concern. "I'm really worried about Dovekit," she sighed and peeked back out into the clearing at the kits. "She says she keeps having terrible dreams about a dark place." Her ears drooped a bit and turned her attention back to Ghoststep. "You talk about dreams and stuff, can't you do something?" She frowned. "How am I supposed to protect her from dreams?"

Shrivel blinked in surprise and he watched Lavenderpaw. "Well," he paused for a moment, unsure if he should be honest with the apprentice's sudden reaction. "That's exactly what he was talking about actually." He tipped his head to the side. "That's just a bunch of stories though, isn't it?" He chuckled with disbelief. "It must be, a cat with more than one life is ridiculous!"

Linnetcloud looked even more worried, not realizing that Dovekit had spoken to Ghoststep before about her dreams and even more so now that she knew they were about cats fighting. She curled her tail over her paws and frowned. "She said it was a dark place with dead trees and no prey or anything." She sighed and looked to Ghoststep. "She was talking to Foxfur about it, but I swear I could her her mumbling something about the Clan to herself."

Shrivel still seemed a bit skeptical, but didn't argue on it any more. If it was true, then he realized he'd have to deal with Crowstar a lot longer than he had thought before and something about the black tom had made him feel uneasy lately. He shook out his fur then shrugged. "Well, I've never seen any StarClan before, but you guys believe it so strongly. Maybe it is a really thing."

Linnetcloud only nodded, though she was still worried about Dovekit. "Thank you," she sighed and brushed her cheek quickly against Ghoststep's. She stared at him for a heartbeat or two then slipped out of the den and over to the prey pile to join Dovekit and Wheatkit.

Crowstar was speaking with Sunstrike and Shrikeclaw when he noticed Shrivel and Lavenderpaw come in down the slope. "Finally!" He exclaimed and beckoned them both over with a flick of his tail. He waited until he joined the others then bounded over to the large tree that hung over the edge of the camp. He scrambled up it quickly and made his way to the think branch. He paused a moment, looking down at the gathered cats below. He narrowed his eyes as a look of triumph crossed his face. "Last night I visited the Moonstone and StarClan gave me my nine lives. I'm Crowstar and we are now know as CrowClan!" He purred a bit when everyone seemed to look surprised except for Laurelsong, who seemed to have a look of guilt as she stared at her paws. "And the first thing I want to do is make Shrivel a full warrior." He waved the tom over with an eager flick of his tail.

Shrivel dropped the rat he was carrying and his mouth gaped open in surprise. "What?" Was the only thing he was able to get out of his mouth.

Crowstar nodded and didn't bother waiting for Shrivel to make his way over. "From this moment on, you will be known as Shriveltail and we welcome you as a full member of CrowClan." He kneaded at the branch, tearing at the bark excitedly. Before anyone had a chance to react to Shriveltail's new name, Crowstar spoke again. "Shriveltail will also be the new deputy of CrowClan."

Sunstrike frowned and nodded, casting a sideways glance to Poppyfoot. She still didn't quiet understand the whole "StarClan" thing, but she was sure if Boulderstar was there, then Crowstar never would've had a chance at getting nine lives. "Maybe he's just full of it," she suggested with a flick of a tail.

Crowstar nodded excitedly as he made his way back down the tree and landed next to Raven. "That's right." He purred as he looked down at the kits, watching Soot and Shade scamper over as well. "And maybe someday you could be too."

Shade and Soot exchanged a glance, Soot looking just as excitable as his father. Shade was less impressed, but still liked the idea of being something like Crowstar.

Laurelsong lifted her gaze, tucking her paws close to herself as she crouched next to the huge tree. Her eyes were full of guilt as she exchanged glances with Sunstrike, Lavenderpaw and Poppyfoot. I really wish I hadn't brought him, but what would he had done if I didn't? She shuddered at the thought then quietly got to her paws and hurried to her den, disappearing inside of it.