Posts by Stoneteller .

"My mortal enemy ... Hawk!" She hisses back playfully, tail lashing in amusement. Her and Hawk, enemies? Ha! Like they could find anything to really fight about. Seeing him like this in such a better state than when he'd been all holed up and alone - unfortunately that had passed on to his sister, Owl, who was watching them. Hawk dives in for another fast attack and she understand what hes trying to do. Show that he's fine, he can still handle his job. With a soft smile at the kind action, she falls dramatically backwards, because his hits hurt. "Oh .... a fatal injury ... how can I come back from this?" She acts before leaping up to batter his face with gentle paws - why were her claws out?? - she slid them back in just a second before making contact with his face. Surprised again, she stops battering and waits for Hawk, not understanding that in an attack you needed to keep making contact.

You always had a mixed bag of emotions in the nursery - the pushy, overconfident kits who thought they'd become Stoneteller by yelling hard enough, and the ones those kits pushed into the shadows, like Snipe. She was one of Owl and Veils kids and it was so strange, to see her late brothers face in that of a kits. To see it be a sad, lonely face as well was heartbreaking! "Hey Snipe!" Valley calls over cheerfully, breaking through any sort of notion that Snipe had that she should be alone. No kit should be alone. Valley hooks the mossball back to the kit, tail waving playfully. "Looking for a partner to play with? Your den mates to scared to take you on?"

Ah, Snipe thought she looked scary? Valley can't help her burst of laughter, tail flicking over Snipes' pelt. "Kid, I'm sorry to say it but with Veil as your dad, there's no question you'd end up looking scary!" The dark grey of the kits pelt, a heavy reminder of her brothers own pelt, though the kits' size was undoubtedly from Owl's own genes. "Veils and my mother, your grandma, was Sky with No Moon. She could cut mountains down with just a single look! There's strength in looking intimidating so it's not a bad thing!" She goes on to say, attempting to raise her little neices' spirits. "I'd much rather have your size than mine being all made of fur. You'd be a great cave-guard, y'know?"

The Stonetellers of the Tribe, they were the rocks, the foundations, that carried the Tribe on their back. Healing their hurts, soothing their worries, leading them to battles, settling alliances or conflicts. They had the world on their shoulders, mounting pressure in their minds, all the time. They needed support - those close to them to help balance the load, but piece by piece, Owls' support had been failing. Her to-be, her closest friend, her mate .... those who had remained had tried to help.

Now, seeing Owl screech in pain with nothing around her, Valley holds back tears. Nothing is going to help their Stoneteller. She's lost it all. She's gone.

"Owl..." Valley says, a tail coming up for Owls' back, trying desperately to calm down the Stoneteller. "Please ... there's nothing here. Please, come back to us for a second, there's nothing biting you ... you're safe."

He had looked as shocked as she felt - claws feeling like ice as they drew in. She gives in the fight, immediately. Was it normal to have claws drawn for an inexperienced fighter? No idea. Hawk sweeps her legs out and to her horror, her throat catches on a growl, his paws battering her stomach with a playful glee. She ramps her growl into something more playful, laughing and admitting defeat. "Yes ... but now my mate will avenge you." She grins, in time for Lion to burst onto the scene like a sun ray, taking up Hawk on his next challenge. "Get him Lio!"

Concerned about her own strange violent attacks, she wanders over to sit by Owl, cheering on Lion from the side.

Stories ... Owl, Harrier and Talon had been siblings around for longer than she could have dreamed. What wonderful tales did they have under their tongues? Lion has already dashed over and she skids by the nursery, ducking her head in. "Snipe? Uncle Harrier's about to tell a story if you want to come and listen!" She encourages, though she doesn't know what type of story Harrier will tell. Hopefully nothing too violent.

// storytime? Snipe of Muddy Waters

A herb patrol - the Stoneteller, after her violent reaction to air attacking her, Valleys' not sure she'd be up for doing this. She want's to try and help out by gathering herbs, unfortunately her brain holds the same amount of information as a mouses. That's to say, nothing. It's all air between her ears. "Tribe! I'm planning a herb patrol! Could someone come with? I don't want to forget where I am, or what we are searching for." It's a bashful admission, light paws swiping the ground. "We need Willowherb, for one of the elders joints. Broom as well, since one of the prey-hunters got a broken leg. Don't think there's anything else ... we should be able to find them all near either Windclan or Darkclan borders!" She enthuses, hoping for some to come along and help remember these.

"Haha! Really?" Valley purrs in delight. Another cat with a spotty memory, where they a match made in the stars then? Her own memory could only hold bits and pieces of information, but she worked around it. Was Spider like that too? "Ah, don't worry about it. I would have forgot soon after you said it anyway!" She laughs, getting settled near the nervous sounding cat. "Thanks for going out to hunt! I know the cave-guards can get a bit snipey being out there for so long, but they don't understand the patience needed for a good catch like this!"

Owls' call to gather is a sharp shock, knocking Valley out of her laughter filled chatter with another prey-hunter. It had been so long to hear that kind of call, that the Stoneteller must be feeling better, right? Bright green eyes follow Owls' call, brushing beside Lion in a quiet greeting to her mate. He'd been busy lately, darting around camp and offering a level control to the cave-guards under his care. Ah, she wished she could do the same. Most days she forgot she even had the position, forgot that Mink was no longer there to soak up information like a sponge. If not for the feathers twined in her dark pelt, she likely would forget altogether.

"She seems happier, doesn't she?" She whispers to Lion, excited to see Owl standing there again. Happy might be too strong a word though.

A shadow at the dens entrance casts relief over her - it's Veil! He'll know what to do! Mom? And the figure shrinks, to the size of a to-be, pacing towards them, Veils kit. Lion brings herbs, and Snipe offers the comfort. There's nothing she can give here, except to be confused. Her eyes land on the poppy seeds - yeah. They could start with getting Owl to her nest. "Maybe we should uh ... get you to your nest. Curl up with Snipe, see if you feel better?" Valley asks, heart tugging with worry. Hopefully it was just a trapped nerve or ticks and not something ... something worse. "I know you've been trying to do more lately but you might need more ... time."

Valley knew Owl had been pushing herself, maybe even too much, to get onto these stones and speak to them. Eyes turn to Lion at the announcement that prey-hunters and cave-guards must stick to their duties. In a childish tone, she murmurs to her mate who is paying much more attention, "No more hunting dates? That sucks..." Not even thinking of the true extent of Owls' new law.

Ah, the apologies turn into thanks for her friends. Even an untouchable Stoneteller needed time to recover, they might have powers of ToEH but they weren't immune to exhaustion, anger and all emotions that came with grief. In excitement, she watches as Lion is given a feather, ooh a new tradition? It looks nice twined into his golden pelt, a symbol of respect he was well deserving of. "Woah, it looks cool!" She whispers excitedly, flicking the new feather with a proud grin. "You deserve it so much Lio!" She licks his shoulder before turning to watch Hawks own ceremony. Ha, maybe with this new boost of confidence, he'll go and tell Eve how he really feels.

Our ancestors showed me who my successor will be, and I chose to ignore them

The confession makes Valley swallow, hard. So, it was official then. Mink was not .... Mink was gone. Every day without a new Stoneteller being chosen, her heart had rose in hope, eagerly looking to the entrance where their kind and smart Stoneteller To-Be would surely walk back in. That hope crumbles and sheds to ash with Owls' words. It hurts but it can scar and heal, with a new dependable To-Be to guide them. Her eyes flick to Lion, to Hawk, to Harrier, even to little Snipe, pelt raising in anticipation. The norweigan cat stalks toward them, to Lion, oh this must mean the ToEH chose him! How exciting, he -

The feather is at her paws.

It's oil slick black, a void where other cats should be standing in this crowd. This has to be a joke. A way to lighten the mood. There's no way - there is no way - the ToEH who didn't speak to her on Tellings, that shunned her, that knew she had almost killed an elder by overdosing him with herbs (who, at this announcement, had got up in the dead silence, and left the cave entirely) there is no way they saw 'potential' in her. Owl must know that. Owl knows that, and it all becomes clear why she hadn't said anything. The Tribe needed stability, dependable, reliable cats, they needed heroes - they needed Veil back - not her.

Shocked green eyes stare into amber. Owl was serious. Not able to think except this is wrong, you know this is wrong, why didn't you lie and chose someone better, a voice slips into her head.

Accept it. Take it. I crave this - take it.

"I - I accept." Valley blunders clumsily, sitting shocked still.

// long but congrats to everyone who got a shoutout!! (and thank you sm!!! ;w; we'll do our best!!)

Grinning to see her mate, Valley wonders if they'll be the only two on this patrol. A few other cats gather to bulk up their numbers, and maybe other familiar faces will join them on the way down to the clan borders. "Alright! I'll count on you to remember what we need then, you've got the brains for it." She snickers, heading out of the cave and starting for the border. There's a strange scent in the air, that isn't Darkclan and isn't the Tribe. Searching for herbs, she doesn't pick up on it, but there is a stranger lingering near their borders for sure.

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It gets tough to sit there and listen to her brothers name be tossed around like a ghost, a memory. She knows how Snipe feels. When Sky with no Moon had passed, she felt that she needed to become a prey-hunter although her frame suggests her to be a cave-guard. It had been a hard journey and not one she would wish Snipe to go through as well. Snipes path, it was her own to make. "If it hadn't been Veil it would have been another Tribe member ..." she whispers, looking to Lion, who she knew would throw himself to the ends of the earth for their Tribe. "Veil did what he had to do, and he thought we'd be strong enough to go on without him. And it's true, okay? He's watching over us now and muttering that he wishes he had your height at his age." She cracks a sad grin, running a tail over Snipes back, offering a clumsy comfort.

// i love snipe sm ;w;

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The only reason she wasn't stuck in a den crying was because of her memory. Maybe it seemed cruel, callous to forget her own brother had sacrificed himself, but it's not like she tried to forget. It slipped away like sand- kind of like how Lion was slipping towards Owl, eager to do what he could to help out the Tribe. Trying to match the enthusiasm, she bounds up next to him with a grin. "I'll take one too! Maybe one I can bring some other prey-hunters along for?"

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Casting a fond look at Lion, her tail trails over his back for a moment as she goes ahead to try and sniff out these herbs. Willowherb was pink and in a patch of grass in the snow, she sees them, bounding over, clueless to Lion getting more cautious from the new smell. "Aha! Got you." She cheers, reaching down to clumsily nip the stems of them. Should she use claws? Shrugging, she slides them out, before whirling to Hawk in surprise. "Hawk!" She laughs in relief, struggling to pull her claws back in.

"Nope, not interrupting this is an all business patrol." She grins, before Hawk starts getting nervous, coming closer. Happily and cowardly, she hides behind Hawk and Lions larger pelts, peering out around them. "I can't smell anything! What do you think it is? Shouldn't we wait to see if its a threat?" She babbles nervously, meeting Hawks and Lions eyes rapidly.

// roanne jump in anytime love !

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Poppy seeds, lavender for relaxing ... maybe Valley would follow Owl around with them laced into her pelt to settle the Stonetellers mind. Though maybe she just needed the space. Owl seems receptive to needing the rest, tugging Snipe along with her. Valley looks down proudly at the little mirage of Veil, wherever her path took her, she was going to be great. To Lion, she nudges him slightly, motioning they should probably leave the two cats alone. "Owl ... we'll take over the Tribe activities for the day, okay? Just rest up. I'll get someone to come by with prey." She hoped Lion would know what to do in this strange situation, he'd already mustered up herbs to help. "What should we tell the Tribe?" She tries to ask him. How honest could they be about Owls strange activity?

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It's dark. The clouds above hadn't shifted since Owl ended the meeting. Valley, still rife with shock and confusion, had tried to look for a comforting face, an older face that would know what she should be doing now. Met with cold stares and shoulders, she'd retreated back into the nests, seeking out comfort from Lion. He wouldn't even look at her. Miserable, ears flat, she stares at the Stonetellers den. She had gone in there as a to-be to a previous Stoneteller, but not like this. Never like this. Should she go there now? It felt strange, wrong.

Paws carry her up the rocky slope to the cave, seeing the hulking shadow of Owl inside, amber eyes peering out at her. She doesn't cross the entrance. Instead, she settles down at the front of the cave, staring at the dark sky with no stars. Head on her paws, Valley whispers quietly into the den, hoping Owl was asleep and would ignore her. "You could tell them it was a mistake. I know it's not good to lie but, the Tribe above ... it has to be a mistake." Still, her paw flicks at the oil black feather Owl had gifted her. "I don't know why they're not talking to us at Tellings or giving us any clues about this weather and decided to play a prank instead, heh, but the Tribe trusts you. They know you're doing what you can, and what needs to be done." Please ... we both know this isn't right. There are supposed to be two other bodies resting with you now, and neither of them are.

// angst angst angst Owl That Flies At Night

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Joints! Startled at the call for herbs, Valley runs into the Stonteller den, eyes frantically looking over the herbs. Was it a leafy thing, for joints? Or a seed? These things? She grabs the foxglove seeds before hearing footsteps plod heavily into the den. Panic attacks her. I'm not ready to help yet, Owl can do it!! She rushes behind a curve in the rock, and peers out to see what herbs should have been picked. Her heart aches to see the golden pelt of Lion inside the cave, ears back in a sorry state, the right herbs in his paw.

It's been miserable without him lately. Something was on his mind but he wouldn't talk to her and she felt very alone and judged in this new position, that wasn't fit for her at all. Sighing, she puts the foxglove seeds back and peers out curiously from afar as Lion and Lizard deal with the elder. Is it always this hard? Had Veil and Owl had the same problems?

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Before, Valley would have run up to greet Lion as he was on duty, purring in greeting, rambling about the great catches they'd made, interrupting him staring off into the distance. Sometimes she thought he was guarding what was inside his memories more than he guarded the Tribe. She'd gathered bits and pieces of his life before the Tribe, and was always eager to learn whatever Lion would share. Now, she hesitated before going over, an ominous black feather threaded to her pelt.

Approaching nervously, she tries to read his face. "Hey Lio ..." She could still use a fond nickname, right? "Something on your mind?"

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"Woah...." Valley breathes out, taking in the entire scene. The deep red sky, striked with oranges and pinks looked stunning over the mountains. The light flooded over a whole prize worth of prey, a baby hawk, was that a rabbit even? Flowers lay beside two soft nests, and Valley absolutely melts at the sight. "Lio!! This is amazing! It must have taken you so much time, but it looks so good!" She purrs, nosing into his side and cheek in elation. Ah, Lion was so good ... she could never even dream up a scene like this!

It's so exciting! She has to think of something to give Lion back, but for now they should relax and chat like mates do. Racing to one nest, she purrs loudly, "This is so soft! Did you hunt down all the prey yourself? Nah, these kills are so clean, it'd be super impressive if you did. When would you even have time to!" Chattering away, her eyes won't leave Lions, so happy to be together with him. "Flowers too!" She curls a paw over the flowers, relishing how beautiful they are.

// so late ,, but its here skks

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