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Post by wireclaw on Oct 30, 2004 19:30:55 GMT -5
The car jerked to a halt, a bedraggled cat flying from it. She smelled of grease and Thunderpath, looked like liquid silver. Scrambling from the car, she looked around. Why had Steelstar banished her? All she had done was help out a lost forest cat in the city- the big leader or StoneClan had snarled- "Help the forest cats, you might as well be one!" And now- here she was, lost and alone...
Wireclaw had never been away from the city before, the smells here were strange and unnerving. "All this green stuff..." she muttered, heading towards some rocks, a familiar grey. "Bet there ain't a decent rat or pigeon here, all this thin air must scare 'em away."
She curled up on the rocks for a little doze in the sun..............................
Waking up, she came face to face with a sunning adder!
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Post by Icestar on Oct 30, 2004 20:21:10 GMT -5
Icestar was out patrolling the boundaries. So far she had passed Shadowclan without any sign of the cats from that clan near the border. The Thunderpath had been mostly silent, but she knew that at this time of day there were not many monsters on the Thunderpath. She decided to pass by Snakerocks on her way back to the Thunderclan camp. Padding carefully, she sniffed the air and immediatly caught the scent of a cat. She did not recognize the scent of a clan. Instead she realized that this cat was from the city. A kittypet perhaps? Then she rounded the rocks and saw to her horror that an adder was near the cat, sunning itself on the rocks. The leader of Thunderclan bounded onto the rocks, swatting the adder away with a swift paw. The snake was still slow from the cold morning air, and she turned to the cat.
"Hurry now, while it is stunned!"
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Post by wireclaw on Oct 30, 2004 21:57:04 GMT -5
Not questioning the reprieve from the snake- she lept from the rocks and gasped a thank you to Icestar.
"We have adders in StoneClan, but never that bold!"
she exclaimed. She sized up the other cat. She reminded her vaugely of Steelstar, she had a Leader's aura. "Who are you, and where am I? Do they have Clans here?"
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Post by Icestar on Oct 30, 2004 23:05:58 GMT -5
Icestar scrutinzied the other cat for a moment. Obviously she wasn't a kittypet; she had mentioned a clan.
"My name is Icestar. I lead Thunderclan." She indicated they should move deeper into the forest with a flick of her tail. As they walked, shed continued. "At first I thought you were a kittypet, but you say you are from anotehr clan? I don't recognize any clans familiar to me, at least. In this land there are four clans: Thunderclan, Shadowclan, Riverclan, and Windclan."
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Post by wireclaw on Oct 31, 2004 0:46:05 GMT -5
"Kittypet?" scoffed Wireclaw, "No more am I a Kittypet than you are one of the barbaric savages that Steelstar would have us believe forest cats are. I come from Stoneclan, we live'n the great twoleg city as strays and believe me, it ain't easy. But our territory expands with the twolegs- instead of shrinking as they grow land-hungry. Actually," her green eyes turned mournful, "I shouldn't say 'we' anymore since Steelstar banished me to this weird green place..."
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Post by Icestar on Nov 1, 2004 16:49:05 GMT -5
Icestar cast a puzzled glance at the city cat. "Why did your clan leader cast you out? I didn't know that we were thought of as savages in the city clans." Her expression became amused. "I suppose you must've expected me to be vicious and heartless?" She laughed pleasantly, showing the other cat she meant no hard feelings. "That is all right. We of the forest are different from the city cats, that is all."
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Post by wireclaw on Nov 2, 2004 2:46:26 GMT -5
"Something like that," Wirestar said diffidently. "As for Steelstar throwing me out..." she stopped, uncomfortable to be talking about Clan matters with an outsider, but plunged on. "I guess it all started when savag- forest cats stole two of our kits, Ashfur and Carjump's Sootkit and Shardkit." she looked sad. "We started searching, found their battered bodies by Highway 50- I think you call it Thunderpath? Anyway, Carjump came to me in anger, me being deputy, and Steelstar being at Highstones. He confronted me with the bodies of his kits, Ashfur also, and they asked me to hunt down the murderer. I came upon a big dark tomcat with the kit's scent all over him. He had big front claws, smelled a lot like you. My apprentice was with me and-" she broke off.
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Post by Icestar on Nov 2, 2004 14:42:04 GMT -5
Icestar frowned. "I don't recall Thunderclan gaining two outsider kits. Perhaps one of the other clans are responsible for this. It sounds like you met Darkpelt, one of the warriors from Windclan." She flicked her tail. "But it could have been another warrior." She cocked her head. "Please, continue."
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Post by wireclaw on Nov 3, 2004 2:47:06 GMT -5
Wireclaw nodded. "He attacked. My apprentice was killed, I was nearly killed. It was foolish to try to fight him in the weird green place, him being a savag- forest cat. I told Hammerpaw to stay home, and I thought he had..." she bowed her head. "Eventually, the warrior assumed I was dead too, and left me. I lay there unable to move for I don't know how long until a sa- forest cat came. This one saw I was alive and helped me. As soon as I was well, I ran. But a few days later he was in the city and got in some trouble with some local street dogs, I helped him and-" she sighed, "Now I'm here."
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Post by Icestar on Nov 3, 2004 16:03:48 GMT -5
Icestar nodded, her confusion clearing. "So your clan leader exiled you from the clan because you helped a forest cat." She looked at the other cat. "I'm sorry about your apprentice. Where do you intend to go now?"
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Post by wireclaw on Nov 4, 2004 2:32:18 GMT -5
"I don't know." she shrugged. "Wherever fate takes me, I suppose. I thought I'd be going to Starclan when I boarded that truck.... I just hope I can figure out how to live here in this green place. How do you smell anything with the stink of all these plants?"
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Post by Icestar on Nov 4, 2004 10:12:18 GMT -5
Icestar hid a smile. "Oh, I'm sure you'll get used to it." She paused, thinking hard for a moment. "If you wish, you may come with me to my clan's camp. Normally we don't take in outsiders, but I think that we might make an exception. Just come and see it for yourself, and tell me what you think." She waited for the other cat's reply, wondering how she would respond. After all, they came from very different backgrounds, but she wasn't a kittypet, and had obivously proven herself as a warrior, having been the deputy for her old clan.
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Post by wireclaw on Nov 5, 2004 5:57:37 GMT -5
Wirestar dipped her head respectfully. "Thank you, but no thank you. I doubt I could faithfully serve a Clan not StoneClan, and I doubt your clan would accept a city cat." The silver warrior turned to leave, then paused- "Yes, show the boundries of your territory, please? It is against the Covenant my clan honors to hunt on another Clan ground, not to mention rude."
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Post by Icestar on Nov 5, 2004 10:50:00 GMT -5
Icestar nodded, understanding the cats decision. "Very well, but you will be welcome in our clan lands. Friends are always welcome." She flicked her tail for Wireclaw to follow her. "Follow me and I shall show you our clan boundaries."
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Post by wireclaw on Nov 5, 2004 21:33:34 GMT -5
The silver tabby bounded off after Icestar at a loping, slow run. It was normally used to navigate alleys and junkyards, tottally useless in this forest but it was what she was used to in closed in places. When they reached Thunderpath, Wireclaw stopped.
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Post by Icestar on Nov 6, 2004 0:54:10 GMT -5
Icestar did not move to approach the Thunderpath, she just nodded in it's direction. "Across that is Shadowclan territory." She began to pad away from it, moving along the clan boundaries once again. "The Thunderpath is dangerous, I'm sure you know that, so we normally avoid it."
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Post by wireclaw on Nov 6, 2004 10:06:44 GMT -5
"Highway 50?" she asked, "Dangerous? Oh, yeah if you aren't fast, I guess, and streetwise. But I suppose you wouldn't think walking through those bloody, closed in woods of yours dangerous. You could get lost and I don't know how you hunt, with no decent pigeons or rats..." She padded onto the edge of Thunderpath. "I guess I'll wait here for a truck going my way. You know what a truck is, right? They're the things with open backs you can jump in." Wireclaw smiled wanly, "I expect there is another city, somewhere. Thanks for saving my tail and all..."
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Post by Icestar on Nov 6, 2004 17:55:13 GMT -5
Icestar was taken aback by Wireclaw's familiarity with the Thunderpath. "You must live around 'highways' like this in the city. I suppose our two worlds are quite different. She paused. "Where will you go from here? If you wish, I could at least show you the woods, perhaps teach you a few things? And then you could tell me about this city where you lived."
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Post by wireclaw on Nov 7, 2004 0:08:59 GMT -5
She paused. "Sure. That'd be nice to know a little about these woodlands- a truck won't be along for awhile anyway." She jumped off thunderpath. "You are right to say there are many in the city they aren't all highways, though. The crisscross every building, every place- you can't hunt decently without crossing two, at least. Most are unused- we call 'em alleys." She looked away wistfully. "Our camp was in an abandoned greenhouse- an indoor garden."
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Post by Icestar on Nov 8, 2004 13:31:38 GMT -5
Icestar tried to imagine the scenes that Wireclaw described. It seemed to foreign, yet it also seemed exciting, to think of a world totally different from the forest. Shaking these thoughts away, she smiled. "Very well then, let's head further into clan territory. We'll head for Sunningrocks first."
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Post by wireclaw on Nov 9, 2004 4:14:27 GMT -5
Following Icestar, Wireclaw asked wonderingly, "How do you you hunt here, and what? I would get totally lost..."
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Post by Icestar on Nov 9, 2004 12:26:27 GMT -5
Icestar paused and looked around her. "I was born in these woods, and my mentor, Highstar, trained me in the forest. I know all of these rocks, and bushes, and trees. I could show you the best places to catch a mouse, or a squirrel." She closed her eyes for a moment. "I know these smells, and can sort through them easily, and these sounds." The cat opened her eyes and looked once more at Wireclaw. "It must be so different in the city. You'll learn, I can see that you are a warrior, and so you must adapt or you will not survive. You'll learn to stalk through holly bushes without making a sound, and how to creep through grass at the right angle to attack a rabbit. Every smell, you'll become used to it, and every sound, you'll learn what it means."
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Post by wireclaw on Nov 10, 2004 3:08:37 GMT -5
"If I stay in the forest." said Wireclaw softly. "But even if I do learn all that, what? I'll be a loner- I can't imagine not having a clan..." the warrior's voice got softer as she spoke, and finally broke. She was not as tough as she liked to seem and she couldn't imagine life without Stoneclan. No more arguments with Steelstar, no more wrestling with Smogpelt or racing with Carjump or sneaking into twoleg stores for pranks or sharing freshkill with her friends or....
The former deputy swallowed hard. Maybe there would be a Stoneclan or some clan in the city she went to, and she could have learned how to track kitstealers through the forest and... wouldn't... be.... exiled again....
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Post by Icestar on Nov 10, 2004 14:00:06 GMT -5
Icestar looked at Wireclaw with concern. "There will always be a place in Thunderclan for you, if you ever desire to become part of a clan in the forest. But if not, then I will help you find what you look for, and try to get you back to your clan. Perhaps once you find the real culprit, you will be let back into your old clan."
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Post by wireclaw on Nov 11, 2004 1:46:03 GMT -5
Wireclaw's heart leapt. "You think so?" she asked excitedly. It really wasn't her normal behavior, but right now she didn't exactly feel normal....
"May I meet this Thunderclan?" she asked hesitantly.
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Post by Icestar on Nov 11, 2004 21:15:57 GMT -5
Icestar nodded. "Normally clans do not accept outsiders into their clan, but I think we can make an exception with you. I will speak with my clan, and see what they think. But before that, you may come and see my camp." She indicated that Wirclaw should follow her, and she led her deeper into the territory, heading for the Thunderclan camp.
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Post by wireclaw on Nov 12, 2004 2:20:21 GMT -5
Wireclaw pondered the forest cat's words as she followed her. The trees closed in- the only sound was silence. Wireclaw looked around nervously. She hated silence. Where were the barking dogs and screaming vendors, roaring cars and laughing twolegs? More convinced than ever she would never fit into forest life or a forest Clan, she shook her head and continued towards this 'Thunderclan'.
((Is this going to move to the ThunderClan camp thread?))
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Post by Icestar on Nov 12, 2004 16:30:29 GMT -5
((Yes, I'll start a new thread in the Camp ;D ))
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Post by wireclaw on Nov 12, 2004 22:48:09 GMT -5
((  ok)) |
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ok))