Sootpaw

"Excuse me, Owlstar." Sootpaw spoke up, dipping his head in respect. Much to Hawktalon's dismay, Sootpaw would use his smooth words to try to find a place to stay. "If you would please excuse my intrusion, I have a proposition." Questioning leadership was typically looked down upon, but he was willing to take his chances. "I may be speaking out of turn, but among your very.. humble and tight knit clan, I can't help but notice that there are few cats present at the moment." He politely sat down, showing no signs of offense. "As previous Shadowclan cats, we were taught that there is power in numbers. I am not one to challenge a leader's decisions, however, I believe I would be a very helpful asset to this clan. Things I have learned living alone, especially about the areas surrounding your borders, would do nothing but benefit you." Sootpaw spoke with respectful conviction.

Hawktalon

Hawktalon watched in silence, as she was definitely the quieter of the two. She wasn't one to attempt to bargain, but her brother was quite good at it it seemed. Maybe that's how he managed to survive alone for this long? Her amber gaze shifted front her brother's near black pelt to Owlstar, hoping there would be even a sliver of hope he would give Sootpaw the chance to prove himself useful and trustworthy.

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Mudpaw

Mudpaw slowly followed Cicadapaw behind as he finally reached the apprentice dens passage, he was about to sit with Cicadapaw when he noticed an unfamiliar scent lingering throughout the camp.

He quickly glanced outside the den, curious as to who the foreign scent belonged to. There he saw Hawktalon and Owlstar with…who is that? Why would they bring a stranger to our camp, and more, what was Owljump thinking?

Mudpaw looked at the small she-cat next to him. “Cicadapaw, do you know who that is?” he asked, maybe Cicadapaw knows what's going on?

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Toby
"Than that's settled." he curled back up against her, eyelids drooping as he finally began to feel tired. "I'd do anything to make you happy, Gentlebreeze." He looked up into her soft blue eyes, and began to purr as he watched the rain fall. He rested his fluffy tail on her flank, before allowing himself to fully relax, his breathing becoming deep and even as he drifted off, muzzle pressed into Gentlebreeze's fur. The sun hadn't quite set fully yet, but the cloud cover had served to darken the sky, and bring a slight chill to the air. Toby snuggled closer to Gentlebreeze, hoping that his thick orange fur would keep them both pleasantly warm. The dogs barking had entirely died down, leaving the twoleg place mostly quiet, apart from the normal sounds of his housefolk puttering about, and the distant roar of monsters racing down the thunderpath, quiet enough that it could be mistaken for the wind.

Owlstar
He appreciated the show of respect, but he still felt somewhat uncertain. The clan did need more warriors, but he couldn't be certain if he could trust this rouge. And yet, Hawktalon, one of his senior warriors was vouching for the tim. "Strength in numbers is a valuable advantage, yes, but only if those numbers are properly trained. You still have your apprentice name, and life as a loner couldn't have sharpened your skills much." His words were rather blunt, but Owlstar wasn't in the mood for careful banter. Owlstar was still standing, looking down at the younger tom. Soundlessly, he muttered a prayer to his ancestors, hoping he wasn't making a mistake. "If you can prove that your advice and skills will benefit my clan, I'll let you stay until Sunhigh tomorrow, where I'll speak with my deputy and senior warriors, and make a final decision. Until then, you can stay." Owlstar flicked his tail irritably. A stranger in camp, two of his warriors and his medicine cat gone.

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Hawktalon

Hawktalon smiled softly, a low purr audible that Sootpaw was being given a chance. "Thank you Owlstar. Even though he is my brother, I understand your concerns, and will keep a watchful eye on him." As much as she was glad she had kin, she still saw more loyalty towards her clan. She glanced at Sootpaw, and while she had a look of care, she also had a look that portrayed unease. Being alone for so long may have had an effect on him, but surely it was something that could be fixed.

Sootpaw

Sootpaw felt his pelt warm up in success. He had been given a chance to prove he was worthy of being part of a clan again. He dipped his head. "I'll prove myself to you and the clan, Owlstar. Thank you for this opportunity." He felt the gazes of Cicadapaw and Mudpaw on his pelt. As he looked towards the direction of the stares, his yellow eyes were enough to scare kits. Let alone apprentices. He wasn't sure if he was just bad with younger cats, or if it was his sudden appearance that made them uncomfortable.

Hawktalon

"I will escort him to the nursery, and after your meeting later, hopefully you won't mind me assessing his hunting and fighting skills." Her tail tapped on Sootpaw's shoulder. "I will also take it upon myself to check for any potential rogues or loners, since this was my suggestion. Hopefully that is alright?"

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Hemlockshade's gaze drifts away when Nettlesnap and Palewind leave, watching them go with notes of disbelief. Oh? They just...left? Whilst there was a stranger in camp? No care at all?

His expression soured considerably. What warrior does that? If it has been an attack, anything could've happened. Dear Starclan. Pineclan was good in theory, but it was quite clear that in practice, they closely resembled a band of rouges playing clan cats.

He rises up, watching the interaction between Owlstar, Hawktalon and the newcomer. They certainly had a way with words, though the hidden meaning between them was pretty clear.

He stands up and saunters over to the entrance of the camp, peering out. They were missing three cats, and the weather wasn't on their side. He might've offered to go out and fetch them, but then that would just mean him being gone as well. Instead of flashes Owlstar a look of pure exasperation. What a clan they were shaping out to be, huh?


-


When Mudpaw suddenly speaks, Cicadapaw holds back a shriek of surprise. Lost in thought over the stranger, she had almost forgotten he was there.

She turns her head to address him properly, straightening herself so she looks a little less unsure. "I'm not sure. Hawktalon said that he was her half brother." She gives a helpless shrug. "But he's still got his apprentice name. I guess he was in Shadowclan and left during his apprenticeship." Though that was odd, wasn't it? Why would an apprentice leave? Had something happened? She was curious as to how someone could survive like that. It was a worrying thought for sure. Though it seemed his stay wasn't permanent, so at least Owlstar wasn't just accepting cats into the clan.

He was a good leader - not that she knew any other leader - and she was sure that any decision he made would be a good one. Though, that didn't stop the prickle of unease.

She jerks back sharply when she makes eye contact with the rouge, letting out an audible squeak. She struggles to keep that calm 'Im not scared at all' pose, though it's very difficult.

"Im sure there's no need to worry." She mumbles, more to reassure herself then anything. "Owlstar is a good leader. He wouldn't let just anyone join the clan."

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Owlstar
He glanced over at Hemlockshade, sharing his friend's feelings of exasperation. If Palewind wasn't the cat he was supposed to be rewarding, he would have plenty to say to the two cats. They were supposed to be a clan, for Starclan's sake! He would not have them look like a group of kits acting at playing warrior, especially with a stranger in camp. He needed to get his cats more battle ready, but a competition was clearly not the way to go. Should he just order more training? Again, he wished for the advice of his deputy, or Rustbelly, one of the senior warriors. But the life of a leader in these times was a lonely one, it seemed. Why shouldn't he simply order his cats to train? He quickly glanced over at Hawktalon, weighing her words for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Show him to the nursery, and get him settled. If he wants any prey, he'll have to wait until the feast starts. If you find any strangers, don't hesitate to use fang and claw if the situation calls for it. One loner on the borders is enough."

Owlstar paced around the clearing, his temper rising with every pawstep. He needed a better way to release his anger and pent up energy, but this wasn't the time to spar. He hadn't been able to drag out Thrushtail, so it seemed all he could do for now was stay in camp, and wait for Palewind and Nettlesnap to walk back in. It made his hackles rise, but he didn't want even more cats aimlessly wandering the forest. After Hawktalon had left to show her half-brother around, Owlstar returned to his den for a moment, making sure his little fragment of the moonstone was still secure in its place, before he returned to pacing the clearing. After he had gotten his sudden anger back under control, he sat down over by Hemlockshade, mostly ignoring the drops of rain that hit his pelt. Of course, the storm would pick this moment to blow in, coming from the east, where the twolegplace was. It was probably raining harder over there.

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Hemlockshade's ears flatten when a droplet hits his nose, shaking his head as it flicks off. However that drop is followed by another, and then another. Oh great, it was raining. And, by the looks of the dark sky, would carry on for awhile. Hopefully it stopped by morning, he couldn't say he was looking forward to trodding through wet earth.

He watches Owlstar pace before disappearing into his den. He stands again to cover the fresh kill pile with some old strips of bark and sticks, making a canopy of sorts to protect the food against the incoming elements. No one likes wet prey after all, and it would spoil before long if soaked. The thought of sour prey was something he'd like to avoid, a sentiment he was sure everyone would share.

He settles back down by the camp entrance after that, and is shortly joined by the leader. He spares him a glance, noting the others expression. He's not looking too pleased, which is fair, all things considered.

"Are you going to hold off the ceremony until tomorrow?" He inquires. "Rains coming down, it'll only get worse. And you don't look like you're in an award giving mood."

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Gentlebreeze

"Than that's settled." Toby suddenly mewed, curling up again. "I'd do anything to make you happy, Gentlebreeze." he purred, and she licked his cheek affectionately. A soft hum came from Gentlebreeze as she purred. She felt his fluffy tail on her side and she mrrowed happily. The feline lowered her head slowly, as to not disturb Toby. She pressed her muzzle into his fur, and she felt him snuggle closer. Gentlebreeze's soft blue eyes drooped now, sometimes fluttering closed. "I love you." she whispered quietly, before watching the rain. The rhythmic beat of the rainfall on the object above soothed her. The warmth shared between the two cats was comforting. Gentlebreeze couldn't imagine a life without Toby, not anymore. If Owlstar demanded Toby to be chased out, she wouldn't be scared to snap at the leader. Usually she was timid about speaking to the leader and deputy, but she would do anything to secure Toby's place in her clan.

It was hard to be a medicine cat. Forbidden to have a mate or kits. She never liked that rule, she admitted that she did envy the Queens in the clan. They had beautiful kits and a loving mate. Gentlebreeze could always feel her throat tightening when she watched the families.

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Nettlesnap

Rain. Not a fan of it. The cold drenched his thin pelt and forced him to shudder, ears flattening back to his skull. Nettlesnap muttered a curse to starclan under his breath and darted ahead.

He skidded to a halt a few tail lengths away from camp, remembering Palewind a little behind. The tom lifts his head and waits under a tree for the older clan blood whilst he shook his fur off, hissing when leaves and damp twigs stick to his soaked fur.

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Palewind

The she cat trotted into camp her ears against her head, she sighed deeply seeing as how Sootpaw was still here she assumed he was allowed to stay. She looked towards Nettlesnap, she felt she could relate to the Tom more than her other clan mates who had been born into the clan. She had always felt different from them but still did her best to fit in. She tried her best to always think about what they would do and rather than what she would do. She found herself often comparing herself to the clan born cats and even sometimes Nettlesnap. She didn’t like it, she didn’t like thinking her clanmates would treat her differently just because she wasn’t clan born.

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Nettlesnap

He follows after quickly, trying his best to keep a steady pace. His gaze was drawn to the conversation once more and he pricked his ears to hear more, but wasn't willing to stay out in the rain long enough to get context on the situation. The tom huffed and redirected his gaze to the warrior's den that was surprisingly still intact.

'I'm getting out of the rain, you should too. Unless you want to look like a wet bird, then be my guest.' Nettlesnap meowed to Palewind, silently hoping she'd come too. It was so quiet in the warrior's den, the older clan bloods never spoke to him, most he got was sour looks. He flinched visibly at the crack of thunder, stifling a strained hiss and trying to brush off his fear, licking the fur on his chest with masked embarrassment. The tom spared a glance to the leader, hearing his heart beating in his ears as he tried to figure out if Owlstar or any other cats had seen. He couldn't have the clan's view on him be flawed even more then it already was..

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Owlstar
He watched Hemlockshade flick off the raindrops, nose wrinkling slightly when they just kept coming. Their spot next to the camp entrance wasn't the most sheltered place in camp, but Owlstar wanted to make sure nobody else was thinking about sneaking out of camp. Any apprentice that had done what Nettlesnap and Palewind had done would've been confined to camp cleaning the elder's den for moons. He wasn't about to waste the talents of two good warriors like that, but there would certainly be repercussions. He turned to Hemlockshade on response to his comment, flicking his ears to get a bit of rain off. "I probably will have to delay the ceremony at this point. No sense in forcing everyone to stand out in the rain, even though it might build some character."

Owlstar flexed his paws slightly, partiality unsheathing his claws. "I wouldn't give Palewind an award today if Starclan froze over. What was she thinking, running off like that right before her award!' He stopped speaking as Palewind and Nettlesnap returned to camp, his angry words tapering off into a short growl. Such stubborn cats! It wasn't outsider blood that was at fault, he knew, but a simple quirk of personality that he unfortunately had to deal with. Getting to his paws, he walked over towards the pair, ears pinned back in anger. "Palewind. Nettlesnap. It's simply so nice to see you back from your little walk through the woods." Owlstar could easily recognize the sarcasm dripping from his words, but paid it no mind. "The award giving has been postponed, due to the rain. Same pretty much goes for the feast, although I would like everyone to get some beaver now rather than later. There's more than plenty to go around.' His last few words had been loud enough for the whole clan to hear, so he settled back over by Hemlockshade.

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Palewind

Her ears fell flat.” I….I saw that Rustbelly hadn’t gone and looked for Gentlebreeze like you asked, and so I thought since she was probably just in the territory looking for herbs that we’d find her easily.” She stated staring at the ground feeling the need to explain herself to the leader as she glanced at Nettlesnap. She had honestly thought that they would have found Gentlebreeze with ease but they hadn’t and she felt embarrassed.

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Nettlesnap

His eyes widened at the leader's confrontation, his tail tip twitching as he straightened his posture a little. The tom growled softly at the clear sarcasm that practically emanated from Owlstar's words and he couldn't help but feel annoyed. What was the problem? The ceremony was cancelled anyway so they hadn't missed anything. 'Nothing happened, and we still vaguely found out where she was..' He hissed through gritted teeth. He and Palewind jsd just gone for a little and they had been trying to help, he couldn't see the bad thing about that. Clanbloods..

Nettlesnap spared a glance in Palewind's direction, unsure of why she seemed so uneasy. The way she spoke made his eyes narrow, shown weakness catching his attention. The tom bit his tongue and brushed the tip of her tail against her flank in an attempt to reassure her, his claws flexing against the ground uncomfortably.

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Owlstar
"While I do appreciate that you were trying to help, you can't just wander off, especially with a stranger in camp. I asked Rustbelly to track down Gentlebreeze because she is a senior warrior, and I knew that if it took longer than expected, her absence wouldn't put the entire ceremony on hold." Owlstar noticed Nettlesnap bristle, and resumed speaking before the tom could interrupt. Owlstar knew that Nettlesnap was rather sensitive about his origins, but honestly. "It isn't because you aren't descended from the four clans, or anything of the kind. You aren't kits, and I shouldn't have to treat you like them."

//Shorter one because I'm about to miss my bus aaa

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