Break of Dawn [open]

[Semper]

Well-groomed, midnight fur rippled as the warrior stretched, flexing his claws and yawning. Warm breath left his parted jaws as he breathed, creating little clouds in the crisp, early morning air. Sunlight chased away the darkness of the night, casting a pale glow over the landscape that most would not consider beautiful. However, as Hiddenheart looked around the familiar clearing that housed ShadowClan's camp, he could see a different beauty in it, something cats of a different clan could never appreciate. A light frost dusted the ground and brambles surrounding the camp glittered as the sunlight struck them.

But the quality that the quiet ShadowClan warrior appreciated the most was the silence that came with dawn. Most birds, though they were not nearly as common as the song birds he heard resided in ThunderClan's forest, started their songs right at the break of day. However, if he listened hard, he always thought that he heard--or rather, did not hear--a split-second of silence, perhaps more, before they began to sing. Within the camp itself, no kits ran and tumbled about, ending up underfoot. Even most the warriors and eager apprentices still slept in their den, not to wake until the sun had risen a little higher. The early ones, such as himself, tended to talk in low voices, as if not wanting to disturb the early morning peace, or go off to hunt on his own, as Hiddenheart considered doing.

Casting an amber eyed glance to the prey pile, Hiddenheart noticed that it was fairly well stocked, considering that it was leaf-bare. However, that was not a reason to not leave camp. Though he enjoyed hunting and the challenge that sometimes came with it, as no two catches were ever the same, the ebony tom also valued wandering ShadowClan's territory. Muddy as it may be, it had been his home even before he was born, and he had learned to appreciate it when other cats may hardly spare it a glance.

After a brief hesitation, the tom turned his gaze away from the pile and directed his paws out the entrance of the camp. The sunlight slowly chased away the shadows of the night, and though he made a habit of skulking in them, Hiddenheart could live without. Anyway, it was likely that he was the only cat up, or one of a few; with a territory as large as ShadowClan's, it was unlikely that he would run into another cat. He had no reason to hide, not that he ever did, of course. As he padded along, Hiddenheart noted with slight interest that he had woken in a particularly good mood. Perhaps he would tolerate a conversation with a cat, should he stumble upon one; if that cat was lucky, he or she may actually see genuine interest in the fairly secretive warrior. For a tom having grown up in ShadowClan, surrounded by his clanmates, Hiddenheart knew that most did not know a lot about him; this did not bother him, in fact he appreciated the fact half the time.

But now, Hiddenheart mused as he looked around the landscape, which appeared lacking in any feline except himself, Now, I might welcome a conversation. An intellectual one of course, for decent conversations--ones consisting of something other than small talk--are hard to come by.

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[Shizuka]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true] [bg=black] An ungroomed, ruffled dark gray pelt appeared in the warrior's den's entrance, as Rockettail made his way past snoozing bodies to the entrance. His fur was too short to get matted, but anyone could see it needed at least an hour of grooming. But even if he did take the time to try and straighten up his ragged pelt, his fur was just the right shade of gray so that it was dark enough to not really be a recognizably warm gray, but just light enough so that it did not shine glossy in the sun like those midnight black cats' pelts did. Instead, his pelt gave off a dull, texture-less luster free existence, and the wild aura about him. Nonchalantly, as he always did, Rockettail parted his jaws wide and released a huge, loud, and obnoxious yawn, then grabbed for himself from the fresh-kill pile a plump looking mouse. Even eating, he took no notice of others' stares as he chomped and gulped noisily on his prey. For some reason he did not understand, most of the other cats, even from his own clan, seemed not to trust the wild, scrawny looking cat. His pure blue eyes always seemed to give off some dangerous, rogue look, fitting the way he kept his pelt. But Rockettail, as bright a tom as he was, simply found life to be as always when he just ignored the shunning looks of his clan, and did as he was told. He was sticking out his pink tongue and smacking his lips, having finished off the very last morsel of mouse, when the leader himself, Whirlstar, came over. Rockettail quickly swallowed what was still in his throat, and dipped his head politely, and greeted the leader in his harsh voice. "Morning, Whirlstar! What's up?" He meowed with a big grin stretching from ear to ear. For such a strange looking cat, he was one of those who can't fine a reason why not to be cheerful. Whirlstar simply nodded, his calm expression showing that he had gotten used to Rockettail's rash manners, and replied. "You and Nightfeather are on today's hunting patrol. Could you pass on the message to Nightfeather?" Rockettail's grin only got bigger as he raised a paw and playfully swatted Whirlstar on the shoulder, receiving an instantaneous glare from the leader. "Sure thing, dude! I'll go find her right away!" He yowled in reply. At this point, any normal warrior would see Whirlstar's twitching tail as a warning. But Whirlstar then grunted in reply, and turned back toward his den, confident at least that Rockettail indeed would do as he was told. Rockettail ran out the camp entrance right away then, and soon found himself nearly bumping into the ever so quiet Hiddenheart, a senior warrior. "Woah there, I didn't notice you, Hiddenheart!" Rockettail meowed teasingly, dipping his head briefly before asking, "By the way, just in case, have you seen Nightfeather around?" ooc: No intelligent conversations today! poor Hiddenheart xD words: 490~ muse: well, I managed to write this... tags: Hiddenheart and Nightfeather

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[Semper]

Rush pawsteps were the only warning he had before a large, dark gray thing rocketted towards him. Amber eyes widened and in the second it took his brain to register that the thing was headed toward him, he stood there, startled. However, instinct kicked in and he leapt out of the way, barely missing the impact. As soon as he landed and regained his composure, eyes narrowed and he turned back to the offender, identifying that the thing was indeed a feline. Further inspection showed Rockettail. Inside, Hiddenheart let out an exhasperated and annoyed sigh; outside, he nodded stiffly and tried to fight against the urge to go back and disappear in the forest. When he had thought about an intelligent conversation, this cat had not come to mind. Far from it.

However, he could not change the past. Rockettail's voice cut him from his thoughts, which was probably a good thing, he mused wryly. The other tom's caused amusement to flash through him. No, most cats tended to not see him. That was the purpose of the way he took advantage of his midnight fur; it would not make sense to be visible when he wanted to be invisible. And really, if his clan did not expect to see him, then they would not; cats only saw what they expected. Barely anyone looked futher. But this was Rockettail, he reminded himself, cutting back the first sarcastic comment that had leapt to his tongue. Instead he managed a short, "Yes, I noticed that," his voice dry. "And no, I have not seen Nightfeather around. You are the only sign of alert feline life that I have seen today."

[Night]

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[bg=black] Nightfeather had just woken up from a good night's sleep, and she stretched outside of the den, feeling her pelt soak up some sun. The air was cold, but her black pelt provided her with a little extra warmth. The camp was already buzzing with activity, and the black she-cat purred happily. She was glad that everyone was starting to get active in the mornings. Surely it meant that warmer moons were on the way. Deciding that it was a nice morning for a walk, she headed out of the camp entrance and watched as the territory came to life as the sun headed higher into the sky. Along the way, she noticed two cats off in the distance, the toms Rockettail and Hiddenheart by the scent of it. Her amber eyes reflected a little confusion at the sight. It was rare to see Hiddenheart talking to others, let alone Rockettail who was known for his crazy spirit and fun personality. Smiling, Nightfeather trotted up to the two toms, her pelt a little ruffled from the cold. "Good morning Hiddenheart, Rockettail." She greeted, dipping her head politely to the senior warrior and smiling at Rockettail. "What seems to be going on? Anything important?" The black she-cat asked, her eyes reflecting the early-morning sun. o o c || I love Rockettail's choice of vocabulary! xD Reminds me of someone on a show I watched... w o r d s || 213 t a g s || Hiddenheart and Rockettail :3

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[dogtagxo]

RAVENCLAW

[/i] The she-cat said in a rather long, bitter and sarcastic filled greeting. "But ah, morning to you three anyway. I'm sure you two," She flicked her tail at Rockettail and Nightfeather. "Have somewhere you ought to be.. something you should be doing?" [/ul]

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[ OOC: I love Rockettail ijs. ][/blockquote]

[♥ LEAFY ♥]

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[atrb=background,http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/1139/lunastormmid.png,true] [scrolly:h(300),w(401),sy] <3 “We found love in a hopeless place..." Lunastorm turned her sleeping face toward the light streaming into her dream. She really enjoyed the feel of the sun in the morning, it was also a great way to walk up.Great...Time to get up. Lunastorm purred to herself as she gingerly got to her paws. Her secretly growing belly was now very swollen with kits. She will bless StarClan with praises for her being a long furred she-cat. It made hiding belly so much easier. From the outside she looked like she was eating well, but she knew the difference between extra eating and unborn kits. She glazed down at her belly and sighed. I just wished you could be here with us, Chillpaw. She sighed sadly walking out of her den. Yesterday, she made an inventory of herbs she needed to restock and it also would give her sometime to be herself and not hide her unborn kits with shame. She was so blessed to have Hiddenheart support and friendship, because without it she probably would be in ShadowClan anymore or the Medicine cat. Despite being pregnant, she still moved swiftly and gracefully throughout the forest. She found a get place that had a lot of cob webs to collect and some burdock root. at least out in the forest she could relax and enjoy being a expecting mother without judging eyes while she was getting the herbs. She was busy collecting when she heard a noise. She looked over her shoulder at the hunting patrol. Oh StarClan.... She quickly got to her paws. "Good morning, everyone. Hunting patrol?" She meowed politely to the patrol. this post is 266 words. it’s for hiddenheart, nightfeather, ravenclaw and rockettail.. p.s. Drinks all around! [/scrolly]

[Shizuka]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true] [bg=black] "Oh, that's fine." Rockettail shrugged. Just then, Nightfeather herself appeared. "Speak of the Night and she shall appear!" He meowed, waving his tail with a big grin. Rockettail turned to Nightfeather, still smiling cheerfully. "Hey there, Nightfeather! I was just lookin' for ya! Whirlstar wants us to go on the hunting patrol, so I came to tell ya!" Looking past Nightfeather then, he also meowed. "Oi, there's Ravenclaw too!" Rockettail sat down beside Nightfeather, his tail playfully slapping her shoulders in a sort of bro hug. "You got that right!" he replied to Ravenclaw. "Me 'n Nightfeather here are going on the hunting patrol! You can bet the fresh-kill pile will be sky high today!" He yowled proudly, patting Nightfeather on her opposite shoulder with his arrow-shaped tail. And just them, the medicine cat appeared. The day had started out solemn, and was quickly turning into a party. "Wow, everyone's here! Yo, Lunastorm! Pickin' herbs again today?" He greeted the medicine cat with a dip of his head. ooc: words: 167~ muse: yesterday my muse was epic but today it went boom and died. tags: Hiddenheart and Nightfeather

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[dogtagxo]

RAVENCLAW

[/i] Ravenclaw hissed, taking a gentle swipe at the energetic warrior before turning to see Lunastorm out. Picking herbs as usual, the warrior assumed. "Yes, everyone seems out here now.. which means whatever prey is around is hiding for their lives." Grunted the ebony warrior before dipping her head in respect to the medicine cat. "Need any help picking herbs, Lunastorm? I could use some.. away time from the patrol. Which mind you, did not involve me!" Ravenclaw said as she walked toward the medicine cat. "So.. surely you need some help, right?" And although the she-cat knew little of herbs, she wished to get far from Rockettail and his insane behavior as soon as possible.[/ul][/blockquote]

[Night]

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[bg=black] Nightfeather smiled at Rockettail as he told her of their hunting patrol. "What a coincidence I came, then!" She purred. Noticing Rockettail looking at something over her shoulder, the black she-cat turned around to see Ravenclaw heading their way. Her ears twitched, and she managed a small smile at the other she-cat. She had never liked Ravenclaw much, but she never made it apparent. She was always the one to never speak her mind on situations like that. Rockettail sat down next to Nightfeather, and the she-cat laughed as his tail slapped at her shoulders. The tom seemed to be in a good mood, as he usually was, and the black she-cat knew their hunting would be successful. Between her and Rockettail, they would catch a lot of prey. Nightfeather saw Lunastorm busy collecting herbs and greeted her with a warm smile and a polite dip of her head. "Good morning, Lunastorm!" She meowed, her amber eyes glowing happily. Ravenclaw seemed to be annoyed of Rockettail, seeing as how her tail was twitching. Nightfeather never saw why the others thought that the energetic tom was so annoying. She loved his sense of humor and his happy-go-lucky attitude. In fact, he reminded her a lot of herself, only a lot more outspoken. The black she-cat turned her head towards Rockettail and smiled. "Well, I suppose we should be going. The prey aren't going to catch themselves!" She meowed cheerfully, standing up and flicking her tail playfully across Rockettail's nose. o o c || :3 w o r d s || 249 t a g s || Hiddenheart, Rockettail, Lunastorm, Ravenclaw

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[Semper]

Hiddenheart stayed silent, watching as Ravenclaw and Nightfeather joined the group, welcoming each with a quiet and polite nod. A small smirk touched his lips at Ravenclaw's dry greeting and he found himself agreeing with her, though he did not verbally acknowledge that fact. He took a step back from the rest of the group, deciding to watch rather than partcipate. However, when a very familiar, silver-gray she-cat appeared, he could not help the fondness that flooded him. It was completely platonic, of course, the fondness that comes from a great friendship and a very strong bond. Lunastorm. Stepping forward now, Hiddenheart greeted her with a soft, "Hello, Lunastorm. I trust that you are well today?" At that point, Rockettail brought up a hunting patrol, and Hiddenheart bit back the his first sarcastic barb, refraining from offending the other warrior. However, it appeared that Ravenclaw did not have the same qualms as he; Hiddenheart found himself greatly appreciating her sarcasm, and decided on an impulse, that if they were to split into two groups, he could join the two she-cats in gathering herbs. Besides, He mused as he turned amber eyes on Nightfeather, it appears that Nightfeather might appreciate some time alone with Rockettail. Since he was always rather out of the loop in gossip, he never really knew which cats were in relationships until the kits were spawned, but after watching Lunastorm's and Chillpaw's relationship grow, he had learned to recognize them. He could very easily imagine Rockettail and Nightfeather together. But that was an unnecessary train of thought to follow, and he let it go. Instead, he flicked an ear and volunteered himself: "If you need my help, I have no problem joining you two in looking for herbs, Lunastorm, Ravenclaw." And if you do not, then I will follow you anyway.

[♥ LEAFY ♥]

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[atrb=background,http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/1139/lunastormmid.png,true] [scrolly:h(300),w(401),sy] <3 “We found love in a hopeless place..." Lunastorm smiled warmly at the collection of her clanmates. Her eyes glowed with amusement at the connection between Rockettail and Nightfeather. It did being envy to her heart though because she could never have that, even if Chillpaw was still alive. She can't even be a parent for her unborn kits... She closed her green eyes for the briefest moment to collect herself.I have no one to blame but myself..." She was grateful when both Hiddenheart and Ravenclaw offered to help her. "I'm doing fine, Thank you." She pureed lightly looking down at her herbs she collected. Them helping her would be nice. Hiddenheart must know that she will be kitting soon, not necessarily today, but very soon. "But help would be lovely. Ravenclaw, you could just pick up my pile of cobwebs and Hiddenheart, the Burdock root. Please. I still have one more stop to get catmint." She meowed gently to her companions. this post is 156 words. it’s for yu guys. p.s. . [/scrolly]

[dogtagxo]

RAVENCLAW

[/i] Meowed the raven-colored she-cat in reply as she picked up the pile of cobwebs carefully then looked to Hiddenheart for him to pick up the Burdock root. They still had to get catmint, as Lunastorm said. Ravenclaw wasn't the most familiar with herbs, but catmint was one of those important ones -- she was sure of it. As a gentle breeze grazed her fur, she walked to Lunastorm's side, and waited.[/ul][/blockquote]

[Semper]

Hiddenheart relaxed slightly when Lunastorm accepted their offers of help. He preferred her company and Ravenclaw's over Rockettail's and Nightfeather's, and even if Lunastorm had not noticed it, at least her actions got him away from them. An ear flicked as he listened to her directions and nodded in understanding. Padding over to the other two, the ebony warrior lowered his head and delicately picked up the burdock root, though not before murmmuring "Thank you" to Lunastorm as he passed her. With the root held carefully in his jaws, he raised his head again, tail flicking and, glancing around, saw Ravenfeather holding the cobwebs. He gave a slight nod to her before looking back at Lunastorm. For all his curiousity as a kit, Hiddenheart had never practiced identifying herbs; he had figured that there would always be a medicine cat around to do the job for him, which would be the case. Still, it was in situations like this, that his ignorance came back and haunted him. Ready to go, the tom gestured with his tail to Lunastorm, signalling for her to lead the way.

[Shizuka]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true] [bg=black] Rockettail of course didn't seem to notice the signs, either that or he had always chosen to ignore them: Ravenclaw's tail tip twitching in irritation. Instead he purred, "Sure is!", fully agreeing with Nightfeather, his cheerful mood only getting better with everyone else who was in a good mood today. At this rate, few could get him out of his good mood. To be honest, on the inside, sometimes he found himself feeling more alone than ever as he realized that he truly didn't enjoy being the trouble-maker of the clan. But it was the only way that he knew how to live. Nightfeather was the only one who seemed to accept him the way he was. He really was looking forward to the hunting patrol with her. "They'd better hide, 'cause Rockettail and Nightfeather are coming to get them!" He meowed, standing up and quickly following after Nightfeather. ooc: Let's try to keep a posting order~ Posting order from now on is: Night, Semper, Leafy, Dogtag, Shizuka Wanna just stay on the same thread to do the hunt, or start a new thread? words: 148~ muse: dead muse, endless hw and projects, and angry parents tags: Hiddenheart, Ravenclaw, Lunastorm and Nightfeather

[♥ LEAFY ♥]

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[atrb=background,http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/1139/lunastormmid.png,true] [scrolly:h(300),w(401),sy] <3 “We found love in a hopeless place..." Lunastorm acknowledged Nightfeather and Rockettail's departure from the group with a brief nod and flick of her tail. Her green eyes watched them until they were no longer in sight. Then she turned back to Ravenclaw and Hiddenheart. "This is very sweet of both of you to help me. I've been feeling under the weather the past few days..." Lunastorm meowed casually with a gently smile. "Well, lets go find the catmint." She purred. She lead them with a brisk walk. It was a faster pace than she normal walked when pregnant, but she had to keep up the appearances with Ravenclaw. "When we get close to the Twoleg place, we'll have to be very careful not to be spotted by dogs, twolegs, or kittypets." She meowed a small warning to her two companions. She signaled to Hiddenheart to step up beside her and she whispered softly to him. "You'll have to be the one to get it out of the garden, I'm too big to jump the fence." She felt so silly asking that of Hiddenheart, but she couldn't tell Ravenclaw why she asked him to get it. "Its very leafy and a delicious-smelling plant. You'll know it when you smell it." She brushed her tail down his back in a reassuring and affection way. this post is 208 words. it’s for hiddenheart & ravenclaw. p.s. . [/scrolly]