dream a reverie [closed]

[brittlebreeze ♠]

From the moment he became Medicine cat, the world around him began to change. Everything seemed to grow in its own way, for better or for worse. The considerably recent series of events was almost startling, if relayed to some stranger passing by... one of which might think that such things resulted from the spewing of a curious kit, or the most imaginative elder - they would never mull over the small implausible possibility that these things were real. And that they did happen. Why couldn't it have been some other Clan? Was it because of how ShadowClan was? Were they all beginning to fall under the same category as the nursery tale; that the cold wind that blowed over the marshland, chilled their hearts and made them untrustworthy?

The mottled Medicine cats moonstones narrowed uncomfortably. He didn't like thinking about it like that, that he and his Clanmates were becoming their own enemy. Brittlebreeze was just thankful to StarClan for warning them ( despite the many troubling issues that the prophecy had caused him and Hawkstar) and that Ravenpelt knew what a clock was. It made their search much more simple. I should have asked her, perchance she knew. He muttered silently, but his paranoia over Smallclaw finding out prickled his fur. Since he'd returned to camp, cats had awoken seemingly. The question that sprung into his mind made his skin shiver, and his tail kink. How many of his Clanmates were loyal? Carefully, he glanced around the clearing, meeting the blank gazes of cats as they ate and shared tongues.

How many of them weren't?

His face went white as he felt their hot eyes fell over his pelt, burning into him, making him self-conscious. If there was one traitor, then the chances of there being followers was probably very high. If only they knew which one. They could solve this maze of evils; it was like a good story. With twists and turns, and suspense at every angle. He wondered how many died in said story, someone is always bound to die.

Prodding roughly the entrance to Hawkstars den, the Medicine cat let out a small cough, "Hawkstar," before he whispered in a softer tone beneath his breath, "I just spoke to Ravenpelt."

How sad was that? That he felt the need to skulk around the darkness of camp; regardless how many fit and able warriors were settled in the very heart of it. He was afraid that his dreams would come true. He would lie awake at night sometimes, contemplating the legitimacy of them. When they felt the Coterie's wrath, how many warriors would stay and defend the great Clan... and how many would hear the signal, and attack the cats whom they were believed to have known so well?

How many of these cats were good fakers? Good liars?

Good friends? Was Ravenpelt one of them? Would she turn on him the moment the rallying call went up, Coterie! Attack! ? What about sweet Howlingheart? Whitewhisker? What about their deputy, Nightfrost?

Paranoid, he rushed into the leaders den without waiting for him to reply. Tail fluffed out, his orbs were as round as the moon, and as hollow as WindClans camp.

575

[Hawkstar]

Hawkstar lapped at his dappled pelt roughly, anxiety manifesting itself in the single repetitive action. Flicking his ears, the ShadowClan leader ran his plan of action over and over again in his mind, dredging up names and either discarding them or pondering them further. Each time he came to the same conclusion, and feeling pleased with his choice, let out a rumbling sigh. Yes, they will do, he thought confidently, pausing in his almost obsessive washing when a familiar scent washing down through the entrance of the den like water. Twitching his tail, Hawkstar rose up from his nest and eyed the tunnel leading up and out curiously. Had he managed to get any answers?

“Hawkstar,” Brittlebreeze’s voice mewed, no more a question than a statement. The Bengal tom was about to call him in when the medicine cat spoke again, his voice softer and more urgent than before. “I just spoke to Ravenpelt,” the calico tom mewed quietly, and with his sharp ears Hawkstar was able to hear him easily. A moment later there was the scraping of claws against stone, and soon Brittlebreeze plunged inside the den like a fish in a torrent of water. His eyes were wide and anxious, and Hawkstar saw his own misgivings reflected there. We have to keep it together, he reminded himself sternly, giving his medicine cat a curt nod in greeting. For the sake of the Clan.

“Come in,” he mewed, not entirely sure of why he was taking a stab at a joke during a time like this. Wrapping his tail around his large paws, Hawkstar eyed Brittlebreeze evenly. “She knew some things, but not enough, did she?” Hawkstar asked, reading the exhaustion written all over the calico tom’s face.

No matter, I have everything arranged.

[brittlebreeze ♠]

A second later, Hawkstar dipped his head briskly; his bright blue eyes darkened beneath the shadows of his den. The Medicine cats thoughts fell silent; he didn't want to recall the prophecy again. He didn't want to picture the shadows creeping up on him while he slept; while he dreamt of death and blood. Come in, The leader joked weakly. Brittlebreeze's ear flicked, he'd already entered... shamed by his impatience, he kept his rays lowered on his dainty patched paws. She knew some things, but not enough, did she? Well... I don't even know if she knew the answer to the most important question. If Smallclaw hadn't barged in, he might have had learned the meaning of the prophecy without having to go off to the unknown to find this cat named Tobias.

Perchance they found Tobias, who was to say that he would help them at all? What if they didn't find him? Would they end up being wiped out by an enemy unseen? After a heartbeat had passed, Brittlebreeze met the gaze of Hawkstar diffidently. It was vividly entrancing, almost as if the Bengal tom could read the his soul, picking apart his fears and secrets like a buzzards beak. Blocking his emotion away from his face, he calmly sighed, tearing his moonstones away once more. "She only had time to tell me what a 'clock' was," he muttered, irritated by the recollection, "Her mate wasn't keen on giving us much time to talk, and I didn't feel comfortable asking her such serious questions with him in earshot. He could be one of them." And maybe he was! Maybe even cats they trusted the most, thought they knew so well, were their most dangerous foes. All Brittlebreeze was certain of, was that ShadowClans traitor and Coteries founder was in the very heart of their camp. Whoever they were, StarClan knew.

How anxious they must feel, watching as one of the four great Clans struggled to decode one of their predictions. How long until the Coterie attacked, he wondered the most. He just wished he could see it, see the divination as clearly as others. Sometimes, it was as though he were looking through muddy water, blurry and vague.

Why couldn't they have just sent him a clearer signal? Maybe he was too trained for the path of a warrior to interpret these clockwork warnings.

But... right now that didn't matter. They had to find Tobias, and quickly. The longer they waited, the more insecure he felt. Shifting over the cool dirt ground, he wrapped his own tail around him, it tickled the very front of his paws. "I'm leaving today, I've decided. Who's going with me?" Straightforward, his brow narrowed, calculating. What if Hawkstar accidentally sent the very cat who threatened their lives? His neck fur prickled uneasily; StarClan forbid.

StarClan forbid. His haunting sapphire moonstones met the leaders this time, unwavering, he hoped they were as piercing in return.

566

[Hawkstar]

Hawkstar blinked in calm sympathy as the medicine cat sighed, all his pain and paranoia and exhaustion seeming to flood into his features at that very moment. The Bengal tom couldn’t help but feel somewhat proud of the younger tom sitting before him, however. Despite all the sudden danger that had been thrust upon his shoulders the moment he earned his status as ShadowClan’s medicine cat, Brittlebreeze was managing to keep all his pieces in one place. A lesser cat would have cracked by now, started pointing the blame at anyone and anything. Knowing one of your own is out to snap your neck from behind was troubling, yet the calico tom had so far maintained his duties and went through with what he knew had to be done. Hawkstar knew this threat would have to be picked apart piece by piece. For once, charging into things head first would not be the best plan of action.

“She only had time to tell me what a ‘clock’ was,” Brittlebreeze then mewed in an irritated tone. Hawkstar thingyed one side of his brow, puzzled, but the calico cat continued. “Her mate wasn’t keen on giving us much time to talk, and I didn’t feel comfortable asking her such serious questions with him in earshot. He could be one of them.” Hawkstar nodded grimly, understanding Brittlebreeze’s reasoning. He had always believed Smallclaw to a brave and loyal warrior, but as of right now, anyone could be a threat. They had to keep their claws unsheathed, and their ears open.

“I’m leaving today,” Brittlebreeze then mewed suddenly, shifting in place like he was ready to carry out the commitment right there and then. Hawkstar studied him quietly, letting the young cat finish what he wanted to say. “I’ve decided. Who’s going with me?”

“Reedfisher and Emberpaw,” the ShadowClan leader replied instantly, having already thought it through a thousand times over. He flicked his tail. “I have already told them to meet us here in my den for a briefing. They only know that they will be travelling with you somewhere, but they don’t know why. I’ll let you decide how much you want them to know.” The Bengal warrior’s eyes glinted with meaning, his tone as serious as ever.

“They should be arriving here soon.”

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[! R E E D F i S H E R]

It was unusually chilly outside.

The dark tabby shadow made his way back to the camp from his solitary hunting excursion, empty paws the only defeat of the morning. He hadn't come across anything particularly unusual, but something unusual was haunting his thoughts. It had nothing to do with a particular fiery she-cat, although she was there, dancing in the back of his pale blue gaze.

Shaking his striped pelt uncomfortably, the handsome tom strode into camp, avoiding the gaze of the other cats. He was on a mission that day. Hawkstar had asked for him earlier, and now he was supposed to head into the leader's den to converse with him about something. Reedfisher's ears were angled forward, and his stance was terse as he made his way towards the bengal tom's den, cautiously poking his head through the lichen curtain, eyes scanning the darkness. Two familiar scents jostled for his attention, both too familiar, and yet one more so than the other.

"brittlebreeze?" His brother. Reedfisher shook his pelt, feeling surprisingly uncomfortable. The sight of his brother should have warmed him, made him feel at home, safer, and yet he felt even more tense. His claws remained sheathed, though his eyes hinted at discomfort.

Turning to his leader, Reedfisher nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on Hawkstar's piercing ones. They were grave. "you asked to see me?" A moment later, he realized that his apprentice was not with him. Feeling a flush of impatience creeping into his cheeks, the tom chuckled. "emberpaw's on his way, hawkstar."

With that, the broad-shouldered tom settled down, keeping his spine erect and his gaze steady. He had the feeling that this was important.

[ember2]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true]

[atrb=background,http://i37.tinypic.com/2hdr2ub.jpg] emberpaw's soft ginger fur was fluffed out and the crisp leaf-fall air danced around his nose. normally, emberpaw would be dancing in the cold breeze, oh he always loved leaf-fall, even thought it meant the prey was going to decrease. leaf-fall just always seemed like it was giving the cats a break from the heat, and it was preparing them for that long season of leaf-bare. but today he sat outside the apprentice's den, stiff and still as a stone. today felt as if it had meaning to it, as if it wasn't going to be the same day of waking up, training with reedfisher, and coming back home. when he thought of training he remembered seeing many other mentors and apprentices training. a shiver echoed down his spine as gently recalled a dream he had. he couldn't remember it that well, but he did remember seeing thousands of eyes watching him, eyes that belonged to a faceless enemy, but emberpaw thought it was just a plain nightmare, nothing to worry about. a shadow flickering across the clearing woke him from his sleepless dream, and emberpaw watched as the shadow moved into hawkstar's den. when the wind brought reedfisher's scent was when emberpaw remembered that he was supposed to speak with brittlebreeze and hawkstar. the young tomcat bounded across the clearing, his breath becoming vapour in the chilly air. without even announcing his presence, he appeared in the den. only when he looked at the important faces around him did his fur burn hot with embarrassment. he settled down next to his mentor and dipped his head. not once did his eyes ever meet with another's.

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Speech 'Thought'

STATUS; finished
STARING; hawk&brittle&reed&ember!
SPEECH; 426
NOTES; sorry i took so long to get my reply up, and please excuse the choppiness in my post and all that stuff. =3
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[brittlebreeze ♠]

There was hardly a pause between the two toms, when the Bengal leader replied, Reedfisher and Emberpaw, he mewed instantly. Brittlebreeze imagined both cats in his mind, side by side, one smaller and paler than the other, but he couldn't fathom the reasons why Hawkstar chose them over all others in ShadowClan. What if they were... traitors? How would he ever know? Blood and death swarmed past his icy gaze, and he felt a shiver pass through him. A prickle much like needles, as were all of his misgivings lately. A more stubborn edge of the Medicine cat made his lip curl. An apprentice? Accompanying him? He almost scowled, but Hawkstar spoke again, before he could even dare. I have already told them to meet us here in my den for a briefing. They only know that they will be travelling with you somewhere, but they don’t know why. I’ll let you decide how much you want them to know. Fine.

The mottled tom still couldn't understand why Hawkstar had decided that Emberpaw would go, considering the importance of the mission, and the dangers of it. StarClan knows where they'd end up traveling! They could be skulking like prey through Twolegplace for all they knew. They should be arriving here soon. Disregarding the grave tone in which Hawkstar had spoken, Brittlebreeze huffed a sigh and faced him, grimacing. "Alright." He whispered.

In truth, he didn't care much at all. He just wanted to get these cats, leave, find Tobias and return safely in time to prepare for the Coterie. It was hardest of all to plan for an enemy that waited like a shadow in the darkness, it went unsaid how much time they'd have to pick apart the prophecy like vultures. If he'd had a beak, he mused grimly, he might have picked faster. No matter, Brittlebreeze was ready for the worst.

Moments tickled by like the edge of a feather. Patiently, he mulled over everything once more.

Quiet.

His gaze passed over the floor, grazing his patched paws and ashen, dirt rubbed claws.

Chilly.

He noticed the entrance waver, but only for the slightest of seconds.

Frustrated.

Time was moving too slowly!

brittlebreeze? A voice murmured just then, catching the Medicine cat off guard. It was quite familiar but he didn't register Reedfishers name the very heartbeat that his scent drifted inwards, swarming the Medicine cats senses. He'd only recently discovered his relation with the warrior, but bitterness and stress had kept his fondness and attention to noticing the tabby tom, at bay. Willowpool had never spoken of him before, and Iceclaw was a phantom of StarClan now, much like she was...

Brittlebreeze's head turned towards the entrance, and he flicked his tail calmly. "I'm here." The toms intonation was crisp, and unused.

you asked to see me? Brittlebreeze was like a wallflower at times, he may see things, hear things, but tell no one. Keeping private matters to his lonesome was almost specialty, but as said before... at times. He noted the warriors tension, assuming, in appreciation, that Hawkstar had kept to his word. They knew nothing, and it would stay that way until Brittlebreeze concluded what they could know. Perchance they found Tobias. emberpaw's on his way, hawkstar

And...

As if on cue, the golden apprentice suddenly slithered into the darkness, and seated himself beside his mentor. He was sizzling with embarrassment, and that was when the Medicine cat rose from his warmed seat, and drew two steps for the exit. "Now," he started, a bit more authoritive than before, "Lets get a move on. I'll explain as we go."

Dipping his head to Hawkstar, he parted with a sorrowful longing. If only they'd known, this journey would not exist.

"May StarClan watch over you," he mewed quietly, all of his fear, and anxiety a blaze in his eyes; then gone. Concealed by his duty.

With that, he beckoned the pair after him and disappeared into the dreary daylight.

770

[Hawkstar]

The ShadowClan leader could practically smell Brittlebreeze’s unease, not to mention his disapproval. His eyes narrowed and his pelt bristled, his body speaking when his mouth could not. Hawkstar guessed that the problem was Emberpaw. He had considered sending two warriors along with Brittlebreeze, which would have seemed like the sensible thing to do, but when it came to their young cats gaining experience, Hawkstar was all game. He would never send a raw apprentice into the field. Emberpaw, however, was older, a little wiser than a fresher apprentice. He knew the ropes and was skilled in hunting and fighting; his mentor, Reedfisher, had taught him well. What better final challenge before becoming a warrior than to strike out into the unknown? And for a good cause, Hawkstar added silently.

“Alright,” Brittlebreeze whispered from beside him, his tone holding a slightly bitter edge. Then, together, the two toms waited in utter silence, waiting for their company to arrive. Both were lost in greater things, the farthest reaches of their minds now holding the center of their attention.

“Brittlebreeze?” a voice mewed from the entrance a few minutes later. A slight scraping sound then, like claws against tree bark.

“I’m here,” the medicine cat responded coolly. Hawkstar eyed him neutrally, thoughts brewing in silence.

A heartbeat later a lean brown tabby tom entered the den, bright blue eyes sharp and alert. Reedfisher. The warrior eyed Brittlebreeze for a moment before turning his gaze to the ShadowClan leader. “You asked to see me?” he mewed questioningly. Hawkstar merely nodded, eyes soft. He was still keeping the stage open for Brittlebreeze, but the medicine cat remained silent. “Emberpaw’s on his way, Hawkstar,” Reedfisher than added, looking slightly annoyed.

As if waiting for those exact words, Emberpaw came bounding into the den, ginger fur fluffed up against the crisp morning air left behind him. He slipped into the den and next to his mentor, most likely hot in his fur, eyes to the floor. Hawkstar blinked, feeling slightly amused, but still he said nothing. He glanced at Brittlebreeze again, as if to say, And so…?

Suddenly the medicine cat stood, removing himself from his spot at Hawkstar’s side to slip out of the den. “Now,” he mewed almost sternly. “Let’s get a move on. I’ll explain as we go.”

Hawkstar angled his head down slightly, staring at the calico tom intently as he paused and turned back to face him, the other two toms following suit. “May StarClan watch over you,” the medicine cat murmured, voice soft but eyes intense. Hawkstar inclined his head.

“And you as well,” he mewed clearly. “All of you.”

All of us.





OOC: Ember and Reed, you don't have to post here again if you don't want to =)