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Post by Shadepelt on Jun 19, 2006 17:25:04 GMT -5
Soft beams of sunlight wafted through the entry to the medicine cat's den, golden glow turning the dark den into a room filled with gentle, morning light. A she-cat lay in a small nest, sleeping in a bent, akward position. The light touched her silver-striped tail, making it glint in the sunlight. The black she-cat stirred, woken by the tiny tingles of warmth tickling her body. Ice blue eyes opened, squinting from the light. A small jaw opened into a yawn, revealing snow white needle-tipped teeth. Not being able to rise and stretch, she felt slow and sluggish, and gazed wishingly at the opening leading out of the den. Front legs swathed with salve and cobwebs, they felt considerably better then they had before. A near-death fall had sent her scrabbling on the side of a cliff, twisting her legs into horrible poportions. Her newly made friend, Thade, had saved her, without him she would have fallen to her death. Shaking her head wearily, she craned her slender neck she she could groom her chest, and the parts of her legs that wern't covered. It felt good, she hadn't groomed since the inncident with the cliff, and it was nice to get all the dust off her black fur.
Shadepelt's stomach grumbled hungrily, and all she could do is stare at the fresh-kill pile. Waiting for someone to notice her and bring her food, wasn't easy to think about. The WindClan warrior had always been very independant, after her mother had died. Yes, her father had become more protective, but had warrior duties to do, so the young Shadepaw had done lots for herself. A soft, morning breeze drifted into the den, and cooled her body, making her close her eyes in relaxation. Only seven days until you can walk... It was still along time, then she could have to wait seven more days until running or hunting. Body twitching, she tried to contain the energy she had cooped up inside her young body. This was going to be difficult.
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Post by Fernpaw on Jun 20, 2006 13:08:48 GMT -5
Thade's ear twitched, a buzzing fly had landed on his ear and tickled it. With one flick, it flew off to patronize some other helpless cat. The tom slowly blinked open amber eyes, then shut them quickly again. The sudden increase in light was almost more than he could bear. And he'd be lying in this Den for a quartermoon. A quartermoon! He'd never stayed in a Medicine Cats Den that long. Well, once. He and his sister, Kola, had been playing in the clifftops of their mountain home. There had been a surprise avalanche, sweeping through their Clan. Thade and his sister survived, along with most of their Clan, but their back legs were both badly broken. He and his sister slept, ate and slept again in the Medicine Cats Den, telling stories, joking and teasing each other like siblings do.
Overcome by these sudden memories, tears flooded Thade's amber eyes. Why did I leave you, Kola? the tom silently implored. He sniffed. For what purpose? What was so great for me that I had to leave you? He blinked his eyes open, and the cool amber orbs were wet with tears. He looked quickly over at Shadepelt's nest, and saw that she was awake. Gulping down tears, he asked shakily, "Hungry?"
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Post by Shadepelt on Jun 21, 2006 20:33:46 GMT -5
((Ok, I'm really scared now! One of my friends has gone missing, no one can find her! *cries and paces room*))
Thade's voice reached Shadepelt and she turned her half-content face towards him. Blue eyes trying to be cheerful about the situation, but in the depths there was a burning urge to get up and run. "Ya, just a bit. I can wait awhile though." Her mew was one of longing, before this she could have just have gotten up and sauntered over to the fresh-kill pile. Not anymore. As she looked closer at her friend, she could almost see...tears? She couldn't really be sure, she had only caught a quick glimpse before the tom had shut his eyes. Turning listfully towards the entrace, her tail flicked a fly away from her pelt. So who's going to get us food? Can Thade walk? In her long sleep she had forgotten, she wouldn't bother asking. Without turning back, she meowed back questioninly, "How about you?"
((Yay! We found my friend!!!*dances*))
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Post by Fernpaw on Jun 22, 2006 19:47:49 GMT -5
((Wait, were you serious? A real friend of yours actually disappeared? Is she okay? *clutches heart and falls of chair* I had a heart attack when I read that!))
Thade looked away, avoiding the she-cat's questioning gaze. His mouth opened to snap, I'm fine! Why can't you mind your own business? But in his heart he knew that that response would wound Shadepelt deeply. He didn't want to be responsible for hurting his first and only friend's feelings. The brute shook his head, "No. I'm not fine."
He gulped down a sob that threatened to choke him. It was times like these that he missed his sister. They had been inseperable. She had always cheered him when he was down, and he had always teased her when she needed teasing. The two of them had been stuck together like glue. Until he left.
Thade covered his eyes with his paws, not wanting to see anything bright or cheerful just then. He was all alone in the world.
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Post by Shadepelt on Jun 23, 2006 11:24:51 GMT -5
((Ya! They found her late last night, I was sooo happy when I saw her at school the next day! I almost died when I heard she was missing!))
Tension crackled around the room, and Shadepelt began to become upset. She felt she had triggered Thade to be unhappy, now she was unhappy. Eyes lowered to the ground, she was ruining Thade's life. She just wasn't good at making friends, she'd told herself that before. Black fur stood on end, and ice blue eyes closed. I shouldn't say anything at all, it always results in someone getting hurt. No, she wasn't talking about the cliff, she had forgotten about that. She meant whenever she tried to talk to somecat, she always said the wrong thing. That's why I don't have any friends, I'm so nosey. The she-cat just wanted to slink away, but her mangled legs prevented that. Did StarClan want her to stay here and talk to Thade?
Blue orbs blinked, and turned their course of sight toward Thade. "I'm sorry, for whatever I'm doing. If you just want me to be quiet, that's fine. I'm used to it." Great job Shadepelt! Her mind mocked her, Your first real friend, and look what you've done to him! Wincing inwardly, the she-cat mewed a mental response, I know, it's not the first time either. Mother would be shamed right now, and Father. Bowing her head, the black she-cat buried her face in her moss nest, and tried to get away from her thoughts. Visions of her mother and father scowling at her in dissapointment whorled in her mind, driving away the peace of sleep.
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Post by Fernpaw on Jun 23, 2006 19:55:24 GMT -5
((Where was she? What happened?))
Thade couldn't help but smile at these regretful yet sincere words. Slowly, he placed his paws back on the ground and blinked at the black she-cat. His mottled pelt shook as he took a deep breath. Shadepelt would be the only cat in his new Clan who'd ever heard the name of his sister.
The brute took a deep, shuddering breath and mewed, "It's not your fault. I'm just sad, because I've been remembering." He chuckled a little, "You know something? I've never remembered my past life as often before I met you. You remind me of someone I loved very much. Someone named Kola." Even speaking her name out loud hurt his heart, but part of him felt good that he had spoken. At last, he could get those words out in the open!
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Post by Shadepelt on Jun 23, 2006 20:50:27 GMT -5
((Well her family is buying a new house, and she thought she heard her mom say "go to the new house after school.". So she went there, and waited there for three hours! Her parents came and picked her up after they found out where she was, but she gave us all heart-attacks! I love your new siggy by the way! Another thing, when is their seven days going to be up until they can walk? I've lost track XP))
As Thade's words reached her ears, the black feline raised her head a little, just so she could make eye contact. The tom still sounded unsettled, but at least he was smiling. Returning that with the tiniest of grins, Shadepelt raised her head fully, realived he didn't want her to be quiet. That might now have been possible.
"I'm sure Kola was wonderful." The she-cat mewed quietly, and she would probably do a great better job then I am at making Thade feel better. Shaking her head, a meschivious smile crept up her jaw, maybe humor would help? It was worth a try. "So which apprentice do you bet will get stuck feeding us? Back then, I would have hated bringing food to disabled cats, I would have much rather been out training!" Blue eyes rolled as she chuckled, "You could say I was quite the rude apprentice. I probably would have dropped the fresh-kill right in front of them then dashed off. I didn't respect most cats, exept my father. He took care of me when my mother died giving birth to me. So I guess in a way, I'm a murderer." Ice blue orbs clouded with emotion with the thought of killing her own mother danced wickedly in her mind. Great StarClan, what a great cat I've turned out to be.
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Post by Fernpaw on Jun 24, 2006 15:07:12 GMT -5
((No idea. *giggles* It's great that your friend is safe! Oh, and thanks for the compliment on my siggy. Spidey made it for me.))
Thade nodded, "She was, and still is, I hope."
The brute listened silently as Shadepelt related the story of her apprenticeship and her birth. Thade looked slightly surprised, they both were closer than he had thought. They both has bitter memories inside of them, and they both hadn't spoke of it for a long while. Well, it was time to break that vow of silence, and Thade was going to be the first one to do it.
He spoke softly, "You're not a murderer. How could you know that would happen? It's not as if you planned your mother's death out! Those things happen, and sometimes not even a medicine cat can save the victim." He blinked, sniffed and thought, Keep it together, Thade! You've stayed cold and silent this long, don't disintegrate to a blob of fur and tears.
He cleared his throat and began his tale, "I-I have a confession to make. I've done something horrible, as well, though I chose to do this. Maybe that's why it feels like a worse accident than murder. I've never told anyone anything about me, I've just let them go and think what they wished about me. You're different." The brute turned sad amber eyes, locking his gaze with Shadepelt's clear green orbs. After a few moments he averted his gaze and meowed, "I was born to a Clan on the mountains. I had a sister, and her name was Kola." Just the beginning of this tale was wrecking his will power! Thade struggled on, voice cracking as he continued, "We were closer than you could've imagined. We were never without each other. If you saw me, you always saw Kola, and wherever Kola was, I couldn't be far behind.
"One day, we were playing on our mountain, unaware of the dangers we were in. You must understand, there's always snow where we lived, that's why my pelt is so thick. Even the smallest kits know to beware of the sudden avalanches that could happen at any moment. For some reason, Kola and I forgot. There was an avalanche as you must've guessed, and it swept right through our Clan.
"Kola and I survived, but many in our Clan were killed and suffocated under the tons of snow. We both had broken our hind legs, in the exact same places. Strange, isn't it? The Medicine Cat was able to heal them, and he said because of the clean break, our legs would be much stronger than a normal cats. Anyway, my parents---the leaders of the Clan---were killed in the snowfall.
"My older brother took over, but he was a cold and cruel leader. He and I had never cared for each other much, and he knew that I despised him almost as much as he despised me. Kola did her best to keep the peace between us, but it wasn't meant to be. We quarreled and fought, nearly killing each other. My sister got so distraught that she threw herself into the fight. My brother knocked her away, and I grew so angry, I lost control of everything. We were battling near a cliff and..."---Thade halted, struggling to keep his composure. His voice lowered to a whisper, "I threw him off. I threw him off, Shadepelt!" His eyes were clouded, staring at something unseen out in the open outside of the Den. "Later, when the rage left me, I realized what I'd done. I'd killed my brother! As much as I hated him, I'd never wanted to kill him!
"Well, I was thrown out of the Clan. They all hated me for what I did, even though the next leader was much more benevolent. I left, and I didn't look back once, except at Kola." His voice broke and Thade buried his head in his paws. Shadepelt would surely hate him now, but he had to finish his tale. "I didn't even say goodbye, I just nodded. I didn't even invite her to come with me! I just left! I keep remembering her small face, and her eyes...so sad and troubled...and her voice..." tears streamed down the tom's face. "She called me, Shadepelt. She said, 'Thade, don't leave me here!' but I just kept walking. To this day, I wish I hadn't. I've never seen her again."
Thade sniffed, gulping down tears.
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Post by Shadepelt on Jun 24, 2006 18:11:43 GMT -5
((Wow, awsome post! -sniffs- it made me cry.))
The WindClan she-cat showed many a variey of emotions all through Thade's tale. When the tom talked of faraway mountains and clans, she showed interest with pricked ears, she had often imagined what living on such a high up place would be like. Envy softly burned in her blue eyes when her friend talked of Kola, his sister, Shadepelt hadn't any siblings. Pain, with some understanding when he talked of killing his brother. Utter sadness, when he told her of leaving his sister. After he had finished his heart-wrenching tale, the black she-cat was silent, and she realized that this recovery together was for good. They had both confessed, and they knew each other much better then before. Surfacing out of her sea of thought, she turned her blue gaze to the weeping Thade. Being careful not to scrape her front legs, she used her powerful back legs to pull herself closer to her friend. Blue orbs stared at amber, and she began to mew quietly. "Thade, if you think I hate you now, you're wrong. I will never hate you for what you have done, and I can see that you don't hate me. I forgive you, and that might not mean as much to you as if your sister had said it, but I forgive you." The feline settled herself close beside her friend, and drew a comferting lick over his ear. No longer tired, Shadepelt released a sigh, enjoying the forgiving moment.
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Post by Fernpaw on Jun 24, 2006 19:30:44 GMT -5
((Thankees. You didn't really cry, did you? It almost makes me want to create Kola. Do you think Shadepelt and Thade can slowly form a brother/sister bond like that? Just like him and Kola? Unless, of course, you think that's going too far or not far enough.))
Thade cast concerned eyes over Shadepelt as she slowly crawled forward, dragging herself forward on her back paws. He smiled in relief, the black she-cat didn't hate him for what he had done to his brother. Sometimes, the brute hated himself for what he had done. If he hadn't thrown his brother off the cliff, then he wouldn't have had to leave his Clan and his sister. But then he never would have met Shadepelt. If only Kola was here, she would like Shadepelt immediately, he knew. Maybe that was what had drawn him to the she-cat. She was almost exactly like Kola. Same quirky personality, the love of running, and her eyes... Passionate, caring, but a steely glint in them that warned cats that this she-cat was not someone you wanted to mess with.
He smiled, rasping a pink tongue over Shadepelt's cheek. He sat in silence for a long time, pressed against the black she-cat's comforting pelt.
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Post by Shadepelt on Jun 24, 2006 19:57:20 GMT -5
((Well, I was close to crying! I think that would be great with Shadepelt and Thade! Maybe they could become closer then that later, but you have a say in this as well!))
When Shadepelt felt Thade press up against her, there was no crackle of tension, or flash of lighting that told her What in the name of StarClan are you doing?. No, she let him use her as a shoulder to cry on, and her pelt for comfort. She didn't usually let any other cat know her this well, but Thade was different. Her mind wandered back to when she first wandered apon him in the forest. He was hunting in his special way, and she was being nosey. A small grin spread across her jaw, if she wern't nosey, she wouldn't have met her first friend. The she-cat had forgotten about how they had gotten into the Medicine Cat's den, but that didn't really matter now. All that mattered that they were both safe, and still friends.
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Post by Fernpaw on Jun 24, 2006 20:19:28 GMT -5
((I don't care. I think Thade would like it XDDDD.))
Thade snuffled wetly, then took deep breaths. Slowly, his breathing returned to normal and his amber eyes lost their confused, clouded look but became clear and impassive once again.
He nudged the black she-cat gratefully, "Thanks, Shadepelt." He grinned, now almost fully himself once more. The brute seemed to realize what she was thinking and he teased, "Remember, when we first met? Was it only a few hours ago? Yeah, I guess so. Anyway, if you hadn't been hoity-toity and inquired what I was doing, I never would've found a friend."
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Post by Shadepelt on Jun 24, 2006 20:58:09 GMT -5
((Ok! What do you think of my siggy? I just finished making it!))
The young she-cat smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, but I guess it paid off in the end, after the fall and all that. Now I have my first and only friend. I guess being nosy isn't that bad now huh?" Sheepish turned to happy as the feline let her mind wander onto the days ahead, when she would be able to walk. Letting out a exasperated sigh, she continued talking, a wistful note in her key of words. "First thing I do when I can move, it grab something to eat, then give myself a nice, good grooming. I feel weighed down with all this dirt and muck on me!" Resting her head on her paws, blue eyes danced with impatient thoughts, Seven days? That'll take forever! When she had been Shadekit, she had said the exact same thing, but it was slightly different, Six moons? That'll take forever! Shadepelt laughed for a moment, then turned to explain to Thade. "I guess I'm still as impatient as I was when I was a kit!" Before continuing on lighter terms, glittering blue orbs became serious, and her meow toned down to a mew, "Thade, if you ever need to talk, I'm here." The last word ended with a heart-felt grin, and icy eyes began to sparkle once more.
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Post by Fernpaw on Jul 1, 2006 12:41:44 GMT -5
((Oh my gosh! I love it so much! *huggles it* It's amazing!))
The mottled tom couldn't repress an amused grin. He nodded his head in agreement, "Still," he mewed, "It would've been nice to start out our friendship in the normal, regular way instead of having a near-death experience instead."
He cleared his throat, tears welling in his eyes as Shadepelt vowed to be by his side. He rasped a warm, pink tongue over the black she-cat's ear, "Thanks, Shadepelt," he murmured. "If you ever need me, I'll be there."
He coughed, emberassed by this emotional scene. Thade got to his paws, swaying slightly as he stood unsteadily on three paws. "I'll get you some prey," he mewed, hobbling out to the fresh-kill pile.
Within moments, he was back. The tom carried two plump rabbits in his powerful jaws.
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Post by Shadepelt on Jul 1, 2006 14:30:59 GMT -5
((YAY! You're back! -dances-Thanks! I really like the look of your new one, and Spideh made it right? I'm getting her to make me a new one, I find mine too crouded.))
Shadepelt nodded in amusment as Thade mentioned starting off their friendship normally, but then tilted her regal head to the left, and mewed quetioningly, "Yes, but if I hadn't fell, would we have just forgotten about our race when we had returned to camp?" It was one of those out-of-the-blue thoughts, but the she-cat knew that it could have happened, and she was glad it hadn't.
Blue eye glowed as Thade promised to be beside her if she was ever in need, and flicked her silver-striped tail in thanks when the toms rough tongue swiftly rasped over her dust-coated ear. The sound of Thade's emberassed cough, made her look down, also emberassed by the moment. Shadepelt wasn't used to being close friends with another cat, after her father, she had had no friends.
Her mind didn't want Thade to go through the trouble of hobbling on three legs to get her some prey, but her stomach growled in complaint. With a silent nod of thanks, she watched him walk unsteadily to the fresh-kill pile. He returned faster then she had expected, but then again, Thade was full of surprises. Taking one of the round-looking rabbits from the pair, she meowed strongly to Thade, a meow that told him not to argue. "Here, take that one." She gestured with her tail to the other plump hare. Pulling the rabbit towards her, she opened a small, yet strong jaw, and began to tear pieces of meat from the side of the prey. The still-warm blood flooded into her mouth, making her pelt tingle with delight. After all, she hadn't yet eaten that day, and she had felt like she hadn't eaten in a moon. Blue orbs danced as she laughed softly after eating a few delicious bites, "I'm going to be as fat as a kitty-pet whe you're done with me!" A murrow of laughter escaped her, and she meowed back to her friend, mouth still full of meat, "Mmmf- Thanks Thade! It's-mrfff-delicious!"
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