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Post by [don't]fear[the]reaper on Apr 8, 2008 11:49:08 GMT -5
A chocolate tabby tom surveyed the ethereal landscape that lay before his white-tipped paws. A rusted gate, half hanging off its hinges, creaked ominously as a chilling breeze blew through the area. The once-beautiful ground was dry and cracked, with little plants growing. The only sign of life was four enormous oak trees, which stood like sentinels over the region. A hollow glimmered before them, reflecting the few stars in the sky. The tom's eyes widened at the sight of the heavenly lights. It was good to see them again, after nearly a year of darkness. With a tiny smile, the tabby padded towards the hollow, tail waving from side to side as he walked. At the hollow, he sat, and, tipping his muzzle skyward, called out. It was time they paid attention to the earth once more. "Jadestar, Sunstar, Twistingstar, come. The stars shine once more in the StarHollow, and it is time we looked at the world once more." Thistlestar's voice was clear and strong, as it had been long ago.
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Post by Hidden on Apr 9, 2008 17:58:28 GMT -5
"Thistlestar," a calm, kind voice greeted the tom as the calico leader entered the hollow. Her fluffy brown tail twitched as she took in the sight before her. She had been trying to avoid the abandoned hollow for the past several moons, for the sight of the rusted gates, which had once stood proud to welcome cats into StarClan, broke her heart. Occasionally she would check in, but she had never found anyone there. Until now. "Past time," she added to Thistlestar's statement. Sunstar now stood next to the brown tabby. Now they just needed Jadestar and Twistingstar.
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Post by angels.to.demons on Apr 9, 2008 20:50:40 GMT -5
and i crashed into youxx the rusted gate. it reflected the dilapidated, broken and shattered place of lost dreams and forgotten memories. obviously, four particular cats, revived from their frozen resting places from beyond, struggled into the dark hole that was the future, where their grandchildren and great-grandchildren roamed the land with their new families. like a runaway trainxx one of these forgotten heroes was Twistingstar, the late leader of MarshClan, the long-dead Clan of darkness and rain. he strode up the hill, to the four enormous silvery oak trees, his pawpads skimming gracefully over the split, desertified lands that had once been StarClan's silver kingdom. his fur, a long, solid gray pelt that now carried silver streaks from his godly realm nearly blended into the night, like a pale, amber-eyed shadow to watch the world below him. you will consume mexx he crept closer to the four late oak trees. within the ring were a pair of cats, fallen warriors like himself. they had been the leaders at the time of his rising to power; he recognized them, but knew neither of them too well. leaping from his place on the enormous twisted roots and diving into the circle of old warriors, he greeted them with a flick of his tail, impatiently boring his glaring golden eyes to the other two. and i can't walk awayxx Well, Sunstar, Thistlestar, he meowed roughly, his MarshClan dialect and tone of voice (condescending and slightly sarcastic) hanging in the air like drops of water in arctic winds. Where is Jadestar? If she doesn't come soon, I suppose we will have to start without her. his smug smirk grew in size, as he turned his muzzle to the direction of the entrances. he didn't see why she had made them wait on her; she wasn't the prima donna of the entire affair.
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Post by [don't]fear[the]reaper on Apr 10, 2008 9:54:16 GMT -5
"Indeed." Thistlestar nodded, fixing his amber eyes on the silver-gray tom in front of him. "It would be...troublesome, though, if Jadestar failed to come to even this meeting." The great brown tabby shifted his gaze to Sunstar. Twistingstar, he'd hardly known, other than as Shatteredstar's deputy and successor. Sunstar.... She'd been another story. Thistlestar had appreciated her reign of ValleyClan in his days as deputy and, eventually, leader of MountainClan, mostly because she'd been one of the four cats who'd saved the forest from a horriffic plague better known as the Sickness. Finally, he spoke again. "I am loathe to begin without Jadestar, but I feel that whatever comes to pass now will affect the forest we once roamed for generations to come." Thistlestar looked at the two before him. "I have kin down there, as do you two and Jadestar, if I'm not mistaken."
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Post by angels.to.demons on Apr 10, 2008 13:25:04 GMT -5
Twistingstar chewed his words carefully. Yes, I have kin. One of which is a cat I'm quite fond of -- my grandson, Plaguestrike. He has a lot of potential; it's a pity we couldn't have had cats like that in our day. Instead, he went on, the growl in his voice rising, We had traitors, rebels, murderers, depressed wretches, and the like. Many of which were in my Clan, I'm sad to say. He was referring indirectly to the three trouble-causers in his Clan; Hauntedstar, Morninglight and Abyssfang. While only one had been truly evil, they all had caused an enormous conflict.
Though, as I recall, MountainClan certainly had some problems, too. It was true that he had known Thistlestar's successor, Shadowstar, better than the dark tom before him, and Sunstar had never been much of a leader, for all he knew. He sinced more of a kinship with the other two cats than he'd had with any other leader; he didn't respect either of them more than he would respect an apprentice of his Clan, and they most likely knew that.
However, the cat for which he had the least respect was Jadestar. He had even plotted, at one time, to overrun her territory and conquer her Clan, but strange events had occurred instead, three of which included the death of his rival, Mosspool, the destruction of the Faithful Shadows, and his own passing. From what he'd learned, Jadestar hadn't lasted that much longer than him, and both of their kits were dead, as far as they knew.
He had known his sons, Stonestorm and Freezingtail, were dead for awhile, as well as his mate, Dovewing. He wasn't sure if his daughter, Morninglight, was dead or not, but instead of relying on her to bring leadership back to the remnants of MarshClan... he was considering someone else. Her son, in fact, and his most reliable kin. That is, if that was what the other leaders were planning to do. They hadn't discussed much.
He knew little of Plaguestrike, only that his grandparents were all MarshClan warriors, his parents were Abyssfang and Morninglight, and he was confused and emotionally overwrought. Yet Twistingstar felt for him; after all, he had witnessed from the stars the chaos Abyssfang had wrought, and the dejected face Morninglight thrust upon her son unknowingly.
He didn't know if Sunstar, Jadestar and Thistlestar were going to choose the plan that ran through his mind, or if they did, if they were going to choose their kin, too, but he knew if MarshClan was ever revived, he wanted Plaguestrike to lead it.
To clear these thoughts, he mewed, Do you think those kin have the same grit we had, or better? He didn't want to push the opinion forward they were probably worse, because otherwise the forest they'd walked would be in danger.
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Post by j a y d e . & on Apr 10, 2008 18:55:12 GMT -5
The muffled sound of her pawpads struck up less noise than the wind carrying her. She paused to stare at the old gate, the one she had herself looked upon in awe at one point. The first time she had arrived their. With Ruinedwing. Hardening her emerald eyes, Jadestar, swift as she was in her past, trotted past them, willing herself to ignore the rust of the once-great gates. Her coat rippled like it used to, when she was alive. The golden coat like silk rippling as smoothly as the waters of earth. Her eyes shone, burning holes in the dim light. She spotted them ahead. The ochre-and-white tabby. Thistlestar. The calico. Sunstar. The gray tabby. Twistingstar. Jadestar brushed into their circle, gaze fixated on the four silvery oaks. Her eyes lifted to Sunstar, friendliness and warmth returning to them. She had always rather liked the calico leader, though she had betrayed the clans with Darkstar, whom Jadestar had been deputy herself to. Still, she kept her gaze level as she watched the other three with bare interest. So our sight has returned, has it? Jadestar sighed, tail coiling around her forepaws. At last. Our ancestors pad the land with no one to guide it. She watched Twistingstar, sure that a hostile staredown was moments away. Jadestar was sure, back when they were leaders, that Twistingstar had wanted her beautiful Crystal Beach. She flicked her tail, as if to dismiss the thought, and looked back down at the silvery light.
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Post by Hidden on Apr 10, 2008 20:17:21 GMT -5
Sunstar watched as first Twistingstar, then Jadestar arrived. Good. They were all there. For the most part she ignored Twistingstar; he was just like every other MarshClan leader: arrogant. When he mentioned troublemakers, she couldn't help but think of Stormfaith, or Stormpaw when she had been in ValleyClan. One of her few regrets was regarding that apprentice. Maybe if she'd given her a different mentor, she would've been ready to become a warrior before Beadedwind. Sunstar would have given her her warrior name, but she hadn't completed her training yet.
As Jadestar arrived, the calico leader's first thought was She's the one who replaced Darkstar. A small surge of dislike for the she-cat rose up inside her. But Darkstar chose her as his deputy, she reminded herself. And it was our Clans who exiled us, not our deputies. Sunstar smiled warmly at the other she-cat, then turned back to the other. "Well, now that we're all here..." she looked at Thistlestar, who had been the one to call them. "Do you have a plan? Or was it to call us all here and come up with one?" She wasn't being rude, or at least she wasn't trying to; it was more like she was thinking out loud. It would probably end up with them uniting the Clans by sending four cats a prophecy. No points for originality, but if it worked then why should that matter?
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Post by [don't]fear[the]reaper on Apr 10, 2008 21:04:34 GMT -5
Thistlestar stifled a smile, instead looking calm and authoritative; it had been something he'd been good at when he'd led MountainClan all those moons ago. His one regret had been choosing Shadowstar as his successor. But, he reasoned, how could he have possibly known all the weaknesses and faults of his senior warriors? Either way, Thistlestar had long since pushed away the guilt of his decision. Now, though, was not a time for the past, but for the future. "I do have a plan, Sunstar," meowed the brown tabby tom coolly. "It has been a long time since order reigned over the forest. I thought that we could, possibly, restore that order, and with it, the Clans." He smiled serenely, looking at his three compatriots in turn. Jadestar, the OceanClan leader who'd been so impetuous at times, yet had led the Clan with grace and dignity until her untimely death. Sunstar, who had served ValleyClan faithfully from apprenticehood. Though he had frowned on her mating with Darkstar (from the skies, of course), he could hardly blame her as he thought of his own mate, Tintedfeather. He owed her thanks for bringing the former loner there, at the least. And, finally, Twistingstar. Twistingstar had given MarshClan some much-needed stability, a change from Shatteredstar's oft-chaotic rule. Thistlestar admired him slightly, seeing some of himself in the silvery tomcat. "I propose that we each pick a single cat, the one whom we feel is best qualified to lead a Clan. It will be hard work, especially in these days of chaos and uncertainty. But we must have faith in them. "Also, we should select two cats, two who feel no loyalty to anyone save themselves, to watch over the Clans from the forest and keep them safe from another Fall." Thistlestar shuddered slightly at the word before regaining his composure. "Twistingstar, if you would be so kind as to select the leader for the Clan that shall come after MarshClan...?" He inclined his angular head towards the StarHollow.
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Post by Hidden on Apr 11, 2008 17:52:27 GMT -5
Sunstar nodded in agreement, though she couldn't keep a small smile from appearing on her face. Just as she had expected: choose a cat to lead your Clan. The only trace of originality were the two cats to watch over the Clans. The calico leader looked at Twistingstar briefly, then into the StarHollow, thinking of who she would choose. She was tempted to choose her granddaughter, but her mate complicated things. Maybe she would choose to go to MireClan with him, if that was where he was going, and Sunstar didn't feel she should make that choice for her. Plus, she knew from experience that a leader's mate should be in the same Clan as they were.
Then she thought of Violetlight's kits. Icefire was a definite no, but Kitsune or Silverlight had the potential of being good leaders. No, they were barely older than kits themselves. Violetlight wanted someone older, with more experience, preferably who had been in ValleyClan before the Fall. But were there even any ValleyClan cats left? Somehow Sunstar doubted it, and those that were were too old to lead a Clan. Sunstar gave an inward sigh, but was careful to keep it from showing too obviously on her face. This would be a hard decision.
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Post by [don't]fear[the]reaper on Apr 15, 2008 9:55:48 GMT -5
Thistlestar waited a moment for Twistingstar to speak before shooting the grey tomcat a sharp glare. "Twistingstar," He said coldly, voice brittle like ice. "We cannot wait for all eternity on your choice. If you can't decide, perhaps Sunstar should speak...?" The tabby motioned for the calico she-cat to step forward to the pool. [[ GUYS! Dizzy does not tolerate this tardiness![/b][/i]]]
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Post by angels.to.demons on Apr 16, 2008 7:03:42 GMT -5
Twistingstar snapped his head up, narrowing his eyes. I was thinking, he growled tersely. Plaguestrike, my grandson, will be the next leader of MarshClan! he pulled his head up defiantly, narrowing his amber eyes at Thistlestar, just daring the tabby to disagree. He wasn't in the mood for a fight, not during these trying times, but he wasn't about to be bossed around by the likes of a leader who wasn't even Clan-born, like he was.
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Post by [don't]fear[the]reaper on Apr 16, 2008 11:27:13 GMT -5
Thistlestar stared Twistingstar directly in the eye for a moment before nodding. "Very well, Twistingstar. I only hope..." He flicked his striped tail in thought. "I can only hope that he doesn't follow too closely in his father's pawsteps." The challenge was clear in Thistlestar's voice, though it was cleverly masked with the 'intention' of it being a spoken thought. He turned now to the two she-cats. "Jadestar? Sunstar? Which of you would like to go next? I have already made my decision, though I wait upon yours." The former kittypet-turned-loner-turned-Clancat smiled thinly. Politics. He'd never liked them, really.
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Post by Hidden on Apr 16, 2008 19:39:34 GMT -5
Sunstar paused. She could wait for Jadestar to decide, but... No, it was better to get it over with. But who? Someone who knew about Clan ways who could be replaced by one of the younger ValleyClan cats when he or she was ready to lead the Clan. Yes, that was what she would do. She paused to stare into the Starhollow, searching it. She saw several cats who could work. As she continued to think of what qualities she wanted, she ruled them out until there was only one cat left. The calico leader blinked and looked back at the other leaders. "Mintleaf will be the next leader of ValleyClan," she said firmly, casually glancing at Twistingstar to see his reaction at her choosing a MarshClan cat.
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Post by [don't]fear[the]reaper on Apr 17, 2008 9:52:26 GMT -5
Thistlestar smiled faintly. If anything, this was a test of their diplomatic abilities. "Jadestar?" He said quietly. "It is your turn now, my good lady." [[No muse, so sue me.]]
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Post by j a y d e . & on Apr 17, 2008 17:48:05 GMT -5
Jadestar nodded and gracefully swept her tail in thought. Now that Twistingstar and Sunstar had chosen, she must make sure that her choice would equal up to theirs. There was not many cats of pure OceanClan lineage anymore, but she thought of one cat. His mother was an OceanClanner and his father was also of their lineage but had left. So he was techinally pure-blooded. Her emerald eyes blinked thoughtfully for a moment, thinking. Would he make a good leader? Jadestar nodded softly to herself. He would be. She cleared her throat. I choose Vastflame to be the next leader. A smile curved on her lips. You may not know him. Remember his mother? Jadestar paused, studying the forest below. Ternfeather? She asked, curling her tail over her forepaws. He is pureblooded. He is unaware of it though. She sighed softly, green sorrowing eyes wishing to see him. They wouldn't know.. [i just came up with a wicked sideplot. (: //
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