and the shadows [danced] xx

[angels.to.demons]

O O C oh yes. private thread between fox/jayde. if dizzy wants to come [when the time is appropriate] then she may, since this involves her.

x x

there's another world inside of me
that you may never see
there are secrets in this life that i can't hide
but somewhere in this darkness there's a light that i can't find
maybe i'm too far away ..
or maybe i'm just blind ..

[/center]

There were dark shadows closely clinging to the tall grass on the path to the Whispering Fall, nurtured by droplets of water from the streams that ran off the falls themselves. Although evening was incredibly near, the sky was not dark yet. Brilliant orange decorated the sky in a spectrum of colors ranging from ruby to soft, pale gold. Slight blue tinges were still clinging to the edges of the clouds, despite the first few stars that were peering through the brilliance of the twilight sky.

However ..

The beauty of the coming night was taken for complete granted so often. Caught up in the dreamlike atmosphere of the golden world before him was the son of Shadow, descendent of the leader of ClawClan and the grandson of the leader of the Faithful Shadows. Evil blood had run thick in the hollow veins of Shadow's parents, grandparents, and their ancestors, as well as in his descendents.

To fight the darkness around you, you would have had to be just as strong as the sun, the moon, and the enduring earth. Darkpaw, as young as he was, understood very little of this; he only knew the dreams his father had had for his children, his son, the dark-pelted one with a gold heart, and his daughter, the light-pelted one with a feisty spirit.

so hold me when i'm here
right me when i'm wrong
hold me when i'm scared
and love me when i'm gone
everything i am
and everything in me
possibly the one you wanted me to be
i'll never let you down
even if i could
i'd give up everything
if only for your good
so hold me when i'm here
right me when i'm wrong
you can hold me when i'm scared
i won't always be there
so love me when i'm gone

Long ago, Shallowheart, a cat known for his sly, versatile mind and cool, beguiling tongue, had left the Clan of his birth, MountainClan, because of exile for mutiny. In his twisted mind, revenge was the only option. Collecting two who were on his side -- Clawpelt and Alley -- and then gathering new rebels, Shallowheart had thought himself unstoppable.

A new dawn had risen on the horizon the cold morning when the only queen in ClawClan gave birth to a healthy litter of kits that had sprang from a dark legacy, being the impish offspring of Shallowheart. Bestowing upon her son and daughter the names Brokenkit and Soulkit, she looked upon this as a good omen -- a new beginning for the world of the Clans .. and despite the turn of events from that point on, she had been right.

Shallowheart and his newly formed ClawClan grew only stronger over the moons of harsh training, but it soon became apparent he would not stand a chance, for his ranks were low and the Clans' were quite high. However, after the death of his friend Clawpelt, he went on and elected a newer, younger, and stronger deputy, a muscular black and white tom who was valued as a son in the leader's eyes -- Gustwhisker.

By this time, Shallowheart's son Brokensoul and daughter Soulkeeper were aware that their father valued Gustwhisker more than them, but they were more or less resigned to this. The son of Shallowheart took a mate, Dawnfur, while Soulkeeper showed more than a passing interest in Gustwhisker. And with this love rectangle, both queens of the pair were with kits. After the war, after which both father and son were killed but the daughter, deputy and daughter-in-law were spared, the three survivors split; Soulkeeper to MountainClan, Dawnfur to OceanClan and Gustwhisker to the loners' terra.

In the darkest evening of the year Soulkeeper spawned a son and a daughter .. Doomgust and Ruinedwing .. and from there the evil began just as strong as before.

when your education x-ray cannot see under my skin
i won't tell you a damn thing that i could not tell my friends
don't roam into this darkness
i'm alive but i'm alone
well, part of me is fighting this
but part of me is gone

When the Faithful Shadows came, so did Doomgust and the daughter of the leader of MountainClan, Flowerpetal, her love for the warrior cat outdoing her love for her parents and Clans. The two bore the first kits to the Faithful Shadows, Squirrelkit, the child of darkness, and Shimmerkit, the cat of light.

After the birth of her daughters, though, Flowerpetal suffered guilt for abandoing her parents, and harbored a secret within her -- a new litter. The two fled to MountainClan once more, leaving their kits to the Faithfuls.

Without the guidance of a mother, Squirrelpelt grew to be quite a tramp. She was impregnated by Shallowstorm, who shared no love with her, and then later birthed Scorchedpaw .. or, better known as Shadow.

Darkpaw had heard this history many times .. and everytime it made him wonder what aura of purity protected he and Mirrorpaw from the same fate even his Clanborn ancestors suffered.

so hold me when i'm here
right me when i'm wrong
hold me when i'm scared
and love me when i'm gone
everything i am
and everything in me
possibly the one you wanted me to be
i'll never let you down
even if i could
i'd give up everything
if only for your good
so hold me when i'm here
right me when i'm wrong
you can hold me when i'm scared
i won't always be there
so love me when i'm gone

His brilliant green eyes falling on something in the grass, dread filled Darkpaw's heart. A sickly sweet scent -- the smell of decay -- washed over him in such a heavy wave that he began to shrivel backwards.

This mangled carcass ..

It shared the same glossy pelt as his father ..

Oh, god, cried Darkpaw in alarm and fear. Shadow .. Father!

His cry echoed throughout the Whispering Falls in a storm of remorse and undescribable sorrow.[/blockquote]

[j a y d e . &]

[[ ooc okay, okay, i get it. \\

Mirrorpaw followed more slowly, stopping to scent the air once in a while. After leaving the MireClan camp, she was still a bit wary, unused to traveling unknown territory. The gray she-cat supressed an annoyed sigh when Darkpaw trotted ahead, his ears pricked and green eyes alert. What in StarClan is the big deal? She thought, flicking a few raindrops off of her ears. Mirrorpaw halted suddenly. She sniffed the air suspiciously as she neared the Whispering Falls and her fears were confirmed. The reek of blood clung to the air, tainting the tempting smell of prey. Mirrorpaw picked up the pace until she was sprinting towards the wavering gorse that Darkpaw had pushed through. She hoped that something hadn't happened to him. Her heart was fluttering in her chest like a panicky, trapped bird. What's happening? She spat at a branch of gorse swung at her face as she blundered blindy through the bush. Why do I smell - Mirrorpaw was cut short as she unsnagged herself from the bush and ran straight into her brother. She was about to spit a cross reply to him until she saw what he was staring at, mouth gaped in a soundless wail that almost seemed to echo as the falls thundered a few yards away. Mirrorpaw pushed towards it, violet eyes widening as she realized the identity of it. F-father! The gray tabby wailed, eyes filled with shock and horror as she stared at the mangled body of Shadow. She recoiled backwards from the stench and sight of him, one thought in her head.

What monster could do that?

[angels.to.demons]

Although at the Ancient Oaks, during the Gathering, he had portrayed his newfound independence to Shadow, he glanced desperately at his sister, his flank pressing to her's in a timid manner. If some kind of monster could kill their father with such ferocity... it could do worst damage to her and to him, couldn't it? Turning acid eyes that illuminated the dark onto Mirrorpaw, he mumbled loosely, feeling the sharp, raw grief that always came with regret,

Do you think... do you think it got Mom, too?

He didn't want to think of their beautiful mother, mangled and brutalized, just like their father... blood staining the silken purity of their coats, death dimming their blue and green eyes... Darkpaw stepped tentatively forward, trying to scent out their mother, but the decaying Shadow was much too strong for him to even find the killer's clue.

Not turning to his sister, he began to tremble -- not out of fear, but out of anger and hatred. Rage prickled against his fur, making him narrow his emerald eyes before he growled in a biting tone to Mirrorpaw, Whoever did this will pay. Flatly, he turned to her, anger still blazing in his eyes.

Before he attacked her out of mere frustration, he took a leap over the corpse of Shadow, calling back in a tear-ground voice, We need to find Mom. I don't know if she knows about him. If she's still alive, we need to go find her...

If she's still alive. Hah. Did you see the way he was ripped apart? Shadow? Your father? Bet'cha feel guilty now, dont'cha, Darkpaw? Dont'cha, Draik?

He ignored his regretful, torturous thoughts and decided to seek out Shroud, before she suffered the same dark fate as her mate. If she hadn't already... he had to hold onto hope...

That was one of the only things he had left.

[[don't]fear[the]reaper]

[[permission to shove Eclipse in now?

Meh. I'm going to do it regardless. It's sloooow here.
All done assuming Eclipse murdered Shroud off-camera.]]

i'm sorry for the person i became

Sunset. Twilight, some called it. It was Eclipse's favorite time of day, usually. The lengthening shadows, darkening skyline, even the cold winds that started to blow around ths time of day...

She loved every bit of it. Perhaps because it, at times, reminded her of herself.

Flicking a raindrop off her ear, the obsidian-pelted she-cat stretched out from beneath the rocky outcrop she'd been resting under, thinking.

Last night...

Last night had been...

Fun, murmured a voice in the back of her head. With a half-growl, Eclipse forced it out of her mind.

Because last night hadn't been fun, as the voice would suggest. It had been awful.

The lives she'd taken... Eclipse wasn't proud of herself, hadn't been proud of herself in ages, it seemed.

Silently, she cast a regretful, violet-eyed glance in the direction of the most recent 'victim'. A black-and-white splotched she-cat, with eyes that, in life, had been a vivid green, but now, in death, were vague and horrific. Her fur (once beautiful, Eclipse supposed) was hardly recognisable now, stained with blood and gore as it was, patches completely gone in some parts.

The black feline turned away from the horrific scene. She didn't want to revisit last night. Not now, not ever. It hadn't been a pretty thing, even to live through. At least she'd dragged the first one, Shadow, he'd called himself, up to the higher grounds above the Falls. She'd bring this one up too, later, when she had the strength of mind to do it and control herself.

A scream, shouts, from cats younger than her, came to her ebony auds from the flatlands above her. Eclipse raised her head, hardly interested. The last thing she needed was a repeat of last night.

Still...

They need help, the young cat told herself, getting to her rust-tinted paws resignedly. They're lost, they're trying to find their parents. I can direct them back to... to their homes.

Then that pesky, hateful, loathesome voice cut into her thoughts. You, help them? it laughed. You killed those two cats; more likely than not, those were their parents. Silly little Eclipse. You can't even help yourself, can you?

The she-cat ignored it, hard as it was. Instead, she padded up the ancient stone ramp that formed the path between the Falls' gorge and the upperlands. She meowed quietly, perhaps to herself, "Find who?"

who i am hates who i've been

[angels.to.demons]

hello mother; hello father
it's your son or it's your daughter
are my screams loud enough for
you to hear me? should i turn this up for you?

Find who?

Startled out of his skin, the young black tom glanced fearfully around until he spotted a slim silhouette of a cat approaching, flat, dead eyes on him and Mirrorpaw. She didn't look like a particularly happy cat.. in fact.. being around her creeped him out.. but more importantly, what the hell was she doing here, around the corpse of his father?

i sit here locked inside my head
remembering everything you said
the silence gets us nowhere
gets us nowhere way too fast

Gathering some of his lost courage, he stuttered lightly, Er.. well.. uh.. what's it to you, stranger? My sister and I are.. are.. looking for someone. He thought he sounded ridiculous, like a timid kit who was lost in strange territory. He didn't sound like a warrior of MireClan at all; this made him reword his somewhat bold statement. Actually, if you'll excuse us, we're looking for our mother. If you've seen her, mayhaps you can assist us. He swung his head to his sister, wondering what she thought of this rather terrifying situation.

the silence is what kills me
i need someone here to help me
but you don't know how to listen
and let me make my decisions

Pondering for a split second, he went on, She's pretty, with green eyes like mine and black and white fur. Looks like Mirrorpaw a bit. Do you know.. have you seen her? After this last part, his voice broke into a frightened squeak; it was almost like his vocals gave out on him midway. He was very confused, and terribly saddened. This odd female was only further bewildering the situation and making him realize how grave the situation was.

i sit here locked inside my head
remembering everything you said
the silence gets us nowhere
gets us nowhere way too fast

Fury flooded over him again. Whoever killed their father -- and possibly their mother -- would pay dearly! Perhaps this strange she-cat knew who it was... who the monster was that had had a slaughtering spree lately..

all your insults and your curses
make me feel like i'm not a person
and i feel like i am nothing
but you make me so do something

'cause i'm fucked up
'cause you are
need attention?
attention you couldn't get

StarClan, don't let Mom be dead.. please..

i sit here locked inside my head
remembering everything you said
the silence gets us nowhere
gets us nowhere way too fast

for you (c) staind

ehh. Jade needs to reply asap. really.

[j a y d e . &]

ooc// i'm so lazy, so lazy, sooooo lazyyyyyy....
hmm. it'd be cool is eclipse kinda became a foster mother to these to, then they figured out that she killed their parents.
...
:]

Mirrorpaw stood, frozen to the spot, as a sleek-furred female entered her vision. Find who? She blinked in confusion. Mirrorpaw gulped nervously as Darkpaw addressed her, echoing hre brother's own fears. What had happened to their mother? Had... had she reached the same fate as her father?

Mirrorpaw shivered. She hoped not. Taking a tentative half-step forward, she cleared her throat. Her eyes moved over to her father's corpse. This is our father. The tabby said slowly, pointing to Shadow with her paw. Do you know where our mother is? She demanded softly, tail twitching. There was something foreboding about this feline.

Mirrorpaw didn't like it.

[[don't]fear[the]reaper]

[[wouldn't it? She can do it because she's guilty about it. And she would, too.]]

i talk to absolutely no one
couldn't keep to myself enough

Eclipse shuffled her paws, feeling almost guilty as the two kits described and, yes, even demanded their mother. Black and white, looked like the she-kit...
A wave of horror washed over the pure black cat along with the realisation.
The she-cat. Just a few hours ago. That had been her. That had been their mother.

and the things bottled inside
have finally to create so much pressure that i'll soon blow up

"Oh." Eclipse blinked once, then looked away from the dark tom and his lighter sister. Rapidly, her mind began formulating a lie, a half-truth, anything to escape the awful truth she'd otherwise be forced to reveal to the youngsters. Stars above, they're too young, too innocent, too good. I'm bad, lost, ruined, but I won't hurt these ones, not if I can help it.
"She... she fell. Down there. I heard the scream and the fall, but..." Eclipse's voice lowered, grew more hushed with every word, with each syllable she uttered.
"I'll go get her, if you want," She added, finally looking back at them. "But it's not much. Nothing living down there, except me." She laughed, a strangled sound that was only half-hearted.

this is no place to try and live my life

[angels.to.demons]

Reply tomorrow. Sorry about the long wait.

[[don't]fear[the]reaper]

[[well, reply soon; I'm getting rather bored waiting.]]

[angels.to.demons]

I know... n_n; Really bored.

[j a y d e . &]

[your boringness is making me bored.]

[[don't]fear[the]reaper]

[[ditto.]]

[angels.to.demons]

Aiiiii. You know what's really sad and boring? This thread has been going on since June. It's September, and it isn't even a third of the way finished. That's what's sad and boring.

Some of it is my fault, but most of it is Jade's. All well... here we go, at LONG last.

So she is dead, then. Darkpaw stated, rather than asked, as a strange, glazed look filmed over his eyes. He wanted to yowl all the pain and sorrow of being orphaned, but something constricted inside of him and made him hold his self-pity inside. He didn't even glance at his sister to see how she felt about Shroud's death; in fact, he didn't want to think about Mirrorpaw at all right now. Her pain would further his, and if she was suffering as much as he was, than she was on the brink of death.

He was an emotional hurricane inside; who was this odd she-cat, who was hesitant about telling them of Shroud's death and avoided talk of Shadow completely? Why had Shadow gone down here in the first place, and what had killed him? Why had StarClan -- or whatever the hell else was up there and down there -- had taken two devoted young parents from kits who still needed their guidance?

Why the hell was Darkpaw so... indifferent feeling?

He was still grief-ridden, yes, but no internal bleeding had begun. No weeping, no screaming, no anticipation of nightmares... nothing. He glanced around, his tail twitching forlornly. There was nothing he could do anyways, so why bellyache over it?

He would miss Shroud's loving support, yes, and he would miss the fatherly talks and discussions he should have shared with Shadow, but now he had a different destiny, than being a lonely rogue with no destination and no set lifestyle. He wanted to work the hardest he could at being a MireClan warrior, and he wanted no stains of his kin to slow him down.

Instead of breaking down over your deaths, he thought solemnly, staring at the ground between he and Eclipse, I'll honor your spirits by proving that no matter what kind of lineage you have, no matter what you're parents were, and no matter how you were taught and raised, you can be any kind of warrior you choose. Lifting his head defiantly to stare into Eclipse's eyes, he mewed softly, Please. I'd... I'd like to say my final goodbyes.

He closed the door on the anguish before he could utter a single cry of cold fear and pain. Darkpaw knew exactly why destiny had split Mirrorpaw and him up with his parents; and there was no regretting it now.

[[don't]fear[the]reaper]

[[yeah. Let's get this wrapped up.
Hmm... "What I've Done", Linkin Park. Makes sense here.]]

In this farewell
There’s no blood
There’s no alibi
‘Cause I’ve drawn regret
From the truth
Of a thousand lies

Eclipse nodded, noting the anguish in the tom's eyes. "I'll bring her up," she offered, turning away from the pair and facing the slope downward. "It's not safe down there. Not unless you're..." Her voice faltered for a moment, as she groped for a word. "Me, the she-cat said finally. She turned her head back towards the others. Her purple eyes were shimmering with tears at the thought of what she'd done to them, to their parents, to herself.

So let mercy come
And wash away
What I’ve done
I'll face myself
To cross out what i’ve become
Erase myself
And let go of what i’ve done

"I'm sorry," she said, voice cracking. "Really, I am. I never meant--" She broke off, afraid to tell them the truth. "It wasn't my fault," Eclipse continued instead. "It wasn't. Really."

Put to rest
What you thought of me
While I clean this slate
With the hands of uncertainty

[/blockquote]

[angels.to.demons]

Staring oddly at Eclipse as she went to fetch his mother's body, he wondered why she was acting so nervous. Maybe she just felt sorry for them... yeah, that was probably it. Who wouldn't? Two young cats, on their own, both parents dead in one fell swoop... but he didn't want her pity. His eyes glowed over with steely determination.

As Shroud's poor corpse was brought before Darkpaw and Mirrorpaw, he felt his determination wane slightly. His acidic green eyes stared down into her own, so alike they looked copied, though his were bright with sorrow and her own were repressed and pale in death. He let his gaze travel over her once beautiful, silken ivory and dark woven coat, feeling his voice choke as he exclaimed in a mutter, Oh... Mother. He buried his small pink nose in her still-soft fur, in a slightly rust-stained patch on her delicate throat.

He bowed his head slightly, feeling suddenly very alone. It wasn't just that he would miss her... he had no one else, now, but for Mirrorpaw, and although they were close enough, it wasn't the same... it would never be the same.

Regrets washed over him like a forceful waterfall, like the falls that had taken his mother's life -- in a way -- and he let out a slow, shaky and watery sigh. Glancing mournfully at Mirrorpaw, he realized that his myriad change of emotons -- first desperation, then anger, then determination, and now the ultimate trial, grief -- was confusing even to him. Darkpaw didn't want to think about Shadow and Shroud's passings anymore.

The hatred clinging to his coat was also slipping off.

What was the point, but causing even more misery?