&&;r e m e m b e r [the] forgottenx

[angels.to.demons]

Long shadows draped across the ground, highlighted by the stark white moon which sent flowering silver streaks to paint the earth. The dark gray waters of the flowing, tangled maze of a river slammed againt the banks, and looked fast and furious enough to drown even the strongest warriors. Spectrumfire guessed it had, at least once, drowned a cat, but he most likely wouldn't mention such a thing to Violetlight.

Standing on the soft, marshy banks of the Twisted River in what had once been OceanClan territory, Spectrumfire's narrowed green eyes gave out sharp sparks of lamplight to glow in the smudgy grayness of midnight. He was barely visible, due to his mottled dark colorings, but for a patch of white on his chest and the pale ivory maw he'd been blessed with at his birthing. He resembled a great dragon -- fierce, noble, with all the colors of the gems in the world interwoven into a long, silken coat with a bannering tail to signal a war flag. He prepared to pounce if the shade of a threat appeared, but he doubted it would. In reality, the threats didn't stalk from the dark; they placed their captive spirits in smiling, false bodies with faces of trust and sincerity.

Spectrumfire knew this from experience.

Turning away from his memories, the darkness of yestermoons he'd banished from his mind long ago, he swished his plumage and awaited emotionlessly for his mate to show up. He wasn't sure how she'd react to him having chosen the Twisted River to inspect for a proper home, but something about the dark shrubbery and insulated protection sang to his troubled brain and soothed his irked emotions. He knew he wanted to raise a family some day, having been raised without one himself, not even a sibling to tousle with in the early days, and if he'd ever sprouted a family, he'd want to be able to easily protect them from the dangers of the world.

Turning to the trail he'd taken, he awaited to see a pale silver shape with lush purple eyes appear on the hill, and his heart warmed when he thought of her. She was beautiful, but she wasn't vain; she was intelligent, but not prissy; she had had a hard life, but wasn't full of angst and tears. She was perfect, and she just didn't know it. Resting his haunches on the plush banks, he flicked his triangular ears in anticipation of her arrival.

[j a y d e . &]

[[-coughcough- can minnowpool show up?]]

[angels.to.demons]

[yessss .. definitely. bring 'er down.]

[Hidden]

Violet eyes peered through the gnarled claws of a bush, staring at the bright moon overhead. Her head lowered to look at the hill ahead. Soon her bushy cover would end, but she didn't mind. Somewhere up ahead was her mate, Spectrumfire, so she knew she had nothing to worry about. She began to move forward again, silently slipping around the undergrowth.

Occasionally a branch would prod her in the side, reminding her that she wasn't as slim as she used to be. She was from ValleyClan, a land of open moors and gentle hills. She wasn't used to being surrounded by undergrowth, and was thus less adept at making her way through it.

Finally it began to thin until she could walk in a straight line. Moonlight lit up the light gray part of her pelt, a trait she had inherited from her mother. Dark stripes cut through her glowing pelt, turning it into a soft glow. She reached the top of the hill and looked down. It took a moment for her to find her mate, who, unlike herself, was well camouflaged at night. Still, it didn't take long for her to locate his green eyes and white markings.

Violetlight trotted down the hill to meet him, brushing her muzzle against his in greeting. Excitement began to tingle in her belly. She could finally tell him. She opened her mouth to say hello, but instead a different word came out. "Kits," she breathed, her violet eyes glowing. "I'm going to have our kits."

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

[[And I bring Eclipse forth...kinda.]]

The jet-black cat smiled thinly as she listened to her cousin from beneath a rock-ledge on the riverbank. Kits for Cousin Violetlight; how very... nice for her.

Why was Eclipse here? Honestly, she wasn't quite certain herself. The Twisted River had always held memories in its damp earth, more dark pasts that she'd rather not have to see. Eclipse tended to avoid this place on principle alone, as it had been her birthplace, her mother's birthplace, and the birthplace of too many cats, all doomed to death in some untimely manner.

And following Violetlight and her mate? Again, inexplicable for the coldhearted black femme. Eclipse had a feeling about the two, and it was a bad feeling, the same she had everytime the full moon rose, but worse, as the cause was unknown. For the moon's pain signaled what had once been the Clans' Gathering, and Eclipse spent each of those nights at the Ancient Oaks, shivering as phantasmal felines talked around her, oblivious to her presence.

Eclipse knew that something bad would happen to Violetlight and Spectrumfire, and their kits; what exactly, she didn't know. She wasn't gifted with foresight, as Mooncrest had been, but with hindsight, a rather useless talent these days and one that made her hate others even more. Even her relatives.

But I must watch them. She decided. If I can keep one family safe, then perhaps there'll be less pain and misery in the future for everyone.

So it was settled. And so Eclipse came to the River.

A black moon to watch the daylight without a trace of envy.

[[-dies- MUSE!]]

[j a y d e . &]

Stars danced in the pelt of another slender feline. She crouched, unseen in the reeds. Pale-as-ice orbs flickered from the two cats. Pssh. About my age. Kits? Outrageous. Minnowpool stood up, ivory teeth glinting against the glittering moon. Her pristine fur smoothed back, she stalked out of the undergrowth with utter silence. She took one look at the two, unsheathing her hooked claws thoughtfully. Kits? Minnowpool hissed.

She paused for a moment, flicking her tail as it swished slowly. Quite an interesting theory for cats our age, eh? Minnowpool smiled wickedly, a wolfish smile that was sure to strike fear in cats of the more weak-hearted sort. Pity you're having them. That's two less cats I can injure if they injustice others at all. Again she smiled her twisted smile, tail lashing with glee. Minnowpool. Charmed, I'm sure. She chuckled to herself, coat lying flat even as a gust of harsh wind buffeted it.

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[Hidden]

Violetlight turned, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. The gray tabby took a step forward to stand next to her mate. Her fur bristled slightly. Who was she to question when they had kits? They certainly weren't the youngest cats to have kits; she'd heard of apprentices having kits before. Her violet gaze flickered to the she-cat's unsheathed claws, and she had to restrain herself to keep her own from sliding out.

The silver she-cat didn't reply to Minnowpool's remarks immediately. Instead she glared at her, her eyes glittering coldly. All of their warmth from a few moments ago had disappeared; this cat gave her a bad feeling. "It's none of your business when we choose to have kits," she growled, glancing over at Spectrumfire.

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

[[I need a vote: should Minnowpool meet up with Eclipse fairly soon? They could be best friends....[/sarcasm]]]

[j a y d e . &]

[[hey, ya never know, dizzy. =] ]]

Minnowpool rolled her pale blue eyes sarcastically. I never said it was my business, did I? But who am I to pass up an opportunity such as this? Honestly. The slender white she cat looked the pale tabby in the eye, a glint of hostility flashing under a blank robin-egg stare. She turned to the bicolor tomcat, staring into his deep emerald eyes with no emotion present in her glittering blue eyes. I would think cats my own age might have more intelligence than that.

Minnowpool extended a forepaw with a full set of long, sharp talons, batting the air boredly in front of her. Maybe once and a while you should all stop, calm down, and think straight. Then there wouldn't ever be a purpose for cats like me. She growled, raising a forepaw to her white shoulderblade. Neatly, she slit a narrow, shallow wound on the side of her shoulder. Minnowpool watched boredly as a faint trickle of crimson welled up. She looked up and half-grinned. You should try it sometime. Makes your would clearer. Luxuriously stretching her body, Minnowpool settled back down, waiting for the couple to react.

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

[[Yup. She needs to have a meeting with miss Eclipse. And they can be emenies!]]

Eclipse nearly hissed as she furitively watched the unfolding scene above. If she wasn't watching the pair in secret, she'd give this Minnowpool a real show of coldhearted behaivior.
But...
Ah, who cares? She'd let Minnowpool know what's what, and now.
Silently clambering onto the bank, Eclipse slid like a shadow until she was behind the white she-cat before speaking in her icy tones.
"A clear world would be nicer, I suppose," The obsidian she-cat muttered, amethyst eyes cold and flat. "But you can't expect anyone to think anymore. If they did, they'd see that the world is just like the moon: flat, cold, and heartless." She shrugged.
"Do you think the sun, moon, or stars care about us? Believe me, if we were to all die, they would rise just the same tomorrow, regardless of who's watching." Eclipse narrowed her icicle glare towards Minnowpool. "Leave them alone, Minnowpool. If you'd like a quarrel, I'd be more than happy to have a half-decent fight. During the Blood Moon, preferably."


[[Blood Moon= Harvest moon= when the moon is bright orange.]]

[Hidden]

Violetlight ignored the comment about her intelligence. "Cats like you?" she echoed, watching as Minnowpool sliced her shoulder with a mixture of surprise and disgust. What, clinically insane cats? The gray she-cat eyed Minnowpool suspiciously. Was there something wrong with her?

Just then, another she-cat appeared behind Minnowpool, one she was sure had questionable sanity. It was her cousin, Eclipse. But hadn't she just said that she never wanted their paths to cross again? She sighed inwardly. She was beginning to think there were no normal cats left. Or maybe she and Spectrumfire were the insane ones, and everyone else was normal.

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

Eclipse inclined her head rigidly to acknowledge her cousin's presence. "I apologize for my intrusion, Cousin. I was visiting my mother's grave when I heard voices." A thin smile hovered briefly on her ebony features. "They weren't in my head, either."
"So I thought I'd come and sort out what seems to be a squabble betwixt siblings. Isn't that what it is." The last was a statement, as though Eclipse already knew the answer to that question. The smile was gone, the eyes hardened and froze once more.

[j a y d e . &]

Minnowpool rolled her eyes as a younger femme with a slick black coat and violet eyes spat words at her. With a flick of her skinny white tail, she bared her ivory teeth at the cat. Anytime, kit. Minnowpool hissed. But I'm not looking for a fight. Without another word, the turned to the pair of tabbies. Cats like me aren't normal. Most likely, I'm the only one of my kind. She turned in a circle, tail flagging in the breeze. You wanna see something abnormal? Minnowpool turned to look at them for a second, before turning away.

She crouched against the ground for a heartbeat longer, before streaking along the riverside to a tall palm tree. About four feet from the tree, she sprung high into the air sharp talons unsheathing midair. As Minnowpool landed on the tree, about two-thirds of the way up, she claws dug into the tough bark. She scrambled up the rest of the length, white fur ruffled by the wind. As she turned to look at them, she called out. Did that look normal at all to you? Two ice blue orbs stared harshly at the three felines. Well?

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Hidden]

((Cool header thing Jade! It stretches the page, though.))

Violetlight continued to stare at her cousin, still wondering why she was here. She nodded briskly in greeting, not eager to get into another debate about whether being antisocial was smart. Luckily she didn't have to think of anything to say without provoking her, because Minnowpool was already speaking.

She watched with round eyes as Minnowpool leaped into the tree, but before she could turn to look at them, Violetlight narrowed her eyes. It was strange for a cat to randomly show off like that. "Okay, okay, I'm convinced!" Violetlight called up, adding silently to herself, Not mentally normal, anyways.

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

If cats had eyebrows, Eclipse would have raised one at Minnowpool's display.
"A strange talent," She mused quietly. "But a showoffy one, and hardly necessary in matters of the mind." Eclipse grinned slyly. "I'm a bit disappointed in you two, Spectrumfire, Minnowpool. Shouldn't you be greeting each other not as enemies or strangers, but as...."

"Siblings?"