* closer to the edge -- [open]

[Stormblaze]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=align,center,true]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true] His paws padded silently against the damp ground as he headed back toward the ShadowClan camp, a lizard held by the tail between his jaws. The swamp had been rather quiet that morning, his hunting trip solo and uneventful. Stormblaze was not bothered by his solitude, however, for he was content to be alone as much as he enjoyed the company of his Clanmates. The ground slowly became drier under-paw, a sign that he was nearing the dry clearing in which the ShadowClan camp lay. He had caught the scent of his Clanmates several pawsteps back, of course, and he knew the lay of the land like he knew his own sister's face. There was something about being part of the majestic group that was ShadowClan that made Stormblaze feel... special. Included. He'd never admit it, but he quite likes feeling included in things. Spotting Rainpelt when he padded through the entrance of the camp, the tom flicked his gray ears at her in greeting. She twitched her tail in response and then padded out where he'd just come in, no words needed. Littermates understood one another as other cats never could. He dropped the lizard onto the pile and went to sit in the sun near the warriors den, enjoying the rays as they warmed his pelt. The weather was mild, nothing special, but as their territory was not a hot one he took what he could get. The constant damp of their territory suited him fine but even Stormblaze appreciated variety once and a while, as long as 'variety' didn't come in the form of some disaster. He shuddered at the mere thought. Maybe he would hunt again soon, he thought, or perhaps just take a walk around the territory. He glanced around the camp with a curious gaze, wondering if any of his Clanmates were in the mood for a chat. Solitary though he may have been, he did enjoy socializing every now and again.

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[Violetheart]

violetheart ★

337 words; stormblaze; sup B)

Somewhere in the deepest, darkest shadow of the Warrior's den, the silence woke her. Violetheart was curled up and leaning out of her bed, paws crossed, feeling bent and twisted after a cramped five hours of sleep. Many of the hours she had taken weren't even her's to take. Her grandmother had always told her oversleeping would disrupt her ancestor's rest, stealing peace from them that Violetheart could spend doing something useful. For a while, she had believed her grandmother. Then, she died. Violet imagined some decomposed skeleton of a cat turning over in her grave. That made her smile. Her grandmother had always been a foul cat to begin with.

There were no voices in her den, no sounds. It took her a moment to figure out why. All the Warriors had left for hunting and patrol, and those who hadn't were already somewhere roaming the camp. She glanced around and stretched her long black body from the moss. There was a certain heaviness in the air, something strange and unexplainable Violet sometimes felt when no other cat did. Maybe it was just one of those days. She yawned. Yes, it probably was. Silently padding from mossy bed to den entrance, Violetheart squinted. The light was terrible, blinding her with it's sharp white rays and making her take a moment to adjust. Then, there was a sound, soft and nearly undetectable, triggering her shoulders to tense and her claws to unsheathe.

"Stormblaze?"

Violetheart immediately relaxed and her slightly startled expression began to fade. "I thought you'd be out hunting." As she approached the large gray tom, she began to detect the strong scent of prey on his breath. Oh, so that was where he had gone. She flashed a tired, yet mischievous smile. She trusted her mentor more than most cats she knew, more than many of her friends. But that didn't mean she never poked any fun at him. "Come to flirt with the Queens again, have you? I see how it is," she giggled.

credit to BABY DARLING ! @ caution 2.0

[Stormblaze]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=align,center,true]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true] At first Stormblaze had not thought much of Violetheart's scent. Mingled as it was with the scents of all the other warriors in the camp, he had not thought to determine whether its strength meant that she was relatively close or whether she'd just left the camp herself. When a soft gust of wind carried it to him stronger than before, the multi-coloured tom's ears twitched slightly and he turned his head to observe the black and white she-cat as she approached him. He dipped his head to her in a silent but friendly greeting, having more tolerance for Violetheart than a great deal of their Clanmates could probably brag. There was something about watching a cat grow from kit, to apprentice, to strong-hearted warrior that created a bond few things could break. So he tolerated her, could even say that he was fond of her despite her occasional attitude. He flicked his tail toward the prey pile when she mentioned hunting. "So I was," he said to explain the movement. Stormblaze was not the kind of warrior that would shirk his duties. If there was something that needed to be done for the Clan and he was capable of doing it, he would. His loyalty to ShadowClan was unwavering, as strong as the bond between a mother and her kits. "You slept in, I take it?" There was a slight edge of amusement in his voice when he said this. Leave it to Violetheart to wake after all the other cats had already left their dens. He met her gaze for a time, the slight ring of green around his pupils standing out in the sunlight. Standing, the tail that had previously indicated the stock of food for the Clan now brushed against her shoulder, a joking sort of scold in response to her words. "Do you see any queens I can flirt with, Violetheart?" There was humour in his meow and it was not hard to detect. He was quiet and not the most social cat but thankfully his serious nature did not completely dry out his ability to take a joke. He'd have no friends if he were that way, he assumed. "Unless I've come to flirt with the air around me, I do not." What a funny concept, flirting with the air. It would make a terrible mate, he thought, because it was everywhere and interacted with everyone. Plus, one could not have kits with someone that was not of its same genetic make-up. Stormblaze did want a family eventually. "Now that you're up," he said, a slight tease, "what do you plan on doing?"

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