Title: [&&_P.eace]
Aiko - July 12, 2007 06:15 AM (GMT)
The water bubbled gently over the rocks in the riverbed, a gently sound that was soothing to the ears. The sun glistened on the water, and fish darted to and fro under the surface of the water. The air was cool with the first scents of newleaf, and prey was scattering under the bushes.
Suddenly, something red flashed from the bushes, and anyone that saw it would possibly think that a fire had started. But it was something totally different. It was a cat, a flame colored cat, stepping from the bushes into the sunlight. His flame pelt glowed like fire in the sunlight, his green eyes shimmering.
He stopped at the large boulders - Sunning Rocks. There he stood, for only a moment, looking at the stacked rocks. His tail twitched back and forth, thinking of nothing at all. His mind was clear, happy. The only thought was that of his Clan.
After a single moment, he continued his walk, turning his head forward and padding to the river. There, with a sigh, he sat down with a thump, looking at his reflection in the river. He closed his eyes, sighing deeply.
Everything was so peaceful.
Dizzy - July 12, 2007 06:28 AM (GMT)
OOC:
He is across the river, right?
His peace didn't last long.
Leopardstar padded through the thick undergrowth, thorns snagging at her golden-and-black fur. She finally cleared it, her paws gradually moving from thick grass to warm sand, near the shore of the river. Her River. RiverClan's river. She stopped at the edge to drink and stretched when she was finished. She yawned widely, loving the feeling of the sun beating down upon her fur. The bees hummed pleasently and the birds chirped warmly, relaxing the fierce she-cat.
She padded down the edge of the river til her eyes fell upon SunningRocks. She stared at them with longing in her eyes. Why had she ever given them up? She licked her lips longingly and tore her eyes away from the warm, sun-carressed boulders. Her sparkling green orbs suddenly halted on a rather-out-of-place patch of fiery-red. She padded a bit closer, looking across the river.
Firestar!
She smirked to herself and padded a bit closer, until she was directly across the river from him. She waited a moment, waited for her scent to blow toward him, before she let out a low hiss, her ears pinned and lips drawn back.
"Firestar." she then said, a silky purr in her voice. "What brings you oh so near my territory at this time of day, hmm?"
Aiko - July 12, 2007 06:38 AM (GMT)
Firestar scented her before she spoke, and jerked his head up from the water, his eyes narrowing at he saw her flatten her ears on the other side of the river. He twitched his own, resisting the urge to shake his head.
Same old Leopardstar.
He stood casually, shaking his pelt and taking his time before answering. "Well, I'm not on you side of the border, now I am?" he purred back, his own voice smooth as ice. "But, since you asked, just thinking." He flicked his left ear again, blinking slowly.
"And may I ask, what are you doing?" He narrowed his eyes slowly, flicking his tail gently.
Dizzy - July 12, 2007 06:48 AM (GMT)
She chuckled coolly, unwilling to be affected by his words. "Same old Firestar." she taunted. "Trying to get away from it all, pretending he needs a break from his difficult position as leader. Tell me, Firestar, because I'm curious: Have you done anything herioc since the last time we spoke?" She paused for a moment, pacing her side of the river, lashing her tail a couple of times.
"As for me..." she began, sarcasm lacing her words. "Why, I'm just looking for ThunderClan cats to pick on. I mean, what other purpose would be served in my resting on my own borders? I certainly can't think of any, can you?" She chuckled again, yawning in a bored fashion. Her green eyes flicked toward sunningrocks for a moment before returning to the tom.
"So tell me... how are you enjoying SunningRocks? Enjoy them while you can. I only let you borrow them." She padded into the water so that it lapped up to her chest fur. She narrowed her eyes briefly at him, curiosity reflecting in their depths.
Aiko - July 12, 2007 07:00 AM (GMT)
Firestar narrowed his eyes cooly, smirking gently at her words. Yep, she was the same old Leopardstar.
He looked away, looking as if in deep thought. "You know, Leopardstar, I don't think I have." He narrowed his eyes as if in thought, and shook his head. "Nope. I haven't. Sorry." He flickered his gaze back to her, sarcasim glittering in his eyes.
"You're right, Leopardstar," he meowed, stretching. "You can't think of anything to do. That must take more than your level of thinking." His eyes glimmered in mockery, and he sat back down, glancing over at Sunning Rocks over his shoulder.
"Oh, Sunning Rocks? Oh, I'm afraid that's your loss." He looked back over at her, as if challenging her to take them back then and there. "You won't be getting them back, I'm afraid."
Dizzy - July 12, 2007 07:06 AM (GMT)
Leopardstar blew him off, laughing loudly. "Hilarious, Firestar." she mused. "I see your sense of humor has improved since we last met." She grinned cheekily at him and backed out of the water, pacing, the sunlight making her pelt shimmer. She licked her lips again and took a nice, long drink, taking her time.
"Don't worry your pretty little head on it, Firestar." she purred. "I have no intention of taking my rocks back now. I'll wait. I'm patient. But when I do chose to take them back, be ready. I'm sure you know that I'll do anything to ensure my Clan is safe and taken care of, and has the best of the best. And besides, you didn't win Sunning Rocks. They were given to you, and so I could very easily take them back here and now, or whenever I so choose." Now, she could have very easily been referring to the Stonefur topic and his death. Maybe she was, maybe she wasn't. That was left for Firestar to decide. It was still a very sensitive subject with her, and she wasn't sure if he knew this or not.
She sat down calmly in the sand, curling her long tail over her paws and flicking her large, cone-like ears. Her elegant face had curled into a mocking mask, taunting him. Everything about her was obnoxious at the moment. She was trying to get under his skin. Why? Well, because she was bored.
OOC:
Maybe Firestar should bring up Stonefur? I dunno. But I enjoy having her fight with him.
Aiko - July 12, 2007 07:13 AM (GMT)
ooc: KK. I;m gonna make him misread that so he won't be out of character, if you know what I mean.
Firestar twisted his maw into a mocking grin, watching her as she drank from the river. During that time, he casually began licking his paw, rubbing it across his face to clean it. When Leopardstar leaned back up, Firestar began licking his chest, listening to her words as he did so.
When she finished, he lifted his head, thinking on what to say. Her words triggered an old memory; the murder of Stonefur. Was this what she meant by her words? Did she mean the death of Stonefur made her Clan better? This made his fur raise in anger. The murder of Stonefur was still as clear as ever, the way the warrior bravely fought to his last breath. This instantly made him drop the Sunning Rocks topic for later, his eyes furious.
"And does that include the murder of Stonefur, Leopardstar?" he challenged, feeling his blood boil. "Did he deserve to die to make your Clan the 'best of the best' as you call it?" His eyes were narrowed angerly, his fur struggling to lay flat.
Dizzy - July 12, 2007 07:21 AM (GMT)
OOC:
Yup. I get it.
At the mention of her former Deputy's name Leopardstar's fur shot up. Her ears were pinned to her head and her claws unsheathed, tail bristling. Her lips drew back into a threatening snarl, her thick fangs dripping with the water she had just drunk. "Don't you dare." she snarled, purils narrow. She was clearly livid, and Firestar was very lucky a river was separating him. "Don't you dare drag his memory down!" Her grief was covered by her rage, and thus may have been misinterpreted. "Maybe it was, Firestar. Maybe it was. There is so much you do not understand about that incident, so don't even pretend you do!"
She hissed lowly at him again, a low growl rumbling deep in his throat. Her tongue darted out, flicking over her lips, eyes like daggers. "Stonefur..." She couldn't continue, as her sheer rage and grief got in the way. She finally pulled herself together enough to speak again. "You are lucky this river is in my way, else I would have torn our your throat!"
Aiko - July 12, 2007 07:30 AM (GMT)
Firestar was utterly shocked at her reaction. The way the name seemed to make her extremely angry and ragefulled, and this made Firestar wonder. If Leopardstar didn't care for the deputy, why, why, would she react in such a way? His own fur had shot up during her change of mood, and his tail lashed out behind him.
He couldn't speak for a moment, but rage had overtaken him as well as shock. He understood perfectly, so he thought. She had listened to Tigerstar, listened to the traitor of the forest, and allowed him to kill her deputy just because he was half-Clan.
"I understand perfectly, Leopardstar," he hissed back, claws digging into the dirt. "Sure, I don't understand why, but I understand how he died." He lashed his tail behind him, his eyes angry and questioning. "You allowed Tigerstar to kill him! I was there! You didn't even try to stop it!" He growled loudly, somehow glad the river was there. They would be fighting now. He took a deep breath before continuing. "Why, Leopardstar? Why did you let him kill him!? What of his death would've made your Clan better?"
Dizzy - July 12, 2007 07:38 AM (GMT)
She snarled, a demonic sound that would make anyone's hair stand on end. How dare he question her decisions? As if she would really have let him die in vein! She sand her claws into the sand, lashing her tail, her muscles coiled in fury. She was a fearsome sight; she hadn't been this angry in a long time.
"His death helped to save my Clan!" she yowled. "You don't know the circumstances, and I have no reason to explain myself to you! You weren't there when we talked, nor were you there the entire duration of Tigerstar's stay on my territory." She paused to breath and turned her head away from him, unintentionally exposing the scar on her throat. "Stonefur and I... we talked for a very long time! We discussed everything, we knew what would happen soon. You really think me to be that idiotic?"
She laughed coldly at him, having not relaxed at all. "I did not allow Tigerstar to kill him. You have no idea what we all went through, me and my entire Clan because of that scum. Stonefur's death was for the best of reasons, believe me. I would never just stand by and let him die."
OOC:
That was a bad post. I ran out of things for her to say and forgot some of it. Bah. I think I'm going to stick with what I had going last time, that she and Stonefur were in love or whatever. I was going to say that maybe she could have kits, but it's been too long since his death with the new plot and whatnot. I don't think it'd work out. So yeah.
Aiko - July 12, 2007 07:49 AM (GMT)
Questions. More questions. Firestar hadn't thought that questions still remained of the evil that loomed in the forest. But here was more. What did she mean? Had Tigerstar threatened her entire Clan's lives unless she agreed? Had Stonefur known ahead of time he would die? Was everything Leopardstar had done with Tigerstar forced? His tail lashed out again, desperate for answers, and he couldn't help but feel pity. The way Leopardstar spoke...it wasn't meant to happen.
Firestar let his fur lay flat, forced his eyes to soften, his snarl to disappear. He stared at Leopardstar from across the river, her anger surprising him. He had never seen her this angry. He didn't say anything, pity forcing him to stop. But he fought it, desperate to know why. Why Bluestar's son had to die.
"But why, Leopardstar?" he asked softer, his voice less harsh. "Why did you listen to him? What did he say to make you do something you didn't want to?" He narrowed his eyes, but they were softer than before.
Dizzy - July 12, 2007 07:59 AM (GMT)
"Oh, and here it is." Leopardstar crooned. "The great warrior finally figures out that life is not all what it seems." She watched him relax very carefully. Though she didn't entirely relax herself, she did allow her fur to lay flat. Her ears were still pinned though, and her muzzle was still crinkled up into a snarl.
She sighed again when he questioned, her ears pricking up. She licked one of her paws and drew it over her face a few times, buying time for herself. She finally raised her eyes from the ground and looked at the ginger tom across from her. "Why is it so important to you?" she asked softly, most of the hostility gone from her voice.
"Firestar, this is none of your business. Your quest for answer will eventually get you killed." she murmured, closing her eyes. She let her eyes stay closed for a very long time before re-opening them and looking at her fellow leader. "I will tell you this, only to respect his memory. Tigerstar was hinting that half-blood cats were going to be killed--all of them. I objected and was attacked, and Stonefur stood up for me. Tigerstar told him that he would be the first to die, and if not my entire Clan would be slaughtered." she shuddered visibly. "Stonefur and I talked that night. He... he agreed that he would fight for his life and try to win. But I was not to step in, as he feared I'd be hurt. I was not to object. He told me that if it looked like he was going to die, that I must let him, to save our Clan..."
By this point her eyes were glossy with grief, all anger vanished, save for the snarl on her lips. "Stonefur died that day for his Clan, and for me. To keep us safe."
Her ears suddenly flattened again, another growl having risen in her throat. She couldn't believe she was telling Firestar this. Maybe she just needed to talk, and here a pair of listening ears had presented themselves. "No one in my Clan knows this." she hissed. "They believe the same thing you did." She inspected the tip of her tail boredly, the fur on the ruff of her neck and her spine prickling, waiting for his reaction.
Aiko - July 12, 2007 08:11 AM (GMT)
Firestar said nothing as she spoke, his eyes dimming as he listened intently to her words, never letting one stray away from his ears. And with each one of her words, he felt more guilt and pity for her. Answers was what he wanted, and that was what he was getting, but he never knew it would make him feel guilty for thinking the agressive she-cat would allow her deputy to be killed. He relaxed completely near the end of her speech, his eyes closing as if he could picture their talk in his minds eye.
When she finished, he didn't move, letting her words repeat in his head. He finally understood why, and it made him feel horrible, with guilt and empathy. But he understood, if very little. To save her Clan...He could honestly say he would do the same, He opened his eyes, pricking his ears toward Leopardstar, before he lifted his head to look at her.
"Leopardstar..." he trailed off, looking away for a moment before looking back. "I...I shouldn't have judged you." He looked away, turning his gaze to the river, finding it interesting in that moment if silence. "That was...very wrong of me...what I said..." He looked up again, his eyes dull. "To save your Clan...for both of you...that was brave." He closed his eyes. "Stonefur died noblely, more ways than I had thought."
He opened his eyes again, he looked at her for the numerous time. "You're Clan should know, Leopardstar." He paused, letting the silence soak in. "But if you wish, I will tell no one..."
Dizzy - July 12, 2007 08:23 AM (GMT)
NO! My comp ate my reply!
She watched his reaction carefully, closing her eyes sadly as he spoke. It amazed her just jow quickly the mood had changed. She listened to his words, drinking them in, savouring them and their calmness. "Firestar, you are scarcely younger than I." she murmured. "But you need to realize that any good leader would do anything for her - or his - Clan. Anything. You overlooked this fact."
When he mentioned the nobility of Stonefur's death she could only smile softly. "Stonefure was a noble cat." she whispered. "The best in my Clan, I must say." She smiled at his memory and looked back up at Firestar. "It's been twelve moons since then. I'm sure I'll get around to telling them." she mused. "And yes; tell no one. I shouldn't have told even you!"
She stood and stretched, her muscles still tense, adrenaline pumping through her veins still. She swiveled her ears and blinked slowly before looking up at Firestar again.
OOC:
That was bad. Again, I went blank.
Aiko - July 12, 2007 08:30 AM (GMT)
Firestar dipped his head in agreement, knowing he would gladly sacrific anything for his Clan. She was right, about that. Good leaders would give anything for their clans, even if it meant sacrificing themselves...or something more.
He looked up again at the mention of not telling anyone and nodded. "Of course, Leopardstar. I'll take it to the grave." He eyes lingered on the RiverClan leader a moment, feeling admiration. She was only just older than him, but wiser. It was something he hoped to have, adding to what he knew already. "But I'm glad you told me." He didn't say anything else.
His eyes shook gently, his tail tapping the ground gently, as he looked away sheepishly. Guilt was still biting away at him, for judging so quickly. That wasn't like him. He shuddered gently, his emerald eyes reflected in the water.
He remembered he had come here, thinking of the peace that had overcome the forest, and he couldn't help but chuckle quietly. How ironic. He had come during peace, thinking of peace, only to have it broken.
Unexpected.
Dizzy - July 12, 2007 08:36 AM (GMT)
OOC:
I have no idea how to respond!
Leopardstar lay down, stretching out on the sand. "Thank you, Firestar." she murmured, resting her chin on her paws, curling her long tail around her body. "It really does mean something to me." She sighed heavily and closed her eyes briefly before opening them, watching Firestar carefully. Her eyes drifted to Sunning Rocks and a wave of agression passed through them. Her tail lashed, kicking up sand. She was unable to believe that she had given them away. Maybe she had been sick at the time.
She knew one thing though: Those rocks would soon be hers again. But she had to approach the situation carefully when the time came. She was by no means Firestar's friend. No, not at all.
Aiko - July 12, 2007 08:43 AM (GMT)
ooc: Moving time = over. xD
Firestar nodded, watching her as she layed down. This was a rare moment between leaders of different clans, especially between Leopardstar and anyone else, for that matter. A moment when Clan leaders could talk. Firestar wondered how many leaders would take advantage of her words, and he knew he would never be that kind of cat. He watched her closely, noticing the flash in her eyes when she looked at Sunning Rocks. He couldn't help but grin. There would be a battle soon, no doubt about it.
"Forget it, Leopardstar," he purred, trying to change the subject and 'lighten the mood'. "Those will remain ThunderClan's."
Dizzy - July 12, 2007 08:51 AM (GMT)
OOC:
I lub my avatar!
She chuckled coolly, but not cruelly. "You keep believing that, kittypet." she purred, a playful tease in her voice, disguising her fierce longing for the rocks. "Don't think we won't fight for them. As I said, I get my Clan only the best."
She smirked at him and then chuckled again. Indeed, this was a very rare moment, especially Leopardstar. She knew it was only because of the river though. Had it not been there, she probably would have still been attacking him, ripping out his fur and the like. But, thanks to the river, they seemed to have found peace for a moment, which was not something Leopardstar usually had, especially with cats out of her Clan.
Aiko - July 12, 2007 08:58 AM (GMT)
Firestar felt a familar twitch of annoyance at the taunt of kittypet, but let it slide. After all, the peace couldn't last forever. Might as well let it stay for as long as it could. He chuckled back, shaking his head.
"Don't think I don't think you won't," he meowed, flicking his tail toward the rocks. "But like you, my Clan gets the best as well." He narrowed his eyes. "And we will fight for it as well."
Dizzy - July 12, 2007 09:03 AM (GMT)
"I'm sure you will. Fight all you want, but you forget that only one Clan can win. And it'll be mine." She laughed softly again, playing with her paws in the sand. A mouse munched on a seed not far away, but the sun made Leopardstar lazy, and she dind't rise to chase it.
No. She was relaxing for the first time now, despite Firestar's Sunning Rocks battle remarks.
Aiko - July 12, 2007 09:07 AM (GMT)
Firestar curled his tail, shaking his head. "Just keep telling yourself that, Leopardstar." He blinked slowly, feeling the sun warm his fur, and he closed his eyes, lazily flicking his tail. He opened them, yawning gently.
Dizzy - July 12, 2007 09:14 AM (GMT)
OOC:
HAve you notived that our replies are getting steadily worse? Should we post with someone else somewhere else?
"Only if it's true." she whispered, mostly to herself, closing her eyes. At the moment she wanted nothing more than to roll over in the sand, but she dared not do such a thing with Firestar watching. For now, she needed to be calm and serious, arrogant and strong.
Aiko - July 12, 2007 09:21 AM (GMT)
ooc: Yes, lets end it. o.o
Firestar purred gently, sighing as he looked over his shoulder. He was getting sleepier and sleepier, but he couldn't fall asleep here. He needed to go back to camp to plan hunting parties. He turned back to Leopardstar, narrowing his eyes.
"I must return to my Clan, Leopardstar," he meowed, padding toward the bushes while watching her. "I'll see you...at the next gathering." He eyed her a moment longer before nodding in goodbye, and bounded toward his camp.
Dizzy - July 12, 2007 09:24 AM (GMT)
Leopardstar nodded her good-bye in return and, just as he had, darted back to her camp.
OOC:
That was the most amazing post ever.