the ceremony

[Oceanpaw]

Oceankit opened her soft blue eyes, light seeping through the entrance of the den. The light was dimmed down from lack of sunshine. She lay on a bunch of bracken and soft wrinkly moss. The bracken crunched like fall leaves. She had to occasionally pick moss out of her fur. No one talked to her at all.This made her lonely. Her eyes watered as the thought zoomed through her mind. Mother. The thought sent a demon chill down her little spine. She was told her mother left her when she was a few days old. Then it hit her.

Her mother died when she was too small to walk. A very faint memory of her and her mother played in her mind.

"Wake up, honey," said a cat. It was too blurry describe. The cat stood far above the kit.

She had just woken up from a long nap. Fur ragged she said, "Ma, where are you going?"

Mother responded, "Out hunting. Don't tell your father."

"OK."

The memory ended. She sobbed and looked at the cold walls of the nursery. "I miss my mother.With her warm fur also her comfort," Oceankit wailed. Oceankit remembered that today she would be at the apprentice ceremony. She jumped straight out of the bracken as if she were bi-polar. She was just sad now happy! You're kidding me! Oceankit, soon to be Oceanpaw, darted out of the nursery. Wind rushed through her small ears as she looked around at the other cats. Time for the ceremony.

[Swanfrost]

Ughhh, Swanfrost glanced at the shadows. But, then again, it was night, and a bit tougher to tell the time than during the day. She was stuck here for an apprentice ceremony, or so she was hearing from chatty kitties nearby, for at least two kits. Something along the lines of Warblerkit and Swimkit or something along those lines, Swanfrost didn’t really know. With a flick of her tabby-striped tail, she slithered into the crowd, only barely curious about the identity of the mentors. It was sometimes interesting to know what cats would be out and away from camp or with younglings, you know, in case any of them were cute toms. That was really the only thing that Swanfrost generally thought about, but at the moment it was grouchiness that she had been forced to awaken from her customary nap before she departed in a night search for any wandering (male) souls. However, she was now stuck here with the rest of the excitable and jostling Clan who were so very intrigued by such a minor matter. Swanfrost couldn’t even recall if she had cared as much about her apprentice ceremony. She probably did, having been egged on by her father and all that, but still, she couldn’t conjure up and such feelings about becoming an apprentice.

Actually, now that Swanfrost contemplated it, being an apprentice was not a very happy time for Swanfrost, seeing as she was forced to do all sorts of servant-type actions, and everyone seems to know that Swanfrost does not enjoy doing things for others. On the contrary, if she could splay herself out in a palace, with slaves and attractive tomcats, then Swanfrost would be in heaven. If StarClan did exist, then Swanfrost assumed it would be very similar. If it didn’t, then Swanfrost would very much want to be sent to some other form of death, then, or else she might find herself unhappy for eternity. But alas, such dreary thoughts that did not even enter this girl’s mind. No, she wanted to know why in StarClan’s name ThunderClan decided to have kits to be made apprentices while she had been almost excited to leave and go adventuring, as though it would be any good with all the non-Clan cats just randomly up-and-leaving. Still. Her Clanmates expect everyone to put the Clan first, and so she would put on her façade again, her mask, and pretend to care and pretend to pay attention.

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[aureate]

Sparkpaw bounded out of the apprentice den, pausing momentarily at the exit to stretch, sliding his front legs out in front of him and sticking his back end into the air. It wasn't morning by any means, but Sparkpaw had just woken up -- he hadn't had any patrols or training sessions set up for the day, and he had decided to take the day off to relax. I probably should hunt at some point, though, he mused, coming out of his stretch into a more normal position and moving towards the clearing that was the main part of the ThunderClan camp. I guess I'll go after the ceremony was after. And maybe I can ask Tigerlily to take me!

Being only six moons old, Sparkpaw had only recently had his own apprentice ceremony, and, in the same vein, had only just begun his apprenticeship. The Clan leader had assigned him to Tigerlily, a nice she-cat who was very similar in looks to Sparkpaw, and even though they hadn't gotten to do much training yet, the tom thought that this period of his life was going to be a good one. Sparkpaw smiled as he looked around, noting with interest that Oceankit was rushing excitedly out of the nursery.

Although he and Oceankit were about the same age, they hadn't interacted much. But from what he had noticed, Sparkpaw thought they the two cats could get along quite well. May as well start now! Abandoning the post by the apprentices den that he had briefly occupied, he padded over to Oceankit. "This apprentice ceremony is for you, right?" he asked, the tip of his tail twitching a bit. "You must be so excited!" The corners of his mouth curved into a big smile as he looked at the soon-to-be-apprentice. "I definitely was."

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[Warpaw]

He found himself lost in a colorless world, the leafless forms of black trees twisted against a foggy white background. It was eerily dim here, even though he had no idea where the light was coming from; the sky overhead was the same dull, monotone color. The kit was searching for something, although he himself wasn't sure what or why. Suddenly, in the veil of delicate mist flashed the color of crimson. Involuntarily, realization and satisfaction struck him. He concluded that what he had been searching for was a hint of a different hue, a splash of color in this unending world of black and white. Out the mist formed two shapes, slowly moving toward him. Finally, two kits emerged, and he felt himself draw back in horror. It was Bloodkit and Deathkit, fur permanently stained with bright red. Unhealed wounds divided their fur, the pink flesh exposed. Together they raised their heads, little noses sniffing the air. His murdered brothers then began to mewl urgently. With a sense of dread, he slowly turned around, looking into the face of his mother, which was twisted in maddened rage. She lunged for him, ready to claim the life she had unsuccessfully done away with so many moons ago. A claw entered itself between his shoulders, and he gasped, head snapping back.

Warkit cried out in agony, the pain between his shoulders growing increasingly hurtful by the second. His mother retracted her claw from his little form, a bead of blood taking the place of where it had been. "Oh, shut up and get yourself ready. Your apprentice ceremony is here." Warkit swallowed down a whimper as his surroundings came into focus. He brought himself to his paws, turning his head to stare coldly at his mother. Blueflight smiled and in a sickly sweet voice, asked, "Is there something you'd like to say?" Warkit snorted and turned his head even more to lick away the blood welling up in his new wound, courtesy of his heartless mother. "As a matter of fact," he said between licks, "I do. Now that you are no longer needed as my caretaker, what will become of you?" Warkit smirked in pleasure as Blueflight's smile faded and she grew fearfully thoughtful. The only thing that had kept her from being exiled was her role as being Warkit's caretaker. Now he'd be leaving the nursery, no longer dependent on her. What would happen to her? Would she truly get exiled? As much as Blueflight hated ThunderClan, she was no longer fit for taking care of herself. "Why," she meowed with her eyes lighting up sadistically. "I've been thinking of becoming an elder."

Warkit stiffened mid-lick, knowing very well what that would mean. Elders were respected and taken care of; a chore that fell, incidentally, to the apprentices. Blueflight must have remembered that fact too, and she smirked as she padded out of the nursery, leaving him alone the the milk-scented den. He noticed that he had licked his fur in such a way that it had covered his new wound, which wasn't bleeding as much anymore. Blueflight, an elder? Could she do that? Warkit swallowed, pushing away the nervous worry that had crept into his mind. With the same cold stare that he always seemed to have, Warkit turned toward the nursery entrance, readying himself to exit it. These were his last few minutes as a kit, and from now on, he'd be an apprentice. Despite the earlier bad news from Blueflight, Warkit actually felt himself growing excited; a rare emotion for him to be feeling. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out into camp, eyes darkening with intensified readiness. It was time.

He was slightly taken aback by the crowd of cats already gathered, although Wildpath hadn't even called a Clan meeting yet. His dull yellow gaze drifted over the familiar faces until dropping on Oceankit, the kit he'd be sharing this apprentice ceremony with. Sparkpaw had already walked over to her, and seemed to be saying something; most likely about the upcoming ceremony. Although not very social nor really desiring to be, Warkit decided he should go over and talk with them, in case others thought something was wrong should he not participate. They were aware of Warkit's seldom efforts to involve himself, although they also knew these were uncommon. But not every kit was outgoing, even more so with Blueflight as his mother. He looked for her now in the crowd, and with a flare of anger, noticed she was busy looking bored. He'd like to say he didn't care about Blueflight's deeds, and that it didn't matter whether or not she cared about his apprentice ceremony, but that wasn't true. Even if Warkit wouldn't admit it, he often times found himself desperately looking for a hint of acceptance or a clue of kindness in the hostile she-cat. He would never find any.

Padding over to Oceankit and Sparkpaw, he dipped his head in greeting. "Hello." It wasn't particularly long, not that many cats knew Warkit to actually talk much. Of course, he could say a lot if someone would listen and if he truly wanted to tell them. Other than that Warkit didn't concern himself with too many words unless necessary. But right about now, he supposed it may become a recommended course of action, so he attempted again to really involve himself in a conversation with these two. "So," he said to Oceankit, "do you know who your mentor is yet? Or hope to be?" Now that was something Warkit could talk about. He himself was particularly interested in who would be his mentor. Who would teach him battle techniques and how to fight? Warkit felt his mouth twitch up in a smile, an expression he often had to fight to show. It was genuine this time, not forced, however dark the intentions behind it were. He truly did want to train and learn, and he looked out over the crowd of assembled cats to wonder over who he might be apprenticed to. He flinched when he spotted Swanfrost, who looked attentive with caring. She seemed alright, but to Warkit she appeared too much of a goody-two-shoes. Oh well, whoever his mentor was, he'd have to give them the benefit of the doubt... Although he'd probably beg for StarClan's mercy if Wildpath appointed Swanfrost as his mentor. Freakin' she-cat.

[Icefern<3]

Sweet~Feisty~Lovable~Cute~Kind
Icefern

Padding into the camp, Icefern glanced around at all the cats gathered near the highrock and wondered what the fuss was about. While she was setting down her squirrel in the fresh-kill pile, it hit her. It was Oceankit and Warkit's apprentice ceramony today! Brightening up at the thought the cute white warrior skipped on over to where the two kits were sitting. Stormbelly was there as well, and Icefern dipped her head in formallity to the she-cat. Beaming at the two kits, she spoke happily. "You all excited for your ceramony? Good luck on getting good mentors!" She was slightly hinting at her longing to become a mentor for one of the kits. Her last apprentice had passed in a fox attack, and she hadn't been a mentor since then. But now, Icefern believed she was read. Sitting down quietly, she brought one of her tiny white paws to her face and licked it gently. Flitting her icy blue eyes to Oceankit, she wondered how she would act as an apprentice. She certianly acted as if she had an inituative to learn, and a sweet disposition. Not to mention she was related to Wildpath, Icefern's huge crush. It was obvious to everyone in the clan except for, of course, Wildpath himself. But all in good time it would become apparent to him. Maybe if she mentored his niece it would earn her some respect points from him. She decided to set her sights on Oceankit as an apprentice. Looking at Warkit, Icefern grinned slyly. He wouldn't be so bad either.

The white she-cat noticed Blueflight staring at her from the other side of camp, and she scowled back at her. Ice loathed Warkit's mother with her whole heart, for the way she treated her son was how a Shadowclanner treated a tresspaser. No love, no care, nothing of the sort. She unsheathed her claws for no more than a second, then withdrew them. Idiotic Blueflight. She thought, still scowling in her direction. No matter how much she hated Blueflight, she could never harm a cat intentionally. Glancing at Warkit and Oceankit agian, she smiled sincearly, and her pink nose twitched slightly. She eased down from her sitting position to laying down, and curled her fluffy tail neatly around her front paws. Then she spoke, this time to Stormbelly. "How has your day been going Stormbelly? You looking for an apprentice as well?" Looking at Oceankit she looked as pleased as could be. She was sure that young she-cat had a great future. "Wildpath will be very proud of you Oceankit, and same for you Warkit. I have faith that you will both make wonderful apprentices, and Warriors as well." Now, Icefern was practically exploding with happiness for the kits. Just as she was about to speak to them once more, she noticed Wildpath grooming himself nearby. Her attention flew to him, blushing madly. She wondered if the kits noticed her crush on him, considering they were just innocent kits. Please pick me as a mentor, please pick me as a mentor, Wildpath please! She pleaded in her mind, wondering if he understood the look of longing she was giving him. Her shimmering blue eyes locked with his and she smiled shyly at him. Oh Wildpath, you are my idol. My leader. My love.

[wildstar.]

There was darkness that lied ahead. Something... Cold. And hunger for battle. With menacing yellow and orange eyes, gazing back at him. Lips smeared with cat blood, dripping and falling onto the snowy ground below. Sharp, canine-like teeth glinting in the darkness. Claws sparkling with hate and blood-thirsty yowls of triumph filled the air. Thick blood splattered onto the ground, which smelled of all four Clans. The sound of cats howling. Silence. Then, when he thought it was all over, it started back up again. The claws. The blood. The teeth. The eyes. The... horrid, sickening smiles twisted with delight for kill. Laughter chilled the air, but this wasn't a sound a kit would make. It was the sound of a murderer. The sound that made every good cat's blood run freezing cold. Yellow eyes flickered over this scene until it changed into a new one. A Clan. But it was a camp that the tabby cat couldn't place his paw on, even though he had vivid descriptions of each. A leader was speaking, but he or she was covered in shadows. The other cats were, too, so he didn't know who they were. But a clear voice echoed through his mind. "There are traitors among us, cats. Look around you!" the leader snarled. With the words, the cats stood up, confused and scared, and looked around from their friends, to their enemies, to even their mates. "Look around you!" the leader repeated. "What do you see? Your "mate", your "friend", your "enemy"? You see that? They are all lies. None of this is real. Your own family is a LIE. Under your nose, just right under it, you have been deceived. Lied to. Torn apart from the insides. Cats have died because of your own Clanmates!" Shocked gasps rippled throughout the Clan. Suddenly, cat was turned against cat. Mate against mate. Friend against friend. Leader against deputy. Brother against sister. All with bristling pelts and hostile eyes. "They lied to you, and for what? To be deputy? To be medicine cat? To be leader? No! The cats you see before you wish to rule the whole lake, like what Tigerstar wished to do once in our past! Are we going to stand by and let this happen?" The cat moved from Clanmate to Clanmate. Each one hastily shook their heads. "You know what to do," the leader murmured in a softer voice. Then each cat fought the ones they loved. Wildpath realized that the leader of this Clan had come closer to him, until he could smell and see who it was. The cat who stared back at him was himself.

Wildpath jolted awake. His moss was scrambled all about his den, and his eyes were wild with fear from his dream, or rather, nightmare. Pelt shaking, he got to his paws and looked outside of his den. It was nearly moonhigh. Time to call to the apprentice's for their ceremony. Although the ThunderClan leader probably wasn't excited as the young cats would be, he was still thrilled because he was taking on his second apprentice. Warkit. He saw hope for that young kit, as much as he wanted to mentor his niece, he thought Warkit would suit him better. He'd found another warrior to mentor Oceankit, although he wouldn't have time to tell her before the ceremony. I hope she's ready, he thought. He hoped he was ready, too. Mentoring Warkit would be hard. A lot of the cats, Wildpath thought, didn't accept Warkit for who he was. The tough kit had already had a lifetime of bad things happen to him, and he was only six moons old. StarClan was harsh to the young cat, but with a hard time comes great succession. Thornstar had taught him that, since Wildpath's life wasn't exactly the easiest. Blueflight, Warkit's mother, had murdered her two other sons for no reason. Sure, her mate had left her, so Wildpath felt sorry for her for that. But there was no reason she should going around killing her own young. It was wrong and inhumane. But the new leader wouldn't ban her from the Clan unless the other cats agreed. He knew what it was like to have something unexpected and unplanned go on it life, so he felt Blueflight for that one. For now, she would remain a Thunderclan cat. But later... he would have to discuss that with her and his senior warriors. He also wanted to know how Warkit felt about his mother. Wildpath wasn't close to either of the two, but he could see open hatred for each other in their eyes. That was another reason why he needed to mentor Warkit - he just had to keep an eye on him, just in case. He didn't necessarily distrust the kit, but he didn't want him to end up like Blueflight, who was a disgrace to ThunderClan. Forgetting his nightmare for the moment, he padded out of his den and jumped down to the clearing.

The moon was riding high in the sky. He realized that he probably should have woken up earlier. The tabby tom saw Stormbelly, his niece, Warkit, Swanfrost, Sparkpaw, and Icefern immediately. He decided not to stay and chat with them before the ceremony, and thought it could wait until afterward. He looked over at the three warriors before turning away. One of those three cats would be a mentor tonight. Winking toward himself, he ran and proudly leaped onto the Highledge. For it's name, it was obviously high up there. But a surge of pride filled his chest as he looked down at his Clanmates and ThunderClan's camp. He remembered his dream with a bolt, and thought of the camp. Why had it looked so different then as it did now? The answer was so vital to him, that it seemed like he needed it to live. Taking one more look down at his cats, he yowled at the top of his lungs, "Let cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" His words rung around the high walls of the camp until it suddenly fell and died. Suddenly thinking about being appointed deputy, he wondered whether or not cats would complain about him not being leader but still summoning the Clan together with a leader's words. Especially the elders. They would whine the most, since they knew more about the warrior code and what happened in the past than any other cat. But this time he vowed that he would ignore their snide comments, and look to his ancestors instead. Yes, he loved his Clanmates with all of his heart, but there were times that one leader had to be deaf to such comments. A time would be like... now. Because he saw cats starting to gather. Jumping off of the Highledge, he lifted his striped tail in the air and waited for his new apprentice come over.

[Stormbelly]

Give me a break, I’m melting away, you’re so dangerous…

Stormbelly blinked warmly as Icefern padded up to the to-be apprentices. Her fur fluffed up at the thought that this young, quiet she-cat might be the one to mentor one of the kits. Stormbelly couldn’t say she wouldn’t be disappointed; she would be, in was true. In all honesty, she wouldn’t mind being a mentor. The idea had crossed her mind more than once, especially when she saw other mentors out training or hunting with their apprentices.

The possibility and the opportunity to pass on her knowledge to the next generation was an exciting prospect, and Stormbelly was certain she was not only old enough, but ready to take on an apprentice of her own. However, if she wasn’t picked, she’d bear no ill will towards those who were. The idea of Swanfrost getting and apprentice, however, rubbed her pelt the wrong way, and she couldn’t quite put her paw onto the ‘why’ of it. Maybe it was just the haughty lift of the she-cat’s muzzle when she strode about camp, or maybe it was Stormbelly’s own misgivings or jealousy of the she-warrior’s beauty and good looks.

She wasn’t sure, but even the idea of not wanting another warrior to have an apprentice of their own made her slightly ill. Those were not the kinds of feelings she should be having. At all. Especially not in the few moments before a ceremony was to begin. She forced her fur to lie flat again, mentally chiding herself for thinking such things; it was not only unfriendly, but also un-warrior like to hope for things like that. Shaking her head, she turned her attention to Icefern, dipping her head briefly to the she-cat with an amused smile. “Of course,” she replied faintly, sounding somewhat excited, though she hid it well. “What warrior wouldn’t be eager for their own apprentice. Good luck to you, Icefern. If you are the new chosen mentor, then I will be quite happy for you.”

Her eyes warmed with sincerity, and she twitched her whiskers as she noted Wildpath (soon to be Wildstar, once he managed to get to the Moonpool) breeze past them, choosing to begin the meeting instead of pausing to speak with them. Stormbelly wasn’t surprised, and she wasn’t hurt; she was too excited at the idea of being a mentor to properly address her new leader anyway. The nervousness tickled her pelt, and she scored the earth with her claws as she watched Wildpath leap up onto the high ledge, yowling to gather the clan together for a meeting.

Her tail briefly brushed Warkit’s shoulder again in a comforting gesture meant to ease whatever nerves he might be feeling, before she tried to quell her own rising nervousness. She couldn’t wait to see who was chosen, whether it was her, Icefern, or some other cat, she was eager for the ceremony to get going.

…Or is it too late? Gotta know what’s on your mind.

[seafang]

Seafang

Trotting into camp, two voles hanging from his jaws the massive warrior flicked his ears, hearing the tail end of Windstar's call for the clan to gather. Sighing he dropped his prey onto the fresh-kill pile. Glancing around, deep blue gaze studied the quarry they called home. The dens they had created, the small stream that flowed into the medicine cats den. Glancing behind him, he flicked his tail, remembering how each time the thorns dug into his pelt, his bulk too large for him to slip through easily. The tom did not tend to enjoy sleeping in the warrior's den, although there was a nest for him, he felt too large for the space so took to sleeping outside the den, unless it was leaf-bare. The cold even got him and his thick pelt. Finally trotting up, he felt the dirt crackle beneath his paws, thick tail flicking as he waited, glancing around he spied the kits ready for the apprenticeship, knowing he was not selected as a mentor the tom sighed, he would have liked to mentor Warkit, the young tom showed promise. No matter. He silently thought to himself to keep an eye on the kit, if he showed promise, perhaps Warkit would be a good ally when Seafang tried to become deputy.

Taking a seat beside Stormbelly he nodded a greeting Stormbelly and then Icefern with a nod each. "Hello Stormbelly, Icefern," he said his baritone voice greeting each cat. He liked both, to the point of tolerating. Seafang considered almost none friends and few allies among his clanmates. Glancing up at his leader, his claws slid out, digging into the dirt for only a moment as he imagined himself up there, the massive ginger tom addressing the clan from the highledge. Who would have been his deputy though? He could not think of a single cat. Looking toward the two she-cats he could not imagine either of them, although they were both nice, he could not picture them at his side as deputy. Wildstar was a respected leader though, could he remove a cat his clan liked? He was not sure and gain their favor. Although he did not need their favor only needed them to fear him to do what he wished. Yet that was not the way to lead a clan. Cursing mentally he shook his head, adverting his attention back to Wildstar, awaiting the ceremony. Then he would eat, hunting having worked up his appetite. Curling his ostrich feather like tail around his paws, the ginger tom with dark ginger base pelt and light, almost sand hued stripes covering his body, like waves.

[Oceanpaw]

The warm light breeze tackled Oceankit's coarse fur. The aroma of fresh kill drifted through the air. Sweet and tangy - must be a vole! But there would be no time for a juicy breakfast now - it could wait. Her stomach barked like a blood thirsty dog getting ready to tear up a moist and furry little cat. But she had no time to eat a vole, the ceremony was just around the corner. The only thought was the ability to be granted an apprentice. She had hoped it would be Icefern that she got as a mentor. She wondered who she is going to have. A little bit of wind slithered past her.

It was Sparkpaw he chatted "This apprentice ceremony is for you, right?"

Oceankit replied enthusiastically "Yes!" The she cat looked around at the drifting leaves then the tom spoke again, "You must be so excited!"

"Oh I'm so excited your so lucky to be an apprentice,oh it must be so fun!"

And Sparkpaw said, "I definitely was."

Great another one. A cat she knew, it was Warkit. "Hello." Then he dipped his head. She swooped around "Hello, Warkit. Are you coming to the ceremony?" She locked sight on him are purred "Ok well see ya later War." War was a nickname that she gave the cat. Time was flying past her eyes - she had forgotten that just in a few moments she would be a apprentice.

"So," Warpaw said. "So," she mimicked. She knew she had to hurry to be in time for the ceremony. "Do you know who your mentor is yet? Or hope to be?"

"Yeah, I hope its Icefern," she said in monotone.

She trotted away leaving the two boys in the dust. She was annoyed by them. She hated boys but secretly she had a thing for Warkit. The leader's voice stormed through the camp, "Let cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" She jolted like a lightning bolt through the trees and around a swerve to the soaring rock called the Highledge. cats gathered around it like a flock of birds.From today and from now on she would have the name of Oceanpaw.It rang in her mind Oceanpaw, the name suited her liking.

[---d e a t h p a w ||]

NEW ORDER, as of next after me::
Swanfrost, Sparkpaw, Warpaw, Icefern, Wildstar, Stormbelly, Seafang, Oceankit, and then Deathkit.

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[atrb=colspan,2][atrb=border,0,btable][atrb=style,width: 500px; border-top: 5px solid #000000; border-bottom: 5px solid #000000; background: url(http://i56.tinypic.com/14cb0pf.jpg);,bTable] [style=text-align: center; font-family: helvetica neue; font-weight: 100!important; color: #8b8d92; font-size: 25px; letter-spacing: 0px; text-transform: lowercase; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #000000;]Death darker than a black shadow in Moonlight, Beckons its prey into the unknown[/style][style=margin-top: -20px; font-family: helvetica neue; letter-spacing: 0px; font-size: 50px; color: #2E0854; font-weight: 100!important; text-shadow: 1px 1px 2px #000000; text-align: center;]Deathkit[/style][style=font-family: helvetica neue; font-weight: 100!important; color: #8B7B8B; margin-top: -7px; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 4px; font-size: 12px; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #000000; text-align: center;]By a soft whisper in the Soul[/style][style=width: 90%; background-color: #555555; box-shadow: 0px 0px 5px #050505; margin-top: 5px; border-radius: 10px; -moz-border-radius: 10px; padding: 10; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; text-align: justify; color: #000000;][scrolly:h(245),w(446),sy,as(position: relative; top: 11px; left: 0px;)]Deathkit was already outside when the cats had started to gather around the camp. Huh, what in StarClan's name was going on? The soon to be Wildstar had not even yowled a clan meeting. Obviously something big was going to happen for so many cats to gather in an unorganized fashion. She trailed slowly to the Nursery for her lack of amusement was enlarging, the only place she could seek comfort in the trouble's of others' was in the nursery or in the apprentice den. As the apprentices' den was empty by the 'unplanned gathering', that meant the path to the nursery. As the purple-eyed kit ducked inside, she was greeted to the nursery-mate Oceankit. She looked flustered and her eyes held buckets of water, but just when Deathkit thought that she would start brawling (even louder than she was now) something seemed to click in the blue-eyed apprentice's mind, and a drastic change in emotion hit like thunder to a tree on the apprentice. Amusing? Fairly so. Oceankit was always one to switch thoughts quickly. She looked on as the kit half danced, half bounced out of the bedding area and into the cloudy evening. Huh, she was a very much bipolar struck cat. No one could deny that right to her. This apprentice ceremony is for you, right? she heard in the distance. Well that explains a lot, she muttered to herself. Of course, every normal apprentice would be excited for their first naming, of one going to 'kit to 'paw. Deathkit nodded darkly, yes, every normal apprentice would be filled with glee for reasons such as getting out of the nursery and training for the good and justice of their clan --some were excited to train for other reasons . . . . . . becoming an elder. Her ears perked up at that. She knew only of one cat who would look forward to becoming an elder, better yet, have reasons for becoming an elder; but that was none of her business. And unless she was needed in assistance to kill that cat, she didn't see the need to interfere. The midnight kit stepped into the shadows as Warkit walked by, an unusual glow in the eyes of the normal serious kit. Ha. Serious? That could be described with a better word thanks to Blueflight. She stole a quick glance at the queen and then trailed slowly after the black and white apprentice. She was well aware of his dark history, much darker than hers in many ways to count. She had watched their dark relationship with watchful eyes, even if she had only recently interested herself in the affairs of her peers, that meaning Warkit, she still had discovered much in as little as two moons. It wasn't hard to persuade out of the willingly disputant elders. All it took was a few eye batting and playful, innocent questions to discover Blueflight's past lover and the reason's for Warkit's anti-socialism. But still, she lacked some important aspects and not to mention the attention of the soon to be apprentice himself. Lost in thought, she walked right into the mentioned apprentice. Foxdung, I don't feel like talking . . . Oh! Hey there! Greetings! Good evening! Um . . . sorry about that! I -I didn't mean . . . um, to . . . you know. she motioned randomly, an embarrassed smile on her face. Uh, so . . . excited? Yeah! Excited? It's your apprentice ceremony right? OH YEAH IT IS! I would be excited! You're both sooo lucky! I wish it were me, even though it will be in a quarter moon, but still. Oh, okay then. go-goodbye, Oceankit. she looked on 'disapointed' Ah-ha! Guess she'll be missing the fun with us, huh?! She nudged Warpaw rather roughly and gazed at Sparkpaw with shinning eyes. Suddenly, she seemed to notice the lack of enthusiasm in the air around her, probably generated from Warpaw? She gasped, Am I annoying?! I'm sorry . . . she hung her head. I don't mean to be . . . I'm just, uh, really excited for you and Oceankit she said flicking her tail in the direction of the fading kit. I'll go if you want! But as actions speak louder than words, she made no move to leave, rather, sitting calmly on her haunches. Freakin' act. I hate this, I feel so mousebrained. Urg, the things I do for cover . . . all the while staring lightly at the toms before her, a sparkle in her eye. template by columba of on the edge [/style]

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[Swanfrost]

Swanfrost was eavesdropping on the ever-dull cats chatting away about an apprentice ceremony and all that jazz. Annoying gits, in her opinion. The gorgeous she-cat disliked younger cats, especially kits, especially apprentices, and especially she-cats. Even so, she would endure this, maybe toss a few sweet and possibly longing looks at the soon-to-be-named Wildstar. He was a cat with power, which she found attractive, and there wasn’t very much else around. The tom seemed pretty easy to mold or manipulate, but Swanfrost hadn’t had much contact with him when they were younger. She just sort of didn’t care about his whole issue with the deputy thing, whatever that was. The pale tabby couldn’t even remember. With a twitch of her tail, she moved forward a bit to sit in a lovely patch of moonlight so that she could sparkle just right for anyone who happened to look her way. Did this invoke lots of wrath and rage from females? Sure, it probably did. But whatever. Swanfrost felt good when others looked at her, then at themselves, and frowned. But, of course, back to Wildpath. He was cute, Swanfrost honestly felt that way, but he also had a great deal of power. That was, perhaps, the main attraction for Swanfrost. Power. Now, she cared nothing for politics, but there was always something attractive about a tom in charge. Maybe it was that Swanfrost would end up doing as little work as possible, or maybe it was just the sheer hormonal part of it, but it was deeply instilled in the flirty she-cat as much as the warrior code is in most Clan cats. Swanfrost had her own code. It was the Swanfrost Code. Similar to the warrior code in very few ways.

Her eyes were drawn to one little she-kit speaking with two males, but the warrior quickly snapped her gaze back to Wildpath while listening casually, but attentively, to them. From the corner of her eye, she spotted the she-kit walk away and brush them off dismissively, but Swanfrost’s Crush-O-Meter was going off and flashing bright colors. It was almost a sixth sense for this girl; some cats could converse with StarClan and save the forest, Swanfrost was able to pick up on relationship-related cues. Blueflight was probably relieved not to have to deal with her kit anymore, seeing as she didn’t exactly seem to like them, but Swanfrost didn’t care. She’d probably want to get rid of whatever offspring she had quickly, but, seeing as she wasn’t such a huge fan of blood (her pelt was just so very pale), the beautiful warrior wouldn’t actually kill her progeny. That was silly. Blueflight could have just abandoned them or something – there wasn’t anything in the warrior code about rejecting your kits, was there? Not in Swanfrost’s mind. However, if she were to toss aside any kits of her own, then the Clan would definitely lose any respect for her that she might have accumulated through her simple illusion of perfection. Just her demeanor and her looks made up for the fact that, if anyone were keen enough to see past it, there was no substance behind her fuzzy white face. No abilities beyond the social realm. The misnomer of warrior for this she-cat was only too blatant to those few who actually saw through her Maya, which, of course, is a Two-leg term. Her mask, as it were.

With a twitch of her tail again, Swanfrost wrapped the striped snake around her paws and waited for other cats to congregate around her, of course with her shimmering fur in the center because the world, obviously, revolved around her. Swanfrost always got what she wanted. What she wanted right now was to get this over with as quickly as possible without receiving any apprentice so that she could continue her sultry ways and go about her life as it was before. This was just another blip in her day, in her life, and it would pass, she assumed, uneventfully for her (which was all that mattered), so whatever. Some kits were getting their dream come true, or whatever. It didn’t even have enough of an effect on Swanfrost to make her mentally shrug. They were worthless to her, the kits, since none of them were males close enough to her age for her to be attracted to them. Besides, they all seemed… well. Kits are kits. That was how Swanfrost felt, and her feelings and opinions are obviously facts of the world.

OOC: I am soooooo sorry about how late this is! D:!!!

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