Re: Outskirts of Tawnyclan

[Ezziestar]

((I want to do some more character building between these two... Feeling a bit out of practise with the lack of roleplaying recently.))

A few days pass and Stormclaw's wounds get better and better with Snow's attentiveness. As Stormclaw slowly got better, he began to feel stronger, however despite being happy where he was, a small voice hissed in his ear to move on. I... I can't! Not now... Maybe... Maybe I have a chance here. I have warmth for Leafbare, freshkill brought to me and I hope to eventually pull my weight.
Stormclaw believed that the voice would stop, but it persisted, "She's going to be sick of you! You need to leave her behind! She's weak! And only the strong should move on."

Stormclaw shook his head, You're wrong! It's different this time! I'm not like that anymore.
"Lies!" the voice hissed back, Stormclaw began to sheathe and unsheathe his claws, feeling tense at the voice's response. "The only thing she's good for is to heal you, after that... you'll kill her... won't you?"
N...No I-."
"You can't deny what you are! You're going to kill her because if you don't, she'll leave you."
"Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it!" Stormclaw almost pleaded as he crouched down, trying to block out the voice's reminders.
"Just another weakling who'll leave you alone! Just like Ezziestar!"
"Shut up!" Stormclaw snarled. "You don't know anything about me or my life! I've changed now, I'm not like that anymore."
"I won't be leaving you that easily."
"Get out of my head!"
Stormclaw shot upright and felt a little uneasy, for a moment he didn't recognise where he was. He noticed a familiar pair of piercing blue eyes staring back at him in concern.

"You ok?" Snow asked Stormclaw as he continued to look around, fear pricking at his fur.
"Where... what?" Stormclaw responded, a slight growl still in his throat.
"It was just a bad dream." Snow tried to reassure the freaked out tom. "But you scared me half to death." She purred in a joking manner.
Stormclaw's claws retracted and he started grooming himself, half in embarrassment, half in an attempt to calm him down.

"It seemed so real." He murmured between licks. Snow yawned and gave herself a stretch.
"Thanks for the wakeup call." She purred, "I was about to see about hunting, however I think you may have scared off all the prey with your awakening... Want to join?"
Stormclaw nodded, "I'll definitely need to clear my head for sure." He started to walk toward her, then jokingly swatted her with a soft blow from his paw, knocking her lightly on the head.

"Hey!" Snow grumbled, irritated.
"Oh sorry! Didn't see you there." Stormclaw replied cooly with a grin on his face.
"You did so!" Snow responded back, feeling hot under her fur. "You did that on purpose!"
Stormclaw began to laugh quietly, "Aww... the kit looks cute when it's mad." He replied in a mocking tone.
Snow hissed, "I'm not cute!"
"Oh I wonder who's scaring the prey off this time?" Stormclaw chuckled.
"Quiet mousebrain! I'll pommel you!"
The pair stopped and took the chance to laugh it off, knowing that they were both joking around. They then left to go hunting for more fresh kill.

((Hope that's fine for now. ))

[Ezziestar]

It had been quite a few days, Stormclaw lost track. He was reflecting on the things that occurred to him the past days he had been cared for by a complete stranger, and a rouge no less. Stormclaw was resting his head on his paws, insistent on knowing where Snow was and checking for intruders to the den. Snow began to feel unnerved that wherever she moved, his head would follow, if not then he'd pretend to sleep, and she was well aware of this.

After about and hour or so of him doing this, Snow couldn't handle the feeling of his eyes burning into her fur. "Can you please stop." Snow finally grumbled loudly, her tail twitching in irritation.
Stormclaw began to grin as an idea hit him, "What am I doing to annoy you?" He purred, stretching his body lightly as he lay in his bed, he eventually stopped and just stared at her, grinning.

Almost as if she was caught off guard, Snow replied hotly, "You know what, Stop watching me like that." She turned her back as she finished, "It's making me feel like prey and it's not exactly a comfortable thing to experience."

Stormclaw chuckled deeply, before yawning and sitting upright, gingerly licking his left shoulder. How cute... she's flustered. Stormclaw thought to himself. His thoughts were interrupted when Snow's voice broke into his thoughts.
"Look! Your wounds look like they're getting better!"
Stormclaw stopped mid-lick, then looked to where his infected wound was. Snow was right, the wound was less red and didn't feel quite as sore. He turned back to Snow, "Guess you're right..." He replied half heartedly.

His ears drooped and his head sank slightly, causing Snow to stop her earlier excitement. "What's wrong? Aren't you happy? When you're well you can go back to where you needed to be. Isn't that what you wanted?"

Stormclaw felt tears pricking his eyes, and he suddenly felt uncomfortable. "What I wanted? What I wanted was to die out there, alone and when no one cared for me." Stormclaw began to feel tears escaping his eyes as they rolled down his cheeks, causing them to darken. "What I wanted was for no one to remember me after everyone I cared for died anyway. Even if they're alive, they're dead to me anyways."

His fur began to rise along his spine as more tears fell down freely, his claws began to unsheathe, "And just when I was ready to accept my fate, and to die where I'd join Falsecall... You came along..."

Snow took a step towards him, she remained cautious and wary as she picked up his instability. When he mentioned her involvement, she flinched, unsure how to react. He continued, "You rescued someone like me... and suddenly... I realised what I actually wanted... and now, you're telling me I'd be leaving once I'm well."

At this point, Stormclaw lost himself, he began to break down, crying and laughing at the same time. He began to scare her somewhat, but she remained where she was. Stormclaw continued, "I actually began to think I found someone in this world I could trust and you're telling me I want to be well. How messed up is that? Why do I just keep going when all I wanted was for my living nightmare to end?!"

Stormclaw stopped talking at this point, when he suddenly felt Snow lean against him, her head resting lightly on his right shoulder. "Stop." She murmured. "Stop this... This isn't who you are. I'm so sorry if you didn't want to leave. I didn't know..."

Stormclaw felt the last of his tears flow, he stopped as he looked at Snow, she was so small, yet he felt warm just knowing someone cared for him to not be fearful, but to try and comfort him. And for the first time in a long time, Stormclaw felt calmed. Snow picked up on this, and began to groom his right cheek. Stormclaw lay down to make her reach slightly easier.

"Thank you." He purred as he slowly drifted off to a time when he felt happy and content, eventually leading to him falling asleep. Snow didn't stop until she was confident he was asleep, she sighed, Does he seriously have no one who cares about him?


((Yeah I had an idea for a picture I plan on drawing and well... it'll be this scene next when I get the motivation to draw. I consider these guys as friends now at least. :3))

[Ezziestar]

((Hope you don't mind... I decided to add some more. ))

Stormclaw was left to rest, Snow had brought him a small ball of wet moss. He lapped at the dew, gently drinking the fluid available. He sighed, turning to look at his left flank. The wound was red and still felt sore, however after the treatment Snow applied to it, it had eased the pain.

Yawning, Stormclaw slowly got to his paws. He looked around the den, he spotted Snow's body lying on a bed of moss. Purring quietly, he slowly made his way to where she was sleeping. He gently nudged her with a forepaw, "Hey. I'm going out, ok?"
When the she-cat didn't respond, Stormclaw's purring stopped. He nudged her again, "Hey. Wake up." Fear began to crawl up his spine. "Is this a joke? It's not funny. Wake up." His voice now a growl and his nudging became more insistent. He tried to shake her with his paws, "Snow? Wake up, This joke's not funny!"

Still no response, Stormclaw quickly leaned in close, listening for any breath from her. Nothing. Panicking Stormclaw quickly made his way around her to see red blood. No, no, no, no, no, no! Shaking his head in disbelief his eyes slowly triled from Snow to his own paws, noticing more blood on his paws themselves.
It was your fault you know! The familiar shadowy voice hissed in his ear. He spun around, seeing nothing, he felt like something wasn't quite right. "N-No! I... I wouldn't... I couldn't!"

Tears built up in his eyes. How can you guarantee? Once a killer, always a killer! You've killed once, you know you can do it again.

At that moment, Stormclaw sat bolt upright. Breathing heavily and eyes wide. The den was lighter then before. It took him several moments to relax. He turned to see Snow, standing in the entranceway to the den. "You ok? You look like you just saw a ghost." Snow chuckled around a mouthful of herbs.

Blinking Stormclaw sighed, "It was all a dream." He murmured beneath his breath.
Snow, now concerned by Stormclaw's apparent change of stance. She slowly approached him, "You ok?"
Stormclaw, whom had turned away from her, quickly turned his attention on her, "Where were you? Why didn't you tell me you were going out? What if something had happened to you?" He had gotten to his paws and was rapidly advancing toward her. The sudden movement caused Snow to drop the herbs she was carrying as she gasped.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything! I needed to get you some more herbs for your infected wound, we were running low. You needed to rest to help the wound heal itself faster."
Stormclaw, suddenly calmed down, he snorted as he turned to go back to his bedding. Snow tilted her head to one side as realisation hit her.
"Were you... worried?" She took another step forwards as she asked this.

Stormclaw, suddenly feeling embarrassed, responded quickly, "No! Of course not! I-I-I just need to ensure I know where you are and when you go... So... I can... keep an eye out for intruders." He turned his back to her after this, feeling hot under his fur, he breathed in sharply.

Snow smiled, "Of course. Well... If you're worried, there's no shame in it. But if defending the den is all you're concerned about. Then I'll let you know in the future when I go and for what reason. Ok?"
The heat under his fur felt hotter and he nodded, "Very well." Was all he said as he lay back down on his nest. However, instead he ensured his head was facing towards the entrance as he watched Snow store the herbs she managed to find. It wasn't much but it was more then what they had prior.

What's wrong with me today?

((Aaaand... I don't know. Guess I wanted something cute... ish? Hope it's ok. ))

[Ezziestar]

((It'd be interesting if someone did join. Initially I started this thread to get Stormclaw and Snow to interact and build up. Perhaps the Tawnyclan Hunting patrol could come across these two? I intended Ezziestar to encounter this hiding spot when she did a patrol, however didn't get around to it due to Moonclan being in Tawnyclan's camp. If you want to get other cats involved I won't say no. XD))

Several hours had passed. Stormclaw felt a sudden chill down his spine. He looked around the den, noticing that it wasn't properly insulated. There was a few small holes forming in the walls. He assumed that this den wasn't a new den. In fact, it had the faintest scents of badger to it. Still, he knew that it wouldn't be too long before this den was discovered, as the badger smell was strongly over powered by cat scent, and his and Snow's scent in particular.

Snow announced her arrival as she returned with a few mice hanging from her jaws. Stormclaw's silhouette was lightly outlined by the sunlight that flooded into the entranceway. His clear green eyes appeared to have more of a spark to them as before. I guess he's slowly getting better... that's good. She dropped before him the two mice. "Which one do you want?" She offered, nudging the pair towards him.
Stormclaw's whiskers twitched, "Not hungry." He responded finally.
Snow stared at him blankly for a moment, but then insisted, "If you don't eat one, you won't get stronger."
Stormclaw huffed, "You're beginning to sound like a Queen talking to a kit... However..." He tilted his head to one side slightly, "You'd be pretty small for a Queen, wouldn't you?" He began to laugh quietly to himself.
Snow felt more then annoyed at his comment, "I'll have you know that I may be small but at least I could beat you in a fair fight." Her tail was flicking up and down, a main sign of her irritation.

Stormclaw sat up straighter, causing him to appear much larger than she was. "Oh really?" Stormclaw began, his voice almost a growl. It was at that moment that Snow could see that this tom indeed appeared strong. His body was far from scrawny and thin. His eyes almost glaring at her and his teeth were bared into a grin, Snow almost felt frightened for a brief second. "You'd attack a cat who is not only bigger than you, but has proven themselves in battle more times than you could count mice?"

Snow sat up straighter, as if trying to imitate Stormclaw's rather threatening stance. "Yes." She spoke quietly, "Because size shouldn't matter when you're in a fight."

Stormclaw laughed, causing Snow to flinch. He relaxed completely, closing his eyes and lowering his head slightly, "Oh you're so mouse-brained. Size can be the difference between whether you're pinned to the floor or dead." As he stressed 'dead' his eyes opened. His glance flicked from Snow to the floor.

Snow responded quietly, "Then teach me."
Stormclaw began to groom his right paw, making it clear that his claws were sharp by unsheathing a few. "Teach you what?" He spoke, acting dumb to the she-cat's request.
"If you think I can't fight, then teach me how." Snow got to her paws, her gaze never left Stormclaw's face.
Stormclaw chuckled, "What would make you so sure that I wouldn't kill you too? I have killed and I can again."
Snow gulped, remembering the conversation that the pair had earlier, "It's true that you could... and you can. I'm not saying you can't kill me, you've made it clear that you have killed in the past. But considering how I know you haven't killed me yet. I can only assume it'd be the same then."

Stormclaw paused as he listened to Snow's response. He smiled as he lowered his paw, "You really trust me... don't you?"
Snow stared at her paws, "To a point yes... You've given me no reason not to."
Stormclaw still felt unsure if her response was genuine. She's probably lying! Who'd trust a killer? Ezziestar didn't trust me... so why should she?
Stormclaw sighed, "I've given you every reason not to... You didn't know anything about me, I was a complete stranger to you... and You know that I've done some bad things a-."
"It didn't matter whether I knew you... You were injured and near my den. If I left you... you would've died."

Stormclaw stared at her, he blinked a few times in surprise, "So you were willing to help a stranger... because they were injured?"
Snow nodded, "Well... yes."
A flash of memory shot into Stormclaw's mind, he remembered the same conditions as to why Stone was accepted into Tawnyclan. He was sick and weak!
Stormclaw snorted, "That makes you weak! You should've left me to die out there."
"Do you really believe that?" Snow took a step forward, she felt shocked with what she was hearing.

Stormclaw avoided her gaze, he felt hot under his fur and he couldn't exactly leave since Snow was still blocking the entrance of the den.
"Well?" Snow challenged him. Stormclaw got to his paws to retort, however gasped in pain as the injury on his left flank began to flare up again. Stormclaw forced himself to lie down. Snow quickly was by his side and checking the wound. "It's looking infected." She meowed quietly. "I think I know what can help it."

Without a word from Stormclaw Snow headed towards a small section of her den where she stored her own collection of herbs. She gently brought out a few Oak leaves. "I haven't been able to dry them out too much, but... these should help with infections." Her voice was muffled as she was speaking around the leaves. She gently applied them to Stormclaw's flank, keeping a small amount of pressure as she did so. Stormclaw hissed through his teeth as he felt the sharp painful reminder of his injury.

"I'm sorry that it hurts, but I don't know what else to do." Snow apologised, however deep down she was laughing as she imagined this being the ultimate revenge against Stormclaw whom was picking on her size earlier.
Deciding to try and distract himself, Stormclaw asked, "How did you learn about the herbs you've used to treat me?"
Snow didn't respond. She knew he had asked her once before but she chose to not answer that time either. "I... I just know." She spoke finally, deciding that was all she was willing to tell him.

She sighed, I know I don't have much time left here...

((Sorry for the long post... it's late, I'm going to bed. But wanted to at least get more of these two before any potential interruptions))

[Loki]

The wind picked up.

(OOC: Do you want anyone to join or is this a seperat thread?)

[Ezziestar]

((Another late post but I am keen on roleplaying and furthering the story. XP I'll get around to Ezziestar soon.))

Stormclaw's mind had drifted elsewhere. He began to think about when he was an apprentice, how easy his life was, even as a kit, how excited he was to hear from Ezziepaw about the world beyond the camp. He wanted to explore and be recognised, appreciated even. It was a good life... heh, I almost miss it...

Snow had by now finished her food and was beginning to groom herself, she paused mid way when she looked at Stormclaw, he didn't seem to notice her gaze, and for the first time, she felt she saw him smile. The faint sound of purring rumbled from the tom, He seems... happy? The moment however was short lived as Stormclaw snapped away from his thoughts and turned to look towards her. Snow quickly resumed her grooming, the purring had halted and Stormclaw's smile left as suddenly as it had appeared.
"What're you looking at?" Stormclaw growled, defensively.
Snow responded quickly, "Nothing... Just thinking."
Stormclaw huffed as he turned his back to her, his ears appeared to droop somewhat, however it was clear to Snow that he was trying to hide how he was truly feeling.

She decided to approach him about it, "Was there... ever a time in your life, when you were happy?"
Stormclaw didn't move, he tried to recall what 'happy' truly was. What does it mean to be happy?
Stormclaw sighed, "Why ask such a mouse brained question? Of course I've been happy, I am perfectly happy with how I am."
He waited, somewhat curious as to what her follow up response was. Snow shook her head, "No... You're not. If you were really happy, then I'd see you smile more, or purr more like you were just then."
Stormclaw stiffened up, Snow slowly got to her paws and continued, "Something bad happened to you, I want to know what. You have scars everywhere, what happened to cause those injuries?"
Stormclaw remained silent, memories flooded into his mind, painful memories, of betrayal, hurt, pain, misery. He clenched his teeth as he forced back tears that were threatening to flow.

Snow persisted, taking a step forwards, "Please tell me what I can do to help you... maybe I can-."
Stormclaw spun around to face her, his eyes closed tightly, "Shut your mouth! You don't know what I've been through, I don't want to talk about what I've been through! You get scars from survival out here, that's what they are! And why do you act like you care? You obviously don't care!"
Stormclaw's outburst caused Snow to freeze, her eyes wide. Stormclaw's snarl began to break down, the tears that threatened to fall had won and at this point Stormclaw had broken down. "I didn't ask for this... I didn't ask for any of this... I just..."

Stormclaw didn't say anything else, as he began to sob, he lay down, covering his face with a forepaw. He tried to block out the familiar whispers in his ear. You're weak! Now this she-cat knows too much!
Snow blinked, rather surprised to see him almost loose all of his control of his emotions in front of her. She sighed, "Listen... I may not know what happened to you... But what I do know is that someone does care about how you are... I won't force you to tell me... I was just curious."

Stormclaw listened to her, between his own thoughts. He lifted his paw from his face and responded in a sigh, "You're wrong... No one cares about me... no one has a reason too... after everything I've done..." His voice trailed off as he relived a few brief memories, of how upset Ezziestar was to him.

Snow approached him cautiously, "May I ask... what did you do?"
Stormclaw, looked towards the she-cat, he didn't move but instead responded, "You can ask... but would you still help me if I told you what I did?"
Snow was surprised, she didn't expect Stormclaw to respond, positively for that matter. Stormclaw, noticing the she-cat's hesitation, he began to regret what he said, "If you don't want to... that's fine."
Snow quickly replied, "N-No, I do want to know! It's just... did you really do such bad things? That were so bad that I'd just leave you in my den?"
Stormclaw sighed, "It's pretty bad."
Snow decided to try and make a joke, "Come on! It's my den. I'd like to see you take it from me."

Stormclaw took a moment to try and figure out if she was being serious, realising otherwise he smiled weakly, "I am serious though... If a stranger told me what I'm about to say, I'd leave them... or bring them to camp..." His voice trailed off and his smile disappeared.
Snow lowered her head, "Please, I promise you that I won't do anything different... It's better if I know a bit about you and you a bit about me."

Stormclaw sighed once more before he began, "Let's just say... I'm not the best tom out there... but I used to live in this clan of cats called 'Tawnyclan'. I was raised there. I was Stormkit then, and there was a she-cat by the name of Ezziepaw. She'd tell me about her training as an apprentice... how things were in the world outside... needless to say, I was excited. I wanted to have my own adventures for the clan outside of our camp. One day I did leave... got attacked by a badger... and Ezziepaw was there. She saved me and I saw her as my hero."

Stormclaw's eyes almost seemed bright as he recalled his life, Snow, despite not asking for Stormclaw's life story, she listened anyways, happy that he was willing to share his past with her. He continued, "When I was old enough, I became Stormpaw, apprentice to my best friend, Ezziesong. I began my own training as an apprentice. I sought help from an outsider who went by the name of Falsecall. He trained me alongside my mentor. I eventually began to like Ezziesong as more then a best friend. She eventually was promoted to deputy of the clan. I was so happy and proud of her... I knew she'd make for a great deputy."

Stormclaw grinned proudly and then it slowly left as Stormclaw continued, "I became a warrior, and earned my name, Stormclaw. Everything was perfect, I was finally with the mate of my dreams... but then everything changed when a loner by the name of Stone got adopted into the clan, Ezziesong found the tom outside of the camp, within our territory... and our leader Lokistar actually let him in. And everything fell apart since then..."

Stormclaw chuckled to himself, "You know... it's funny... How crazy you can get when you love someone, and all they talk about is someone else... someone who never belongs where they are. I... I lost it... I decided to leave Tawnyclan for good... But then Lionheart, a senior warrior who kept reminding me of that fact. He tried to stop me from leaving... Falsecall was the closest thing I had to a father. Lionheart was telling me to not go... so I..."

Stormclaw's voice trailed off again as he tensed his paws, forcing his claws to unsheathe and shethe themselves. "He... was the first cat that I killed... I felt nothing for him... I guess when you give up everything you believed in... you lose your sense of holding back. Lokistar was the next one... each kill felt easier and easier to do. I ended up running away and joining Mudbloodclan after that... We got into a battle with the clan cats. After attempting to kill Stone at camp, I didn't hold back on my issues with him during the battle... I killed Ezziesong... but she was a leader at that point... and leaders apparently get nine lives... I only got to take one...

Needless to say, we both got pretty injured, and Falsecall... he... he was killed in battle and I ran. That was when you found me... I had tracked Tawnyclan from a distance and I was waiting for death to take me... or being found by a patrol and probably killed there."

((Please forgive me if I get any of the timeline confused. I'm still trying to keep track of everything that has to do with Tawnyclan or my cats... and trying to find the relevant posts have been rather difficult. XD))

Snow felt a cold chill run down her spine. This tom had killed several cats, and she had no idea who she was helping. She nudged towards him a ball of wet moss. "Here, drink... You'd need it after everything you've gone through."
Stormclaw hesitated, then began to lick at the moss, accepting the drink as his throat was dry from so much talking. "Can I ask you something?" Stormclaw meowed, his voice almost cracking with emotion combined with his dry throat. Without awaiting the she-cat's response, Stormclaw asked his question, "Do you think I'm a monster? If I regret everything I've done... is it too late to ask for forgiveness?"

Snow looked down at her paws, "Honestly? The things you told me... I know they wouldn't be forgiven. I can see there was so much hurt in your eyes..."
Stormclaw looked down at his paws, avoiding her, "I knew it." He muttered under his breath, he slowly sat up, preparing to leave. Snow interrupted him, "But one thing I do believe, is that every cat deserves a second chance. It shouldn't matter what you where like before... if you truly regret everything like you said, you'd change to make sure you didn't repeat those mistakes."

Stormclaw stopped and turned to face her, and for a brief moment, he felt as if he was looking straight at Ezziestar when she was Ezziepaw. He blinked a few times to clear the vision, and he felt the tears build up again, "You know... you remind me of her... of the her that actually cared about me when she did..."
Snow smiled, unsure of how to take the comment. "Wait here... I'll go get some more fresh kill."
As Snow got up to leave, she heard Stormclaw call after her, "Thank you... for listening..."
Snow paused at the entrance to her den, she dipped her head before continuing to hunt.

((There, sorry it's really long and it's repeats of the story past. But I wanted to see Stormclaw officially break down after all the death he has caused. I hope also that the pair relax around one another more, since Stormclaw can see that Snow isn't a threat. I do want the pair to become good friends. Despite her size being that of an apprentice (Or confused to being so much like) she is the same age as Stormclaw... so I do kinda hope the pair get even closer. X3 Simply depends on circumstances but... since I bet Stormclaw eventually will have to return to Mudbloodclan.

Yep. Hope it's a good post. feel free to comment if you wish. I plan on drawing what I saw as I wrote this. The posts in this section isn't closed yet, I still have more in mind... But this post alone took me 4 hours to write... so yeah... gtg. Going to work on Ezziestar next. :3))

[Ezziestar]

Quite some time had passed, days passed, and to Stormclaw's surprise, there was no interruption or detection from any patrols. He decided to sleep at this point, to keep his strength up. Snow had come back after leaving for a while to hunt. She came back with two mice and a small bird. Stormclaw remained under her care, despite not liking having to rely on the she-cat, whom was a stranger to him nonetheless.

Snow placed her kill in a special section at the back of the den where they were staying. Stormclaw was sleeping in a bed that Snow made up for him. As she entered she gave his direction a glance, seeing he was asleep. She left a mouse to him and dropped the rest of her catch at the back of the den, where some other of her supplies were stored.

Sighing, Snow picked the bird for herself and took her food to her bedding. She began to eat her meal, in silence. Thoughts pricked at her mind, Who is this tom? What does clan cats do? What is their life? What is his story?
She shook off her thoughts and paused mid bite, she noticed Stormclaw begin to stir from his sleep.

"I see you're awake." Snow greeted him, her voice emotionless and somewhat cold.
"I see you're still short." Stormclaw shot back, purring at a joke he knew would get under Snow's fur.
Snow's tail began to twitch side to side, she took a deep breath in and tried to continue in a civilised manner, "Can you just drop the issue? At least I'm helping you get back on your paws."
Storm let out a single snicker, "Fine then... but how do you feel if I call you 'shorty'?"
Snow got to her paws, her hackles raising and teeth clenched, "That's not my name!"
Stormclaw sat up, finally noticing the mouse that Snow left him. "Then what do you expect me to call you? You're like the size of a kit!"

Snow calmed down, realising that it was true, the two never really introduced themselves due to the circumstances. Stormclaw began to eat the mouse.
Snow stared at her bird, half eaten. "I guess we started off on the wrong paw... My name is Snow, and you are?"

Stormclaw waited to finish his mouse, leaving Snow in suspense. Then he responded, "Stormclaw."
"Well Stormclaw... What did you think of the mouse?"
Stormclaw responded slyly, "Despite being as small as you, it was like any other mouse I've had."
Snow sighed loudly, "Don't think I'm letting your comment drop... but..." She made her way over towards him, "I'll make sure next time you have the bile instead."

Stormclaw backed up quickly, "You wouldn't dare!"
Snow purred, "Oh I would... after all, you can't seem to hunt for yourself anyway."

At this point the pair stopped the discussion.

((Very late post but I wanted to roleplay so... this is what you get. ))

[Ezziestar]

((Ok, so this was delayed... It's 3:30am for me atm so... I might not write that much but I want to stay active... so... enjoy!))

Stormclaw, now being rather cautious as to avoid making the same mistake asked again, "So... Why are you out here on your own? Don't you have family? Or a clan for that matter?"

Snow shook her head, "No... not really. And why do you keep going on about 'clan' cats or 'clans'? What is a clan?"

Stormclaw sighed, "It'd be too complicated for your understanding anyway."
Snow glared at him, her tail lashing, "Try me."
Stormclaw hesitated a few moments, observing her reaction, rather surprised he responded, "Geeze, You're a rather persistent she-cat huh?"
"Only with something I'm interested in." Snow responded, her tail stopped it's lashing and went to the tip twitching in impatience, "Are you going to tell me or not?"

Stormclaw almost chuckled to himself as he pictured the she-cat as a kit questioning one of the elders about telling them a story. It was then that he stopped, almost remembering when he was a kit, how he was with Ezziepaw, and she'd tell him all sorts of stories about what she did as an apprentice.

His fur began to stand on end as he remembered when he did leave camp and came face to face with the badger, how Ezziepaw raced in to fight off the badger and save him. He shook off the memory as Snow tried to get his attention, suddenly bringing him back into the real world.
"Are you ok?" Snow asked him, suddenly concerned with his sudden change of expression from happy to frightened.

Stormclaw, now rather embarrassed, began to timidly lick his chest fur, trying to calm down. He paused to respond, "I- I'm fine."
Snow then pushed again, "Will you tell me about these 'clans' that you speak of?"
"No." Stormclaw responded finally, "You don't need to worry about that nonsense."

Snow growled in frustration as she finally spun around and decided to sit with her back facing him, indicating that she didn't want to talk to him right now. She still kept an eye on him from time to time.

[Ezziestar]

It had been two moons, Stormclaw had gone into hiding since the battle with the clan cats. He remained undetected, however within the new grounds for Tawnyclan, and he knew he didn't have long before being detected by those in Tawnyclan.

The tom slunk down near the base of a tree, he had been limping and found it difficult to hunt due to the injuries he gained. Memories flashed in his mind, reminding him of the renewed hatred towards the whole of Tawnyclan. With a quiet gasp, he soon got to his paws to move onwards, but fell silent. Hearing pawsteps caused Stormclaw to go back into hiding, ignoring the pain he felt, specifically from his left flank and shoulder, which were infected wounds.

A small shadow appeared, announcing a small cat, Stormclaw braced himself for the cat to belong to Tawnyclan. He tensed up and unsheathed his claws, slightly digging them into the ground quietly. Then soon he noticed the cat was small black and white cat, the size of an apprentice. Scenting the air, he didn't detect any particular clans he knew. How can a cat so young be here without backup?

He growled from the shadows from which he was well hidden, "Who goes there?" His voice cracking slightly due to being unable to locate water for himself recently.

The small cat jumped in the air from the sudden voice, breaking their rather quiet hunting session. They then were looking about them, their ears swivelling about, trying to detect the source of the voice. Scenting the air, they managed to narrow the area from where Stormclaw was hiding.
"Get back!" Stormclaw spat as the cat got a bit too close to where he was, he swiped out as he knew he was detected.

The cat didn't say anything for awhile, before speaking, "Are you on your own out here?"
Stormclaw quickly picked up that this cat was indeed a she- cat, however since he wasn't sure if she was a clan cat, he responded defensively, "Yes."

Snow snorted in disgust at this cat's guarded response, she slowly crouched down, waiting a few moments before meowing, "Well, aren'tcha going to come out from there? I need to know more about you."
"I'm not trusting you clan cat!" Stormclaw spat, as he shrunk down further. He didn't want to fight a clan cat in his condition, he knew he'd lose.
"What's a clan cat?" Snow enquired curiously, however she still kept her distance, not wanting to get closer to this aggressive cat that refused to come out to the open.

Satisfied that this she-cat was safe, Stormclaw slowly limped out to the open. Snow almost gasped at this tom's condition, he had a few more scars than she'd ever seen, his left flank and shoulder looked the worst and he had scars over his tail, back and a claw mark over his right cheek.

His fur was dull from a lack of food and it appeared obvious to her that he was in no condition to live on his own. "You have a rather aggressive attitude for someone who seems to be a little worse for wear." Snow commented, still remaining wary.

Stormclaw snorted, "You'd be too if you are found out here from several clan cats." Stormclaw gingerly licked at his left shoulder, but keeping his eye on the strange cat.
"I'm fine on my own here." Snow purred quietly to herself. She then nodded her head towards Stormclaw's injuries, "I have something that could help you there if you want?"

Stormclaw looked at her, his eyes half closed slits as it was made clear he didn't trust her. Then after awhile of him doing this Snow gained an idea, "Oh well, since you don't trust me, I guess you could just stay here, your wounds will get worse and you'll probably die from hunger... or the infection, whichever comes first."

As she was speaking, Stormclaw's eyes grew wider, he noticed she was slowly walking away. "Ok wait!" He called after her, stopping her in her tracks.
"Oh?" She spoke past what she was carrying, which was a mouse as she was on her way back to where she stayed.
Stormclaw sighed, "How far away is this place you are staying?"

Snow shook her head, "Not too far, come, follow me."

Stormclaw limped behind her, following the stranger to where she stayed. He kept his attention on full alert, should they be detected by Tawnyclan. He wanted to ensure that he would hear the clan before they were found out.

True to her word, it was some distance away, however Stormclaw was relieved that they weren't spotted or caught by a Tawnyclan patrol. He instantly recognised the remedy that the stranger was using, he had seen goldenrod being used before, but unfamiliar for it's name. Snow was busy chewing up the plant and making a poultice before applying it to all of Stormclaw's scratches.

"This'll fix up any infections you may have."
"If you aren't a clan cat, how do you know about these remedies?" Stormclaw asked. Neither cat trusted the other, "And why are you helping someone like me?"
Snow had dropped a piece of fresh kill before him. Snow looked at him, but soon looked away, "I don't know... you just don't seem like a bad cat."

Her response sent chills down his spine, as he remembered all the things he had done. "If only you did know." He responded in a mutter beneath his breath.

"Listen." Snow began, "I don't trust you, you don't trust me... but what's so bad about you anyway?"
"It'll be a long story if I told you... just forget about it." Stormclaw began to wolf down the food he was given.
Snow rolled her eyes as she turned and lay down with her paws tucked neatly beneath her.
"What's a small cat like you doing out here anyway? Shouldn't you be with your mother or something like that?" Stormclaw's comment was a final tick, as if switching on a light, Snow's face showed clear annoyance, her tail twitching side to side.
Snow growled, "What did you just say?"

Stormclaw, unaware of his fault, responded bluntly, "Well, you're obviously too young to be on your own without your mother, and you clearly aren't a kittypet... Just saying shouldn't you be with your mother?"
Snow hissed, "I am no kit! I have seen two winters in my whole life! What do you think I am?" Her whole stance had changed in an instant, making Stormclaw sit back in shock, unsure as to how this bomb was set off.
"Easy! I didn't mean anything by it, just cool down!"

Snow eventually calmed down and when Stormclaw asked about another piece of fresh kill, she told him no. Mainly because she was still angry about the size comment, and also due to the fact that she didn't have much fresh kill to start with.

((I'm so tired, but will continue... Took me a few hours, plus I had to read the post done for the final battle, just to re-educate myself over what injuries Stormclaw actually did receive so I remained true to the story.

I know Snow appears too kind/trusting at this stage, however things to change further on, I'm just a bit too tired to write anything more at this stage. So enjoy until I return.))

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