CLOSED Taking Care of the Prince

[Longstorm]

Bitter, Mender, had returned to his blackberries and was continuing to prepare the berries for Loveless.
Not too far behind him, the 'door' to the herb storage was open because Tigerfrost was down there beginning to gather herbs for the move. Or, at least, Bitter hoped that was what Tigerfrost was doing down there.
The Mender shuddered at the thought of the clumsy Warrior mangling the carefully cultivated leaves and moving around the painstakingly separated poisons.
The tom shook his head and returned to work. His thoughts drifted towards the storage again - not towards Tigerfrost, but the wall.

Meanwhile...

Cunningheart was leading Bark, Torn and Thistle, brothers, into the entrance of the Mender's den.
"We're here," she meowed to the smaller tom.
The tom briefly glanced up, taking in the sight of four cats. "Cunningheart," he greeted her formally. "Injuries?" He looked at the kits.
The massive she-cat shook her head. "No. We're here for the herb storage."
Bitter sat up. "Ah." He almost glared at the tom-kits. "I doubt they would understand the delicacy required to handle herbs prepared for storage." A thinly veiled, 'I don't want them here.'
Cunningheart's eyes narrowed. "Choosings learn best through experience." She was insulting him.
Bitter lifted his lip in a snarl. "Or be poisoned," he stated, dropping the fight suddenly and in a manner that was most unlike himself. "A simple taste of the wrong leaf down there," he gestured to the opening, "and their breath will be forced from their lungs and invisible snakes will squeeze their throats - or they'll feel a terrible pain in their stomaches for days that won't cease until they die. They're not old enough."
Cunningheart scoffed and fully entered the den. "Bloodclaw was teaching you how to poison snakes when you were three moons old."
Bitter fell silent. He was looking at the kits thoughtfully.

OOC: the AbyssClan Code states that even AbyssClannians care about kits (being the future of the Clan, possible pawns, and the punishment for neglecting or killing a kit is severe.), so I figured that even sour old Bitter would be concerned.

[Runfast]

Dauntless and Grace had stopped outside of the den. They heard Bitter's and Cunningheart's discussion.
"Should we be helping with the herbs," Dauntless asked confusedly.
Grace shook her head. "The fresh-kill is almost out. We need to hunt." She looked into the den. "I want to see Loveless, too..."

Inside, Loveless was sleeping. He smacked his lips in his sleep, wincing at the sores in his mouth. He'd probably been allergic to something or other.

[Loki]

OOC: Sorrty
IC:
Bark glanced at Torn for a moment, "does that mean we don't be awake anymore?"
"I dunno," Torn shrugged, he who had not being paying attention. "Who's that cat Cunningheart?"
The black tom poked his nose at Loveless, "Look at him aunty Cunningheart he's taking up space."
Thistle rolled his eyes, "maybe they should have stayed outside..."

[Longstorm]

Cunningheart broke away from staring at Bitter to look at the sleeping form of Loveless. "This is an injured cat," she meowed. "He was protecting the new King. He deserves respect." The large she-cat felt a surge of pride for her Servant. Ha. Is he even that? Briefly her thoughts went to her Bone-sister Joyless. Wherever she had run to, regardless of how AbyssClan viewed deserters, she wished her sister strength.
"And he needs his rest," Bitter meowed in his harsh voice, though he wasn't so stern as before. Cunningheart had no argument with that.
"Well, Bitter?" Cunningheart returned to the previous topic.
Bitter looked at her then the kits then hissed irritably. "Fine."

[Loki]

"Yay!" Torn bounced in delight, "what first?"
"What would you like us to start?" Bark asked more politly.
"You mean do, fish-brain," Thistle corrected, "What would you like us to do."

[Runfast]

GRace and Dauntless looked at each other with raised cat-brows. Obviously something interesting was going on in the Mender's den - but what?
Not waiting, Dauntless padded into the Mender's den. "Hello...?" It suddenly occurred to her that maybe the den was crowded.
Grace rolled her eyes and followed the younger wayward she-cat.

[Longstorm]

Cunningheart turned to look at the two she-cats. "What is it," she meowed in her stern way.
Bitter rolled his eyes at the appearance of the she-cats. "Wonderful," he grumbled and turned to Loveless again.

[Loki]

Torn turned to glance at the new arrival and mewed, "are they helping?"

[Runfast]

Grace glanced down at the tom-kits, remembering them from before. She looked back at Cunningheart and meowed (after a moment of wondering whether or not she should bow), "We're planning on hunting for..." She paused. Who was she hunting for now? For her fellow Servants, that was who, she thought fiercely. She didn't have to hunt for the Warriors anymore.
But didn't the Clan need food? Didn't Sinface - the new King, that was - need food? But would he even be a good King?
Grace could see Loveless, her friend, from where she was. Had he known his brother would become King? What was the point of all of this? Would things still be made better like she and Loveless had planed all along?
She suppressed a shiver as she wondered if things would only get worse...

Dauntless looked over at Loveless. Poor guy, she thought. He was protecting his brother..
The word "brother" triggered a brief sensory memory. But of what? The silver-gray she-cat couldn't put a paw on it, but she was missing something...

Grace was still looking at Cunningheart, but she looked a little confused and a little afraid.

[Longstorm]

OOC: I'm just thinking how I've left Tigerfrost in the herb storage all this time. "Hello? Uh, guys? I'm still down here...it's kinda dark...and scary...SPIDER - no, wait, not spider, false alarm!" Hehahaha!!

IC: Cunningheart listened to Graceless's voice drop out and watched as her face turned into a mask of confusion and fear.
And she understood.
Though few seemed to remember, Cunningheart had been a Servant at one time. But she had clawed her way through that wretched label, and through the neck of her Master, and to the position of an esteemed Warrior. She commended the Servants for what they had done. If Shadowstar were still alive, he may have named them all Warriors.
But now there was a new King. So, she wasn't sure what would happen next. But she knew Sinface - killed TawnyClan and DarkClan cats with him, stolen prey with him - and it now seemed that he never approved of having Servants. Perhaps the she-cats would be Warriors after all.
That pleased Cunningheart.

"Just keep Boneless away from the fresh-kill," muttered Bitter.
Cunningheart turned to look at him but didn't comment. Ah. So it was Boneless who dealt out the poison, hmm? This was valuable information indeed. Cunningheart looked at Graceless and Dauntless and meowed, "Hunt for the queens and kits first. Then it's all a matter of who's nearest to the fresh-kill, isn't it?" Cunningheart personally didn't care if her fellow remaining Warriors got a scrap to eat from the Servants. She knew they'd probably be just as wary of the she-cats as they were wary of her.
This was MARVELOUS.
Cunningheart gave Graceless a slight approving and conspiratorial smile.
Oh, Graceless would probably never like her, that was for sure; Cunningheart had been as nasty as any of the toms had been. That didn't mean that she couldn't be a bit nicer now - but just a bit. She was still Cunningheart before everything else.

Bitter focused on the three kits before him. "The entrance is there," he flicked his tail to the corner around which the gaping stairway/slope in the ground lead to the storage. "I'll show you all." He shook his pelt, cast a rueful look at Cunningheart, and stalked around the corner.
He briefly sniffed the drowsy Loveless, and was pleased to note that he wasn't any worse than before.

OOC: No worries...Loveless will again play the violin! Lols.

[Runfast]

OOC: BOOYA! I SHALL PLAY THE VIOLIN!

IC: Grace stared at Cunningheart in shock. The Warrior...approved? The concept was more than foreign to her. But if Loveless's brother could approve of what they had done, then why not Cunningheart? Why not Loveless's Master? Above, if felt like everyone who was connected to Loveless couldn't help but have a touch of unexpected loyalty.
The black and white she-cat looked at the sleeping form of Loveless. He was the one who pulled everything together. He was the one whose brother was the King. He was the one who'd lead a queen and kits into the camp. He was the one everything happened to. Was it always like this for cats who were related to a King? Grace couldn't stop the rush of resentment she felt for the deformed tom, even though she was completely aware of the fact that his life had been just as hard as hers.
But those nights - unspeakable things in the dark - no one but myself to be with - he had a family, I had nothing. He lead a revolution, I slept with a Warrior. Pales by comparison, doesn't it, Graceless? The little things we do...

Grace nodded curtly to Cunningheart. She didn't trust Cunningheart - but with the Warrior's unexpected praise and revealings of loyalty, Grace wondered if she would have to set aside her old misgiving and come to rely on those she had hated her entire life. Am I capable of such things? She didn't know.

Grace did not reply to Cunningheart, though her thoughts were evident in her expression.

Dauntless looked from Cunningheart to Grace, realizing for the first time how similar in demeanor they were. Of course Dauntless caught the Warrior's commendation as well as the hint that it didn't matter whether or not the she-cats caught enough prey for the oppressive Warriors. (Sacrilege! Wonderfully scandaling! Such freedom! Her heart sang.)
Dauntless thought she could maybe come to like Cunningheart enough not to fear her. Someday. Not today.
It was utterly fascinating to be able to observe a conversation between the two on equal terms (But just how equal are we? Cunningheart is more than Warrior now, she's Protector. Is that fair? After all we did, should one of us have become Protector? Should all of the Warriors have been killed? What is this new world we live in?). Before she would have been smacked for obviously listening.
Now she could - and it was marvelous. I will learn it all...

Grace nodded curtly to Cunningheart, nodded to Bitter, and cast a glance at Loveless. Then she turned tail and left the den, so quickly that Dauntless was surprised to see that her friend had gone without her.
Dauntless looked at every cat's face once (lingering longest on Cunningheart and Bitter) and left quickly, knowing that Grace held nothing against leaving her behind.

[Longstorm]

OOC: 'Marvelous' is the word of the day!
Sooooo, we're finally talking about the Warrior/Grace thing, huh? How do

IC: The kits trailed after the brown-spotted tabby eagerly. They regarded the holw in the ground with wary excitement.
Bitter sighed, still not pleased with the thought of these kits milling around the stores he and Bloodclaw had always worked so hard to maintain.
But, whatever. This place was old and had very few places for light. Maybe their new home would reveal some better place to store herbs. (OOC: And it will!) Some place that didn't end so abruptly as it did down in the current storage.
"Right," he meowed gruffly, gesturing to the hole. "The herbs are down that-a-way. Walk carefully and quietly, and follow me!" He made to walk down the hole.

Cunningheart smirked as the two she-cats padded away. That was a fine start. she thought proudly to herself.
The large Warrior turned and followed the path Bitter and the kits had taken, regarding the dark tunnel with interest. She glanced at the kits.

[Loki]

Torn grumbled, he didn't like the dark, why should he when they had to live in it back where they were before? He uffed and fell to the back as the grumpy tom instructed them.
Thistle seemed to be paying the most attention and Bark was too busy staring off into the distance.

[Longstorm]

Bitter calmly padded down the ramp and was swallowed by the shadows of the storage.

Cunningheart looked at the hole in the ground and wondered if she would even fit. Oh, that would be awkward... She'd give it a minute.

OOC: I think I'll make a new topic. We're moving elsewhere!

[Longstorm]

OOC: So I see great character development that shouldn't be forgotten, but this post is ancient and had lost meaning and is now closed.

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