Deputy's Fury {OPEN}

[Destiny]

Eternalblossom stalked through the fog, her shimmering pelt almost blending in, but at the same time, standing out. The rosy coloured patch on her shoulder, her namesake, was virtually indistinguishable in the gloom, and her eyes glinted sharply, looking demonic.

Her pace, her posture, the very way she was walking all pointed to a sour mood. One which was bound to force it's way out of her in some negative way. And the fact that her face was a thunderous mask of anger, with her ears plastered against her skull, only heightened this vision. She came to a sudden halt and simply stood there, head hanging, tail trailing. Then there was a lash of her tail and her teeth were bared, and the lanky she-cat began to pace, backward and forwards, backwards and forwards, her paces seeming to eat away at the furious mask, and replaces it with anguish in places.

Eternalblossom was lost, in her mind.

Giving up, she flopped to the floor, just lying there with an increased feeling of depression and hopelessness. What else was there for her?

Fleetingly, she thought back to the day she had become deputy. Of all the names Darkstar could have picked, hers! She had been so pleased that day, and for a while afterwards. But now...What was the point? No one listened to her. No one respected her. She may as well be a warrior again, invisible. Or even better, a kit. Though no- kits had attention paid to them constantly. She was like a... A Starclan warrior, wandering silently between cats, unseen and unnoticed by all but the most perceptive.

Lying there, she thought again about her choices. Were there any, really? What was the point of going back to Darkstar, who seemed to expect the highest from her, when she couldn't give him that? He was the leader; it was his role that was most important. He demanded respect, and he got it. She, however, requested respect and was denied it, she thought bitterly.

Eternalblossom lay there, again considering what to do. In fact, the least she would do would be to lie there until she had a definitive idea. The deputy was near breaking point, and there hadn't even been any hugely stressful events. The most stress this cat had in her life, was other cats.

Her tail continued to lash from her position on her side, and the gray cat screwed her face up against the world.

[» Sacrifice]

The deputy though, wasn’t as alone as she thought herself to be. Crouched above in her a seemingly impossible small space, a set of tan orbs watched her quietly; for once, the young tom was still. Anyone could feel the rage coming off the deputy, and for once, it was enough to make the pyromaniac tom not jump around in all his typical jitteriness. Unknown son of Havoccrypt and Depthvision, the tom had a stubborn streak in his line, which was why he tended to escape into the forest so often, even when he had been punished harshly the first time for it. Foolish Darkstar had thought it would break him of his habit, knowing well enough this was just the first time they had caught him in the forest. Well, it seemed as though his little plan had failed, now hadn’t it. A brief smile flashed across the face of the young cat, as he settled back onto his haunches, wondering what exactly he was suppose to do now. Safe because he had gone for a swim to erase nearly all of his clan scent, it wouldn’t be long before the wind shifted and, if Eternalblossom was paying attention, he would be found. Right now, a punishment was the last thing he had on his mind.

But, as he watched the deputy, he got the sense that he could feel exactly what she was feeling. The anguish was stronger than the anger; but everything seemed to be directed in, at Eternalblossom herself, not the outside world. There was…bitterness and defeat, he realized, intermingled with the strong feeling of depression, anger, and anguish. But what was she so upset about? She was deputy of a thriving clan, and was doing pretty good at her job? Interwoven with her obvious moods, Cryptickit caught a picture of something very, very fragile. It was a lot like an edge, he supposed, pale tan gaze closed as the force of her emotions rocked him. He had always been good at reading other cat’s emotions, he didn’t know why, and face it, Eternalblossom wasn’t exactly shielding her thoughts, and even the simplest of any cat would be able to see most of the emotions on her face right now. But most wouldn’t do anything about it either in fear of angering the deputy further. As the thought struck him, the strange pelted black tom grinned suddenly, a flash of white in the otherwise darkness.

Yes…nobody would do anything about it aside from maybe Darkstar himself. Did that not make it a challenge? He lived for those, anything he could do to try and test fate he found himself drawn too, he couldn’t help himself. With what he was going to do decide, Cryptickit stood up, wincing as he banged his head against what he had been under, so much for swooping in like a bird, which had been his grand master plan. Maybe that was for the better though—he wouldn’t be eaten if he announced his presence first. Jumping down from the ledge, he landed with a tuck and roll onto the soft springy ground, just missing a large puddle that would have taken him under. Sometimes, he really hated water. Casting the puddle a dark glance, the young tom bounded over to Eternalblossom, amusement in his gaze. Never show them fear, and in all honesty, the black and grey tom just wasn’t afraid. He never felt any fear about anything, he was immune to it! Another grin flashed to life on the young cat’s face as he slowed his dash upon getting closer to the much larger she cat. Reckless, yes. Stupid, no.

Running a paw over his face, Cryptickit stopped a few tail lengths away from the deputy, staring at her for a moment, before laughing softly. In one motion he was in a crouch, the next, he had jumped on top of the other cat, before jumping off and whirling to face the deputy, his amusement glittering in the depths of his tan gaze.
”What is with all the bitterness, Eternalblossom? You totally caught me off guard, just stalking into here like that. I was lucky I was on a ledge.” Tone as light and amused as his gaze, Cryptickit looked almost bored; if you didn’t look at the flash of mischief in his gaze. Never mind the fact that he wasn’t supposed to be out of camp yet, Cryptickit was going to do as he pleased, no matter who said he couldn’t. And if they posted guards, he could find a way around them, though it was from smarts or just pure stubbornness, it was hard to tell.

There was a challenge in the tom’s eyes as he easily met the gaze of the other cat, not even flinching at the way they glowed. He was daring her to take him back to the nursery, daring her to take him back to Darkstar and tell him that he had been out again. Daring her to follow the rules, when it was so obvious that he wasn’t ever going to. He was a feisty one that was for sure.

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[Marrowbone]

Cockle hissed as the tail of a mouse vanished beneath the tightly woven roots of an oak, into its den. Her tortoiseshell paws dug at the entrance, but alas, no rodent in sight. Cockle glared at the burrow, seething and sure that the mouse was in there now, laughing at her and its escape. Stupid rodents.
Cockle wasn't a CrescentClan cat, she was a Rogue. Here because she had to be, because she didn't want to wind up dead from the disease. And only because of that, contrary to other Rogues who were trying to learn from their experience. Whether Cockle wanted to help feed the Clan or not-- And she didn't-- She wasn't adjusting very well. Her belly and limbs were caked with mud from slipping constantly, and she'd yet to catch anything. There was a certain difference from hunting in the canyon, and hunting here. A very wet difference.
Suddenly, there were noises, and her ears swiveled around. The mouse was a lost cause, so she abandoned it to follow the voices, coming to find some random kit talking to E... Etern... What’s-her-face, the deputy. Like Cockle would bother finding out the name of any Clan cat. The deputy looked angry, though. It was beyond the simple Cockle why though, and she meowed in a dismissing tone,
"Eh, kit, seems like she might be seethin' over a male. It looks they're so easy to seethe over."
Cockle was too dense to understand the real reason Eternalblossom was in such a mood, and brushed it aside. Her eyes did glance at Cryptickit for a moment, noting his presence out here in the territory, away from camp, where the good kits stayed. A dangerous place to wander, she knew, because not too long ago when she was still living in the canyon she had attacked a CrescentClan kitten that had strayed.

((I DID IT I'M NOT PROUD OF IT BUT I DID IT.))

[Destiny]

Eternalblossom, as soon as the kit had made contact with her side, rolled over, and was up in a defensive position, ears back, head low, pinky-red eyes staring and shoulders up to make herself look as big as possible. Her eyes were almost unseeing in her emotional turmoil, but in one final wrench, she pulled her focus and recognised the other cat.

"Lucky you were on a ledge, eh?" she grinned, trauma forgotten momantarily at the sight of the kit. She has a soft spot forkits, it must be said, and would give her life to protect one - be it from her clan or another, or none at all. But then her eyes clouded again, as she drifted into the thoughts of the fact that it was pointless, even when Cryptickit grew, he would not listen to her. And then, across her face fell a shadow, soon blew away by yet another swirling thought.

"That's why I'll respect you."

The thought had slipped from her mouth before she had a chance to stop it, and she looked up and his tan eyes, meeting them surprisingly steady.

"You're like the others. You won't listen to me when you're older. But, at the same time, I doubt you'll listen to anyone. You're going to be that kind of cat, aren't you." it wasn't phrased as a question, more as a statement. Then she grinned and looked at him properly, sitting before him.

"When I go back to camp, you will come with me. We'll say that you were stretching your legs and they'll say no more about it - or shouldn't, anyway. And if they do - well, I'll have their tails to decorate the camp with, won't I?" She was feigning confidence, but at the same time she was quailing inside. However, she was determined to succeed here. It was time to change. The cat's would respect her, once she had earned it.

Catching eye of Cockle in the background as she looked around, and her gaze narrowed slightly. She had never fully trusted Cockle, saying that, she had never fully trusted any of the rogues. However, she put up with them, becuase that was what Darkstar had told her to do. So she nodded to the muddy she-cat, her eyes flashing in amusement at the sight of thefruits of the ill-adapted rogue's labours.

Suddenly springing back up, Eternalblossom adopted a low stance again and began pacing, her red eyes never leaving the tan orbs of the kit.

"Feel like having your first, unofficial, fighting lesson, Cryptickit?" she purred, face twisting in an odd smile as she awaited his answer.

The shimmering gray pelt was short, adn showed her muscles bunched tight in her skinny frame. The deputy rocked on her toes, keeping prepared for making any sudden movements, which only served to add another inch to her already formidable height.

"It's all up to you."

[» Sacrifice]

If the defensive position scared the kit, it didn’t show. In fact, with the grin that was on his face, he seemed almost amused at what had happened. He was easily amused though, something obvious with the light glint in his orbs. Sitting on one of the few dry patches on the territory, a small grin flashed for a moment across the black and grey kit’s face. While somewhat sullen in camps, being on the outside, breaking the rules, being away from everyone even, seemed to bring out his lighter side, oddly enough. Behind him, he listened to the heavy footsteps of some rogue as they hunted for food. For a moment, he felt a brief kinship; he had trouble with the muddy surface too, he knew what it was like to be thrown into something he just didn’t know, oddly enough. As fast as the thought had come though, it was gone, and Cryptickit’s ears swiveled forward as he listened to the deputy, shaking his head softly in amusement.
”And that it wasn’t a muddy ledge, probably the only dry one on this territory.” Cryptickit said, tan eyes serious for as long as he could hold the expression—which was in the end about two seconds. He would never have a good poker face.

As the real reason she had been upset though slipped out, Cryptickit cocked his head slightly to the side, a ponderous expression on his face before he shrugged slightly, a swift, almost unseen movement.
”What would life be without chaos? If one was to follow the same set path as everyone before them, and the cats before that, as Clan code declares we should, what would be the difference between the days? What would mark them special, to make them stand out in your memory? While everyone else follows the code, I’ll be sure to break it, just to give the day an extra…flair.” Huffing slightly under his breath, Cryptickit’s pale tan gaze easily kept the one of the deputy’s, though his expression had sobered a bit. The best reasoning was with kits; they just saw things in a different light then the rest of the world.
”And others respect you—you just don’t see it as you see Darkstar’s. You don’t have the same command to your tone, the same edge to your words. You have a friendlier manner, and the respect you get for that will look different then the type Darkstar gets. If it bothers you, I suppose you could be more assertive of your rank.”

Suddenly though, all previous seriousness was gone, and a grin flashed to life suddenly.
”It’ll be like a party!” He laughed, thinking of what the elders had told him about two leg parties. Just the mental picture he got from that; tails streaming in the wind as warriors walked around with their heads down, trying to stay away from others, without tails, caused him to want to grin even more. Maybe if he was good on the way back, he would even get to help. He hadn’t used his claws since his last fail attempt to catch a bit of prey—it had been all the mud’s fault. And the fact that despite he was a CresentClan kit, he couldn’t exactly swim all too well. The best he could do was a floundering, awkward movement of his limbs. Quite comical really, unless you are the one trying to get out of the puddle you fell in while after a pesky bit of prey. Prey that he wouldn’t even have had been able to contribute to the clan. Huffing slightly, and glaring darkly at one of the nearby pools of water, Cryptickit didn’t flinch as Cockle appeared behind him. She must have been the one he had heard floundering about in the mud.

Ears pulling back, Cryptickit shrugged slightly. He wouldn’t know—he didn’t get all panting over males like some of the she-kits in the nursery did. Of course, that could be because he was male as well, but really, nobody attracted him. He had better things to do then go chase something that would only end in heartbreak and pain. His chaotic days required a fair amount of planning, even if half of them were just impulses.
”I can’t see why one would go panting after someone. All you are doing is setting yourself up for being pinned down with a family, or heartbreak.” Cryptickit snorted, shaking his head slightly. To be pinned down with a family, where was the fun in that? You couldn’t do anything if you were stuck with a family, they always came first. He was going to be alone for his whole life, he decided with a nod, and then he could be as free as he wanted to be, without the hassle of worrying about kits or a mate or any of that stuff that everyone seemed to be so possessed over.

As Eternalblossom reacted though, Cryptickit grinned suddenly. This smile was much more pointed then his others though. He was never one to turn down an offer for a fighting lesson. Besides, he knew about the kit that had been attacked when wandering on the territory-he had been the one that had jumped on top of Cockle and allowed the other kit to escape with its life. Grinning, with a bit more fang then before, he whirled around in a single motion, he was going to be an excellent fighter one day, standing beside Eternalblossom. He had escaped by squeezing into a rabbit hole and using the tunnels; it was going to be payback time!

Crouching back, in a low form so it would be faster for him to move away from flashing claws though his attacks wouldn’t be as powerful, Cryptickit copied the rest of the stance, weight balancing on the center of his paws, balanced, and ready to strike out without warning. Purring slightly in amusement, eyes focused on Cockle, Cryptickit said softly;
”You think I’d turn down an offer as that? You make me laugh.” Chuckling softly at that, which was an obvious yes, Cryptickit bared his teeth at the rogue.
”You almost killed one of our kits. I’m surprised you didn’t recognize me; I’m the one who distracted you enough to allow her to escape.”
No doubt Cockle would remember him now; he had been quite the banshee when he had attacked, appearing from nowhere. He had learned long ago how to become one with the shadows.

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