London Bridge is Falling Down [Mist x OPEN!]

[Pyro]

"Come on, Otterclaw. You can't just sleep the morning away every day. There's too much to be done."

"Alright mother. Just give me five,"

[/color] the lazy reply was interrupted by a large yawn. After a second or two of crunching (Otterclaw was stretching while laying down), it finished. "...more minutes"

"You asked me that five minutes ago. And five minutes before that and five MORE minutes before that. I'm done being lenient-"

"This is lenient?"[/color]

"YES. You should have been up with the sun like the rest of us, as a good warrior out to be."

"Ah-ha! So now we get to the bottom of it. You won't let me sleep because you don't think I deserve my warrior name."[/color]

"That's not what I said. Not do I have to come in there and get you or will you come out yourself like a mature tom instead of a milk-warm kit?"

With a heavy, sarcastic sigh the stalky dark brown tabby dragged himself from the den and into the cold sunlight. "Happy?"[/color]

"Hardly. Are you trying to get me in trouble with our deputy?"

"Tch. It's not like you had to stay."[/color]

With an angry huff Reedfoot whipped around and walked stiff-legged away from her brother. But once she got closer to her deputy she relaxed. She had heard Mistpelt was a true believer in Starclan, perhaps the most fervent of them all. But it was that thought that brought her tail down in shame. She was arriving late to be assigned a duty and would no doubt be seen a lazy, selfish, badger-brain with no more care for her clan than a fox out to slaughter kits.

And then Otterclaw trotted up beside her looking like the last thing he wanted to do was do something to please the deputy. THAT sent her fur bristling. He was going to get her in trouble and all he could do was think about how he was losing un-needed sleep!

They stopped in front of Mistpelt, each with a different look on their face. Reedfoot's eyes held nothing but apology, while Otterclaw's held a hint of challenge. Clearly the latter knew it would never be smooth sailing, not with the difference in their beliefs.

"I cannot put into words how sorry I am that I am arriving before you with nothing but a cause for disappointment. Others have already stocked the fresh-kill pile while I and my brother laid idle." Almost inaudibly she muttered, "Oh how StarClan must frown on me today."

Otterclaw added nothing but a snort, which Reedfoot answered with a glare. It was a glare that Otterclaw opted to ignore in favour of greeting the remaining cat(s)?, that still sat before Mistpelt with a smile (each).

"I would have been here sooner if it had not been f- No. I have no excuse or blame to lay. It is simply my fault."

ooc: I love it when I get to type one of Reedfoot's 'I am not worthy' tangents. xD [/size][/center]

[Spec]

OOC// Let's finish up the conversation with MistxWhitexReed before we get any more characters dropping in. Thank you.

Mistpelt wished that her clanmates proved themselves like shining stars to her, but like all challenges, she knew that in order to reach the silver lining, one must reach out for it in return. Her patience was running ice thin, tampered with the biting chill of the Leaf Bare already upon them, it made for a nasty and short tempered combination. However, she wasn't so rash as to appear on the complete defensive, she had nothing to prove. She spoke the truth and she knew it, so there was no use is wasting more breath on the matter on where to find moss and the petty argument Warblerstep threw at her. Her retort bounced harmlessly off her frame when she directed it, but the heat she allowed it to sink deeply into her flesh and carve out a memory and not a very pleasant one at that. Warblerstep would be marked, a inky black mark staining her pelt (hopefully for all to see). The others heard such defiant speech and they would remember her outburst, even if she brushed it off with a hesitant apology. As was expected of her, Mistpelt inclined her head, barely a fraction, but enough to indicate that she had forgiven her – to some meager extent...She watched with an icy irateness that would sting a fox sharp in its tail as the obnoxious she-cat slunk out of camp, muttering a quick reply hoping to appease her. Of course, she was pleased with her coming to realize her mistake, but the tone of voice was still evident on her tongue, and left a sour thought upon her conscious because of it. Maybe this couldn't be overlooked.

When Cedarpaw spoke, the ivory deputy was all eyes and ears, turning directly towards him with a slowly waning smile, a firm gentleness resonating from her frame, almost the complete opposite of her posture moments ago. “Precisely, Cedarpaw. The large ones are around the eastern part of Fogclan territory. I trust you'll come back with plenty.” She offered him only mild encouragement for his future deeds, a slight hint of where to find such hollow trees. But she suspected that he already knew where exactly she was inferring to, but then again, she expected a lot of things that most couldn't conform to lately...What a disappointment, her own children, ravaged by the act of sin. Shifting over to Whitetail, she straightened, giving her pretty chest fur a few swipes of her salmon pink tongue before her eyes glittered, catching her gaze within her own. Perhaps now they could get to business. But then yet another presence demanded her attention, cutting short her breath before she could part her mouth and speak Starclan's Truth. With a mute groan, she rounded slowly upon the pair of cats, brother and sister; siblings. A frown graced her maw, fluttering yet apparent; Mistpelt scrutinized the sleep in Otterclaw's eyes, as he tried to blink back all signs of slothfulness. His sister however, was of different ilk, dutiful and loyal, and above all, faithful and by what she heard, it was heightened, absolutely normal. As the words left her mouth, Mistpelt couldn't help but be touched by her general sincerity.Of course, Starclan forgives you, child. She wanted to purr, but the presence of her brother snuffed out any compassion upon her face. “Blessed morning, Reedfoot, Otterclaw...However tardy you may be.” She grumbled softly, wrinkling her nostrils as she stifled a tiny sneeze. Her head turned sharply towards the dark brown tom, inwardly disgusted by his outward appearance; sin written all over him. She contained her formality and addressed him steadily. “Perhaps if you desire sleeping away half the morning I can move you to the apprentice's den. You know you should be up before sunrise, so there's no point in lecturing you. Instead, you can do some solo hunting to reflect on what you've done.” Her tone was indeed reprimanding – but not towards Reedfoot herself. Her only fault was kit-sitting her lethargic brother. She waited, keen on him disappearing before she shared with both Whitetail and Reedfoot her words, although she would have to ask a few questions first.

[Pyro]

"A-A blessed morning to you as well." Reedfoot nudged Otterclaw and he grumbled something along those lines in reply as well.

“Perhaps if you desire sleeping away half the morning I can move you to the apprentice's den. You know you should be up before sunrise, so there's no point in lecturing you. Instead, you can do some solo hunting to reflect on what you've done.”

Otterclaw bit back a growl at Mistpelt's suggestion that he move to the apprentice's den. No way was he going to go back there again after he worked so hard to get out. He had copied Reedfoot so well for so long he had almost thought he would become her! He found that he had to bite back a sharp reply as well. Something about Mistpelt told him that not to do so would be near suicide. So, Otterclaw, one of the last cats you'd expect to keep their mouths shut, kept silent. He merely trotted quickly away to hunt 'solo', leaving his sister with what he had categorized as a very abrasive she-cat.

Normally Reedfoot would have been right behind him (as far as going on a solo hunting trip) to make herself useful in any way she could to make up for lost time, but something in Mistpelt's demeanor said that she wanted a word with her. And Whitetail too, seeing as the she-cat was still- Reedfoot mentally kicked herself. She hadn't even noticed let alone greet her!

"A very good morning to you, Whitetail." She said rushed, before turning the majority of her attention to Mistpelt.

[cazzy]

The she-cat's face pulled into a scowl. Two more cats had made their way to them, just as the others had left. It was unfortunate that she had chosen to speak with the deputy in the middle of camp. Or at all today, it would seem. Whitetail stiffened, turning her face to the new comers.

The form of Otterclaw and Reedfoot stood in front of Mistpelt. Just left of her. The she-cat shook her head, flicking her ears in boredom. She let her gaze fall over each of the new arrivals. From her quick overview, Reedfoot immediately appealed to her more. Perhaps it was the fact that the two shared at least one thing in common, their gender. Pushing away thoughts, Whitetail forced a smile at the two.

Ah, but then the tom left. The she-cat's excitement started to rise up inside her. From what just happened, in her eyes at least, it seemed that Reedfoot was on the same level of faith. With a cat like that, she didn't mind sharing the deputy. A new found respect for this other cat shone in her eyes. It almost made her forget that she was only greeted with a quick nod.

"A very good morning to you, Whitetail." The she-cat's head snapped up to look at the other warrior. It was only a quick slice of attention, but the white warrior bathed in it. It felt good to be noticed, and she wasn't really ready for that to slip away. So she added her own voice into the mix.

"And to you too, Reedfoot." She answered simply before she too turned to Mistpelt.

[Spec]

Her eyes never strayed from the retreating hind end of the tom, gaze firm with an iron fist to back her up. He should have known better than to lay away the day when there was work to be done, for Starclan's sake! Cutting loose a sort sigh, her chest lowered as her exhale brought her back into the attention of the two she-cats of her company, her companions so-to-speak. She assumed them to be on friendly terms, so she allowed herself the tiniest pleasure of relaxing in their presence, her whole body melting into a less restraining posture, the ringed black tail at her end twitching with a wryness rarely seen. After all, when could one take comfort in anything but faith? Her gaze was passive, revealing her relative openness more directly with the others. She-cats were so much more deserving of her good humor anyway – well (immediately poisoning her thought by thinking of Frostpaw), most of them anyway. With a brief inward grimace, she concentrated on the matters at hand, inclining her head to both of them in turn, first to Whitetail and then to Reeffoot, both whom she confirmed had a strong belief in the Love of Starclan. “I'm delighted you could join us, Reedfoot.” Pleasantry aside, she also addressed the white furred she-cat. “And I praise your patience, Whitetail. Perfect timing as well.” She raised herself a bit self consciously, a habit she would rather not attend to when something of importance was about to be said. “It looks like they're won't be any more interruptions, so let's get started...You have not been forgotten. Starclan rewards those whose faith is great and loyal to Fogclan, and I have noticed this. It is good to see that you both have not been affected by the darkness and sin that has gripped so many cats in Fogclan.” She allowed her voice to linger, pausing slightly to take a shallow breath before she would continue. Initially, the pause was to command their attention and encourage any speech from them before she got into the more complex matters.

[neworleans]

“Precisely, Cedarpaw. The large ones are around the eastern part of Fogclan territory. I trust you'll come back with plenty.” Cedarpaw gave a quick nod. "Eastern part of the territory. Gotcha," he replied, then trotted off to find this moss. "Hm, eastern, eastern... that would be... this way," the small tom decided, changing his course.

He gazed around as he walked, trying to find some sort of landmark that would let him know he'd reached the right place. There are trees everywhere, so I can't just look for any tree... thought the brown tabby. "Oh, hey! It's that old badger set! This is definitely the right place. Just to be safe, though..." He opened his jaws to taste the air. There was the scent of badger, but it was very stale. None of those black-and-white beasts had set paw here for several moons. Cedarpaw let out a sigh of relief. As much as he enjoyed a good fight, facing a badger in single combat was not his idea of a fun time.

"Okay. Hollow trees, hollow trees. Hmm..." he tried striking several trunks with unsheathed claws to find out which ones were hollow. Eventually (after getting his claws stuck in a few and managing to pull himself free with some muttered curses), Cedarpaw found what he'd been looking for. After having made a hole in the trunk, he scraped off as much moss as he could, rolled it into a wad, picked it up in his jaws, and trotted on back to Mistpelt.

ooc: word count (excluding quotes from others): 233

[cazzy]

The she-cat's pelt warmed at Mistpelt's praise. Her head rose ever so slightly, and her chest puffed out. Whitetail enjoyed the feeling of being noticed. She turned her head to lick down the white fur on her chest. She could show her joy, she realized, without looking like a fluffy ball of fur. Calming herself and, more importantly, her fur, the she-cat nodded her head to Mistpelt's words.

Then the Deputy went on. No longer worrying about individual praise or causal remarks. Down to business, sort of. It didn't take Whitetail long to figure that Mistpelt wasn't entirely done. That she had only brushed on the main issue in her first speech. Ah, but the white warrior liked where it was going. She let her tail flick in agitation.

Mistpelt, the warrior realized, had a certain way with words. With a confidence, that made Whitetail jealous, she made her words the truth. Or so it seemed to the white she-cat's ears. She was awestruck, and it took her some time to realize that the Deputy had stopped speaking.

Whitetail giggled quietly at her own foolishness. She needed to be listening, and actually focusing, on the words. Not just how Mistpelt presented them. So the she-cat let the moment playback, somewhat, in her mind. She smiled and cast a glance at Reedfoot.

"Thank you, Mistpelt." Whitetail started, "it is nice to be reassured that one's faith doesn't go unnoticed." She let her words settle. Twisting her face up in a scowl for a second before letting her features relax. Did that come out awkward? Or wrong? Anxious thoughts flashed through her mind. Yet the she-cat's worry, although there, was not enough to stop her from opening her mouth once more.

"But this darkness," she meowed tentatively. "FogClan will be rid of it one day?"

[Pyro]

Reedfoot bristled a little in her mind as jealousy pinched her. Yes, she was happy that Mistpelt had welcomed her into the conversation and seemed pleased about her faith...But she, like Whitetail enjoyed having the attention on her. It was probably considered sinful in StarClan's eyes though, to bask in compliments but let evil thoughts sneak in when others received them. She made a note to work on that. After all, she couldn't, with a clean soul, criticize Otterclaw unless she herself was bathed in the pure white light of perfection.

She shook her head the tiniest bit to bring herself back to the matter at hand. Her deputy was talking and it was in her best interests to listen. Not that that was a hard feat, what with the way Mistpelt talked. As soon as Reedfoot focused, her ears were locked on every word.

It wasn't words...well it was the words, but it was really the way Mistpelt said them, the way she talked like she expected, without a shred of doubt, that she would be listened to. And listen Reedfoot did. Especially when Mistpelt breached on a subject that had plagued Reedfoot's mind since her talk with Rowanheart about his apprentice, Frostpaw.

Rowanheart...Reedfoot felt crushed that her idea hadn't worked and that Frostpaw was still obstinate as ever. However, she admired Rowanheart for sticking it out and continuing to try to teach his apprentice.

Another minuscule shake. The matter at hand...Maybe Rowanheart was right. Maybe Frostpaw really was turning cats in FogClan against StarClan! She almost breathed a sigh of relief...because the deputy knew. The deputy knew, and surely she had an idea of how to approach the situation, right?

"Yes...This darkness. It's good to know that someone so high up and deeply set in faith such as yourself knows about this as well...But do you know how to stop it? I mean...even a trip to the Moonpool couldn't cleanse...a certain...apprentice...of the tendrils of sin in her heart."

[Spec]

Her audience with these two she-cats...were going pretty well, admittedly. She had expected a bit of hesitance at first, but when she spoke, it seemed that their intense focus sunk into their bones, alerting their faith and opening them up to Starclan's divine Will. She praised them mentally for their achievement, her eyes burning proudly for the important and necessary first step into becoming a true believer and a feline of faith. Her own face was adamant on her decision, her own eagerness to share in the glorious news of Starclan's vision near intolerable to confine, but with all her control, she managed it for a few moments more, attempting to appear as dignifed and proper as any deputy – and perhaps a bit more. She had condescended the height of an average deputy. To think, deputies rarely ever received the privilege of messages and visions. Needless to say, Misteptl was quite proud that Starclan had chosen her, despite her mortal hesitance and brief fluttering moments of doubt (which she deemed highly natural for one as mortal as her). Such moments' however, could be quite humbling, an area where she found herself out of league, her comfort zone intruded on. It disturbed her, and awed her all at once. It was clear that she had possessed Reedfoot's and Whitetail's attention, commanding it with natural ease and elegance of a paladin of Starclan, a supreme disciple of faith. A black tipped ear flickered irritably at Whitetail's whispered giggle of excitement, but she made no move to silence or reprimand it. Mistpelt could hardly blame her though, this whole business was a bit exciting. Her head bobbed once towards the snow white she-cat before her, solemnly delivering a subtle acknowledgment to her statement. Faith, ultimate, decent, of non-existant needed to be addressed, without distinction, and without mortal mercy...Her ears shifted expertly between both she-cats as they exchanged words of thoughts, welcoming a sense of ponderous expressions from herself in return. But before her looks could give away too much of a response, her maw parted once more, allowing a cool, calm breath of word fill the air. “It is a dreadful time, full of sin and darkness which so many have become blind too...Warriors like us need to penetrate the blackness in any way we can, indeed, or hopelessness will decend if nothing is done.” She let her voice linger, like so many of her actions were meaning only became more defined with patience and understanding. Speaking of understanding a black soul...she brought up the matter of Frostpaw, and surprisingly, rather tenderly. “You must not blame poor Frostpaw for her actions or words. Instead of hatred, look upon her with pity...Think of it...imagine the pain and suffering of never acknowledging the most superior beings in the world...Never embrace Their love where They have always kept their paws open in welcome.” She closed with a morose dip of her head, but then a sharp motion brought it up again, coldly glaring at her clanmates, voice stale. “It is not she who is the problem, but another. One who has put on a deceiving mask to shield away her heathen face...Starclan has acknowledged my faith and has rewarded me with Their divine will. They have sent me a vision in which the whole forest can be cleansed – No! Will be cleansed.” She halted herself there, lowering her voice to a more subdued level of sincerity. “Give me your word to complete secrecy at this...and I'll share with you the most important sign of Starclan's Truth. The way out of the darkness...”

[Pyro]

So…Itwas not Frostpaw who was the problem, but rather something, or rather someone, much bigger? This both relieved and disturbed Reedfoot. She was relieved that she was wrong about an apprentice being the root of such opaque evil. But at the same time she was horrified that the real root was someone more influential, someone that could very well cast FogClan, a clan that basked in StarClan’s approving light, into the cold, unforgiving darkness of sin. The warrior’s mind might have gone into an uproar at this had not Mistpelt spoken of StarClan's grace in showing the deputy that they were not out of time to stop the invading evil...That soon not only would FogClan be cleansed, but the whole forest! So those sinful PineClan cats would finally see the error of their ways...

Reedfoot almost bobbed her head with undignified eagerness in reply to the deputy's request of secrecy before she revealed the culprit of these wrong-doings. However she caught herself at the last second, just in time to slow herself to a slow and deep nod. As a last thought she decided it would be more respectful to give her spoken word as well. "You have my word, Mistpelt, may StarClan witness it."

The she-cat thought for a second more. She ought to give a word of apology for her accusations against Frostpaw. "And I am sorry for faulting Frostpaw. I am frustrated with her treatment of Rowanheart, and of others, and let that get the better of me, producing only a rash and false statement."