[ and we all fall down ] birchxbeaver private

[[ hardyrex ]]

"You were a kittypet?" Beaverstripe asked, sight shock in his mew. Call him ignorant, but all the kittypets he knew ( all three of them ) were lazy, mouse-hearted cats. They hide in their two-leg nests, eating easy and get fat. They always ran from a cat bigger than them, and at worst they would just hiss. One glare and they fled with their tail in between their hind legs.

'Course, it was the city. He didn't really blame them.

"Kittypets 'round here must be different..." he muttered, half to himself. Glancing at the sky, he saw that sun had risen a good tree-length into the sky. The earth was getting warmer, but the frost and Leaf-Bare chill still clung around him. "So, you're a queen. What's your kit's name? What gender? How old?" Beaverstripe, as much as he hated to admit it, loved kits. He and Bonnie always wanted some, but fate tore them apart before they had the chance. While he was fleeing for his life, he helped out a queen with her's.

And he loved every minute of it.

But he could never, ever have any. He'd lose them. Beaverstripe just knew.

[Cloud of Diamonds]

Birchtail was happy. Her shallow mind was wallowing in happiness. She felt simply gushing forth her affection for the tom at this point. However, the tabby wasn't that stupid and knew if she did that he was more likely to back off than anything. Slow and steady won the race.

She turned to look at him. Finally, she felt brave enough and sure enough of herself. But the queen was careful to keep her face generally friendly and pleasant, not holding the full depth of the liking she felt for Beaverstripe.

He had a nice face, she decided. Not much like Slash's, but nice.

The long-furred she-cat's brow furrowed slightly. Why would he be surprised? Surely he knew several cats had been kittypets before they joined the Clans. Maybe I just seem so unkittypetlike now it's hard to believe, she thought. A nice thought, that. It's true I haven't been a kittypet for many moons, and I'm a queen of FogClan now, having raised my own kits who are apprentices and I'm caring for another...

She blinked. Well, better reply to him, Birchtail, or he think you're dumb.

"Yeah. But I left to be a rogue when I was young, I got fed up with it. Maybe kittypets here are different than from where you're from." She smiled at him faintly.

"Oh, Palekit? She's not mine. Her mother came to FogClan, but she died, poor thing. I took her in, since Falconpaw and Cinderpaw had just become apprentices and I was the only queen. She's about a moon old now."

It was so nice, just chatting like this, in an organized way. She looked over Beaverstripe's pelt quickly. Pretty neat compared to most tom's pelts. Good. Birchtail couldn't stand things not being neat. She didn't see how all her Clanmates stood things being out of order. Well, Mistpelt's pretty good about it, she thought. The amber-eyed FogClanner warmed inside at the memory of the secret the deputy had confided to her. How soon, she wondered, would it happen? Should she tell Beaverstripe? Hmmmm. Maybe she could eventually bring up Owlstar, and see...

[[ hardyrex ]]

ooc; Posted on phone. I apologize in advance for mistakes.

Beaverstripe stared at Birchtail until he forced his eyes to blink and turn his head away. The queen's look was one he had no seen for some time. A look he told himself he would never give another cat for as long as he lived. One he has missed dearly from Bonnie. A look of love.

Its just your mind playing tricks on you. He told himself firmly. She doesn't like you, and you definitely don't like her. The borwn tabby ended his inner scolding when Birchtail meowed, and he replied with a "Everything is different from where I lived" which he ended with a sigh. As hard as his old life was, he missed it.

"Palekit. Beaverstripe parroted, nodding slightly. For a moment he wondered who Owlstar will choose to be her mentor, his head tipped to the side as the tom tought of the FogClan leader. "I wonder how many lives Owlstar has left?" He meowed, turning back to Birchtail. Of course, Owlstar only had one life. StarClan were not real, and even if they were, they couldn't just give a cat eight more lives. It was nonsense.

ooc; I'm glad I proofread this. I put that he blinked with his ears. .-.

[Cloud of Diamonds]

Birchtail's look changed to one of mild curiosity. What had the tom's life been like before FogClan? She didn't want to pry, for he might not like that...but the long-furred cat was intrigued. Maybe she would simply pose a light question about it...and he sounded wistful, almost. Did he regret joining FogClan? The tabby couldn't imagine why any cat would regret joining FogClan, but she supposed it was possible. Why, though? It made no sense. If he'd liked his old life that much, why had he joined?

She mentally shook herself, trying to focus on the other things he'd said. Perhaps if she knew him better, in time, she could ask...

The amber-eyed cat smiled a bit when he said Palekit's name again, though. Did he like kits? It would be good if he did...

The queen's brow furrowed when he changed the subject, though. Owlstar's lives? How had he thought of that topic? Owlstar....Birchtail pityingly thought of how she wasn't going to be around much longer. As she did, a thought appeared like a spark in her head. Should she tell Beaverstripe of Mistpelt's plans? True, she'd seen no evidence of his level of faith...but if she liked him this much, he couldn't not believe in StarClan; surely not. She decided to approach it carefully.

"Ah. Where you lived must have been a good place, even if you say it was different. Owlstar's lives? I have no idea. I would think she hasn't lost any yet, though, since there haven't been any big battles. About Owlstar, though...even if she has all her lives, she may not be leader much longer."

Perfect, the neat freak congratulated herself.

[[ hardyrex ]]

ooc; Posted on phone. Please excuse any errors.

Beaverstripe's sly smile found it's way back onto his muzzle when Birchtail meowed about the city being a nice place. That, of course, was nowhere near the truth. Unless you counted no food, nasty water, filthly nests, and all the danger a nice place. But she was right about it being different. The tom guessed that Birchtail last two days before... well, bad stuff happened. "It had its advantages," he simply replied, leaving it at that.

The brown tabby's eyes narrowed in thought at the she-cat's words. Not be leader much longer? Beaverstripe was told leaders stayed leaders until they died. Was Owlstar going somewhere or something? He hoped not. The last thing the tom wanted was for Mistpelt to be leader. Don't get him wrong, Mistpelt seemed like a nice cat ( to those who believed in StarClan, at least ) but something about her just seemed... off. Beaverstripe couldn't explain it himself, but the she-cat reminded him of a few cats from his city life. And he prayed he would never meet them again.

The tabby shook his head, hoping his thoughts would be scattered away. "Not be leader?" He meowed, rising to his paws. "Why?"

ooc; I fell asleep while typing this on my phone. .-.;;

[Cloud of Diamonds]

It had its advantages....but unsaid words seemed to say it had downsides, too. Downsides that got worse over time so that he left wherever it was and joined FogClan? Possibly. Ah well, it wasn't really a subject of interest. For now.No, what was intriguing and what needed to be figured out this instant was of quite a different nature.

Mistpelt's words...was he worthy of hearing them? The tabby had dropped that most intriguing hint on purpose, which she still judged as a good idea, but now she was wondering if she really ought to tell him more. After all, she had no definite proof he was a strong StarClan believer. Slash hadn't been, after all. But an idea dawned after a minute in her mind...

Perhaps....perhaps Slash hadn't been meant to be her true mate. Because back then she had not known the glory of StarClan and how good life could be in FogClan. True, Slash had been loyal and caring, and she was proud to have known him and have been his mate, but those times were past. Much had changed.

Maybe StarClan had intended for her to meet Slash so she could know him and bear his kits, but they had allowed him to be slain because he was not her true mate, not of FogClan, not a believer...would he have come to FogClan with her, believed in StarClan as she did, if he'd lived? Even though there was the small but unfortunate possibility Beaverstripe didn't, there was a chance, no, there would BE, a good opportunity to gently convert him. And if he was a believer so much the better.

So, with a knowing look upon her face, Birchtail asked the question.

"How much do you believe in StarClan, Beaverstripe?"

[[ hardyrex ]]

ooc; Posted on pho-- eh. You know.

As soon as Beaverstripe's ears heard the words 'believe' and 'StarClan', a mocking reply on the dependance of a bunch of fake dead cats rushed to the end of his tounge. Yet, he bit it back. Birchtail won't ask him such a question with it being of importance of the subject. And this subject was bery important.

The tomcat sat, carefully sweeping his tail over his front paws. Beaverstripe's city cat life had taught him that telling the truth was always the best policy, and he was certain it wasn't here. Lying could change his life, maybe even FogClan, or all the Clans. What could be life or de--

Ah, who cares.

"StarClan?" Beaverstripe meowed, making his voice casual. "Everything." The brown tabby nodded, as if trying to fool himself also.

ooc; sneakyyyy. :U

[Cloud of Diamonds]

OOC: Can Birchtail get any more corny? e.e

Satisfied with her crush's answer, Birchtail felt a warm feeling of happiness spread down to the tip of her tail from her heart. This was meant to be. It was a pawstep on the path of restoring FogClan - no, the entire forest - to pure organization.

"Good. Very good. Then I will tell you something only some cats know, a matter of vital importance that is imperative you keep secret from others who would not understand its brilliance as I am sure an intelligent tom like you will."

She dared to lean in ever so slightly closer to him, her amber eyes vivid with feeling.

"The truth of the matter is that our great Clan is slowly deteriorating. This is because of Owlstar's laziness and her failure to uphold the will of StarClan.

Our deputy sees this and is sickened by it. She knows how to protect us from falling further into sin.

She has been chosen by StarClan to lead us out of the darkness of confusion and impurity, Beaverstripe. The ancestors came to her in a dream, showing her what must be done and she took Their instruction to heart.

Soon, very soon, we shall rise up and our leader will be revealed for what she is. Poor Owlstar - would that she had not been so lax. Mistpelt will come forth and bring FogClan back from the abyss, and reimpose the natural order, Beaverstripe! All our dreams will come true, and all our shameful deeds will be redeemed!"

So passionate was the tabby's belief in this vision of the future that she was trembling slightly at the end of her speech.

[[ hardyrex ]]

ooc; Corny? I'd call that scary.

- counting bodies like sheep...

Beaverstripe's eyebrows rose up in response to Birchtail's meow. Not at the words themselves, no, but at the fact she would believe him so easily, and now she was going to tell him something of "vital importance". It was quite a risk to tell him such a thing with such little questioning. But, maybe he was just misjudging the queen.

( insert second birchtail quote here )

The tomcat's eyes narrowed as Birchtail told him about the planning, taking his time as he mused over what had been meowed to him. These words sounded so powerful... or something to that effect. Regaurdless, Beaverstripe had a hard time believing the queen.

UNFINSHED.

...to the rhythm of the war drums -