Taking a Trip Back [open]

[jeopardy2]

A N D R A S T E

There are some places in the world that feel more like home than other places. At the same time there are places in the world that feel more like hell than other places. Sometimes a home can change from just that - a perfect place to be where you are always calm and ready to be yourself - to a place where you never want to let your guard down...a place that doesn't deserve to feel like a home to anyone. And there are some felines that will never let the area forget the heartache, the pain, that caused them; there are some felines who will continuously come back to a home-turned-hell in order just to face the facts, face the memories, and to remind them exactly why they are alive now and to remind them that they can never fall for the tricks that the ex-home can play, trying to tempt them off their current path.

For the feline who walked - a little awkwardly - through ThunderClan territory now, that was exactly how she felt. These woods, these trees, every scent of prey brought back memories from when she was nothing but a naive feline training to be something that her Clan could be proud of. She had given up her best years for her Clan - she had given up her health, her looks, everything for them and what did the Clan do in return for her? They sent her to the elders! She was hardly a warrior and they wanted her to be an elder. She still had her youth then, she still had her strength. So what her leg was missing? So what if she was missing half her tail? So what if she was missing an eye? So what she looked completely and utterly broken? She could have become stronger, she could have been worth to the Clan still and in fact, she had trained. She had become a fighter.

But StarClan never wanted her to succeed.

She did everything for them and they did nothing for her. Her bright blue eyes burned with the thoughts and she glared at the trees for what they really were. They were the pawns of a Clan that didn't care as much as they were suppose. "ThunderClan was suppose to be the understanding Clan, the Clan that gives anyone a chance if they want it or can prove to deserve it. Well, that is a bunch of mouse-dung." Her paws started to take her in a different direction and the smell of water wafted up to reach her senses. When the small pools appeared in her gaze, she snarled and her eyes flashed. She went straight up to the water and glared at her reflection. Her family and Clan had been astounded when they had to look at her face. There was only feline who never looked at her like she was a freak.

Her brother...the only one who had truly been there the day of the dog attack. Her claws unsheathed and she swiped her left paw at the surface of water. She watched as the water seemed to fall in slow motion towards the ground. She had been angry for a long time, but she needed cats to see the truth. To see that they were fighting for nothing. They needed to see that the Clan, that their ancestors, would never be there for them. She needed to have felines look her straight in the eye, to face what she had become, and see the anger that the Clan forced into her heart. Nothing good in her life had ever happened and no-one tried to understand. The world was too black and white to them. Well, she was going to make sure that some felines started to see the true perspective of the world.

Or she'd die trying.

[YELLOWFANG]

yellowfang,
bring me the darkness of night
word count: four hundred & thirty four words

[/center]

Padding along the dense forest of Thunderclan's territory, Yellowfang let out a disgusted mewl. Its was new-leaf which meant kits were over running the camp. Yellowfang had never been found of kits, apprentices she could deal with but kits, she would rather be out fighting a bloody war then have to deal with them. Not to mention their mothers, good god they were just as bad. All waiting around, hoping to be waited on. Sending their mates off to find them food. Scoffing, Yellowfang could complain as she wanted but it would never change the fact that she was destined to live with her problem. There was no way to change it, she just need to buck up and get over her complaints.

Stopping as stone, Yellowfang's ears flickered. Lowering her skull closer to the ground she closed her eyes and breathed in. Snapping her eyes open, they narrowed. A cat was in Thunderclan territory that didn't belong. Ignoring the urge to jump out and follow the trail, she moved silently along the denser part of the trail. Following the cats scent, Yellowfang caught sight of the intruder. A three legged cat. A thin string of compassion. Squashing it down, Yellowfang toward herself no matter what a cat looks like, if it doesn't belong in your clan and is on clan territory then they are the enemy, no matter what.

Letting her gaze wonder up the tall pines of the territory, Yellowfang remembered as a apprentice, wondering if she would be able to climb one. She of course had tried but her mentor had stopped her before she even got half way up. Remembering now, she could have killed herself and her friends, not that she really cared then, she had just wanted adventure. Letting her eyes close, she breathed in a deep breath, remembering every memory, every detail of her days as an apprentice. Such great memories. Snapping her head backwards, she brought herself back to the present. It wasn't time to lost focus. Slipping through the trees, she head towards the intruder.

Running her tongue over her teeth, Yellowfang stared at the intruder. Sure the cat didn't seem to pose much of a threat but loners had never been on Yellowfang's good side. None of them had ever done her wrong, she just plain didn't like them. However, this loner seemed different. Digging her claws into the ground, she slipped from her hiding place and planted her feet firmly below herself. Letting out a low growl, Yellowfang narrowed her olden yellow orbs. "What do you think you are doing coming into Thunderclan territory?" Yellowfang spat.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify]

[♥ [ OWLWING ]]

Owlwing

Unfortunate events. That is what she had learned to say and think about her life so far. Barely twenty- seven moons old and already her life had gone from being a typically happy apprentice to a hostile and aloof, half- blind warrior. What was it with ThunderClan cats? They all seemed cursed, like they had done something to severely piss off StarClan, and so StarClan was punishing a handful of cats each generation, to have terrible lives, to be miserable. It was an odd thought to be thunk by a young warrior, but indeed it did seem to be true, at least lately. It also seemed that ThunderClan had turned out worse than even ShadowClan for the time being, with all of the heartbreak and accidents. But perhaps that may have been taking it too far, as wasn't it considered against the warrior code to talk badly about one's own Clan? Or something like that.

Owlwing released a soft hiss, which sounded more like a snake's warning than a cat's exasperated sigh. It was time like this, when she was off in the forest on her own, that she allowed the thoughts to swirl around her head. Allowed the memories to play over and over again, because she could get emotional however she wanted to. If she wanted to be happy, she could be happy. If she wanted to be pissed off, she could be. It was her favorite time to hunt as well, being alone and lost in thought. It was like a new kind of skill. First she lost an eye. So she trained herself to not specifically search for prey, but to practically lose herself within the forest until it came to her. It was a win situation, even if she did look like a monster. At least it was only one side of her face.

New-leaf was probably her favorite time of year. Plenty of prey, beautiful and vivid colors. The scents of the forest were stronger this time of year, making it easier for her to detect things. It had been quite a long time since she had become blind in such a horrible way, and with many moons of training to see and hear better, she was still in good shape to be out on her own. her ears pricked just then, as if on their own, catching the last couple of words of a stranger's angry outburst. The dark fur along her shoulders immediately bristled. A strange voice meant that the feline did not belong to ThunderClan, which meant it was either from another clan or a trespasser. Her one good eye, a pretty bright green color, narrowed as she quieted her pace, taking care to step lightly as she made her way toward the source of the voice.

But then the warm breeze shifted, bringing a new scent that invaded her nose and throat. This one was quite familiar- it belonged to a small cat that was only a moon younger than she was, Yellowfang. Rolling her eye, Owlwing figured that the warrior had also caught wind of the intruder and was going to confront him or her. Slithering between the trees, relying on her good eye and specific memory of where things were, she made her way over to her Clan- mate, who had just come up on the other cat. A she-cat, with one leg, and a torn up face. One side. Like her. Tilting her head for a moment, Owlwing came from Yellowfang's left, taking her place by the warrior's shoulder. She took in the other cat, who was also kind of small, with a mostly tanish pelt that had darker points.

As she stared, her fur bristled again and she lifted her head slightly. Rouge. She hated them, with a passion like no other. They were worthless fleabags that did nothing but steal prey and shelter. They were better off being kitty-pets. Or dead. Owlwing had taken care to place herself on Yellowfang's right, to make better use of her single green eye. She couldn't stand not being able to see, but was used to it. What irritated her more was when cats came up on her blind side. Made her want to wring their necks. Parting her lips slightly, she drank in the awful stench of the rouge. She seemed.. sort of familiar in a way, but that feeling was shaken off immediately. "It's dangerous for a rouge to trespass. It tends to make us a little angry." Her voice was cold, with just a flicker of sarcasm in it.

[jeopardy2]

A N D R A S T E

To the feline water was a true masterpiece of simplicity. The way that it sat there, all innocent looking, rippling back and forth in whatever slight breeze can find itself into these parts of the woods, made her think about how it might be the best item of deception the world has ever seen. For although water looks simple and innocent, gazing into its depths now, Andraste knew that that was not the case at all. Water was a reflection of the one looking into it. It shows you the good and bad on your appearance and it cannot lie. It shines back your personality in your face as well, for when you gaze into the reflection of your eyes, you see what everyone else sees. You see what you lack the ability to see without the water's help. You lack the ability to see what exactly you show others. You lack the see, the side of you that you might always want to hide, but never can.

But what Andraste saw, she was not afraid to show when the times were right.

"What do you think you are doing coming into Thunderclan territory?" When the voice sounded, Andraste's good ear flickered and she turned away from the water's surface to look at the feline that had appeared behind her. She scented the air quickly and realized that the feline had come downwind of her - she wouldn't have been able to notice even if she was trying. She smiled at the ThunderClan feline though, recognizing the line that every feline growing up in any of the Clans knew to say to anyone they didn't recognize - or anyone they knew didn't belong. She thought about all those years she had said those very lines with her brother at her side. She thought about the loyalty, the undying passion, she once had to defend and protect her Clan. She thought about all those moons she spent in the medicine cat waiting...and waiting...and waiting for the chance she could come back out and get back to defending her Clan.

She thought about the day that it all went downhill.

Andraste shook her head to clear the thoughts and glared at the feline. She was about to reply when another voice reached her ear and made her pause, "It's dangerous for a rouge to trespass. It tends to make us a little angry." Her good eye flickered to the newcomer and her smile widened. Two ThunderClan felines. That made her suddenly change her approach about facing them, especially when she noticed the newcomer had a missing eye, much like herself...and yet so different. The look in the newcomer's eye made her smile for she saw much of the same anger, but she knew the anger wasn't the same. They worked on opposite sides of the law...so to say. One worked hard to uphold StarClan's laws, the other did what she could to bring StarClan down...just like they had brought her down.

Of course, she recognized the two felines from her time in ThunderClan, one was her age and the other a moon younger. It would have been near impossible for her not to know them well. The question was, did they recognize her and if so, were they choosing to ignore the fact that she had once been training with them, working hard to be a warrior with them...growing in her faith in StarClan with them...they should have seen how unlikely it would have been for her to kill her own sister - no matter how much she deserved it...or at least they should have been more so inclined to than the leader. Shaking her again to clear the thoughts and to get some of the anger out of her being she looked back at them and limped - the limp was exaggerated - forward a few steps to approach them.

"Now, dears, can't and old friend come around to see her old home? You Clancats are always so uptight...so protective. don't you ever give yourself a chance to unwind and relax in the company of an old ally?" She knew she was taking a chance, but that was the point. She wanted to see what type of felines they were. If they were the type like she had once been where she would have attacked anyone in the borders no matter who they were or what they claimed to be doing...or if they were the type to do just as she had asked and relax as long as the feline intruding made no aggressive move. Plus, the exaggerated limp was trying to get them to think that she was weaker than them, to make them think that they would have no trouble dragging her out of the territory if they so choose.

Who knows, maybe the image of a weakened old friend fallen on hard times might make them a bit more compassionate.

Andraste just grinned slightly.

[YELLOWFANG]

yellowfang,
bring me the darkness of night
word count: six hundred & six words

[/center]

Ears flicking backwards, Yellowfang heard Owlwing before she saw her. As the warrior stood beside her, Yellowfang looked at the loner who was now facing them. Surely the loner would just head back to where she had come from now that there were two warriors, willing to tear her fur out if need be. Flicking her tail, she watched as the loner turned to face them. The emotion that ran in her blood was something she wasn't prepared for. For a quick minute, she wanted to go up and rub against the she-cat, like old friends. She wanted to exchange stories, to tell about their secret crushes. And then cold anger took over. She had betrayed her clan by leaving, she hadn't even given the time of the day for her clan mates, her so called friends to say goodbye, sure they would have tried to convince her to stay, but even so, that means you just leave? She knew the story of her sister, knew what she had done. And in Yellowfang's honest opinion, it was time her sister was gone, she was annoying and stupid. Ignoring the feeling, Yellowfang's eyes flashed.

Shifting back to their younger days, when they had all been apprentices, Yellowfang had Featherclaw as her mentor, while Nightstorm had a friend of her fathers. Nightstorm's brother had their father as their mentor. Yellowfang remembered the day the dog fight had happened, she had been in camp, minding her own business, not really knowing what to do because it was a simple day, no fights were breaking out, no loners or other clan cats had ventured unto clan territory, nothing was out of sorts for Thunderclan. Atleast that what everyone had thought, no one knew what was really happening.

When they had heard about the dog attack, Yellowfang was so worried about Nightstorm and her brother, she didn't really know what to do or expect. When she came into the clearing of where the dog fight had occurred. Yellowfang was prepared for what she saw. But it was better then the alternative. Flicking her eyes around, they finally landed on who she remembered as Nightstorm, she was wounded worse then Yellowfang ever imagined. Nothing could have prepared Yellowfang for what she saw. But that had never changed what she thought of Nightstorm. Yellowfang had thought the same thing as Nightstorm. Soon, Nightstorm would come and join them in the warriors den like she should have. Instead the leader pronouced her a elder, what the hell was that? She hadn't liked the idea, and neither had Nightstorm. But she had dealt with it. Just like she always had.

But when she killed her sister, for whatever the reason, the had been the last straw. But before the leader could even banish her, she had simply said she was done with the clans. Done with everything. Yellowfang had been dumbfolded. Neve in her life had she ever expected to hear those words come from the loyal warrior. It had shook Yellowfang to the core.

You have no right to come around here Nightstorm, or whatever you call yourself these days Yellowfang spat. Digging her claws into the soft earth, she stared blankly at the cat she had grown up with, the cat she had at one time maybe called her a friend. He body stiffened. No one knows what you have been though, and to be honest your sister annoyed me to the core but when you left, it shattered everything I thought I knew. Now seeing you again, it brings memories I never wanted to remember. Yellowfang paused. What do you want? she asked. Her voice rough.
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify]

[jeopardy2]

A N D R A S T E

Things change, isn't that the overlaying philosophy that everyone in the world seemed to live? After all, if you don't change, if you don't adapt to the way the world changes around you, then how can you survive? Andraste knew that to survive, you needed to work with what you had and move forward as best as you could even when there seemed to be a brick wall in front of you that was impossible to climb. But climb it you must or you will die without even putting up a fight. The female glared at the ThunderClan warrior standing in front of her, wondering how the Clans could have survived this long. They never seemed to change. Their borders stayed where they are for the most part with only a few skirmishes over bits and pieces. Morals stayed the same and even the Clans stayed rooted in their individual techniques, personalities, and morals.

How could they have survived? What makes them different?

Or was it only a matter of time before they were all shown the wrongs of their way?

"You have no right to come around here Nightstorm, or whatever you call yourself these days." The female's good eye flashed with anger when her old ally mentioned her old name...the name that held all the memories she forced away the day she left. She was no longer Nightstorm. Nightstorm was the name of a feline that would have put her life on the line for her ancestors, her friends, and even the Clan-mates she could care less about. Nightstorm was the female of the past...a past that was never meant to have a future. "My name is Andraste," the statement came out hard and solid as she looked at Yellowfang. I will not allow anyone to taint that name, that image...that memory. Most felines chose to keep their warrior name because they saw no reason to change it. They knew that no matter what they did, their warrior name would always be who they are in the eyes of the Clan, but for Andraste, she wished nothing more for her Clan to start using her new name...

So that her old name could rest in the peace that it deserved.

"...but when you left, it shattered everything I thought I knew." Once again, a rush of anger filled her body, coursing through her body. Was Yellowfang trying to simplify what had happened? When you left...when you left....when you left. Andraste snarled and she glared at the female. "I never left. Do you think I had a stinking choice, Yellowfang? Everyone was against me. StarClan, the leader, even those who knew nothing about my sister. They weer all ready to banish me from the Clan, ready to throw me out on my own and watch me perish. They thought I was evil, they thought I was a monster!" In all reality though, she couldn't blame them. Some days it was hard enough for her to look into her reflection and force herself to look for any sign that Nightstorm was hiding anywhere in her...in appearance and in personality. It was impossible though, because the truth was that Nightstorm was dead.

But Andraste still lived strong.

The feline barred her teeth and she couldn't help but look away. Her eyes traveled down to her paw and she watched the claws dig into the earth. I could never let them throw me out, I could never let him say the official words. If the words were spoken before StarClan, before the whole Clan then that was it. There would be no chance for Nightstorm. If he had spoken those words, made me an official traitor and made the banishment official...I...I.... She couldn't finish the thought because she knew she couldn't. She kinew all along Nightstorm was still with her, that Andraste was only a cover, but she couldn't admit it. She wouldn't be hurt again and she couldn't be disappointed again. The female has changed so much since the day she "left" ThunderClan, but ThunderClan remains the same. Until the day ThunderClsn adapts to the world around it, she would never consider going back to them...not until her loyalty could be given back to her.

But if they managed to adapt....will then, maybe...just maybe...Nightstorm could be brought back from the dead.