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Post by (aurora) of the problematique on Aug 17, 2007 23:57:16 GMT -5
**And a black rain shall fall from a cloud of cinnabar**
\\::Burning down neverland (scatter the ashes)
White lines, black tar, the matches
Is this another death by misadventure
Tell me what you got, what you really got:://
The ghostly wind flew across the trickle of water that brushed across the fluffy of the ochre tabby tom whose air commanded respect. Cinnabarcloud, a senior warrior, sat serenely at the water's edge, staring down calmly. Speckled burgundry irises narrowed at the warped reflection in the water and he sighed. The regal tom's soft ears twitched as he backed away from the water to retreat onto the softer grass behind him, under the cover of an rowan. His tail curled around his large paws.
Cinnabarcloud had attended the Clan meeting, that was true, but the senior warrior had no point in staying. He did not wish for another apprentice and the carefree tom honestly saw no objective after congratulating Ghostlywind. He decided to gather memories when he was the Red Cloud. Bloodshed. Sorrow. Lust. Agony. Defeat. Homecoming. A few of the older rogues still caught fear in their eyes when he was patrolling and saw them. His manner was ominous and warning to anyone who would dare come here. Wisdom and respect flew out the badger's den when he was confronted with a fight.
==Burning down bridges now (scatter the ashes)
Godspeed to all you're after
Is this a life left just to remember?
Tell them who you were, who you really were==
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Post by briareus on Aug 18, 2007 0:15:33 GMT -5
An eternity alone. That's what he saw in his future. Archer was growing bored with the monotony that was currently his life. Find shelter, find scraps, going back to shelter only to find it had blown away or broken apart. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
He had found no way out of it. He pondered day and night as he padded the unidentified fields of his current life, only socializing when he had to pick a fight with some other rogue.
His ears twitched as he heard movement, and sniffed the air silently and slowly as he froze dead in his tracks. Another cat. How old? He didn't know. How big? He didn't know that either. Was he in Clan territory?
He inched closer, trying his best to not make too much noise. Archer saw the Rowan tree, and froze another moment, as if he remembered something about his dire past. He put a paw to his leather and chain necklace, and then shook his head. That was behind him, and it was there to stay.
He padded to the pond, hoping now that he could simply bypass the other cat, and be on his way. He put his head down and began to lap at the cool water, it tasted so good. So good. He hadn't had water in at least a day or two, having lost himself twice within that period. What a horrible thing it was to be...
...a stranger in a strange area.
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Post by (aurora) of the problematique on Aug 18, 2007 0:31:17 GMT -5
Cinnabarcloud had already smelled the other's presense before the youngling had tried to avoid him. Oh, the honor of having been an assassin never ceased to amaze him in his getting-old age. Spiky fur branched out behind the young tom, reflecting the broad-shouldered elder warrior overhead. Burgundy eyes stared endlessly, threatening to kill if the other should take his glance away.
"Who are you?" Cinnabarcloud asked quietly, his fur bristling. His voice was a deep bass, the seductive kind that makes the mind swim before it is plunged into blood-stained blackness. "You have no place to run. I suggest you answer me..." Intimidation was his goal. Killing was his absolute.
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Post by briareus on Aug 18, 2007 0:37:40 GMT -5
His instincts told him that he should be afraid of the elder, but his pride was too great. He would not disrespect, but he certainly wouldn't be found cowering and stuttering a pathetic answer then babble and blubber, begging the other spare his life.
Archer turned and stayed calm, taking a deep breath and looking the other right in the eyes. It was difficult, but force of will kept his gaze upon him, and he respectfully spoke his name as the other had queeried.
"I am Archer." He spoke in as confident a voice as he could muster, his eyes looking into the other's. Cinnabar would definitely see sorrow, maybe even loneliness in the blue orbs.
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Post by (aurora) of the problematique on Aug 18, 2007 0:48:41 GMT -5
Cinnabarcloud blinked at the calm response and his claws sank back into his fluffy dark-ochre paws. The warrior frowned for a moment in thought: who this kid was, what Clan was he from.
"You don't smell like a Clan. Are you a rogue or loner?" Cinnabarcloud asked serenely. The large tom's nose wrinkled and he looked up for a moment. "You...can call me Cin, the real name's Cinnabarcloud though. How old are you, kid?" His burgundy eyes came down, inspecting the other deeply. The slits seemed to warp as they reached out to trap Archer in a tangle of fear and distortion.
This one is not as weak, Cinnabarcloud thought, giving a satisfactory smirk. The veteran wouldn't even consider Archer if he hadn't passed that test.
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Post by briareus on Aug 18, 2007 0:59:00 GMT -5
Archer kept calm, the much smaller loner looking up. He didn't belong to a clan, he couldn't even name them. And Starclan he had only heard of.
"I'm a loner, 6 moons of age...sir." He added the last as an afterthought of the respect he ought show to this elder. It was all common sense to him, like a Spartan raised from birth to be a war machine, he was automatically respectful and did as commanded by his authority figures.
But authority, to Archer, wasn't just an elder, or an older kit. It was someone like this Elder, who had that aura. Had that air about him. He was defending his territory, and Archer respected that.
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Post by (aurora) of the problematique on Aug 18, 2007 1:11:00 GMT -5
Cinnabarcloud raised heavy brows at the younger tom. He shifted his weight to his right side and he blinked, breaking the fear-inducing gaze his irises possessed. He rose a paw and placed it on Archer's head hesitantly.
"You seem very capable... Will you live only to die out here or will you live with a purpose, something or someone to care and to die for? That is a way of the warrior...," Cinnabarcloud said, his voice dark and sagely. He glanced back at the rowan and beyond, the darkness of the territory creeping in like a mountain lion in fog. He turned his eyes back and down.
"You have a choice to make. I can take you up and drop you, or I can take you back to my leader," he said, smiling eerily as he nodded forward. "We have a ways to walk..."
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Post by briareus on Aug 18, 2007 1:27:34 GMT -5
Archer's eyes seemed to shimmer as he let the elder put his paw on his smaller head. He wanted something more out of this life. Not to wander and slowly die as he scraped through the leftovers in the plains. He wanted to be part of a family, to raise kits properly, not leave them like he was left.
"I have thought about caring, but have not felt it. If you were to take me to a place, where I could learn these emotions, these," He paused, finding the word, "Feelings..." He stopped, then looked up as much as he could, "I will go with you to your leader, otherwise...I'll die lonely and unhappy."
The memories on his gray back provided too many burdens for a loner kit to bear.
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Post by (aurora) of the problematique on Aug 18, 2007 22:27:02 GMT -5
"When one becomes alone, it seems that one loses their point in life. They only protect themselves. They fight only for themselves. They die for themselves. Alone. They have no one to fight for, no one to care for," Cinnabarcloud said gently, looking at Archer kindly. The rust-striped tom nodded to the younger one, bending his head.
"Let's go. My leader won't like to be disturbed, but I'm sure he'll make an exception for you," he said, his furry ear twitching. The large male stepped to the side and dipped his tail to the other. "As we walk, tell me about yourself..."
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Post by briareus on Aug 19, 2007 0:45:58 GMT -5
Archer smiled lightly up at the elder. It turned out that he was nice, as well. He had gotten in good with a respected member of a clan...how lucky of him. Now, to bring up tattered and sorrowful memories so that he could fill Cinnabarcloud's demand.
"Well," He started, sighing a little and beginning to walk with the other, "There isn't much to talk about. From what I remember, my parent's were rogues, my father left immediately after my birth and my mother left me when I was two moons. I've lived out here, confused and alone, pondering, ever since. Now that I've found you by coincidence, it seems I'll be neither of those again, and I can start anew." How good it was to say those words, and he breathed in with pride as he spoke the last sentence, keeping himself from smiling too brightly.
Archer was so happy. It was hard to refrain from shouting, from dancing about and jumping with joy. Starting anew, a concept that had always been in the back of his mind, a concept that, however hard it seemed it was to make real, had come true for him.
"Will my name be changed?" He asked, suddenly starting to wonder about life in a clan, "What all will I be doing?" His curious kitt-ish side was showing only slightly. He simply had to know.
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Post by (aurora) of the problematique on Aug 19, 2007 16:08:32 GMT -5
"Yes, I suppose that is true," Cinnabarcloud said, nodding in agreement. The elder tom paused for a moment to sniff his way back to camp. Having caught the direction, he kept moving. "As for your name, yes, it will be changed. Since you are six moons, it means you are an apprentice. Apprentices are young cats, both male and female, who learn from older warriors. They are taught to fight, hunt, and take care of their family, their Clan. They look up to the older warriors for inspiration. If you get accepted, I could possibly become your mentor, but I am getting on in years. I might have to move to the elders' den when you become a warrior." The former rogue laughed heartily. His laugh reminded one of the crushing waves that land on rocks where the sea swallows up the sun: smashing down and powerful...with a calm retreat.
Cinnabarcloud took a moment for thought. "As you get older and change, your name changes as well. I was born as Cinnabarkit, for my fiery ochre pelt, and then I became Cinnabarpaw, an apprentice, like you are. When I become a warrior, I become Cinnabarcloud, for the way I run." He pranced in place for an example, the way the heavy fur on his legs flew like his muscles became clouds. "But...I left my Clan because of my dishonorable parents and I was a rogue. You, Archer, are a loner, because you cause no harm towards Clancats intentionally. I, Cinnabar, became a rogue, a hate-filled tom whose course of action was to destroy. If you ever hear of the Red Cloud, that was my name, back in the day. However, I decided to come back into another Clan, the one I'm in now. And here I am, like you will be: Archerpaw, apprentice of BrightClan."
He smiled at Archer's enthusiastic appeal. "You are good to be excited. Clan life is very unpredictable at times."
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Post by briareus on Aug 19, 2007 16:23:42 GMT -5
He absorbed the information like a sponge. Archer was excited, especially that he had a person to relate to. It was hard to be a loner, to not know what it was to care, was horrible. Cinnabarcloud knew that, and it made Archer look up to him all the more.
Hopefully, he would be able to fit in quickly. If not, it would take time. But he had been thinking about something since Cinnabarcloud mentioned it, and was a little worried. He would slowly become attached to this Elder, and the Elder's den sounded...like it would take him away.
"What's the Elder's den?" He said as he smiled fakely a little, hoping that it wasn't as bad as it sounded.
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Post by (aurora) of the problematique on Aug 19, 2007 16:46:55 GMT -5
Cinnabarcloud blinked at the question, still incredulous that the kit wasn't cowering in fear at his heels as the inquistor brought him back to BrightClan. "The Elders' Den? It's a place where older veterans like me stay in the Clan. Kits and apprentices come to take care of us there and in turn, we tell them legends and tales of our past. When we are elders, we are too old to hunt and fight. We rest our days in the den, kinda like heroes for the young'uns. They look up to us, y'know? 'Cause we've done so much for the Clan. They want to be just like us someday," he said proudly. He laughed again.
"I'll be the grumpy old veteran talking about the war in my sleep," he said with a head-shaking roar of laughter at the thought.
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Post by briareus on Aug 19, 2007 16:59:01 GMT -5
"Ah," He nodded, face flashing with comprehension briefly, "Warriors are the people that keep food coming and raise the kits and such?" He asked, pretty much knowing the answer, just reconfirming it, laughing with the elder each time he spoke.
This was not how he had expected this day to go. Archer expected it to be like the others, but this elder had changed his life. There would be a great debt to repay him. He would be eternally thankful of Cinnabarcloud, and if the chance arose, the memory of him would pass on in his line when he married and had kits. Possibly, he would even name a kit after the elder. No, most definitely.
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Post by (aurora) of the problematique on Aug 19, 2007 17:09:22 GMT -5
"Yes, they're the basic unit for the Clan. But mostly the queens--or the she-cats that have or have had kits lately--take care of the kits in the nursery until they're 6 moons old and become apprentices. After that, the apprentices are on their own and their mothers become warriors again," Cinnabarcloud explained good-naturedly.
"Well, Archer, is there anything else you would like to know? I'm the best source you have and it'll be awhile until we reach home," the tom said quietly.
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Post by briareus on Aug 19, 2007 17:28:15 GMT -5
"Ah," He said again, beginning to understand more and more, "Not really, but I would like to thank you." He said, looking up and over at the elder walking next to him. His eyes held genuine joy now, no sorrow or anything of the sort to be found.
"I will never forget this day that you changed my life. From being a loner to becoming a member of Brightclan." He spoke in his lighter voice, still maturing obviously. He imagined that he would soon have a deeper, more noble voice, lighter than Cinnabarcloud's, but deeper than his current, and that's what would make his apprentice-ship so grand.
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Post by (aurora) of the problematique on Aug 19, 2007 17:49:25 GMT -5
Cinnabarcloud laughed gently as he turned to the other with a smile. "I changed your life for the better? That's something I haven't heard since--never... No one ever says that to me," he said, his voice mellowing out. His flint-like burgundy eyes softened.
"I guess I have someone to protect," he said, almost inaudibly.
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Post by briareus on Aug 19, 2007 18:19:57 GMT -5
"I appreciate this greatly, you taking me to your leader and all." He added, "So yes, my life has changed for the better, it would seem." He smiled a little bit. Archer didn't quite hear the mumbling, too busy focusing on his future.
He would keep his necklace, as a reminder of the past, a symbol of his new life. In all he did from now on, he would remember his past, and do for all other loners what Cinnabarcloud did for him.
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Post by (aurora) of the problematique on Aug 19, 2007 18:33:39 GMT -5
"Don't mention it, kid," Cinnabarcloud said, maroon eyes twinkling.
Before he could say another word, they stood at the entrance of BrightClan. "This is BrightClan. Remember it. It's the place you'll hopefully call home forever. Your life will revolve around this place. It's your family now. Remember the smell. Remember the sights. Everything," he said firmly.
"Welcome to BrightClan..."
((Don't forget to update your profile every once in a while for stuff like this. This'll be in the past. PM Shade and ask her to please move Archer's bio to BC ^^ ))[/sub]
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