i can't fall asleep [CLAN MEETING]

[lily ♫]

It felt as if she were in another time and another place as she peered down at the sickly form before her. The crumpled body of her leader and friend, suffering from whatever sickness was ailing her. It was something none of them could remember having seen before, and worry thrummed through Lilythorn's saddened heart as she exited the den, her icy eyes carrying the depth of fear. Lynxstar was still alive, though, but near the clutches of her [next to last?] last one. Shuddering, the pale ginger deputy suddenly felt as if the weight of the entire Clan was upon her shoulders, and she felt so small. This was what she wanted. She wanted to be the leader, afterall, otherwise she wouldn't have tried so hard for moons to be worthy of receiving her promotion from warrior to deputy. Shaking her head, the she-cat gazed worriedly up at the top of the fir trunk that was Lynxstar's den, and without another moment to spare, the female used her back legs to jump up onto the partial tree. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather for a Clan Meeting!" Her voice cried, loud, clear, and utterly mournful through the mid-morning air.

Her Clan surged with life before her as her clanmates looked up at her with their own fear and surprise. As if to set them at ease, Lilythorn gazed around the deep forest green clearing and shook her head 'no' to put their minds at ease. Lynxstar was still among the living. "I am sad to inform you that Lynxstar is unable to attend our meeting today because of a decline in her health." The deputy announced, her voice cool, calm, and even. If she showed worry now, as all the cats looked up at her, they would reflect her emotion and panic would ensue. Not exactly what Lilythorn wanted or needed as she addressed the Clan for the first time alone in a long time. "There is business to attend to." She said, turning her gaze to the small gathering of apprentices toward the back of the clearing.

Her eyes focused on an obsidian tom by the name of Crowpaw, and then flicked over to a tabby form standing among the younger warriors. "Crowpaw, though you have trained for many moons, you are not yet ready for your warrior name. Instead, you will be given a mentor now that your former one has passed. Reflectedrain," The she-cat paused as the tabby tom let out a loud, audible gasp. A purr escaped her and she nodded. "You are ready for an apprentice. You will be Crowpaw's mentor. Reflectedrain, true to your name, you reflected light into the darkest of situations, and I expect you to pass on your skills to Crowpaw so that he may become an honorable warrior of VertigoClan." Lilythorn spoke the words of the ceremony, surprised by how much she loved what she was doing. Lynxstar hadn't had any part in choosing the mentor and apprentice pairing, but Lilythorn felt confident in her choice. They would be good together and good for each other.

- - -

He'd gathered along with the rest of his clanmates, thoroughly surprised that Lilythorn had called the clan meeting rather than Lynxstar. Was something wrong? He felt certain that the deputy would address it first, but instead, the femme used a few precise words to blow off the absence of the leader. Frowning slightly, the tom stood toward the end the apprentices and younger warriors gathered at and looked up at the she-cat expectantly. As she began addressing Crowpaw, Reflectedrain raised his eyebrows as Lilythorn looked to him. Right, as if he'd get an apprentice. When his name escaped her pale maw, he was shocked. Pure shock surged through his veins, adrenaline running through them and nervousness surging in his stomach. Really? Cats around him chuckled, purring at his reaction. Had he just gasped and cried out, 'Dear StarClan?' Embarassed, the tom looked up at Lilythorn and smiled as she continued, her cryptic words filled with meaning for him. Crowpaw's mother had died during birth, and the tom's father had never made an appearance. Reflectedrain knew how that felt for sure. Approaching the fir trunk used as the gathering place, he stood expectantly at the base of it, waiting for Crowpaw as he had watched many kits become apprentices before.

[raid]

And so she watched. Knowing that not long from now, she would become a warrior herself. Spellpaw would no longer be an apprentice, and she would stand beside Reflectedrain. Not as if he cared. Lately she had felt as if the two had grown apart. He had been there when her mother died...and then he had faded away as if he had died. Her mother. She missed her...still. She was the only family member the young black she-cat could really trust. She had never been close to her brother Gloompaw. Looking down at her paws, she saw the black fur that was all too much her mother. In all ways possible, she was her mother's blood, her appearance, her living counterpart. Except for the eyes. Her silvery eyes that should be the color of a blind cat. But she was not,..she was a living ghost.

Reflectedrain...he sat in front of her, and the want to reach out and touch him was something she couldn't ignore. Lilythorn was addressing him...he would train Crowpaw. As he moved away from her, she moved a few quick steps, letting her tail brush lightly along what she could before stopping where the clan had stopped as well. She would stay here, waiting for him to return with his new apprentice. The jealousy was immeasurable. She was ready to have her own life and become a warrior. To forget the things that happened in her younger moons. To start over with a clean slate. It wasn't as if she had a perfect life, it was far from it. No father, at least to her knowledge. He had ran off with a clanmate, had kits with her and he had never been seen again. After of course getting her mother, which was his apprentice, pregnant to have herself and Gloompaw. And now her mother was gone.

Everything crumbled around her. And it was hard to soak in...but then Reflectedrain had come in to save the day and now was buddy buddy with another she-cat. Spellpaw sighed softly, moving towards the back of the group. Get it over with now...she wanted to be alone.

[Swift ✱]

Bluebell

Worry does not take the pain out of tomorrow; 
it merely takes the joy out of today.           

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather for a Clan Meeting!"

Bluebell blinked in surprise. It was the Clan deputy, Lilythorn, who had called them together. Worry creased through her. Had something happened to Lynxstar? What would happen if something has befallen the leader? Questions flickered through her mind. Her ears perked towards Lilythorn as she continued her speach. Bluebell switched her blue gaze back to the deputy. She wondered what might she have in store. Was there news about the leader? Bluebell frowned. Then, seeing her shake her head, she calmed down. The leader was alive.

"I am sad to inform you that Lynxstar is unable to attend our meeting today because of a decline in her health."

Bluebell curled her soft, grey tabby tail around her white tipped paws and listened out for the deputy to continue. Bluebell leaned down to lick the fur on her chest. As her rough, pink tongue rasped the grey fur, she thought. She relaxed a little and her eyes closed slightly. It must be serious enough if Lynxstar can't address us. 'decline in her health'. Bluebell frowned again as Lilythorn continued on with the meeting. She watched quietly as Crowpaw got his new mentor, Reflectedrain. Bluebell continued to watch the meeting in silence.[/blockquote]

[aero ❥]

{ C } ROWPAW

Why must I wait
For the end of the day
When tomorrow will only bring the same


He swiped his tongue around his mouth, cleaning away any morsels of mouse that might be lingering in his whiskers. I should visit the rockslide today...try to catch a few snakes. His pale stone green eyes gleamed at the challenge. Catching snakes was always fun, and so was exploring the boulders and crevices they lived in.

He would sneak out, possibly at sun-high when the camp would be busiest. No one would notice him as he stuck to the shadows, creeping out of sight through the weak spot in the debris and bushes that surrounded the gloomy camp. He shouldn't have to sneak - but alas he had no mentor to take him. His had died of unknown causes, but no matter. He flexed his stiff muscles as if to distract his own thoughts.
A yowl interrupted his stretching, calling together a clan meeting. Not Lynxstar but Lilythorn was perched high on the top of the leader's den. Peculiar.

Figured his plans of exploring the rockslide had to be delayed. Prowling to a spot at the back of the gathering crowd, he watched the pale ginger she-cat shake her head. "I am sad to inform you that Lynxstar is unable to attend our meeting today because of a decline in her health." Crowpaw's eyes narrowed to distrusting slits. What kind of decline? He wondered, wishing to voice his question. Instead he cleared his throat, it was dry as green-leaf and was starting to ache anyway. He didn't need to strain it by yowling out.

A fly buzzed around his head, ears flicking it away subconsciously. He paused when the deputy's eyes focused on him. "Crowpaw, though you have trained for many moons, you are not yet ready for your warrior name. Instead, you will be given a mentor now that your former one has passed. Reflectedrain," The black apprentice grew cold. He reproached those words, hated them for what they meant. He had been an apprentice for so long, almost half of his life now, and still the world kept throwing him backwards. Reflectedrain.

Why must I wait
For the end of the day
When tomorrow will only bring the same


"You are ready for an apprentice. You will be Crowpaw's mentor. Reflectedrain, true to your name, you reflected light into the darkest of situations, and I expect you to pass on your skills to Crowpaw so that he may become an honorable warrior of VertigoClan."

Why must I wait
For the end of my days
When nothing will ever change


Crowpaw stood unwillingly, the fact that him and his new mentor were almost complete opposites in personality weighing him down. No one ever really understood him, but he was sure the tabby tom would never come close. The sick thing was, was that Lilythorn actually looked like she was having fun. Taking powerful, easy steps toward the awaiting tom he looked dully at him with a certain distaste. Already he seemed bee-brained. Solemnly he nodded to him, leaning in to touch noses like every apprentice would traditionally when receiving a new mentor. Oh, yes, things just got better and better.

[lily ♫]

Excitement surged through his shaking body as his new apprentice approached. Crowpaw. He was dark, swarthy, just like Spellpaw, Gloompaw, and their deceased mother. The thought of the young female made him tear his emerald flecked blue gaze off of the approaching tom and search for her. It didn't take long. The female was stalking toward the back of the crowd of cats, and hurt shone brightly in his eyes. Wouldn't she want to see this? It was important to him, and she was important to him too. 'You're not important to her.' He chastised himself, drawing his bright gaze back to Crowpaw, who stood near him now.

The other tom's pale green eyes held displeasure within their stony depths, and it was all Reflectedrain could do not to shudder amidst the mid-morning heat. What was his problem? His expression softening into one of confusion, he tilted his head curiously at the younger cat, and nodded his head back as his apprentice did so to him. Their noses touched, and Reflectedrain's grin was unstopable. "I'll try my hardest to live up to your expectations, Crowpaw. You've had a mentor before, so you're going to have to tell me what you've already done." He spoke his words softly, his tone light, as he turned to his clanmates with his ivories flashing at them.

His paws acted as anchors, holding him place. If he hadn't practically latched on to the needle strewn ground with his claws, the young warrior would have ran straight to the obsidian femme still watching him with a distant look in his eyes. Spellpaw. Silently he gave her a look completed with a raised eyebrow and mouthed, 'we need to talk'. Turning back to the apprentice, his eyes flashed with the brilliance of excited light and Reflectedrain prayed to StarClan he'd do everything right. "So, uh, how about some training this afternoon, then? Your choice if we do it, and I'll even let you pick what skills we work on.

[/color]" The tom spoke, his initial excitement fading into nervousness. His first apprentice. Just thinking about the magnitude of the ceremony made a rush go through him. He couldn't wait.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify]