something left to save [OPEN]

[Dawn]

* JETFANG

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Like a star that's been lost in the big dark sky at night


that's when she said I don't hate you boy

Dawn light pressed at his closed eyes, and just one opened, tiredly, to the world, a startlingly rich amber in color. It was morning already, and it seemed like he had only just closed his eyes on a lovely deep moonlit night, stars twinkling fondly overhead. He had fallen into sleep with the scent of the deputy, Lilythorn, comforting and soft at his side. When he stretched now, pale, oddly colored blue eye flashing open, she was gone; probably already organizing or leading patrols. Sometimes I think she does too much... Can't she be hurting from falling on the root? His paws were tired from a walk that had began during the light of late in the day and ended during the shade of late in the night. In the course of that night, many things had happened, and among them, Lilythorn had decided it safe to chase a gently fluttering butterfly... Until she missed, that is, and fell and hurt herself. After all that she had still managed to persuade him to keep walking. The she-cat was a wonder.

I just want to save you while there's still something left to save

Jetfang parted his jaws in a wide yawn, his emotions conflicted. In the course of the last moon, a storm of sorrow had overwhelmed them, crashing over himself and Lilythorn and Vertigoclan. But also, he had been truly happy, even in the midst of it all. The death of two clanmates; the sorrow of his friends, and those that could never be closer than now... How odd that was, that usually he couldn't find it unless it bit him, but then when he was blind to it it decided to come to him willingly. It was fleeting, just as the pale lavender butterfly had been, dancing away from her ginger paws not many hours before. Shaking the thought away, the lean white and ebony tom rose from his nest and noted that he felt stiffer than usual; not enough that it was difficult to move, and so he hoped it would work out with movement. Jetfang attributed that, as well as the slight ache in the back of his throat to the night before; after all, it didn't seem serious. Probably he'd be in top condition after a hunt and a drink of water; which was at the front of his list for today, a good long hunt by himself or with a partner. Maybe Lily' was right about us getting older, but I've still got a lot longer to live before I start complaining about stiff muscles in the morning! With that last amused thought, his whiskers twitching a bit at his future crankiness, the warm eyed warrior made his way into the camp, where others were waking.

It kills me not to know this but I've all but just forgotten
what the color of her eyes were and her scars or how she got them

They passed about greetings with good nature, words coming from soft throats. Eyes were glad to see family, friends, and lovers again; but he felt oddly alone, as, once again, Gloompaw was no where to be found for training, and nor could he see Lilythorn or Flamingarrow. He needed greatly to get more training in with Gloompaw, but he understood that the tom needed space after all that had happened. I wonder if he will know enough to become a warrior... Jetfang settled down to wash his fur, shaking bits of moss and bracken from it, and cleaning his rough pink pads. I wonder if Northwind wants to hunt with me... He had hardly thought it before flinching, dropping his gaze to look down at his paws for a moment, pausing in washing. No, Northwind wouldn't want to hunt with him, Jetfang thought. Now, Northwind hunted with Starclan. There was no changing that, so he quickly picked back up his paw as if nothing was wrong, and finished his wash.




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[Wolfy]

The air was warm, but thick with rain as it loomed overhead. Outside of the warriors' den, cats chattered away, awaking the brown and white tom. His silver, turquoise eyes clicked open as he woke, causing his tail to unwind. He made sure he didn't hit anyone else that lay in the den, covered with sleep. As he cautiously padded out of the way, he let out a massive yawn, showing his pink mouth and his sharp teeth. Outside, he could see cats mingling, still with happy expressions on their face. He relaxed his shoulders as he walked out of the den entrance and towards the life, flooding the camp. His stomach wrenched as he remembered how hungry he was, but he couldn't eat anything. Prey was low due to other predators in the territory. He unsheathed his claws in frustration at the lack of prey. Cats were starving and other predators were enjoying their meal.

Epiloguefrost shook his clean pelt and began walking around, noticing the faces that greeted him. He nodded to each in turn and noticed a black pelt sitting down a few tail lengths away. He was sitting by himself, so in turn, Epiloguefrost made his way over to him. The black cat's name was Jetfang. Epiloguefrost didn't know him very well, but any encounter with him was polite and not rude. Recalling that Jetfang was older than him by about nine moons, Epiloguefrost wondered what the black warrior thought of him. He had seen the tom with the VertigoClan deputy, Lilythorn and wondered if anything was going on with her. He was lucky, Lilythorn was beautiful and a great deputy at that.

Padding up to him, Epilogefrost clicked his teeth and made a chattering noise. "Hey Jetfang," he called out, coming up to sit beside him. He licked his shoulder to smooth out his fur on either side. "How are you doing?"

[Dawn]

* JETFANG

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Like a star that's been lost in the big dark sky at night


In another wide yawn the large ebony tom tipped his head back, his paws stretching out ahead of him, back arching. The gray clouds caught his eye; though there weren't a lot of them, the sun shone stubbornly, the heavy air predicted a greenleaf storm. These could be almost as bitter, if not more at times, than storms in leaf fall. Still, Jetfang could feel now that it was truly Greenleaf; as a wind sprang up and ruffled his black and white fur, he noticed that it should have chilled him, but didn't because of the warm temperature. It had been only a little colder than this in the past moon, but it hadn't felt like the warmest season then, because of the predator; the creature with snapping jaws and mad, mad eyes. Snapping at Northwind's throat and tearing at his fur, hunting the cats as nothing more than prey, not as opponents. Still, Jetfang thought with satisfaction, we got in some good blows. Good enough to chase it away, even with only Lynxstar, myself, Northwind, Chasmfang, and Lilythorn. But at what cost? Their great and beautiful leader, still a warrior in her own respect, had lost a life, and the vision of it burning in his mind was too terrible to remember. And Northwind, who had only one life to spare, his old friend, had been flung across the reddened earth and grass, breathless and limp. Chasmfang had met much the same fate. Lilythorn had been torn apart by the deaths that had occurred and all that had happened; but his thoughts still hovered on the edge of disbelief, still reeling.

Had it all really happened? Could it have been just a dream?

Thoughts seemed ready to take him up in a torrent recently. They threatened to sweep him away, so it was both a relief and a shock to be shaken from them by a voice. It was Epiloguefrost, a respectable warrior of twenty eight moons. Any clanmate was worth talking to, and at this moment he hungered for something to take him away from the past. Jetfang was like that; he couldn't fill himself with pain and torment. Lilythorn was much the same, the way she tried to be happy even in the midst of pain. With his friends around him, Jetfang was both a stone to hang onto as the river of life washed pain their way and the water that smoothed and comforted. He wondered how his clan mates were taking the deaths; surely they were glad that the predator had left, but it was hard to be happy now. "Hi, Epiloguefrost." The black warrior meowed, turning his bi-colored eyes on him. How was he doing? Well... it was a surprisingly hard question to answer. "I'm doing alright," Jetfang answered truthfully. "There's just a lot to process, lately. How's the prey running for you?" He gave a friendly smile, the tip of his tail flickering lazily over his white paws.

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[Wolfy]

EPILOGUEFROST:

One day my light laid wait. One night a nightfall sang.
A fictional last few days, an epilogue ends and hangs.

As Epiloguefrost approached the black warrior, he seemed lost in thought. He was surprised when Jetfang answered him, thinking that he would forget reality. Epiloguefrost listened to the warrior. He didn't seem that dejected so Epiloguefrost waved his white tail and settled it around his paws. "There's just a lot to process, lately. How's the prey running for you?"[/i] He asked in a friendly tone. Epiloguefrost thought for a moment to himself. The prey? Hm, the prey was running pretty well for him. Now that there was nothing to hide from in the forest, he was able to hunt freely and he loved the feeling of the hunt. Plus the hunting patrols had been hunting pretty well lately. Which reminded him, he needed to take a hunting patrol out this evening. He would choose his cats in a moment though.

"The prey is actually running pretty well, thanks Jetfang." he let out a yawn and laid down with his forepaws sitting out in front of him. He had been a bit lazy lately. He needed to set up a hunting patrol soon. "I'm actually leading a hunting patrol this evening. I just need to pick out my patrol. I think I have a good idea of who I'll take with me. How about you? What are you doing later? Laying around?" his tone was light and he was only kidding. The weather was pretty good and it put him in a fairly good mood. Clan life was good. And he wasn't letting life get the best of him.

[Dawn]

* JETFANG

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Like a star that's been lost in the big dark sky at night


Jetfang was an intent listener, even in the worst of times. He had never been one to speak out of turn or yowl out his opinions; even in anger he was courteous. Even in rage he was quiet. No, he was a listener, one who would always ask another's opinion before his own. It might have been how he was raised, or something that happened to him in his life; but perhaps it was just easier to quietly go along with things, and make your own opinions without letting them go. He wasn't cold or unfeeling; he was perfectly warm and friendly, close to many of the apprentices and always glad to chat with the elders when he had the time. It was the best way of life, to forgive and forget and keep living with the moment- but sometimes he simply got caught up in it all. The deaths had kept him up at night, unknown by his clanmates. The fear that his clanmates might suffer at the fangs of a predator.

As Epiloguefrost spoke, the jet pelted tom listened thoughtfully. It was very true- the prey was running well now that the cats were the only ones hunting it. Certainly it was not as flush as it should have been in Greenleaf, but the other clans needn't know that. It was only because they could still smell the sour markers of the wolf about, and frightened to other areas. But soon, with perhaps another passing of the moon, the forest would be full of life and the fresh kill pile would be fully stocked as it should be. He would see personally to that, even if he wasn't the most skilled of hunters. Soon, I hope, Gloompaw will be a good hunter, too. He and the other apprentices should become warriors soon, I think. Then we'll really have the share the warrior's den with the spirited ones we once mentored! "Laying around?!" Jetfang said in a tone that said that was clearly preposterous, when did he ever lay around? Other than after the patrols were over, of course. It was all in good humor; all cats could be lazy at times. The tom before him had mentioned leading a patrol this evening; that made his whiskers twitch with a smile. "Actually, I'm on Pyrethroat's patrol at moonhigh" He meowed, in a falsely bragging tone, waving his tail so that it tapped the tom roughly on the shoulder. "We'll be protecting the borders by the light of the moon, from vicious, prissy Celestialclan warriors!" Jetfang chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement. It was well known about Vertigoclan that the cats with which they shared a border with, Celestialclan, were the fussiest about their appearances and the most shallow of the forest cats. Of course they weren't all this way, but things would be blown out of proportion, wouldn't they? Besides, he was only joking. It was the friendly competition he had with others, and he was feeling well this morning, able to let go and chat idly about the near future for a bit.
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[Wolfy]

EPILOGUEFROST

One day my light laid wait. One night a nightfall sang.
A fictional last few days, an epilogue ends and hangs.

Epiloguefrost flicked his tail up and down in a joking manner. "Laying around!?"[/i][/color] Jetfang said, astonished. Epiloguefrost stifled a laugh as he "upset" the warrior. He was nice, Jetfang, and Epiloguefrost, though respected for his young age, didn't have any close friends. He honestly didn't, he didn't have anyone to tell him his worries or hunt with or even just talk. Like this for example. He was kind to all of his clanmates, but they never palled around. Jetfang was nice at that. He might be a tiny bit conservative, but Epiloguefrost liked talking to him. Although, Jetfang had Lilythorn, one of the best deputies to have. Even ZephyrClan, TempestClan, and CelestialClan combined didn't make up a Lilythorn. Jetfang might be preoccupied with Lilythorn to even think of friendship. Epiloguefrost shrugged the thought away. Maybe they'd be friends, all in good time.

Jetfang's voice aroused him back to the present. "Actually, I'm on Pyrethroat's patrol at moonhigh"[/i][/color]. He bragged, but Epiloguefrost new that it was all good fun. He squinted his eyes when Jetfang mentioned the CelestialClan warriors. VertigoClan cats were much more serious about their work. He agreed with Jetfang when he called the CelestialClan cats prissy. From kithood he believed those warriors raised their clan cats to think they are better than everyone else. He hissed at their stupidity. They were nothing more to him than a tick in his ear. Annoying and badgersome. He drew his pad up to him and licked it then pulled it over his ear gently. "Well, I still need to collect my patrol. We'll bring back enough prey for the whole clan. Maybe I'll bring something back for you, that is if you're not already asleep from fighting those 'prissy CelestialClan warriors'." He added good heartedly. He was already feeling up to the hunt and some of his warriors were beginning to show themselves amongst the warriors. It would be time soon enough.

[Dawn]

* JETFANG

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Like a star that's been lost in the big dark sky at night


He had patrolled often in his life with Epiloguefrost, though they had never really been friends. Lately, everything had been about tragedy; death and chaos, and fighting and bloodshed. He didn't want that anymore; things might get boring, sure, without some fighting among the clans, especially in Greenleaf. But our grief isn't even from battling the other clans, that's the problem. We just seem to keep getting hit with new bad news every time we get up again; and I'm not sure how many more times we can keep getting up. He frowned faintly from his cheerful demeanor at this. Most cats would drag their tails in the dirt; but not him, not Vertigoclan. They would always rise above the odds, and prove themselves the strongest clan in the forest. His smile returned slightly, though with a bit of amusement at his apprentice-like rivalry. Not even Tempestclan has anything on us.

As he relaxed again, he remembered that he had seen Epiloguefrost as an apprentice. The younger tom had been eight moons old when Jetfang was 17 moons old. He probably hadn't paid a lot of attention then; he knew his denmates, his clanmates, well, but wasn't friends with many. He was never unfriendly with them either, though. It might be nice to hunt with Epiloguefrost sometime. He seems a bit lonely, but friendly. The tom was telling him about collecting a patrol. He knew that he and his patrol members would be excluded from this, due to being on a later patrol. It was too bad, Jetfang thought; he would have liked to get out tonight and hunt; the air at this early time was crisp and the sky clear. Still, prey was no more important in Greenleaf than keeping the borders guarded from the other clans. They were both equally important, as the other clans might be stealing their prey, should the season not be as kind to them. But how couldn't it be? Even after the predator, we're doing well enough.

"You had better! Or I'll bring you back Cometstar as a souvenir!" He responded, grinning at the thought of dragging the Celestialclan leader back to camp. That wouldn't go over well with anyone, especially not Lynxstar.




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[Wolfy]

EPILOGUEFROST

One day my light laid wait. One night a nightfall sang.
A fictional last few days, an epilogue ends and hangs.

"You had better! Or I'll bring you back Cometstar as a souvenir!" Jetfang responded to him, teasing naturally. What would even happen if he really brought home the leader of CelestialClan? Epiloguefrost let his mind drift to this hilarious sight. He could only now imagine Jetfang tripping over the leader, in a massive attempt to show Lynxstar his catch. He chuckled under his breath as he imagined Lynxstar baffled by Jetfang's exploration into CelestialClan. Blinking himself back to the present he curled his tail in amusement.

"I'm sure Lynxstar would be grateful for your bravery, but I don't think we need a prissy leader amongst us." he laughed for the first real time in a long time. Occasionally, when he wasn't talking to his clanmates or to anyone for that matter, he wasn't going to be dishonest with himself, he actually found himself talking to his prey. As if they could talk back to him to tell him he's doing something wrong or praising him. Sometimes Epiloguefrost felt like he was respected, but he was invisible. Even as an apprentice, Epiloguefrost was keen to learn, but sometimes brushed aside to be dealt with later. He never understood why therefore he did his best to be respected and to respect. That was the rule he followed by. It stuck to him like the stickiness in honey. And it was good to him. It was just that the other cats didn't always feel that way. He was tired of living his life in a cave.

He flicked his tail tip and stood up in a refreshing stretch. Speaking of the hunting patrol again, he needed to get his warriors together and lead the patrol soon. It was long over-due. "Unfortunately Jetfang, I have to recruit the patrol. The hunt can't wait forever for me. I can't promise I'll reserve prey for you, but if you bring home Cometstar, maybe I'll share." he purred, silently hoping Jetfang wouldn't bring home any CelestialClan warriors or even any sign or scent from them. He didn't need them in his life nor in his clan. "Nah, I'm kidding, Jetfang. Have fun on your patrol. I'll make sure my party catches enough food to fill your stomach at most." He joked again. His tone was light as he spoke, hoping Jetfang would catch his amusement drift. He wasn't naturally this way, but Jetfang made him feel like he had missed an important part of his life, the time when friends were adequate and joking was available. Everything about his life in the Clan seemed misty, maybe it was time to actually make friends in his desolate world.

[Dawn]

* JETFANG

[/size][/font]
Like a star that's been lost in the big dark sky at night


Jetfang lazily flicked one ear to the side. He probably would spend a little time laying around, come to think of it. But then again, he really did need to get in more training with Gloompaw. I almost miss him... He's been so distant lately, even when we are training, it's like he's half gone. So, he had time before the evening patrol. First, seek out his apprentice, who would become a warrior soon, and talk to him, do a refresher of things he would need in his assessment. Then, after they had trained a bit, he could take a nap before it was time to go out on patrol with Pyrethroat. That seemed like a good plan; and after he got back, maybe he would eat some of Epiloguefrost's freshly caught prey before curling into his nest. I like moonhigh patrols... It saves me the trouble of being out late without reason! Also, Lionpaw would be on the patrol, he remembered. There would be time for them to talk, finally. Everything had been busier lately, so now would be a nice time to catch up on stuff with her. The only thing was, lately he wasn't feeling quite himself. He had noticed the stiffness in his muscles and pain in his throat only minutely, but now that he had been awake for a while and groomed his sleek black pelt, it seemed like it was worse and worse.

I'm glad that I don't have to patrol yet, though it would be nice to talk with Epiloguefrost more. The tom thought, bicolored eyes glinting as the other tom said Lynxstar would be grateful to him. He didn't think so, so much. She had been slower lately, quieter, and though nothing had happened yet he wondered distantly; how long would it be until Lilythorn was leader of Vertigoclan? It was a horrible thing to think, but it seemed close. And then everything would be so different for them... Nothing would be the same for him again, once she was leader of the clan. "No, probably not. Celestialclan would likely start a war with us, just trying to keep their fussy cats to themselves." He meowed, a bit quieter with his thoughts, though still easily, features warm. It was no problem, though, that he was lost in these thoughts, which had swept him up before Epiloguefrost came. The tom rose, announcing that he had to gather his patrol; that seemed unfortunate. Jetfang hadn't spoken much with his male denmates lately, and this had been a nice change.

"It takes a lot to fill my stomach." He responded with a laugh. Usually he could eat his fill; but at this moment, he didn't have much of an appetite. Maybe he would catch something small while he and Gloompaw was hunting. That brought a sudden thought to his mind as Epiloguefrost was poised to gather his hunting party. He thought once again that the tom seemed lonely, and added, "Maybe we can share a catch later, though. Good hunting!"

OOC. I'm done. <3 You can post again if you want or we can leave it here and let Lynx/Minty know to close the board.

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