» FRAGILE NIRVANA [open]

[Dawn]

• {S}ILVERTALON

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It was well into the evening, and the air was relatively cool, now that the sun had vanished behind the mountains. Though it was not late enough for many in camp to be sleeping yet, the time when it generally settled over the forest, the pine branches were already heavy with mist. Vertigoclan warriors paid little mind to it, milling about among the pine clearing, some sharing tongues, others finishing their meals or simply discussing the day. Almost all of the warriors were in camp, not surpsingly. After all, there were many sick, including both Lynxstar and Lilythorn. The condition of the leader wasn't widely discussed about camp, but there were very few who didn't know now that she was dying, laying painfully still in her nest perhaps, breathing shallowly with the sickness that had come unexpectedly. The medicine cat could do little to help the sick warriors. Their fate was in the paws of Starclan, now. With any luck at all, the starry warriors might have mercy and spare Vertigoclan.

Through the quiet forest, a lone warrior tread, blending in with the ghostly gray mist all around him. The maine coon's fur was dampened, but it was thick and protected his skin from the moisture. Silvertalon could only feel the weight on his pelt; he was pleasantly warm, moving slowly, knowing his destination could wait for his arrival. The big tom carried in his jaws two feathery chaffinches, a small meal for a very hungry warrior. Any other time, prey would have helped to heal his sick clan, to provide strength and keep warrior blood flowing deftly through veins. He didn't know entirely that bringing back the prey would be useful at all, now. Recently, Pyrethroat's patrol had discovered the source of the sickness; a carcass which would have been better never seen again, the body of a dead predator which had been chased out in earlier moons. His own kin, Jetfang, had been one of the few on the deadly patrol to make it back after fighting the massive creature, and that hadn't been without severe injury. That would not be the only way the wolf would help to destroy Vertigoclan. After all of our efforts, it decided to take a dirt nap right in our water sources... Starclan! What luck! With the crowfood running in the water, it would have spread disease throughout the entire forest by this point. Fresh kill, once a life force in the clan, now could not be trusted. Any prey that had drank from the water would also be diseased, and any cat that chose to eat the prey would wind up in the same boat as Lynxstar and Lilythorn. And Jetfang, too... It's as if they've been punished for surviving the wolf attack. Thoughtfully, Silvertalon shifted his wide jaw, tapping his incisors together faintly. Was that really it? Was this a curse from Starclan themselves?

The low hanging mists shifted as Silvertalon brushed through them, nodding to the cat on guard at the camp entrance. Most everyone else was already in camp, and he couldn't help but think things looked normal. There were no mourning cries, not even the healer rushing about for supplies. Things were peaceful, accompanied by the soft voices of his clanmates conversations. The center of the camp, where a body might lay, was empty. His happiness was deceiving; but then, why shouldn't he be happy? Jetfang was doing much better, had even led a border patrol today, and seemed to be slowly escaping the sickness. Silvertalon was still strong and healthy, though the massively sized tom was quite a lot skinnier, and his heart was much heavier. The silver tom was tired, carrying his catch to the prey pile where he dropped both of the chaffinches. Silvertalon hesitated, sniffed the birds quickly, trying to scent again if there was any sickness on them. The supply is dwindling, but is that just because we're all suspicious to eat now? Sighing, he settled there by the fresh kill pile, deep in thought. If only there was more that could be done to help the clan. In the end, it was never up to them.

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[Dusk]

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[atrb=background, i339.photobucket.com/albums/n480/Shardclaw/tealbackground.jpg] Massive paws thumped against the rough, stony ground as the tom walked leisurely across the rocky hillside. It was cooling off now, although humid, with the sun having spread it's rays across Vertigoclan territory and retreated behind the mountains for the evening. The warrior worked his way across the cool boulders with practiced ease, unafraid of the pebbles that would occasionally skim down the slope as they slipped beneath his weight. He had nothing to fear here, this was his territory, his home, and he knew it well enough not to have trouble with maneuvering through the unstable rocks he'd learned to run up and down as an apprentice. His father had been the one to "teach" him how to keep his balance on the uneven terrain, forcing him to make no mistakes the first time, or risk having a badly hurt paw or leg and still have to practice with the scree. Harsh - and probably devised in hopes of Galefrost (then Galepaw) being harmed - but effective. Even in the low evening light he stepped with confidence. The cat froze, ears swiveling forward as a faint rasping noise whispered across the stones. He dropped into a crouch - slowly so as to make as little noise as possible - and let his aquamarine eyes flit across the terrain, ears straining to hear the same noise again. He heard it again, recognizing the sound as scales scraping dryly across rock. Snake. Poisonous or safe? The tom couldn't say without seeing the reptile first. His gaze was intense, focus unerring even as a bird loudly took off from its perch somewhere behind him. 'Where is it?' He snapped his head to the left as a tiny movement caught his eye. 'There.' The pale gray serpent was hard to see, blending in well with it's environment as it slithered across the rocks. Galefrost wasn't in the best position to chase it, the serpent being just beyond a stretch of loose gravel that would reveal the cat to it before he'd even get close. The warrior had to try, though he'd never be able to stand the thought of prey getting away without a fight. There was another possible way to get to the snake, without attempting to cross the loose-packed stones; a boulder. It was large and tall, but the tom was relatively sure he wouldn't break a limb unless he landed badly. The cat padded over to the large rock quickly, leaping to its top with a few jumps before looking for his quarry again. The snake had coiled up on what was probably a warm patch of stone, luckily within springing range. The tom prepared to pounce, taking a calming breath as he worked to ignore the fact that he was leaping from a dangerous height. 'Just jump. It'll work, you just have to be sure of yourself.' The tom leapt, landing with a jarring thud near the now startled snake. The reptile uncoiled itself and tried to speed away, but too late as Galefrost had already reached out with one dark paw to pin the creature's body down. A flash of teeth and it was over, the snake's head neatly severed from the rest of the body. The tom sat back with a quick smile of satisfaction that quickly dissolved back into impassiveness. He picked up the banded body and walked a slight distance away from the kill before halting to groom quickly. The tom had no need to hunt on his own when he'd already been part of a patrol that day, but with so many cats getting sick he felt a need to try and hunt whenever possible. The clan had to be fed, even when they were short on healthy warriors. Life goes on even in chaos, and the stoic warrior knew to take everything in strode. Take everything step by step until things worked themselves out or he was dead. A pleasant view on life? Definitely not. But since when had life ever been pleasant? With a grunt the tom stood and made his way back to the camp, the hanging mist of the forest forming a comforting shroud about him. The thick-furred warrior padded over to the fresh-kill pile where a familiar massive tom lingered over the pile in hesitation. Galefrost let go of his own burden with a relieved exhale, the straining muscles of his neck and shoulders relaxing. Frigid gaze turned on the maine coon, whose saffron eyes were fixed on two pieces of fresh-kill. "Is something wrong?" he asked after a moment of hesitation.

[Dawn]

• {S}ILVERTALON

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Golden eyes flickered, without clarity, for Silvertalon himself was absent in thought. Should he take one of the chaffinches? Or would he simply be risking getting sick? Should he take it to one of the sick warriors? Would it make them better, or worse? Certainly if one was already sick, and they ate sick prey, it could only provide energy. That seemed logical, but he really had no idea... A voice sounded nearby, and the big maine coon jumped, startled. Though he was very big, thanks to his breeding and long fur, it wasn't as if he was fearless or battle hungry or anything anymore. He was a big, furry shoulder to lean on, a senior warrior by right to get advice from. Silvertalon was, in most ways, a gentle giant of sorts. The silver tom swung his head to look toward the brown tabby cat, recognizing the voice as Galefrost. "You startled me." He murmured, giving his shoulder a few quick licks from where the fur had bristled. Of course, the initial shock wasn't a great one, and it wore off quickly. He then realized that a question had been asked, Is something wrong? and while other cats might have felt a hint of bitterness, Silvertalon did not. Certainly, many things were wrong right now. But the warrior must have meant with Silvertalon himself, and he didn't wish to discuss the issues of their dying leader and ill deputy. Vertigoclan was in shambles. "No, Galefrost." He mewed to the warrior of a few moons less, shaking out his thick fur and taking a step away from the fresh kill pile. He hoped other cats hadn't been scared away by his staring ominously at the chaffinches. "I just couldn't decide if I should eat or not, now that we know the risks." With all that had happened about camp, he was very tense and jumpy. Silvertalon was worried gravely about the clan, even if everything appeared to be at peace at this moment. The air was tense, as if death loomed over them.

Saffron eyes glanced at the snake, a less likely prey. He wondered if it was possible for this, too, to be poisoned. More than likely, yes, if it eats mice like us. Sighing, he nodded to Galefrost. "Nice catch, by the way. Where'd you find the snake?" It was starting to get late, but he didn't feel much like turning in. He knew the other warrior wasn't famous for being talkative, but perhaps a talk with another healthy den mate would settle his mind. Of all the warriors, only his cousin Jetfang was sick; but he was growing stronger, and had moved back in the den with everyone else. He rarely said anything lately, though, and when he passed he kept his eyes low. Silvertalon noted how dull and lifeless he appeared, even as he became healthy. His kin would still not tell him why. However, he had a pretty good guess. Lilythorn- mutual love was shared between them, but as deputy, she could never have a mate.

WORD COUNT: 510 TAGGED: Open/Galefrost NOTES: Sorry it's so short, I figured we'd make this just a develop them and get them to know each other kinda role play. xD Unless someone drops in, or you can think of something for them to do?

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[MiNTY♥]

it just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride

A pretty tabby female hovered by the entrance to the warriors den, all was relatively peaceful besides the soft, rhythmic thumping of her paws on the dirt as she paced from one side of the camp to the other all the while worrying about what would be. Every now and then she glanced hungrily at the fresh kill pile, her jewel like eyes filled with a longing, a hunger. Then that look would be replaced with deep concern and her pupils would widen in fright before she continued pacing again. The only imagine that filled her head was that of her poor brother, lying stretched out on the floor of the medicine cats den slowly wasting away. He was too young to die, she was too young to die, no cat should have to die like this. Imagining the pain that her clan mates must have been experiencing made her stomach feel heavy and tight. She hadn’t been able to eat properly in days. Any time she felt hungry she would think about all of the sick cats and instantly be put off the thought of eating. A small nibble here and there had been enough to suffice so far but she knew she couldn’t go on like that, she had to eat properly. Mallowbreeze could feel the effect this whole situation was having on her, she felt tired and weak, her bones beginning to show through her fur as she worked just as hard, but ate even less. The worst part was she was not the only Vertigoclan cat to be getting thinner by the day.

Looking back over at the fresh kill pile she noticed two male warriors and her head cocked slightly to the right. Ears twitching she wanted to know what they were saying, they were both more experienced than her after all so it was possible they knew more than her, maybe they could even help her. Her legs shaking a little from being exhausted she strutted over to the two male warriors and sat a tail length away from them. ”Has there been any news?” Her voice was filled with concern as well as hope, for she hoped more than anything that there would be some good news that would help her to relax a little. However, as far as she knew her brother wasn’t getting any better and neither was their fearless leader, Lynxstar. Despite trying not to look at the prey the scent filled her nose causing her stomach to rumble and groan. Twitching her tail she bent over a small thrush and sniffed at it gingerly. She knew how much birds liked to bathe in shallow pools of water, which was where the wolf has been lying. What if this particular bird had though it a good idea to bathe in the infected water? Tensing up she prodded the small creature with a paw. It didn’t smell or look abnormal that was for sure, but she remained sceptical, tucking her paws underneath her and staring at the small meal suspiciously as if it would return from the dead and peck her on the nose.

ANCK SU NAMUN OF CAUTION!

[Dusk]

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[atrb=background, i339.photobucket.com/albums/n480/Shardclaw/tealbackground.jpg] The fresh-kill pile was looking rather poor, the frosty-eyed tom noted as he placed his offering into the hollow dug out of the earth. Besides the three recent additions made by himself and the long-furred tom standing near, the was not much to note. What there was looked to be on the older side, soon it would have to be thrown out for being unsafe to eat. What a pitiable waste. Although the tom supposed he couldn't really blame the clan for not eating when he considered the symptoms of sickness; it was a raw throat that created some of the worst problems, at least that's what Icefeather claimed. Who would want to eat if the pain was too much? At least some warriors had the discipline to force themselves to eat. Others, however, would starve themselves to death sooner or later. Galefrost didn't like to linger on the idea, but it was fact. How long a cat could go on when running on mere morsels he didn't know, but it probably wasn't very long at all. All the signs were conflicting. Some were healing but then others were... The tom broke off from the thought. Instead he turned his focus pointedly to Silvertalon, hoping to tunnel his thoughts into a narrow point of view and keep the oppressive ideas from overtaking him and burying the tom in a sea of melancholy emotions. The younger warrior blinked as the other tom started slightly; stepping back to give the silver cat some room. Everyone was startled easily these days weren't they? Probably the stress of the situation. Blue eyes flickered briefly with concern as the warrior swung his head around, but then the moment of surprise passed and he let himself sink back into his usual calm. The healthy cats of the clan needed to appear strong and unfazed by the situation, no matter how chaotic. Even the slightest look of distress might set off any of the less stable clan members. His brows rose slightly as the tom voiced his worries. The thought of worrying about sickness through eating prey had never struck Galefrost, at least not immediately. True, he knew that prey would be contagious since they drank from the same supplies of water, but the idea of fearing to eat was not at the forefront of his thoughts. He gave a small shrug before speaking, "Do you think it makes any difference whether we eat the prey or not when it touches our mouths and teeth?" Cats carried prey in their mouths, he couldn't see what difference it made to swallow the flesh versus having contact with the animal. Either option brought possible contagion into close vicinity. He let his eyes settle again on the pale, coiled form; still able to imagine the taste of the serpent's blood on his fangs at the initial strike. "The rockfall. They're fairly easy to find once the sun is mostly down." The large tabby paused as another cat came over to join them. The tom stared momentarily at the she-cat, the warrior's name failed to come to him. He wasn't a social bird, and in turn the tom wasn't completely familiar every cat in the clan. He was better with warriors he'd known as an apprentice, the younger generations never quite clicking with him. He gave another shrug as she spoke, glancing over hopefully to Silvertalon. He'd been in the camp at least a few moments longer than Galefrost this evening; the maine coon was more likely to be informed anyways considering that his sibling had been ill. Galefrost considered himself lucky, Pewterflow was as vital as ever - he doubted his brother would sicken. Others though - the tom realized as he watched the striped she-cat pause at the fresh-kill pile - clearly believed themselves plenty at risk. He gave a slight irritate snort and nudged the bird closer towards her. "Starving yourself will do no good," he growled brusquely. Did everyone but himself worry about catching sickness from the prey? "If you're afraid of catching the plague, remember that you still weaken yourself by choosing not to eat at all."

[Dawn]

I know this pretty rave girl - Silvertalon x VERTIGOCLAN

The maine coon sat in silence, still pondering. It had never seemed so hard to do what was best for the clan. Not many seasons ago, as an apprentice, or when he was a younger warrior. Everything had always seemed set in place. No matter how much snow fell, or how cold temperatures dropped, or how little prey their was; Silvertalon had always known that the clan leader and the senior warriors would take care of it. Now, though, he felt he couldn't just sit back and watch. He was a senior warrior, one of the older cats in the Warrior's Den; he slept in the middle, where it was warmest, but pitied the youngest warriors, to the outside. He could not depend on the leader or deputy; Lynxstar was gravely sick, and Lilythorn grew worse every day. But it felt like there was nothing he personally could do. Perhaps it would be better to simply curl up, in his mass of cream and silver fur, and hide away until fall had passed and thaw had come, when everything would be green and good again. He couldn't hide that way, though. Hardships and death would always be a part of the every day; that was just life. There was no curse on Vertigoclan, no hex placed on the cats that had fought off the wolf. When it all came down to it, they had just been plain unlucky. So what did we do, to deserve such good fortune?

Silvertalon pricked his ears as Galefrost commented that the prey touched their mouths and teeth as it was, and he only just realized this. He had been going on double hunting patrols, carrying back what he could find; if he was going to get sick, he would have already fallen ill. "You're right, of course. I had never thought of that." He murmured, swiping his tail over the pine needle covered ground. "But what does it matter, if I eat? It's the sick cats, that need their strength. I can go on a bit longer on an empty stomach, I think." The amber eyed warrior sighed, thinking of Jetfang. Perhaps he would bring one of the starlings to his cousin after all. Or would he fancy snake? Silvertalon listened patiently as Galefrost described the area where he had found the creature; the rockfall. Of course he was experienced enough to know most every place to find certain prey, but snakes could be tricky, and if the other warrior had found a good place to catch them- all the better. It might be slightly less tasteful, but the scaly animals were prey, no less. In his next patrol, if there were enough healthy warriors, he would head out that way. There were sure to be a few mice hiding among the rocks, too, where it was warm; otherwise, what would the snakes themselves be eating to get so fat?

His eyes had lingered on the ground, mostly ignoring the sounds of another cat coming closer. When the frosty eyed tom turned to him, though, he looked up again, and spotted Mallowbreeze. She looked like she might go either way, chasing her tail nervously around the clearing or simply darting away in the night, uncatchable, in her state of inner frenzy. She was quite a bit younger than himself; the sister to Reflectedrain, a tom he had seen made an apprentice moons ago. Radianteclipse's daughter. Silvertalon reminded himself of all this in an instant, before he finally grasped what she said, asking about news. "No, there has been no news." The senior warrior mewed, hesitant to say anything else. Luckily, Galefrost began to speak, but his words were harsh in the misty evening, and he worried that they would set Mallowbreeze even more on edge. "Don't be too hard on her, Galefrost. No cat knows much about how the others have gotten sick; we all have good reason to be afraid of leaving Vertigoclan with one less warrior." With that he frowned, and shifted on his paws, turning toward the prey pile. He took the plumpest of the two starlings, and moved away a bit, in case other warriors wished to come nearer and take something. "Have you eaten yet?" He had thought not to take any of the prey before, but he would be hunting on a midnight patrol as it was, so he may as well build up his strength.

WORD COUNT: 738 TAGGED: Mallowbreeze/Minty (open)

ANCK SU NAMUN OF CAUTION!

[MiNTY♥]

it just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride

The hope that burned inside her, like a candle in a storm, was abruptly deprived of oxygen and quickly died. Simply nodding in response to Silvertalon she fell quiet as she felt it was more respectful to the sick cats that way. There was little solace for her and all she could do was pray that Starclan would have mercy of them, or maybe it wasn’t Starclan controlling this epidemic anymore. She liked to think that her warrior ancestors were not cruel enough to willing let this go on because if it hadn’t been obvious that Vertigoclan were suffering before, then it certainly was now. Her mood was unusually damp, like the mist that cloaked her pelt. Each day being hopeful grew more and more challenging and the atmosphere of the clan grew gradually tenser. Knowing that lashing out at her clan mates wouldn’t make anything better she had been trying her hardest to keep a light hearted mood but it was challenging, especially when there was a lot for her to worry about, which included her brother’s health. Yet he was both young and strong and that offered the promise of him fighting this plague and making a quick recovery, Vertigoclan could certainly use him hunting for them along with the remaining healthy warriors.

Meanwhile, as she started at the dead bird she couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy as if she was being watched, judged even. Fighting the urge to look over her shoulder it wasn’t long before the creature was tapped closer to her by a tabby paw. Glancing around to avoid looking at it she caught the equally vibrant green gaze that belonged to Galefrost. The obvious difference between the two was the fact her eyes appeared more like the grass on a beautiful day and his appeared more like frost-coated mint. ”I am aware of the consequences, but I shan’t want to appear selfish.” She replied, her head tipping slightly in the direction of the medicine cats den. Much sooner would she be found hunting for the sick, than found eating for herself. On the other hand, the fact the sick cats were unable to keep their food down aroused a problem in this area. Galefrost had his way on thinking and she had hers, it just so happened that their reasoning was completely different and she turned away to avoid the continuation of that conversation. Arguing had no place with her.

Tan coloured ears twitched in embarrassment as she lowered her head and tugged her food closer to her by the wing. Although it was kind of Silvertalon to attempt to defend her she had been doing perfectly fine of her own. Then again some comfort filled her at the warm words from the more experienced tom. Looking over at him she silently thanked the tom with warm eyes before following his lead by picking up her prey and placing it on the ground near Silvertalon before taking her place. ”Not yet, the thought and stench of the sickness puts me off my food. I have been putting it off for as long as possible, and yourselves?” She replied, glancing from one tom to the other. She suspected she already knew that Galefrost had been eating judging by him not looking any thinner and the comment he had made earlier. Gripping the thrush between her paws she gingerly began to pluck feathers from it and dropping them at her side. Normally they would have been good to fill out a nest of moss but this time she would make an exception and discard them along with the bones of the tiny animal. The fact that she was actually going to eat was a big enough step for one day, having it’s coat in her nest was just a step too far.

ANCK SU NAMUN OF CAUTION!