{CLEARSKY} she loves everybody

[Dawn]

You're just a little girl now ; You're just a girl who misses her dad

This was sort of a tour of the territories. Clear had done her share of wandering, here and there, and she'd seen almost everywhere, or so she thought. But never so streamlined a journey had she made. She was leaving Zephyrclan territory now, after meeting several of the docile cats there and learning about them. She couldn't believe her luck as she walked the lakeshore, enjoying the beautiful view and breathing in the clean air. What was up next? Tempestclan, she'd been told. "Dangerous," and "Evil." A clan of killers led by a tom named Voidstar. But one thing that the naive little loner knew was that the clans didn't always tell the truth about each other. That was why she was off to see for herself just how mean Tempestclan cats could be.

Slowly the open grasses fanned out as she padded along the sand, and she realized what a long way it was. Clear continued on, however. She was youthful and energetic, and she would keep going until she saw the marshy territory ahead, and a strong, oak scent washed over her. The little black feline sat down and tilted her head back, taking in the tall trees that seemed to have risen out of nowhere, providing shade and solace. Her blue eyes stretched to take it all in. What adventures would she find here? The last she'd talked with a Tempestclan cat, she'd been hardly seven moons old, and she'd been wandering absently when she met a spunky apprentice called Halopaw. Excitement building, she carefully crossed the border and reveled in the cool current of air that seemed to embrace her as she left the bright, open land. Birds called to each other and sunlight streamed in through small openings in the forest canopy overhead.

And I know she loves me; she loves everybody.

[/justify]

[liv]

Skyblaze padded softly through the marsh as he led his dawn patrol, sighing to himself. Same old thing, everyday, patrol after patrol and nothing new ever happens. The young tom shook his head but as he lifted it up again, a slight alter in the atmosphere told him something, someone was on his land. The rest of the patrol had started to file off the other way clearly not noticing the new scent, personally he thought they were all mouse brained and half asleep most of the time anyway - they probably wouldn't even know a fox if one was under their noses. Skyblaze chuckled to himself slowly.

"I'm off this way for a bit, I'll go for a hunt and bring some extra prey, we need it, carry on along the border and I'll see you back at camp" he mewed before slipping through the mossy plains. He sniffed the air, the scent was getting stronger. Skyblaze's blue eyes reflected off the dull sky, which was strangely glowing. Skyblaze couldn't help wonder if Starclan was sending him a message, could it be?

The long haired tom shook his head and continued tracking the scent until he was near the end of the territory. There he saw the female, a small black cat, around his age, maybe a moon or two younger. His blue eyes glittered and his chocolate mask rippled in the morning light as he took her in, stepping into her line of vision. He should be scaring the loner off, but he couldn't force his body to move into a line of attack. There was something about this female, a glitter in her eyes. "Hello" he simply nodded, still standing his ground. Skyblaze's voice was soft as usual, he never got violent through speech, he couldn't bring himself to be nasty which left him often useless in arguments. His mew was soft and quiet as he watched the cat before him, had Starclan sent her to his clan?

[Dawn]

You're just a little girl now ; You're just a girl who misses her dad

Clear began to pad deeper into the territory, but very slowly, and with measured steps. Her paws were soft and silent as they sank into the marshy ground, her eyes darting around to take in everything. Moons of experience had made her pawsteps gentle, her movements cautious, always defensive. A few fox-lengths away, a fat bird with long legs raced over the ground on its own course, then came to a jolting stop. It gave a little chirp, pecking hard at the ground, and coming away with dirt on its dull beak. Clear stopped to watch, fascinated, then slowly began to move forward again. Instantly, the bird raced toward her, almost in front of her. The black female was perplexed; why would prey run before her, rather than away? She thought on it awhile, and remembered that before, the same sort of bird had done the same. Killdeer, that's what it was. She must have a nest nearby, Clear realized. When killdeer birds had young, they would often race around possible predators, trying to lead them in the opposite direction of their hatchlings. How clever... Any other cat would have lunged forward and killed the striped bird then, but she couldn't help but think that the mother would be missed by her young, and instead sat still, watching intently.

Suddenly, the killdeer issued another loud cry, and went racing off to the side, deep into the undergrowth. Startled by the noise, Clear jumped to her feet, lifting her eyes to see what had galvanized her quarry. She smiled curiously at the siamese, not even chasing her off, just watching her with the oddest of expressions. He seemed okay, but he stood his ground, so she stood hers, and nodded back, stricken by his formal attitude despite being so young. He can't be much older than I am... "Hello," she returned lightly, studying him. "I'm Clear!"


And I know she loves me; she loves everybody.

[/justify]

[liv]

Clear, the name rippled through Skyblaze’s thoughts for a moment as he took in the slim, chic female. He smiled softly, “Skyblaze” he mewed quietly, “My names Skyblaze” he smiled widely. He stepped closer to her; she was quite a bit smaller than him, maybe a bit smaller than the average female. Thoughts crossed his mind quickly however and then his smile sensitively faded.

”You’re a loner” he sighed, ”Now what’s a pretty, young she-cat like you doing prowling around these grounds, it’s not safe around some of these clans” he crept closer and kept his voice low, he didn’t know where the patrol was, how far away they were. His blue eyes glittered in the morning light as he sat down, wrapping his big brown tail around his body. He wanted to know who this tabby was, what was she doing here? She seemed curious more than anything. He was almost jealous of her explorations; part of him always wished that he would have had the chance to explore. But his loyalty was with Tempestclan, he was a modest, high ranked warrior and there was no way he would abandon his clan.

Skyblaze sniffed the air carefully, the patrol had done as he had said, they had carried on up the border, sniffing out any cats hunting on Tempestclan land. Whatever would they do if they found Clear here? What was he meant to be doing? Skyblaze shook his head, before bringing his eyes up to meet with the female. She was so fragile, yet her mind was a wide universe of adventures. The Ragdoll shook his head, his white whiskers twitching nervously, he had never been this way around females, and she was a loner! Nobody liked loners. But Skyblaze felt something for this one, definitely.

[Dawn]

You're just a little girl now ; You're just a girl who misses her dad

She was glad he hadn't taken her name to be a describing word, as so many had before, and even more satisfied when he proceeded to offer his own name. Skyblaze. Definitely a clan name. Clear didn't quite understand the concept of clan cats always having two part names versus her own, simple one, but she liked them all the same. Her view that all cats were kind and nice had not yet been tarnished by the harsh world surrounding her; after all, what cat was going to take her as a threat? She was always well received, because she was harmless, a fact that she wasn't aware of. Even when nasty undertones existed, Clear was too far into her own world to notice them. The loner simply didn't have the experience or the mind for realizing the devastating conditions presented by the need to survive. She simply did, survive that is, with her own wits and a heap of luck.

She grinned in amusement at his words. "Yes, and you're a clan cat, but not much older than me, Skyblaze." Liking the sound of his name when she tried it out, Clear's whiskers twitched, watching him move closer. Her black pelt helped to cloak her in shadows, but patches of white gave her away, nearly as much as her pale blue eyes. "I was just... looking," she shot him a perplexed look; realizing she hadn't ever really been asked what she was doing in clan territory. Not so directly. Not in a way that required an exact response. "There was a killdeer here," Clear added in a murmur, as though she might startle the memory of the bird, feeling like she had to explain. "I was watching her, to see if she had a nest nearby." Clear smiled wistfully, thinking still that it was a wonder, the way the birds protected their offspring as surely as felines did their kits.

Just then, a leaf came loose from a branch high above, and floated slowly down. Her attention was immediately captured, and the adult female tilted her head back to watch its descent, enjoying the way it danced through the air on the wind, back and forth, a winding path. After what seemed a long time, the leaf came to drop a fox length or so from her paws. Clear remained absolutely still, staring at it. When she spoke, she didn't move an inch. "It's green. I wonder what caused it to fall?"

And I know she loves me; she loves everybody.

[/justify]

[liv]

As the green leaf softly floated down, Skyblaze wrinkled his nose, Clear was right, what had caused it to fall? ”Maybe the wind blew it down” he mewed softly. In the distance he could see harsh storm clouds moving in upon their land, Skyblaze shook his head, ”It will rain soon” he sighed, ”And I need to get back to camp” his blue eyes swirled in the darkening light. Thoughts puzzled through Skyblaze’s mind, this she-cat was obviously innocent and unknowing, but if she stepped one paw in the wrong direction she could be attacked either by vicious animals, two-leg dogs, or other clan cats. Some were less forgiving than others.

Skyblaze sighed, thinking about what to do. His blue eyes swirled, as raindrops began to fall, making the she-cats coat in front of him glitter. He sighed, ”Come back to camp with me Clear, please” he mewed softly, ”Storms can be very violent in these areas and I … “ he stuttered ”I don’t like the thought of you ending up lost, cold and wet” he mewed softly. ”I can talk to my leader, persuade him in some form maybe, you don’t belong out here!” he almost whispered.

Skyblaze stood up and flicked his tail, looking around at his land, his clans land. They were strong and well known for being aggressive and greedy, maybe they could do with another sot hearted cat like Clear. Maybe to soften them up - but what would Voidstar think, Skyblaze could only find out, and he knew that he would fight for this she-cat to be part of the clan. Skyblaze couldn’t help but think how much these two looked alike, yet their personalities were so different – how strange. Skyblaze sighed and allowed his eyes to melt into Clears, awaiting her answer.

[Dawn]

She smiled. A logical answer, but logic was not what she enjoyed most. "Or maybe the tree cast it away from the other leaves, because it was angry," Clear replied thoughtfully, visualizing the tall being as a creature with feelings and morals. As rain began to fall, she tipped her head back and opened her jaws, allowing a few glistening drops to wet her dry, pink tongue. Slowly the pace of the droplets increased, creating a steady hum of rhythm, vibrating throughout her body. "Back to camp?" Clear asked curiously, checking to see if he was serious. She'd never been invited to a clan cat's camp before. "But I like storms, Skyblaze," the loner replied, puzzled by his concern and words. "And I do belong out here. It's so much freer than a twoleg nest. So unconfined." Clear laughed, "I'll come with you, though." She agreed to his premise because she didn't think there was any chance the young warrior would hurt her, and because, overall, she was extremely curious about what the camp would be like. How many cats would there be? Thousands, maybe. As many as there were stars in the night sky. What would the leader, Voidstar, be like? There was so much to learn, so many things to see. This was Skyblaze offering to give her a tour of his everyday life, his world. Within minutes, the she-cat would see things through his eyes, but also through her own, without bearing judgment, without much knowledge of clan customs. Not just secondhand information, words given in lazy afternoons, pictures painted by conversation. That was what Rabbitnose had given her, and she had appreciated it, had been, in fact, dazzled by his vision of Zephyrclan. But this was going right to the source of it. Excitement made her leap to her paws and move readily to Skyblaze. How could she refuse?

[liv]

"Yes back to the clan" Skyblaze smiled, she was considering it! Unforgettably his confident smile quickly faded as she told him that she belonged out here. "Clear, you don't understand, say it wasn't me that found you, say another Tempestclan cat found you, they would have ripped you to shreds, scratching your belly and ripping off your beautiful black fur bit by bit. They would have given you no time to talk, only seen you as a trespasser, someone who shouldn't be here." Skyblaze breathed out, unsheathing his claws into the dirt, the anger boiling inside of him. He couldn't stand the thought of a cat clawing her.

He turned and headed towards the camp, she was going to come back with him, which he was thankful for, he didn't know what he would do if she said she wouldn't come back. "Come with me then, you stay pelt close to me, you do not leave my side, I don't know if the patrol is still out or any other cat for that matter Clear" he breathed out turning his head.

As they got closer to camp, he couldn't help but smile, what if she did join Tempestclan, what would her name be? Something to reflect those beautiful eyes of hers, or her sleek figure and soft black coat. Skyblaze's chocolate dipped tail flickered in the light beaming down from the sky in streaks, dodging the on-coming rain clouds. Skyblaze sat down briefly, staring ahead of him at the camp entrance "We're here" he said simply, before standing back up and letting out a sot yowl to let the other cats know he was back and had something to share with them. He just hoped they take her right. He was a trusted and respectful warrior, often making rash decisions, but the decisions always for the best, always turning out right. He hoped that maybe Voidstar would understand.

[MiNTY♥]

hear us now, clear and true, wretches and kings we come for you

A yowl split the air and his ears twitched in annoyance. He was already having trouble sleeping thanks to the dreams that Starclan had decided to send him and the last thing he needed was being woken up. Dreamfeather stirred a little beside him and he rasped his tongue over her ear once before standing up. ”I can take care of it, you go back to sleep.” He muttered softly before pushing his way out of his den, pausing on a branch outside to survey the clearing below. On one hand he wanted to catch up on his sleep, but on the other if he avoided sleeping then he would not end up dreaming. Plus his deputy had already been out doing duties and she deserved a short sleep to get her energy back for later. Looking down he spotted Skygaze, and with him was a stranger whom he had never laid eyes on before causing his heart to sink a little bit. Of course he wanted the population of his clan to grow but with all these strangers who did not understand what it was to live in a clan he began to worry. After all, where would their loyalties lie in battle? Would they give their life for a clan, or would they run like cowards with their tail between their legs? These doubts simply would not do especially considering they had a limited number of dens and he did not want his warriors wasting energy on feeding a mouth that was not planning to assist their clan. His maw creased in a frown as he bounded down the bark of the tree, leaping the last foxlength and landing in the clearing before Skygaze.

”Skygaze,” Voidstar greeted the warrior curtly and briefly examined the little black feline, clearly young and female. ”I see you have found a trespasser on our territory, good work. However, what is your reason for bringing her to our camp?” He questioned and tilted his head to the side. He shook out his pelt which was currently lying flat to his skin from sleeping on it causing him to appear lion-like with his large mane sitting puffed out. He guessed, and hoped, that the reason for her being here was because she wanted to join but at the same time he didn’t want more loners. He knew that he would have to come up with a plan to assure his warriors that they were trustworthy and to convince him that they were worthy of being in Tempestclan. Clearing his throat he waited for the explanation that Skygaze had to offer him.

ANCK SU NAMUN OF CAUTION!

[Dawn]

Clear shook her head, blue eyes troubled. ”I don’t believe that. I’ve never met a cat that way before.” She frowned, dismayed by his description of what would happen if another Tempestclan warrior found her. But I’ve met lots of different cats, clan cats and rogues, and no one has ever attacked me before… Skyblaze had to be wrong. She didn’t like that he ordered her around, and a small rebellious part of her want to run, to turn away from him and vanish into the forest like a frightened doe. The feeling grew, more and more, twisting in her stomach. ”Alright, Skyblaze,” she conceded, trying to understand his strong desire to protect her as she followed close by his side. No cat had ever really looked out for her before, in her mind, yet in reality everywhere the loner went strangers bent the rules to keep her out of harm. There was something in her simply too innocent to spoil with fighting. Had she understood those that watched out for her, Clear would’ve been grateful, but she knew nothing about such matters.
A chill breeze parted her fur as she sat waiting at the camp entrance, revealing soft, light brown fur beneath. On her toes, alert for danger, she peered all around, trying to take note of everything. A huge tree loomed over everything, casting them in shade, hollow half versions of themselves. Clear stared up it, noting the tiny crevices, the well-sized nooks and cubbies, the sheer size of the being itself with an ancient, cracked brown face. Her stares equaled those of the warriors around, and she watched them each, smiling tentatively. However, when a lean ebony tom-cat materialized sleekly before them, her eyes were immediately for him. Oh, he was grand. His green eyes, a pale expanse of lake bottom, held the potential for a coy expression, and seemed to gleam with a clever light to them. It was pretty clear to her that he was Voidstar, the leader. This only became more evident by his authoritative tone. When his eyes coolly brushed over her, seeming to think she wasn’t much, she couldn’t help but straighten up a little, though she didn’t flinch, eagerly watching him with a glowing expression.

[liv]

"Voidstar" Skyblaze exposed his neck and dipped his head in formal respect for his leader, who he admired greatly. "I have found this loner, Clear she calls herself on my patrol this morning. She seems to have a wide imagination" Skyblaze chuckled, "She also appears to be agile and sleek, and don't mind me saying so, but she does remind me of you" he smiled, "I understand we need as many cats in the clan as possible as sickness has taken some cats to Starclan. I think that her softness in personality could be used greatly in our clan, she quite reminds me of a medicine cat because of her personality, so curious about anything that moves" Skyblaze breathed, sitting down, wrapping his big brown tail around his body.

He didn't mention how he felt extremely protective over Clear and didn't want to see her hurt by other cats. Skyblaze didn't really want to add that in. As the tom sat there, his blue eyes glistened as raindrops began to pour around them softly, Clear and Voidstar did look alike, it was almost as if they were kin. Skyblaze coughed out the lump in his throat, he didn't know what to say. He didn't want to just ask Voidstar to consider giving a place in the clan to this loner, because he didn't know if Clear would want that. On the other hand he couldn't just come out and say that he just brought Clear so she could see, because Voidstar would most likely make one of his high warriors mouse-meat. That would be a waste Skyblaze cockily thought to himself, laughing inside. The tom looked up and allowed his turqouise jewels to melt into the emerald ones in from of him, Please help me Voidstar, don't push her away Skyblaze prayed to Starclan.

[MiNTY♥]

hear us now, clear and true, wretches and kings we come for you

A sigh escaped his maw and he looked rather bemused at the situation before him. "It is a shame that cats who are not born in a clan are not able to establish a strong connection with Starclan then, is it not?" He replied dismissing the warriors last point rather quickly, not meaning to sound harsh but he wanted to bring some practicality into it. Personally he was not overly fond of the idea of her being kind and soft but he could see that she had potential if given the right type of guidance. The question was what were her intentions? And would it be worth feeding her and putting the effort into training her in the ways of the clan? What if she just turned out to be a waste of time? He knew that would make him furious. There simply was no time to waste on training cats that weren’t going to get results or hunting for cats who did not work. The cycle only worked if everyone contributed and he would not hesitate to punish those that were not working as hard as they could be.

Shifting his gaze, his haunting green eyes now rested upon her silky black pelt. He could already picture moves that would be perfectly suited to her size but at the same time he was worried she did not have the heart for a life of fighting. "Hello Clear, I am Voidstar and this is my clan. My first priority is obviously to do what is right for them so where did you come from? And why are you here now?” He asked bluntly. He may have been taking in lots of loners, but most of them were rogues and had some sort of fighting background, if she said that she was a kitty pet then he would turn her away faster than she could come up with any sort of response. If she had no experience in fighting then he knew someone would have to take time out to teach her as if she was an apprentice, because an unskilled fighter simply would not suffice.

ANCK SU NAMUN OF CAUTION!

[Dawn]

Clear was content to sit and watch quietly while Skyblaze described her, though she was still confused as to why he cared so much about what happened to her. She didn't pipe up to say anything about Starclan, that she didn't know the first thing about the religion the clan cats followed, only what others had taught her. As Voidstar watched her, she tightened the muscles in her legs, grown strong from moons of hunting for herself. When he asked where she had come from, aside from her breathlessness at meeting the regal leader, and all of the questions yet still bubbling on her lips, Clear tried to answer calmly. "I have been a loner all of my life that counts," she mewed, eyes unwavering from his. "My mother was a kittypet named Jasmine, and I am still searching for my father. Many of my siblings are dead, and I haven't seen Jasmine since I was very young, when she told me the name of my father, that which I've forgotten. I am alone now." She still smiled, though, because she didn't really consider herself to be alone. Clear hadn't thought about it that way until just now. "The reason I'm here is..." She drew a blank on that one. Voidstar was impressive but he didn't intimidate her, not really. Clear was too foolish to be afraid. She didn't see any risks in being truthful. "Because Skyblaze brought me here."

[MiNTY♥]

hear us now, clear and true, wretches and kings we come for you

Blood began rushing to his ears and heat began to radiate from the leader, oh dear, oh Starclan...oh shit. His claws twitched uncomfortably as he masked the panic that he felt rising within him. She couldn’t be, it couldn’t be. No, he was jumping to conclusions and he took a deep breath and nodded in response to her answer before they realised that something was wrong with him. ”So how many moons have you been around for?” He asked casually, it was not a question he would normally ask under these circumstances but he had to know, he had to work out if it was possible that they were kin, that she was his daughter. She looked about the right age, but looks could be deceiving and if her age was far out then there were probably other kittypets named Jasmine about. He cringed as the word kittypet crossed his mind; there was no way he could allow his clan to find out about this little mistake. Feeling guilty for referring to her as a mistake he pushed the thought out of his head, firstly he did not even know if they were related, and secondly he had to take responsibility for his actions. Either that or he could just not tell Clear the truth, but that would be the wrong thing to do. Contradictory thoughts buzzed around his head as he waited for her answer, and somewhere in the middle of it all was a pretty Bengal she-cat with beautiful blue eyes, what would she think?

Clearing his throat in the quiet he looked from Skyblaze and back to Clear. ”To put it simply, are you staying or are you leaving? I’m sure Skyblaze would be up to teaching you the ways of our clan since he was so eager to bring you back.” He added. On one hand, if she was his daughter he wanted to know her but on the other hand, he was scared about his past catching up to him and messing up what he had with Dreamfeather and messing up his reputation. A leader who had mated with a kittypet. Maybe she wouldn’t tell the whole clan who her mother was. Then he had an idea. ”Oh and don’t go around advertising that your mother is a kittypet, my clan would love to hold that against you.” He added subtly.

ANCK SU NAMUN OF CAUTION!

[Dawn]

Clear's ears twitched. He had gone from being no-nonsense to asking her age. That was interesting; she wondered why Voidstar had suddenly changed course. Besides which, she had never needed to keep track of her age before, so she didn't really know exactly. But admitting that to the leader no longer felt like the right thing to do. So she did a bit of fast thinking, considering the seasons she had lived in her mind, and how she had been around five moons old when she left her housefolks. "About twenty two," she answered swiftly, deciding it was close enough to the truth, whatever that was. Maybe later, with greater introspection, she would discover the true amount of moons she'd roamed since her fifth. Clear was feeling pretty proud of herself, having come up with a decent answer, but now the tom asked yet another hard question of her, and it wasn't one that could be answered so easily. Stay here, with the fascinating Voidstar, and sweet Skyblaze and all of their clan mates, to learn about a life she'd only ever dreamed of? Or go, back to freedom, where no one ordered her to safety, and she could do as she wished?

"I would like to stay," Clear mewed finally, though a flicker of indecision shone in her eyes as she glanced at the tom that had brought her here. She didn't know exactly what she was getting into but there was really no taking it back now, and besides, what had she had before this? Herself, her freedom, the simple things that she needed. Not a friend, or kin. Here, who knew what was in store? She was intrigued. She had to find out. When Voidstar spoke his next words, she smiled, and replied cleverly, "Oh, I won't, Voidstar. Though I can't see much the difference in who my parents are, so long as neither of them are murderers I see nothing to be ashamed of." The young black female shrugged, then waited to see what the oldest tom would say, and what would happen next.