.//Edge of Paradise

[Sparrow]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] The moorlands rose above him as he moved, paws lightly tapping the ground in a staccatto rhythm as he first rocked back on hind legs and sprang forth to do so again. Frost-laden ground and patches of snow were all that he could see from his vantage point, but the beneath his paws the gentle grade spoke of compressed and fragrant brush and heather. Perhaps someday in the coming moons it would flower again and the hill would brighten to a vivid green with flecked lavender's blue. His loping pace slowed as he reached the top of the hill, and he looked at the open, snow-covered space, dotted with stones, as he paused and looked behind him. He had no idea where he was going or what he was doing, and in the early morning air his breath caught in his lungs before swirling out in a series of quick, vaporous mists. “Viperfang, do you have any idea what it is that we're looking for? I mean to say, does anyone know what the camp actually looked like?” His ears twitched, and he looked around once more. The moors were huge, open, and unchanging. If they were to go without basis for their search it could take days to find the camp. And if the WindClan cats lived below the surface in dens, like badgers or prarie dogs, well, the camp might not have survived the passage of time at all - the rains and snows, the winds that whipped over the moorland in the spring, anything might have collapsed some of the dens or at least concealed them so well as to make them near invisible. He wouldn't mention it to Viperfang. From what she had said, WindClan was going to be returning very soon, and they were running out of time to prepare. She wouldn't have asked him to help if she wasn't desperate for anyone to help, and he knew that well. It was only a pity that he hadn't ever set foot on WindClan territory even when it was still open to ThunderClan cats. If he had, perhaps he would have known where the den's for sure weren't located, if not where they were. "If not, this might take a while." word count: 375 audience: Viperfang comments: Sorry it's so short. And that it took so long^^;

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[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] “Viperfang, do you have any idea what it is that we're looking for? I mean to say, does anyone know what the camp actually looked like?” The she-cat looked out over the landscape, even raised herself up like a weasel to see if she could spot the camp if she had more height to her. If she was as big as a mouse-brained twoleg, she could probably see it from here. "If not, this might take a while." "Hidden," she said simply with a slight look of frustration on her face as her front paws landed on the frozen earth, "And some of the old ones said they slept in the open. It's weird. Hidden and out in the open at the same time?" Viperfang walked out onto the open land. In her mind, she retraced the steps she had taken on her way to Mothermouth with Vixenfang. There was something that looked like an abandoned badger set somewhere, but she doubted WindClan gave it much attention. Then she remembered that giant boulder some ways into the territory near that ancient-looking barn. "Let's go this way," she said eagerly as she changed direction and started walking parallel with the ThunderPath, "I saw a big rock last time I was here. Maybe we can spot the camp if we stand on it." Her pace quickened to a trot. Although she felt the urge to run as fast as possible, she also wanted to enjoy the sunrise. Having Charredoak to share it with wasn't too discomforting either. In fact, she rather liked being in his company. She hoped that maybe she could convince him to join her in the new clan. She'd like to have at least one friend who wasn't busy being leader. Word Count: 286 Audience: Charredoak Comments: Short-post as well. LOL. Could prove useful, though. Shorter the post, the quicker the thread goes and the quicker they find the camp. ^^

[Sparrow]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] It seemed that brevity was key. Her voice was short and her words clipped, but she seemed to be frustrated with something other than him now, and he was fine with that. The sun was rising, however, and he shuddered to think of what it was that Clan life was going to be like with no rest whatsoever. It had occcured to him that the gathering was tonight. Perhaps that would account for some of her haste. "Hidden, and some of the old ones said they slept in the open. It's weird. Hidden and out in the open at the same time?" Hidden in the open? The winds would blow right through the camp. If it rained they'd be soaked. If the elders and kits were exposed to that there was no way that they would be able to survive during any time but high Greenleaf, and maybe not even then. There had to be something out there that would cover them. A indent in a hill or the ground. A pile of rocks. A bunch of brush. Something. Anything. But as he looked around he saw nothing. "Well, it is rather unsheltered out here. They have to have had some sort of covering so that the kits and elders didn't die of exposure... Is there any sort of brush that you saw on your visit by any chance?" "Let's go this way, I saw a big rock last time I was here. Maybe we can spot the camp if we stand on it." He didn't wait for an answer, knowing that she might not have heard, and began to trot after her doggedly. Despite the fact that she was much smaller than him, she moved so quickly and with such energy. It was obvious to him now that she was in the right place - small, slender, and swift. It was too bad that his piece in aiding the new clan was almost finished. He might have considered following his maybe-friend from ThunderClan, perhaps would have considered joining the only worthy cause that he had encountered in his life, had the thought of doing so crossed his mind. But in the sunrise-stained moors that they now crossed his thoughts were farther from him than they had ever been before. It was funny how life worked in the most critical of times. word count: 392 audience: Viperfang comments: Well, that's a definite plus.

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[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] "Well, it is rather unsheltered out here. They have to have had some sort of covering so that the kits and elders didn't die of exposure... Is there any sort of brush that you saw on your visit by any chance?" Viperfang's brow furrowed as she trotted along, thinking through her entire first visit here. She should have been more observent on her way back, but her stomach had been caving in on itself at the time. There wasn't much else she could think about. "Mmmh... No brush. I suppose the camp would have been easier to find if there was a tell-tale bramble barrier or something, but I guess time has blown it away. If there's maybe a strange formation of rocks or hollows, we'll be able to spot them from this rock." As they came up on the large boulder, the warrior slowed to a stop. The rock bore the marks of time, more than any other land marker she had ever seen. Sure, all three clans were pretty old, but dens were constantly being rebuilt or shifted after battles- nothing ever stayed in place. This thing, however, had stood through countless rains, storms, snows, and other things nature saw fit to throw at it. But underneath the moss-covered edges, she saw the scratch marks of countless cats. Viperfang paused and circled the tall rock. She sniffed curiously, but wasn't really surprised when she caught no cat scent. She let her eyes follow the scratches up to the top of the boulder, letting her paws do the same when she remembered Charredoak was probably watching her. At the top, she sat down and looked at a set of scratches at the edge. Intrigued, she spred her toes out and unsheathed her claws. By comparison, she guessed the age of the cats who left the marks. "Apprentices must have stood up here..." she said as she turned her head upward to view the territory, "Looking out for intruders, most likely." Word Count: 326 Audience: Charredoak Comments: None

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[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] “Apprentices, maybe, or perhaps they were just very small warriors such as yourself.” Viperfang, trying to maintain all dignity, glared down at the tom and stuck her tongue out from between her grinning lips. It was a cheap blow, but the she-cat had commented on worse statements before. Then again, it did make sense for the runners to be small and agile, even though they caught the biggest prey in all the clans. Her thought process was cut short when she witnessed the teasing male jump headlong into the rock she was sitting on. As he tried to scramble his way up, the thought crossed her mind to help him, but her systems were on hold from the shock of watching this dignified, handsome tom make an utter fool of himself. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open, frozen in disbelief. Finally, in a last assault to his ego, he landed directly on his back in a pile of dust. She was returning to normal as Charredoak righted himself, groomed off the dust, and joined her as if his eyes had missed that entire sequence of events. She couldn't hold it anymore. Viperfang layed down swiftly and covered her muzzle with her paws, laughing her heart out into her fur and the rock below them. With her back leg, she pushed on his flank, trying and failing to force him down again. "Do that again! That was amazing! HAHAHA!!!" After a moment, Viperfang's laughter died down to a slight giggle and she sat up to join the red tom in surveilling the moor. She didn't even consider looking toward fourtrees or the thunderpath. No, the camp would be inward. She followed the rest of their path up toward the ancient farm. It was unlikely that their camp would be that close to twolegs, but best to eliminate one whole stretch of the territory before going on the the rest. Without noticing it, her gaze traveled back to where the old badger set was. It was the only logical place for a den she had seen, but she knew there was nothing else around it. Then she realized she wasn't thinking like a WindClan cat. She was thinking like a ThunderClanner. That had to stop. Silently, she imagined sleeping under silverpelt and watching StarClan shimmer in the sky, all the while being surrounded by her clan and hidden away from danger. In the corner of her eye, she saw a strange shadow in the moor. Everywhere else, rocks and boulders were exposed and alone, but there was a collection of them in the shadow. She could even tell that one of them was taller than the rest. She could imagine Vixenstar sitting there, barking out orders like a fox in a fit, or maybe standing proudly to introduce a new warrior to the clan. "There," she said to Charredoak as she signaled where she was looking with her tail, "That's got to be it." Word Count: 488 Audience: Charredoak Comments: None

[Sparrow]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] As embarrassing as his misplaced steps had been, his blush drew swiftly over his face in a wave. Clumsiness was to be expected in someone built as awkwardly as he was, all legs and paws, and for him to have gone the entire night without so much as a misplaced paw was very much commendable. Simply a pity that his elegance hadn't lasted till sunrise. He would have been simply thrilled if he had appeared the picture of sophistication the first and last time that he would meet Viperfang. Sneaking a quick glance at her as he settled himself and attempted to flatten his fur down to a somewhat sleek semblence of order, he noted that her mouth was hanging open in disbelieving shock. Excellent, simply grand. His image was falling all to pieces. Of course he had done a good job with himself so far, as she seemed surprised by all of this, but what now? Would she laugh? Yes. She would. Her laughter, however, was not entirely unwelcome as it assailed his ears, making him flush an even deeper crimson. It wasn't cruel, though, and it wasn't taunting. Simply amused, and while she took her time in spending out her laughter she seemed to forget all dignity by doing so. As he watched, awestruck, she collapsed to bury her face in her paws and her hind paw came out of nowhere to plant itself firmly on his shoulder and push at him in an attempt to throw off his newly regained balance. “Do it again! That was amazing!” He unsheathed his claws and crouched down, gripping into the rock with resolution and adding his own scores to the rock. Flicking his ears at her with good humor he laughed quietly along, baring pointed teeth in a sheepish grin as he did so. “Sorry, I only perform once a day. You’ll have to wait for the next show if you want a repeat performance. If I’m unlucky, however, you may get an encore when I have to get down.” His gaze fell back to the moorlands and he looked across the landscape with little success. The flat hillside was completely barren of anything, and he sighed in frustration as the sky grew lighter and lighter. Much longer and they would be missed in camp. Already much of the night had gone and they still had to return to camp from here. “There, that’s got to be it.” Looking to where Viperfang pointed with her tail, Charredoak stared in vexation for a few seconds before seeing what it was that she was pointing at. A grouping of stones, their clustering perfect for concealing whatever need be hidden there. Easily defendable and much more sheltered than anything else in the moorlands. It was perfect. “Nice observation. Would you like to explore it now or would you rather leave that to purely WindClan cats and return to camp?” He would be a rival before long. It would be perfectly understandable if she was against his knowing her camp layout. word count: 504 audience: Viperfang comments: Gah. The skin stole his voice colour.

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[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] “Sorry, I only perform once a day. You’ll have to wait for the next show if you want a repeat performance. If I’m unlucky, however, you may get an encore when I have to get down.” Viperfang purred happily at the thought as she corrected herself. That was just what she needed after all this serious business- a good laugh. Even if it was at Charredoak's expense, it was still welcomed. She quietly returned to the task at paw and soon found herself looking at the shadow in the moor that could only be WindClan's camp. They'd found it. “Nice observation. Would you like to explore it now or would you rather leave that to purely WindClan cats and return to camp?” Now, this was a dilemma. Viperfang's ears shot back as she tilted her head forward, gazing at the campsite that slowly started to get brighter as the sun rose into the sky. Looking back at the steps it had taken to get her here and finally behold the camp, she had to admit that asking Charredoak to help her find the place before asking him to join the clan had probably been a mistake. She'd needed the second warrior in case she ran into trouble along the way here, but what she really needed was a WindClan warrior beside her. The she-cat picked her head up and raised her ears. Well... Vixenfang couldn't do all the recruiting herself! And it was high time Viperfang helped her out. She turned her eyes toward the red tom. They were clouded with anxiety more than excitement. What if he said no? She really wanted a friend in WindClan and if he didn't want to join, she might end up having to tell Vixenstar that she let a ThunderClan warrior set eyes on the camp. That couldn't happen. "We could say two WindClan cats found the camp, Charredoak. Friendships across borders are hard to maintain." Word Count: 323 Audience: Charredoak Comments: Rawr

[Sparrow]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] He had never been an observant cat, but he was somewhat pleased with himself for having seen something this obvious coming. At his comment her face turned troubled and he watched with anxiety to see what she would do next. Had he known how upsetting his bother would be, he would have never mentioned it, but it seemed... wrong... to go barging into another Clan's camp without their permission. He watched her face change as she thought, and when she spoke it was with an unidentifiable tone. "We could say two WindClan cats found the camp, Charredoak. Friendships across borders are hard to maintain." With a sigh, he turned his face away from her and from the distant camp to look at his paws and the boulder beneath them. Anything not to have to look at her, the expectations that she might have. For him to join the Clan, to leave everything he knew behind... it was unfathomable. A spark of hope flared in his mind, reminding him of what it was that she was doing, and it was with grudging determination that he shoved it back to where it had came from. He was ThunderClan, not WindClan. His loyalty to his Clan was... more important than friendship... and he had best remember that in the future. “Viperfang...” his voice, normally bright and clear, trailed off and he forced himself to look up before continuing. "I'm sorry... I can't. I'm no WindClan cat. Just... look at me. Small and swift? A blind cat couldn't call me that. And I still have things to do in ThunderClan... Pepperpaw. I've barely started her training... //...and I'm a bloody coward who can't take a risk to help her with the thing she's been working for for moons. In that case she'll be better off without me, even if I won't be without her.// He forced himself to look at her, despite how much he wanted to just turn tail and run away. He had no clue as to how she'd react, but he doubted it'd be with laughter. It was a big mess alright. He continued on, forcing his words to remain audible. "I cannot offer anything else than what I already have, I'm afraid, but I can assure you of one thing. I may be a storyteller, but I am not one to share what best be left a secret." His face was earnest, his eyes wide and wild. "Whatever is told about WindClan, its camp, and the location of that camp will be told by you. It is not my place to tell the secrets of a friend, be they across the border or no." Without waiting for a reaction, he let go of all control and allowed himself to simply react. In a single motion he had leapt off of the boulder and was dashing across the moor towards ThunderClan territory and home, leaving Viperfang alone to sit on the boulder by herself. Dashing home, where his friends, apprentice, leader, and what was left of his family was. Dashing home, away from everything WindClan and the only she-cat that he had flattered with real thought behind the words. //So why does it feel like it's home that I'm running away from?// word count: 541 audience: Viperfang comments: Rawr right back at you.

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[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] The moment Charredoak turned his eyes toward the ThunderClan camp, Viperfang knew she should have kept her muzzle shut. She should have known a cat like this tom would actually have loved ones in the clan. He was loyal, unlike her. It was stupid of her to even have asked. "Viperfang... I'm sorry... I can't. I'm no WindClan cat. Just... look at me. Small and swift? A blind cat couldn't call me that. And I still have things to do in ThunderClan... Pepperpaw. I've barely started her training..." His apprentice! How could she have forgotten? With her obsession about getting one herself, she usually kept tabs on and growled at every warrior with a little scrap to boss around. Oh, why hadn't she just told him to go home? "I cannot offer anything else than what I already have, I'm afraid, but I can assure you of one thing. I may be a storyteller, but I am not one to share what best be left a secret. Whatever is told about WindClan, its camp, and the location of that camp will be told by you. It is not my place to tell the secrets of a friend, be they across the border or no." She breathed a sigh of relief when he promised to keep her secret, but her relaxed face quickly turned to that of shock and sadness as the red warrior jumped off the boulder and ran at full speed straight toward the ThunderClan camp. She stood up and gripped the rock with her claws, watching him disappear into her old territory. She'd just but a stone wall between her and her newest friend. Borders, though whisker thin and transparent, were strong and solid. Any relationship, friend or more, could not interfere with clan life. It wasn't the way of a warrior. With a silenced whine, Viperfang leapt off of the rock and headed toward her new camp. She didn't want to return to ThunderClan. Not yet. She could say she was investigating a fox trail and lost track of time when she got back. Right now, however, she needed to be alone. She wandered into WindClan's camp. Rocks and gorse bushes lined the edge, giving a natural barrier to the clearing. The tan she-cat walked toward the tallest rock in the area, numbly noting sheltered areas that could be used as the Elders' den, nursery, and Medicine Cat's den. Behind the boulder was another possible den. Maybe the warriors squeezed in there when it was raining it was just too cold to stay outside. It took a whole two jumps to get Viperfang to the top of the tall boulder. She looked down and imagined dimly the countless Clan Meetings that had been called from up here. She layed down and crossed her paws, resting her head on her front legs and lost herself in thought. Word Count: 479 Audience: Charredoak Comments: I believe that should end this thread.