i'm working on it

[tenacious]

Soft tufts of brown hair hung in the air, as if they were suspended by a thread, invisible to the naked eye. But everything must fall and so the hairs slowly drifted to the ground, nesting gently in a soft pile of snow. Not even the cold wind that blew could move them; they had chosen there resting place and there they would stay. A cat watched them for a mouse length away, his pale yellow eyes swimming with thoughts and a mixture of powerful emotions. The hairs were like loyal ShadowClan warriors; nothing could drive them away from their home, not even death itself. No, only StarClan had the power to do such a thing, but ShadowClan never angered StarClan. Like many cats, Swampclaw was blind to the majority of the faults his Clan held.

The tom, his pelt as murky as the swamp he was named after, mixed with various colors, stood from his sitting position, a tingle traveling up his numb legs. The body of a rabbit lay beside him, half eaten, though it was the stench of fox drifting around Swampclaw that would tell any cat he had not caught or eaten it. Swampclaw preferred the taste of frogs and lizards to the stringy rabbits that ran on the moor. Not only that, but he lacked the proper build to catch rabbits; Swampclaw was not large, but he was not incredibly swift, either. One of the many reasons he was glad Willowstar had backed out of the battle for the moor; Swampclaw would love to sink his claws into the water loving cats, but ThunderClan territory would have prey they could possibly catch, and it would teach those cowardly cats a lesson they’d never forget.

A snarl of joy rose in the tom’s throat as he began to pad farther out into the swamplands. The tortoiseshell tom was a sight to behold, mainly due to his pelt, and because of the way his face contorted with pain for a moment whenever he came by a rival patrol, or cat for that matter. He had…issues controlling his anger. Swampclaw’s yellow gaze flicked upward. I follow your code, though!

Swampclaw had a fear of StarClan, to be frank. He saw the dead cats as tyrants, who would provide great punishment upon those who angered them.

[Willow]

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[atrb=background,http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r230/Mica556/lilytablebg-1.png] Green eyes glimmered in the gloom of the shadows beneath a great tree that protruded from the swampland. The roots tangled beneath creamy paws and leaves created a cushion against needle-sharp claws. There was little water in the swamps this far into leaf-bare and what there was was frozen. Frogs and lizards were beneath the ice or mud, hidden from the hunters of ShadowClan. Prey was therefore scarce, as it was everywhere in leaf-bare. For this reason, Lilypelt had volunteered to hunt. She was alone on her mission, as she liked to be while hunting. Other cats simply got in your way and scared the prey away. They were simply a nuisance. She could hunt much better all by herself. Her green eyes were sharp in the darkness the clouds cast upon the land and her little pink nose was upturned, scenting for anything living. Rabbit. And something more, fox. Panic boiled in her until she scented again and realized the scent was stale. She let out the breath she had been holding and shook herself in irritation. Her fear was becoming a real distraction. Closing her eyes, she examined the scents in the air again. There was cat scent there too. ShadowClan scent. Oh of course. There’s someone here already, scaring off the prey, no doubt, she thought bad temperedly. Nonetheless, Lilypelt turned her delicate paws in the direction of the other cat. She’d at least like to know who it was and what they were doing here. If they were already hunting in the swamplands, then she would find somewhere else to go. She pushed past another tree and over its snaking roots to behold a cat not really doing anything. It was Swampclaw, the ruthless ShadowClan warrior who was known for his fierce loyalty and vengeful nature. His tortoiseshell pelt was as noticeable as ever in the shadows of the trees. Lilypelt stepped into his view, a haughty expression on her small face. She was not afraid of this warrior and she would let him know it. Many feared his vengeance but she was not one of those cowardly cats. Her pride would not let her turn away in fear from any cat. “Swampclaw. What exactly are you doing here? Enjoying a lovely walk through the swamps?” she was teasing him, her green eyes glimmering with amusement. I must be the only cat who would ever tease him, she thought with a smirk. The haughty expression was still on her cream face as she circled the tortoiseshell tom once before seating herself on the ground in front of him. Her eyes stared unflinchingly into his. ___________________________________ words xx 453 audience xx Swampclaw music xx Unparalized – Kill Hannah comments xx new table!

[tenacious]

Swampclaw did not get far before he froze, eyes narrowed as he sensed another cat nearby. It was easy, when the forest was quieter and just about everything made a soft crackle beneath cat’s paws, if one listened hard enough.

It was mouse-brained of him to expect the swamp to be empty of other cats. It was Leaf-bare, of course other cats would want to hunt, and it was hard to think things over inside of camp. Surely his Clanmates would wish to go over the meeting on their own? Swampclaw himself really had no need for such a thing, though. He was going to attack ThunderClan. He was going to spill scarlet rain onto the ground; he was going to watch the face’s of those cowards contort in pain until they ran. He would not kill, nor would he harm the innocent. But he would make them remember. The tom smirked lightly as Lilypelt stepped into view. A haughty expression played on the she-cat’s face and he frowned slightly.

She spoke, teasing him. Swampclaw could easily tell and his frown grew deeper for a moment, but he also knew that Lilypelt was not a cat who was easily intimidated, and Swampclaw had not attempted to attack a Clanmate for some time. A very long time, actually; he was not about to start over some light teasing. “What I’m doing here is not any cat’s concern,” the ShadowClan tom replied, shrugging his shoulders lightly, “I like to think it is of my concern to know why you are here, though,” Swampclaw added, following Lilypelt with his eyes as she circled him once before sitting before him.

Lilypelt looked into his eyes and Swampclaw did not look away, like some other cats might have. The tortoiseshell sank into thought for a moment before slowly sitting down once more, wrapping his tail neatly around his cold paws. If he had to speak to another cat, at least it wouldn’t be a cowardly one; he found Lilypelt to be foolish at times, but there were some aspects of the she-cat Swampclaw could respect.

It wasn’t necessarily a rarity for Swampclaw to like aspects of another cat, but it was rare for him to respect aspects. Lilypelt wasn’t a flinchy cat, though, who shied away from her problems and hid behind larger warriors. At least, not from what he saw. Then again, most of Swampclaw’s views were never from being up close, but from surveying from a distance that would not require him to join in on a conversation.

[Willow]

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[atrb=background,http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r230/Mica556/lilytablebg-1.png] Lilypelt cocked her head to one side slightly as she continued to stare at Swampclaw. She was having entirely too much fun bothering this surly tom. But no matter, it was giving her some entertainment in an otherwise eventless day. He shrugged his tortoiseshell shoulders before responding to her question without an evasive answer that caused the smirk to come back onto her face. Did he want her to think he was up to no good? It sure seemed like it. “I like to think it is of my concern to know why you are here, though.” Lilypelt stared at him through green eyes for a moment, trying to process just what he was saying. So, he wouldn’t tell her what he was doing but he felt he needed to know what she was doing out here. She laughed, tossing her head back in mirth before looking him in the eyes again. Her green eyes sparkled with arrogance and amusement. “You really are audacious!” she exclaimed in a voice still light with laughter. “I see no reason to tell you my business if you will not tell me yours. And regardless, it is most definitely not of your concern. I do not believe you are deputy or leader, now are you?” Her words were challenging, but not serious. She was still mirthful at his audacity and arrogance that surpassed even hers. She was, however, curious. He didn’t seem to be hunting, so what was he doing out here all alone? Lilypelt did not suspect him of any treachery, of course, as some of her Clanmates might. He was undyingly loyal to ShadowClan. Too loyal. Which was just about the opposite of herself. She flirted with disaster in her day to day life, always stepping over the warrior code and pushing it to its limits. She had broken it countless times and was not ashamed of that fact. Cats like Swampclaw intrigued her. What was it that made them so loyal to their Clan and hate cats in the other Clans so much? Lilypelt would never understand. ___________________________________ words xx 347 audience xx Swampclaw music xx Pretty as a ($) – Marilyn Manson xD comments xx

[tenacious]

The she-cat tossed her head back with laughter before looking at Swampclaw once more, the usual arrogance dancing in her eyes, with amusement mixed in as well, now. “You really are audacious!”

Swampclaw’s whiskers twitched, but the movement was incredibly sight, and a cat could easily pass it off as a trick the eye enjoyed playing. Yes, he could be audacious at times. The dark tom’s eyes narrowed as Lilypelt continued on; he really had no desire to be deputy or leader. He was loyal to ShadowClan, yes, and would not mind commanding the warriors, but he could not deal with the insolence of some. Swampclaw was well aware that his temper would get the better of him at some point if he had a position of power and then what? If he was leader, StarClan could easily take away all the lives they had granted him. Every. Single. Life. Gone. Poof!

“The difference between you and me, Lilypelt, is that I do not constantly test the Warrior Code.” It was a lie, in a sense. There were some parts of the code Swampclaw would never dare test and others he constantly tested. “Therefore, I have no reason to explain why I am where I am. His logic might fail in the mind of other cats, but it made perfect sense to the senior warrior. He was not the one who had crossed the line far too many times, after all, he was not the one who had had half-clan kits.

The tom patiently waited for Lilypelt’s answer, wondering if she would be offended. It didn’t bother him too much if she was, though, it didn’t bother him much if he offended any live cat. He also wondered why Lilypelt could act as she did; she appeared to have no loyalty to her Clan. Just like she would never understand why Swampclaw was loyal only to ShadowClan, he would never understand why she didn’t seem to be. Or, maybe, it wasn’t an act, but the truth.

[Willow]

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[atrb=background,http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r230/Mica556/lilytablebg-1.png] Lilypelt bent her head and began lazily licking the fur on her front paw as she waited for a response from the tortoiseshell. She figured he’d have nothing to say to her challenge and would simply grunt or something of the sort. Something that required no response from her. She was, however, sorely mistaken. Swampclaw gave as good as he got in an argument, she soon learned as he voiced his reply. “The difference between you and me, Lilypelt, is that I do not constantly test the Warrior Code.” She raised her head sharply and looked at him through slightly narrowed emerald eyes. So he was the model cat, was he? Sure he was loyal but Lilypelt highly doubted he followed the Warrior Code word for word. She smirked at him though her green eyes were still slightly narrowed. “I’m not so sure about that claim, Swampclaw. And besides,” she added with a careless shrug, “What exactly will happen to me if I don’t follow the warrior code? Nothing. It’s something that was put in place to scare kits into obedience. As is StarClan.” She smirked a little, wondering how he would react to that. It was an open fact that she had no faith, but cats liked to pretend to forget and were often surprised all over when she said it to their face. “Furthermore, what exactly could I be doing that crossed the Warrior’s Code here?” she asked with a scoff. They were in the direct center of ShadowClan territory, nowhere near the borders. If she was up to no good, she would be slinking around the Carrionplace or Burnt Sycamore. Not here in the swamps. ___________________________________ words xx 274 audience xx Swampclaw music xx Running From Your Dad – Bowling for Soup comments xx

[tenacious]

A light snarl slipped into the air. He knew Lilypelt had no faith, but she was wrong to believe StarClan was not real. He cast a glance, fear dancing in it for only a heartbeat, up towards the sky before returning his gaze to the she-cat who had once been lazily licking her own fur, “I am not here to convince you to believe the truth. But I will tell you that you are wrong, Lilypelt. There are many things that would not be if it was not for StarClan,” he added softly, mainly to himself, a light shiver running down his spine. If StarClan struck Lilypelt down here and now, they better not kill him too.

“You tell me what you’re doing here, Lilypelt. Cats can cause StarClan to be wrathful anywhere,” the tom added, snorting, for such was quite obvious to him. It would be best for a cat about to do something that was no good to be near the borders, not in the heart of their Clan’s territory, but it was a good disguise. Best not to make your true intentions known, after all. Swampclaw exercised this often at Gatherings when speaking to apprentices.

Swampclaw zoned off for a moment as he waited for the she-cat’s reply, his jaws slightly parted as he tasted the air. There was some prey around, not much. Foolish things- didn’t they know better then to creep out like this with cats perfectly capable of killing them lurking about?

[Willow]

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[atrb=background,http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r230/Mica556/lilytablebg-1.png] Lilypelt’s green eyes shimmered with dark satisfaction as she took amusement in Swampclaw’s reaction to her statement renouncing StarClan. She gave a small meow of laughter at the snarl that slipped from the tom’s lips. She would never understand why other cats cared so much about her own beliefs. They could go on groveling to the stars for all she cared but they never allowed her to believe in nothing but the sentient. Yet, Lilypelt felt no anger at this, just a dark, bitter amusement. Her face still bore a smug expression as she watched the other warrior begin speaking. “I am not here to convince you to believe the truth. But I will tell you that you are wrong, Lilypelt. There are many things that would not be if it was not for StarClan.” The smirk on her pale features deepened. “Oh, really?” She stared around with eyes mockingly wide, searching for signs of their warrior ancestors. “Funny. I see nothing. Don’t you think they’d be upset at me for not believing in them if they truly were real? Well, I’ve lived a perfectly good life with no plagues or curses. I call that proof in my defense.” She stood on dainty paws. “And besides, do you really think you telling me I am wrong will change anything? She tossed her little head back and gave a short laugh. “You tell me what you’re doing here, Lilypelt. Cats can cause StarClan to be wrathful anywhere.” Lilypelt sat down with her tail swishing idly behind her, disturbing the dead leaves. She yawned. “I’m absolutely terrified, Swampclaw. Really, I’m beginning to fear divine intervention. Next you’re going to tell me my fur is going to fall off because I don’t believe in them or something equally ridiculous.” She cocked her cream head to one side and looked at him with bored, haughty emerald eyes. “I would have thought you would have learned by now that trying to scare me into obedience doesn’t work. So, I think I will in fact not tell you what I am doing here. However, if you’ll excuse me, I really must get back to it.” The she-cat gave her companion a sly, cunning grin. Let him work it out for himself, she thought with another laugh and turned her back, beginning to walk away. ___________________________________ words xx 388 audience xx Swampclaw music xx Land of Immortals – Rhapsody comments xx I’m starting to really like Lilypelt xDD

[tenacious]

Plagues and curses. Only the beginning. Cats like Lilypelt were too blind and arrogant to see much farther then their own noses. Did she not understand that their own leaders would not have nine lives if not for StarClan? There was no other explanation and you couldn’t ignore the fact that they had nine lives. One would just be arguing for the sake of doing so if they tried to say a leader still had one. Of course, Lilypelt struck Swampclaw as a cat who argued simply to argue.

Swampclaw stood, eyeing Lilypelt for a moment before chuckling, “You like to think you know it all, Lilypelt, but you’re a warrior now. It’s time to learn that you don’t and that you’re wrong on most cases. I’m not here to ‘scare you into obedience’, nor am I here to preach. In a few moments, I assume neither of us will be here at all,” the tom added. He had no intentions of sitting here with this arrogant toe rag much longer. He had proof. He need not convince others.

Already, the tom’s mind was swimming with ways for revenge. He knew Lilypelt’s past- he was an old…er warrior, after all. Swampclaw was not afraid to play with those things. His only limitation was to not directly cause his Clanmates physical pain- he would toy with their emotions, he would hit them back if they attacked him first, but Swampclaw would never get into a full on fight with a ShadowClan warrior.

Although exceptions could always be made.

[Willow]

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[atrb=background,http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r230/Mica556/lilytablebg-1.png] "You like to think you know it all, Lilypelt, but you’re a warrior now." Lilypelt stopped walked as she heard him continue speaking, apparently unable to let it go. She turned and shot him a scathing look at this remark, green eyes narrowed and bitter. "And you're telling me that you don't pretend to know everything, Swampclaw? You're even more arrogant than I am, if that's at all possible. You have just as much conviction on the matter of StarClan as I do so saying that I'm the only one who thinks I know it all is incredibly hypocritical. And furthermore, I think that I had, in fact, noticed that I am a warrior without your help in the matter." "In a few moments, I assume neither of us will be here at all.” "Indeed. In fact, I do believe I shall be on my way now and leave you to your fear-mongering of StarClan. There's nothing else worthwhile you have to say, dear Swampclaw. And anyway, I must get back to what it was I was doing before you interrupted it." Lilypelt wasn't quite sure why she was being so elusive and secretive about a bit of hunting, but it was provided amusement. She didn't know what he thought she was doing out here, but she was playing off his suspicion for effect. ___________________________________ words xx 220 audience xx Swampclaw music xx nothing comments xx shortness

[tenacious]

A light smirk of satisfaction spread across Swampclaw’s blunt features as Lilypelt stopped walking when he spoke. Did she expect him to let it go so easily? Oh, what a foolish she-cat. He could be just as tenacious as she; it came without effort. It was like breathing to Swampclaw, being difficult. The she-cat give him a scathing look. Bah! She was far younger then he, for one, and far too arrogant to really see anything. (It was during arguments that Swampclaw chose to ignore personality flaws he usually was happy about)

“You’re as blind as a bat, Lilypelt. Don’t think you can fool me with words I’ve heard time and time again. I can tell you’re the cat who’ll only listen to what she has to say and to nothing else. Fine by me. You’re disloyal, to two Clans, Lilypelt, and you can be certain I’ll be watching when it catches up to you,” the tom smirked lightly before he turned and began to pad off. He was quite curious to know what she was doing, but Lilypelt was a traitor. If she did something against the Warrior code, oh well! Let her die. ShadowClan would be better off without having to worry about some she-cat mating with the nearest warrior, whether he be in RiverClan, ShadowClan, or ThunderClan.