its the shadows that will prevail [shadowclan meeting]

[Minteh Freshness]

Brackenstar
It was the beginning of leafbare, but it didn’t feel like it yet. The days were exceptionally hot, but it was becoming noticeable in the mornings that it was cooling down overnight. One could almost trick themselves into thinking they could feel that autumn chill in the early morning hours. By sunhigh, it was but a faint memory as Greenleaf still had them firmly within its grasp.

Prey had been returning to the spots where the two-legs had been putting traps, but then, almost two weeks ago, his warriors had reported spotting the two-legs in those same spots once again, as well as a few new ones. Brackenstar was glad he had listened to his instincts that were telling him they would be back again, and soon. They came around this time last year too. He had a sinking feeling though, wondering if this would become their new normal. Would the two-legs keep coming, year after year, like clockwork?

Thankfully he had been cautious about sending warriors to those areas, even when the prey had returned. The dark tom had sent a few cats to monitor it and see what happens, but not to hunt there. He was sure that that order hadn't been followed, as some of those warriors came back with a haul of prey, and a slightly guilty or defiant look in their eyes.

He had to set an example by giving those cats a midnight or dawn patrol the next day. Nothing too harsh, but enough that it sent a message to the rest of the clan that he was serious. And now they knew that he was right. The two-legs came back. So far, no one else had been captured, thank Starclan, but they weren’t out of the woods yet.

The other thing he was thankful for, was the fact that predators were at an all-time low with the humans in the area. At least they hadn’t lost anyone to a fox, badger, or stray dog lately. Not that that was much consolation in the grand scheme of things.


It had been a few months since he had become leader. It hadn’t been conventional, and it still felt off. Maybe it was because he hadn’t received all of his lives, but no one knew that. Well maybe Longtail, but he wasn’t sure if she actually knew or not since she wasn’t there when it was announced to him by his mother.

Or maybe it was because he hadn’t chosen a deputy yet. He was supposed to once he became leader. And he had in his mind, but that cat had been captured before he had announced it. Brackenstar had still been holding out hope the feline would make their way back so he could name them as deputy, but 5 months was a long time to wait, and he needed to instead turn his sights onto the cats still in the clan. It was hard to do but he would do it. He still wasn’t sure of his choice yet though. And Starclan was spread too thin to give him much of a sign either.

It hadn’t been too difficult for Brackenstar to step up as leader. Perhaps that was because Longtail had already been slowly handing him the reins, but he felt it was more likely that he had just been born for the position. Shadowclan was his and he would shape it the way he wanted, even through all the difficulties they have been facing.

Speaking of which, his mind wandered to Wintersky. The old she-cat had passed away a month after he had become leader, leaving him with her apprentice Asterpaw. The young tom had not been ready to take over yet. They were all reeling from her loss, but Brackenstar had been worried about whether Asterpaw had been up to the task or not. After taking time for consideration, he had talked to the tom about him going to the other clans to learn from their medicine cats, just as a Riverclan apprentice had done. He was still uneasy about it, with the presence of the two-legs, so he had set Asterpaw up with two warriors to act as his body guards in case of any dangers. After a period of time, and the other clans bristling at having two warriors in their camps constantly, he knocked it back to one, especially since the two-legs had been gone for so long.

At first the warriors rotated, but then Brackenstar had noticed one particular feline seemed to get along better with Asterpaw, and also had an interest in what the young tom did as well. So, thinking it would be better to have two cats knowledgeable about medicine stuff than one, and after talking with Asterpaw, he had set Opossumleaf as the young medicine cat apprentice’s permanent bodyguard. And so far there hadn’t been many complaints, which helped make his life easier (not that he minded of course, he loved the challenges that came with being Leader).

With that in mind, Brackenstar stood up and slipped out of the Leader’s den, feeling a ripple akin to excitement run through his body. They might be in trying times, but he might never get over how it feels to be Leader, to be fully in charge. He had done a short and quick meeting when he first was made leader, but it was barely anything. Today would be his first true Clan Meeting. The edges of his maw tilted up in a slight smile as he felt complete. He was at ease in the position.

He slipped around the mud and branches from the tree that housed his den and took a seat on a branch that let him look out over the rest of the camp. His aquamarine gaze took in the everyday clan life that was going on below him. His dark mahogany tabby frame was nearly hidden thanks to the branches and the darkness of the shadows from mid-morning. With a slight nod to himself, he stood up once again and moved to the end of the branch, letting himself be seen.

”Let all cats old enough to lurk in the shadows gather beneath the Pinebranch for a clan meeting!” He called out, letting his deep voice ring through the camp.

Words || 1038
Ooc || This is an announcement for Asterpaw to become med cat, and about the humans. Please pm if you want any warrior/apprentice pairs announced, or anything like that.
Tagged || andromeda || JOS || Christalclear || [:ripples:] || Scarlet || pear  || sleeperworld

[Scarlet]

Scarletwinter || Warrior || ShadowClan
Tuxedo they-cat with one yellow and one orange eye
IMAGE & BIO

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They had been a warrior for many moons now, and it had been some of the hardest yet most wonderful moons of their life. The trust given to them to help provide and care for the Clan had bolstered their spirits despite the constant loss that was a disease to the heart and soul. Scarletwinter had poured themself into the work, hunting, cleaning, patrolling, fighting, doing everything they could to learn about the twolegs and their fiendish contraptions (that hadn't gotten very far), and anything else Brackenstar had needed them to do. They were careful to not overwork themself, but they were always the first to volunteer.

Their whole body vibrated with suppressed energy as they walked through the forest toward the camp. In the prime of their life at 22 moons, they were at the height of everything that made a cat a perfect creature, which often made it hard for them to not rush around and get everything done. This was why they focused on not overworking because they knew they couldn't be useful if they wasted their energy. Scarletwinter padded in through the camp's entrance, having just returned from a patrol with another warrior. They caught the end of the summons from Brackenstar. Exchanging a nod with their fellow feline in thanks for the successful patrol, they padded forward toward the Pinebranch. Their eyes were locked on their leader, the paragon of ShadowClan, the prime example of what a leader should look like and act like.

They sat primly a modest distance away, as the more senior members of the Clan deserved the closer locations. Then they proceeded to groom their face, waiting for the rest of the Clan to arrive.

words: ###
tags: ###
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What’s more real than how I feel and how I felt back then
I will dust my paint and brushes off and I will dream again

[Minteh Freshness]

Frostfang

Frostfang heard Brackenstar’s call. A clan meeting. Good, they needed one. Cats were antsy and being told what was going on would help to settle them all down.

The elder tom made his way out of the elder’s den. Even when he had gone back to helping train apprentices, he had still been in the elder’s den with his friends, so that hadn’t changed much. But now, with so many cats gone again, warriors and apprentices alike, he no longer was needed to help train the influx of apprentices, because there wasn’t and influx anymore.

His heart clenched at the thought of all of the cats that were gone. And not dead, as far as they knew. Taken.

The two-legs had captured so many of the clan after they were just getting back up to strength again. After they had finally recovered and been on the mental mend from the virus. And now this. If Frostfang didn’t know any better, he would think Starclan was punishing them. But he knew Starclan wasn’t behind this.

The old white tom glanced around the clearing. Very few had come out yet. When he thought of the cats he wished to see, he felt his age. He slumped down next to his den, his pain making it hard for his to continue any farther. Not physical pain, no. It was the pain of knowing so many of his remaining family wouldn’t be coming out to hear what their leader had to say. They were Starclan knows where in the Two-leg city, perhaps even farther away than that.

Swallowing his sorrow, he settled down to wait for the rest of the clan to come about for the meeting, his gold and blue eyes dull.

Words || 287

Dewfall
The lilac tabby heard her leader’s call. A spark of hope lit in her chest before she extinguished it. She had hoped to become a warrior with her siblings, but Brackenstar had squashed that dream. Every time he looked at her he was proving how much he disliked her. Disliked her condition. He made it very clear that he thought she should be with the elders, not in the warriors den. But he had had too much pushback from Longstar before to actually move her to the elders den. The past leader and maybe others had told him that Dewpaw just needed more training to be useful with her failing eyesight.

Dewpaw knew she had more challenges than others, but she was willing and determined to do everything in her power to overcome them. She practiced everything with her eyes closed, making herself completely blind, that was everything was a bit easier when she opened her eyes and could just see the dark outlines and shapes of things. She wasn’t fully blind, but the way Brackenstar looked at her, he made her think she already was.

Before Wintersky had passed, she said that there was a chance Dewpaw would become completely blind but the old she-cat had been pretty certain that when it had started to slow it’s progression, that that was becoming less likely. She would just have difficulty seeing fully. She could see colors, but they were muted, darkened. Everything was a blur too, especially far away. Running was difficult because she couldn’t see what was coming up, but she could see shapes moving and was doing better at trusting her other senses, especially when hunting and during battle training. Junebug was a good teacher, even with having no prior experiences with a condition like hers, and being such a young warrior when he got her as an apprentice.

Her fur got hot at the thought of her mentor. They had gotten close since they became mentor and apprentice, which was quite a feat since Dewpaw hadn’t let anyone close to her besides her siblings before. And she hadn’t made it easy for him either. He was patient and kind and funny and she loved being around him. She wondered if when she hopefully became a warrior, if her nest would be between his and Irisfeather’s. She hoped so.

With a blush on her cheeks, she padded out of the quiet and lonely apprentice’s den and gazed around the camp, not that it would do her much good. Though, she could always spot Junebug’s vibrant orange fur, if his scent didn’t tip her off first. Which, her sense of smell had gotten a lot better than most of her clanmates. She could scent who was in or around the camp better than anyone else, and where they were.

She noticed the bright white fur of Frostfang laying next to the elder’s den. She saw another blurry, dark shape in the clearing, possibly grooming themselves. The scent indicated to her is was the young warrior Scarletwinter. No one else had come out yet. Dewpaw wasn’t sure if she should go find her sister and Junebug or find them a place to sit in the clearing, so she hesitated by her den, feeling slightly unsure.

Words || 541
Ooc || Again, let me know if you need anything included into the meeting! andromeda || JOS || Christalclear || [:ripples:] || Scarlet || pear || sleeperworld
Tagged || [:ripples:] || Scarlet

[sleeperworld]

Flickerlight

Clan meetings always made Flickerlight anxious. It was one of those things he knew he had to attend even if he didn't want to. There were too many cats all gathered around for him to ever feel comfortable. Sure, these cat's were his clanmates, the cats he trusted with his life, and he fought to protect. That didn't mean he was comfortable sitting next to them.

He had just made his way in through the camp entrance when he heard Brackenstar's call. He begrudgingly made his way to everyone who was already gathered. Flickerlight knew sitting too far away would only draw more attention to himself. He was a slightly older warrior, meaning he had the right to sit a bit closer to everything, but he didn't want that either. Instead, he selected a place off to the side but still a little close in hopes of blending in with everyone. 

Unfortunately, Flickerlight's massive frame and long, unkempt fur made it impossible for him to ever just blend in, no matter how hard he tried. Even with his huge paws and bushy tail tucked in as far as they could go, and his stiff posture that he used to try and shrink himself down a bit, he was still very noticeable. He often wished he could have been cursed with being tiny like his sister was so he could be overlooked by everyone.

At least Flickerlight had been of some use today. He always volunteered for anything and everything his clanmates asked. Hunting, patrols, gathering moss, he wanted to do it all. Even if the task was gross or boring or not worth a warrior like himself doing it when someone else easily could, he still volunteered. After all his warrior duties were done for the day, Flickerlight sometimes went out at night and trained so he could make sure he was always at his prime and ready for anything.

Of course he was always tired from constantly overworking himself, but he never let that show. He actually liked being too busy and too overworked. The one thing he knew he could do was use his strength and endurance to help his clan. If he wasn't using his body to help, what use was he? On the plus side, if he spent all his time being busy he never had time to sit with his own thoughts. 

Flickerlight didn't move to talk with any of his clanmates, or groom himself, he just sat rigidly. His facial expressions were always so serious but his eyes were soft. As much as he didn't like sitting with everyone, he was interested to see what the clan meeting was about, and genuinely cared about his clan and the cats within it. While Flickerlight was not one to relax, he sat calmly, his ears pricked and ready to listen as he waited to hear what Brackenstar had to say.