R I S E. [open]

[moonshadow]

    Moonshadow.
^{----- please give me the strength to be the truth ----------------------------------------}

It was calm tonight. Winds were weak, barely making the tall grass of the moorland sway as they usually did at this hour. However, the night was not completely silent... a rustling in the grass proved it. But as soon as the rustling had rung out, it stopped, and everything, was once again calm.

Moonshadow had spotted some prey not too far from him. One lonesome rabbit, out much too late to be safe from his claws. Most of the fat rodents would be asleep by now, but for some reason, this one wasn't... which was all as well for the WindClan deputy, who had just happened to be wandering about.

Thinking about what he was going to do, Moonshadow kept still, but his muscles were tensed in case he had to make a run for it. Finally, an idea formed within his head, and he stepped forward on silent paws, creeping towards the unsuspecting rabbit. He was completely hidden by the tall grass, but since the wind was not blowing hard, he had to be more careful about masking his sound....

Now wait, he told himself as he came in range to leap out at the piece of prey. All was quiet except for the rodent munching away on vegetation and Moonshadow's quiet breathing. His heartbeat rang in his ears as he awaited the perfect moment to strike....

And then, like a blessing, a much bigger gust of wind picked up. Moonshadow didn't waste his chance. Immediately, he sprang forward from behind the rabbit, who did not hear him over the howl of the wind, and landed on it, biting down into its neck for a quick ending to its life.

All it takes is the right strategy, Moonshadow thought as he picked up his prize. Yes, this would make a good addition to the prey pile. It would be good to have something ready for the cats that got up early for patrol among other things. Surely, someone would appreciate this catch more then he could.

The wind picked up again, this time blowing the scents of other Clanmates towards Moonshadow. Someone else was out on this surprisingly tranquil night, but who? Were they getting a head start on hunting too?

[spiritwind]

the elegant she-cat had just walked out of camp on an akward but calming chat with her medicine cat, ashheart, and as planned, went out for a walk, and mayb a little hunt on the morrlands of windclan territory. breezy mornings were her favorite, along with the few clouds blocking some of the silverpelt in the navy sky. stars seeming to blink down to her, she though of her father. usually she was good at hiding her emotions, she couldn't help but to shed a tear. in his honor of coarse. for it was him that took her in as a kit, and made sure she had the vest life he could possibly provide for her.

whiping the tear from below her eye with her skinny, but lean paw, she padded on, the wind blowing her scent onto the moor. she didn't care, her mood wasn't set for hunting yet.

wondering if there were any other cats, windclan or not, on the moor, she tipped her head back to sniff the wind that had just changed it's coarse in a unexpected swift gale. another windclan cat! who is it though? to her, all windclan cats smelled the same of breeze, rabbit, and fear. except for her, she wasn't a skittish cat like the bunch of them. yet again, she hadn't really met or interacted with most of them either.

walking towards the smell of her 'relative', she cast another look and only found the silhouette of the cat. she wondered if it knew she was there, but saw the flash of its refelctive eyes. yellow. who had yellow eyes in windclan? well, there was only one way to find out...

[moonshadow]

    Moonshadow.
^{----- please give me the strength to be the truth ----------------------------------------}

Moonshadow blinked, the footsteps ringing out behind him. Ah, how dumb he must look as the Deputy of the Clan, searching in the wrong direction for a Clanmate that was directly at his backside. He smiled though as he turned around, his eyes catching the faint light of the stars as they flashed in his nighttime companion's direction. Ah, Spiritwind. The deputy gave his calm, charming smile to the she-cat and sat down, "Hello. Pleasant night isn't it?"

But things were far from pleasant back at camp. Moonshadow was in a tight situation right now, being the Deputy but having no Leader. He had refused to take on the role he was supposed to after Spottedstar died. No - he couldn't. He was a non-believer. But not a soul, save his brother, Rustleheart, knew of his odd beliefs. All they knew was that Moonshdow was their Deputy and not to question him.

Though the Clan was beginning to grow restless. He'd have to make a decision soon about what to do next. Thankfully though, away from the Campgrounds, Moonshadow felt an absence of the stress in his life. In fact, he was happy to have company whereas on a normal day he preferred to be alone. "Couldn't sleep? Out for a stroll?" He cast his gaze to the stars, narrowing his eyes at them. "StarClan shines bright tonight."

[spiritwind]

__________________ moonshadow? that sounded like him. she padded closer, seeing the figure sit down and speak out to her. "hello. pleasant night isn't it?" well, i guess you could say that. she did have a more calm and peacful night than she had in moons, with their leader passing and all. coming closer and sitting infront of him with he long, lean tail wrapped tightly around her forepaws. she nodded, almost knowing he would ask another question. she was right. just as the wind picked up, she mewed her answer, somewhat affraid someone would over hear. "i slept in today, so i still have energy that was supposed to be used, but i wasn't needed on any patrols." now there was her old self! she spoke in a bitterish tone, now coming to the point where she was getting tired, even though she had a lazy day. feeling a burst in her chest, she lashed her tail out, liking the slightly breezy night. __________________ spiritwind sees; hears; thinks; "speaks" word count; 161 tags: moonshadow comments: sorry it's so short, i don't have much muse right now... __________________

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[moonshadow]

    Moonshadow.
^{----- please give me the strength to be the truth ----------------------------------------}

He gave a small smile to the senior warrior. Spiritwind was faithful as anything, a strong female, a real icon of WindClan. He had been the same way, that is, until this whole... leader business came up. Moonshadow winced at the stray thought, the weight of the situation threatening to flatten him into the ground at any moment.

He flexed out his claws and dug them into the ground for a moment, trying to let go of some of his stress before he spoke again. The last thing he wanted to do was lose it under pressure. He had to at least show the Clan he was strong while he was acting as Leader without... really being the Leader.

"You're an honorable Warrior, Spiritwind. I have thought about sending out a night time hunting patrol. It's a whole different world out here and I'm sure the elders would not mind having a bite to eat right when the morning starts..."

ooc; sorry for the long wait ;A;''