fallen from grace [o]

[acez]

- - onefang

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He was awake and ready to go. A little stiff in the joints, but slowly, Onefang got to his paws. He sat, debating if should get an apprentice to clean his den, or he should do it himself. He sighed, raising his shoulder to scratched behind his ear. After moons and moons of experience, Onefang had learned that if he tried to use his one back leg, at this point in time so early in the morning, he would only end up toppling. And it's not like his right leg could reach his left ear. With his scratch not fully satisfied, Onefang pushed himself up wards, before walking out of the den into the camp. A little past dawn, it could be officially called morning. A few called greetings to the elderly cat and some nodded in his general direction in which the tom replied with a gruff growl. He wasn't anything worth talking to without something in his stomach.

One paw, then the other which was followed by a little hop from the one leg in the back. This was a pattern that Onefang had implanted into his brain, he often did this pattern in his sleep. He growled under his breath as a young apprentice scrambled past him, threatening to run over his tail. He turned on the young one who had stopped to converse with his mentor. Watch where your'e going you mousebrain! He snapped, whiskers twitching as he pulled his shabby, scarred tail closer to his body. Without even bothering to continue with rattling, Onefang continued to his goal to the kill pile. He hissed every once in a while, as he tried to dodge the scattered puddles of camp. Once there, he bent down to pull a plump shrew from the fresh-kill pile before pulling it aside to sniff the pile itself. Everything smelled nice, but his senses were sharper than ever in his age, and he detected something rank. He continued to search, sniffing delicately when a young kit came along, ready to pull a robin wedged between a mouse and crow when Onefang bared his teeth in a hiss. Don't touch that! He hissed, his sudden outburst of anger sending the kit scrambling. Lifting a wing with his paw, he saw the smallest hint of maggots. Crowfood. He spat, picking the robin with his teeth before hobbling off to bury it in soil away from camp.

It took longer than the older one wanted to spend, but if the kit had eaten the bird, then he would surely be sick and no one would know the cause. And Onefang hated to waste herbs when everything could avoided in the first place. Once he had trudged back into camp he had found his meal gone and curled his lips back, revealing the one fang that earned him his name chipped and ragged. Sighing, he picked a mouse, slightly skinny before turning to seek refuge in front of the medicine den, curling his tail tight around the stump that used to be his left leg. He twitched his nose once before slowly starting to his mouse, content with watching the other cats race around in preparence of the day.[/blockquote][/size]

[Maple]

[ooc: jeez haven't roleplayed in a while >______>;;]
Slowly, Owlstar became aware that it was sometime shortly after dawn, but not yet day. She shivered and curled up in her nest, staring out into the camp from the entrance to her den. She didn't want to start the day yet.

Few warriors stirred - the dawn patrol would be heading out, she thought. The camp was peacefully silent, the faint sounds of sleeping warriors reaching the leader's large ears. As she watched, she saw the medicine cat, Onefang, wander into her sight and out again.

A brief hissing broke the quiet morning, and Owlstar purred. Leave it to a kit to catch a cranky medicine cat in a foul mood. It didn't seem as though Onefang was happy anymore - his duties as a medicine cat had left him lonely and without a mate. Living in the medicine cat's den must be as lonely as living in her own den. Except Owlstar was free to pursue a love life, if she chose to, while Onefang had never been able to. A pang of pity shot through Owlstar before she stomped it out.

"We all have our duties, and he chose his. Pity would not help the situation," she muttered to herself, stretching and sauntering out of her den to greet the day.


As she wasn't very hungry, Owlstar walked over to Onefang and sat down next to him, curling her long tail around her paws and blinking at him with her wide orange eyes.

"Good morning," she meowed quietly, dark ears twitching.

[acez]

- - one fang

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Hopefully the warriors would come back with some kill. With a cautious eye, he could see a few stir around, almost confused on what to do next. today's generation.[/color] He mumbled, letting his chin rest on his one paw. He remembered when he was a warrior. He spent every waking moment hunting and patrolling, and now, look at him. He had fallen from grace.

It was almost painful to remember. He wasn't well-liked, but he was respected, and when he was many moons younger, he had hoped to be deputy, leader even. And he had always fancied the heart of a she-cat called Rosetail. But she had a mate and kits now, and he was stuck in a duty that he had taken over for his brother's sake. Which reminded him that he needed to grab some marigold this morning, and some catmint as well.

With a grunt, his ears twitched and his head turned to see none other than the prescience of Owlstar. You would think in his position, he would be on better standings with leaders and deputies, but at his age, he had seen countless of cats come and go, leaders and deputies, warriors of young and old. This was just another cat he would see. What's so good about it?[/color] He snapped, before wriggling back into a sitting position, turning an eye to his leader. He was giving her the once over, seeing if she had problems, scars, anything that would need herbs. So far, he had found none, but he wouldn't past himself to think she was hiding something. Or perhaps, he was getting paranoid.

His anger was an effort that he didn't have the energy to keep, so Onefang gave a sigh, and drooped slightly. although compared to some, it is a nice morning.[/color] He reluctantly agreed, settling into a laying position once more.[/size][/blockquote]

[Maple]

Owlstar blinked at the medicine cat’s sour tone. She knew that he was probably the crankiest cat she had ever met. That didn't mean she did not respect him though - he had led a life not so different from hers, but they still had their own respective lives. She would forever feel as though there was more to life than this, but she couldn't quite place her paw on what it was.

Owlstar's ears flicked back for a moment. She wasn't quite sure what to say to the old medicine cat. She was getting older, but she felt as though she were a newborn kit in the nursery when speaking to him.

"I say it is a good morning because the prey is running and there are no serious injuries or recent deaths that we need to worry about," Owlstar meowed slowly, hoping she chose her words wisely. She did not want to be on bad terms with the medicine cat; they were on somewhat shaky ground as it was.

Again, she felt sorry for the tom. He seemed lonely.

"I came to ask you, will you be taking an apprentice soon?" she asked quietly. "I'd hate to see us go without a cat being trained under your expertise."

She admired the old multicolored tomcat. He was a constant reminder of how fierce a warrior should be, although he lacked the patience and good humor she would have expected out of her warriors. But he was the medicine cat and had a different view of the world than she did. Not too different, but he spoke to their ancestors more than she could ever dream of. For that, she respected him.

"I don't mean it as though you need any help, but it would be wonderful to see a young cat following in your paw steps," she added, raising her eyes to look at the sky. "I do feel as though troubled times may be ahead. We've had a long rest. I believe times are changing. Can you feel it?"

After she spoke, she wondered if it was wise to confide in the old medicine cat. She shook the feeling off. He wasn't a warrior or young apprentice that might blab at a Gathering - he was the medicine cat.

[acez]

- - onefang

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He twitched his ears, listening. She did have a point. He was running around with herbs in his mouth, hoping to heal a cat. He could sleep in peace, knowing that the camp would not be attacked. Yes, it was rather nice. But leave it up to a pessimistic old tom to ruin it. He merely nodded in agreement, a little reluctantly.

He gave his chest a lick, ear flickering. Turning his head, he blinked once slowly before sighing, clearly exsperated. Kits these days, all want to be warriors. A life of a warrior, it's lively, adventurous, with promise of leadership and other ranks.[/color] he coughed the words out, spitting once on the ground. A medicine cat's life is a lonely one, and a hard one. Who wants to be a mere healer when you can be so much more?[/color] He was blind, he was crippled, but he wasn't deaf. He could hear the words kits and apprentices tossed around so carefully. He was a bitter, senile old tom-cat, who would want a mentor like that? Let's all be warriors and tumble around to catch under the paws of people who actually had responsiblities.

He watched them now, just playing with some old moss ball. Besides, there isn't a cat here that seems to show any interest in what I do. Better to have no apprentice, than a shirking one. [/color] He finished his little, what could be rant, and settled to lick his only paw. But Owlstar had a point. He needed an apprentice. He was getting old, he could feel it in his joints, and the tip of his teeth. It caused him a lot of effort to go into the forest, and not all warriors were willing to assist the medicine cat. An apprentice would be nice.

He listened to Owlstar again, and twitched his ears upwards, mimicking shock. Yes, i've felt it too. Just the briefest of chills down my spine, and the hint of blood on whiskers.[/color] Waking up and going to sleep, he felt it. Chills in the morning and Owlstar had a point, they had basically been resting up. Picking daisies while danger edged forward. He wanted to be reassured, but he couldn't help but have some disbelief in StarClan. He still believed of course, he had touched noses with Rushingbrook, and managed to see the shining eyes of his adopted mother. But he had long since given up believing that they meant well. He rubbed elbows with them now, only for the sake his clan.

How do you think we should prepare for the upcoming troubles?[/color] Yes, let the leader and old man trade secrets and ideas, who knows? It may be the last conversation they ever have. Danger, death, plague, even famine. They were mysterious things, waiting in the shadows to strike at the times when everyone's gaurd is lowered.[/size][/blockquote]

[Maple]

Owlstar's whiskers twitched and the dark fur along her spine bristled as she thought over his words and tried to come up with a response. So she hadn't been the only one to feel as though something was shifting.

The change was like sand shifting beneath her paws, or the wind blowing the leaves high in the tress. She could watch but she couldn't do anything but that, watch and wait to see what would happen.

Instead of replying, she slowly examined the clearing, listening for the soft breathing of warriors that had yet to wake to start their days. He was right.. no one wanted to become a medicine cat. That they knew of... Every kit dreamed of being the best warrior, dreamed of fighting countless enemies and being the center of attention. A war hero, that's what they wanted to be.

Owlstar cocked her head and blinked her large owl-like eyes at her medicine cat.

"Can we truly prepare for something that we know nothing about?" she asked, tail-tip twitching. "What shall we do, send our warriors on extra patrols, stock your den until it's overflowing, and not tell everyone that we feel as though something strange is happening, or about to happen? You haven't had any dreams, no signs. The Clan wouldn't believe us without solid proof," she muttered, jerking her head sideways and flattening her ears.

[acez]

- - onefang

He waited patiently, thick tail flicking behind him in time to a hidden song. His mind clicking and turning like clockwork. Of course, the leader was young, inexperienced to the ways of trouble. New to the ways and riddles of StarClan, which in truth, Onefang hated, being blunt and serious as he was. Not only that, being old he knew the roads and paths to StarClan, and had those few important connections that made any information that came his way, easier to understand.

Of course, the previous leader had chosen Owlstar as his successor, so Onefang was not in the place to judge. If the previous leader truly believed that Owlstar was going to be the successful leader, than Onefang would reluctantly agree. Besides, Onefang wasn't much for politics. He was a healer, not a politician.

No, of course not. But there is nothing wrong with caution, for self-preparedness.

[/color] He mewed calmly, nodding in thought. It would do no harm to ask the hunting patrols for more feed, and there is nothing with a brief prediction of a harsh winter.[/color] A cunning smile appeared on the tom's face, lighting his eye up with youth, appearing so much younger than he actually was. Sniffing the air, his whiskers twitched as he watched a warrior come into camp, dropping prey.

I am not well-liked, perhaps hated even. But they know I am the best of the best. If I so predict a harsh winter, they will pick up their tails to help the clan. Besides, you are their leader. They trust you.[/color] He said evenly, his tail stopping it's snake like curves and curling around his body once more. [/size][/blockquote]