Warriors RPG (V2)

[Hopeflower]

"Firestreak," Shadowstar meowed with a smile, nodding back as Swanfeather mewed her own greeting. "All quiet on the borders?"

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

Firestreak gave his chest fur a nervous lick. "All quiet, but...I'd like to speak with you about something," he meowed, gesturing to a spot not far away with his tail.

[Hopeflower]

Shadowstar cocked her head curiously and pushed herself up. "Alright, then." She turned to Swanfeather and mewed, "I'll come check on you again later." The tabby she-cat padded toward the spot Firestreak had indicated, gesturing for him to follow.

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

As the two cats went out of earshot, Firestreak slowed to a halt and sat with his tail wrapped around his paws. "We encountered a young rogue near the border with ShadowClan." The tom wasted no time in getting to the issue, looking very serious. "He was hunting in ThunderClan territory. Shadowsoul seemed to know him, and we," he chose his words carefully, not about to throw his friend to the wolves, "decided to let him go with a warning." Shortear was bound to talk about the incident; it was best the ThunderClan leader heard it from an unbiased source.

[C S]

The two loners were now underneath the stone arch, standing on the cool rocks smoothed by the wind over the countless years. Directly ahead of them was the threshold into the passage that waited for them. The ambient light entered the tunnel as a silvery shower that only reached but a few feet. Beyond this distance the light waned and darkness took hold. The cats could see much of the interior past this threshold, even a bit farther than where the light was permitted due to their excellent eyesight, but what they saw was not exactly inviting. A straight way of smooth stone cut at unnatural angles that led into all consuming darkness, it was a sight worthy of the stories the lone cats of the forest shared. This was not a place for the naive and ignorant to tread.

"Mothermouth," Ferallion stated.

"I expected to feel the wind coming out of it," Tiberium mewed, "but I don't feel anything..."

Ferallion grunted in agreement. "The air does not move inside. Even now I can smell the old scents on the floor and walls. They are records of those that passed through; those that overcame the darkness and those who became lost in it."

"Would explain how the stories spread, then," Tiberium noted offhandedly, staring into the passage with a sense of trepidation.

Ferallion grunted again. "I am reminded of the words of Wise-Cat, though."

Tiberium raised a brow and looked out of the corner of his eye to his brother. "It's been a while since you spoke about Wise-Cat."

"A figure of our past, Wise-Cat is. But the words imparted resonate for lifetimes," said the gray tom. "And Wise-Cat has spoken of seeing with more than the eyes, brother. Do you remember?"

Tiberium nodded.

"When not restrained by our eyes, there is nothing we cannot see, said Wise-Cat," Ferallion continued to say. "It is time for us to see with more than our eyes, brother. It is the only way to see the path in the dark."

"Mm," Tiberium replied, ruminating over Ferallion's words. "I suppose you have become the next Wise-Cat then," he commented.

Ferallion's coat quivered and twitched with the gray tom's mild annoyance. "Many that we have known are no longer with us, but we know nothing that should lead us to assume Wise-Cat is one of them," he growled.

"Right, right..." Tiberium replied, "sorry..."

"It is irrelevant. It does not matter what we see without our eyes if our minds are clouded," Ferallion said to shift Tiberium's attention back to the matter at paw. He knew of his brother's tendency to dwell on issues, a habit that has not diminished with age.

The white tom took a steadying breath and puffed his chest out. "You're right. We should not delay any longer."

Ferallion nodded and watched his brother step boldly forward into the tunnel. He followed with Tiberium being a few paces ahead, priming himself to be completely aware of his senses as he would on a hunt. His vision was quickly fading to black, but his ears were perked up and swiveling, listening to the silent language of the rocks. Surrounded by the stale air, his nose told him of the cats from years before who started in the exact same way as he and his brother, walking down the carved straight. His paw pads felt the prickly texture of the ground, and his whiskers felt the tiniest impulse from the air blown back at him by Tiberium's flicking tail, a constant indicator of his brother's presence.

With all of his senses working as one, he had a bubble of perception heading into the unknown reaches of Mothermouth. Though he could not see, he knew which direction the tunnel was leading them: down. It was gentle for the time being, but there was no denying it; the tunnel was dipping down into the depths of the rocks...

[Hopeflower]

Shadowstar fixed Firestreak with a slightly puzzled look, wondering why he was speaking so carefully about a fairly uneventful patrol. "I see," she mewed. "I take it there's more to it than that?" she added with a tilt of her head, watching him carefully for his reaction. One rogue seen off the territory without incident wouldn't normally be anything to worry about, unless there had been others scented nearby.

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

Firestreak blinked, a bit taken aback. "No, no...uh, that's it," he meowed awkwardly, shrinking away from the ThunderClan leader's gaze with flattened ears. "Shortear didn't really like letting him go without a scratch, but..." he trailed off, giving his chest a few nervous licks. He hadn't really anticipated such a relaxed response. After all, two former loners just let a rogue go-

Firestreak blinked again, his eyes widening at his own thoughts. Shadowstar didn't draw that conclusion, so why did he?

[Hopeflower]

"Ah, of course not." Shadowstar chuckled softly. "She's young yet. She'll learn that not everything needs to be solved with claws, eventually...I would hope seeing how the situation was handled will help teach her that." Taking in his body language and change of expression, she mewed more gently, "Is everything else alright?"

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

Firestreak took a deep breath, straightened, and nodded. "I'm sorry, Shadowstar. I guess I was just making a mountain out of a molehill," he meowed, silently stifling his own doubts. Call it leftover loner tendencies, but the young tom wasn't about to share his anxieties. He was a warrior of ThunderClan; if he was willing to doubt his own loyalty, how could he expect the others to be any different?

[Hopeflower]

The tabby leader gave Firestreak a reassuring smile. "It's alright, Firestreak. Don't be afraid to tell Falconflight or I about things like that - or anything else," she meowed. "It's our place to know what goes on." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her deputy finally literally drag a protesting Mapleleaf out of the den by the scruff and give the younger warrior a thorough scolding for keeping them waiting, judging from the sulky look on the brown she-cat's face.

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

"Thanks. I'll remember that," Firestreak replied with a flick of his tail, returning the smile.

[Hopeflower]

Shadowstar flicked Firestreak's shoulder with her tail in a friendly way and mewed, "If there's nothing else, I'm needed for a hunting patrol. Mustn't keep them waiting." Any longer, she added silently.

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

"Right. Good luck," Firestreak meowed quickly as he got to his paws. He had scarcely noticed his surroundings since the two had begun talking, and felt as though he had awoken from a dream.

[C S]

It was when the two cats ventured much further into Mothermouth did the difficulty of their undertaking become much more apparent. The confining walls were spreading apart, broadening the deeper they went. Noticing this change, Tiberium stopped walking. Ferallion, detecting this sudden shift from pattern, stopped as well.

"What's happened?" the gray tom mewed, ears pricking at the way his voice traveled among the rocks. There was a slight echo, meaning this area was larger than the tunnel's entrance.

"Nothing... it's just that-" Tiberium began to say, but by then Ferallion had already figured out the matter.

"There is much here that we do not know of," Ferallion growled. He turned his head to and fro, though he could not make out any shapes. His ears swiveled about, tracing the contours of the tunnel with his own voice. "I can see why cats are advised to stay away from this place... which I suppose is better than not being able to see anything."

Tiberium chuckled weakly, unsure as to whether or not his brother intended to make a joke or not. He pointed his nose upwards and started to scent the stale air, trying to discern the trails of their predecessors from the stone and dust. For all his effort, he ended up sneezing many times, rolling his head from side to side with each sneeze.

"Mm," Ferallion hummed. He turned an ear one last time before nodding. "I can say for certain now: there are other tunnels here."

"Great," Tiberium replied, rubbing his nose with a paw, "then there's a good chance we wandered down the wrong one long ago..."

"It is not too late for us to turn back," Ferallion suggested. "Our scents are still fresh... relative to everything else." He paused and rolled his eyes from one side to the other. "But then again," he began to say, "if cats could use their own scents to find their way back out they would not get lost, now would they?"

Tiberium raised a brow at his brother's words. He made sense... yet didn't at the same time. "That... would mean the trail changes without any wind."

"And the wind outside Mothermouth blows away from its entrance," Ferallion stated. "But that would mean that we should not be able to breathe down here."

Tiberium's eyes widened in the dark. There was air coming from somewhere. Perhaps not strong enough to immediately feel but enough to gradually alter a scent trail. He thought about brave souls who found themselves in a maze because of a shadowy presence that twisted and scattered their scents the deeper they went, threading them down the wrong passages and corridors.The scents were stale... but far from static. There was another opening somewhere, and Tiberium felt that he and his brother's destination would share the same location as it.

"It is the only way to see the path in the dark."

The white tom closed his eyes and focused himself. He wanted to feel the fur that hung from his body, to become aware of each individual strand. He raised his head so that his whiskers could reach out to catch the currents of air that were undoubtedly running past them. Perhaps, failing that, they would reach beyond the material and into the realm of the silvery spirits, where they may draw the pull of the aether.

Ferallion was silent behind him, and by his intuition Tiberium knew his brother was entering the same mindset, or even more likely, the gray tom had surpassed him and was already enjoying the benefits of ascended awareness. Ferallion was far more adept in matters of the self, Tiberium knew. Be it a result of his reserved personality, or some knowledge gained from Wise-Cat, the gray tom's mind was an enigma that was better left unquestioned for the most part.

Tiberium's eyes shot open. He felt it. Even more than that, he smelled it. The smell of moisture wafting on a barely perceptible draft. "Ferallion... tell that isn't my imagination..."

"The path seen without the eyes. Lead on and I shall follow."

Spurred on by this, with an anxiousness he associated with his kit years, Tiberium walked on in the direction of the draft. It wasn't long until he felt his surroundings grow somewhat damp, noting the glistening dew on the walls in spite of the apparent absence of light.

It would not be much longer until they found what they came for... whatever it may be.

[The Kingpin]

Shadowsoul meanwhile had been drawn by the commotion outside the Warriors' Den, the tom pacing towards the two cats outside, though not exactly doing so with any rush. The sight of Falconflight giving Mapleleaf a mouthful was an unusual, though, considering the latter seemed to have just woken up, completely justified one. He contemplated joining the Hunting Patrol, but he sensed that they had already assembled everyone they needed...

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

Firestreak could hear his stomach growling as he left Shadowstar to her business. The young tom eyed the fresh-kill pile hungrily, his tail betraying his attempts to stifle the urge with a twitch. Spying Shadowsoul near the edge of the unfolding scene outside the warrior's den, he padded over expectantly, thankful for the opportunity to forget his earlier troubles.

"Up for a bite to eat?" he asked as he approached, casting a sideways glance at Falconflight and Mapleleaf.

[The Kingpin]

"Can't say I'd mind" growled Wraith with a smile as he changed direction towards the freshkill pile. "How did the report go? I noted Falconflight leaving Shadowstar's company when you arrived" he added thoughtfully...

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

Firestreak stifled a grimace, thrust back into his own insecurities. "It went well," he replied with a nod - and he wasn't lying about that. The orange and white warrior followed his companion to the fresh-kill pile, his eyes already locked on a pleasant-looking thrush.

[The Kingpin]

"Good" growled the black tom calmly, his eyes set on a rather plump looking vole, which he quickly sank his claws into and pulled it back from the rest of the pile, before digging into the meal quietly...

[Turbo Tyrannophonic]

"The next Gathering shouldn't be too far away, I think," Firestreak mewed through a mouthful of thrush, the bird tucked between his paws as he tried to change the subject.