They're Already Dead / private

[Stream]

Stream padded through DeathClan territory, his paws leading him toward the swamp. The usually warm ground was mushy and cold, making his paws feel like ice. The snow had made everything so cold, and the blue cat did not like that one bit. His yellow gaze caught site of a familiar pelt. He turned his head, dipping his head. "Good morning, @drought. How fairs your day?" he asked. For some reason, the leader had known him before he joined DeathClan. But, he couldn't exactly remember how. All he knew was that the tom was extremely familiar. He knew he knew the cat in the back of his mind.

[Deleted]

Drought had been hunting in the swamp that morning, but he promptly abandoned the scent trail he'd been following when he caught sight of an old friend. The patched tom grinned and waved his tail in greeting. "Stream, good to see you again." He made his way over to the younger cat, hopping from rock to rock as he crossed a particularly deep section of marsh.

"I'd say I'm doing fairly well. How about you? Got into any good fights lately?" It took him a few more moments, but the DeathClan leader eventually reached Stream and sat down with a quiet purr.

It was a shame that the grey cat seemed to have suffered some sort of memory loss, but good to see that he was still alive and well. At least this kitty hadn't turned into a vulture snack quite yet.

[Stream]

Drought always seemed a bit happier when he was around Stream. He never really noticed the tom smiling or purring to other cats. This was the big bad leader of DeathClan, the most feared clan in the forest. Maybe it has to do with something I did in the past.

"I'm fine, thank you. I wouldn't say that I have gotten into fights. More rather had a few kits here and there. I plan on meeting them, maybe even having them tell me a few secrets about the clans. That's the only bad thing, though." he meowed, rolling his eyes with a small sigh. "Hopefully the clans haven't corrupted them."

The blue cat lifted a wet paw, scowling at it. Stream's yellow gaze turned back to the leader. "Have you gotten into any fights? It seems like someone always wants to pick a fight with you. That or kiss up to you."

[Deleted]

Well, that was unexpected. Not that Drought hadn't had kits of his own - on the contrary, his offspring were practically everywhere. "Don't get your hopes up," the leader sighed. "Any cat who grows up with a bunch of CloudClan-worshippers is bound to have their mind rotted by all that nonsense." He'd seen it happen himself. Take Skylight, for example - a promising young kitten had grown up into a dumb warrior who blindly followed the Clans' code. Truly heartbreaking.

"I've had more than my fair share of fights, naturally. Sometimes they're grudge matches, other times they're just to test the skills of the newer recruits. It seems that too many of them are as soft as kittypets."

[Stream]

Stream grunted. He was almost positive that his children were going to be corrupt. It was awful to think about. But, Drought talked about fighting, and something familiar popped into his head.

"... Drought? Did you fight me once?" he asked, his voice soft. "I have a strange thought that you did."

[Deleted]

He hesitated at that. At first he was confused - why would he have attacked Stream? But then a hazy memory worked its way into Drought's mind. Stream had fled, and the patched tom had found him at Strike's den when he'd gone to launch an attack on the she-cat. The entire chain of events was fuzzy, yet still there.

"I think so. For some reason, I can't remember it very well - and I haven't the faintest idea why I would want to fight you anyway." Did this mean that Stream's amnesia was starting to fade?

[Stream]

Stream blinked. "You did?" The blue cat tilted his head. "What about before then. Were we allies?"

[Deleted]

"We've been allies for seasons. I couldn't begin to count if I tried," Drought stated. He couldn't remember whether one or both of them had been younglings when they'd met, but he did know that he hadn't even been notorious back then. The patched tom's reputation had been built over countless moons. And it wasn't like he had a compulsion to be violent or anything; Drought just acted as the circumstances dictated. It helped that he'd developed an uncanny skill with his teeth and claws.

"Do you really not remember all the time we spent together…?"

[Stream]

Allies for seasons ... The blue-colored cat blinked, his gaze on his paws. He was thinking so hard, the wheels in his mind turning, as he tried to remember what happened before he returned to DeathClan. "I ... I think I do. It's blurry. I don't know. I don't even know how I forgot." Stream looked up, tilting his head. "Am I really older than I look?"

[Deleted]

He nodded slowly. "Yes. I can't explain it, but you look younger than you did before disappearing for all those moons. Been getting in shape, huh?" Drought joked with a smirk. He really had no idea what had happened in regards to that. On the other paw, being in charge of DeathClan seemed to be causing him to age faster. It wasn't all butterflies and rainbows; having all that responsibility was hard work. Especially when half of his subordinates were complete idiots.

[Stream]

Stream scowled at Drought, flicking his ear with slight irritation. "Ha, ha. Very funny." THe blue-gray tom looked at his paws as they were delved into silence. His eyes studied his paws while he pondered how he could have forgotten this information. He had been allied with the DeathClan leader, the Drought, before he was a leader? I am glad I got on his good side before now. "I think that I remember a few things. I remember a fight, the one I mentioned that we had, I remember knowing you before, and I remember this one cat. What's her name ... oh! Sirens. I'm not sure how I know her. Does that name ring a bell?"

[Deleted]

| Wow, do I need to catch up on Drought's threads… |

Drought let out a quiet sigh at Stream's response. There might've once been a day when the grey cat would laugh at his halfhearted little jokes. Things certainly had changed - and maybe not for the better.

"Hmm… Sirens? Possibly. I don't believe we've met, but I have heard the name around DeathClan at one point. That was an awfully long time ago. Back before Thicket and I were almost the only ones left in this forest. Then I came to power, and gathered a fresh group of followers. So much has happened since those days. For Darkpool's sake, I believe that was during the previous newleaf…"

[Stream]

Stream blinked. Was I gone for that long ..? He couldn't remember a time when DeathClan wasn't busy. The blue-gray cat stared at the black and white one before sighing, a tiny smile on his face as his yellow gaze traveled to his paws. "You are talking like you are old. I'd prefer if you wouldn't. It makes it sound like you will die. Though, I know you won't go down without a fight." The tom shrugged. "Maybe. But, I feel like a lot of these younglings don't understand that DeathClan isn't just about bloodshed. It's a great part, yes, but not the whole reason we are banned together."

[Deleted]

"Perhaps I am old. I've seen a few of those 'senior warriors' in the Clans, and some are younger than me. But that doesn't mean I've forgotten how to use my claws or lead this ragtag bunch." Several tiny flecks of grey could be seen on his pelt - a reminder that he was not immune to aging. And he didn't have nine lives to help him through the challenges that might lie ahead.

Drought dismissed the thought. There was nothing to worry about yet. "Then they need to learn, and quickly. There is no place in DeathClan for the weak." He'd repeated that phrase many times recently; it was apparently something that his Clan needed to be reminded of.

[Stream]

Stream gave a small snort, more like laughter that irritance. The blue colored cat listened before nodding. "It's a cat eat cat world. Have any weak cats joined recently? Like kittypets or the soft clanners?" he questioned, tilting his head at the patched tom.