A Shade Darker [o]

[Beast]

[Feel free to ignore the first paragraph. Just working on writing. I'm in a writing class so this is good practice ^w^]

The breeze swept across the plains, stirring the grass. They shifted back and forth in the wind, moving like little tails to a beat in which they could only hear. The heather scent filled the air, peat accompanying it until the only smell was an earthly smell. It rose and settled with the wind, shifting over the breeze. The roots of an upturned stump ripped up the ground, causing havoc in the otherwise flat plain. The gnarled roots looked like brown, knotted lightning, twisting and pushing into one another. The ground at the base smelled even earthier. It drifted and twisted across the plains as well, even fresher and clearer than the peat. Yet the scent of mice was loud near the upturned tree, a scent that could not be mistaken in a otherwise lifeless plain.

A smal light brown tom crouched near the stump, eyes focused on the prize inside. He could hear the mice scuffling around inside. His mouth watered with the promising taste of fresh-kill. He would soon have his catch. Soon. Anytime now. Soon. Very soon. Maybe now. The young tom was getting impatient but still never moved from his spot. Eventually, he gave up when he heard the mice stop shifting inside.

[Silverhawk]

Silverhawk was sweeping through the plains, two voles in his jaws. The river running through the edges of Rockclan had proven to have good hunting, even this late in the season. He'd left one of his pebbles behind as thanks for the meal in case any Rockclan warrior happened to catch his scent.

The silver-ticked Abyssinian was heading towards the tom he'd spotted on the plains. It was always interesting to stumble upon a stranger in the large territory ungoverned by the clans, regardless of what allegiance they held. For a time he simply sat at a distance and watched as eagerness turned into frustration. His smile grew all the while. Eventually when it seemed like the young tom had given up he approached, dropping his own catch at his feet. "Prey not biting?" He asked cheerfully. "Would you care for one of mine?"

[Beast]

Beast looked up in surprise as he watched the other cat approach. His surprise only grew as the other tom offered him prey. He hadn't expected any loners or rouges to willingly share prey. Beast had always been taught that nobody was going to look out for him except for himself. Though part of him was suspicious, he decided to trust this cat for the time being, as he had almost no choice. He hadn't eaten all day. Beast smiled a little at the stranger. "That sounds nice. Thank you," He said. "My name is Beast. Yourself?"

[Silverhawk]

Silverhawk sat and pushed one of the pieces of prey towards the tom. He kept one for himself but didn't start eating. There had been surprise in the youngster's eyes, which Silverhawk had expected. There wasn't a large sense of generosity amongst the rogues, something he intensely disliked.

"Silverhawk," he replied with a dip of his head. "Tell me Beast, do you like around here? Part of Deathclan maybe, or just a loner like myself?"

[Beast]

"I guess I'm part of DeathClan," Beast said in uncertainty. "It's more just like a large group of loners and rouges living together. It's...okay, I guess?" He admitted. The young tom was very small for his age, despite being about seven moons old. He was smaller than the other younglings that inhabited DeathClan. And despite his name, Beast was no beast. He had a decent personality. He didn't fit in with the stereotypical psychopathic cat anyone imagined when they thought of DeathClan.

[Silverhawk]

He'd heard rumors that Deathclan had ceased to function as a proper 'clan' of sorts, though they'd never really been one to begin with. "Only ok?" He asked. He generally tried not to pry into the affairs of others, but on this occasion he was bored and felt he was owed a few, considering he had fed Beast freely.

"Would you consider joining a real clan?" Silverhawk tried to keep the question as general as possible, not wanting to put too much hope in the simple phrase. Trying to rally potential clan cats out of loners was hard work.

[Beast]

"Well..." Beast said thoughtfully. "I guess I'm not against it. It would be nice to join other cats and have real friends. Not having to live inside an old Twoleg monster would be nice. That and not having to look behind my back every minute to see if someone is gonna spring on me. You can never tell in DeathClan. What Clan were you suggesting?"

[Silverhawk]

That news was surprising. Though, Silverhawk supposed it did sort of fit with the personality he'd seen in Beast so far. He seemed largely un-confrontational, but hopefully able to fight if the need was there. His points were fair ones. "It is exactly that safety and security I am looking for as well."

When Beast asked which clan he was thinking of Silverhawk hesitated. "My own clan, actually. A fifth one."

[Beast]

"A fifth one?" Beast asked, eyes widening. There was no doubt about it, he definitely was surprised. The idea of a fifth Clan among the four main ones was surprising. Yet he couldn't hide his excitement. "That sounds really cool, actually. What's the name of it? Or are you still figuring that out?"

He had to admit, he liked the idea of living in an actual Clan. DeathClan lived near a swamp. Some rules could be strict. And he was seen as a monster to cats he didn't even know. Maybe he could still follow an honest life, despite his past and his current situation.

[Silverhawk]

"That's right." Silverhawk nodded, his excitement growing as he spoke of the idea. Beast was the first one he'd shared the idea with, though it had been in planning for a long time. "Rockclan will soon be leaving their territory behind," he informed Beast. He had made sure of their quick departure by orchestrating the deaths of two of their warriors himself. "That land will then be free for the taking. That is where I plan to make my home."

He already had a good idea of what would happen after Rockclan had their rockslide. The mountain side would likely collapse, Iceclan's waterfall spilling down the cliffs to form a wide expanse of water. "We will be Lakeclan."

[Beast]

"LakeClan," Beast echoed. He had to admit, he was impressed. And the idea of starting a Clan from scratch was exciting. Invigorating. His tail was twitching and his fur was prickling with the excitement. They could build a Clan from scratch. A fresh new Clan. They could all take care of each other. He smiled. "I'm in." It sure didn't take a lot of convincing. It would be hard. Beast knew that. But he wasn't going to pass up this opportunity. This was a challenge, probably the challenge of his lifetime. But he wanted this. He could feel it in his bones. "Let's do it, Silverstar," He said with a grin.