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Post by Natalia on May 14, 2017 10:17:59 GMT -6
Natalia had been laying low. For a long while now. She'd made an extra strong effort to avoid anyone else. She'd... Needed some time alone to sort out and her feelings and such. She wasn't okay, but she wasn't really... Unstable anymore.
She took a deep breath, from where she was curled up against a tree. Then she forced herself onto her paws and moved around the tree and immediately crashed into somehow.
She hissed sharply in response, and immediately snapping at the offender. "Are you blind?!"
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Post by Belladonna on May 14, 2017 11:02:14 GMT -6
"No," Belladonna responded coolly, regarding Natalia with a neutral gaze. "You were standing on the other side of a tree, and I can't see through things."
She could scent only DeathClan on the scarred she-cat, meaning that this cat had been here for quite some time, and judging by the scars on her pelt, she was very experienced as well. Bella wondered if this she-cat happened to know Pain, and if so, if she would be willing to help find him so that Bella could finally overthrow the current leader.
Belladonna's own head was ringing, and she imagined that this she-cat must be in pain from the collision as well. "Are you alright?" She asked, licking her mussed chest fur.
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Post by Natalia on May 14, 2017 11:05:56 GMT -6
Natalia forced her fur to lie flat, flattening her ears. "... Tch." Came her only response, glaring at the other she-cat. This cat... Faintly smelled of Iceclan. A thread of irritation rustled her fur again.
She wasn't sure what the scars over the right side of her face were all about, nor did she find herself caring particularly much. Just another cat who came to Deathclan for any of a list of standard reasons. Why a clanner would come to Deathclan, was a little more interesting but... Not enough to keep her attention for too long. Pain was boring and he'd been a clanner once.
"... What do you care..." She muttered, staring at the ground. Her head was also ringing, but she wasn't a stranger to pain. Physical or emotional, so she pushed it aside.
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Post by Belladonna on May 14, 2017 11:20:34 GMT -6
Belladonna watching the odd she-cat curiously, wondering what was going on in her head. The ginger tabby seemed to be both frustrated and disinterested with Bella, and there had to be some exterior reason since no cat was that prickly without good reason.
"Well, even if it was on accident, I did run into you." She explained herself calmly, her icy eyes glinting. Despite having lived in DeathClan for several moons, Belladonna knew she still carried faint IceClan scent, and she wondered if the other she-cat had smelled it on her. Maybe that's why she was being so callous. "I don't particularly care about you, but it'd be rude of me not to ask."
This cat could be of use to her, and Belladonna wasn't about to let the opportunity slip away. "I'm Belladonna." She mewed, introducing herself.
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Post by Natalia on May 14, 2017 11:29:23 GMT -6
Natalia didn't like the way this... Belladonna was looking at her. She figured this she-cat changed her name. At least she had better taste than the current leader of Deathclan. She was still angry with him, whatever sort of relationship they might've had before, long gone.
She growled lightly. "Then just be rude." The she-cat wasn't ever in the mood, and especially not nowadays, for anyone's sugarcoated lies. She'd rather someone insult her if they didn't like her. At least she'd know where she stood in the eyes of others. Of course, it was hard to lie to the red-furred tabby. She tended to notice all those things cats tried to hide, yet gave away in little, subtle ways.
"... Nat." She gave her name reluctantly, giving herself a nickname. Jude always called her by her full name and she just... Needed something to change.
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Post by Belladonna on May 14, 2017 11:45:00 GMT -6
"I think manners are important." Belladonna responded. She couldn't say if she'd always felt that way, but she certainly did for all the time she could remember. Politeness helped get more cats on her side, and while fear worked fairly well, fear was temporary, and it wouldn't stop anyone from killing Bella in her sleep.
She flicked her tail as she continued to speak. "Of course, if there comes a point where I have to abandon civility in favor of using my teeth and claws, then that's fine too. I'm just a bit tired of useless bickering. If DeathClan cats spent as much time fighting the clans as we did fighting each other, then we'd have already taken all four clans over long ago."
"Don't you agree?" She tilted her head. Bella was not only interested in Nat for her own personal gain, she was starting to grow genuinely curious about the she-cat. Nat radiated a sense of danger, which Belladonna was naturally drawn to.
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Post by Natalia on May 14, 2017 15:20:06 GMT -6
Natalia growled lightly. "I've never cared for pleasantries." It was true. Even before... Everything, she'd been a rather blunt cat, whether she meant to be insulting or not. It had only escalated when time had gone on, gaining more and more reasons why she disliked politeness. She imagined Belladonna was one of those cats who used courtesy as an unseen blade.
She huffed. "Deathclan is full of bratty kids. Most of the recruits are orphans with nowhere else to go, and find Deathclan alluring. It'd take a little more than unity and cooperation to take down the clans." She argued. She didn't really feel like talking about her irritation with politeness, and Belladonna by association. Besides, she honestly... Cared less about conquering the clans. She'd gladly take part in any attack on them, but less because of a personal vendetta and more out of loyalty to Deathclan in general.
She snorted. "Besides. Haven't you noticed? The kind of cats who've been coming to Deathclan lately are more likely to get themselves killed than murder someone else."
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Post by Belladonna on May 14, 2017 15:42:51 GMT -6
"Not that I would know, but I heard things used to be different. Apparently things really fell apart after what's-his-name, Drought, died." Bella commented quietly. If Nat had been around during those times, now would be the time for her to speak up about it.
Agreeing with what the ginger tabby had to say, Belladonna nodded along. "Even if we don't take those sky-worshipers over, there's still a lot to be done. DeathClan at least needs to be feared again. I didn't come here because I wanted to be a part of a joke."
Belladonna wondered if Nat had any desires for leadership. Probably not, she seemed like a fairly solitary cat, but that didn't mean there wasn't more to her story. "I think it all comes down to who's in charge. I've never even seen this 'Pain'.. What kind of leader is that?"
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Post by Natalia on May 14, 2017 15:57:06 GMT -6
Natalia's tail gently swayed behind her. "Yeah. I never knew what kind of cat Drought was, but I heard his reign were the good ol' days or something." She confirmed. Since then, Deathclan's reputation had taken a steady decline into the slums.
She shrugged. "You seem like that sort of cat." She agreed. "Deathclan is little more than an orphanage nowadays, honestly." She seemed to consider an idea, tilting her head. "Though, I suppose that says nothing for the potential hiding in said orphans. They might be kids, but they can learn." She said off-handedly, not sounding too interested, but the suggestion was there.
"... Eh. He'd probably kill me if I told you this, but I can tell you about him. Pain won his title from a cat named Ash." She snorted. "Don't worry about her, though. If you've got deigns on Deathclan's throne, then I can assure she's not a threat. She's been exiled from Deathclan, with the price for her arrogance being her eyes." She said nonchalantly. She honestly didn't care that it had been rather cruel to Ash. "Ash had simply gone around telling anyone who would listen that she was the leader of Deathclan, after her predecessor, Dove, died. Dove had simply been the cat who stepped up after Drought's death. No one else wanted the job, so she took it. She was always a bit soft, though." She admitted. "Anyways, Pain used to be a clanner. He was adopted into Fireclan, but he left and named himself Pain." She rolled her eyes. "Since becoming leader he hasn't done much either than slowly expand our borders a bit. Iceclan was within easy access and he rejected the notion of attacking them. While he was waiting for them to notice our expansion, they went back to their mountains." She huffed.
"Now, I gather you're either a history buff or you want the throne for yourself. I won't get in your way. I'm not happy with Pain. Though, I would suggest gathering a few friends and ganging up on him. He's a fair fighter, and well..." There was a dangerous glint in her eyes. "There's no honor here. May the finest cheater win."
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Post by Belladonna on May 14, 2017 16:48:53 GMT -6
((i'm dying i had a giant reply typed up but i clicked a link without thinking and lost it now my muse is dead ;A;)) Bella listened quietly, glad to finally hear the whole story. She hadn't known about Dove, or that Pain was originally a clan cat. It sounded like DeathClan had an awful streak of luck ever since Drought died, and the leaders were only interested in power without actually caring to take action. Well, if DeathClan was a joke, then that only made their leader the worst of all of them.
"I thought it was a bit odd how IceClan was able to neighbor DeathClan for so long. It was a bit embarrassing for DeathClan, really." Bella commented. That was around the time she decided to move to DeathClan, when she realized there was nothing left for her in her old life. DeathClan had called to her, Bella was meant to be the next great leader.
"I have allies. Winter is the most loyal of them, I'd say, and he seems like a good fighter. Then there's cats like Sky and Calista.. I don't trust Sky a bit, and Calista doesn't actually seem very useful." Belladonna unsheathed her claws, carefully examining them in the pale DeathClan light. "Of course, I don't plan on relying on any of them, having reinforcements will just make me look better. I'm going to kill Pain all on my own." Bella didn't think the fight was going to be easy, and she had since abandoned any hope of a peaceful solution. Perhaps she would just kill Pain in his sleep. He sounded lazy, he probably slept a lot.
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Post by Natalia on May 14, 2017 17:04:40 GMT -6
((lol it's cool your reply is fine.))
Natalia was thankful that she hadn't been interrupted. Ugh, some cats really had a problem and didn't know how to wait. Well, it wasn't like the red-furred tabby would be waiting if she didn't want to, but hey. Not like anyone could stop her and get her to change her ways. If you wanted something you should grab it, and if you didn't well... Your fault. Not her's.
She sniffed. "Eh. I tried to advocate for attacking Iceclan sooner rather than later... But my suggestions fell upon deaf ears." She neglected to mention the part of her voicing said suggestions rather... Angrily, during a time where she'd been rather... Unstable. Belladonna had no need of such personal information, and Natalia wasn't feeling generous.
She hummed. "Never met this... Winter or Calista. Might have to say hi. Sky, however... I've met her." She shrugged. "You don't need to trust your allies. You simply need to know your agendas align long enough to get the job done." She rolled her eyes. "Of course being dependent on the strength of another is rather... Well, it's incredibly stupid." She tilted her head. "Though, I can see what you mean." She tilted her head to the other side.
"Convince me." She said suddenly. "Deathclan's been down on its luck ever since Drought went six feet under. How do I know you're not simply another cat spewing false promises?"
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Post by Belladonna on May 16, 2017 15:57:35 GMT -6
This cat was both older and more experienced than Belladonna, so she listened carefully, not only to what she said but how Nat said things as well. There seemed to be more details than she was describing, but Bella never cared much for personal drama, and she doubted that knowing these things were essential to becoming leader. Belladonna made a mental note that she was grateful for the simplicity of this she-cat.
"Perhaps I can use Sky's thirst for power to my advantage." She mewed loftily, though her expression had a malevolent quality to it. Nat was right. As long as Belladonna stayed ten steps ahead of every other cat, their intentions didn't matter. "You seem like a rational cat.. Though I can't help but think you wouldn't be interested in any offers for power."
Upon being asked to prove herself, Belladonna just shrugged. "I can't change your mind. I know that I'm meant to be the next great DeathClan leader, and I can only prove myself with time." Bella would lead raids against the clans, kill traitors, and terrorize the innocent in order to make DeathClan feared once again.
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Post by Natalia on May 17, 2017 5:07:02 GMT -6
Natalia shrugged. "Makes sense." There was a faint twinge of... Something, but she shoved it aside. Anything she might feel for Sky... Really shouldn't matter. She'd learned her lesson. She wasn't interested in friendship or any of that crap anymore. She was here for Deathclan and Deathclan only. Things were simpler that way.
"Eh. You're right." She shrugged again. "Doubt I'd make a good leader. I get annoyed if I have to interact with cats longer than I want to. I don't need cats yapping in my face." She wasn't interested in the pressure of making the right decisions other, however she decided to omit that little detail. It wasn't important. All that mattered was Belladonna knew she wasn't interested in power. She knew that no matter what happened, she'd never become simply a face in the crowd in Deathclan. One thing she couldn't stand, was being ignored when she knew she was being perfectly reasonable.
She tilted her head and looked at Belladonna up from down. Then she wore a ghost of a smile. "Good answer." Then she sighed. "Though, I imagine you want to completely legitimize your future rule. So, you'll need to defeat Pain first. He's gone off the grid, unfortunately. For now, I'd advise making yourself known amongst the current members of Deathclan. If Pain never shows, perhaps you'll never need to fight him." Then she smiled, though it seemed to have a more vicious edge to it. "Then, if he comes back... Well. I suppose by that point you can tell him exactly how welcome he is."
((Okay but actually Pain hasn't made an RP post in almost exactly 2 months. I'm tempted to say that if you claim the leadership I'm just going to give it to you. Oh. Yeah. I've been the one updating the DC list lately. I think Crow/Honeyfur used to do it but his activity is pretty spotty soooo.... Yeah.))
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