Memories

[Nightpool]

Fireflower was already racing down the tunnel by the time Rustpaw had asked his first question. She had concealed the mole cleverly in front of her, so her body hid the piece of fresh-kill. She had a mission to do, to feed the prisoners, and she wasn't going to let anything stop her! Even the Eternal...she almost stopped at this point, but remembered that Goldfire had given her this task, so the flame-colored she-cat merely increased her pace, coming closer and closer to the prison and, unknown to her, a change in her very way of life.

Goldfire blinked sagely at Rustpaw. He seemed to be thinking, but finally, he rasped, "I am Goldfire. I served BlazeClan as a strong Pelt for much of my long life, and now live the rest of my life peacefully, waiting until it is my turn to follow the Eternal to the magma." He was tempted to say something about being so old he had seen the coming and passing of hundred of Eternals, though he had only seen two, he kept his jaws shut. If you were doubtful about saying it, you probably should just keep quiet. After all, you never need unsay anything you didn't say in the first place.

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[Smokeleaf]

Roantail blinked. This mentoring stuff was harder than he thought. He figured he only had to teach Rustpaw about the Flaming Eternal and to forever respect them--he wasn't a very spiritual cat, so while he worshiped the Flaming Eternal, he couldn't exactly preach to another cat--but he had to introduce him to the whole Clan, too? He hasn't left the nursery before, Roantail realized. Just because he knew everyone and felt like he always had didn't mean everyone else was exactly the same. And anyway, he never exactly did show his apprentice around the territory. Perhaps that's what they would do today; walk around for a meet-and-greet.
"That was Fireflower," the tom continued, picking up from where Goldfire left off. "She's a Pelt, just like you'll be one day." She was a pretty she-cat, Roantail thought. He liked the way her ginger pelt looked beneath the glow of the lava. Her persistance and loyalty was also very attractive, even though it was sometimes annoying. For example, what exactly was she doing now? Why ask? He'd never recieved straight answers before; why should today be any different? After searching around for a better topic, he mewed, "How are you, Goldfire? My, that lava sure is radiant today. Molten was just looking at it, too. You have a lot in common, I suppose. Maybe you should get together sometime and talk. She's new, and you're experienced. I'll bet with your expertise she could become a fine addition to the Clan."

Eternalstorm sniffed the air, blinking back the pieces of soot that sprinkled onto his lashes. He felt uncomfortable, like there was something out of sorts going on in his Clan.
Out of sorts? Nothing out of sorts happened here, and there was no way a cat would go against his judgement. He pushed away the feeling, deciding it had nothing to do with omnipotence and everything to do with the heat getting to his head, and resumed his grooming.

Around and around, circle by circle, an infinite track that he was destined to follow until the day he died....
"WHEN WILL THIS END?" he roared, collapsing to the ground in a heap of frustration. He was hungry and thirsty, but most of all, tired. Just looking at his brother made him yearn for rest, but sleep would not come. It wasn't just the ache in his muscles; it was the ache in his heart. He longed for home. He longed for the stars. Please, StarClan, allow some cat to have mercy on me! Send me home! Send me to you!

[Molten]

Rustpaw listened closely to the cats' answers, then responded in a low meow. "Oh," he said, "Well hi Goldfire and Fireflower!" He had a friendly look on his face. I just met two new cats! Rustpaw thought exitedly. Then he eavesdropped a little more. At the word 'Molten', he froze. The world around him seemed to stop. His tail flicked nervously. It could've just been imagination, but he could smell her scent getting closer and closer. The scent of this outsider was pretty strong by the time she was visible, but it could've been because Rustpaw opened his mouth slightly to taste the air as well. But when Molten arrived, she seemed to have cooled off. Rustpaw let a huge breath of relief escape his mouth, and his eyes closed a little in comfort at the thought of a calm Molten.

[Smokeleaf]

A wave of fear rushed over Roantail, and he whipped around defensively. Molten was there, standing, listening. How much had she heard?
What is that supposed to mean? he questioned himself. After all, he hadn't said anything offensive. He'd just suggested that the two become friends. They did, after all, have very similar hobbies.

Rowanfur froze. He lifted his nose and took a deep, long sniff of the air. Was that cat?
"What am I talking about? Of course, it's cat. This is a Clan, after all." He rolled his eyes and resumed his pace. It was rare, for Rowanfur to think any more. He usually just said whatever was on his mind. Maybe even screamed it. Addertooth didn't care, and it wasn't like any cat heard him.
Except, maybe, this cat...
"No," he continued. "There isn't a cat there. I mean, there is a cat out there, but that can be expected. There is no cat outside the prison. Well, yes, there is, but not in that way. No cat is coming to the prison. No cat. None. Nada."
Still, he'd never actually smelled cat before. Not over the stench of that red stuff, anyway. Or at least if he had, it had never been this strong. Something unusual was happening, and it thrilled him. A shiver rippled through his spine, and the thought of change overwhelmed him. Even if it were death lurking around that corner, he would welcome it. Anything was better than this.

Eying a beetle crawling along the wall, Eternalstorm lashed out and caught it on the end of one claw. Then, disgusted, he raked the ground, removing its sick, distorted carcass from his paw. Yuck. How could anybody stand such... gore?

"Sunkit?"
Gingernose lifted her head, scanning the nursery. She hauled herself to her feet, off of the smooth lichen that made up her bedding. Goldfire had left already, but that was no surprise. He never remained in his bed for long. He wasn't the only one gone, though. Where was Sunkit?

[Nightpool]

Goldfire greeted Molten with a nod and shot an amused look at Roantail. "Good morning," he meowed. At least, he thought it was morning. Well, he had just woken up recently, so he'd assume it was morning. "Roantail," he glanced at the other tom, laughter still echoing in his gaze, "seems to think that we would be good friends if we got to know each other." At this point, Goldfire was almost laughing. Though he didn't often try to make Pelts uncomfortable, it was amusing occasionally.

Fireflower pricked her ears up at the muttering that came from farther down the tunnel, and, when she emerged into the cave that was the prison, she could see the two Pelts that were being held captive. Surprise flooded her features. These were the prisoners? They were just normal Pelts! She had half expected them to come flying at her with claws and fangs barred, but, they looked like, they could belong to any of the fiery clans, if the ash caught any more on their fur.

However, the one Pelt seemed to be pacing and muttering. Most likely paranoid and crazy from being in the Prison for so long. So, she sneered, "What? Has being stuck down here for so long dulled your senses? A BlazeClan Pelt would never let that happen to them."

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[Molten]

As Molten stepped closer into the scene, she wondered why ever Pelt's face was stained with fear. Outsider, perhaps? Maybe the volcano is erupting and several cats died when she was gone. She laughed in her head at that thought, that could probably never happen. Molten stared at one of the cats, Goldfire to be exact, to examine the stranger. "Hello..?" she meowed softly, eyeing the Pelt she'd never seen before. She tried to get used to the unfimilar appearance of this cat.

Rustpaw listened closely to Roantail, ears perked up slightly. He was introducing Fireflower. After the introduction was over, he stepped up closer to Fireflower and greeted her. "Hi, I'm Rustpaw," he said, introducing himself, "...and I hear your name is Fireflower?" A few moments after him speaking, he smelled a familiar scent nearby. right away he knew who it was: Sunkit. 'Fox dung,' Rustpaw thought, and the expression on his face transformed into a dirty look. He shot a cold glare at his brother once he came into view.

Sunkit was startled by Rustpaw's face when he came near. He heard a voice from behind him. The faint voice of Gingernose. "I don't have any time for your rants, Mom's calling," Rustpaw said, cruelly but cool-ly (if thats a word). He trotted towards his mother, his nose being his guide.

[Smokeleaf]

Roantail's pelt prickled, and a chill ran down his spine. What was the elder so happy about? Crazy cat. He never could understand him, or his loyal sidekick, and it wasn't worth trying. He only hoped Molten would be as keen to make friends so he could get them both out of his hair. He did have an apprentice, to mentor, after all.
Speaking of which, he watched the young tom sneer at his brother, then saw the kit bounding away toward Gingernose. He was glad he had the older of the two siblings; that kit was trouble. What was he doing so far from the nursery, anyway? Apprentices weren't even allowed to leave their dens without being summoned, let alone kits! His mentor will fix that right up, he thought smugly, secretly pitying whichever poor sap would take the job. Rustpaw was enough of a pawful.

"Sunkit? Oh, where are you?" Gingernose groaned, trotting toward the nursery entrance and bounding down into the main tunnel. The little tyke was around here somewhere, and when she found him, he would be punished for leaving unattended.
That is, if she could think of a punishment in time. She closed her eyes as she walked, relying on her sense of smell which was already so keen, and focusing strictly on her thoughts. What was she to do? She could make him gather lichen for the nursery, but how was he to do that? She'd heard of having to take the tics off of elders, but you needed something called "mouse bile" to do that, and the heat pretty much took care of them anyway. Perhaps a small scolding would suffice...

"Mrrrrow!"
Rowanfur practically leapt out of his pelt, startled and completely unnerved. He unsheathed his claws and spun around to face his attacker. He glared at the newcomer, a pretty reddish she-cat, and quickly thought to retort.
"Yes, well, in my Clan, we give our trespassers warning before we attack."
He stared her down for a moment longer, before sheathing his claws and sitting down on the rock.
"Fine. Just try and kill me. I'll bet you can't. I don't know who you are, or what makes this funny, or what your 'pelt' has to do with anything, but unlike you, I am a warrior, and StarClan will fight beside me and you will die long before I do, so there, end of story."
Hopefully his bluff would scare her off, because in his condition, he couldn't fight a mouse and win. He was exhausted on all levels, both physically and mentally--learning that everything you grew up knowing was wrong can do a lot to a cat's psyche--and his odds were not in his favor. Besides, that, he really didn't know how to fight. Hunt, yes, and he could probably use a couple of those moves if he was desperate, but he'd never really taken battle techniques seriously because there had never been anyone to use them on. Occasionally a loner would wander onto the territory, but just baring your teeth scared them off. He'd never had to fight, and now, he would have to rely on his instincts.
If only Addertooth would wake up, and then they'd have the advantage...

[Nightpool]

((Um...Molteh...You do know that Fireflower ran off, right?))

Goldfire beckoned Molten over to him. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance," he meowed. He was in a better mood that usual, since he now knew that yet another of the Flaming Eternal's tasks would be carried out successfully, again thanks to his dear former apprentice. Since he doubted the voices would have anything to say so soon afterward, he was free to speak to the other pelts of BlazeClan. If he was being completely honest with himself, he was a little nervous, since it wasn't often that he spoke to anyone but the voices and, on occasion, Fireflower.

Well, no time like the present, he thought to himself as he turned to Molten. "Tell me, Molten, is it true that you come from the outside?" Without waiting for her to answer, he continued, "I have never been outside, except for during the eclipse. Few cats of BlazeClan have even seen what the sky looks like at times other than the Eclipse, besides the Sky Watcher and the cats that wander into the Sky Watcher's den. But I have always wondered, what makes the Eclipse such a special time? How is it different from other times?"

As Fireflower listened to the other cat speak on and on, she felt laughter begin to bubble up in her chest. She clamped her jaws together to keep it in, and her shoulders shook with the silent giggles. However, when he finished his speech, she fell to the ground, unable to stay silent, and laughed. She spat out the mole she was carrying so it wouldn't choke her, and helpless giggles consumed her. She laughed until her sides hurt, until she was gasping to get her breath back, and then she laughed some more.

Finally, Fireflower managed to get herself under control. She took a deep breath and shakily climbed to her paws. Now, where to start explaining the laughing burst? She could always start with "StarClan"; the few SootClan Pelts she had spoken to had explained, crouching on the ground and trembling in fear, that the clan called "TimberClan" believed in something called "StarClan", a set of warrior ancestors. In her opinion, they sounded weak and puny next to the awe-inspiring might of the Flaming Eternal. However, Fireflower had a feeling that speaking on the difference between StarClan and the Flaming Eternal would cause an argument, and she had been expressly ordered by Goldfire not to get in a fight.

So, she started with something else. "First of all," she told him matter-of-factly, "I'm not here to kill you. I'm here to feed you." she indicated the mole she had dropped when she started laughing. She then shot him a glare, her fierce green eyes flashing. "And, if you ever tell another cat that I'm doing this, I will blatantly deny it and you will never eat another miserable scrap for the rest of the time you survive down here. If they don't kill you for your horrible lie." She chuckled a little.

"Second," she continued, "I am not speaking of my pelt, I was saying that I am a Pelt. One of the fierce defenders of BlazeClan! And," she looked a little embarrassed to be asking this, but reminded herself that he was merely a prisoner and she one of the jailers, "What in the name of the Flaming Eternal is a warrior?"

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[Smokeleaf]

Rowanfur huffed. "Well, what in the name of StarClan is a Pelt? Or the Flaming Eternal? Sounds pretty ridiculous, if you ask me."
He knew he shouldn't be talking so rudely if he wanted that vole, but with his luck, it was poisoned anyway, and in that case, he wouldn't touch it. That would give them the satisfaction, and he would only go down in a fight. He decided to answer her questions.
"A warrior is the heart of all Clans. They work to feed the Clan, defend the Clan, honor the Clan. Everything they--we--do is for the good of the cats we live with. We live for the Clan; we die for the Clan. We will not eat until our kits and elders are fed, and courage lies in our hearts always. Surely even your primitive representation can understand the warrior code.
"Secondly, what "lie" are you talking about? I don't lie. I'm a warrior. Didn't we already go over this?
"Thirdly, you didn't answer my question. Well, I guess it wasn't really a question; more like a thought that should have provoked an answer. Anways, who are you? I'm Rowanfur, of course, but I believe I already answered that during the whole interrogation session." He shuddered at the memory of the torture, and the constant wondering if he'd said too much or too little. "Also: why are you feeding me? If you can call that measley thing prey." He smirked openly, hoping to get her to fight. She looked strong; a death by her claws seemed plenty honorable given the circumstances. "Furthermore, aren't you the one lying? Shouldn't you be killed? After all, if your Clan doesn't know about this, then you're going against the warrior code, and StarClan will punish you until you don't know which way is up. Care to continue?"

[Molten]

(( Lol sorry night xDD I sorta forgot that she ran off xDDD UGH REALLY LATE POST.))

"You've never been outside of this volcano?" Molten asked, confused. But then again, nearly all of the cats but her have been trapped inside of this volcano for moons. "Oh, never mind," she corrected herself, quickly, then listened more. It was sad that Goldfire had never seen the sky. It brought glorious images to her head. She thought of the clouds floating freely on the winds and the changing colors. She had a feeling she needed to share it.
"Well, its pretty amazing," she said, then tried to think of things to compare it too. She thought of what a cat who was born in the volcano would think clouds look like. An idea popped out of her mind, and less than a second after, it was slipping out of her jaws. "There are big, cottony white things in the sky called clouds. Once in a while, colorless, cold, lava-like liquids pour down from the sky," Molten meowed, not knowing if this cat has ever
seen water before, "But that's not all. The sky changes colors too. When you first wake up, it is as pink as a newborn kit's skin. Then it turns blue later. Bluer than a cats' eyes. It darkens, and by the time you go to sleep, its black as an eclipse." Molten wondered why and how she could've remembered what a kit's skin looks like. Maybe, perhaps, she had met queens and their kits while exploring the Clan territories? Well of course... she terrorized
queens and their kits anyway. Before letting that embarrassing thought emotionally destroy her, she set her mind on another topic: the eclipse. Why was it so special?

Sunkit obediently listened to the command his mother. She deserved to be obeyed anyway. A nice reward for not being such a strict mom, although Sunkit usually wouldn't do this. "I'm coming! I thought I said I was!" he meowed, not knowing if he said that already or not. He arrived at the den happily, expecting a series of licks on the forehead from his loving mother.

[Smokeleaf]

Roantail listened quietly to their conversation, keeping an eye on his apprentice so that they could both learn something from this discussion. While he rather enjoyed hearing about the outside world and the thrills this she-cat had experienced, he grew worried that all Rustpaw was getting from this was the idea to sneak into the Sky Charter's Den. He shot the young tom a disapproving glare, just in case.

Gingernose glared unhappily at her son.
"And just what do you think you're doing?"
She didn't wait for an answer.
"If you think you can just leave the nursery any old time, you are greatly mistaken! You are still a kit, after all! Kits are supposed to listen to their elders, not act like them!" No, that sounds wrong. "I mean, you should act like them, but not exactly... mimic, but not... I mean..."
She sighed heavily, then gave Sunkit a lick on his brow. "Learn from the Pelts, but be a kit, okay? Just because you're my special little tom..."
Her chest puffed up proudly as she meowed this.
"...doesn't mean you're of the same rank as the others. So stay in the nursery like your brother always did, and as he does today with the other apprentices. Be good. Listen."
Something in her gut told her she was wasting her breath.

[Molten]

Rustpaw listened to Rowanfur or whatever his name is. Maybe what he said was true? "What's StarClan?" Rustpaw asked. He still had a faith in the Flaming Eternal, but was curious of what this so-called 'StarClan' was. It seemed a little dumber than the Flaming Eternal, and he was about to tell the jailed cat, "Our anscestors have a cooler name than yours" but he kept his mouth shut, not wanting to pick a fight.

Sunkit sighed. He was happy that his mother actually licked him, because he needed the extra love. He had an innocent look on his face, as always. "But I don't want to be like Rustpaw! No she-cats like him anyway," Sunkit protested, and looked at his older brother in disintrest. This spoiled kitten had no affection for Rustpaw like he should, which was prety rude.

[Smokeleaf]

ooc: Erm... Rowanfur is in a completely different area of the volcano... They're still in the prison, with Fireflower. Goldfire and Roantail are still down... wherever it is that Goldfire hangs out.

[Nightpool]

Goldfire's eyes seemed to focus on something far away as Molten talked. He had seen cloud before; occasionally, there was one far on the horizon during the eclipse, but not often. But cold lava? That fell from the sky? He shook his head. "Is the outside world really such a strange place? Lava is supposed to come from the earth, not from the sky. Yet, if what you are saying is true, then how do the other clans stand it? Lava is supposed to be warm, not cold. I don't think I would like it very much."

Fireflower stared at him with wide eyes. Finally, she found the words she was looking for. "You mean you actually have to EAT?" This was an amazing concept to her. To actually need to eat to keep yourself alive! You'd think there would be cats dieing left and right outside the volcano! She had merely brought the vole because Goldfire told her to; she had thought it was some kind of strange peace offering that would ensure he wouldn't attack her. How strange.

Fireflower had the decency to answer Rowanfur's question this time. "I am Fireflower of BlazeClan." she told him. "As for your questions, from what your telling me, a warrior is something like a Pelt. Except we don't hunt. We are the fierce servants of the Flaming Eternal and the Eternal himself, and the final line of defense to the volcano, not that you'll ever get past the first few. The Flaming Eternal personifies our powerful ancestors who have died defending the clan before us, or who have gone to the lava during the eclipse. We are the lifeblood of our clan. And, though you may not be lying, as a prisoner you are of a lower status than myself, so it will be believed that you are lying. Now, do you want that mole, or shall I take it away?"

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[Molten]

(( Lol this is so confusing!! I miss the sub-boards. ))
DON'T KILL ME NIGHT..! OR SMOKEH! *hides under rock*

Molten blinked at Goldfire. "I'm guessing you have no idea what water is," she said with a fiery, orangish glare, anger clawing at her throat. Her heart boiled. She didn't have the patience to speak with a cat with such low intelligence. Or at least, she didn't think he was all that intelligent. She groaned. Rain was such a pleasent thing, if you don't inlude its coldness. Once a single drop hits your pelt, it seems to freeze your fur to ice. But Molten blamed the chilly winds that blew when storms raged. They made rain cold, she thought. Rain was always so fun to watch, too. It poured down like a waterfall. It was sad that Goldfire had never seen it.