Memories

[Smokeleaf]

Rowanfur rocked his head back and forth, bits of fluff hanging from his jaws. While the she-cat was talking, his hunger got the best of him, and he began to devour the gift. After he'd swallowed about half of it, he set it aside for when his brother woke up.
"Hunting isn't so bad, once you get used to it. You just have to know the right moves. And anyway, it's not like you're alone. The whole Clan hunts so that every cat can eat, and often times, one patrol can bring back five or six pieces of fresh-kill."
He licked his lips, then his paws to dislodge the fur sticking to his tongue. "You don't eat it," he explained. "The fur and bones, I mean. The bones are too hard and could probably do a number on your insides, and the fur is just too displeasing. The flesh, however, is very good."
Rowanfur didn't really know ow to fully answer her question. What was eating like? How should he know? He'd never not eaten, except for maybe a few days in leaf bare, and you couldn't describe something you'd known forever. It was like asking, how does it feel to have fur, or how do you speak? It was just something you knew.
"Eating is... nice. It gives you a warm feeling, and all of your senses are flooded with goodness. I... I can't really describe it. Here, seriously, take a piece of vole. You won't know what it's like unless you try it."
While he was trying to be generous, a part of the warrior also wanted to know more about this "Fireflower." How could a cat not eat? Even if she were telling the truth, instead of making up some ridiculous lie to boost the strength of her Clan, it would be interesting to know what would happen if she did eat. Perhaps that would be her weakness. Perhaps that was how he and his brother could make their escape.

[Nightpool]

Fireflower shifted uncomfortably. "The thing is...I'm not really sure I can," she admitted. "I've never actually eaten anything, and I'm not sure why, if every other cat has to. It could be that we just can't, in which case I would probably die. And I don't want to die, no matter how much you want me to," she shot him a glare.

"The other possibility," she continued, "Is that it's tradition, in which case it really wouldn't hurt me in the short term. But when I die, I'll certainly be punished by the Flaming Eternal. They'll destroy my spirit all together, or throw me out of their ranks, in which case I would wander the land of the dead for who knows how long."

"But..." she paused as she remembered something Goldfire had told her. What was it again? "There was a legend my former mentor told me..." she meowed slowly, trying to bring it to her memory, "About how Pelts of BlazeClan, a long time ago, used to eat on one day, and that would sustain them through until the next time they could eat again. What was the day? I think it was the day of the full moon, whatever that means."

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[Smokeleaf]

"The full moon?" Rowanfur stretched out his legs and purred. "It seems all Clans are full of such traditions. We do something very similar." He turned his head, careful not to give any more information away. Making his Clan look week was the last thing he wanted to do (ooc: plus, I can't actually remember what StreamClan does on the full moon).
"Still," he mused, flicking his tail back and forth, "would it hurt to take just one bite? Suit yourself, but it is awfully good. And after all these years of tasting only soot on your tongue--assuming you never leave here like you claim--a bit of fresh-kill might lift your spirits.
"And I don't exactly want you to die. No true warrior wishes for the death of any cat. We fight because we have to, to defend ourselves and our Clan and our way of life." These were just stories to Rowanfur, of course; he'd never had to fight before, or risk his life for his beliefs. He did, however, know the stories of every cat who had. Martyrs deserved to be remembered. Would she know anything like that?

[Nightpool]

((In StreamClan, the medicine cats go to the Moontree during the full moon. They have their Gathering during the new moon.))

Fireflower glared pointedly at Rowanfur. "As I just said, yes, it could possibly hurt me. Though, I might just ask Goldfire when the full moon is, so I'd be able to try some." Just to show you that I'm not afraid of anything, not even you, she added silently.

Fireflower stared oddly at Rowanfur. Wasn't death normal in all the clans? She could understand not wanting to physically kill the warriors of other clans, as that could get bloody, and even the Pelts of the fiery clans felt bad about taking a life. What about the sacrifice every eclipse? That was death, wasn't it? She stared at him in confusion. "You mean...Then what do you do on the night of the eclipse?"

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[Smokeleaf]

ooc: That's what I thought, but I wasn't sure... Oh, wow, typo. Of course, they can't look week. They have to look Saturday, at the very least!
bic:

"Whatever. If you don't want it, then that's just more for us. We're not supposed to share fresh-kill with other Clans, anyway. It's against the warrior code." Not that there were any other Clans to share with!
After listening to the rest of her words, he pricked his ears, confused. "Eclipse? Er...nothing, I suppose. We have gatherings, kind of, and the medicine cats go off to speak with StarClan, but that's all that I can think of. Why? What do you do on the Eclipse? What exactly is the Eclipse?"

[Molten]

Molten was a bit nervous. She could sense the Eternal's emotions, but didn't know why he refused to talk. "Why don't you ever talk!?" Molten snapped. She didn't mean to be mean about it. She didn't notice the frustration in her voice. Something about this strange cat made Molten wish she hadn't said anything. The Eternal just sounded so big and powerful. Maybe the Eternal was scared... or didn't have a tongue! "Do you have a tounge?" she asked, and made a giggly sound. She sat herself comfortably (( lol i finally figured out how to spell that xD )) on the ground, lying on her side, and waited for an answer. Once she remembered Goldfire telling her this cat was the Eternal, Molten's eyes slit down, while the rest of her face stayed blank. "Oh rock.." she thought, and let her eyelid twitch a little. Also, her tail twitched nervously as well.

Rustpaw sighed, and his fur standed on end. "Sunkit, go away! Go die in the lava for all I care! None of us deserve your annoyance!" he scolded. His tail thrashed angrily. He imaginied it hit Sunkit's face. That kit was the most stupid Pelt in the Clan. Rustpaw couldn't even call his brother a Pelt. "When I was your age, I'd get punished for leaving the Den!" Rustpaw meowed. Why couldn't that rockbrain listen?

Sunkit ignored his mother, his brother, and any other Pelts that attempted to interupt his thoughts. He trotted over to the Eternal. His pupils widened until there was only a thin ring of color in his eyes.

<- a picture

[Smokeleaf]

ooc:Haha you don't know how hard it is to keep Eternalstorm from replying.
bic:

The great cat narrowed his eyes at the she-cat, studying her carefully. Was she really lying down before him, so comfortably and relaxed? Each other cat around them was either standing or sitting, and looking directly at him respectfully. No cat had ever dared to lie down! He stared at her for just one more second, deciding what to think. After a moment, he withdrew his gaze; for some reason, he had chosen respect.
Still, he couldn't have this newcomer--Molten, was it?--being so blissfully unaware of her new Clan's customs. He glanced over at Roantail and blinked; while he did not yet have a Speaker to translate for him, he did share ties with his brother. If any cat were to know what he was thinking, it was Roantail.

Fortunately, the Pelt understood. "You see, Molten," he began, his eyes flickering between she and the Eternal, "it isn't that Eternalstorm won't speak, it's that he can't speak. It's part of BlazeClan traditions, just as we cannot eat, or fight, or leave the volcano." He let his gaze drift to Goldfire and shot him a subtle glare, then continued. "If we had a Speaker, then we would all be able to hear his thoughts. Unfortunately, our last Speaker encountered a certain accident, so this is the best we can do. We are very fortunate that he even comes to see us; the previous Eternal rarely even left his den."
At Rustpaw's outburst, Roantail flicked his tail so that it caught the apprentice on his flank. While he was correct, Sunkit should be punished, Rustpaw should have kept his mouth closed in the company of the Eternal. He hoped his warning would be enough to calm him down, but he wasn't prepared for the kit to approach the Eternal himself!

Such violence from such little ones! Eternalstorm thought. Had he been allowed to purr, he would have, and instead contented himself with the swish of his tail. He looked down as the littlest one padded toward him. Sunkit was his name, he believed. Son of Gingernose, brother to Rustpaw, etc. Eternalstorm did his best to remember his Clan.
He was surprised that such a little thing would approach him. Normally, kits would squeal and flee in terror, or stand still and silent. As Sunkit drew closer, the Eternal flicked his ears in aknowledgement, longing to hear what he would have to say.

[Molten]

(( Uh oh.... xD ))

It was hard for Molten to stop herself from laughing! She thought for a moment. So these cats weren't allowed to eat, fight or leave the volcano? And Molten thought that TimberClan and StreamClan were the only cats with crazy rules! In fact, she remembered one of them was, "You don't have to kill to win a battle." She felt that the Eternal was more of a punishment now. Molten felt no sympathy for them, it was their choice to stay. She was about to speak, and even her mouth was half-open. She smelled a scent... A mole? It was closeby. Suddenly, she seems possesed by her instincts as she blindly chased after it. Her teeth chattered, as if practicing chewing. She batted it with her paw, purring. The mole fought back, or at least tried to, but Molten sooned tired it out. Then she bended down and sunk her sharp fangs into its neck. The mole was so wholesome, and the taste filled her mouth. Molten closed her eyes, and her purring grew louder.

(( I'm gonna finish this later, Imma help my mom!! ))

[Nightpool]

((We really need to come up with a better BlazeClan swear, because I really don't want "Oh, rock" to catch on. X3))

Too late, Fireflower realized her mistake. What if she wasn't supposed to say anything about the Eclipse? What if it was a secret, and she wasn't supposed to tell the prisoners about it? Well, technically, she shouldn't be feeding him at all, let alone speaking to him! However, since she was already here, she figured she couldn't get in much more trouble than she already was. So, she decided to tell a partial truth.

"The Eclipse is the only time the Pelts of BlazeClan can leave the volcano," she started slowly. "During the Eclipse, it's..." she paused, trying to remember all the intricate vocabulary that her mentor had taught her. "It's night-time," she said at last, though by the look on her face, it was easy to tell she didn't know the difference between night time and normal time. Continuing on with the complex vocabulary, she meowed, "The 'sta-ruz' are visible, and there is a ring of light in the sky. It is one of our most important times to connect with the Flaming Eternal, and all of the clans gather on the slopes of the volcano."

((I'm going to reply for Goldfire once Molten puts up the rest of her post. By the way, when they talk about the Eclipse, they do mean a lunar eclipse, right? Or am I completely wrong and it's a solar eclipse? Or does it not matter?))

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[Smokeleaf]

ooc: Awww, you're no fun. ( = That's all I've got, except for "Oh, lava." If only they had fiddlesticks. *sigh*
Umm... I don't know. I don't think Eternal ever said. I've always assumed it was lunar...
bic:

"Uh-huh."
If Rowanfur believed this she-cat was intelligent, he didn't show it. It was hard enough to understand the purpose of her warrior ancestors (or, rather, Pelt ancestors), but he could not wrap his mind around the idea that cats were stuck in a volcano. That cats couldn't eat. That cats didn't know what the stars were.
"You're lying," he mewed simply. "You have to be. This is ridiculous. Stop treating me like I'm some gullible kit and tell me the truth. What's your favorite type of prey? How many battles have you fought in? Do you know how to swim, and where do you bask in the sun? And don't even get me started about singing..."
He sighed. "I don't know why you're feeding me all this nonsense, because I don't believe any of it. The truth is, even the strongest Clans have some faults. No cat can survive without eating, and I highly doubt you get that much prey in this over glorified hill, so you must leave. You can't tell me otherwise."
Once again, he spoke as if he knew. While he was quite confident that most cats lived as he did--after all, even the loners that came on their territory ate--something in the back of his mind wondered if he was wrong. Did the other Clans hunt? Did they live in mountains, too, and never leave? The truth was, he had not idea what he was talking about. He quickly shot a glance at his brother and hoped he would wake up soon.

ooc: I've been wondering, what is BlazeClan going to do in the prophecy? Isn't there a rule that they can't fight? Are they all going to become medicine cats, or will they break that rule?

[Molten]

Sunkit ignored his brother and wobbled up to the Eternal. "Uh.... hi??" he said. He wasn't nervous, but he was speechless. It was amazing that he got to meet the Eternal so early in his life! He began to show off. "Wanna see something..? I can jump off of a tall rock....," he began to say, then whispered, "and live!" He walked over to a big boulder, slow enough to feel the lava coat his paw pads. He clawed his way up the holey, black rock. The bottom was coated in a fine layer of ash. His claws burned as he climbed this warm rock. 'I'm doing this for the Eternal,' he thought, trying to encourage himself. But he got nervous. What if he failed? Sunkit would probably be begging for forgiveness. Sunkit was distracted by his worries, and his claws slipped. Sunkit's fur scraped against the hard surface of the boulder. He whimpered.

[Smokeleaf]

Roantail watched as the she-cat scampered away, intent on catching a mole that had found its way into the volcano. How are all these animals getting in here? he wondered, and the thought of a secret tunnel entered his mind. Somewhere in the volcano, was there an entryway into the outside world? Is that maybe how they could feed Molten? He shook the thought away, knowing full well that was against the rules, besides being improbable. Hidden exits. That's like saying there was another tunnel into the Prison!

As the smell of mole entered his nostrils, Eternalstorm's violet eyes flickered this way and that, wondering what it might be. He saw the she-cat perk up and bound away, but he was confused about her intentions. Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by Sunkit, and he looked down at the fluff-ball curiously.
Jump off a tall rock? he thought, and furrowed his brow impatiently. That kit should be in his den, not showing off! Still, he was curious about what might happen, and goaded him on with the flick of his tail. He would be impressed if he made it unscathed, which would probably reflect on his ranking as a warrior--and as an apprentice. After all, only apprentices held in the highest regard were allowed to roam as they pleased. Perhaps once this kit learned to stay in the nursery, he would be allowed to leave the apprentices' den.
All of a sudden, Sunkit slipped and hit himself on the rock, whimpering as he did so. Eternalstorm started, wondering what he should do. Should he rush to help the kit, or sit back nonchalantly and purr? The previous Eternal would have done the latter, but something in the current leader thought otherwise. Torn and still tense, he nodded furiously, trying to encourage the kit to get up so that he wouldn't have to make a decision. In the glow of the lava, he saw the many scars that already coated his light ginger pelt, and had a feeling he'd be just fine on his own.

[Nightpool]

((I don't think there's actually a rule against fighting, it's just that they never had to. I think they learn battle moves and all, but they never have to use them, since Timberclan, or anyone else, has never gotten past even SootClan.))

Goldfire sighed deeply at Sunkit. This was why kits had to stay in the nursery. He heaved himself up off the ground and walked over to the kit, gently nudging him with his nose, trying to convince him to get up. He didn't think anything was broken, then again, he wasn't a healer or a medicine cat or whatever the other three fiery clans had, so he couldn't be sure. Still, he didn't feel anything shifting where it shouldn't.

"C'mon, get up, kit," he growled. "You're fine. A little bruised and battered, but fine." He shook his head at Sunkit. "You need to learn to be more careful. Though showing off is nice and all, you should learn to keep your safety in mind when doing it, and be careful. Maybe this is a good lesson for you, hmm?" he meowed, not unkindly.

Fireflower felt herself getting annoyed once more. Who did he think he was? She could just throw pieces of prey down here for him to eat, or maybe not even feed him at all, but instead, she chose to grace him with her presence and witty conversation. And how did he repay her? She glared at him. "I am telling the truth! I don't have a favorite piece of 'prey', though I'd imagine that one would be the same as th next. I've never actually had to fight anyone, except in training. And what in the Flaming Eternal's name is 'sun', 'swim', and 'singing'?"

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[Smokeleaf]

ooc: Ahhh. I guess I misunderstood... That's good. I was trying to figure out exactly what I was supposed to teach Rustpaw. ...Haha StreamClan did, apparently. ( =

Roantail nodded enthusiastically at the elder's reprimand. "You really should go back to the nursery, Sunkit. Or would you like me to find your mother? I'm sure she'd love to hear about your little escapades."
Laughter almost escaped his throat. Gingernose, punish her beloved kit? That was unlikely!

Sighing, Eternalstorm found his feet and stretched out his hind legs. While he was glad that Goldfire stepped in, he wished he could have seen the kit on his own. BlazeClan Pelts were supposed to be fearless and independent. If Sunkit thought he was ready to be a Pelt, then he should act like one. There was almost a sense of satisfaction knowing the kit had stumbled, and the Eternal hoped it taught him not to show off. Once again he waited, praying silently that the kit would try again. Or was Roantail right? Would it be better to retrieve Gingernose?

Rowanfur had to admit, she was a better actor than he thought. He decided to humor her, and thought about how he would respond in a way she'd "understand."
"Okay. The sun is like a rock covered in lava which sits in the sky--everything that isn't the ground--and lights everything up. It goes down at night--the dark time, when we sleep--and is replaced by the moon, which is like a normal rock, only it glows, too. Just not as much.
"Swimming is... I told you about water, right? It's kind of like lava, in that it changes shape all the time, but it's usually really cold, and you can see through it. Swimming is when you walk through the water.
"And singing?" He purred. "I can't believe you don't know about singing! Okay. Have you ever wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words you wanted?" He didn't wait for an answer. "That's when singing comes in. It's how you can express yourself, with or without words. Here, I'll show you."
He cleared his throat, opened his mouth, and let the words flow from his tongue.
"I planned on walking on my own, but I walked too far from home. I was caught, no questions made, and they placed me here instead. Left to starve, left to die, left to sit and wait and cry. I have lost more than my shape, on which eyes can only gape, but the two things I love most: my pond'ring mind and StarClan's ghost.
"Any other questions?"

[Molten]

Sunkit groaned. He backed up a little, not liking to be ganged up against. "Fine," he sighed, and gave a sad glare at the Eternal. To Sunkit, the Eternal was like a god. So he just dissapointed a god? Whatever. He just waded back to the den. Then his pace got faster. He was gonna tell on them! But then he thought again... what if his mother knew he was showing off or something? How emberassing!

Molten finished the mole until only bones were left on its ribs and hips, then buried it with a layer of black dirt hidden under the gray ash to save it for later. She didn't want ash to get in her prey, gross! A tiny finger bone popped out of the ground, but who cares? Then Molten coughed and continued her conversation. "Why are your rules... sooo...s-" Molten stopped herself. She was about to say, 'stupid', but instead she changed the word. "-range? Uh.. compared to the outsider's rules?" Her paws pads started to sweat, but of course not her front paw, where her paw pad was halfway burned off. Molten had a nervous look in her neon-y eyes.