Seeking Survivors || Ivalene & Open

[Petalpaw]

Petalpaw scoffed. "Yea, no problem" she muttered sitting back down on her haunches as she licked a paw nonchalantly. Petalpaw could be a huge pain, but only if she tried. Frecklegaze's laugh made her shudder, not because she was intimidated but because it gave the creepy air that the deputy wanted attention. Her green eyes flickered back towards the sun. "We have to keep moving if we want to get this done..." She mewed looking towards Fallenstrike and Raccoonheart.

[Iva]

“Any time.” Sitting, watching. He had no more to say, now, but plenty to observe. Was the deputy mentally troubled? He was no judge of sanity. A cat without control, though, was not one to be next in line for leader. Of course..That was Stormclan’s judgment, wasn’t it? His tail flicked a bit, big and fluffy; tapping against his body. “It may be too late for that now, Petal. We can search again tomorrow.” His tone toward the apprentice..? Completely void of the tone he had used with Freckle. Cheery, almost..If one could ever really call Fallen cheery. The change sudden, or not, Fallen was far from mentally troubled. Completely sane. Nasty, grumpy, potentially heartless when provoked.. But far from insane.

Well, mostly. The egoist deputy put an edge on him, which made his fur prick mentally, but not quite literally. This resulted in a very..Odd feeling of both amusement, and hatred. Perhaps a bit too quick to hate? Well, he was far from perfect.. This cat was a spitfire. How he did despise spitfires. “Thankful~? Well, I’m not terribly sure of that.. Uncontrolled cats are best to be on no ones side. They make only trouble.” With a grin then a frown, he focused back on the she-cat..then, with another tail flick, dismissed her presence, turning slightly to Petalpaw, but not letting the deputy out of his corner view. “Raccoon is right, it’s too late now. It’s best to bring the kit back.” The kit, which was still purring, happily oblivious. What did it feel like to be such an innocent kit? He didn’t know. He had been a kit, but his innocence and optimism had been murdered with his siblings, and tattered with his scars. He would never know, and could never hope to learn. Purrr-puurrr! Bluekit..His purr was unhaulting.

[Wargrace]

"Fight his own battles? I would, if there was a battle to fight." Keeping his tail curled around the kit, he lifted a paw, gave it a lick, and pulled it over one darker gray ear a couple of times. "But, I'm pretty sure there's no battles here, just some friendly chit-chat and what not that happens to be interrupting a search party." It was time to perform duties. And Frecklegaze was interrupting these duties -- holding up the patrol. Paw finished swiping over his ears, he resettled in on the ground near Bluekit. Quiet, now, watching the she-cat talk to her claws. Well, that certaintly wasn't normal. Did Stormclan have a loon for their deputy? Hopefully not -- eventually, if all went normal with no tragedy, she'd be the next leader. They didn't need a loony leader, even if it was in a different clan. Things wouldn't stay diplomatic with a crazy leading any clan -- certaintly not one with such a high ego and.. aggression? She seemed the type to turn aggressive, fast, but perhaps he was wrong.

"I'm sure." See who's battle expertise would pervail? Someday, undoubtedly, there'd be fighting amongst the clans. Would it be Stormclan and Reedclan specificly? Perhaps, perhaps not. They'd have to wait and see. How would she be in battle? A powerful foe, or not so much? He wasn't strong, but he was fast, very fast -- with excellent tactic and fair endurance. The long-bodied tom debated this only briefly; before focusing on her once more. Thanking them for giving their names. He gave a mild blink, then purred-laughingly, fangs glinting in something of a grin. "Now, now, we're not being rude -- you just never asked." Head lowered to give the kit some head-licks, he debated. Give their names, or no? Yes. There was no harm in it. They were all 'clanmates' for the time. Head lifted again, he peered at the deputy. With a flicker of challenge in the bright green eyes. "Raccoonheart, Reedclan warrior. That's Fallenstrike, Reedclan Warrior, also, and Petalpaw, Marshclan apprentice." An ear twitch towards each as he introduced them.

Speaking of them, he sent a glance to Petalpaw, who seemed.. less-than-comfortable near the deputy. Out flicked his long tail, leaving the kit a moment to try to flick the apprentice's shoulder reassuringly, before a glance went to Fallenstrike. Yes, time to bring the kit back. Without further comment, he picked himself up, giving his sleek fur a quick shake -- and then paused to speak instead, purring towards his patrol-mates. "C'mon, then, best to get the little one back, before it gets dark. He took a couple pawsteps, then glanced to Frecklegaze again. "Coming?" Did anyone answer? It really didn't matter, the grayscale tom was off, trying to lift the kit by the scruff very-gently, giving a purr. "C'mon, Bluekit, Mommy Coony's gonna take you where there's lots of other kitties, nice and safe. No more wandering all by your self." Then.. the warrior would set off, trotting away, back towards the temporary camp. Was anyone else coming? Presumably. They all seemed to be in agreement -- well, except Frecklegaze, she may nt have been. But she had been on her own, anyway; not part of the patrol. If she wanted to keep wandering, that was her choice.

[Kovu]

Frecklegaze's mouth quirked up in a hint of a rather creepy smile, continuously keeping them questioning her sanity. She liked living on the edge, and wound up telling the cats so just then in reply to Fallen's low words, "I'm glad to be known for my rather troublesome side. It makes life intrigueing anyways..." and smirked then, a chuckle escaping her from deep inside. This one; my was he fun.

When he flicked his tail in dismissal, she flattened her ears an yawned again, letting all know that she rather liked their repartee and was bored with all else at the moment. Spitfire, definitely.

When Raccoon spoke up then, Frecks' eyes flashed and lit upon him for he really didn't need to say the obvious. She felt bad deep down that she had stopped their party, but hey, we're they really going to find another cat out before the sun sank down? She scratched suddenly violently behind an ear, imagining her claws sinking into the annoyingly obvious dunderhead softie. Then, she puffed up slightly when he accused her of not asking do their names. Well. Wasn't that what one did automatically when a name had been given out first, as hers had? She narrowed her eyes a she leaned their names, meeting the challenging glare head on.

Why did she not speak out? Eh, too boring a topic and worthless fighting over. Anyhow, now he was leaving and she shrugged, glancing over at the soothed Petalpaw, protected little sap, rolled her eyes and blinked at Fallenstrike. Would he be going too or would he want nothing to do with her following them? She decided to walk with them and wander home.

She could use some more company.

[Petalpaw]

"Alright" she mewed as she watched the deputy. Petalpaw crept wearily around the Stormclan deputy towards Bluekit and Raccoon. "I can take care of myself..." she muttered underneath her breath and pinned her ears to her head as she turned and caught the deputy rolling her eyes at her. Puffed up and angry, the orange apprentice arched her back. "She's a deputy, your an apprentice" she murmured to herself as she shut her eyes and made the arch of her back look like she was just stretching.

[Iva]

Fallenstrike had dismissed Freckle’s existence. None the less, his mouth arched at her comment. Glad to be known for her troublesome side? It wasn’t sure why the dark grin formed on his face..Or maybe it was a frown? A scowl? All of the above..? Whatever it was, it displayed his.. distate. Deputy of Stormclan or not, the insane maggot would earn none of his respect. None of his thoughts, either; apart from the momentary fallout, he ignored her all together. Well, mostly.. He was on guard at all times. He saw her, he was watching, but with a different type of consciousness.

He tried to make it so, but it didn’t entirely work. Raccoon had spoke, and instead of turning to watch him do so, he kept his deep blue eyes on Freckle. The flash, he saw it; instantly, a bit of his neck fur bristled, and his own pupils slittered. There was no growl; no sound, no movement. But deep within him, he had restrained a slippery fish that said one thing; kill. Sink in claws? He would’ve been all to proud to do that, at that very moment; sink claws, snap necks, spill blood. Thankfully, it passed; the flash had disappeared, and ‘Coon was tending to Bluekit, speaking.

None the less, his ear twitched, and he shook his head. The rage was thick and deep, all-consuming, and..Gone. For now. Impulsive? Perhaps.. Maybe he had a crazy side, too. Maybe it wasn’t crazy, but something akin to crazy. Time to ignore again..Flick-swish. His tail, like a duster, stirred the wind. Pawstep, pawstep..After ‘Coon, along with Petal. But..Freckle was fallowing, wasn’t she?

Fallenstrike ignored this, and kept on his way, silent. Bluekit was still oblivious, and was picked up easily, tail flickering in agreement to the words he didn’t understand. But.. There was something about the brown warrior that wasn’t right. Although usually grumpy and unpleasant, he seemed almost bristled, now..And eerily.. Still, despite the fact he was moving. Content, maybe..With a tone that read nothing, but depth and casual conversation. “If you do anything to Raccoon, Freckie..I’ll choke you with your bones..”

[Wargrace]

Ignored. Frecklegaze was ignored, now. Her comment about being known for her troublesome side? Totally disregarded. Or maybe not. There was some faint, but visible fleck of scoffing at it. He'd been known for his troublesome side, too -- when he was a kit. He was no grumpy, stick-up-the-arse elder. He was spirited and energetic.. but a troublemaker? Not really. As a kit, he'd been oh-so-fond of slipping out of camp. Yes, he'd been trouble. Mischievous. But he had grown with time and learned making trouble was a no-no. His fondest kithood memories were being out of camp, with or without permission -- it had really been easier when Tricklestar took him out. That had been a wonderful day -- meeting older cats, talking to them, arguing with Shadowglimpse. Fond memories.

Memories, for now, ignored. Instead, he'd caught Frecklegaze's expression. Flash of eyes, focused stare -- what was she thinking? Something nasty, no doubt. His reaction? The bright green eyes, usually bright and perky, turned to venom. Bright green poison. In some way.. she had threatened him. With a look, not a comment, not an action; a look he recognized. Was he a naturally bad-tempered cat? Nope. Quite possibly, later, he'd get along just fine with the she-cat. It was just a bad time for her to show up -- not only was he in 'mission' mode, determined to save as many cats as he possibly could, no matter what; but he felt protective. Well, he was always protective -- of Fallenstrike, who was usually nearby. That was where Shiningpaw's mistake had been. But he also had Bluekit and Petalpaw to feel protective over. A kit and an apprentice; both of whom he'd taken a liking to. Yes, more than likely, it was just poor timing and at a later time, the long-bodied warrior would be quite good-natured again.

Nontheless, for the moment, he fixed her with a warning stare. The same cat who was just coddling the kit? Yep. He wasn't a 'dunderheaded softie'. To assume that..? Definitely a mistake. Fallenstrike had spoke. Raccoonheart had been walking all along; but now he paused up just a bit, for a split second.. then kept moving. "Now, now, Fallenstrike -- let's not be rude. You know I'm perfectly capable of handling myself. I'm sure Frecklegaze wouldn't dream of doing me any harm, isn't that right?" A sharp, cold look towards the she-cat, that faded to an almost teasing one. His words? Slightly muffled, but clear enough-- through kit-fur.

[Kovu]

Sensing Petalpaw's stuffed-up-ness, the deputy's nostrils flared and her whiskers trembled in amusement, glad the kit wasn't entirely spineless or helpless. And hanging around these two toms, Frecks was beginning to realize that ReedClan wasn't entirely made up of no-good knumbskulls. The StormClan cat had indeed also noticed Fallenstrike attempting to ignore her at the same time and had chosen to make it known how she was blatantly paying attention to him and mostly him.

He was spitfire, like she, and also the one with the most potential. The one not afraid to fall and go for it all. Like herself. Did he realize their similarities? Perhaps not, but noting his dark grin, grim frown or scowl...she knew he had at least an inkling of the situation.

When her moment of tenseness came about, so did his...especially noted was the fierce protectiveness over the thistledown-head and an invisible eyebrow lifted as she spotted this. Hrm...Even more like her than before. She would stop at nothing to protect Weaselstar, for example, a cat she considered her Tom best friend. An ear twitched and she tilted he head to one side slightly, thoughtful.

Then the low vehemence sounded in her ear. Oh StarClan. Freckie? Seriously? The corners of her mouth turned up, and she couldn't help but snicker slightly, "I wouldnt worry a pretty little hair on your head, my dear Fallie....at least not over 'his' well-being..." she flicked her tail against his flank idly, completely aware of his overbearing and taut aura attempting to penetrate and threaten to her very core.

Well. Two could threaten at that game.

She snorted, looking straight ahead as she walked, "Oh yes, aren't we all perfectly capable of that..." a rhetorical question of course, mumbled lowly to herself as dark thought perversed her mind.

[Petalpaw]

Petalpaw shook out her fur as she watched the sun slide down the horizon. "We better be getting back" the orange apprentice mewed "The suns almost gone" Her green eyes stared at the last little bit of sun showed to be unpromising at staying up in the sky. Frowning, Petalpaw shook out her fur. "Besides, they will be wondering where we were and what had kept us" She placed one white paw forward and her eyes flickered over towards the Stormclan deputy "Nice meeting you" she mewed forcing a smile to her face.

[Iva]

Yes, he knew very, very well that Raccoonheart was capable of protecting himself. That didn’t change the flare of darkness and hatred at Freckle’s comment. Unneeded, perhaps.. But it came, it was, and would always be. He snorted a bit, and continued on his way. Now reacting little more but to give another tail flick, and respond without even bothering to look back. “Rest assure, I know full well there is little to worry about.” Petalpaw was right. It was almost dark, and they would be questioning where the scouts had gone. It wasn’t good to worry the clans in these times.. Even if they were a big, formidable group, looking for survivors. It was an important mission.. Still, the worry wasn’t worth it.

That, and the kit was here now.. There was no point risking a survivor they had found searching for ones they may not even find. Decided, then? As far as he was concerned, it was decided as soon as he saw Frecklegaze. There had just been a few little.. irritations in-between. Distractions. He snorted, realizing this. Distractions. He disliked them. Onward, then. And..ignoring the Stormclan trouble that had decided to come along like a rogue wave. Ick.

--

Bluekit was still oblivious to the situation. He wasn’t oblivious to everything, however.. He was all to aware that he was saved, and that his new Mommy was Raccoonheart, and, presumably, his new Mommy would keep him safe and loved. Because that’s how he felt..Safe and loved. Hostilities, irritation, worry? As a kit, he no doubt caught the emotions.. He just either made no sense out of them, or ignored them. Most likely the pervious; he knew safety and love all to well. The other things he would no doubt learn later on in life. Where were they going, what now, what was happening..? Not questions that entered the blueish kit’s mind. Only contentedness filled him right now. And clinginess. Now that he was found..Mommy may be careful to try and get away, because he would probably stick like hot glue. “Cooon!” Mommy?

[Wargrace]

For a moment, Bluekit was set on the ground. Not for long; but the warrior needed to get a better grip. The talking was loosening his grip on the kit's scruff. No need to risk dropping the little one. Frecklegaze. Reminding him of Shiningpaw. Steadily. She hadn't went after Fallen -- not yet, atleast, not outright.. but she seemed the type to turn. To try to shred for little reason. Her comments were heard again, taken with an ear-twitch. All perfectly capable of that? What was it, sarcasm, or something else? Likely doubt. Really, who would think him, prancing about, proclaiming himself a mommy to a kit, any real threat? 'Course, he had a near split-personality. One moment purring happily, the next ready to shred. Not without reason, of course! He did it to protect loved ones. Not because he was a psychotic. Provoked, he was a psychotic, maybe -- but not otherwise.

Tongue sweeping over his muzzle, he set the stare mildly on the deputy again, muzzle curving into some sort of fang-exposing, sadistic grin. Any effort at hiding it? No. It was clear as the new-morning sunlight. Sadistic, icy, vicious -- daring, aggressive; ready to shred without mercy, if an expression could do so. How long did it last? Long enough to be seen, quite possibly, by anyone present. Bring it, bit-- As long as the fleeting, broken thought. Because Bluekit had spoken. Calling him; 'Coon'. Grin shattering, melting away; gone to a much softer look, head dipping to lick the kit's head, crooning something inaudible. Something loving, and warm, and affectionate. Where was the prior aggression? It was lost. Swept by the wind like a tumbleweed to some unseen place. Of course, the wind went all ways; it could blow that savage 'weed right back in an instant if it shifted. Or it could take it so very far away that it would go unseen for a long, long time. For now, it was blown just under the surface; out of sight, seemingly out of mind.. but lurking, ever-present. It wasn't gone, just hidden. Dusted over.

"Yes, Petalpaw, I agree." A nod given to the apprentice, and he was lowering his head again to scoop up Bluekit and start walking. Further acknowledgement to anyone? None what-so-ever. Expression.. blankened, he set his stare forward, picking up his easy, but quick trotting stride, heading off towards the camp. Were Fallenstrike and Petalpaw close by? Then nothing else mattered. Of course, he was perked. Listening, vigilant. Safety mattered too; least something sweep out and attack. But the area was still and dead, aside from himself and the other cats.