[ivory d a n c e r] -- wendigo

[madhatter]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,498,true]

[atrb=background,http://i55.tinypic.com/a0jtoy.jpg] [scrolly:h(125),w(228),sy] Blink. Blink. Stop. Listen. The leopardess darted through the treed landscape, halfhazardly searching for food. No, she wasn’t doing her best. And yes, in some ways, she felt sort of guilty. But the clan prey pile was so full, and she was alone. With no one to watch her and critique her lack of effort. It was uncharacteristic of Feathergale to be so careless. She was far past caring at that moment. Basking in the sunlight, she abandoned searching for food and instead tilted her maw towards the sky. It was surprisingly calm, only a lone cloud drifting, but stifling. The temperatures had taken a steep incline in the past moon, and it was only morning. At least the cold had been driven away. Cold seeped into bones, destroyed lives. Feathergale ceremoniously wetted her paw, dragging it over her ears to perhaps cool her off. She considered removing herself from the heat, find a covered area, but decided against it. The sun was too calming. In fact, it hadn’t even fully risen yet, and pink and gold veins erupted from the center. This leopardess was a dreamy one, and was more aware of colors and nature than perhaps other cats. She stopped for a moment, watching it with squinted eyes, basking in its rays. Her coat glowed gold for an instant before she pulled herself away, continuing on her journey. Her outing was verging on fruitless. Catching sight of a close, jutting rock, she climbed upon its worn and smooth surface. Her paws yelled in protest at the hot surface, but she ignored them, keeping her eyes to the sky. She blinked in surprise as a brightly colored butterfly floated by, landing on a branch just a foot beside her. She cocked her head, whiskers twitching in amusement. It had no idea how close it was to a deadly predator. She outstretched a paw, fascinated and withdrew it. It was remarkable how such a small being could distract such a large feline. She watched this pretty little butterfly until it spread its wings and wove through the greenery. It seemed to beckon to her; therefore she followed it. How comical. Soon, she was at a full trot, eyes’ never leaving it’s mesmerizing but tiny, fragile wings. She looked innocent. Innocent and graceful, nothing even close to lethal. Sometimes the world purposefully hid the truth. [/scrolly]

[jellyfish]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,5,true][atrb=width,497,true][atrb=height,188,true][atrb=background,http://i53.tinypic.com/zvabtu.jpg][atrb=cellPadding,1,true][scrolly:h(150),w(475),sy,as(position:relative;left:20px;)] Far into the foliage, masked by twistings of leaves and bark that gradually faded into spotty colors light enough to match his own, a leopard lay. He lounged in the shade, preferring the cooler portion of the land rather than the morning sun that sent spidery threads of color up into the dawn sky, and nonchalantly picked fur from between his precious claws. He had spent the previous tween time up a tree on Leopardclan land, finding it the most convenient place to tuck himself away at when the sunrise began taking away his lovely night world. A deer hung over the branch he carelessly stretched on, torn and shredded by the hungry feline the hours before, and left to the flies and scavenging birds that hovered nearby. He noticed with amusement that not even the flies seemed to want to get in range of him- despite the opportunity of a meal dangling just inches from his curved claws. From his low lying perch, he could just make out a rock surface in the distance, and he focused on the point as a great yawn shook him. When golden eyes flickered back open, they were met with an interesting sight- a leopard of the silver snow variety standing calmly on the worn surface. Slinking down form his tree with interest to abandon his slaughter to decomposers, the Amur leopard crossed the ground at a leisurely speed, heading at an angle toward the direction he last noted the other leopard heading toward. Sure enough, as he rounded another rock similar to his fellow felines perch, he spotted her. He had been watching for mere minutes before his attention was truly captured. Not by the cat, and not by the insect, but by the sheer differences in power that the feline was doing nothing with. She seemed perfectly fine- peaceful, even, to wander after the insect like a kitten in a daydream. Something about that greatly unsettled the darker beast. Perhaps it was seeing innocence in such a raw form, or perhaps it was simply his distaste for unacted upon imbalances of power, but Wendigo found himself greatly irritated. He started out at a walk to intercept her, and found his pace quickening into a sprint before leaving the ground entirely to launch through the ground and snatch the object of the other creatures focus from the air. He plucked it like a bird might pick a worm from the hard earth- with little effort, and few thoughts. Holding the creature in a cage of his own teeth, trapped between throat and tooth, he turned to face the other leopard with an amused grin. He could not speak, for fear of releasing the object he had stolen, but a snorting chuckle emitted from the back of his throat, gradually growing louder until he was full-blown laughing with drawn-up lips and lightly closed teeth. He looked the very picture of a lunatic, with bared gums and teeth closed protectively like a crocodile with its young nestled in its mouth. But that fact- and the fact that he was on lands that belonged to other cats, lands that weren't always friendly to rogues- didn't seem to bother him a bit. He merely stood there, cradling his catch in an enamel cage, waiting to see the female creatures reaction. ooc: I HAD TO DO IT. Feel free to smack him in the jaw, or he might 'accidentally' swallow it ; D stock credit goes to K.B of flickr

[/div]
[/scrolly][/size][/color][/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[madhatter]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,498,true]

[atrb=background,http://i55.tinypic.com/a0jtoy.jpg] [scrolly:h(125),w(228),sy] Feathergale calmly bounded after the floating butterfly, the pure picture of innocence. She nimbly avoided outstretched logs and jutting rocks without fault, hardly looking down in her chase, dainty paws placed down without thought. It was calmly that she followed it. No rush. No true desire to catch it for her own. Just a leisurely pastime. It took her mind off of the darkness that lurked within her deeply closed mind. Unfortunately, her mild fantasy was shattered when a crunch and a crackle and the sound of racing paw steps jerked from this state of euphoria. She heard him before she could see him, the loud leopard he turned out to be. Startled, she stopped, in her tracks, with little resistance, a fox-length away from the stranger. The leopard in front of her, as to which had a roguish, wild, dangerous scent to him, had plucked her new infatuation out of the very air. It was cold- even cruel- to take such an innocent, serene creature. The butterfly flailed, fluttering its wings. This leopard, obviously male, was of a dark variety, and the way he smiled sent unpleasant shivers down her spine. She did not move, frozen in state, the only twitch in her tail, as it lashed once. She was almost embarrassed to be caught acting in such a trivial manner- but she showed nothing. Her intense green eyes took in his stature before she could say anything. Lazy. Playful? Doubtful. Confident. Her judgment came in an instant. Enemy? Loner? His laughter wasn’t kind-hearted. It was cynical; maniacal even. Insane. The shocked expression on her face must have been present. Feather removed her gaze from the butterfly and to his eyes, staring at them with a cool, cautious emotion. Don’t talk to strangers would be appropriate. She took a few steps towards him, with a surprisingly small amount of fear. “That was mine. Therefore, if you do not unhand it, I’m afraid I will have to take something of yours.” She appraised his coat, cocking her head and running her eyes down his body. “Like, for instance, your tail." The leopardess flicked her own tail, as if to mimic how useful it truly is. “It’s only fair.” Her tone wasn’t hostile, really. --- watch me dance hear me sing but my thoughts are my own. [/scrolly]

[jellyfish]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,5,true][atrb=width,497,true][atrb=height,188,true][atrb=background,http://i53.tinypic.com/zvabtu.jpg][atrb=cellPadding,1,true][scrolly:h(150),w(475),sy,as(position:relative;left:20px;)] The instant she spoke of unhanding- the instant her voice shattered the silence- his teeth clacked together on the bug with a sickening crunch, as if her voice was the trigger to his actions. Naturally they were not- the Amur leopard simply got tired of keeping the decorative insect prisoner in his jaw, and couldn't bear to 'return' it to the other leopard. He had snatched it from her... that meant automatically it became his responsibility..... his choice. His face was blank, void of emotion as his brain and mouth worked to give an adequate match to her words. "Nothings fair, which is why, silver creature, you will get nothing of mine." His own tail flickered behind him like a lightning bug in the night, as if taunting the other leopard with something they both knew she wouldn't have taken for any sort of compensation in the first place. "You don't want any piece of me anyway," He said with the same blank look upon his face- one that melded quickly into a sneering, nose-wrinkling grin. "I'm horribly diseased." As if to emphasize this, a cough racked his body, forcing the leopard to momentarily pause to catch his breath. Truly he was not diseased- or, at least, he personally didn't believe so- but the raw meat in his stomach was putting on a circus, and causing his already unpleasant mood to drop a degree lower into being outright vicious as his system attempted to cope. "You might not want to stare at strangers, clan cat. Back in the pit I crawled up out of, that would get someone like you a claw to the eye." Another giggle, as if picturing the leopardess glancing at any number of thug that didn't particularly like to be stared at. Wendigo so enjoyed his mind- he could do whatever he pleased in his own little world, manipulated visions, conversations... he could do what he pleased. In his world, he could be right side up and everyone else be upside down. He could do what he pleased without consequence, but deal out consequence to anyone that did not abide by his law. /Unfortunately,/ he thought silently to himself, /She might not enjoy being made a pawn in my mind-games if she knew. Not that a clancats opinions matter./ A third chuckle shook his shoulders, for all the world signaling that he was speaking to himself in his mind... or else he was completely off kilter. "As would chasing after a butterfly when you are a moon above six." He added slowly, as if the thought had returned to him, and he had found it amusing enough to accompany his previous words. He smirked as pleasantly as a cat of his personality could, and awaited a response to his attitude. stock credit goes to K.B of flickr

[/div]
[/scrolly][/size][/color][/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[madhatter]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,498,true]

[atrb=background,http://i55.tinypic.com/a0jtoy.jpg] [scrolly:h(125),w(228),sy] His demeanor made Feathergale much too intrigued for her liking. Was he really as corroded as he made her think? Her love of puzzles was a dangerous one, apparently. The female was not unsure of her abilities, though his unmistakable size and lean muscles portrayed a cold strength she didn’t want to become tangled up in. When he crushed the poor, entrapped creature, she lifted her lip, halfway to baring a tooth. The mystery leopard allowed the butterfly to fall silently to the ground, one wing twisted at an odd angle. She sympathized. Its end was not mercifully quick. It suffered like her sister had likely suffered. Why she was dwelling on such a small life was known only to her. With a quick flick of her spotted tail, she swept the carcass towards her, carefully smoothing out its black and blue limbs, allowing it to travel to whatever afterlife it had in serenity; with its birthright- to fly. She didn’t spare a glance for the stranger, the intruder, until she was finished and when she did, her eyes brimmed with more than just distaste- curiosity as well. Fairly aware of the fact that he should not be here, but with no desire to give off anything but cool emotion, her voice was cut. It filled the air and her tail hung behind her like a lamp, hovering in the shaded area they were now backed into. “Diseased, now are you?” She paused, again appraising his torso. “Then I do believe it is my duty to escort you off of my land.” The cough startled her, though it shouldn’t have. Greencough season was being chased away by blooms. “Diseased or not, I don’t have a problem removing you.” The voice, or rather the cat that spoke it, was only really half-confident, but in her defense, it was calm and collected. A tail sweep then; a feather duster wiping away pieces of unwanted material. ‘You might not want to stare at strangers, clan cat.’ His snickers were grotesque, joy in the pain of others. Steady eyes never left his, giving him a worthy look. His dark manner, his quick tongue, even his looks reminded her of everything this outing was supposed to forcefully remove. Don't. Don't remember. And memories flooded over her, choking her brain, making her shudder. Perhaps he would think it was his own persona that caused her to do such a thing- or perhaps not. “Well, doesn’t that sound like a wretched hole.” Feathergale nodded up at the deep foliage above, a harsh smell of dead meat. “On the other hand though, it explains your obvious lack of etiquette on clan cat’s territory.” In a way, his psychotic giggles aggravated her. ‘As would chasing after a butterfly when you are a moon above six.’ Her lips didn’t pull into a snarl, her fur did not bristle, and she did not act the way any other cat would. No, instead, she treated his remark as a hidden question and put in a thoughtful response. “Merely a distraction from the impurities of life.” Wasn’t that the truth. “A butterfly is said to be able to captivate even a complex mind for hours.” Emphasizing the thought, another sifted by, no idea whatsoever that its co-partner had been murdered just seconds before. “Unfortunately, you would not understand such a thing.” If cats could raise an eyebrow- can they?- she would have. “You seem to be perfectly content with invading on hunting grounds and its terrorizing innocent insects and its not-so-innocent inhabitants.” Careful now. --- watch me dance hear me sing don't tell me how to be and my thoughts are my own [/scrolly]

[jellyfish]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,5,true][atrb=width,497,true][atrb=height,188,true][atrb=background,http://i53.tinypic.com/zvabtu.jpg][atrb=cellPadding,1,true][scrolly:h(150),w(475),sy,as(position:relative;left:20px;)] He watched with a blank look as the female leopard retrieved the butterfly he had so uncaringly snuffed out and realigned its manged wing. /She is peaceful and pure,/ his thoughts whirled, rattling his brain. /WRONG, WRONG, WRONG./ As if he could not accept the fact that any fellow animals could show such a sign of true compassion, his thoughts blared out. Shaking his head, the Amur leopard merely stared at the other cat for a moment, cold green-gold eyes searching for something in her own. What has it that made her so.... untainted? He was interrupted in his mind searching, however, as she spoke. "Oh ho ho? Escort me off your land? Is that ambition or truth speaking?" Perhaps he could fluster her by pointing out the possessive term she had used. For all he knew, however, the land truly was hers- but Wendigo had more than an itch of doubt. A leader- those that took -star as their ending, according to several mangy old rogues he had spoken to before wandering out- would not be outside the camp, alone, and chasing insects. They would be seeing to organizing duties, and other such actions, and keeping everyone in order. This silver beast, though she had the cool demeanor of one high in ranking, did not hit him as the leader type, though he said nothing more to insinuate otherwise. "And even if you don't have a problem removing me, you'll be having several problems while in the act of trying to remove me. I'm parasitic- like a leech, I suppose you might say-" And he laughed, for leeches, like himself, were bloodsucking creatures, ridden with disease and the minds for survival. "And unfortunately, I'll stick around- whenever I want, wherever I want- until I suck all of the blood out of this land." Another chuckle and the slightest of grins twisted at his lips, for he was curious as to what a response to that would be. Which way would this snow leopard interpret it? The obvious one? Or perhaps the darker meaning? "Wretched places are for wretches. I am no wretch," He murmured, mock-solemnly. "The 'obvious lack of etiquette,' is not explained by what I'm not. It is explained solely by the fact that creatures of nightmares tend to throw everything around them into a more gruesome and gritty light. I cannot help the fact that decay follows me- it follows all. You just seem to notice it more currently because you are upset that I killed your momentary plaything, no matter the fact that you are restraining your emotions." He was blunt, and brutally trained with words- something that wasn't quite often viewed in a rogue of his life path. He enjoyed the twisting that he could do with the simple sentence uttered by someone else- how he could mold it into something else and reply to whichever portion he pleased. Wendigo throughly enjoyed such word games- though he had a feeling that this cat, though she would not reveal it, would get annoyed with his constant inability to leave words at what they were on the surface. "Stroll into your camp and see just how much death follows every little... warrior... from their hunts- then return and speak to me of a lack of etiquette." "Don't attempt to play mind-games with someone whose entire life is one," He murmured, low enough so that it could be considered as a warning. "A live butterfly can indeed captivate a complex mind, as you put it, but a dead butterfly can captivate everything above and beyond complex." He ad been tempted to reach out and swat the other butterfly who drifted nearer- but decided, instead, to use it as an example. "Take the live butterfly, for instance. A complex mind could perhaps wonder 'Where has it traveled?' or 'What has it seen?' or perhaps even 'How many moons has it lived?' Those questions, among many others, can be asked of the living counterpart of the creature you have so carefully 'fixed,'" at which point, he nodded toward the dead butterfly on the ground near her. "But of the dead one, you can tack on such questions as 'Why did it die?' or 'What was its last view of the world?' or possibly even 'What thoughts crossed its mind in the last few moments?'" He paused to cough again, and returned to his words as if there had been no delay. "A complex mind would be more intrigued by the dead than the living, for everything dead has a tale of how it got to such a state, and some of the living, unfortunately, do not. Do not attempt to lecture me on what I can and cannot understand when you don't know my limitations, nor my history." "I seem perfectly content, because I am perfectly content. Shall we stop stating the obvious, not-so-innocent one?" He was done at that point with replying to all she had said, and he let out a slight yawn- though whether it was directed at their conversation or not was a point not observed. She had attempted to bait him by calling him less than complex- but unfortunately for her, he could counter such a blow of words like a battle move coming from the minuscule paws of a kit. stock credit goes to K.B of flickr

[/div]
[/scrolly][/size][/color][/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[madhatter]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,498,true]

[atrb=background,http://i55.tinypic.com/a0jtoy.jpg] [scrolly:h(125),w(228),sy] Oh, StarClan. If all things happen for a reason then please reveal the message. Feathergale regretfully knew this leopard would not remove himself from her territory. Without force. And frankly, despite all of her training, his cold, hard muscles was almost sure to overpower her alone. The irony of this was that the she-leopard was standing up to a male who had a good amount of inches above her. His voice dripped with mockery, but Feather did not become angry. She was too busy thinking about how she hadn’t had such an engaging conversation with another feline for a very, very long time. Wow- a dangerous rogue was the one to spark that. How unfortunate. Off her land? The clan’s land, really. She was no leader. Leopardess Feathergale had rarely considered such an option. She didn’t hold the right air of a leader, and she was well aware. In the back of her mind, a flashing light went off- warning. Get away while you still can. But she didn’t- in fact, she rose to the challenge. The shadowed area that she was now being backed into was unnerving. So she quit stepping backwards, and instead stared up at him, straightening to her full height. “Does it matter?” She wasn’t hostile, even after being prodded to be that way. A tone of honesty. No hidden twists. Her pale green eyes were not given a veil of mystery. She was that sort of cat that read ‘open book’. Ooo, but the Amur leopard in front of her was a complete and utter opposite. Everything that he did reminded her of the constant snakes that crawled through the deep undergrowth. Oh yes, even the way he moved rang serpent. Just his eyes perplexed her. I suppose such a deep snow leopard would notice their color mere moments after their first encounter. And she had. “I’m parasitic- like a leech.” Feathergale actually considered this thought, nodding slightly. “A leech, indeed.” That laugh. Why? Why laugh at such horrid words? “Difficult to remove, impossible to catch, and forever hard to exterminate.” But, no, she voiced her other opinions. “Despite this, I do believe I see more snake than leech.” Still, no venom in her words. Just a quiet observation. At mention of sucking the blood from her home, she took on a harder expression. “No- oh no, you are welcome to suck blood from any other unfortunate place away from here. But it will not be this land.” Her mind didn’t put together the pieces of what the more cynical meaning was until later. “I am no wretch.” She murmured back, solemnly but without the mockery. “An intruder, nonetheless.” Considering the views of decay, she shook her head. “Decay follows not me without proper meaning. Etiquette is not leaving your remains dangling in trees. Etiquette is treating things with balance.” Her eyes drifted calmly to the passerby, suspended in color, then returned her focus to him. “This butterfly, my play-thing as you so kindly put it- is that not who I am to you right now? A mere play-thing?” Her calm eyes appraised him, taking a few steps sideways. A note lower his voice dropped, and she successfully shook off a sense of unease. The way he put the nature of a dead butterfly was impressive. Most would give a simple shrug and continue. But he insisted on shooting a long-winded response back. “Do you consider just breathing things alive? Or do allow yourself to imagine grass, the trees, maybe even the sun for all we know, as living counterparts as well? Do you find dead grass worthy of such questions? When you see leaf-bare, do you think of complexity?” Cocking her head, her mind whirled. “As for the viewpoints of a living butterfly- my questions are not what you have pointed out. I think, for example, ‘What is it like to fly?’, ‘What can it possibly be thinking?, or even- ‘How does it not understand the fine line between friend and predator?’” Pfft. What he can and cannot understand. Daggershard. Daggershard. Reminders. Everywhere. Something in how he said his last statement made her more testy than it should have. Feathergale stepped up to him, nose to nose, and raised her lip just slightly in a snarl. “Do not attempt to lecture me either, nameless rogue, of the things I can’t understand, when you do not know who I am, nor my history.” And she simply left it at that, returning to a comfortable ways away. “Obvious- or observant? Because honestly, I don’t see content. I see a leopard looking for something. Are you going to tell me what that thing is?” ooc- >_< Ehh. [/scrolly]