Arrival Of Youth

[Shatteredstar]

[bg=000000][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,350,true][atrb=background,http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y32/Arhiukahn/Shatteredstarmiddle.jpg] The heavy haul was a strain on the large she-cat's jaws as she and the stranger entered through the stone tunnel leading into camp. Rocks and ledges jutted above them. On a flat shelf of rock overlooking the tunnel entrance with a great view of the forest beyond, sat a small tomcat, nodding to the leader as she passed, but eying the newcomer with a suspicious glare. More glares were added to them as they continued into the center of camp. They were surrounded by towering cliffs on all sides, sitting in the center of a wide clearing. The sandy canyon floor under paw was packed rock hard by the cats who had lived here over generations. The night sky was clear above them, the lights of silverpelt and the moon shining down into camp and casting everything in a silver glow. Shatteredstar dropped her catch, and stood gazing around at the other cats in the clearing, some of whom were just now slipping out of their dens to see what had caused the utter silence. No cat spoke, but shared glances and cast cautious looks from their leader to the strange cat who had followed her. She called over to a group of young cats, looking almost the same age as Watermelon, and whispered something to them, then padded off towards the other side of the clearing. The young cats picked up her owl and carried it away to a pile of kill between two large boulders. Meanwhile Shatteredstar had moved to the top of a large ledge overlooking the entire clearing, two fox skulls sat on either side of her. Her tail curled around her paws as she sat down, green eyes shining in the moonlight. She motioned with her tail, and pointed to a patch of grass just below the ledge at the base of the cliff, and nodded to Watermelon to come and sit. Her voice rose above the silence, calling out to her clan. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather under the bone ledge for a Clan meeting."

[Watermelon]

[bg=000000][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,350,true][atrb=background,http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/4873/watermelonmiddle.png] Walking in behind Shatteredstar, Watermelon almost felt guilty for not offering to carry the owl as well, but she'd had the impression that she wanted the owl. Fair enough. She wanted to carry the squirrel she'd caught because it had been her catch. Oddly, even though it was her first catch, she had a feeling of knowing what it was like to carry your own prey to camp. She stepped into camp after Shatteredstar, and was a bit taken aback at the reception she seemed to receive. The whole hallow seemed to go quiet. Voices that had been sounding before died to whispers, and then, utter silence. She tried not to let it get to her. The stares and flattened ears especially. She busied her eyes with looking up, and taking in the Camp. It was like nothing she had ever imagined. She didn't know how they managed to get everywhere they needed to,, but they must. There were cats on every level. She put her kill and Shatteredstars next to the owl, and moved back enough to give the ThunderClan leader some room. She wanted to hide from all the eyes on her, but she didn't, though she had to force her fur to lie flat. Shatteredstars call for the two cats that looked around Watermelons age made her curious. She watched the conversation, and wasn't surprised that it was a short one as Shatteredstar moved to the large ledge that seemed to stand out in the Camp. Skulls decorated it on either side, and Watermelon had to wonder why any cat would put skulls there. When she was motioned to, Watermelon felt her fur get hot as she went to stand before the ledge, looking up to Shatteredstar. Was this the way she was going to announce to the clan that she was basically spending the night, until sunrise?

[Shatteredstar]

[bg=000000][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,350,true][atrb=background,http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y32/Arhiukahn/Shatteredstarmiddle.jpg] After all of the cats had gathered, Shatteredstar stood up once more, looking down on her clan proudly from her spot high on the ledge. The sight of their eyes glistening with curiosity always seemed to make her fur prickle with excitement, but she pushed it aside, calming herself as she began to speak. "Cats of ThunderClan. This.." She motioned again with her tail towards the pale cat at the base of the ledge." Is Watermelon, a kittypet." A few voices piped up, some showing disgust, some just curious, questioning yowls. The leader waited till silence had once again fallen, and she took another step forward, her front paws barely grazing the edge of the ledge. "She will be staying with us for the night. You all know how dangerous it is out there, and she is young." There was a long pause, and Shatteredstar could hear a few murmurs of agreement, but some of her warriors still seemed distressed at the thought of an outsider in camp. "She is no threat to us, but to put your minds at ease, I will be guarding her myself until sunrise. She will be my responsibility. With my permission she has managed to catch her own prey, but that will be the ONLY prey she will take from our territory." Her voice turned icy with the last words, and she stepped back again. The rest of the clan seemed to be calmed by her reasoning, and had remained quiet. ~Good~ She thought silently to herself, then turned away from the ledge and loped down the side of the cliff, signaling that the meeting was over. Experienced paws carried her effortlessly down the narrow path between the boulders and back into the clearing where she met with the young cat once more. The others had scattered back to their dens, but some still peered out at the kittypet from the darkness of the caves. "You may fetch your squirrel from the freshkill pile, and meet me in my den. You will be staying with me for the night." She muttered quietly, then angled her face up to a high cliff. The black mouth of a cave yawned in the shadows. A path wound down from the mouth, and met with the clearing floor near the space between the boulders where the freshkill pile lay.