[X] Backdrop [ ch. one UP ]

[hodgepodge]

Title: Backdrop
Chapters: Unfinished, but over eight
Author: Hodgepodge / me
Pairing: Nar. Give away the story. ;) And it's not what you think.. trust me. It's a major twist.
Summary:
Editor: Me
Cover: coming soon :O

Author's Notes: This is my first time on an Archives site ever, so.. be nice. xD

ALLEGIANCES --

Leader:
Ripplestar - blue-gray tabby she-cat with icy blue eyes, four lives left

Deputy:
Thrushflight - small tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Medicine Cat:
Oakfur - dusky brown tom (with darker flecks), amber eyes
Apprentice, Reedpaw - sleek black tom with leafy-green eyes

Warriors:

Circlepace - long furred ginger tom with green eyes
Apprentice, Mousepaw
Blacktail - black tom with amber eyes
Silverspirit - pale gray tabby she-cat with light blue eyes
Apprentice, Ivypaw
Haredash - gray-brown tom with pale yellow eyes
Apprentice, Marshpaw
Quickstep - ruddy colored tom with amber eyes, white paws and tail-tip
Nightbreeze - dark gray she-cat with amber eyes
Mosswhisker - tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes
Cloudnose - cream colored she-cat with amber eyes, unusual white nose
Apprentice, Darkpaw
Littlebrook - chocolate-colored tabby she-cat with dark amber eyes
Grayclaw - gray tom with amber eyes
Ripplepool - blue-gray she-cat with blue-green eyes
Larksong - beautiful dark brown she-cat with swirls of gold and lighter brown, glittering flame-colored eyes

Apprentices:

Mousepaw - pretty golden tabby with stormy green eyes
Ivypaw - petite white she-cat with ivy-colored eyes
Marshpaw - brown tom with amber eyes
Darkpaw - black tom with unnaturally bright green eyes

Queens

Duskflower - old brown tabby she-cat with light blue eyes, permanent queen
Robinsong - brown tabby she-cat with white underbelly, placid amber eyes, mother of Quickstep’s kits
Heathertail - beautiful golden she-cat with patches of black and cream, milky green-blue eyes, mother of Grayclaw’s kits, blind

Elders:

Gorseclaw - oldest tom in RiverClan, gray-muzzled brown tom

story on next post!

[hodgepodge]

. prologue ++

If anyone were to ask what Bluestone thought of a perfect world, she would always say, “A world devoid of betrayal and sadness.” Many would agree with her, though this idea was indeed foolish, for there would always be treacherous villains in the forest, ones that had a dark ambition to kill and cease their yearning to rule, the idea was sensible. I, on the other hand, would be one of the few who would have to disagree with our wise medicine cat. I would answer immediately, “A world which had no death.” Yet without death I would not have a story to tell, and though I’m not an optimist, like Thrushstar or my long dead mother, Leafpelt, I do, in fact, dream of a perfect world.

When I was an apprentice, my favorite time of day was to sit down and listen to the elders’ stories, about the old forest and the memories still embedded there. Like Firestar and his kittypet lineage, and despite the hardships, became the forest’s most cherished leader. And Tigerstar, who’s ambitions to become Clan leader took over him until he killed innocent cats, thirsty for control. Before she died, Shadowfur once spoke of the Moonstone, the diamond-bright, stark white stone deep under the ground where Medicine Cats communicated with StarClan.

But the stories that most intrigued me, pulled me in their depths, were the stories of the ancient Clans - LionClan, the golden cats whose manes were made of the rays of the sun; TigerClan, the muscular cats with thick bands of black striping their fur; and lastly, LeopardClan, the lithe, swift cats whose pelts were stippled with fallen stars.

Blacktail told me I resembled a cat from LionClan: my courage and stealth was impeccable. When I was his apprentice, and he my mentor, he told me that I was one of the best fighters the forest had ever seen. I shared my mother’s skills, her silent strikes and fast retaliation was one-of-a-kind. I would see Blacktail’s eyes gleam with pride as I pinned him to the ground, small paws on his throat.

I suppose you could say I was to tad too ambitious for my own good - and that is still true. Yet I feel this ambition ebb as I grow older, like a scar that once was fresh and painful, but heals into something still reminiscent of your past.

But before I become too immersed in memories, I must tell the story woven into my pelt. My mother was born in WindClan, though was abandoned by her mother, so RiverClan took her in, convinced that she was there to stay. Her name was Leafpelt, and though I don’t remember much, she had the softest, most beautiful pelt, richly colored and dabbed with hints of almost any color you can think of. Her eyes were like shards of ice, like a pale abyss that was not cold nor warm. I was firstborn under the celestial light of the stars, and then came my brother, who did not live long enough to see his first sunrise.

I remember always loathing the color of my fur: long, lustrous and was the shade of the red-brown color of the leaves in Leaf-fall. Alongside my den mates, Circlepace and his brother Haredash, and Littlebrook with her brother Grayclaw, I was constantly arguing against the theory that I wasn’t just a “pretty little kittypet” as they assumed I was.

The major flaw of my apprentice life was that I never learned that death really did happen. When Leafpelt died, grief claimed my heart for many moons afterward. Little did I know that everyone had their share of grief in their life, and this was just the very beginning of mine. But grief and sadness is like the ice of Leafbare, its coldness will freeze your heart, but thaws into a Newleaf every single time.

[hodgepodge]

. chapter one ++

The first time I remember seeing him was at my first gathering, when I was still Larkpaw and he was still Crowpaw. We were friends immediately; his sense of wit and sarcastic humor went in flawless harmony with my ambition and relentless energy. Crowpaw was always seeking adventure and strived for excellence in everything he did. We grew to become better friends the more we saw each other, and finally we earned our Warrior names - Larksong and Crowflight - on the same sunrise.

Early morning sunlight cascaded down from the steadily rising sun: an indestructible waterfall of light. It created a cheery feeling, subtle and not overpowering, but there nevertheless. A leisurely wind hummed through the richly colored Autumn leaves, whisking them from the safe captivity of their branches and letting them teeter-totter to the leaf-strewn forest floor. It was blemished with the various fallen items which created the forest around, but thoroughly meshed together until it was one large mass.

I watched subtly at the roots of a large oak tree, my fire-colored eyes trained on the two dust-colored squirrels debating who would get the large acorn concealed under the leaves of a hazel bush. I wondered quietly what they were bickering as the chased each other, fluffy tails streaming out behind them as they circled around the other.

I momentarily wished I could understand squirrel, but the thought was immediately pushed to the corner of my mind as I instinctively dropped into a Hunter’s Crouch, my smooth muscles rippling liquidly underneath my golden-streaked pelt. My long tail flicked as I skillfully pinpointed where to strike, my flexing claws creating small ruts in the earth. My muscles tensed as I prepared to pounce, and with a powerful push off of my hind legs, I was airborne.

The squirrels’ argument abruptly turned to high-pitches squeals as they saw the feline - me - sailing through the air, legs outstretched and claws unsheathed. One of the squirrels clambered up the oak tree, calling warning to his companion still rooted to the ground. I purred with satisfaction as my claws met flesh, digging into the small squirrel’s body. I hastily sunk my teeth into its neck, killing it instantly.

“You could’ve done better.” A slender black tom emerged from the fronds, his amber eyes glittering playfully. His tail flicked as he sat down next to me, eying the squirrel I had caught.

I rolled my eyes. “Gee, thanks, Blacktail,” I said sarcastically, cuffing his ears with my paw. My old mentor growled and swatted at my head, but I ducked and bounded forward. He laughed and chased after me, teeth snapping softly near my tail.

“You better go get your squirrel,” he remarked once the RiverClan camp was in view, gesturing with his tail.

I sighed. “Fox dung,” I murmured to myself, batting Blacktail’s flank once more before turning and hastening back toward the river, my paws tapping lightly over the ground in a repetitive pattern.

Suddenly, a dark shape caught my eye, and the sharp tang of wind and grass hit my nostrils. WindClan. I snarled and sprinted forward, spitting fury as the trespasser gave a start and hurdled toward the border, my squirrel clutched between his teeth. I yowled and slashed out my paw as hard as I could, satisfactory tingling throughout my fur as I felt thick beads of blood well up from between my claws.

The WindClan cat topped to the ground, shaking his head. Flecks of burgundy colored blood spattered over the leaves, and I throatily growled.

“Please,” the cat mewed shakily, gasping for breath. “Please.. WindClan is starving.”

“WindClan’s suffering is not of my concern,” I spat, lunging forward. But the WindClan cat was ready. He lashed out his back paws and kicked my throat, causing me to gag and fly backwards, landing at the roots of a tree. A shower of leaves rained down on my fur, and I glared at the cat.

“What’s your name, trespasser?” I hissed, heaving myself off the ground. “Tell me and maybe I’ll show you some mercy.”

The cat turned its head, and I immediately gasped, my mouth slightly hanging open. I took a step forward, and the cat did the same. I purred and rubbed my cheek against his, and he give my head a soft lick.

“Crowflight,” I murmured, pulling away from my friend. I frowned as I saw the wound I had inflicted upon him, and he sighed. Blood streamed down from the base of his ear, which hung awkwardly against his head.

I pressed my muzzle to his. “Sorry,” I whispered, and he chuckled, his voice like rain pattering against the river and sending shards of water to dribble against the fronds lining it.

“That’s okay, Larchsong,” he whispered, gazing into my eyes. “Because I love you.”

[Snowstep]

wow it's cool so far! =P keep writing! only 2 more chapters and i'll be accepted. ^^

[hodgepodge]

UNFINISHED

crappiest chapter ever! beware

. chapter two ++

Crowflight’s tail instantly twined with mine, and he gave my head a rough lick. I was still trying to realize what had just happened.. What he said, what he was doing.. I was drowning in a cold black abyss without trying to swim back to its surface, and a short, ragged breath left my body. I let myself be grasped in the darkness’s cold, suffocating fingers choking me..

I pulled away from Crowflight, his touch leaving an icy feeling creeping throughout my gilded fur. I stared into his eyes, like fire and ice clashing together in a burning cold elemental battle that would never cease, never give in. Ambition staring into witty humor, apathy staring into excellence.

“Larksong?” Crowflight whispered, his pale gray fur ruffled. “Did.. You hear me?”

I hissed. “Yes. You l-love me.” I looked away, my paws shaking, barely able to hold the weight creasing down against my shoulders. A sob raked through my body, uncontrollable, and I didn’t know if it was from happiness or contempt. “I don’t. Can’t. Love.. You.”

Crowflight stared at me, all the color rapidly leaving his eyes, leaving them pallid and lifeless. He unsheathed his claws and swayed against the ground, a twisted grimace distorting his face. “Why, Larksong? We can be together, we can make it work. I’ve loved you, Larksong! Why can’t you see that? Forever and ever. And I will love you. And you will love me.”

I yowled, collapsing on the ground, tears streaming down my face. Crowflight stepped forward, curling around my body. I shivered as his pelt meshed with mine, and he chuckled.

“Mousebrain.”

[Minty]

Ooh, Crowflight sounds evil!

[Autumnstorm]

I like your style!!! Please continue writing! =)