[[ Stress? What would give you that idea? ]]

[» got MiLK ?!]

White-socked paws clung to the edge of the sharp ledge as Celestialstar gazed over the clan. Just regular chit-chat. Nothing was going to leap out at the clan from behind a rock. No, it was perfectly find in here. Perhaps some cats were a bit more tense than usual, but Celestialstar was on edge. They were smooth, calm and serene compared to him. His muscles were tensed and he was ready to fly into action when needed. The tom was never this alert. Usually he was layed-back, calm, and laughing about something or another.

His clan had started disappearing. He had no clue of the source. DuskClan couldnt've come back. That was impossible. They'd defeated DuskClan, paying for it with the loss of Celestialstar's brother and sister. He felt an unpleasant jolt in his stomach as he remembered the two. With a flick of his ears, he threw off the memories, and went back to his present concerns. He just knew it was the other clans to blame. But which one? Last moon, he'd had a few cats vanish near the SolarClan border, but this moon....It was all at the TempestClan border. He would bring it up at the next gathering. Would they have a good response for the crap they were dishing out? He hoped so.

[+ [R]ainy +]

A lithe pale shape slid through the crack in the cave wall, the entrance to NocturnalClan's medicine den. Torrentpaw's eyes took a moment to adjust to the lighter room, blinking uncomfortably in the light. Moments later though, she remembered her task and glanced around the camp. Celestialstar... where was he?

Torrentpaw suddenly realized that there was a ledge directly overhead though. Feeling silly, she smiled to herself and glanced up. Sure enough, there was Celestialstar, sitting up on his perch. The blue-point she-cat propelled herself upward, nearly making the jump. Her forepaws scrabbled furiously along the rocky edge treacherously, but she managed to get a fair grip and pull herself up.

"Celestialstar, can I talk to you for a sec?" she asked quietly, shuffling her white feet on the stoney surface. "It's kinda important..."

[» got MiLK ?!]

Amber eyes locked on the apprentice. "Of course," he mewed in reply. He had to mew rather loudly over the water rushing over the edge. They seemed to be having a lot of water in the river lately. Well, it was New-Leaf. The ice was melting, so naturally, they would have more water.

"Has StarClan told you anything yet?" he asked her before she could speak. His voice was low, he didn't want to worry the clan more than they probably already were. He had been hoping for a message from their ancestors soon, but so far nothing had surfaced. He had figured it would either come to him or the medicine cat before Torrentpaw, but that was just his opinion. Anything was possible.

[+ [R]ainy +]

Torrentpaw was about to answer when Celestialstar interrupted her, beating her to the punch. She didn't blame him for worrying though. Cats had been disappearing, and that was no joking matter.

"I'm not sure," she replied truthfully, averting her blue eyes. "I had a dream last night. There was a message, but it was really unclear. I couldn't make out all of it, but I heard one little thing... Let me start from the beginning."

"I was out hunting in the forest, and uh, I caught a bird. Nothing out of the ordinary there. But just as I was about to eat it, it started to disappear, like, it just faded away. Everything was dead quiet after that. I was afraid, so I started going back to camp, but I just ended up in the same place that I was before. It was like the Clans weren't even there anymore, and I was just alone. Then this voice started saying things. I couldn't really understand it, but it was telling me that there was some kind of hidden threat. That's all I really got out of it..." Torrentpaw finished up her story, giving Celestialstar a glance to gauge his reaction.

[» got MiLK ?!]

Celestialstar stared at the rock for a moment, contemplating this. A hidden threat? Well, that would make sense. But....the other clans weren't hidden. They knew about them. Maybe it wasn't the other clans after all. Well, whenever they investigated, all they smelled was cats. And usually a strong scent of whichever border it was near. He sighed heavily. "Thank you for telling me this. Have you told *insert med cat here* yet? Maybe he [or she] will understand it better," he mewed to the apprentice.

[+ [R]ainy +]

"I tried, but (s)he doesn't seem to think it's a threat," Torrentpaw sighed. "I guess I really don't have enough information about it yet. But I'll keep trying." She held her blue muzzle high, proud that she'd at least been able to help a little bit. That was what she liked best about her job. "You're looking kind of restless though, Celestialstar. You should really try taking it easy... if you can." She gave him a small smirk. "If you need some poppy seeds later on, you know where to find me. Just take it easy for now. Cats might be disappearing and stuff, but if you're nervous about it, they'll be nervous too. Heck, I'm... kind of nervous myself." She grinned sheepishly as she began to make her way towards the edge of the small cliff.

[» got MiLK ?!]

Celestialstar rolled his eyes at the apprentice. He was normally always calm and this was one of those rare moments of anxiety for him. "You go....herb-hunting or whatever it is you Medicine Cats do," he laughed.

The splotched black and white tom rose to his paws and stretched. His claws curved to the shape of the rock and he yawned hugely. His pink tongue curled up and his teeth snapped together after stretching. He padded his way to the back of the ledge where there was a little crack in the wall. It was a snug and hidden place he liked to hang out in. It meant he could avoid other clan things for a while. His mind wandered for a while as he mulled over the new information Torrentpaw had brought him. How could *insert med cat name here* not think that was a threat? "A hidden thread," that certainly sounded a thread to him.

[r α ν ε η]

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No raindrops on roses or girls in white dresses
It's sleeping with the roaches and taking best guesses
At the shade of the sheets and before all the stains
And a few more of your least favourite things !

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It was cold, for early Newleaf, with icy stretches of howling wind that bit into your skin, no matter how much you braced yourself. Everything was dead; everything was swallowed by the vast cavity of time. A few mottled, red-brown leaves clung doggedly to the slender tendrils of their trees, brittle and riddled with disease. But then again, younger, determined buds fluttered alongside the older leaves, yet to blossom to their full potential. It was a clear morning, beautiful, even, the ground slick with ice. Everything, come to think of it, was glazed with a fine frosting of delicate, crisp ivory powder, glittering and glimmering like a mirage. The sun was high overhead, a wavering golden ball of fire, ripe to be plucked from its vault in the sky. It cast its bleak light over the valley, giving the precious illusion of warmth. The sky was a brilliant shade of sapphire, fading to a delicate eggshell white as it touched the horizon. Not a cloud dared to mar the clear, idyllic surface, and the only sign of harsh temperatures were the ice and the constant wind.

A wiry golden tom made his way down to camp. He seemed at home among such conditions; his paws were placed surely and firmly on the treacherous carpet of brittle, jagged ice. His pelt was thick and coarse, similar to a fox's, and ideal for such an environment. He was handsome, in a striking sort of way; not beautiful, but handsome. His bottlebrush of a tail twitched back and forth in an absent sort of fashion, but his movements were those of someone confident. Long, carefree strides, with a kind of loose movement around the joints. His eyes, startling in their golden amber hue, were half-closed to protect himself from the glare of the sun's reflection from the ice. That was the sun for you; bright and golden, but not shedding the least amount of warmth. He snorted, whiskers twitching. One couldn't trust the elements; that he had learned. The sky itself had cast him down to mingle with the mortals, down on Earth. Pah. He spat briefly before looking up. Raindancer paused at the entrance, lifting his head. Inside, he could here the indistinct burble of voices, pulsing like something alive.

He, at least, had some proof of his hunting trip; four plump hares, a scrawny sparrow, and a skinny, ragged squirrel. The sparrow and the squirrel were each so insubstantial that both put together would probably not feed an elder. It had been a hard Leafbare. He sighed, closing his eyes for a few heartbeats. It was Newleaf now, though. Everything would be better now. He hoped. He made himself hope. He needed to hope, with a desperate, frantic need, to find that there was green grass on the other side of the mountain. That once they made it through the freezing cold, it would be warm paradise all the way until next Leafbare. But this Leafbare had been... difficult. He couldn't remember one like it. The snow had claimed many bodies, this season, it had sent countless souls to StarClan. At least the supply of hares didn't seem at all affected. After a few seconds of concentration, he padded inside the thorny entrance to camp. Well, "padded" wasn't the correct term. Raindancer didn't "pad" anywhere; that was too delicate. He strode purposefully, not heavily, but with straight, long steps and a fierce look in his eyes.

Around him, warriors chatted in low voices about their kits, about their mates, about their parents. Apprentices giggled and tussled. He had left camp just before dawn, he reflected placidly, and he had been out for about five hours. Great, he thought darkly. He moved to deposit his prey on the fresh-kill pile, in an almost dream-like state. There were a couple wet noises as the hares slapped onto some other prey, and he absentmindedly claimed the scrawny squirrel. It was mainly all fur, he realized with a twitch of his whiskers; he concentrated on spitting out the tufts of coarse reddish-brown fur from his teeth, and dislodging them from the back of his throat. Inside, there was barely any meat. Just bones. He rolled his eyes, and heaved himself to his paws, spitting out a final bone. Now what? He blinked, recognizing two vague figures. He nodded to them in a friendly fashion; he knew most of her Clan, and besides, it was testimony to just how out-going Raindancer was that he would have greeted them if they were complete strangers. "A fine morning," he laughed, and it was impossible to tell whether he was being sarcastic, or genuine.

The frost sparkled around him, shifting and changing endlessly, like sand. As he neared them, he recognized them as the leader and medicine cat apprentice. They were conversing in low voices, and he bit his lip, regretting interrupting them. Well, he had been a long way away! He leaned back on his haunches. Well, now that he was here, he might as well ask Celestialstar if he could leave with a border patrol. You could never be too careful, what with DuskClan... he could barely remember it, being only a kit when the worst had happened, but it had been terrible. He shivered, carefully looking away so that it wouldn't seem he was listening into their conversation.

OOC // Sorry, you two posted while I was posting, so mine's a little... late. :]

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