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Post by Kaeldra on Feb 7, 2023 20:24:04 GMT
Shellspots || she/her || 44 moons
Where did that tom go?
Shellspots had checked all over the camp, and yet there was no sign of Flare. There wasn’t anything he was assigned to this evening, and of course he was entitled to do what he wished with his personal time, but it was unusual for it to take such efforts to track him down.
Trusting that her Clanmates would take care of the camp in her absence, she slipped out through the reeds and quickly crossed the river. Now, which way to try first? Perhaps he was down at the Beech Copse with a few of the apprentices? Though the sun was beginning to fall, and they didn’t normally hold training sessions so late in the day.
Maybe down at the riverbank, then, she decided, and set off.
Thankfully, it wasn’t long before she picked up Flare’s scent. Understanding dawned on Shellspots when she realized that there was another cat scent mingled with his own. He must have gone out scouting for new Clan members! While their ranks were beginning to fill out nicely, more paws to share the workload would never be a bad thing.
As she drew closer, she wondered what type of cat this new face would be.
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Riley
Head of Advertising
349 Posts
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Post by Riley on Mar 17, 2023 10:25:30 GMT
This was their third meeting since their reunion last moon. Each time Flare had to forcefully tear himself away from Sugar's side to return to a place he was increasingly unhappy with. How much of that was because of Shellspots though? Was he just comparing the highs of being with Sugar with the lows of being around his leader? Each meeting with Sugar had been slightly different. Sometimes they'd play a game Sugar had come up with, sometimes they'd just lounge around or go hunting together. Sometimes they wrestled, usually instigated by a teasing remark from Flare. This was one of those times. Flare was laughing even as he pretended to struggle beneath Sugar's paws, sure he would throw her off but very much unwilling to. "I'll never surrender! You can crush my body but never my spirit!" he cried dramatically, voice wavering as he did so. Kaeldra Galaria |
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Galaria
New Warrior
96 Posts
About Me
Hello! Call me Gala or Sass! I'm one of the originals of the Ren! I'm very happy to be back. I am a 25-year-old, intermediate-level of writing with many ideas and much time on her hands! Please, come stop by and say hi! I love making new friends and plotting!
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Post by Galaria on Mar 18, 2023 23:09:32 GMT
 "Me Jealous of you? Oh, Bless your Delusional heart." |
template by Magpie of Adoxography |
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Post by Kaeldra on Mar 21, 2023 1:54:41 GMT
Shellspots || she/her || 44 moons
Oh! Shellspots’ eyes widened. Well, this is interesting.
She watched quietly as Flare wiggled playfully beneath the pretty she-cat, obviously not using all of his strength. She couldn’t quite make out their words, but it was clear that this was not the first time they had met. Their body language gave away their familiarity with each other, a certain ease to the movements earned by much time spent together.
It felt almost like she should turn back and give them some privacy; this was not a moment meant for her eyes. But even so, if Flare had such a close friend -- maybe more? -- she would be a valuable asset to the Clan. Shellspots wondered why he hadn’t introduced them already.
Before she could decide to take action one way or the other, a soft breeze blew by, conveniently carrying her scent over to the pair. The she-cat’s ears pricked, and she scrambled off of Flare as she scanned the undergrowth. This was her cue, Shellspots supposed.
Stepping into view, the silver tabby worked to keep her posture relaxed and friendly.
“Hello! My apologies for interrupting,” Shellspots began, a smile on her face as she looked first at Flare and then to his companion. Her eyes lingered on the pretty seal point, her blue eyes a sharp contrast to her dark face. Despite their scuffle, the she-cat’s fur looked soft and luxurious, almost kittypet-like. Interesting.
“I don’t believe we’ve met before, though it seems you’re well acquainted with my deputy, Flare,” she finally said, her eyes darkening with displeasure for a heartbeat as they flicked over to the orange tom in question. The next moment the look was gone, and the tabby was all smiles again, determined to keep things positive. She supposed it was water under the bridge now. Padding forward casually, she settled a few tail lengths away from them. “My name is Shellspots, it’s lovely to meet you. Might I ask for your name?”
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Galaria
New Warrior
96 Posts
About Me
Hello! Call me Gala or Sass! I'm one of the originals of the Ren! I'm very happy to be back. I am a 25-year-old, intermediate-level of writing with many ideas and much time on her hands! Please, come stop by and say hi! I love making new friends and plotting!
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Post by Galaria on Mar 21, 2023 14:29:46 GMT
"Me Jealous of you? Oh, Bless your Delusional heart." |
She was pretty - this Shellspots. From how Flare had spoken about her Sugar had wondered if the other feline had been like some sort of grouchy looking older cat with fur that looked like she'd been out in a thunderstorm and maybe a few scars but Shellspots looked normal; and that's what put Sugar on edge. Not the fact that by whatever hex it was that she'd found Flare Sugar was actually rather worried her presence with the tom would cause more trouble for him if Shellspots allowed her to leave this encounter unscathed.
She studied the other with a wary demeanor - despite Shellspots seemingly friendly her blue eyes were keen to pick up the looks flashing towards Flare and even when the ginger tom did not back down or speak to his supposed leader Sugar knew he wasn't happy. But she wasn't rude; even if Shellspots was not painted in the best light...she couldn't be THAT bad right? Sugar could only hope.
The molly brushed up against Flare as she stepped around him; partly to ground herself but also to reassure the other as she faced the older female and forced a small smile on her face to match the one on the tabby's.
"Hello!" she replied back easily enough; the words 'yes your interrupting' going unsaid and resting on the tip of her tongue like bitterness she didn't want to spit.
"Yes...Flare and I are old friends." she replied with a slow nod not missing the twitch of distaste that seemed to cross the other's demeanor that caused Sugar to straighten her shoulders up a bit more.
Sugar remembered how Flare had warned her a few days prior how Shellspots was when it came to kittypets - but Sugar wasn't a kittypet; not anymore. She hadn't been for a long long time since she was a kitten and the fact that Shellspots seemed to have such distaste for her former kind made Sugar feel a little more defensive.
Her tail flicked in annoyance despite the pleasant smile she had on her face trying to keep cordial towards the other. "My name is Sugar." she finally conceded politely with her name although it was probably not unnoticed how she left out the bit of 'pleasure to meet you' speel most others would have said out of courtesy even if it wasn't. She looked back over her shoulder at Flare trying to find something to say not sure how to proceed from there; what could she say when the supposed leader of her friend came out here to find her deputy fooling around with a non-clanner without sounding like a skunk?
"What uh...brings you out here? I would assume you'd have things to be doing back in err..." Sugar blinked. "You're camp?" she added a little unsure of the question as she wasn't really used to the language of clan cats and their terms for things nor did she want to out right sound rude so she cleared her throat and looked back to Flare with pleading eyes to say something because frankly she was like a fish out of water right now. template by Magpie of Adoxography |
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Post by Kaeldra on Mar 22, 2023 6:04:13 GMT
Shellspots || she/her || 44 moons
So it’s going to be like this, then, Shellspots thought with a sigh, seeing how Flare returned her angry look tenfold and made no effort to conceal it. He was upset with her, for whatever reason, and from previous experience, he would be until she left him alone to cool down for a bit. Shellspots was very good at tipping his emotional balance from happy to upset, but not so much the other way around, it seemed.
Thankfully, the she-cat – Sugar – was behaving a bit more civilly. Even if she wasn’t pleased at the intrusion, she still made the effort to be polite. Shellspots watched as Sugar let her fur brush lightly against Flare’s, and again she wondered why the tom would keep such a close friend a secret. He had been eager to add Noctus and his family to their ranks, after all, so why wouldn’t it be the same for Sugar? If she were part of RiverClan, they could patrol and hunt together freely rather than only meeting up when his sparse free time would allow.
“I’m sorry to say I haven’t heard much about you,” Shellspots said apologetically. She resisted the urge to glance again at her deputy in accusation. “But a friend of Flare’s is a friend of mine, or so I hope. You’re welcome to visit the RiverClan camp any time, perhaps we can get to know each other better.” It seemed the she-cat knew a bit about Clan life, so with any luck she would be interested in learning more. “I was actually tending to some Clan business and wanted to get Flare’s opinion. Normally he’s a bit easier to find this close to sunset, with training and patrols being done for the day, but I didn’t realize he had… other plans.” She finished awkwardly, unsure of how exactly to refer to the current situation.
Shellspots turned her gaze to Flare once more, hoping he would finally break his temperamental silence. Sugar seemed to be hoping for the same. Well, that was one thing they had in common, at least.
ulla
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Galaria
New Warrior
96 Posts
About Me
Hello! Call me Gala or Sass! I'm one of the originals of the Ren! I'm very happy to be back. I am a 25-year-old, intermediate-level of writing with many ideas and much time on her hands! Please, come stop by and say hi! I love making new friends and plotting!
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Post by Galaria on Mar 29, 2023 0:02:57 GMT
"Me Jealous of you? Oh, Bless your Delusional heart." |
She didn't like the hostility in the air. The way Flare's tense position was just barely keeping itself together and the disturbance of the unwanted visitor suddenly made Sugar's mood dampen a bit. She wasn't raised to be rude of course but she didn't know what kind of answer this she-cat wanted. Sugar remembered clearly how Flare warned her to stay clear of Shellspots; that warning did little in their current situation. Why on earth would the other go in search of the tom if it wasn't uncommon for the other to disappear for a bit? Didn't ever cat deserve their personal space? Maybe Shellspots didn't believe in such a thing.
Flare didn't need to tell Shellspots everything. It wasn't as if Sugar was a threat to Riverclan; but how would the other know whether it was true or not? Trying to be the optomistic cat that she was and trying to keep as much of the peace as she could Sugar gave what she hoped wasn't too lame of an answer.
"Err, yes well. Flare and I haven't seen each other in awhile so...I suppose it just slipped his mind to say anything." of course, that was a lie; it was like a looming threat over both their heads of when the stone would drop and Sugar's presence would be found out; it seemed the day of reckoning has arrived.
She didn't want to seem too rude but she wasn't going to outright pretend to want to visit someone who clearly made her friend upset. Whether Shellspots was merely an overachiever or really as horrible as Flare made her out to be; Sugar wasn't too keen to push the topic to find out - Flare was her only friend and honestly the only person she could trust in this situation so she merely gave the other a faltering smile in reply unable to form words on whether or not to confirm she'd stop by or not.
thankfully Flare stepped up to break the pleasantries between the pair to speak with hostility - demanding why the other had followed him out there and part of Sugar wanted to hiss out at him to be a little more polite but she bit her tongue and instead sidestepped until her side pressed against his in hopes her presence would calm him a bit; she didn't want anything to escalate quickly.
The more questions he shot at her the more Sugar looked between the two and wondered whether or not the tidbits were true. Was she really holding everyone back? For what reason could that be? She blinked between them and tried to diffuse the situation.
"If there is an issue...perhaps we can sit down and talk about it? Having an outside point of view may shine a light on something and put to rest others that need to be situated out..." she offered
She glanced at Shellspots warily. "Even so, I would believe Flare should be heard out...from what he's told me Shellspots...you don't particularly like to listen to others around you if their views do not match your own goals..." she spoke up carefully. template by Magpie of Adoxography |
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Post by Kaeldra on Apr 2, 2023 4:59:35 GMT
Shellspots || she/her || 44 moons
Slipped his mind, hm? That seemed unlikely, but Shellspots wasn’t eager to rock the boat any more than it already had been. For whatever reason, Flare had consciously chosen to keep Sugar a secret from her, and the fur at the base of her spine prickled as she wondered what that reason might be.
Then the tom in question finally spoke, and Shellspots ears flattened at his accusation. She could feel her polite mask slipping, slowly falling out of her control.
“Follow you? I did no such thing,” she said incredulously. He was being very defensive, and she wondered how much of it was simply distaste for her company and how much of it was an attempt to hide something he shouldn't be doing.
Then Flare was interrogating her on what exactly she had wanted to speak to him about, bringing up several of their old points of contention. Why would he do this when Sugar was here? It didn’t cast RiverClan and herself in a good light. Shellspots’ eyes turned flinty.
“We will not discuss those matters in front of company,” she said in a tone that brooked no argument. “I simply wanted to ask for your input on the new borders Prowl proposed, and see who you had placed on the dawn patrol for tomorrow.”
Alright, so perhaps it wasn’t the most urgent thing, and it could have waited until Flare returned to camp of his own volition. But she had been curious as to where he might be, and it was hardly against the warrior code for a leader to search for her deputy.
Then Sugar broke in, and Shellspots was ready to try again, forcing her ears back into a neutral position… until she heard what the seal point she-cat had to say. It seemed that while Flare had neglected to tell Shellspots about Sugar, the same was not true the other way around. The older queen raised an eyebrow at Flare in distaste. What exactly had he been telling her? Nothing complimentary, from the sounds of things.
“Yes, we need to sort this out,” she said acidly. “I can’t have my deputy going behind my back, telling lies and keeping secrets from me.” This was his worst transgression yet. The silver tabby stood, glancing at Sugar, “My apologies, but we’ll have to talk some other time. It seems I have other business to attend to.” Then focusing her steely gaze back on Flare she added, “We’re going back to camp. Where we can discuss this privately.”
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Riley
Head of Advertising
349 Posts
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Post by Riley on Apr 4, 2023 3:22:40 GMT
Sugar stepped back to press against his side. If it was an attempt to calm him down, it was mildly working. Not entirely. He was still tensed and angry, but he was at least ready to hear Shellspots out. Sugar's attempt at de-escalating the situation made him smile. It was weak, and as tense as his muscles were, but it was genuine.
It was quick to drop when Shellspots revealed exactly why she had been looking for him. Flare felt his jaw drop as he stared at her. THAT was why she'd been looking for him? Something so small and damn near inconsequential that absolutely could have waited? He was stunned speechless.
Only to be filled with absolutely FURY when Shellspots demanded he follow her back to where they could discuss things in private. Right, okay. Not doing that. "Here is just fine, actually." he snapped, once again at full bristle. "You and I both know what's going to happen. I'm going to say something you don't agree with, we're going to argue each other's points, and you're just going to blatantly ignore anything I say and do what you want anyway. Just like every single thing recently. Because that's what you DO."
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Galaria
New Warrior
96 Posts
About Me
Hello! Call me Gala or Sass! I'm one of the originals of the Ren! I'm very happy to be back. I am a 25-year-old, intermediate-level of writing with many ideas and much time on her hands! Please, come stop by and say hi! I love making new friends and plotting!
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Post by Galaria on Apr 4, 2023 18:06:59 GMT
"Me Jealous of you? Oh, Bless your Delusional heart." |
It worked all of 10 seconds before it all went downhill. Had she said the wrong thing to Shellspots? The feeling of tension between the clan cats made her want to shrink away especially when hostility turned into words and suddenly Sugar was trying to find comfort in Flare instead of the other way around as her ears flattened on her head and she crouched by his side watching with weary blue eyes as the two cats faced off. They were mad and Sugar honestly wanted to be anywhere but here.
"Shellspot..." Sugar piped up feeling suddenly small between the pair but she still wanted to make her voice heard even if it quivered a bit with uncertainty.
"I'm sorry if I offended you...it's just..." she glanced up at Flare before looking back at the clan leader.
"From what Flare has told me...this isn't sudden feelings he's had about how things are being run. I don't know anything about clan life sure but...I can only imagine that...with starting a clan can be hard and stressful but...a clan is only as strong as it's members right? No one can fight alone and when the highest members in said clan can't see eye to eye on how their home should be protected and system functioned there has to be communication..." she swallowed and rose to her full height again
"But not just that but...Flare doesn't seem to think that you will listen and head his advice...regardless of what you say and he says at the end of the day you do as you please. Whether it's the case here or not about how things are run within the clan is true from what little I have hard...I just think it's a bit unfair. There are more lives at stake in this than just the happiness of yourself Shellspots and...." she took a step closer and partly in front of Flare as if trying to protect him from what may come after her final words.
"If you are truly someone who cares about the lives of others Shellspots...you will either listen and compromise with Flare...or you let him go. Because as I see it. A clan is a group of cats who are a family - not biological maybe but...family doesn't believe it's betrayal if one chooses to leave in favor of finding happiness elsewhere. You cannot fault him for that." she said softly looking pleading between the two. She didn't want this to go down in a fight but they would get nowhere if neither listened or went through the same argument they seem to always have.
Had Flare the courage to tell Shellspots how he feels and just walk away? Or would he cave to his leader in favor of his family. She knew he loved them dearly but at the end of the day - his happiness mattered too. Everyone deserved a chance to live the lives that makes them the happiness and just looking between the two made Sugar feel as if Flare aged so many moons when faced with the one cat who should have had his back. It wasn't betrayal that he offered Shellspots - he just wanted what was best and for a chance for his voice to be heard. template by Magpie of Adoxography |
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Post by Kaeldra on Apr 8, 2023 3:07:12 GMT
Shellspots || she/her || 44 moons
Shellspots narrowed her gaze as Flare defied her, refusing to be sensible and return to camp where they could settle this issue away from prying eyes. Fine. If he wanted an audience, he’d have one.
“I see. I’m sorry you feel that way,” she said, her voice clipped. Then Sugar piped up again, and Shellspots wasn’t sure she wanted to hear what the fluffy she-cat had to say. Her instinct proved right as Sugar rambled on, rendering Shellspots speechless. The nerve of this kittypet! She had to be one, and that was why Flare had kept her a secret. There was no other answer.
“Don’t you dare say I only care about myself,” she growled darkly once her voice had returned to her. “Everything I do is for the good of my Clan. I don’t simply “do as I please”. I make the decisions a leader has to make, no matter how hard that might be. A soft kittypet like yourself has no idea the amount of sacrifices I’ve made to see RiverClan reborn! But you.”
Shellspots rounded on Flare, turning her icy gaze on him as she got to her paws and stepped forward menacingly.
“You know exactly how hard I’ve been working and how difficult it is to build a Clan from nothing, and yet here you are deliberately sabotaging it. If you’re not cut out for Clan life and want to run away with this pampered twoleg pet, so be it, but don’t drag the rest of us down with you.”
By the end of her speech, Shellspots stood just a tail-length from the ginger tom. Her tail whipped from side to side, ears flat against her skull.
“If you wish to stay, I’ll give you one chance to apologize. Think carefully.”
ulla
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Riley
Head of Advertising
349 Posts
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Post by Riley on Apr 10, 2023 3:24:40 GMT
Flare felt his throat close up when Sugar started speaking. He was grateful for her defense of him, he really was, but he was terrified she was putting herself in the line of fire. Normally Shellspots had a tighter grip on her temper, but even he could see the moment her patience snap. He hurriedly shoved Sugar behind him when Shellspots advanced, ready to intervene should the silver she-cat make things violent. But instead, she stopped a mere tail length away, glaring at him with more rage than he'd ever seen before, and Flare realized... This was it. He had a choice to make. But he realized, feeling the warmth of Sugar behind him, it wasn’t really a choice at all. That realization brought clarity, clarity that the last few moons of anger had denied him. That clarity brought with it peace, and Flare smiled at Shellspots with sincere tranquility. With all the calm inside of him, he meowed the one single defiant word that would seal his fate. "No."Kaeldra Galaria |
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Galaria
New Warrior
96 Posts
About Me
Hello! Call me Gala or Sass! I'm one of the originals of the Ren! I'm very happy to be back. I am a 25-year-old, intermediate-level of writing with many ideas and much time on her hands! Please, come stop by and say hi! I love making new friends and plotting!
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Post by Galaria on Apr 10, 2023 21:31:27 GMT
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/himalayan-cat-getty-0121-2000-056ff4b7283b4aeea02f61bf05fcd9ab.jpg) "Me Jealous of you? Oh, Bless your Delusional heart." |
She had spoken too much; Goon and Tinder always did say she had a big mouth on her. But this was important and she had stuff to say; the bad thing about it no one wanted to listen to her - except maybe Flare but he was in the same boat as her. She hadn't meant to offend the other, well not really. She was a bit disappointed in Shellspots if anything that she'd seem to think of herself more than the happiness of others but Sugar was someone who spoke her mind and her mind was screaming loudly at her right now almost as wild and mad as the silver tabby in front of her. The seal point had, in fact, offended and insulted the other but as the younger molly stared at the sharp eyes and bared fangs of the other she couldn't find it in herself to care let alone to feel upset about her words. She meant every single one of them; because it was true. She may not fully know Shellspots and to any outsider it would see she was picking sides with Flare over a cat she'd never met before. Personalities and relationships were tricky things like that. But Sugar knew one thing certain above everything else. Flare was not happy with Shellspots. In her camp, in her clan, in the position she'd placed him in. He wanted out - did he have the courage to leave though knowing what was at stake?
This isn't to say Shellspots words didn't floor Sugar. The more the silver tabby spoke the more Sugar felt as if she was covering up for her own misjudgment; everything didn't have to be perfect. Who was she to demand respect from people when she was no different than them? What ancestors had she seen with her own two eyes to tell her that she had this right to judge and condone someone for simply wanting a better future than Shellspots was trying to provide? Not everyone was going to like her or follow her and that was the hard fact. Shellspots words made Sugar angry and hurt but to judge another's living or past situation and hold it against them - a fact that the seal point was clear to want to point out but before she could bite back a spitting remark Flare's larger body stepped in front of her making her take a few steps back sharply from the weight of him and she peered around him with her own ears flattened and eyes sharp; claws needing into the ground unconsciously as her body responded to a threat her mind wasn't quick enough to seem to collect.
Her ears perked though when she heard Flare's singular reply to Shellspots last words and for a second her eyes widened in hope. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? Was she dreaming or misinterpreting this conversation? "Flare...." she spoke up almost in awe as she met his gaze with a hopeful unspoken question in them. template by Magpie of Adoxography |
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