The Legend of Sandstripe (Not strike) ~ OPEN

[Clemintine]

A large sandy figure stomped into the camp, his mouth was empty and his bones weak, a hunting trip gone wrong. His once fearsome eyes looked tired, the fur surrounding them turned white. He walked by the freshkill pile tightening his jaw, he felt his mouth start to water but he had nothing to bring back, he was old and didn't need to eat like the younger warriors. He walked off tot he edges of the camp, slowly, and what look slightly like a struggle he laid down on his stomach sighing heavily. He should have been made elder a few moons back but he was holding on, Aspenpool came back once, she would come back again. 

Sandstripe lifted his head up, his face had began to turn white with old age, his eyes a bit droopy and held nothing but pain. He stared at the entrance waiting. Suddenly the old warrior wheezed and began coughing, he hung his head down as his body painfully tensed up and he began to go into a fits of coughs.

( Midnight for mintpaw )

[Otterpotter]

Echokit bounded out of the nursery. Her eyes flicked to another warrior coughing. The white kitten waddled up to the tom, with a concerned look. The she-kit had learned to read lips but speaking was still unknown to her. She pawed the older cat and pointed her tail towards the medicine den. 'It sucks that everyone is getting sick...' She thought as she waited for a response from the warrior.

[Deleted]

Occ: Hope you don't mind if I jump in cx

Featherstep as in camp, her appetite wasn't much these days. Every bite she took made her want to throw up. She looked down at the fish, barely touched. Her whiskers twitched in frustration, and she took another bite. Her eyes looked around camp, and she spooted the one cat she had missed in a while - Sandstripe. He was her friend before he became her step-father, and as a kit, she felt completely betrayed. Now, she just watched him from afar.

She spotted a kit walk up to him, and her pelt burned with jealousy. What was that kit trying to do with her step-father? She didn't know why she felt this way, but just seeing the little kit prod her sickly father made her heart heavy as she remembered her own kit days.

A low growl grumbled in the back of her throat, and her eyes were narrow slits. She stood up, her appetite completley spoiled now, and walked over to the tw. She had the fish in her jaws, and she let it plop in front of Sandstripe. With a harsh tone, she looked away so the warmth in her eyes were showing, "Eat. You need this more than me and you're lucky I'm not hungry. The kit's worried about you, and she wouldn't like to see you like this."

And I am worried too.

[Clemintine]

(OOC: lily T_T no go away you're gonna make me cry -sniffle-)

Sandstripe sucked in some air holding back a few coughs, his sickly, old eyes turned into his old cold glare and he hissed at the little kit. 'Some things never change.' His coughing and annoyance was interrupted by a she-cat and a fish. He didn't even have to look up to know who it was, she was her kit not his, she had been made from the love of his life and that stupid tom. His teeth gritted together and his eyes seemed to gloss over as he stared deadly at the fish. "Go away. Take the kit, and the fish with you." His voice cracked and sounded old as he fought back another cough. He stood up, his eyes looked like he was a cold blooded killer. A viscous snarl came out of the tom and he unsheathed his claws. "Don't! I don't care what she would and wouldn't want." He felt his chest puff out and his blood start to boil, he knew if this went on much longer he would die a bitter old tom, which he was ok with this.

He snarled towards the kit hoping to scare it off, he wasn't are scary as he used to be but he could always jsut step ont he small thing and squish it. His legs began to shake and he slowly sat down hanging his head so he could cough.

[Deleted]

Occ;; I'm sorry Clem, but if he's gonna die, Feather needs to let this out ;w;

Featherstep's fur bristled as he just shrugged off her concern. She hardly did this with anyone, and he was treating her like she was being a bother? How dare he! She hissed, her ears flattening, "It wasn't an offer - it was an order." Couldn't he see that she only cared for him? It was just that she couldn't express it in the way other cats could, and she hated herself for that. It wasn't her fault she was never taught to express her feelings and what love looked like. All she was taught was that it was ok to have clan-breaking kits, that betrayel was a natural thing all cats did, and running away was the easiest choise - unless you came running back.

Shock filled her eyes as the tom tried to stand, and she took a step back. They widened at his comment, and she nearly stomped her foot on the ground. "You don't care?" She hissed, feeling like her guts were going to spill, "To the Dark Forest with that! If you didn't care, then why are pushing yourself to still be a warrior? You're sick! She's not coming back, and you know it!" Out of frustration, she turned away and lowered her ears to block out the sound of him coughing.

She clenched her teeth, staring at the ground as she awaited his words. Her eyes closed slowly, and she whispered softly, "After Daisypaw left... All I had... All I had was you and Softblossom... So eat!" She practically shouted that last part, her fur all ruffled and her eyes widened in fear. Why was this happening to her? What was happpening to her? She had never felt this way before.

[Clemintine]

He wheezed and continued to cough until his coughs turning into gasps for air, he took a moment to catch his breath before glaring up at the she-cat "Respect your elders unloved brat" he snarled the words through his teeth. Before his eyes widened and he seemed to snap.

"She is coming back!" The tom shouted, yowled these words, it would surprise him if half the Clan didn't turn and look. He snarled and tried to stand but his body protested this, so he remained sitting. His heart raced with anger and he realized he was breathing heavily. "You! I blame you! She loved you and all your stupid siblings, for why I can't understand, all she ever wanted was for all of you to love her back, it wasn't her fault she left the first time!" his eyes narrowed and his claws dug into the snow, he didn't care about any of the kits all he cared about was her, all he would ever care about was her. He would die only caring about her.

[Deleted]

Occ;; I wrote a reply as soon as I saw your post, but I wasn't proud of it, so I rewroteit and got this masterpiece. If you're curious what the first one said, PM me. cx Also, Iused the first four lines of Feather's theme song and replaced 'mamma' and 'daddy' with 'she' and 'he' cause Feather ain't in the mood. >3> cx

She never taught me how to love;

Featherstep whirled around to face Sandstripe, the words stinging her and exposing the raw hurt she felt inside. Unlike usual, she didn't try to mask it with harshness. She just took it in and kept herself open to see the broken cat she had become. She lowered herself to the ground in a defensive stance, her eyes starting to cloud and her fur beginning to fluff up.

He never told me how to feel;

How dare he tell what to do; she wasn't a kit anymore! What did he know? All this time she was having problems, and he didn't come to comfort her. He never tried to set things right or try to understand it from her point of view. He just assumed - just like everyone else. Featherstep was always the bad guy; she was the one who made things more complicated. It was just easier that way for everyone, but she was tired of it. How was she supposed to know right from wrong if she was never told how to react in situations and was, indeed, labeled as a 'problem child.'

She never me how to touch;

Her voice was soft, but it was clear whaat she had said as she looked at the snow, "Shut up..." She paused, lifting gaze to look at the tom with an icy glare she was known for nowadays. "Shut up!" she snapped, baring her teeth, "I loved... I loved my mother! I loved her to bits. No matter how much of an abnoxious kit I was, she always came back. She did her best to get to me, and I responded in the only way I knew how because no one else taught me differently. When she left, so did my kithood. After that nothing was the same. I couldn't live with myself, so I blamed her. I harrased her. I anger her. All I wanted was her old self again, but she never was. Nothing was. I was. I just wanted... I... I just wanted her to remember me! ... I gave up on her because I didn't want to raise my hopes knowing that they'll only end up falling."

He never showed me how to heal;

She shook her head furiously, trying to keep herself together. She needed to calm down - to get a level head. Snapping wasn't going to help either of them, especially when they both had suffered so much already, but Featherstep felt something burn inside her. She didn't know what this feeling was, as she was never taught to deal with this. How waas she supposed to put together a lide that was over before it started? How was she to mend her broken heart and help others mend theirs if she didn't know what was causing this? How?

"Well, you know what I wanted?"

She paused.

"I wanted my family."

Another pause.

"but I never knew that wish would break my heart so many times."