Perpetual Peace ((ANY))

[+: Alixa :+]

The crisp morning air filled the lungs of the large tom as he lay upon his side. The morning sun shone through the places where the leaves of the ferns did not completely block out the golden light, and moss wasn't there to aide in keeping out th sun. Slowly, his exposed side rose and fell, lips closed as the large tom continued to drift within the darkness if his slumber, despite the small golden speckles of light that broke through his den. His tail curls and uncurls ever so slowly, his exposed whiskers twitching as he dreamt...

The tall grass tickled his nose and face as he crouched there, pupils wide, emerald green eyes shining with determination and want. A want to do what he could for his mother and father, to make them proud... he knew his father would be if he brought back the largest rabbit that he could. And since he had just became a warrior no more than a few days ago, he wanted to show the whole clan and his family that he was suited for an even higher position... It wasn't dark ambition. More so, just the undying need to make his parents' chests swell with pride at their son being the leader of Windclan.

He leaped forward, forepaws extended with claws extracted as his powerful haunches launched his toward his quarry not more than a few feet from him. It was too busy chewing on grass to realize what was happening, it all happened to fast for the creature to realize it had taken in its last meal. He had managed to pin the rabbit with his weight, and with a swift grip and twist of the rabbit's neck, it fell motionless. Limp in his jaws as he stood over his catch. The rabbit wasn't as large as he'd hoped he would find. But he would always have another chance to find that trophy catch to bring back home to his clan. His want to please his leader, and make his parents truly proud of their one and only surviving kit... His two sisters... They hadn't had a chance at life... Born dead, Swiftstar, though at the time known as Swiftkit, was the healthiest one who had miraculously managed to survive whatever had taken his sisters...

He saw his mother's beautiful face, sweet and gentle. Her pelt a silken sable... Her eyes the deepest emerald he'd ever known to exist. She was such a sweet and loving cat, kind to all who needed it, yet fierce to all threats toward her clan or her only son. After she'd seen her two dead daughters, she'd fallen into a very deep depression and even fell ill, moved to the medicine cat's den. But no matter what herb the tom had used, she never managed to come out of her deep sorrows... And that had only spurred Swift, who had been an apprentice at the time of his mother's great struggle, had wanted nothing more than to make her smile, since she never did after that unless the young tabby accomplished something great and glorious, like conquering assessments and tasks quickly but thoroughly.

He saw his father's tall, muscular form. A large tabby tom, powerful and as loyal as great warriors came to be. Swiftstar could see himself and his father standing side by side. he truly was the spinning image of his father, Liontail. His father had always been proud of his son, in every small and big accomplishment the young tabby ever overcame. But he had died in battle, the gorge having claimed his father's life, as well as a Shadowclan cat's life. Both had gone tumbling down into the fast flowing water, their yowls of terror the last thing Swiftstar could ever remember hearing. And when the news reached his mother Cloudtail, she wept endlessly, never again did her eyes shine with the smallest glint of joy or happiness. Mere days later, she joined Starclan... And that had been hard for Swiftstar, as he remembers, to overcome. His dream began to flicker, the last image of himself was when he had claimed the position as the new leader of Windclan after the death of the last Windclan leader...

Lids lifted sleepily, emerald green eyes taking in the familiar sight of his den. Slowly, he rose into a sitting position, slightly shaken, a small glimmer of sadness within his eyes as he ran his pink tongue over his white crested, broad chest. His furn was unusually thick, but it guarded well against the strong winds that blew across the top of the moor. Standing, he gave himself a full shake, and stepped outside into the camp. The small pile of various sized rabbits was at the center of the camp. Sweeping his gaze over the emptiness, he tested the air. Cherryblossom and Blazinghope were off somewhere within the territory. And so, taking to a jogging pace, he moved toward the main entrance of into the camp, and left the empty site behind him, climbing the hill to stand atop the more, muscled already taut and braced as he prepared himself to feel the powerful winds against his fur. Said winds ripped past Swiftstar's strong form, rippling his thick mackerel tabby fur as he stood there, tail erect as he ran his gaze over the vast expanse of grass void of most all vegetation, save for fern patches and large bushes. And so, taking to his jogging pace one more, he headed toward the border, lean but powerful muscles propelling him forward as he took to a lone patrol of the borders. There were few warriors, and it seemed that the two warriors were off hunting. So, he had no other choice but to go it alone. Emerald gaze alert, but tranquil, he took to his duty as leader to ensure things were well and as they should be.

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[GRIM ||]

A flash of silver flickered faintly at the entrance of the warriors den. Blue eyes glinted from between the branches as a small, lithe she-cat looked out into the WindClan camp. Looking slowly from one edge to the other, she took in the sight of mackerel tabby fur, emerald green eyes, and surprisingly muscular pelt in the middle of the camp. She recognized Swiftstar, her leader. For a heartbeat she remained in the den, and continued to give herself a thorough wash. The taste of grit and sand on her tongue made her feel ill, but she ignored it, and kept washing until there was no dirt or sand traces left upon her pelt. She hated having her pelt dirty, no matter what she was doing. Whether walking out of the den and into the camp or meeting other cats from a gathering. She'd always had a peeve about cleanliness. She jumped to her paws, and pushed her way out of the den. Casting another quick look around the clearing, she tasted the warm, humid air.

She felt bored, and slightly unsure of what to do. Her paws itched to be out in the moorland, hunting, or patrolling along a border but both required another cat and she didn't want to wake any of her clan mates. She glanced at where her leader had been moments earlier. He had left. She blinked in surprise, then shook herself. She hoped he wouldn't mind, but she had decided to follow him. Padding out of camp, she followed the trail he had left, and padded along in his paw steps, looking around herself with bored interest. She wasn't really looking at the landmarks, but just imaging places and memories. Her sister, the kits, and mate from RiverClan... Since then, Foxtail had died, and her sister had been devastated but had remained strong only for the kits. The visions faded; she looked around and saw her leader standing not far off. Suddenly shy about speaking to him, she padded forward quietly and dipped her head respectfully. "Greetings, Swiftstar. Good morning. May I hunt with you?" She queried.

[+: Alixa :+]

The day was going to be a slow, quiet, peaceful one, no doubt. Swiftstar felt it in his bones and paws. The strong wind continued to buffet against his thick pelt, and muscular body. Unlike most average Windclan cats, he was surprisingly large and muscular, but the sleek, agile, and quick nature of a Windclan cat held about him as strong as it would any other Windclan cat. His father had been from Winclan, as had his mother. She was perhaps one of the smallest, tiniest cats, even for Windclan. Such a petite angel she'd been, though fierce with the inner strength and spirit and attitude to take down a cat thre times her size. His father had been strong and large, towering over most all Windclan cats. He had the muscle power that challenged the strongest Riverclan, Thunderclan, or Shadowclan cat. There had been rumor that his grandfather had been Shadowclan, and his grandmother a Windclan. But Swiftstar had yet to ever believe things started by the gossiping mouths of other cats. Both were utterly devoted to Windclan, Swiftstar's parents. He highly doubted that fact, for if it were true, his mother and father would have told him... And they never did, and so it was safe for him to have full confidence in their silence about the rumors that such were simply lies, and ill intended desires for anothe cat to attempt to cause trouble for his parents and himself. And still, he overcame it all.

He remained standing upon the open land, the wind rippling his mackerel tabby fur. White marked him from his chin, down the underside of his neck and belly. His paws were also dipped in white. But the majority of Swifstar was mackerel tabby, dark colots with darker stripes engraved into the pelt pattern that was his and his alone. Ears pointed forward, mouth agape as he tasted the air for threats adn trespassers. But all he could smell was the grass, the air, and the many rabbits and birds that called this place their home. Emerald eyes swept themselves over the land for a second time, his head moving slowly as eyes squinted against the bright light of the warm newleaf sun. Birds burst from a nearby bush, grabbing Swiftstar's attention instantly. He watched the black sillhouettes of them to take the skies, and continued to watch them as they vanished over the tops of the trees, headed toward Thunderclan.

And then, turning about, he swept his emerald gaze over in the other direction, towards camp. It rested in the dip in the ground, for the most part it was unseeable. But then, upon the distant horizon, the pelt of silver danced, moving toward Swifstar. He let a smile form upon his features as he wathed Dewdrop appear. She was a beautiful she-cat. And so well kept, too. Always clean and looking sharp. Any tom who captured her heart would be a lucky one indeed. He stood there, waiting for her to reach him. But that only took a few more moments before she stood in front of him, dipping her head in respect. Her words seemed a bit nervous. But Swiftstar just smiled and nodded kindly.

" Good morning to you as well, Dewdrop. A hunt soundw wonderful."

He turned his head, looking in the direction of Sky Grass. No doubt there was a great number of mice and perhaps even ground birds there. Maybe even a couple rabbits. He returned his emerald gaze to Dewdrop.

" Shall we hunt in Sky Grass today?"

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