Marshes are a problem(OPEN!)

[~~bloodynight~~]

Marshes are a big problem for such a small cat.

The blue-gray she-cat stalked forward, having to lift her feet quite high. The boggy grass nearly engulfed her, and she had to jump to make it through some parts. Being a Munchkin cat in ShadowClan was tough. If movement through the territory being hard wasn't enough, she was constantly teased for her small size. The barbed wire embedded in her hind paw got caught on some grass, and she tore free. She had to get something to eat in this dump, for the Clan...then her! A flicker caught her eye, and the turned and quickly pinned its location. A big, green lizard was resting on a log. It seemed to be tired. The munchkin stalked forward, making little noise.

Just as it noticed something, she went flying through the air towards the lizard, landing squarely on it. She pinned it with sharp claws, watching it struggle. "Being small stinks, don't it?" She killed it with a swift bite, and seated herself comfortably on the log. She would take it to camp when she got a mouse or two. Though small, she was probably one of the best hunters. MysteryCloud looked up at the sky overhead. Another dreary day...But, the soft buds that had bloomed everywhere filled her with a warm feeling.

Newleaf was here, and kits and prey alike would be born. She purred, her eyes closed. Her huge, overly-fluffy tail swished in the breeze in contempt. Her ears flickered back as something snapped. The scent of another cat came forward, and she tensed, though she looked calm.

[Silentheart]

Eyes like gold venom bore into the cats below, the broad shouldered silver tabby tom sitting on the tall boulder that all clan announcements were given from. He himself had nothing to say, and simply watched his clan below. In the past moon, it had grown significantly, from himself, and the two other cats... those two, to now the great pawful of cats, hunting and thriving, especially as newleaf finally made itself known, warming the forest, and bringing back the prey that had seemed to have disappeared through the winter- but he knew this wasn't a sudden stroke of luck.

A moon ago, Rowanstar had been driven out, and that was fine and dandy... but Smokeshadow, the one cat he could have ever possibly loved, had gone with him, leaving him a cold, hardened leader, but he refused to take it out on his finally growing clan. He had earned his leader name, Crookedstar, and the blessing of StarClan, but even now, it set his fur prickling with the power he had. With a sigh, he needed to get out of camp, leaping down in one fluid motion and stalking out of the bramble barrier, out into the forest, the frost having melted and left behind a muddy, rich, bog-like territory in which marsh-prey thrived, giving them the necessary food.

In the short time that he wandered around, he was able to pick up a couple of mouses, and stash them away in a crevice of a tree until he could return for them later. A scent suddenly caught in the wind, and he looked up curiously. He quickly spotted one of his warriors- a strange cat indeed, Mysterycloud. She was a short-legged, small cat, and although he held no prejudice, he had been surprised that such a cat like that could ever survive in the forest. He hadn't trained her himself, so he could only guess that, while her hunting could be fine, her fighting would be difficult with such short legs, leaving her unable to have any sort of good grip on an opponent with her front claws. He mentally noted to evaluate her on it later. It wasn't the first she-cat he had his concerns and doubts about- Mysterycloud's build, and Smokeshadow's heritage... He pushing away all his cold, dark emotions, and politely padded to his warrior, "Good morning, Mysterycloud. I take it prey is running nicely? Its lovely to see Leafbare finally coming to an end."

[~~bloodynight~~]

MysteryCloud turned her head at the other voice. Moments before, she had recognized the scent to be Crookedstar, their new leader. She didn't have anything against him, and he was a good leader, she decided. She stopped being tensed and looked to her leader as he padded up. Looked up. She smiled a kind smile, for the gruff little cat. " Good morning, Crookedstar. The prey is good, as Newleaf begins!" She said respectfully. "I truly am glad the Leafbare is finally leaving!" She purred, as the sun peaked through some of the cloud cover.

MysteryCloud loved ShadowClan, she couldn't deny that. The strange scents of the marshes and trees, and the chance to battle whenever a cat dares near the territory. She wasn't the best at fighting, but she could hold her own! "So, how are you Crookedstar?" She asked as she sat by her leader. She had seen some of his saddened looks, but he seemed to be ok for now.

[Silentheart]

At her comment on prey, he nodded, looking around, the territory. Unlike the other clans, the arrive of newleaf didn't much change the scenery aside, aside from the disappearance of snow and the formation of once frozen marshes. Nearby, a frog hopped into a puddle, and although instinct told him to fetch it for his clan, it soon disappeared into the murky water, so he let it go. There was plenty to go around, for now, so he wouldn't concern himself with a measly frog who had better things to do within the water.

When she asked how he was, he smiled politely, "Oh, I'm fine. Thankfully with Newleaf here, and Rowanstar gone,"among other cats he thought sadly, "The clan can once again flourish, and grow. It was at an all time low such a short time ago, its lovely to see so many cats within our ranks once again." He purred, drawing in a deep breath of the strong pine scent, and dank, marshy mud which as a ShadowClan cat, he was so very accustomed to.

(( So sorry for how horrendously short this is ><))

[~~bloodynight~~]

MysteryCloud nodded at her leaders words. "Yes, Shadowclan grows stronger each day!" She agreed as the wind ruffled her fur. With Rowanstars leaving, the cats were becoming braver, and their ranks were growing again. She wasn't all that sure of the going-ons, for she liked to be alone, and would sometimes disappear for a day or two. The lonely cat had made herself like she was to stay away from hurt. Her poor, sick little brother...dying at only a few moons of age...She had also fallen into old barbwire left out by twolegs.

As she thought back, she remembered the pain...a few large scars parted her fur from the wire, and her left hind paw still had some wrapped around. It hurt to bother with it, so she left it be. Mysterycloud sighed. "I wonder how other Clans fare? They are probably also good....I wonder when the next gathering is...whats the size of the moon again...?" Since she was so lonely, she had missed out on some information, as is. She never payed attention to the lunar patterns in the sky, except sometimes. MysteryCloud pulled a burr from her fur thoughtfully.

((i know, im being lame too lol))

[Silentheart]

Crookedstar's ears twitched, and a purr rumbled in his throat at the idea of his Clan growing so strong, returned to its former ShadowClan glory. Ah, what a day that would be! He looked to her again, then up at the bright sky, trying to picture what size the moon was now, quickly recalling, although not breaking his yellow eyes from the sky. "Its about halfmoon. A gathering will ensure soon." He stated with a nod, "It gives us a chance to learn about other portential enemies, now that our own enemy within our own camp is gone..." He suddenly seemed somewhat nervous, "While Rowanstar led us, we stopped going to gatherings. First off, he didn't want the other clans to learn any information on us, or to see his tyranny," His gaze slid out of the sky, and back to her. "Or to see how small and weak our Clan was."

He shifted slightly to give his chest a few licks, straightening again afterwards. "I can only hope the clans so accept us back- better yet if they don't even question our sudden disappearance." Although he was prepared to answer any questions when the gathering came, he hoped none would arise about ShadowClan's sudden disappearance over the last few moons.