call of the {fallen}

[strider;;]

x;SPARKTAIL
through the FIRE and the FLAMES we'll carry on.
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The sky was still fairly dark, though the heavy blackness of night had lifted as the first signs of sunlight began to creep into the forest. The forest itself, to one not accustomed to living within its hold, would still seem asleep. However, to those used to the rhythms and songs of the timberland, the forest was already quite awake. The birds that rose the earliest, though still silent, stood outside their nests, feathers fluffed up about them to keep them warm, though it was hardly needed. A few mice rustled the leaf litter that had accumulated beneath the vast array of trees. One such mouse lay close to its burrow. Lifting its nose to the wind, the rodent sniffed violently. It was used to the comings and goings of felines, and had come to learn that this time, just before dawn entered the forest, was the best time to gather food. If one wasn't quick enough, it would be picked up by one of the cats. Though in all his days as prey, he had yet to come across a cat in this area this early in the morning. Sensing nothing, the mouse skittered forward, occasionally stopping here and there to look for a fallen seed or something edible.

However, the mouse was not alone in its pre-dawn escapade.

His rich, ginger-hued coat lightly touching the edges of the dirtplace exit, a single warrior padded out into the forest. Stopping outside of the entrance, he swiveled his ears forward, then back again, just to make sure no other feline had followed him, or was around to see his exit. When no scents of the other cats reached his sensitive nostrils, the warrior flicked his long tail once in approval, before silently padding across the forest floor. Once he was out of sight of the camp, the tom slowed his pace to a leisurely walk. With more and more Thunderclan warriors seemingly appearing out of nowhere, the warrior's den was getting a bit cramped. Though a good thing for the clan, it definitely was not to the better tastes of Sparktail, as his normally spacious sleeping area became more crowded. It didn't help that he hated being touched when he was sleeping. Most of the time, he ended up falling asleep into an unusually tight ball. Though able to fall asleep in such an odd position, it often left him sore and stiff when he awoke.

Such was the case today. He had awoken to a tail of another feline drapped across his snout. Sneezing awake as the hairs tickled his nose, the ginger tom did not even attempt to go back to sleep. Slipping out of the warriors den had been easy, and now that he was out alone and by himself, he could stretch his stiff legs and enjoy his own company. Though certainly not an anti-social creature, Sparktail was not overly enthusiastic about joining the loud and crazy banter that often passed through the Thunderclan cats. Even he viewed himself as the crank of the clan, but in some odd way, he took pride in that. The tom's large paws padded across the turf, and though he originally had no idea as to where he was going, he soon found that his paws were leading him to the Sky Oak. An amused smirk crossed his features. The Sky Oak certainly was a place to get his own peace and quiet. Especially at this time of morning. Slowly, the towering oak slid into view before him, and he padded his way softly to the spacious roots underneath, before sliding in. Sighing in relief at the amount of space he could stretch, the tom curled his forepaws beneath him, and purred gently in delight.

Not far from him, the mouse tilted its head curiously, the squeaked in alarm as it saw him. Making a mad dash for cover, it disturbed several leaves. Sparktail opened his eyes, immediately locking onto the fleeing mouse. Though his muscles had tensed, he made no move to get up. He would, of course, bring some freshkill to the camp when he returned just after the dawn patrol left. But right now, there was no harm in leaving the mouse to itself.

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STATUS; doneee. :3