ShadowClan Camp

The ShadowClan camp is situated in a grove of mangroves where the water has long since dried up, since before the Clans arrived. To make dens, the members have woven leaves and twigs through the top of the exposed roots. The camp gets fairly muddy in leafbare but is pleasantly cool and sheltered from the hot greenleaf sun. The leader's den is directly underneath one of the biggest mangroves, and when addressing the Clan the leader leaps up onto the 'roof' of their den.

Picking up her small bundle of moss in her sharp puppy teeth Tremblepup kept very close to Ivyshades back leg almost as if she was stuck to it without getting in the way. The pup was still nervous, she always was but she didn't feel as terrified once they entered the medicine den, it was a safe place where the other pups couldn't get her because they weren't allowed in here. Silently she observed where the medicine wolf laid down the bundle of moss and without question copied her and set hers down right beside it before turning to watch her as the wolf nudged through her stores. Tremblepup slowly practiced her breathing, closing her eyes and focusing on the peaceful way the air entered and exited her body, that along with the strange smells of the herbs and the way the den masked the sound of what was going on in the camp by the time Ivyshade turned back around the little pups anxiety was back under control again. Most of the time if it was just her and one wolf she could keep a lid on it, however when she came across a wolf she truly feared it'd get away on her and she'd shut down into fight and flight mode which was mostly flight mode. Blinking her wide blue eyes when some strange blue berry things were set down infront of her she didn't eat them more curious as to what they were, they didn't smell like prey. A small paw lightly batted at one although her other paw caught it before it left the leaf and guided it back to where the others were. It was important that the berries all stayed together, they had to be with one another it was very important.

At her name she stopped and sat up her gaze meeting the green eyes for a brief few seconds, five to be exact a record for her before her eyes once again flicked down to the berries. Now she began fiddling with them unable to help the movement as Ivyshade paused and then continued speaking, asking her how she felt about becoming a warrior when she grew up and if this would make her happy "It makes me feel sick, really bad, I know Nightstar dosent like me so he'll give me a mentor who I'll fear to try to force me to grow some back bone" perhaps it was catastrophising but it felt like that was what was going to happen to her, she was frightened of that idea. She didn't think having a mentor that scared her would fix her, how could you fix a pup who obviously was so badly wrong, born wrong, was wrong, unfixable, worthless, rubbish. Then when she failed to be the type of apprentice Nighstar wanted he'd throw her out or maybe have Jesterpup kill her as a test for him. Swallowing hard she fought the anxiety that wanted to break out of the nice little box she kept it in, flicking her gaze to ivyshades once again, Tremblepup found that as always she couldn't read the features and thus it became overwhelming for her so she returned to the berries admiring how smooth they were against her paw. The Iberian wolf sighed softly and closed her eyes after guiding the berry back to the other two, it felt like she didn't have a place that she belonged in the clan, unaware that a career in medicine was possibly open to her, Tremblepup was naive to that fact as it'd always been shown to her that the path of the warrior was the only way to go. She didn't want to hurt anyone, she just wanted to be happy, but she wasn't quite sure how to be happy. She'd felt a brief flicker of it when she'd helped Ivyshade with the moss and had been praised in what felt like for the first time in her small life.

Grunting he glanced up at Nightstar rather coldly when he was pinned down, studying him a wide smirk twisted onto his features. Getting up once the leader went to see his mother he glanced back at his siblings well aware what they'd think of him for that. Sucking up pah, he didn't suck up it wasn't in his nature to be a schmoozer, and he didn't need to when it came to Nightstar. The leader liked him to start off with and always had, they thought the same although Jester was perhaps far more twisted than the leader he just hadn't had the chance to show it yet. Watching Tremblepup slip back into camp with Ivyshade a smirk twisted onto his muzzle, he'd get her tonight after sussing out what his siblings were likely plotting. He knew them how they worked and did his best to keep them guessing how he worked, his puppy blue eyes that would one day be a harsh bright yellow like his mothers slipped towards the leader den. The task wasn't even a real punishment for him, if anything he resented the fact that he was ordered to do something, he just wanted to hang about and cause all kinds of chaos. Chaos was why he did things why he picked on Tremble why he acted the way he did to his siblings he just wanted to watch what everyone fought for burn, whether it be prey the territories, their mates, anything. It was how he made his fun, snickering to himself as he planned what he'd do to the little pup who was so much smaller than him and his siblings that night. They wouldn't stop him, they'd never stopped him from hurting Tremblepup, and for him it made it all the more sweeter as it fed into Tremblepups belief that no one in the clan cared about her or what happened to her.

Nightstar blinked his green eyes slowly as his hackles started to rise as Blackwidow pushed in and he slowly rose to his full height as Cheshiregrin paused between him and the black female. "If Cheshiregrin would wait here for this wolf, this wolf would be most happy." he told the three legged warrior as he passed by her. His pelt was full fluffed out with his gleaming ivory fangs flashing as his lip started to rise in a snarl. His green eyes were narrowed as he stalked up to Blackwidow and his paw flashed out cuffing her over the ear. "Do not ever, EVER, tell me not to get involved with something again! It is not your place to speak with others about what they have done wrong nor is it your place to discipline them. You lost that right when you stepped down Blackwidow so I suggest you wait until you are asked before trying to push your muzzle into something. Do I make myself clear?" he snarled at her with his fangs on full display. Not bothering to wait for a reply he turned back to Cheshiregrin and padded back towards her relaxing his body so as to not approach her in a threatening way. "This wolf wishes to know what set Cheshiregrin off with the pupup? Did the pupup attack?" he asked her gently.

In the middle of her way of playing she was befuddled as one wolf then the other started to talk to her, following black widow she stopped half way and looked between Nightstar and Blackwidow her mind starting to spin around dangerously as she heard dimly the black and red females words. The insane side cackled and laughed at her words while the sane side screamed coldly at being talked to like a pup, flickering between sane and insane she bordered dangerously in the middle. Most would agree that her insane side was safer for the clan, she was erratic but most of the time quite harmless apart from those she didn't like and then she only talked in her nonsensical way but with more of a threat. The sane side was what had lashed out at Jesterpup,the sane side was evil, cold, and very very precise with what she said her nonsensical words would suddenly be told properly, correctly with a dark menacing undertone. As she had some connection to blackwidow she was leaning towards insanity, however the sudden display of violence from Nightstar slammed her into the sane side so deeply only her solsie could rescue her. By the time Nightstar turned back to her, his attempt at speaking her lingo only fell on deaf ears, a soft menacing growl so unlike her and was enough to make ones hackles raise sounded from her. It was completely unlike her to have any kind of violence or menacing in her voice or behaviour, such to the extent that it was more unnerving that Nightstars show of power towards blackwidow.

There was a flickering in her yellow eyes that was out of place, out of order, “ Nightstar and  blackwidow believe they control me? They talk down to me like i'm stupid? Newsflash the pair of you, I'm crazy sure but I'm not a mousebrained pup” the use of the word me instead of a maggot or a cheshiregrin further hearaled that what was about to happen would not be pleasant, her commenting on the way they'd spoken to her perhaps a sign that they'd both made a mistake and could be to blame for what was about to happen next. A sickeningly cold chuckle bubbled forward from her throat as she laughed at the pair of them, a definite mocking hint to her tones. Anyone could see that it was a mistake to have pushed her to the point where the normally crazily happy Cheshiregrin made such a noise. Getting herself under control she circled the pair with a hunter's look gleaming in her yellow depths, “You think I care even a little about those pups? After what their fathers did? Thats sick and twisted even for you two, you're both so alike you should get hitched. Wouldn't that be such a slap in the face for Bramblerose hm? You tearing her family apart and causing Reddust to disappear after she rejected him, you surely have noticed how different she is from when she was a pup? Youve got no one but your self to blame Blackwidow, and you, Nightstar. You're pathetic, paranoid, erratic, everyone thinks that, not a single wolf in this clan believes you're sane and sensible enough to lead” the cold sickening laugh sounded again as she continued to circle them her yellow gaze fixed on them as if piercing the depths of their souls and  finding all the flaws they feared to admit themselves. “Some even have a wager, who would have been a worse leader, Blackstar or Nightstar, personally my opinion is Tigerstar would have been far better than you both. Pathetic, childish, entitled, hypocritical, its simply hysterical!” chuckling to herself she shook her head not caring what a scene she was making, not caring that her pups could likely hear every single word of her cold loud voice that rung against the mangroves that made up their camp.

'you wouldn't want to be like your  mother' the words rang and suddenly she was insane again, the switch happening quickly  “Mother, Mother, sweet sweet mother, a nightshade flower would certainly do for your gave would it not?” her voice had changed although the menacing side was still there. Spotting Jesterpup she grinned wickedly “wouldn't want to be like your mother” she mimicked switching back to sane so easily it was getting harder to keep track of her mental state. With ease despite her three legs she pinned the black and red pup down “Don't bother making a move, anyone. After all, a mother couldn't harm her own pup, oh wait...” she let her voice trail off and with her eyes fixed on both Nightstar and Blackwidow she lowered her head and tore her teeth through the pups ears shredding them. “Remember this little jester, the whole world is against you, there is nothing you can do except to help the world burn and feed into the chaos. Strive for the dark forest, one day I'll meet you there and take you to meet the father that is yours alone” she hissed into his shredded ears her muzzle stained with his blood. “Mother mother mother, her kiss is nightshade, fill the void with so many souls for your father, you look exactly like him except with your mothers eyes... don't forget it, its who you are, really underneath the layers you're a maggot too besides your siblings will remind you for me wont they” her gaze flicked up from the three pups that were mostly sane.

Lifting her paw from her sons back she coldly inspected him before moving her paw to the back of his head and pushing it into the dirt. With that she moved away and snarled viciously at anyone who got too close to her, she couldn't breathe here, not with those sick twisted wolves that wanted her to bow and scrape to be a 'noble' creature and submit to their authority. No, not now not ever again, after all Forsakensoul had been so very good very very good and still mother had punished him. Submitting would neve happen, sol, sol could help her, would help her, he never asked her to submit, he would help the race of sane and insane that spun around inside her head was she sane?? Insane?? she didn't know the two borders of what should be one or the other were very rapidly becoming one and the same moulding her into a new Cheshiregrin that was no longer a part of this clan. She was Cheshire, She was Maggot, both, not one at a time, not good not bad, both, what word encompassed both so perfectly? And then she heard it sounding in her head so clearly so sweetly, chessie, chessie, almost as if he was standing beside her guiding her. Both, both, chessie chessie, he was calling for her, calling her away. The final ties of what tied her to these clans of wolves was severed, cut, as if a pair of scissors had clipped away the ties as if they were threads freeing her. If she'd had wings they would have unfolded and flared, any who tried to come near her were dealt with with sharp fangs that tore into flesh.

Yellow eyes darted about camp before finally locating the exit, the two who were in the way were the two that had freed her from this place, or set her off depending on your view. The two sides in her head were arguing about it oh so terribly, even as they were forced into one. One paw moved and then the other, leaving behind jesterpup smushed into the dirt she used her single powerful back leg to push her forwards. Gathering her strength she put it into her paws and legs spurring the muscles forward to find him who could help her, who always helped her. The adrenaline of everything that happened was speeding up her reflexes, just like she'd practiced hundreds and hundreds of times as an apprentice she slipped onto her side and rolled underneath Nightstar leaving a good nip as a reminder as she did so and found her feet easily. She cackled and in that single moment she was both, sane, insane, good, bad, yes, no, right, wrong it all became one in a single being instead of being cracked she was whole in a strange way. Not unlike a mirror thatd been glued back together, without a look over her shoulder or a goodbye she was gone into the thick marshlands to search for the golden sol. She would go with him now, she would go with him always...
~The Fire Swamp~

He'd been being about his business sneakily thinking about how he was going to torment tremblepup that night, probably by hissing things into her ear again. Physical torture was for idiots after all it was the psychological words and scars that hurt and worked better, after all he was living proof was he not? He'd just finished the leaders den and was going to find some fresh kill to eat when the ordeal with his mother unfolded. Privately she was the only thing that he feared in this world, not even Nightstar scared him like Cheshiregrin did, all too soon he was suddenly pinned and trapped beneath a black paw. He didn't understand, he was being 'good' digging his paws into the ground as his fearsome mother tore at his ears he grit his teeth refusing to cry out, that was for weaker wolves like Tremblepup she'd be screaming like a rabbit about to be killed. He managed a soft growl before words were hissed into his aching ears, he could feel blood trickling down the side of his head and into his actual ear and her words werent helping one bit. Shaking his head he tried not to listen but they'd been so carefully chosen to effect him, she wasn't finished until she'd humiliated him by shoving his face into the dirt until he had a wad of it in his mouth. Finally after that she'd gone, seething, he got up and shook out his pelt, spitting out the dirt he could only feel anger at his siblings. She'd never once gone after them like the way she always had him, what made them so special? He didn't even look at them he didn't want to look at anyone, he wanted to turn and take these feelings out on Tremblepup the insect was hiding from him the little coward. Flicking his torn up ears and flicking blood everywhere he turned away from the eyes feeling them on his fur as if he was being burned. No, no running he didn't run, he didn't cry out when things hurt, he was jesterpup, if he had to have such a name then he'd wear it like a badge of honour. He forced a sneer onto his face as if what had happened hadn't shaken or frightened him, he didn't want pity he didn't want attention he wanted progress, he wanted to be made an apprentice and finally start out on his path to becoming more than what he was. The sneer was fake, but that was okay as long as he could make other believe it, he'd be alright, he was a jester, laugh it off, so he needed to laugh to keep it all up, laugh it wasn't that hard to do. He needed to embrace it, inhaling sharply he tried it and found once he'd started he couldn't stop, a high pitched cackling giggle that got worse until he was gasping for breath. That was better, that was so much better, the sneer became genuine and he pulled away into the shadows to sit and tend to his ears without the nosy eyes of the clan staring and leering at him. He was okay, he'd just laugh it all off from now on no matter what happened to him, laugh and he'd feel better, He could do that, yes yes yes yes, he'd be okay absolutely fine, positively!He was Jesterpup, Jesterpup was him, he and he alone, he didn't need anyone a mother, a father siblings, he was himself and nobody could take that from him.

Nightstar watched as Cheshiergrin finally snapped but he made no move to stop her as she spoke more concerned about the pup then he was for her. He snarled snapping his fangs after the female as she left giving him a nip.His head turned towards Jesterpup as he recovered from the attack and moved back into the shadows out if the way. His frozen green eyes scanned the camp as he moved into the center with faintly bared fangs. "So everyone doubts me hmmm?" He asked aloud sitting down slowly,
"If you are brave enough then do come forth tell me why you think I am such a bad leader? I just want to see us thrive to grow into the Shadowclan of old. Strong and powerful like we are portrayed in the stories. Is it so wrong that I want to ensure we survive?" He asked smoothly his voice like ice as he spoke to the wolves within the camp. He slowly stood and shook his dark pelt out and chuckled softly though it was cold. "Come speak to me with your.... concerns ." He told them before moving. He made his way over to where Jesterpup was and sniffed at his ears. "Come with me and I will help you clean them Jesterpup." He mummered softly to the pup nudging him with the softest of touches he could manage. He lead the pup to his den and lay down in the entrance waiting for the black and red male to join him as his gaze skimmed the clearing slowly.

He'd watched the entire drama unfold, it'd taken every ounce of his strength to not attack Cheshiregrin and tear her apart for her treatment towards the pup. Watching as she spiralled out of control and left, he turned his gaze to Jesterpup watching as he slunk into the shadows. His ears flicked back at the words exchanged between Blackwidow and Nightstar, This is not going to end wellthe words were grimly thought as the black and red female turned and headed out. Gritting his teeth at Nightstars words he stepped forwards towards him, however Nightstar had already moved and was guiding the pup that'd been savaged by its mother. Following them he stood there confidently and strongly "I'd advise you not to listen to Cheshiregrins words, her actions have proved she is psychotic, there is not a single lick of truth to her words" he spoke in his usual calm confident way his yellow-green eyes boring into the dark hued youngster before he added "I'll take a hunting patrol out, and make sure cheshiregrin is off Shadowclan land" dipping his head he walked away and glanced about before speaking "thrustheart, Ghostheart, you're to come with me on a hunting and scouting patrol" he barked out before he turned and stalked to the entrance of the camp waiting semi paitently for the clan mates he'd asked for to meet with him.

Nightstars ears flickered at Dragonsteels words about Cheshiregrin words and his head dipped slightly as a silent sigh left the large young male. He accepted the older grey males words with a blink showing just the faintest gleam of thankfulness towards him before it vanished leaving him once more like a stone. "If you see Cheshiergrin dont not engage but note where she is so we can monitor her movements. I dont want her near camp or the pups now she has left." He told the senior warrior as his claws sunk into the ground slightly. He did want the insane female off their land but he decided to give her until sunrise the next day. "If she is still here come sunrise then the clan has full permission to chase her out." He said laying down his decision with cold firmness. He dipped his head as Dragonsteel left calling for two of the other warriors to go with him to hunt and scout the territory that belonged to Shadowclan.

He was a little in shock from it all, although his brain was well aware of what was going on his body didn't really respond well. His body obeyed Nightstars words, stumbling along and guided by the muzzle, sitting down he jerked his head away whenever a muzzle came too close to his ears. He stared at the medicine wolf a disjointed grin on his own small muzzle, shaking his head and sending drops of blood all over the place. Watching the herbs warily his yellow eyes flicked from them to the medicine wolf to the small pup he noticed hanging about at her ankles. Leering at Tremblepup he snickered to himself softly, part of the show of behaviour was to urge his siblings into still attempting to prank him, snarling softly at her he sent the pup scuttling back into the medicine den.

Nightstars tongue ran over the pups small body as Ivyshade approached and he did his best to clean as close to the shredded ears as he could without Jesterpup flinching away. His ear flickered at her in greeting as most of his attention was on the injured one between his paws and he could smell the herbs indicating she was there for the small male rather than himself for now. "Ivyshade." he mummered flicking his ears to get her to come closer. He knew they would need to work fast to get the herbs she had brought onto the red and black pups ears because of the pain he was in, something he could see despite his attempt to hide it from the rest of the clan. He could feel the slight trembles from the ordeal in his body. A large paw was placed on Jesterpups small body once Ivyshade indicated she was ready and he held the pup down firmly. His attention was mostly drawn away to the entrance of his den where Tricksterpup stood asking about his mother. "No if she is seen on shadowclan territory after sunrise then she will be chased off or if she attacks, we fight to defend our land." he told the pup calmly though his expression was softer than before. While he had an especially large soft spot just for Jesterpup he did care for all the pups and had a soft spot for them all while they lived in the nursery and for some of their apprenticeships. Once they started learning however he lost that softness and was a harder task master than most. If you got even the tiniest bit of approval from the leader you know you had done amazingly.

As soon as he was pinned down he changed, he'd only just been pinned down into the dirt by his mother and now the only wolf he trusted was doing the same. He began thrashing and refusing to stay still, his ears had only been torn up they wouldn't get infected, what would get them infected was morons pushing them into the dirt. They didn't stop her, they're just like her, nobody can be trusted the thoughts made the pup struggle all the worse. They were just like his mother, except worse because he'd trusted Nightstar, the brutes heavy paw pressing him against the earth was the exact same thing that his mother had done only moments ago. He picked the seeds up into his mouth and spat them at the medicine wolfs face "Let me go! You're as bad as her you cowards! You're crushing me just like her, go burn in the dark forest where mutts like you belong" his voice was surprisingly filled with a burning seething hatred. Feeling the pressure change a little in his back during his writhing he took advantage of that and freed himself pausing long enough to glare with a disturbingly cold loathing at Nightstar "Thank you for teaching me that lesson, don't. ever. trust." with that he spun and fled into the back of the elders den where he'd hollowed out a safe place in the mangrove, it was big enough for him to get into and the mangroves roots made it near impossible for anyone except a pup or a small apprentice to follow him. Cleaning the gunk off of his ears and tail he curled up in his one safe place seething with anger, it seemed that Nightstar pinning the pup had flicked a switch, any last remains of being a normal pup were gone. A dark burning desire now settled in his heart, they'd all burn he'd make sure of that, and he'd learnt something so very important, not to trust anyone. No one in the clan had offered a paw to stop Cheshiregrin hurting him, no one ever had or would, he could only rely on himself. To those that didn't understand Jesterpup which to him seemed to be the entire clan, behaving like his mother and pressing him into the dirt like she would frequently had tipped his scales. From now on Nightstar and Ivyshade would be treated as the enemies they had proven themselves to be, unlike his mother Jesterpup was completely sane it was the evil within him that had been born and now was festering to the surface that was the problem. He didn't cry, he never had no matter what had been done to him, instead he rested his head on his paws and went over everything, picking up things that he'd learnt and committing them to memory. Hate was so easy, he hated them all, ever part of their stupid pathetic personalities, every single feature on their ugly faces, he'd thought he could trust the leader of his clan that he was like him, but it'd been just been pressed into him that that was not a truth,
it was a lie and the bitterness of betrayal encouraged a soft savage snarl from him.

A part of her was a little confused, was she so bad that the medicine wolf wanted to drug her? Was her natural anxiety annoying to her then? She couldn't help it it was part of whom she was yesterday, and yet everyone wanted her to change, she wasn't good enough, she was wrong and bad. At these very convincing thoughts her ears lowered slightly, focusing on the berries even more intently at this she managed to still listen to Ivyshade. The mention of there being something more to being a warrior surprised her, all of the others wanted to be warriors to defend their clan leading her to believe that there was something fundamentally wrong with her. However it seemed that perhaps there was another path laid out for her, the idea of caring for other wolves health appealed to her, it meant she could be useful and helpful without having to fight which she was very very bad at. If she'd been aware that the medicine wolfs thoughts about her that she was odd, it would have one damage to her already frail and practically non existent confidence. Glancing up at Ivyshade for a brief moment when the medicine wolf offered to train her she nodded, there were no other options for her really. She wasn't meant to be a warrior, not of shadowclan, perhaps in another clan where the leader wasn't as cruel and vindictive and terrifying.

Her eyes lowered back to her paws as the medicine wolf went on to say that being a medicine wolf had its own challenges, she'd have to heal for the sick and injured well she could try that. She could be helpful, and she was willing to try to learn all of the medicinal herbs and their purposes. She had a good memory, all she had to do was associate one thing with another and learning became easy peasy. When she mentionned never having a mate, Tremblepup wasn't that daunted, for she believed that none would ever be interestsed in a wolf that was so pathetic, so nervous and all the rest of the list of bad things she had about herself. At the noises outside she shrank down a little remaining in the den until Ivyshade came back to grab a bundle of leaves that she surmised had to have herbs in it, following her closely already feeling safer with the medicine wolf about thanks to her defending her from Nightstar earlier. Skittering back into the den when Jesterpup spooked her, she surprisingly came back to stand at Ivyshades back left leg on the opposite side to Nightstar, watching the way the medicine wolf tended to the pups hurts interested. However Jesterpup soon freed himself making her shrink back against the leg hoping he wouldn't go for her, her nervousness was shown by frequent licking of her nose and shifting of her weight as well as her usual shocking eye contact. When he'd skittered off she glanced up at Ivyshade wondering what would happen next, she half hoped they could go back into the safe medicine den and continue talking. Well, Ivyshade talking and herself just listening.