Looking for a Home [open]

OOC: This topic takes place after ShadowClan is gone. Also, Shamlian is just under six moons old.

Shamlian had left Twolegplace behind him. He was never going back. The constant teasing, name calling, and hateful glares had devolved into something much, much worse. The other cats, his own parents, they all didn’t understand. He didn’t ask for this. Shamlian glanced at the scars on his body. They had done this. His littermates had never really liked him anyway, they had all been born covered in scratches from his claws. But this was taking things to a new level. His littermates had finally given in to Aster. He was only two moons older than Shamlian’s litter, but his littermates had always admired him, despite his actions. Aster hated him, and Shamlian hated him back. Today, the bullying got worse than it had ever been. His own siblings joined with Aster, pinning him down, digging their claws into his pelt. Aster approached him, saying that he was going to “fix” him, that Shamlian would never hurt anyone with his claws again, even if it meant that he’d have to rip them out of his paws himself. Shamlian had glanced around terrified, looking at his littermates, pleading for them to help him. But they wouldn't even look at him. Their eyes were fixed on Aster. As he got closer, Shamlian began to panic. He lashed out with his paw, trying to push Aster away. Instead, his claws slashed across his face. Aster stumbled back, and Shamlian's siblings released him, running to their leader’s side. Shamlian stared for a moment, horrified at what he’d done. He hadn’t meant to hurt him! As his siblings began to turn towards him, he realized that this was his chance to escape. Shamlian ran faster than he ever had before. His littermates followed close behind for a time, but eventually stopped. Before long he became too exhausted to run any further and collapsed. He didn’t know how to hunt, he didn’t know how he was going to survive, but he didn’t care.

The next day Shamlian set off again, and reached the edge of twolegplace. The forest was grand and inviting. He had heard the tales of wild cats that lived here, but he didn’t care. Anything would be better than where he came from, and maybe he could avoid them. Shamlian padded into the forest. The earth was soft, and undergrowth rubbed against his pelt leaving small drops of morning dew. As he breathed in the earthy smell of the forest, he felt truly at home for the first time. After traveling for a short period of time, Shamlian found a stump with a small hollow beneath it. I could live here, he thought to himself. Maybe the wild cats are nice! Or maybe they'll let me stay if I promise to just stay in this stump! But as he thought this, he looked down at his paws. No... They'll see my claws and hate me too.

Shamlian dug his claws into the soft earth beneath his paws. Often, when the teasing became too much to bear, he would find somewhere alone and hide his claws under something, anything. Sometimes, when he did this, he could forget they were there. Always out, always hurting others. He didn’t want to! He wished he could be like his littermates, that his claws would stay in his paws. But they just wouldn't retract!

Shamlian looked up to the treetops. Birds flew, and squirrels jumped from branch to branch. It reminded him just how hungry he really was. That's right... Wild cats hunt for themselves. But how? He looked around, trying to locate something a bit closer to himself. A small movement caught his eye. What was it? It was like one of the rats from twolegplace, but tiny. Was it a rat kit? Whatever it was, it was the perfect size for him! "I'm going to get you, rat kit!" Shamlian said quietly to himself. He tried to approach slowly, but being inexperienced, the mouse noticed him and swiftly scurried away. He attempted to follow, but lost it quickly in the dense underbrush. Shamlian returned to his little stump defeated, letting out a big sigh. What was he going to do?

The member 'Fox' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Invasion Dice' :

"...Hello?" Shamlian immediately sat up with a frightened look on his face, despite the young apprentice's efforts to not startle him. He instinctively and quickly moved his long, bushy tail to cover his paws as best as it could. As he realized that the cat wasn't that much older than him, and talked gently unlike the other cat's he'd known, he relaxed slightly. She seemed really nice. Was she a wild cat? Were all the wild cats like her? As she mentioned helping him get home, Shamlian averted his eyes as they filled with tears, fixing them on his paws. "I don't want to go home," he said in a sad yet determined voice. "I... I can't go back there!" He looked back up, meeting Briarpaw's eyes as she continued speaking. "...Yeah, I am hungry... I tried to catch that rat kit, but it was too fast. I don't really know how to hunt." After a moment of silence, Shamlian continued: "Please don't make me leave! It's so nice here! Twolegplace is stinky, and all the cats are mean."

Shamlian listened to the apprentice as she spoke again. "My... My name is Shamlian," he replied. He continued to listen as she spoke, listing all the reasons that he shouldn't, and couldn't, stay. I knew it... He thought to himself, lowering his head. I knew it was too good to be true. But then... She wasn't going to make him leave? Shamlian perked up, looking hopeful. He didn't have to go back! He could live with this nice she-cat and her clan! "I'll come with you! I can be strong! I can learn to hunt and fight!" He could have a family. A real family! One that loved him, accepted him for who he was- Shamlian cut himself off as Briarpaw turned her attention to his paws. In his excitement, he had once again forgotten what made him so different from all his siblings. He had to tell her, it was imposable to hide it much longer. Still, Shamlian hesitated. What if she doesen't accept me? What if she says I'm a freak and chases me away? But there was something in the kind way she promised to not judge him that he believed, despite his past experiences. Something that let him hope that this time would be different. Taking a deep breath, Shamlian moved his tail, exposing his claws. "I- they- my- my claws, they... they don't go away," he began. "I don't know why! I wish they would, but they just wont! All my siblings claws can go in their paws, but I can't make mine!"

Shamlian blushed slightly when Briarpaw said she liked his name. "Yeah, I've always been this way," he said in response to her question. He listened as she spoke about what his claws would mean for his life in ThunderClan. It made sense that he'd have to live more carefully, he'd always had too. What is a medicin cat? He wondered to himself. Can they really help my claws? He hoped so. Shamlian decided he'd ask when they got to Briarpaw's camp, when he could talk to them himself. As the She-cat got up to leave, Shamlian followed. The thought of being around so many cats scared him, but hopefully they would be as nice and understanding as this apprentice had been.