Calm and Quiet -- Medusa's Warrior Plight (open)

[SirDio]

Medusa

Medusa knew she had to do the plight, so the day after she shed her skin, she decided to set out. Feeling the cool air against her freshly shed scales was welcoming as she set out for the strip of forest the clan hunted in. She guessed it was her rat snake nature that loved being in the forest, where she could hide without issue. Or maybe it was the security of the trees that comforted her - not that she hated the beach or anything.

She was wandering just off the edge as she noticed a few stones within the ground, packed tightly so that no weeds or plants could grow in between. She thought it a sort of sign for the clan, and went to investigate.

The rocks were a part of a path, leading further into the forest. It was a clear cut path, save a few bushes and such blurring the edges of it. But no weeds were seen breaking through the stones, Medusa noted as she began to travel it. The path was ever so slowly going down, so slowly that Medusa didn't realize until she saw that the ground around her had risen slightly. While the path thus far was tight and narrow, it had now opened up before her, leading into a stone platform.

The stones here were still tightly packed, the platform lined with strange stone boxes that had over grown flowers and bushes within them. It all led to a large stone house, broken in areas, missing it's roof, and having lost all its windows. It was still mostly intact, and had what seemed to be 2 levels. It also had an opening that led below the house, with two old oak doors broken off their hinges. Infront of the house was a circular stone pit fit for a bonfire; it even had charred wood from a previous fire still there.

She took a brief investigation of the house, top to bottom. She found that nothing lived within the confines of the house - no rodents, no snakes, nothing. It was odd, but calming in a sense. The 2nd level of the house had an old human bed, with a table next to it; upon the table was a small piece of quartz. Feeling an even calmer air with the quartz there, she decided to keep it there.

The ground level of the house was what humans would have considered a living room and kitchen, though it was somewhat primative in nature. A stone wall divided the area, and a doorway led to the other side of the area. There wasn't much, but it would make for a nice shelter should things get messy out in the beach. On the window sills, Medusa noticed, were even more of those stone boxes with even more gorgeous plants - they weren't starting to wilt even with the cool weather. Late wilters, maybe?

The below level of the house was a bit eeriey, but still calming enough that she didn't feel uncomfortable within it. It was a large open area, with a few pits in the corners presumably for a fire in each one, and a small statue in the back. It was a statue about as big as Hurricane sitting atop a pedestal, the statue one of a large lion (or tiger with a big mane) holding a crystal orb. It resonated with a serene calm unknown to Medusa before.

Satisfied with her findings, she went back to camp, a calm smile on her face. "I would like to say that there is something I wish to show whoever is willing to join me. It is part of my Plight, and despite it's location it's calming." She called out, pride absent in her voice. Once a sufficient group had been made, she added softly, "if kits wish to come they can - just stick with adults and don't go off the path." Once there were a few kits among them, she led them.

The path seemed easier for her now, and she led them without issue to the ruins. "i love this place. It's calming. There's even a statue at the lower level. It's big enough to house a fair amount of cats incase we must flee inland." She pointed out as she let the group explore the area. "i see the stones as a sign for us - close together, we won't let roots and weeds separate us." She let out a nervous laugh at the end - she didn't want to get philosophical by any means.

[VASS .]

Despite Rhinestone's offer, and the meaning behind the necklace, Vaas would not participate within the clan's rituals- customs and their star-clan. The only ancestor to the tiger was a dead one, and any of his own that looked on and saw him would be disgusted, repulsed that he were alive- thriving while the rest of his family had burned. They all would wish him ill, it was not a man's place to be anything more than a pawn for his family. The fact that he outlived them, that he didn't mourn them and didn't try to save them made him a damned soul.

Maybe there was a fraction there- an inch in his crooked tail that believed it. He was damned that his ancestors if they ever met face to face, would kill him for the simple fact that he was alive while they had died. So no, he did not need the clan's ancestral worship and want of ancestral forgiveness, he knew his ancestors scorned him. For being powerless, for being the only one left alive of his family.

That did not mean, he did not respect it. No Vaas held a great deal of respect for those around him. That found belief and used it to fill the void they all shared. He had went to the celebration as an act of that respect, and he would not honor it himself, but by the end he had stumbled out with his tail held high and the rest of his own crew finding something beyond themselves. Nothing made him more happy than that.

Yet here, the tiger was king, he was fearsome and his eyes glowed with a power that many whispered about. Without the ancestors to guide him- he led his once group into harmony with the clan of the beaches. He was powerful without the ancient magics that one found innate in their blood or awakened from dormant slumber. He won his muscles and scars with blood and fang, and his weapons by the respect, his scars by the battles he had waged and won.

When Medusa came into the clan 'camp' with the warriors plight- an effort to prove herself to the clan that had found her, welcomed her and one she wanted to earn the loyalty to? Vaas was a tiger of merits, of get it done or don't Vaas respected Medusa, and even as some turned away from her, Vaas would be the first to rise from his perch and follow after her.

"Beautiful, Medusa" Vaas' words were the first to chirp from the group. The tiger waveing between tree's as he often did- straying from the path and instead hearding the younger ones back into the path of stone and- enjoying playing in the shadows on the way there. Though the short walk revealed a wonderful place, it was not his word's initial meaning.

No, Vaas won the reputation, the leadership of the boardwalk group simply because of one feature. He listened. In a group that was divided and scattered he was a unifying state that brought them together to find what they needed. When someone needed something done, they came to him. It was something that he had not hid from. If he couldn't get something done, he probably knew just the person with the skills.

Listening meant more tha paying ear to his people, it meant praising them for what he found remarkable. Medusa was trying to push past the boundaries put in front of her, the border of her strangeness and what other's thought of them. Find some common trait- the clan to unify them. Vaas thought nothing more earned praise, to encourage that togetherness, it was important. Vital.

[table][tr][td]

[/td][td]

"take me into your heart , accept me as your savior nail me to the fucking cross and let me be reborn" — an antagonist with a silver tongue , a pirate with nothing to loose and everything to gain .  vaas montenegro ; he who lives to fight demons should be weary he himself does not become one ." it's not like i am fucking crazy — "

[/td][/tr][/table]

[RHINESTONE.]

LEADER ❝ RHINE ❞ PALMCLAN

For some time, Rhine had firmly believed that the Twisted Forest was not a place for anyone within Palmclan. He saw it as somewhere that they could access prey such as squirrels and mice, and nothing more beyond that. Or rather, he did see beyond that, but nothing that he saw was overwhelmingly positive. Maybe it was just because of his childhood memories of the forest. He could remember many a day where he had heard rumors all around him, warriors and apprentices alike talking about what lurked within and outside of the Twisted Forest. Some of the tails were more farfetched, such as evil spirits or massive beasts that had been assigned to watch over it, killing anyone who took prey from there. However, some of the rumors were far more believable, and petrifying. Stories of wild and vicious groups that would tear Palmclan children to shreds if they got their claws on them, or hungry and powerful wild dogs that were just waiting for the right feline to fall into their clutches. Those stories were the ones that had really gotten to a young Rhinestonepaw, the quiet and timid apprentice that had done anything he could to avoid the forest. Hell, he excelled in aquatic prey because that put him as far from the forest as possible.

However, that had been a long time ago. In a time where he had been young and afraid, and everything seemed so intimidating and big. Now he was a warrior. Not only that, but he was a leader. He held a great amount of power within the group, as well as a great amount of responsibility. That meant that he needed to seriously think about every part of the territory, and the threats and benefits that came with it. Nowadays, the Twisted Forest still somewhat unnerved him, but he also knew it to be a base of valuable prey. Not only that, but it was the perfect barrier between Palmclan and the outside world, as well as a natural labyrinth that they could use for cover in case of invaders. Not that Rhine found himself too worried about invaders. Even with the outside groups that had begun to pop up, such as Alithís Evgenis and The Typhoon... they seemed friendly. Or, at the very least, non-hostile. Which meant that, for the time being, they weren't threats that Palmclan needed to worry about. Not that the leader intended to get too buddy buddy with them. He liked Bai Shi and Alithís, but an alliance could turn sour just as quickly as it had become good.

The rust colored tom had been pondering all this when Medusa came into camp, her light and excited voice causing Rhinestone to look up from his meal. Not that he had been particularly absorbed in it, considering how he had been totally zoning out. When he heard that the other was doing her Warrior's Plight, he couldn't help the grin that curled onto his muzzle. With how she had been worrying about being perceived as of late, with her hybridization and how others looked at her, it was good to hear that she wanted to take such a big step in becoming a true member of the clan. Pushing himself up to his paws, Rhinestone eagerly followed after the group that had gathered behind Medusa, staying a little close to Vaas – glad to see that the other was at least engaging with the ritual as well. When they began to delve into the forest, Rhine initially felt himself tense up slightly, pale gaze flicking around to the towering trees that surrounded them on all sides. He managed to take a deep breath, calming himself as the pads of his paws slipped over the smooth stone of the path. The coolness of it almost caught him off guard, having never stumbled across the clumped together stones before.

When they reached the actual house, the feline found his eyes growing wide, a soft gasp leaving him as he began to wander around. His paws explored freely over the ruins of the house, taking in the remains of the fire as well as the strange boxes full of wilting – and some not wilting – plants. The downstairs intrigued him most, with the statue that lingered there seeming almost like a comfort and a threat all at the same time. It looked so realistic that Rhine wasn't sure he'd be surprised if it came to life and sprang forth. Despite this, he still found himself calmed within the sheer presence of the building, a small smile curling on his face as he returned to where Medusa was. He purred to the hybrid, fluffy tail flicking behind him as he spoke, "Medusa... this place is wonderful. I'm so surprised you happened to just stumble upon it. And that thing you said about the stones... very inspiring." He spared a glance downwards, as if trying to look through to the bottom floor, before he questioned, "What do you suppose that statue was for? Just decoration? It's so ornate..." Rhinestonestar didn't really expect Medusa to have answers for him, mostly just musing to himself.

NEVER OPENED MYSELF THIS WAY
LIFE IS OURS, WE LIVE IT OUR WAY

— Reggan

[SirDio]

Medusa

Seeing Vaas and Rhine join the group was warm to the hybrid, a smile coming to her face as she let them explore. Hearing Vaas' comment, she let out a soft 'purr' of gratitude. "Thank you, Vaas. Truly, thank you." She smiled to him, then looked to Rhine as she saw him explore. It was amusing to see him (er, really feel him) tense up when they had entered the forest. She then had moved on to inspect some of the still living and thriving plants that had sat among the wilting ones of the outside stone boxes.

Quietly musing about these strange plants, she was just the tiniest bit startled by Rhinestone coming up to her. Listening to his words, she let a smile expand on her face. She was shocked that they had never seen the path before. "Thank you, RhinestoneStar - I'm surprised none of your warriors had seen the path before. Maybe they were too focused on the trees themselves and what possibly lay beyond them, that they failed to notice the little things from right under their noses." She let out a bashful mrrow at his last statement about the stones.

Pawing gently at the ground, she shrugged gently. "I've heard of humans having statues like that one for worship, but it just seems so life like that I feel that the darned thing will come running out from under the house, chucking it's orb at the closest thing to it." She chuckled to herself, letting her imagination get to her.

[RHINESTONE.]

LEADER ❝ RHINE ❞ PALMCLAN

When Medusa mentioned Palmclan warriors missing the path for the towering trees that made up the Twisted Forest, Rhine felt a soft bit of bubbling laughter leave his muzzle. He nodded, admitting a little hesitantly as he glanced about, "To be honest, you may be right there... I've never been a real big fan of the Twisted Forest, myself. When I was just a kit, rumors of horrible beasts out here ran rampant, and I was never sure of what laid beyond the trees, even as an adult. I doubt every warrior is the same way, but I can certainly see why others would end up missing out on the path." He was glad that Medusa had managed to find it, however. A new significant landmark to add to the list was always fascinating, and this one certainly seemed to be pretty damn unique. As time went on, Palmclan was becoming more and more intimately involved with the architecture and old lives of the twolegs, taking old human homes for themselves and claiming the boardwalk as part of the territory. Still, seeing such an odd stone building all the way out here... it really made Rhinestone wonder about what twolegs must've inhabited it.

Rhinestonestar then felt a shiver run down his spine as he heard Medusa speak about the statue, and how uncanny it was in its lifelike appearance. The hybrid certainly wasn't wrong, but the rust colored feline couldn't help but be unnerved at the thought. Even wirh Vaas on the scene, one of their own big cats, Rhine wasn't particularly keen on attempting to fight a lion. Thankfully, he also knew that it was just Medusa's imagination, and he quickly reassured himself with a nod before he spoke, "Worship... I suppose that would make sense. I wonder what type of God it might've been for. Perhaps twolegs know something about Starclan...?" Although, if they did, Rhine doubted that they would've made a lion statue to worship the great clan in the sky. Even with the legends of ancient clans that fought like lions, Rhinestone was fairly sure Starclan consisted of mainly domestic felines.

NEVER OPENED MYSELF THIS WAY
LIFE IS OURS, WE LIVE IT OUR WAY

— Reggan

[SirDio]

Medusa

Medusa giggled softly at Rhine's words. "Rumors are just that - Rumors. Find yourself a.. a real monster and tell the clan." She wanted to add on 'like me' to her words, but she refused. She wasn't a monster, right? "Don't, actually."

Eyes drifting to the entrance to the basement, Medusa listened to Rhine."far older human civilizations had statues similar to the lion, but far bigger - that one down there is only around as tall as Hurricane. Depending on the region, humans worshipped different deities. One civilization worshiped gods who had animal heads and human bodies." She spoke confidently, then seemed taken aback by the words - how did she know all that? Where did she hear about that? Shaking her head gently, she looked to Rhine with a gentle grin.

[RHINESTONE.]

LEADER ❝ RHINE ❞ PALMCLAN

Medusa was right about one thing – well, he actually considered her to be right about several things, but semantics – and that was that rumors were just rumors. They very rarely had any factual truth to them, and when they did, they often came to light fairly quickly. Rhine just wished he could've been more confident of that when he was a child. With that in mind, the tom just laughed and said, shaking his head a bit, "Don't worry, I won't go searching for monsters in the woods. I have no interest in putting myself in danger – especially since that would put Palmclan in danger as well." Once he was finished speaking, the rusty red feline had begun to let his gaze wander, taking in his surroundings again, when he heard Medusa beginning to explain about statues, and their significance. Rhinestone's eyes widened a bit, seemingly just as surprised about Medusa's knowledge as she was. Eventually he found himself muttering, smiling, "Wow, that's quite the wealth of knowledge you've got there, Medusa. I can't imagine a being with an animal head and a twoleg body though... sounds rather uncomfortable." A soft shiver went down his spine before he shook his head, disturbed by the thought. He preferred his animals and humans separately, thank you very much.

NEVER OPENED MYSELF THIS WAY
LIFE IS OURS, WE LIVE IT OUR WAY

— Reggan

[SirDio]

Medusa

Relieved that Rhine hadn't pushed further - she would have been surprised if he did, as her face didn't allow extreme expressions - Medusa smiled to him, a flustered laugh bubbling up to her. "Makes total sense." She spoke genuinely, then wished she had a neck of fur to hide her face in, like hurricane.

"I wish I remembered where I learned all of it. An' yes, a human with an animal head would also be far less appealing to other humans. But, they worshipped many such a thing. Would definitely be uncomfortable though!" She let out a rather bold laugh, which she softened as quickly as it decided to leave her mouth.

[RHINESTONE.]

LEADER ❝ RHINE ❞ PALMCLAN

I wish I remembered where I learned all of it. Medusa's statement just seemed so wildly confusing to Rhinestone, even if he understood the explicit meaning of it. Maybe it was just because all apprentices were – or at least, normally were – taught by one warrior most everything that they came to know in adulthood. Obviously this didn't mean that they couldn't learn from other sources, but it was pretty easy to know where you learned something from, in their current system. Medusa's missing memories, meanwhile... they were a complete mystery to Rhine, who wished he could've helped somehow. Feeling curious, the leader smiled a bit at the hybrids laugh, letting out his own little chuckle before he questioned, "You really can't remember where you heard all of this? That must be so odd, remembering the actual information, but not where you got it from... annoying, too. At least it seems as though you didn't miss out on any additional lessons from whoever taught you." Medusa seemed quite knowledgeable on the subject, which almost made Rhine wonder if she had been taught directly by humans. Although that would obviously be ridiculous, it was difficult for him to completely discount, given how many strange things he had seen that he had thought to never be possible before.

NEVER OPENED MYSELF THIS WAY
LIFE IS OURS, WE LIVE IT OUR WAY

— Reggan