Xeno Exclusive Posts

Star Stone Accessory

<sub><b>[:bulletwhite: Xeno| White/Green-Earth | Ezrael's Lake - Star Stone :bulletgreen:]</b><blockquote>Only a short while, it had been, since the slender, black cat had last visited the crater near Ezrael's Lake which had risen in popularity amongst the tribes. Before the last turn of the seasons, back when she was pure White-Earth, Xeno had visited the recently fabled Star Stone with her mentor, though the pair didn't stay long. Then, it had just been a simple rock with a semi-average appearance to it, and the season had only just begun to chill the coats of others.

Now, the air nipped viciously at Xeno's large ears, which remained flattened to her had as the thin she-cat tromped through the snow. Called back for a second go around, the scholar took note of the revived fascination others had with the rock, as the wonderment had soon died down the first time when nothing occurred its surface. But now, Xeno heard, the rock had somehow split, and jewels of all sorts seemed to flood forth with mysterious properties, and this intrigued the young Earth Tribe cat.

Nearing the location, Xeno was astonished to see so many cat milling about, as the last time she had been there, they were few and far between. With a shivering body, the she-cat weaved through the crowds collected here and a field trip of kits there before she could squeeze into an empty spot beside the deep crevice.

Inside, it seemed thousands of various hues glittered and sparked interest in the cat and from what she had caught from the others speaking was that each member was allowed one jewel to take away from the experience. This would, at least, give Xeno something tangible to study, even at home. But which to take?

The black cat scanned over the place, but froze a moment later. As if beckoned by an unknown force, the she-cat cast her gaze downward towards the ground and set her sight on a small, ruby-colored gem that sat like a drop of blood on the white ground. Tenderly, she extended a claw and pulled it closer to her for inspection, and was instantly enthralled. The jewel was little, but by Xeno's standards, it was modest and classy. Nothing too gaudy, unlike her current accessory. The black cat was pleased, and picked the jewel up before backing away to sit down somewhere away from all the excitement. She was too tired from the trek through the snow to put up with the hustle and bustle around the giant stone.

As she settle into a spot where she had kicked away most of the snow to reveal a bit of cold grass, she curled up and shuddered. <i>How she hated the cold.</i> As she closed her eyes to wait for the line to the Silver-Void to shorten, and in the hopes to take a bit of a nap, Xeno settled onto the little jewel that she trapped beneath her slender belly and the ground, but was stunned when a sudden, small warm seemed to overtake her. Not wishing to get up from the feeling, she urged herself upward reluctantly just in time to see the small jewel's brightly red color glow before fizzling out from the lack of contact. No longer did the she-cat seem so tired, though she still wished for sleep. But surprise held Xeno firmly in her pawsteps as she gaped at the tiny jewel who had managed to emit a strange, but comforting warm. And to add to her surprise, a regal voice sounded behind the White/Green-Earth in a gentle tone, speaking of words that she couldn't quite grasp in her stupor. Without turning to see the Void Triber walk away, Xeno had only managed to hear one of the words that she was told before scooping up the jewel in her mouth and racing back off to her foresty territory.

<i>"...Energy..."</i></blockquote></sub>

Headcanon:

For Xeno, since she is almost always in some state of exhaustion or fatigue, the jewel never really fills up to its cap-out and instead just gives her little spurts here and there when she needs it. Also, the energy feel like a comforting warmth for Xeno now since she's only used it in the cold, but it will best suit her needs depending only her body's level of comfort. So say it's summer and she's really hot and tired. The energy she receives then would be more like a cooling sensation rather than warmth. And the little jewel glows faintly when in use.

Hawk Eye's View

<i>Wings beating air.</i> That was what she heard. All of the real world that she could distinguish from the rush of blood roaring in her ears. She flattened them to her head, both in an attempt to muffle the sound and to keep the warm, wet droplets falling from the sky. She did not understand that the noise came from inside, nor why her sister was kicking and flailing above her, nor even why the sky, clouded in green, cried tears of smelly red. She didn't understand why her face felt like fire, for she didn't even know what fire was or looked or felt like. The crimson rain splashed against her face, but it didn't feel refreshing. I made her feel dirty and guilty, and for the life of her, she didn't know why.

Her heart hammered like a drum without instructions from her brain, and her spine tingled like it did during the winter snow days. But it was not cold outside. No, in fact, her body felt hot. Unbearably so. Even more so was her face, drenched in the red rain that fell from the sky where her sister, Mist, moved as if she were sparring, and the wide wings of a bird spanned and cast a shadows from overhead.

She felt a throbbing in her head, specifically her right eye, and for some reason, all it could see was dark. Tears welled up at her eye which didn't hurt and could still see, and with the red rain scattered tawny feathers, lightly touching and caressing her pained face soothing despite the fear clutching her belly. These feather were not meant to be kind.

Through the roaring in her ears, she heard a cry. Two cries. More cries than she thought she had ever heard and one time before. Even more so than when her brother, Rock, hurt himself. The voice of her mother rang out, summoning in a panic her kits.

<i>"Egg!! Mist!! EGGY!! MISTY!!!"</i>

But she did not answer and her sister above only wailed and wept. Silent, she sat there, even when she heard the astonished name she hadn't heard in a long time. <i>Her father's name.</i> She did not see him as he ran up from behind her, nor when her father sprang into the bird as it lurched down to snatch herself up as well. No, the only things that registered in little Egg's mind was the burning pain from the shallow slashes on her face, the hot blood raining down from the somber sky, and the sight which her now singular, green eye remained glued to; within the hawk's skybound claws, she watched from the squishing, pink mess of flesh her own eye staring back at her.

<div align="center"><sub><b>[:bulletgreen: Xeno| Green-Earth | <small>Nightwatch Forest</small> :bulletgreen:]</b><blockquote>Icy breath curled out like a stark white tendril of smoke against the darkness of the surrounding area. Even in the most frigid and heavy of snowfall, the Nightwatch Forest remained shadowed- not by the leaves of the canopy, but by the towering walls of sleet and the mountains of ice and snow which seemed to block out the sun. And, of course, the fact that half of the world was beyond Xeno's sight.

The slender she-cat strode across the crunchy earth deftly, her dainty paws darting in and out of the thick blanket of snow and leaving small pockets in her trail. Her form was unnaturally thin, with ribs poking against her skin as if she were a hungry, hairless cat. However, she was merely hungry.

With how meager the amount of prey had been, and with how even more sparing the portions for those peak in age, the mono-eyed cat had found herself more quiet than ever before. She was also a fair amount more active too. While many of her tribemates seemed to be starving in their nests, the formerly lazy scholar was far more well and with good reason too. After all, she seemed to always have more energy than the others.

She could thank her meteorite jewel for that.

The energy that filled her belly now was the warm burning of enthusiasm; she was now fed by her will to find food for those who were her friends as so many now had trouble. not that she was without her own troubles...

She had been stalking a tiny hare. Barely visible against the white backdrop and nearly nothing more than enough for the kits to feed on, but it was something. And yet, giving chase was enough to draw the black cat away from her patrol of three others; the milky tabby Otis, the old bobtail, and another cat who's name nor face she couldn't recall. Yet, Xeno feared not. Rather, she feared more for them than herself. Without them slowing her down, the towering she-cat could at least gather something for the tribe. It was these very same woods that she trained in, day in and day out- both her abilities and her brain. She would not return empty-handed.

<b><i>"Maybe I should try the Trees of Killian?"</i></b> she murmured to herself, fixing her emerald gaze onto the distant splotches of brown that stuck up like twigs beyond the frozen hills. She heard that hunting was weak there within the neutral lands, but perhaps she could find some kill just beyond the Shadow Tribe scent markers. New goal set!

She trotted on, her bones faintly aching beneath her thin pelt, though her body refused to quiver. She would not show weakness during this great time of need. She would not allow herself to do such. After all, once the dung-storm first started to rear its ugly face a few seasons ago, Xeno had changed. After the loss of her mentor and the internal turmoil among not only the seven tribes, but her own, Xeno altered herself by her own wishes. No longer would she be another burr on the tails of her seniors and peers. She would be dependable. Which was exactly how she now carried herself. Honorably, with poise and confident steps as she strode through the camp and the territory. At the head of patrols rather than slinking near the rear. Tasteless jokes were few  and far-between when in the presence of those not within her close-knit friend group. Even her abilities surpassed those who played rather than practice, as after her training with Cooper, xeno had worked to hone them every day till now. She was a cat for her tribe to be proud of. She was something to take pride in herself.

However, pride would mean nothing if they all died from hunger, and pride was something Xeno would cast aside in order to will her way across the Shadow Tribe border. Not fueled by spite or arrogance- it was simply something she had to do.

As she trekked on, the barren trunks of the high-standing trees began to thin out, and the pungent odor of the cats Xeno dubbed 'Grinners' started to flood her senses. Almost instantaneously, the image of a dark tabby flitted into the Green-Earth's mind, and Xeno softly shook her head with a sour smile. She would not be so lucky to run into Azadeh within these woods. Then again, maybe the Spirits would be so humorous enough to pit the two rivals against each other once again. Although, Xeno doubted that the encounter would be as tame as their last. Both were fully grown now, and had surely lost their naivety, replacing it with hardened senses of rationality. And prey was slim on both sides of the spectrum.

The thick scent of iron clouded Xeno's senses of care and stealth as her claws and fangs retraced from the downy pelt of a small, but surprisingly plump rabbit. The white fluff left a few tufts within her teeth, but Xeno happily spit and worked them free with her hooked claw, flashing her earthy tattoo's light for a sheer moment as to extend her digit with her Stone Claws ability. She may have the stupid grin of satisfaction plastered upon her face, but she was going to further allow herself to appear just as stupid with bunny fur sticking out between her teeth.

As she gathered her catch up, with loose limbs dangling at her chest, Xeno quickly bounded towards the edges of Shadow Tribe's reach, back towards Earth Tribe's own.  Her silky tail lashed and a gravelly purr rumbled deep within her throat as the she-cat's long legs carried her in a stride like a doe. Even if she had been found out, no one- hungry or not- would be able to catch her.
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