WindClan: Life Before 2023's Fire

[Vexing]

Originally Posted by Tempest's Song

Emberpaw watched as the she-cat tensed up, slightly, then began to spoke in an even quieter voice, making him have to lean in a bit to hear her.

"I used to just be Koki'o, before I was found near the clans." she murmured. Suprise falshed through him, she used to be a rouge too? He felt as if he should abort mission, but his curiosity was too great, so he sat still, listening.

"At first I didn't want to stay here, I wanted to look for my family, but after some time.... they convinced me to stay."

Questions zipped through Emberpaw's mind like hornets. She wanted to loom for her family? Had they abbandoned her, too? And, if she had the chance to leave, the freedom of choice that he knew he lacked, why hadn't she? Emberpaw would love to leave- but he knew he could never leave his poor brother, Windpaw, to be here alone. He would never leave him as their mother had.

Koiki'opaw looked up at the sky, her eyes shining with a sad sense of longing. Her voice hissed to an octave lower, and he had to scootch forward a bit to hear her next words.

"Should I feel guilty about it?" she whispered, her eyes still transfixed on the sky. He cocked his head to the side; guilty about what? "I mean, my family didn't leave me, I just wandered away from them."

Ah. A lost kit. For a second he had thought she might truly understand his situation, but now he knew better. Her family still cared for her, didn;t they? They had probably even looked for her when she went missing. It took everything he had to keep his face neutral, and not let a sneer marr it's surface.

"Every day I think about how much grief I must have caused them-" she began to sniffle- "but then the thoughts of them just not caring come into mind. Those are the worst."

Yes, they were the worst. Even though knowing and wondering where very diffrent things, he could still relate to the fact that they might not have wanted her. His ears perked again. Maybe they weren't so diffrent after all.

A soft sniffle tugged him from his own mind. He was suprised to see that she was crying, but she didn't seem to notice. Her tears fell softly on the petals of the flowers around her, like rain, or early morning dew.

He decided she should at least try to make her feel better. He just hoped he didn't say something to make her feel worse.

"My brother and I, Windpaw- well, we were left by our mother. We never knew our father." Emberpaw was caught of guard by how emotional his own voice sounded. Usually light and cgarming, it was now softer, and huskier- more mature.

"She left us because she couldn't keep on taking care of Windpaw, because he is deaf. She left that responsibility to me." With a sigh, Emberpaw continued. "The clans are truly the best place for him- maybe not for me, but for him. I would get out of here, if I could. But I could never bear to leave my brother, not after my mother left us. So, I am trapped here."

His eyes found hers again. "If you want," he said evenly, "I could help you find your family, and see if they... want you back." he struggled with his next words. "Because, if you have the chance... I would urge you to go."

Koki'opaw turned her head to Emberpaw once she heard him speak, she listened to him and at every sentence, her heart ached a little more for the poor cat, his father didn't care about him and his mother didn't care about his brother not to mention that his brother was even deaf. He didn't like being in the clans and she could tell that he was doing it for his brother but because there was also something else keeping him at least near here. She was brought back to reality with a surprised look in her eyes as he mentioned helping her and for a bit she thought that maybe it would be possible! But then she remembered her...condition "I'm so sorry to hear all of that Emberpaw, no cat should have to go through all of that but I don't think you could help me. After all, I can't even remember what my mom looks like, I can only remember her scent of honeydew and soft voice like silk whenever she spoke to me or my siblings...but nothing else. I forget a lot of things because of my mom, because one of the few memories I still have of her is when I snuck out one night and went to explore outside and ended up falling off of a wooden twoleg thing and that's why I'm like this." She gave the ground a sad grin "Small, forgetful, weak," She sniffed then looked back up at Emberpaw "That's why, even with your help, I probably wouldn't be able to get home so I might as well stay here and hope that I grow into being a clan cat."
(Okay so I learned that I shouldn't have been rping her in the clans yet so excuse me if in the next post her name is changed)

[Tempest's Song]

Originally Posted by Orchidleaf

Koki'opaw turned her head to Emberpaw once she heard him speak, she listened to him and at every sentence, her heart ached a little more for the poor cat, his father didn't care about him and his mother didn't care about his brother not to mention that his brother was even deaf. He didn't like being in the clans and she could tell that he was doing it for his brother but because there was also something else keeping him at least near here. She was brought back to reality with a surprised look in her eyes as he mentioned helping her and for a bit she thought that maybe it would be possible! But then she remembered her...condition "I'm so sorry to hear all of that Emberpaw, no cat should have to go through all of that but I don't think you could help me. After all, I can't even remember what my mom looks like, I can only remember her scent of honeydew and soft voice like silk whenever she spoke to me or my siblings...but nothing else. I forget a lot of things because of my mom, because one of the few memories I still have of her is when I snuck out one night and went to explore outside and ended up falling off of a wooden twoleg thing and that's why I'm like this." She gave the ground a sad grin "Small, forgetful, weak," She sniffed then looked back up at Emberpaw "That's why, even with your help, I probably wouldn't be able to get home so I might as well stay here and hope that I grow into being a clan cat."
(Okay so I learned that I shouldn't have been rping her in the clans yet so excuse me if in the next post her name is changed)

(It's fine.)



"I'm... so sorry to hear all of that Emberpaw, no cat should go through all of that, but I don't think you could help me."

Suprise flitted through Emberpaws eyes. He turned to look at the trmebling she-cat with confusion in his eyes.

"After all, I can't even remember what my mom looks right! I can only remember her scent of honeydew, and soft voice like silk from whenever she spoke to me or my siblings..." she hestiatedf, as if she was about to admit she had commited a crime. "But, nothing else."

Was she young, or... was it something to do with the strange ditzy-ness about her?

I forget a lot of things about my mom because one of the few memories I still have is when I snuck out one night and went to explore and- and ended up falling off a wooden twoleg thing. That's why I'm like this," she nodded as if to show off her strangeness. A small, sad grin lifted her muzzle- she had stopped crying, though.

Ah. That was why she was like this.

"Small, forgetful, weak." her voice wavered on the last of the three words. Emberpaw snapped to attention his eyes focusing on her.

"That's why, even with your help, I probably wouldn't be able to get home. So I might as well stay here and hope I can grow into a clan cat."

Emberpaw felt bad for the poor she-cat, and suddenly wished her hand't brought it up. he snapped up his own gaze to meet her, before purring, "Don;t give up just yet. I'm sure you'll figure something out."

Emberpaw caught the smell of a rabbit and stood, abruptly. "I should go," he told her, "but if I see you again, I'm always willing to talk." He winked, fitting himself back into his charming, playful self and headed off, not looking back.

[Arie]

Originally Posted by doghouse

Tilting their head, Hailbird watched the tom carefully. This only interested the young cat even more, although they still felt bad about asking. It wasn't their place to do so. It was too late now however, and Hail was always one to finish what they start. So there was no backing down from it now, was there? Giving a slight shake of their head, they glanced back towards the horizon, almost hopeful. As if just watching the horizon would bring back the cats that Hail so desperately wanted to find. Not that it would. Hail had nearly lost track of how long it had been now. So it was almost with relief that the cat refocused their attention on the silver tom as he started to speak again. Although his words weren't exactly happy. Unsure of how to respond, the black and white cat only watched him carefully for a few seconds while they thought. “I don't quite understand what you mean, but mostly because I can't even imagine that,” Hail admitted, passing their tongue across their broken fang as they frowned. And their posture immediately stiffened upon noticing the strange episode that the older tom had fallen in to. Is he sick? It was the only explanation that Hail could think of that might explain it. It worried the warrior a little; not for themself, but for the silver tom.

Shuffling their paws awkwardly, they resumed their earlier position. “Did something happen then?” They asked, wanting to help but unsure how. Especially when it seemed unlikely that this cat even wanted help. Although he almost seemed to, given that he'd said what he had. But sometimes it was hard to tell. “To be fair, it is a nice hill,” Hailbird pointed out, gesturing at the sunset with a faint nod of their head. It had begun growing a little darker as well, but they didn't mind. Everything was cast in a golden glow, and it was more than worth it. “But I guess you're not wrong. I just had a little disagreement with one of the other warriors.” Shrugging, the cat began grooming their shoulder fur. They didn't seem the type to get into fights or arguments, but it wasn't unknown to happen if they were provoked in certain ways.

Breezefeather nodded slowly, and turned away again. He had lost interest and after bubbling out about his past the tom felt vulnerable and wanted to rise the barriers around his mental self again. The barriers that the void kept pushing against were up as soon as they'd come down. And now Breezefeather just felt like sleeping, it was exhausting to admit that he was broken, that he was... not himself. Rising up he shook his fur and grumbled slowly, "I'm going back to my nest," and then turned around and slowly picked himself down the hill, his legs protesting and suddenly there was a huge presence next to him. He looked over and saw a light brown male with dark marble patterning. "Let me help you down this hill at least," the voice was deeper than he'd expected from such a young cat who'd really matured into himself. He did lean against the darkfurred tom and looked back at him before he bowed his head gratefully. "Thank you... Eaglesoul." He remembered the tom's name, because he'd spent moons with the new warrior in the medicine cat den as they both recovered - Breezefeather from his starvation period and Eaglesoul for something that'd nearly killed the young tom. He bowed his head again and then continued to his nest.

Eaglesoul had been shocked to run into Breezefeather. He'd rarely 'seen' the silver tom and it was late to be running into him now. He shook his head and gave his shoulder a few short licks before heading up the steep hill that lay in front of him. Lowering his head and sniffing the ground to get a feel of the terrain that the path up the hill was he headed out. On the top he smelled the scent of another cat and could hear their breathing just to his left and that's where he went. He didn't know what color they wore but it was indeed a clanmate who just sat her, probably watching the sunset that Eagle himself was unable to watch. He missed his sight, he did but there was no need to dwell on things that couldn't be changed. All you had to was push forward and look at all the advantages, although the advantages to blindness were few and far between. But it did allow you to see the world in a new light, with new opportunities. Sitting down next to the cat that he'd been approaching he meowed gently, "Is the sunset beautiful tonight?" It was all that he could think off. He could feel the wind in his long fur that battered the hefty fur around his large and strong frame, but he was frail. He lacked muscle and weight but that would all come in time. It was greenleaf. He'd been out on his first run in seasons after he'd been stuck in the medicine cat den and now here was here. Although he wasn't exactly gazing he could substitute the darkness for his own memories of sitting on top of this hill. It was rare for Eaglesoul to be out alone though, the brown tom would typical be found with his silver furred mate who required special attention or rather, no one really approached her and Eaglesoul didn't like if she sat alone. She was out on a patrol now though and Eaglesoul had decided to go on a walk. He was not healthy enough to be assigned to patrols but it didn't stop him from going out of camp. "It's Hailbird isn't it? You've been out on patrol pretty often, by your scent."

[tye]

Itchy. Not Itchy like his friend but itchy. Cowpaw made a few scratch stops along the way, using his hind paws to dig behind his ears. Strands of fur floated getting tangled in the grass like a leading trail as he weaved through them. It wasn't a far at all, walking along the white fence until he heard the sweet bellowing and grunts of the large grass-eating beast. His eyes focused up on the white pole with a tail wiggled,haunches build up in muscles he jumped high with ease. "Yes, I actually did it this time," he breathed out, looking back at his friend in satisfaction along with some kind of praise from him as if he witnessed before of his bad attempts previously. Each time he tried to perfectly land on top of the pole, he'd usually miss hitting right into it or over-jump, landing perfectly..on his face. There's a lot of things Cowpaw would admit boldly but this one will be his own little secret. "The secret is right here."

Black, white, brown and tan, the spectrum of cows grazed peacefully as the bellow to each other in their own language and ate grass in harmony. Some of them roam very close to the fence where the spotted tom stood excitedly until he jumped from where he was at to the creature's back. "Lookie, here Itchy!" Windclan would normally avoid the big creatures like sheep and cows, thinking that their sharp hooves would crush them but that didn't stop the curious apprentice. "They're nice as long you don't spook 'em." Cowpaw balanced on top of a big black and white cow, taking small steps forward up to their neck and lay down purring. "This is-," the large beast mooed loudly before bending down to continue grazing, flickering their ears. "Moo!" he laughed. "Her name is Moo-moo. She's kinda like family to me too." His sheathed paw gently brushed down her coarse fur. "I don't really have a mom or a dad but when I talk to Moo, I start to feel better and lighter." Cowpaw tail flickered for him to join. "C'mon! She won't hurt a fly.. or at least not us. I've seen her wack a fly dead with just her tail it was amazing."

@xenophile

[furrensic]

Originally Posted by SuspiciousMindz

@Rosemew

Blazingstar let out another small sigh as he thought about the fight once more. "There was no other choice. He was a danger to WindClan and it sucks that the danger was one of our own warriors," the golden tabby replied. He still couldn't get over the fact that he had killed someone

His eyes narrowed slightly, humming at the word threat. A cat who was a threat to their own clan? The idea of it disappointed him, so now that he thought about it , the deceased feline may have deserved it. As cruel as it sounded, he only thought it was right. It was only risky to have a dangerous warrior in your clan. Feeling the herb now crushed and somewhat,,mushy in his mouth Beepaw almost felt light spitting it all out. Who wouldn't? The main worry he has was about chewing it, he didn't know which part. The stem, petals, leaves? Brows furrowing in discomfort, the blonde tom shrugged. "you did what was best for the clan." standing up, he almost had to rise up on his hind legs as he licked some of the crushed herb on the gash.

[Arie]

|| @NinaEevee ||

A large light brown tom with dark marble patterns sat down and watched the clearing with his unseeing eyes. The blue was glittering in the bright sun that he could only feel because of the warmth that hit his long fur and made the blind tom purr as it loosened up the tight muscles. He was slowly gaining back muscle from his fight with the genetic disease that ran through his family and that had taken his own sight from him. He shook his large body and stretched out his back relaxing as the kinks that'd been stuck finally loosened and allowed him free movement. His large body looked so out of place compared to Eaglesoul's kind and patient nature and personality. He was out in the clearing for no actual reason. His mate, the mute and off Silentwhisper, was tired of Eagle taking up her nest space and had literally pushed him out. He did appreciate it though, the sun was nice right now and the blind cat couldn't help but enjoy it. He liked life, although he'd been dealt a cruel hand with his genetic disease. But he was becoming stronger, he was slowly gaining back all the weight he'd lost all the muscle that used to make the new warrior a great asset to border patrols. He had a logic mind and although his body was built for fighting it wasn't something he enjoyed and he probably never would. He would still have to be careful though. It was less than a day since he'd been on his first run in seasons - obviously with Silentwhisper accompanying him and making sure the path was safe. He wanted to go out again, but he felt nervous about going out alone. It wasn't that he couldn't fend for himself or fight off a rogue or a warrior of the other clans. No it was rather the feeling of the terrain working against him that made Eaglesoul at least a little hesitant.

[NinaEevee]

As Brightpool padded back into the clearing, back from a fruitless early dawn patrol, her eyes lit up with surprise, seeing a large brown tom sitting in the sun by himself. It was a rare thing to see these days, her brother without his mate by his side, and the white molly wasted to time rushing to her side to occupy his free time. "Eaglesoul!" she called, announcing her presence, the hint of a purr in her voice. It had been a moment since they'd last taken the time to catch up, and she'd admit most of that was probably her fault: Brightpool liked to busy herself with as many warrior duties as she could handle, and that left very little free time to hang around with family and friends. "How have you been? Is Silentwhisper around?"

@Arie

[Arie]

Originally Posted by NinaEevee

As Brightpool padded back into the clearing, back from a fruitless early dawn patrol, her eyes lit up with surprise, seeing a large brown tom sitting in the sun by himself. It was a rare thing to see these days, her brother without his mate by his side, and the white molly wasted to time rushing to her side to occupy his free time. "Eaglesoul!" she called, announcing her presence, the hint of a purr in her voice. It had been a moment since they'd last taken the time to catch up, and she'd admit most of that was probably her fault: Brightpool liked to busy herself with as many warrior duties as she could handle, and that left very little free time to hang around with family and friends. "How have you been? Is Silentwhisper around?"

@Arie

Eaglesoul looked up as he heard the voice of a familiar presence. A really familiar presence. Turning around he nearly turned into Brightpool, his dearest littermate. Nuzzling her happily he gazed at her with blind and unseeing eyes. He'd not been approached by his sister in moons it felt like and it did sting a little bit but he too had had other stuff to do, and Silentwhisper had been with him most of that time. He knew that Brightpool liked to keep herself busy but he had still missed his sister. He was happy for her as she'd missed out on the genetic disease that had wrecked their family. He wasn't feeling any angry that she'd not been hit, rather grateful that it was him instead of his beloved little sister. "I am doing good. I ran for the first time in seasons a day ago and I've missed it all so very much. It is still very strange to not be able to see the moor and where you put your paws but after two seasons stuck in my nest it was rather nice to come out of the camp. And no, Silentwhisper isn't around here... Well she is, but she's asleep. Kicked me out of her nest, because apparently I was taking up all the space." He gestured to his large body and heavy shoulders. He was strong boned to say the least and even his sister for all her grace seemed to be rather strong boned although she was obviously smaller than Eaglesoul himself. "How're you my dearest littermate?" He sat down his long and furry tail switching back and forth lazily.

[NinaEevee]

Originally Posted by Arie

Eaglesoul looked up as he heard the voice of a familiar presence. A really familiar presence. Turning around he nearly turned into Brightpool, his dearest littermate. Nuzzling her happily he gazed at her with blind and unseeing eyes. He'd not been approached by his sister in moons it felt like and it did sting a little bit but he too had had other stuff to do, and Silentwhisper had been with him most of that time. He knew that Brightpool liked to keep herself busy but he had still missed his sister. He was happy for her as she'd missed out on the genetic disease that had wrecked their family. He wasn't feeling any angry that she'd not been hit, rather grateful that it was him instead of his beloved little sister. "I am doing good. I ran for the first time in seasons a day ago and I've missed it all so very much. It is still very strange to not be able to see the moor and where you put your paws but after two seasons stuck in my nest it was rather nice to come out of the camp. And no, Silentwhisper isn't around here... Well she is, but she's asleep. Kicked me out of her nest, because apparently I was taking up all the space." He gestured to his large body and heavy shoulders. He was strong boned to say the least and even his sister for all her grace seemed to be rather strong boned although she was obviously smaller than Eaglesoul himself. "How're you my dearest littermate?" He sat down his long and furry tail switching back and forth lazily.

Brightpool didn't like being reminded of the bullet she narrowly dodged in her family, the genetic disease that made her brother weak and blind. She knew it could still strike her at any moment, but she had great faith that StarClan protected her from that evil. Alas, it was inevitable to think about it, even just looking at Eaglesoul, suffering from its effects. Perhaps, that was a part of the reason she hadn't reached out for him: maybe she was avoiding being confronted by the reality of her family lineage, despite all her love for her littermate. Well, she supposed she'd have to face it eventually, and he seemed to be doing rather well, recovering his strength.
"You've always been quite spacious," she agreed with a purr of amusement. Brightpool was quite a tall cat, even then, her brother still managed to tower over her. "I'm glad you're feeling better. I've been doing quite well myself, I have an apprentice now! I cannot wait to teach the little guy how to be best he can be for WindClan. Speaking of which, is there anything I can do to help you, dear?"

[The Cannibal]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

"Oh do I, now?" The tom grinned, batting at her playfully before he'd tapped the top of her head with his nose. He settled down, afterwards, sitting up and curling his tail around his paws. He might've been sitting a little straighter than usual, in an attempt to look taller, but otherwise there was nothing off about him. He was used to the way his heart would start beating erratically every once in a while, and at the most random of times; sometimes, her being close to him was welcomed, other times, it caused that strange shift. He was used to his fur heating when she'd compliment him; that didn't always happen either, and Pineneedle was beginning to wonder why, exactly, he had to deal with it sometimes. It didn't always make sense.

"I might do that. It'll be our little secret," He mewed in response, a smirk creeping onto his maw. It was a nice place, he had to admit - it seemed like the type of place Adderheart would spend her free time in. It was funny, he'd thought he knew everything about her, and then there was this. Everyone had their secrets, he supposed. He'd had his fair share of his as a kit - things he kept hidden from everyone, but he was fairly sure Adderheart knew all about those now. She knew pretty much everything about him. She was the only cat who'd been there since... well, almost the very beginning, and now? Things were changing. Whether he liked it or not, things were bound to change, and one of those things could be their relationship. It'd changed before, he remembered, when they were kits... then apprentices... and now as warriors.

The tom grinned at her comment about the patrols, nodding in agreement. He... didn't love his clanmates, not really, and although he disliked them, he protected them when it came down to it. After all, he was still a member of WindClan. Besides, there was at least one cat he loved here, and as long as she was here, he wouldn't let anything happen to their Clan. Honestly, he probably would've done something beyond stupid long ago if it hadn't been for Adderheart. He was surprised she hadn't given up on him, given everything that had happened. The grin faded from his face as she continued, something akin to alarm coming onto his features as he tried to think of something - anything to say. Reassurance was far from his strong suit. He swallowed, looking down at his paws for a few minutes before he pieced together a few fragments of thought in what he hoped would be a reassuring speech.

"You have nothing to prove to anyone, Adderheart. For StarClan's sake, you've done a ton for this Clan! I know you love it, and I know everyone appreciates your hard work. Now, I love you - you know I love you, and I think you're absolutely incredible, but... but you can't go on like this. You're going to run yourself ragged, and I don't know what I would do if something happened to you. Seriously, I'd probably go crazy or something, and I can safely say that nobody wants that to happen. Please, Addy, for my sake... please be careful."

Pineneedle knew that at some point or another, every cat would reach their breaking point. It was just part of life, but... he hadn't expected it for Adderheart. She had always been this strong, brave, beautiful cat that, at one point, had been so good it was sickening to him. She had done so much for him, more than anyone else had ever done, and now it was his turn to try and help her. "I have an idea. What if, whenever you've been working for a long time and you still feel the need to do more, you come and find me instead? We'll talk, or you can rest and I'll just... sit here, or whatever. That way you aren't driving yourself to exhaustion." He paused for a moment, before his smile returned. "And whenever I feel like clawing the ears off of one of our more, ah, persistent clanmates, I'll come find you. Deal?"

"Mhm," she giggled out lightheartedly, in an almost apprentice-like giddiness. It was strange to feel the feeling again, but she wouldn't dare chase it away. She missed feeling giddy and playful instead of tired all of the time. As he batted at her, Adderheart would bob and weave out of the way, even swinging out a paw of her own before settling down as he did. While he actively tried to sit taller, she would comfortably make herself low to the ground, if not slightly leaned up next to him. She had accepted that she wasn't as tall or nearly as big as him, she never would be, and that was okay. She wasn't a cat that needed protecting, but if there was ever a time she was at her weakest, she could rely on him, and she felt that.

"Well if you do, let me know, we could always make this our hangout spot! It beats the crowded warriors den anyways," her eyes almost seemed to light up at the idea of the two of them having a secret hideout, away from prying eyes and ears, away from the chaos that the camp could be at times. And the smirk on his maw, well, it caused her heart to flutter. She might be able to look forward to coming here, now that she had her friend to share it with. Not that she didn't look forward to coming here before, it was peaceful after all, but having Pineneedle here sometimes would make it all the more better.

Of course the time for butterflies fluttered away, though she was still happy to be in his presence, it was time to get things off of her chest, even if he couldn't help per-say. She found herself nervously look from her paws to him, waiting to see if he would say anything, what he would say, do, anything. Before finally he spoke, her eyes now focusing on him and him alone. The sandy tabby molly was acutely aware of her heart thumping in her chest as she watched and listened to him. Slowly, after he had finished his little speech, she would sit up and nod her head before heaving out a breath, closing her eyes and pressing her forehead to his chest. She knew she had been pushing herself to hard, but it was different to hear him.. Concerned. It was different to hear other cats address it, aside from the medicine cat who's job it was to care.

Adderheart's ears swiveled as he began to tell her his idea, but her head would remain pressed to him, eyes closing. "Pine I.. I couldn't have picked a better friend than you," she murmured just low enough for him to hear and for the wind to be unable to carry away. "There was a time that I thought.. That I thought you wouldn't change, that we wouldn't be able to be true friends but... Pineneedle I love you. I don't think I've ever needed another cat, but I... I definitely needed to hear that. You're idea, it's wonderful. Whenever I catch myself wanting to work too much, I'll come here instead, and I expect you to do the same when you've been feeling too angry."

Pausing, the molly would finally pull her head from him to look slightly up, towards his eyes. "I don't.. I don't know why I've been trying to fight this alone, but I know I'm not the only one who has to deal with things... Pine. Is.. Is there anything you need to talk about? I don't think I've asked it before, and I only think its fair to let you clear your chest."