WindClan: Life Before 2023's Fire

[Moon Lily]

Originally Posted by Nebby

"Runningstorm, see any badgers or foxes on the moor?" He asked sniffing the air.

"Topazblaze, I can't see any...OH MY STARCLAN, LOOK OUT! IT'S A WHOLE ARMY!!" She replied, gesturing with her tail to the space in front of them. She smiled, trying to keep herself from giggling.

[Aroogi]

Originally Posted by Lilyfur2

"Topazblaze, I can't see any...OH MY STARCLAN, LOOK OUT! IT'S A WHOLE ARMY!!" She replied, gesturing with her tail to the space in front of them. She smiled, trying to keep herself from giggling.

Topazblaze tried to look brave. "Alright! Let's do this! Runningstorm, flank from the left. I'll flank from the right.

[Sum]

@sunflowerseed
[ So sorry for the wait!! I had a full couple of days! Dx ]

Juniperpaw sat outside the apprentices' den, impatiently licking the dust off a paw. Her eyes were closed for the most part, just a slit of blue peering out of an eye. They still felt strained from waking up so early; it hurt to move them. Which put her in a rather bad mood. She replaced the slick paw, a huff escaping her throat. She'd never enjoyed waking up early; she needed her beauty sleep! Where was he anyway? This.. Twitchwhisker! She had things to do, a pelt to shine, gossip to catch up on! She forced her eyes open to a squint, flicking her gaze across the clearing. He'd better be good-looking, at least.

[sunflowerseed]

Originally Posted by canine

@sunflowerseed
[ So sorry for the wait!! I had a full couple of days! Dx ]

Juniperpaw sat outside the apprentices' den, impatiently licking the dust off a paw. Her eyes were closed for the most part, just a slit of blue peering out of an eye. They still felt strained from waking up so early; it hurt to move them. Which put her in a rather bad mood. She replaced the slick paw, a huff escaping her throat. She'd never enjoyed waking up early; she needed her beauty sleep! Where was he anyway? This.. Twitchwhisker! She had things to do, a pelt to shine, gossip to catch up on! She forced her eyes open to a squint, flicking her gaze across the clearing. He'd better be good-looking, at least.

The calico tom blinked awake, he purred to himself stretching out in his nest. He blinked tiredness out of his eyes and took in deep breaths. I love mornings.He thought to himself, standing and stretching again. He had a peculiar dream, he was chasing a snake, unable to capture it in the vast Windclan fields. He caught up to the snake and eventually caught it, as soon as so, he was surrounded by hundreds of snakes, all carrying field mice. They each gave him a mouse then slithered away. Strange, but eh, dreams are just dreams.He chuckled thinking to himself.

He thought of what hew as going to do today, maybe hunt, talk with the elders, join the apprentices- apprentices, apprentices, why does that ring a bell? He got himself deep in thought. Apprentice, apprentice... JUNIPERPAW!! The tom jumped up and quickly started grooming his pelt. How could I be so mouse-brained!?He hissed to himself, finally smoothing the last bit of calico fur before racing out towards the apprentices den.

The tom came into sight of Juniperpaw, his shiny calico pelt glittered in the morning sun as he slowed to a walk padding towards the apprentice. His strong muscles flexed under his pelt, all properly trained warriors, male or female, had some bulk to them. They had no choice, constant training left them slender and strong. He purred as he approached his apprentice, his eyes shining apologetically and openly.

[sunflowerseed]

Originally Posted by Skeleton Bliss Girl

| @sunflowerseed; |

Swirlkit was playing in the back of the nursery a stick that a warrior had brought for her was lying on the ground in front of her. The kitten placed the stick on a pile of other sticks that warriors had collected for her. She had an odd fascination for them. She was always impressed how small and big they were. She grabbed a small twig off the pile and threw it up in the air. She tried to catch it with her mouth. It fell onto the ground and she picked it right back up. Swirlkit once again threw it up in the air, but this time she caught it in her jaws.

Feralwing purred at Swirlkit. "Nice catch!"She exclaimed softly at the kits game, she looked at all the sticks. "You must be very popular with the warriors."She purred, walking over and licking the kits head. "How are you feeling today?"She sat and pulled the kit towards her, she never really seemed to care if a kit didn't want a grooming, anyone she would take care of would look prim and proper. She groomed the kittens back fur first.

@mochi

Alpinekit jumped off of the warriors paw and ran to back of the den, boredly searching for someone to play with. "Helllooo?" He called, searching the nest for any sleeping kits to bother, his mother was too busy with another kit, so he purred at the fact of being able to do whatever He wanted! He let out a loud purr and attacked a ball of moss.

[lone]

Originally Posted by sunflowerseed

@Lonestar23

At the she-cats answer he plopped back on the ground. "The night is pretty isnt it?"The tom was slightly disappointed he couldn't run that errand if you will, he got fidgety if he sat or stood in one place for too long. "So what training are you working on?" He asked instead. He rested on his side, casually grooming his chest for a moment, not liking how his fur was always untidy. He caught himself staring at yhe she-cat a moment too long, and turning away. The clouds held many different shapes, and Talon loved to watch then morf and change.

He looked at the she-cat. It was a habit of his to srraighten other peoples fur as well. Something made him want to be close to her, so he looked for an untidy bit of fur to maybe point out and smooth.

"That depends." She mewed, tilting her head to one side. Talonpaw was taking things in stride; it was interesting, to meet a cat who wasn't so confused by everything she said. Both he and that little kit were so nice about this, it was almost funny. Bunnypaw wondered if her luck was beginning to turn. Perhaps the spirits were offering her a hand, due to her unwavering belief in them.

"I'm expecting a new mentor," She began, with a quiet twitch of her tail. "The old one was unkind. She upset the spirits, so..." Bunnypaw didn't like speaking of her old mentor. It wasn't common knowledge that she'd died in battle; those who had known her knew the truth, but most Clan cats had avoided her. Bunnypaw often wondered if her mentor's death had been the spirits giving her yet another helping hand. She appreciated it, but at the same time, she was worried. Would that happen to all of the cats who doubted them?

Feeling Talonpaw's gaze on her, Bunnypaw turned her head so she could meet it. Being stared at for extended periods of time felt odd. "Are you trying to see my thoughts? It wouldn't work that way." She mewed, her sweet, dream-like voice sounding odd mixed with the words coming out of her maw.

Originally Posted by tutler

Blazingstars reign had been long, the tom lead the clan with a a valiant judgement and vigorous enthusiasm that he hadn’t seen before. The bundles of confidence and eagerness to bicker amongst the other leaders, he wondered how it felt to be caught in an argument between the now gone Fallenstar and passed Snowstar without cracking under the pressure. A question he would never have answered. News had spread quickly of the tabby toms death, most distraught and others seemed un shaken by the news. He supposed the new information would’ve produced multiple different responses, the casual signs of shock and remorse and of course the quiet ones and yet something baffled him. Those who didn’t seem to care at all. He wondered then how many cats had been preying on his downfall, no doubt under wraps there was those warriors who only wished for an opportunity such as these. The deputy position flung wide open and a wide array of cats to be picked from. It was anyone’s game.

how many cats want to be deputy?

He was sure there ought to have been plenty, the clan itself was lively and bursting at the seams with new kittens and more on the way. They seemed to actually be running out of space. He estimated in the near future the clan dens would require extending and perhaps even the camp itself. Buttercupbreeze would likely address that issue later as the opportunity arose to do so, but now he wondered if the grief of Blazingstar still was her main focus or a new deputy. His thoughts briefly drifted back to those bloodthirsty ambitious youngsters hiding behind eager masks. It occurred to him that it would be impossible for the leader to tell those cats from the realistic candidates. They looked just like each other, bright eyed and excited. He’d only hope Blazingstar was up there prodding her with the right choice. His eyes fluttered closed briefly as another sharp wind cut across camp. The suffocating grey of the clouds had darkened over the last 20 minutes that he’d been sitting there, he was sure it would rain or even snow soon. Not that it would last long.

With the first snow there was always a melt, and this recess of the cold whether would repeat in a pattern for a while until one day the snow stayed and before long they were bellies deep in snow. An unpleasant thought. His thin fur made the colder months a struggle- on top of the fact prey was harder to detect and chase he wouldn’t last very long hunting outside. He’d tire quickly having to wade through it and a chase? The mice and shrews were light enough to run overtop but the cats would have to go through. A sigh trickled between his lips as he reflected briefly on previous leaf bares. Harsh but at the same time hopeful- it drew cats together in a way that made them one of the best clans. Leaf bare hit hard here, but it only strengthened their trust in one another. He took another deep breath and cocked his head back to watch as the clouds swirled anxiously above him, twirling and twisting itself into a horrible shape that hung lazily above them. The weather wouldn’t hurt them.. it would only make them stronger.

Daisyrunner was exhausted, to be honest. She'd been running back and forth, her legs now shaky from the effort of all the hunting she'd been doing, and keeping a constant eye on the sky the whole time. She didn't want to get caught out in the cold. Leaf-bare was a bad time of year for her. The snow, the cold, cats complaining all the time about the snow and cold, little prey.. it was all too much for Daisyrunner. She would push herself to the brink again and again simply to get away from other cats. Unless, of course, she was exhausted.. as she was now. With a yawn, the cream-colored she-cat found a comfortable place to lay down, unaware of the tom already sitting there. Once she'd curled her tail around her body (partially around her face, as well), Daisyrunner caught sight of the cat already there. Swallowing hard, she half-jumped from her comfortable place laying down, the tip of her tail twitching with pent-up nervous energy. She couldn't spend it on hunting; she'd end up scaring all the prey away. It was there, like a predator waiting to pounce until she made some mistake, and then it would attack her mind.

"Apologies," She muttered, curling her tail around her paws as she settled down again. Daisyrunner wasn't good in social situations like this. As a matter of fact, she was happiest when she was telling someone else what to do. Which, coincidentally, was what she chose to do next.

"Find somewhere else to go. I've been hunting since this morning, I'm exhausted." Entitlement played a part in Daisyrunner's command; the other part of it was her pure nervous energy, at this point. See, she liked to be in control. She felt the most in-control when she was bossing some other, hapless warrior around. Some of the cats in the Clan were almost scared of her; others were irritated by her bossy behavior. Either way, Daisyrunner wasn't exactly a favorite. More of one of those weird little warriors who was obsessed with everything. Then again, control was important to her. Some might even say that it was the only important thing to her.

[lone]

Originally Posted by lacumaru

She stretched with a graceful wave of her tail, a yawn pulling her maw open wide. her claws dug deep into the ground below her and she sniffed once her eyes blinked open once more. Cherryfrost had been resting in the territory, but she had grown bored and was aching to annoy someone. Her ears perked, listening for someone nearby, but all she heard was the sound of wind whistling in her ears and her heart beating. Of course, she knew that she couldn't have been the only feline out in the territory, and with a sigh, she stood to begin walking around. Her paws pattered against the ground, a gentle tapping to her ears as she made her way on an expedition to find another Clanmate.
Cherryfrost contemplated going to the border between WindClan and RiverClan and defying all senses of logic. But she decided not to, as it'd use too much effort and she'd be washing the scent of fish from her nose for moons. Her whiskers wriggled, snout upturned as she stepped through the WindClan territory. Tail swishing high in the air, the narcissistic molly frowned her way toward the common hunting grounds. Of course, she didn't go into them. Why should she let others believe that she was actually getting her paws dirty? So, she sat down, yawned quite loudly, and began to groom her pristine pelt for the seventh time that day. A mangy maggot must have heard her. She didn't feel the need to waste her precious energy any further, so she simply waited. And as she waited, she laid down, and took a short beauty nap. For the third time that evening.

Running gave Daisyrunner a sense of freedom. Sure, she preferred to be doing something while she was running, but right now, she needed that freedom. She was afraid Blazingstar's death was going to come at a price for the Clan, and although Buttercupbreeze seemed like a good deputy, Daisyrunner wasn't so sure that she would be a good leader. They would find out soon enough. Daisyrunner only hoped that it wouldn't be too late for their Clan. Coming to a stop near (but not on) the usual hunting grounds, Daisyrunner was alerted to another presence by something poking out of the taller grasses.

Upon further inspection, she found it was another warrior, who appeared to be (much to Daisyrunner's disgust), asleep. "What do you think you're doing?" She asked, after a few minutes of stunned silence. The very thought that any warrior would waste their time sleeping out here was infuriating. Running to clear their head, she could understand. Even taking a nice walk with a clanmate (although it seemed like a waste of time), she could understand. But sleeping? Not to mention, when there was still work to be done? It wasn't late evening, no warrior had business sleeping yet. This was something for kits, although Daisyrunner didn't understand why they would need so much rest, with their boundless energy.

"Get up. Who sleeps out here, anyway?" She asked. Bossing other cats around was an irritating habit of Daisyrunner's, and other cats either avoided or hated her for it. Every once in awhile she'd meet someone who didn't care; however, anyone who was sleeping out here instead of doing something was not someone Daisyrunner was going to be friends with. Ever.

[lio]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Running gave Daisyrunner a sense of freedom. Sure, she preferred to be doing something while she was running, but right now, she needed that freedom. She was afraid Blazingstar's death was going to come at a price for the Clan, and although Buttercupbreeze seemed like a good deputy, Daisyrunner wasn't so sure that she would be a good leader. They would find out soon enough. Daisyrunner only hoped that it wouldn't be too late for their Clan. Coming to a stop near (but not on) the usual hunting grounds, Daisyrunner was alerted to another presence by something poking out of the taller grasses.

Upon further inspection, she found it was another warrior, who appeared to be (much to Daisyrunner's disgust), asleep. "What do you think you're doing?" She asked, after a few minutes of stunned silence. The very thought that any warrior would waste their time sleeping out here was infuriating. Running to clear their head, she could understand. Even taking a nice walk with a clanmate (although it seemed like a waste of time), she could understand. But sleeping? Not to mention, when there was still work to be done? It wasn't late evening, no warrior had business sleeping yet. This was something for kits, although Daisyrunner didn't understand why they would need so much rest, with their boundless energy.

"Get up. Who sleeps out here, anyway?" She asked. Bossing other cats around was an irritating habit of Daisyrunner's, and other cats either avoided or hated her for it. Every once in awhile she'd meet someone who didn't care; however, anyone who was sleeping out here instead of doing something was not someone Daisyrunner was going to be friends with. Ever.

Blinking open her eyes, the molly sneered and examined the other with a grimace. "You certainly have quite the stench on you. When is the last time you've groomed your filthy pelt?" Her eyes narrowed. She stood, tail waving in the air as she stretched. Glossy pelt glimmering in the light of the sun, Cherryfrost offered a smug expression as she blatantly ignored the other's words. "I don't remember seeing you among the Clan. Which of the maggots might you be?"
Cherryfrost purred and licked her paw haphazardly. "Aw, why so irritated? Is the little pest annoyed? I've barely done anything. I must say, this is a new record." She snickered, perking her ears. "I thought someone would never arrive. Though, you are rather boring. Not what I was looking for, to say the least." She yawned with an obnoxious noise ripping from her throat, glancing at the other with a smirk. "I suppose you should know who you have the honor of standing in front of. I am Cherryfrost."

[mochi]

Originally Posted by sunflowerseed

@mochi

Alpinekit jumped off of the warriors paw and ran to back of the den, boredly searching for someone to play with. "Helllooo?" He called, searching the nest for any sleeping kits to bother, his mother was too busy with another kit, so he purred at the fact of being able to do whatever He wanted! He let out a loud purr and attacked a ball of moss.

Goatkit
A fluffy, snowy white ball of energy bounced around the nursery, proudly displaying the mouthful of hawk feathers he'd taken from the bird the two from earlier had brought - not realizing that some of them had escaped his maw and fluttered to the ground, making the nursery a bit messy.

"Hey!" He exclaimed, voice muffled from the feathers that still remained in his mouth as he came up to his nest that some kit was currently rolling around in with his mossball. He liked to call it his nest, because since there weren't too many queens in the nursery, there was room to make a little nest of his own, since he didn't have a mother to share one with.

He spat out the feathers into the nest, partially covering the other kit with them as he crawled into his nest."You're in my nest!" He pointed out, not angry or upset, just openly curious. He'd seen this kit around of course, living in the same den, but he'd never really gotten to know the other kit.

[dino.]

Originally Posted by Slushie

@The Cannibal

I'm a mentor, Goldfeather thought as he stepped away from the Breezerock. The announcement hadn't set in right away - although he and Blazingstar were never close, never properly acquainted, the leader's death had hit him hard. It was as if he'd lost a part of himself; after all it had been Blazingstar to allow him a home and WindClan, and he would always be grateful for that.

His amber eyes scanned the crowd of cats, flinching whenever one brushed too close. Another thought struck him. Simmerpaw is- was Blazingstar's son. He was going to be teaching the former leader's son. A thread of anxiety began to worm its way into his thoughts, and he shook his head as if to toss it away. "Calm down," he muttered to himself. "You'll be fine. It'll all be fine. Just... just don't get him killed." Feeling less than reassured, he stood and shook the clinging grass blades from his paws. There, there he was. Goldfeather wasn't sure how he knew, but he was positive the tom with the green eyes, the one sitting in the clearing with his chin tilted up, as Simmerpaw. The young cat had a certain air about him, and for some reason it made Goldfeather fidget nervously.

He approached the apprentice carefully, attempting to look professional while also warm and welcoming. He nodded to Simmerpaw as he drew closer. "Greetings," he meowed, and winced at the shakiness in his voice. He cleared his throat, tried again. "I'm Goldfeather. I assume you're Simmerpaw?"

(Bump for @The Cannibal <3)