WindClan: Life Before 2023's Fire

[vellichor]

@SilentLamb @Moonraven @wren

"Get back here you slimy, traitorous coward!" He howled, chasing after Skypaw. He liked to think he had the advantage, being a full-blooded WindClan cat. He sprung, attempting to pin down the apprentice. Or at least take him off his feet and prevent his escape. What kind of cat ignores several warnings from a cat known to be temperamental and then tried to run? "You’re stupider than I thought, SPYPAW!" he hissed, biting at the cat. "YOU HAD YOUR CHANCE TO BACK DOWN, YOU CANT RUN NOW!"

[Moonraven]

They must really want her to die from stress, she hated being stressed, headaches, stomachaches, no fun. She was only half paying attention to Coyotesnarl, then there was Gentlemoo who decided to show after the tumbling was done. She was more annoyed with the tom more than anything, but honestly, she couldn't deal with them when there were apprentices ignoring her. "You three don't move." She made it an order, although Coyotensnarl could do as he pleased, she'd hunt him down later if he did.
Now, normally she'd just let them fight and get it over with, but ripped up apprentices meant more work for Coyotesnarl, even though she wasn't sure what Snippy's problem was, she should make sure he wasn't overworked right? She really did desperately need him or rather the clan needs him more than they need her so she should make sure he had less to deal with which meant stopping the apprentices. So with that decision made in seconds, Twilightstar is on her paws closing the distances between herself and pair in a swish of gray. As Skypaw darts towards her, she swerved around him, dropping her head to snatch Bushpaw by the scruff and tear him away from Skypaw.
"ENOUGH!" The leader lets out a commanding howl, hackles raised, and teeth-baring. "You want to fight you can go live in ShadowClan!" Even the training moor would be better than a clearing full of cats going about their day. Her tail sliced through the air behind her as glared at Bushpaw in particular. "Are you going to challenge my order again?" Twilightstar had her moments where she had to put her big girl pants on and deal with stuff she didn't want to deal with, like now. He better calm the hell down! @Vessel @wren @Zesty Mango @elysian @SilentLamb

[Leucos]

@elysian @Moonraven @wren


YEah....he messed up big time... He was right he should have left...but apart of him wouldn't let bushpaw win. Yelping at the teeth managing to bite him at the ear before Twilightstar cut in , bushpaw did have him pinned, he did his best to push him off " then-! " feeling the fiend being lift off. Skypaw stood back up and shook himself off with a grunt. "then you shouldn't have sat near me if I'm such a horrible creature to you!" he spat. His own tail was lashing now....ready for jusitce...His own justice . Though he jolted at twilightstars voice . " please tell him I'm NOT a spy. He can't get it through his thick head " may not have been his place to speak..but ergh!

[vellichor]

One moment he found himself triumphant, and the next he was up in the air like a kit. He landed on his side with an awful thud and his vision cleared. Bushpaw stayed down, hatred still coursing through him like adrenaline. His tail lashed, betraying his anger. But he stayed down. As much as he disliked Twilightstar’s horrible decision to allow Traitorspy into the Clan, he couldn’t argue. He was just an apprentice, a stupid apprentice. Practically a kitten. At least, that’s what everyone treated him like.

So he stayed down, breathing labored and spirits low.

He didn’t think anyone was proud of him now.

@wren @SilentLamb @Moonraven

[Sweetie]

The tom felt light, better he had in a couple of days. The walk in the moor truly cleared his head and so did the few talks he had. Padding out of the nursery from delivering his surprise Brindlejaw headed towards the clearing. Blazing orange eyes roamed the area as he tried to think of hew ways to help the clan.

@BILL. (Time for Oak to burst his bubble!)

----

Brindlejaw returned to the camp when the sun fell from the sky and pollen was laced in his tortoiseshell coat. The tom was still in a cheery mood when he spotted Heathernose from a distance. Smiling the deputy padded over to the molly, "Heathernose, was the rest of the walk good?" Asking as he sat down next to his clanmate.

@Beau

-------

The chat with Breezefeather seriously changed Brindlejaw's point of view. That dude seriously needed to be Windclan's therapist. Walking away from the skirts of the camp the deputy looked around to see if he could help anyone. Bingo Blazing orange eyes landed on Aspenbreeze who seemed...annoyed? Angry? Maybe he didn't want to be caught up in that mess.

@Dust

---

The tortoiseshell warmed himself under the sun rays. Slowly and thoroughly grooming his short-haired coat that was in need of serious cleaning. It was nice to have some peace to himself for once without a cat walking up to him and complaining about his latest deeds.
@Rainquail

---

Brindlejaw watched as Flashclaw for a few heartbeats had to gather the courage to tell whatever he was going to say to him. It puzzled the deputy, why would anybody this nervous to ta-. His train of thought halted, flicking his ear the tom wondered if he possibly heard the warrior wrong. Is he seriously verbally poking me from that angle?" The tortoiseshell was becoming pretty tired with all of the ranting and complaining he was getting about his position.
"I do not need Starclan to save me if Twilightstar wishes for me to step down." Forcing his voice to be calm and cool. To act as if it did not bother Brindlejaw and that he almost didn't care.
"...place holder when other - better - warriors could take your spot."
The tom gulped that one hit hard, harder than he imagined. Tearing his gaze away from his clanmate Brindlejaw stared down at the ground as he continued to deal with the punches.
"Starclan makes sure that everything happens for a reason. I do not blame them for what happened to my jaw. Because they give their most loyal followers the hardest trials to prove their worth." No he instead blamed himself for being so careless and running into a coyote that took a swipe to his face. The tom still could not meet Flashclaw's gaze as his voice seemed to get more intense and louder.
@Ombre Party

[Moonraven]

Oh. My. RAWWWW! A spy! They were fighting because Bushpaw thought Skypaw was a spy! Twilightstar's laughed, but it wasn't an ounce of amusement in it while she shot the two an intense glare that fell like an act of violence. She really wanted to mentally and emotionally shred these imbeciles to pieces. Make it so the scar she leaves never ever heal, it was so much harder healing wounds no one can see, sure one could find relief from the pain for a little bit but it would always be there deep down ready to destroy from the inside out all over again.
Be nice, they're just apprentices. Twilightstar reminds herself, recalling the unintentional scars Icestar left her. She needed the nincompoops for WindClan's future anyway. The leader grits her teeth and forces her tsunami of rage down into a soft simmer. Her green eyes lost a tint of fire as she takes in a deep breath through her nose and out through her maw.
"Coyotesnarl, can you please go fetch some herbs, if you tell me what do I'll help patch everyone up." Less of a command and more of an offer to help him out.
"Bushpaw, when you've cooled off come here and talk to me. I'm not going to yell at you, but you need to let me know what's going on. I can't do anything if I'm clueless." She called to the apprentice, watching his tail lash. As troublesome as it was, she'd like to get a clue what was going on inside of a cat head before throwing out punishments.
"Skypaw, come here and let me see your ear." Why did Bushpaw think Skypaw was a traitor? Why hadn't Skypaw let her know if he was having a hard time here? This probably all could have been avoided if cats talked to her more. Twilightstar didn't like it, but she was going to have to get out of her den more and into her clanmates' lives to avoid stuff like this in the future.
"Gentlemoo, when you're done apologizing for your apprentice's actions, come here and bring Sunpaw, please. You two need to talk with me as well." She might have been a little too hasty in letting Sunpaw join without learning more about him. There had to be some reason for his actions, but she had to make sure that guy wasn't a threat to her clan. She had offered him a new life here, and he was ruining it and letting it go to waste. If Gentlemoo couldn't deal with him she'll find someone who could.

@Vessel @wren @Zesty Mango @elysian @SilentLamb

[Leucos]

@Moonraven
( Since I'm up this late anyways ..)

Huffing and somewhat puffing, Skypaw let out a yawn and did as told. He looked over at the other two cats. Sunpaw was having problems too? At least bushpaw and him weren't the only ones.. He didn't feel sorry though. Choosing to stand rather than sit he snuck a glance at bushpaw, a weary one at that only to look back at twilightstar. " er...um...am I gonna be punished as well?.. " he probably shouldn't have asked. But it made him feel a bit better because he hated not knowing certain things.. With the tears dried all was left was the tiny bits of dried blood . So much for his first moon here!

[Arie]

Originally Posted by Shimm

He's been in so much drama and gossip that he truly did not know what started it and kept it going. Brindlejaw used to only care if he was doing the best job as a warrior but now...Now he cares about what others think of him. The tom can't slink out of the camp because now he had to look out for others, for more than just himself. Taking a moment to breathe was a piece of serenity he almost forgot was real. Perhaps he should stop caring what others criticized him for. But then again he wanted to be the best deputy for Windclan. Brindlejaw had to stop looking in the past and instead look for the future. He had to grow a thick skin and take what his clanmates say and turn it into fuel to do a better job.
Blazing orange eyes lowered from the sky where he watched the free crow fly. Back when he was a new warrior the tom loved to go and explore the moor, the Windclan territory. It made him feel free and as if his problems didn't matter at that moment anymore. I should go back out on some free time...
Here he was whining about not being liked when Breezefeather was dealing with a real problem. Brindlejaw felt... a sliver of guilt, the tom in front of him was still mourning the loss of his kits when his own sole son was still alive. The deputy barely talked to him much less he was not there to see Deerblossom grow up. The tortoiseshell never was one for relationships because most of his crashed and burn, plus not to mention a kit was very distracting from the work and duties of a warrior. But seeing Breezefeather's pain the look on his face and the heavy depression in his voice. The way he talked about it made Brindlejaw realize what he has been taking for granted.
"I'm sorry for your loss." Forcing his eyes to look at the toms in front of him. "But I believe there is a light in your hole because if you know that you are in this deep dark place. That is a tiny step forward and it is okay to start off small. The part I'm dealing with is forgiveness. To accept that you made a mistake and it is the past. The only thing you can do now is choosing between your pity party or if you want to stop your wallowing." Slowly he placed a paw on Breezefeathers shoulder and uttered the words he wished someone would have said to him during his darkest moments. "You, are not alone."

Although it probably hadn't been the case or the point that the deputy was trying to make, the comment about yet another pity party made Breezefeather's fur stand on edge. He hated when he was compared to having a pity party when it was not what was going on and others seemed to lack that understanding. Taking in a deep breath, the silver tom settled himself down further into his spot. He needed all of his energy, all of his thoughts and mental capability. He hadn't meant for this conversation to go this south already, but it seemed that was the destination for all his conversations. He remembered back to his talk with that Shadowclan tom, Nettlespark, at the border.... This seemed like it was a very similar thing. And he was not in the mood for it, but it seemed he would have to confront it again. Slowly debating on how to best approach it, the silver tom's tail flicked back and forth. He had to approach it right, he didn't want to offend his clanmate, and especially not the deputy. That wasn't setting a good place for himself, despite preferring not to deal with clan related politics. Taking in a final deep breath, he began his speech, trying his best to keep his tone even, "I do not think you understood the point I was making Brindlejaw. I do not seek to garner pity. Because pity is like forcing your own issues on someone else and making them feel bad for you. That is not what point I was trying to make, and I apologise if it may have come off as that. Pity does no one good, it is another thing that may inadvertently destroy you. However, learning from experiences is what what my point was. To understand that others may have gone through stuff that might not make them alright but that everyone is fighting their own battles. Sharing your experiences, however broken or full of unlucky they might be, is not asking for pity it is simply finding something that you can relate your own issues to that might make it easy to carry the burdens that you carry in your heart, on your shoulders or wherever the pressure is coming from." Sighing, he needed to take a deep breath. He was getting more and more worked up over this, and this was surely not what the deputy had come from, but it seemed today was the time for unloading your issues over onto everyone. All he wanted at this moment was to just to drift into sleep but he had to confront this... That as when he felt the Void's tendrils every so slowly grasping at him again... The dreaded darkness that threatened to overwhelm him. But back to the matter at hand, the walloping also got to him and irked him. That was not what he was doing. Green eyes narrowing at the deputy's brown shape once again he took another deep breath before breaking the silence. "I am not walloping. But getting out of a depression is not as easy as just saying I want to get out of it. It takes time, you have progress but you also have fall backs. And one of those fallbacks, the regressing of progress if what I am going through at this very moment. It may seem as walloping, going around and remembering your dead family, but the thing is, you need to confront the issues at hand instead of letting them rot, letting the infection spread.... It can spread fast and you need to tear it out without leaving a single piece of the infection left." Sighing he let his head hang for a moment... It always exhausted him to talk about his issues, especially the concept of his depression which he was battling every single day... and he would continue, some days being better others being worse but it was a never ending battle in his mind and in his chest... It would not give up easily. "Mental illnesses are a horrible thing to suffer from. I do not wish this on anyone and therefor I do not want anyone to feel pity for me, because that means understanding this deep rooted suffering and it is too much of a can of worms for that to be the case."

[Moon Lily]

[ @Vessel - should I get Coyote?]

CRACK! What was that sound? Her muscles tensed with fear. Looking over to a nearby tree, she saw a fallen stick. Probably that. She allowed herself to relax. Runningpaw could feel the soft fur of the kit suddenly loosen from her back, and she signed with relief. Standing up alongside the furball, she noted her lack of immediate movement, and her almost groggy state. She felt fear in her chest like a wound, throbbing. Is she okay?! Why's she not getting up?! What's goin- Her train of thought was stopped as her tiny paws pushed her up, and a momentary sense of triumph flooded her. Until...then.
"See-see what? Kit? Kit?! What do you mean?!" She howled at the small thing, eyes sparking with worry. What if...?
Everything happened so fast. Boom. And then there was blood. A circle of it, a halo if you'd like. So...red.
"No. No. Don't die on me. I need help. Help. HELP!"

[ @Lynxpaw ]

Littlewish had returned from reporting to his and her highness, and was perfectly happy with himself. The sun was high and bright, the day was still new, and the still cool breeze marked the fact that New-leaf remained. It was much better than the freezing pain of leaf-bare and the hot vortex of Green-leaf. He mattered his way happily through the clearing, his gaze full of good cheer.
"You ready to hunt, kiddo?" He purred, beckoning Eaglepaw's over.

[Confuzzled.Lynx]

Eaglepaw padded over to to Littlewish. He nodded and waited for Littlewish to start walking.

@Moon Lily