WindClan: Life Before 2023's Fire

[goddess of ducks]

Originally Posted by AbsurdJinx

Mumblenose shared Forestpaw's views on Singe. In fact, their situations were fairly similar. When Singe was born, Mumblenose had been neglecting him due to his grief. He had lost the love of his life, the clan had looked down at him due to his relationship with a rogue, and he was left with a family to raise. It was so overwhelming, and he was so depressed with everything... He practically let his kits raise themselves, when he should've been guiding their pawsteps along the right path. He's always loved his sons, but he never really showed it - he couldn't bring himself to. However, he's always loved his offspring. And as time went on, and Mumblenose aged, and Singe became meaner, he realized just how important love was.

With an understanding nod, Mumblenose meowed, ``I completely understand. I realize Singe doesn't care much about me to mention me to you. We've always been on bad terms...`` He left out the fact that the misunderstanding between father and son was on him. He didn't want to bring up that history just yet - this should be a happy introduction. ``I'm Mumblenose. And yes, I was a young warrior when your father was born.`` He admired Forestpaw's courage to hold his gaze. He was known for his bad temper in the clan, and very few could look him in the eyes without him lashing out at them.

Now that Forestpaw was within the ranks of the clan, would things change? Would the little, bold apprentice before him help change his ways? Mumblenose looked at Forestpaw, a noticeable twinkle in his eyes. Perhaps, a twinkle of hope? He's been very unhappy lately, but looking at the she-cat who managed to push him out of his nest, get him to eat, and care for himself just by thinking about meeting them... He now had faith. Things would change, he'd make sure of it.

Forestpaw sighed, gazing at him uncertainly with her pale green hues. She didn't know what to think. Obviously he wasn't like Sk he, or else he would have most likely ended up running to the Syndicate with them. Then she might have actually known that she had a grandfather in a Windclan. Obviously she knew she had other family there, or somewhere but she had never gotten to meet them.

But now that she did know him, what would it be like? He had said it himself, that they had never been in good terms. Something between them must have snapped, probably Singe's short tempered personality. But still, did he just mope around here waiting for him? Or what? He didn't seem too concerned about Singe, but then again, they had left Brindle here and had they looked back? No not really. But still, this could be a good chance, she just had to be cautious with it.

"Mumblenose.." She said slowly. "It's a bit of a strange name, isn't it?" She asked curiously. Then she noticed once the words had left how rude that sounded. "Oh no, I'm so sorry. That sounded wrong..." She spoke it fast, embarrassed by her rudeness. "I'm Forest by the way." Forestpaw glanced back yo at him, smiling softly. Hopefully he didn't think she was weird.

[goddess of ducks]

@Ebony

Gorsepaw exited the den, his white, grey, and orange patched pelt rough and ragged. He hadn't taken the time today to clean it up, straighten it out or to basically make himself look decent. He had slipped into a lull recently. His father was out there living somewhere. He never came back to visit, say hello, hurt someone. And on one side that was a good thing. He was exiled, kicked out. He fled with his leader. But then, here he was without a Dad to look up to. What would happen one day if he needed to know how a father acted and he had never been able to watched that?

[Splash]

Originally Posted by Nighty

@Ebony

Gorsepaw exited the den, his white, grey, and orange patched pelt rough and ragged. He hadn't taken the time today to clean it up, straighten it out or to basically make himself look decent. He had slipped into a lull recently. His father was out there living somewhere. He never came back to visit, say hello, hurt someone. And on one side that was a good thing. He was exiled, kicked out. He fled with his leader. But then, here he was without a Dad to look up to. What would happen one day if he needed to know how a father acted and he had never been able to watched that?

Furzepaw followed Gorsepaw, not because he knew the tom, but simply because he was exiting the den as well. He sat by a clump of heather and rasped his tounge through his short gray pelt, spitting out scraps of moss from his nest. The light gray tom finished his wash by dragging a damp paw over his ears. When he felt sufficlently groomed, Furzepaw glanced around the camp, his cold amber eyes narrowed to slits against the light. His eyes were still adjusting to the change in light from the dark, cozy apprentice's den. They landed on Gorsepaw, showing curiosity. I don't know him at all...

[AbsurdJinx]

Originally Posted by Nighty

Forestpaw sighed, gazing at him uncertainly with her pale green hues. She didn't know what to think. Obviously he wasn't like Sk he, or else he would have most likely ended up running to the Syndicate with them. Then she might have actually known that she had a grandfather in a Windclan. Obviously she knew she had other family there, or somewhere but she had never gotten to meet them.

But now that she did know him, what would it be like? He had said it himself, that they had never been in good terms. Something between them must have snapped, probably Singe's short tempered personality. But still, did he just mope around here waiting for him? Or what? He didn't seem too concerned about Singe, but then again, they had left Brindle here and had they looked back? No not really. But still, this could be a good chance, she just had to be cautious with it.

"Mumblenose.." She said slowly. "It's a bit of a strange name, isn't it?" She asked curiously. Then she noticed once the words had left how rude that sounded. "Oh no, I'm so sorry. That sounded wrong..." She spoke it fast, embarrassed by her rudeness. "I'm Forest by the way." Forestpaw glanced back yo at him, smiling softly. Hopefully he didn't think she was weird.

Mumblenose chuckled at Forestpaw's curious question; though, to him, it seemed to sound more like a comment. He didn't mind, though. He, himself, was rather rude. ``Yes, yes, I know who you are. When you were born, word got around, and I knew all your names just moments after your birth!`` He wouldn't forget their names, either. He cherished his family, the only thing that could truly bring him genuine happiness. And now that he had another chance for a happy family, he wouldn't lose it.

``And yeah, I guess my name can sound rather... different. But so can your name. After all, the moor doesn't have many trees - not enough to create a forest, at least!`` Mumblenose purred softly, blinking slowly. He struggled to believe the events that were happening around him. He was sharing a moment with his granddaughter. Though this may seem normal to most cats, it was not to Mumblenose. Plus, he's never even met Forestpaw before this conversation.

He considered telling her just why he was named what he was, but decided he'd spoken enough. His pointless rambling was a symptom of anxiety, but he knew when he was spitting nonsense, and he was. His voice even displayed his nervousness, hoarse and rushed. But Mumblenose played it like it was nothing, nonchalantly positioning his head so he could easily offer his chest a rough wash.

[RedHead]

Originally Posted by Lawlipop

Her rough tongue halted in it's grooming and blue eyes looked up at a clanmate. His sudden approach startled her, but she seemed unsurprised by his words. She flashed a smile at him, getting up after she stretches herself out. "Oh, hello there, how are you today?" She yawned, then paced back and forth in a friendly manner. She knows how to handle this. "I apologize for my procrastination, I was just sprucing a few flaws and was about to go out to hunt. For you see, I'm not a great fighter." She explains, telling how her frail body proved unsuitable for combat. "Could you allow me a few more moments of care before I go? You can go off and attend your duties, I just need to set some out of place hairs, if you don't mind." She has faced many cats in the past that has noticed her procrastinating on her duties. And with each encounter, she has grown wiser and now has a whole pile of excuses in her mind she is ready to use at her disposal.

Hmmm funny. She really didn't think he had more duties to do, did she? Already today he'd hunted and patrolled, exactly what his plan was. And, he was going to go hunting again, but he wouldn't mind taking someone with him. Besides, this she-cat looked as if she had been grooming all day. And, he supposed, if he let her sit here and continue to groom herself, she would get "distracted." Goosegrumble was familiar with this situation, how cats said they would do something and then the next thing you know, "Oh sorry, I got distracted!" It mad Goosegrumble sick, the amount of cats that don't pull their own weight because they want to do something else. If you don't want to be a part of this clan and help, then you'd be better off as a loner. Or even better, a kittypet. Goosegrumble just couldn't stand cats who didn't pull their own weight. So, he sat down in front of the she-cat, curling his feathery white and orange tail around his paws. "No, it's fine. I've already done most of my duties, so I'll wait here for you to finish, then we can head out and patrol the Thunderclan border, how about that?" Try and weave your way out of that one.

[monfang]

{ @Cloudy @starfall @RedHead }
Larkmark padded around, the usual patrol, only he had Rainpaw with him this time. He looked at Canineheart and Sleepcloud, before he looked ahead and around. He traveled along the border, tail lashing as he did. Amber eyes searched the area, watching for enemies and allies, for prey and predators. "Alright, Rainpaw. Stay close, we don't know who or what could be out here." he said, giving his son a lick to the head. "Canineheart, you come with me, we'll take the west border. Rainpaw, go with Sleepcloud and check out the east border." he said. He looked at the other before he padded off. Keep an eye on my son, StarClan... he prayed silently as he looked around. Rainpaw was a survivor. He had done alot in the past few moons. He had lost his mother, his siblings, and yet he's become a strong, wonderful apprentice. He couldn't wait to be there for his ceremony. He dug his claws into the ground, as he could sense a rabbit off to his right. He looked at Canineheart. "I got a rabbit scent, no other patrols in the area." he said.

[Phoenix Flames]

Originally Posted by Honorable Kitti

"Okay... But I might mess up more than twenty-five times....", Rushpaw said, trying to test the fighting technique on Meadowsong.

@CandyFlossCat

[wickedvirtues]

Originally Posted by Honorable Kitti

"Okay... But I might mess up more than twenty-five times....", Rushpaw said, trying to test the fighting technique on Meadowsong.

Meadow nodded her head. "Good, but this'll help." She positioned her legs a bit different than he had. "Try like this."

[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by Random Melody

"And there they are." Sandblood hissed, but she was smirking as she swiveled her head around to look at the Toms. She looked half amused, half bored as she sat down and bent her head to give her chest fur a few licks. The she-cat took great pride in her appearance - She took pride in everything about herself, actually.

"Right on schedule." Hazelfang mused, flicking her tail as she watched the Toms head over. She flashed Limestripe a teasing grin. "Hey Limy," She purred, knowing it got on his nerves. Her gaze flickered toward Rabbitbitten and Battail, and an amused look flickered through her eyes. "Batty, Rabbit."

Sandblood's gaze flickered behind the Toms, her gaze resting on the tree Limestripe had been at moments before. Her eyes sparked with interest as she gazed at the flowers, curious. Those look pretty...They would be a good addition to my nest. She chuckled to herself. I'll ask Batty to get me one later,

Her ears pricked as she looked at said Tom, and her nose wrinkled ever so slightly. Sandblood found him rather annoying and obnoxious - Then again, she found everyone annoying and obnoxious. Why couldnt cats be more like her?

Limestripe narrowed his eyes at Hazelfang. Why did his friends insist on making him annoyed? The tom flicked his tail, but he simply provided her with a small smile, his fangs gleaming in the light. Though he couldn't come up with ridiculous nicknames that his friends provided. In all honesty, if he had to blame anyone it would be Rabbitbitten for coming up with the outrageous nickname. And, now he had Hazelfang calling him it as well. The tip of his ears met heat, and he flicked them to get the source away.

"Hazey-haze!" Rabbitbitten acknowledged, smirking. The tom seemed to have carry a nickname for everyone. With his boisterous persona, it was out of this world of how ever he had friends that could tolerate him. Battail simply nodded his head towards her, his eyes landing on Sandblood. His ears perked when he saw her, staring at him. What was wrong? Did he look like an idiot towards her? The she cat was pretty hostile towards him, but yet he always came back. Why? Battail would probably never know. "Something wrong Sandy?" Battail finally spoke, shaking his thick fur. At that moment the tom wished he had a longer tail. Just so he could wrap it around him, and put on that smug look that the she cat found annoying. It was an absolute joy to mess around with her!

"So, how's the prey?" Rabbitbitten asks, his voice becoming louder by the second. Limestripe growled, "Quiet, will you? They're right in in front of us, dimwit." He says. Rabbitbitten simply dragged his tail along the tom's side before staring at his other friends.

Limestripe pulled himself away from the embrace. The Egyptian Mau didn't really like the attention, so he focused on his paws, staring at them with a semi interest.

"Ah, don't worry about him. He's mad because he couldn't get that flower out that-"

"Certainly not." Limestripe stood, defensive. He didn't allow Rabbitbitten to finish his sentence. "I was..." He looked around, trying to find some type of excuse, before he stared down at his paws, disdained. "Sharpening my claws. You know...to keep the sharp."

Rabbitbitten snorted, then looked towards Battail, hoping that the tom would agree, but the only thing that Battail focused on was the conceited beauty in front of them. It had to be known that the ton was somewhat head over heels for Sandblood. Like she had him wrapped around her paws. Rabbitbitten thought both she cats were beautiful, and occasionally he would flirt with them, but it was never serious. In fact, he found it repulsive that Battail was looking like a lovesick idiot.

[InfernoFlicker]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

"Well, he's my first apprentice, so... I guess I would be considered a 'newbie' as you put it."

A newbie. Truth be told, the thought of that had never even crossed Obsidiansky's mind. Whether he liked it or disliked it was uncertain, however. It made him sound like he had no experience; which was true, that didn't bother him, but at the same time it sounded like he didn't know how to teach. Which wasn't true! Rainpaw had caught onto everything very fast so far... Obsidiansky could only hope that this would continue to go on until Rainpaw would be made a warrior. If he were being honest-- in his own mind-- that day couldn't come fast enough for the tom. So far Rainpaw had proven to be more difficult then he could have imagined. His friends were sympathetic of course, but there was only so much they could do about the situation currently going on.

　
"He does what I ask. But he's always serious... more so then an apprentice of his age should be. His Mother was... a good cat, but she made some bad choices. He's determined not to be like her and I'm afraid if he tries too hard, he's going to end up just like her."

The tom sighed, then realized that this was probably a bit of a strange conversation to be having at the moment. Still, she didn't seem to mind. As far as he could tell, Infernosky hadn't made any attempt at shutting the conversation off. Starting a conversation was never easy for him. Harder then it should be, to be honest. Unless there was some shared interest, or accomplishment, or something else... it was near to impossible for him to talk to another cat. Her offer made his eyes widen in surprise. That was something he hadn't been expecting... he hadn't thought she would want to.

　
Or was she just being nice? Now this was a part of social life that Obsidiansky remembered getting wrong more times then he could count. Almost always, he got it wrong. "Well, thank you for your offer. I might take you up on that." Does that make me sound stupid? Possibly it did. At least he didn't overthink as he sometimes did. It would make things a hundred times worse, and did most of the time. And he liked Infernosky-- he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable before he got a chance to let her know everything that happened. In his mind. Okay. You're officially creepy. Nice going. At least he wasn't thinking out loud, that probaby wouldn't go very well. Considering his thoughts were extremely strange at the moment. Her expression seemed to change for a moment.. and Obsidiansky looked closer, but by then, it was gone. What had happened?
　
Had she actually felt empathetic towards him? Now, normally Obsidiansky tried not to judge others based on their outwards appearance. Or first impressions. But from what he had seen so far? She didn't seem like the type to really be empathetic. Infernosky's voice was calm, level, and collected. How could she be so calm all the time? It wasn't a monotone... and it wasn't always the same... but it was like that of a mentor talking to an apprentice. Not like she was better, but like she was more experienced, perhaps. Like she knew what she was talking about. She held authority, that was it! That was what he was thinking of, she spoke like she had authority but not like she was a better cat and would hurt anyone who dared not to listen to her. Thank StarClan she didn't talk like that. Perhaps that was the reason the darker furred tom didn't get along with the deputy very well.
　
Because he acted like he was way too good for everyone else. But that one cat, whatever her name was... and a few others. Favoritism. That was what it appeared to be to Obsidiansky. "Yeah, you know. I think he tries to close himself off because he's grown up having others not trust him. And he's got a lot of hatred in his mind, towards... well, pretty much everyone. And he's-- sorry, I don't mean to ramble. Let me know if I'm boring you," He mewed with a chuckle. The subject of Rainpaw was not the most interesting in the world; this Obsidiansky knew very well. But at least he was honest when talking about the apprentice. This was his opinion, he really did believe all of this about Rainpaw. He liked the younger cat. All he wanted to do was get through to him... and that seemed to be the one thing that he was unable to do.
　
Her next words made sense as well. He was beginning to get the sense she didn't really, well... mess around very much. She said what she meant, and all that. "That's good advice." It seemed like the only thing there was to say after that. He felt a little strange, like he was a kit talking to an elder or a senior warrior-- but at least he felt as though he were being polite. Politeness was important... and Obsidiansky tried to be polite all the time.

@InfernoFlicker

Infernosky almost laughed in response to Obsidiansky's first response. No, she didn't directly smile, but her features and eyes portrayed a hidden amusement. It was probably true, what he was saying. Rainpaw---that was his name. Had he mentioned his name before? She couldn't remember. Rainpaw, being the same kind of cat she had been, could practically lead to two brick walls rubbing against each other in a useless fashion. She could very well see that happening, and it had happened before in previous relationships with the rough tabby. Granted, the two might not get along, but she could already think of a few lessons she could teach the broken apprentice. Even though, deep down, she sympathized with the cat, her primary thought was what made Infernosky the way she was: a "get over it" mindset. Like Rainpaw, she had been a broken apprentice. She had struggled with trust, with allowing herself to love and be loved. She still struggles with it. Yet, somewhere along the line, as she grew in maturity, she came to her own conclusion; you don't gain anything from misery, and it was time to get over it, despite her feelings. Instead of letting her past affect her future, she decided to focus on her future, and keep past hurt separate. Her first and primary goal was to become a warrior, and to do that, she couldn't allow her emotions to intervene.

"You'll get through to him eventually, I'm sure. Just give it time."

Part of Infernosky wanted to relay her thoughts to the warrior, but, of course, she felt it wasn't her place. Even if she had gone through with her message, Rainpaw could very well not be mature enough to consider these, in her opinion, rational resolves. If the apprentice truly wanted to be a warrior, he would have to place that first. Place the clan first, and, as Infernosky learned, you will learn how much more the future matters than the past. Though the former deputy wouldn't outright say it, this mindset taught her...well...love. She loved Windclan. When her clan became her first love, no barriers thrown before her could get in her way. Perhaps that was why she was so successful. Or was she? Yes, she had been a successful hunter, warrior, and leader, yet, she had no friends outside of her adoptive parents and Dapplestar. Ignoring her past and her emotions had put a barrier between her and her connection with other cats on a personal level. Ignoring emotions isn't healthy, either, and it did tend to lash out in bursts at fellow warriors during her deputy-ship. It had made her ferocious to her clanmates, and willing to listen to her. Very few had challenged her---and those who did were quickly fixed of their haughtiness. No, Infernosky had never found ALL the answers to fix her broken history, but she did the best she could in a mortal lifetime. Perhaps she would be able to pass this wisdom on to the apprentice, so that he could learn from her successes AND her mistakes, and learn to be even stronger than she was. That, Infernosky felt, was something she wanted to pass onto Windclan's next generation of cats.

"Oh, yes, once I brush up on Russelfur's fighting, I plan on group sessions with you, Rainpaw, and Jitterpaw. The first step I wish to take with Jitterpaw is to show her what is expected of a warrior-training apprentice."

The firey red tabby's banner brushed through the soft veil of grass and soil beneath her tough platforms in an absent-minded manner. "Mentoring comes naturally to some cats, and less so to others, but I see a natural mentor in you; you're already analyzing your apprentice, navigating the best approaches to teach him. That's good. If you need help, though, don't hesitate to ask me." In her mind, she wanted to add, I'm not a perfect mentor, either, but, of course, that might express weakness, and unless you knew Infernosky very well, she would very rarely be open about such things. She did, however, appreciate Obsidiansky's honesty. Granted, he was a brand new mentor, and, like Infernosky, some learning curves would be in order along the way. Very few cats, such as Twilightsky and Dapplestar, would often laugh at her 'silence' when addressing possible flaws in the former deputy's tactics, because they knew her so well that they could see right through her stony outward appearance. They learned her subtle facial cues that, once you figured them out, you could easily see what she was thinking. This was one of those moments. A moment of silence with a look, if you knew it, said 'I know I'm not perfect but I don't want to let you know that.'

In reaction to Obsidiansky's last words of modesty, Infernosky let a subtle side-smile pass through her maw, "Oh, believe me, deputies learn to multitask quickly. Juggling two or three 'apprentices' shouldn't be an issue at all." With this, her brows raised in an amused manner, "Try leading a clan, fighting off intruders and traitors, and rescuing your leader from Eternalstar all at the same time."

By now, since Larkmark had decided he wasn't going to show up for their hunting patrol, and the sun was already getting high in the sky, Infernosky turned her thick-furred cranium delicately toward the warriors and apprentice's den, "In fact, they should be getting up soon---it's almost sunhigh."

Almost as if on cue, Jitterpaw came summer-saulting out of the apprentices den, fully awake and well-rested. For a moment she looked dazed, then turned and found Infernosky's bright pelt and hurtled toward it.
"G'morning!" The perky she-cat greeted both cats, in which Infernosky responded with muttered correction, "...Evening."

"I slept like a log. No, a rock. A very, sturdy, big rock. Because little rocks and logs can roll sometimes. Hi Obsidiansky!" The tortie flashed the tom a bright grin, "I'm starving," She looked longingly at the plentiful fresh-kill pile, but first, she glanced at Infernosky, as if waiting for her approval.

"Eat," Infernosky insisted, "You're going to need some strength for your first training session today."

"Okiedoke--" There wasn't any more words from the tortie, because she was already digging into the pile like a starved fox in leaf-bare. She munched away at a small squirrel, perched daintily with her paws tucked under her between the two older warriors. Infernosky sighed with a slight shake of her head.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Jitterpaw began talking again with her mouth full of meat and fur, "Isn't Russel up yet? I thought you were gonna train him first."

"He might need to rest longer---after all, he did carry you about half of the way." Infernosky responded with a blunt expression toward the other fae. Jitterpaw shrugged and tilted her head in gesture that meant, 'Fair point.'

After a couple more seconds of silence, aside from the munching, Infernosky returned her attention to Obsidiansky, "So, what are your plans for today?"