ThunderClan: Life Before 2020's Fire

[Solstice_X]

Originally Posted by SpookyScarySkeletons

Jaypaw yelped in surprise and laughed, "Hello my friend!" She purred, nuzzling her. "I missed you!" She said. The she cat looked at her best friend- no her sister more like- and licked her cheek.

Purring in response, Blackkit took one good look at her now-apprentice friend. Her deep blue eyes washed over the features of the other she-cat, noticing how much more sizable she was compared to her. Then again, that didn't surprise her since she'd always been runt-like and small for her age.

"How's life as an apprentice? Have you started to hunt? Can you find me a chaffinch out there?" A slew of questions flooded from the kitten's black maw as excitement lit up her eyes. She wasn't far from becoming an apprentice herself, so she was curious as to what such a life entailed and would be like when she got there.

[Mango]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Caliapaw's fur bristled at the word 'fox' and she whirled around to see the apprentice, covered in blood lying unconcious on the ground. StarClan help me... Caliapaw wasn't anywhere NEAR ready for this! She hadn't prepared for an emergency like this, and her tail lashed back and forth with panic as she grabbed some cobwebs. "Stop the bleeding." She muttered to herself. Even in this time, Caliapaw was still talking to herself. She couldn't really give Ivypaw poppyseeds, as the apprentice wasn't concious, but she did know that she was going to have to try and get the other cat concious soon. This state was dangerous. She wasn't even sure where to apply the cobwebs first, the other cat was so covered in gashes... but she did her best, putting them down wherever she saw an open wound. Later I'll have to put something in those to keep them from getting infected. Those are some bad gashes... if she really did fight a fox, she couldn't be very smart. The she cat thought with a sigh. Still, right now it was her place to make sure that Ivypaw woke up and was okay. Her panic started to fade as the gashes slowly disappeared under the cobwebs she was putting on. Thank StarClan Wheatfur had left a large supply of them - she really should make sure that that was one thing they never ran low on. Still, the young apprentice was so covered in the sticky webs that Caliapaw wondered how she was going to survive... it seemed impossible at the moment. "Ivypaw? If you can hear me, open your eyes."

Ivypaw could feel something being pressed onto her. She heard the meow of a cat, she attempted to speak, but all that came out was blood so she closed her mouth, she struggled to open her amber eyes, but nothing opened, she risked opening her mouth,” Mama.” She whispered as blood gushed out of her mouth. She whimpered in pain, she’d be recovering soon, ofcourse, right?
@PeaFlower (She RPs the mother of Ivypaw)

[wickedvirtues]

Originally Posted by Phoenix Flames

"I can show you where the medicine cat den, the leader's den, and the elders den is.", Brightpaw said. "Come on.", the grayish brown and white apprentice said. "Brightpaw!", a voice said. "Nevermind,
Minnowkit. I'll show you later. My mentor is calling me.", Brightpaw flicked her tail, padding across the clearing.

"O-Oh. Okay..see you later..m-maybe." She mumbled softly, before blinking. What now? Now she was alone, almost vulnerable. Minnowkit walked hurriedly towards her family members, as they made her feel a bit more safe in the large-ness of the clearing. "That was Brightpaw. S-She's nice." She mumbled, shrugging. She was a bit disappointed Brightpaw had to leave, but she also understood why.

[RedHead]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

"Hm." That was Caliapaw's only response to Foxpaw's joke as she examined the she cat, her eyes narrowed. She didn't seem to have much of a reaction to anything else until Foxpaw's upset remark when she planted the chewed herb on the injured shoulder. "Well, it probably wouldn't hurt as much if you took care of yourself. Training yourself, are you crazy?" She hissed angrily, her ears going back. It wasn't much of her concern if Foxpaw hurt herself, but she definitely had a problem with cats acting like they were so tough. They didn't need to act tough. What they needed to do was take care of themselves so that the Clan had competent cats taking care of it. "You won't be doing any training for a few days, though. You are going to rest and stay off that shoulder."

Her eyes narrowed, and she examined Foxpaw. She was pretty sure she couldn't trust the apprentice just to "stay off it" if she let her go free. Is this what Wheatfur would do... or tell me to do? That was all she could think of, was what her former mentor would have done in this situation. She was still desperate to prove herself, desperate to make him proud, and she so badly wanted to make sure that she was doing the right thing. If only Wheatfur had a way of telling her that she was - but she hadn't seen him in her dreams, and now Caliapaw was worried that he just wasn't going to talk to her. Maybe he was angry with her. Maybe StarClan wasn't letting him. Either way, she was on her own for the moment being.

"And to make sure you stay off it, you're going to be staying here. I don't think I can trust you right now." Caliapaw already didn't trust cats very easily, but when it came to things like this, it wasn't a matter of personal trust - it was professional trust. There was a difference, after all. Regardless of whether Caliapaw trusted Foxpaw personally or not wasn't relevant here, she was pretty sure that the apprentice would give her word then turn around and go out and "train herself" again. "Maybe next time you won't try training yourselfand making it worse, yeah?" The she cat mewed, her expression stern and dark as she looked over Foxpaw.

{Sorry for the delay!}

Rest? Are you kidding me? Foxpaw hated resting. Her energy level was too high all the time, she didn't have time to... Rest. Sure, the ginger feline slept and all, but she was in her nest late every night and up at dawn every morning. She'd probably attended more dawn patrols than any other apprentice her age. But she was only about two or three moons away from being a warrior. "Alright, alright, sounds good." Foxpaw meowed, although she knew in her head that she would do the exact opposite of resting. My shoulder will be able to heal without rest, right? It might just take a bit longer.

Prone to not really listening to anyone's advice, Foxpaw had gotten herself in a lot of sticky situations. Like the time that her grandmother had told her when she was a new apprentice to stay away from the stream because it was nesting season for the mosquitoes. And what did the ginger she-cat do? She waltzed right up to that stream, determined to prove her grandmother wrong. She didn't, but she did get enough mosquito bites to last her the entire green-leaf.

For a moment, Foxpaw didn't realize that Caliapaw had continued to speak. She had been getting up and ready to walk out just then, but then the medicine cat had told her something. It took Foxpaw's brain a few more seconds than usual to process this information. "Woah woah woah... What do you mean staying here? In this stuffy den? I don't think so!" But something did hurt Foxpaw about that sentence. The fact that Caliapaw couldn't trust her. Foxpaw knew it wasn't aimed directly at her, but it still hurt. Foxpaw hadn't been getting trusted a lot lately. By anyone. The extroverted ginger she-cat needed others to trust her, and be her friend. But most of the time, her spirit is too bright for them to handle, and her supposed "friends" wander off. So as she took those words in, Foxpaw simply flattened her ears against her head, and turned away from Caliapaw, curling her fluffy tail over her paws. "I-I understand." She mumbled, keeping her orange gaze focused on the ground. All of the energy had seemed to drain out of the small feline, but she had been through a lot. So it was time for her to take a rest and calm down.

[Starfall]

@Celestial

The young tom padded out of the nursery and into the clearing, his light grey paws kicking up dust with every step he took. He was devastated, he couldn't believe that uncle Wheat was gone, everything seemed to be going downhill. First he finds out that his mother hates his guts, next the only family member that actually seemed to like him has died, it made him want to cry. He wouldn't though, he had to save his tears for when they were really important, not that loosing his uncle wasn't horrible...but with the way his life was going he had a feeling that it was only going to get worse from here. The white, grey dusted feline stopped walking and looked down, a rather sad looking mouse lay limp between his paws. His tail drooped and his ears folded back, a sorrowful look melted onto his maw. He was sad, so deeply saddened that words could not describe, not even his tears could do the horrible, thrumming sadness any justice. Stonekit pushed the mouse away and turned, making his way towards a shaded area in the clearing. Once he reached the said shaded area the tom hid his grey dusted face behind his little paws, his glossy blue irises hidden from any passerby's.

[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by Charmer

(I just reread the gathering RP with the leader’s and it doesn’t look like Goldenstar mentioned Shadowclan sheltering in RC, so I’m going to operate under the assumption that Morningblue didn’t know, but Passionblaze might have.)

Morningblue noticed but didn’t acknowledge that he had surprised the deputy with his abruptness. He was used to it. As far as Thunderclan cats went, he was in the larger side. He rarely laughed or smiled or even spoke to cats he didn’t know well. Not only that, but when he did speak, his voice tended to be even and cold. He saw no need to do anything different. He wasn’t out to make new friends. He had his sister, and that was all the closeness he needed. The large blue tom mostly kept his head down and did his duty like a good soldier, and like a good soldier, he excelled in battle not just because of his physical strength but the fact that he saw weaknesses and strategies that others sometimes didn’t.

“When Snowstar asked us to try hunting in Shadowclan the patrol I went with got very close to their camp because there was no scent of them and we decided to investigate. Shadowclan territory had been completely flooded and unusable. They couldn’t have stayed there. They must have taken shelter in another clan’s territory with the clan leader’s permission. It obviously wasn’t Thunderclan. If Windclan was really as short on prey as Blazingstar said, He would have asked for Shadowclan’s assistance in fighting Thunderclan then and there to put pressure on Shadowclan since the would be indebted to Windclan. That just leaves Skyclan and Riverclan, and with kits and sick cats in tow, Riverclan territory being much closer, and Riverclan being known for their plentiful fish, Riverclan is much more likely. If that’s the case, Shadowclan may feel indebted to Riverclan so soon after being sheltered by them. If Riverclan asks for their help, there is a good chance they will do so. I think we should try and persuade Riverclan to fight with us. If I’m right, we would gain the support of Riverclan and Shadowclan in one fell swoop.” His argument made, Morningblue sat on his haunches, his cold, green gaze fixed on Passionblaze as he waited to see what the tom thought of his reasoning.

Despite the apathetic demeanor that the other tom was giving, Passionblaze kept a rather friendly gaze in his eyes. His job was to listen, to take action, and to keep the others safe. He viewed himself as a one-sided friend to all cats - outside or inside the clan. Passionblaze was not the type of cat to make enemies, on his behalf. As he settled into a comfortable position, with his tail lazily thumping quietly behind him, Passionblaze tilted his head from one side to another. From left to right. Slowly, nodding, taking in the information that his comrade was giving him. ''Mhm,'' Passionblaze hummed. ''I see,'' Now, it was his turn to think. It made sense - with the upcoming battle, they would need allies. Shadowclan and Riverclan would be good neighboring clans to work with. Passionblaze blinked, his gaze on the ground for a moment, slow nods coming from him. He then trailed his gaze upward, squinting his eyes as he made out the form of the other tom; Morningblue. Eureka! That was his name... Passionblaze cleared his throat, allowing a small smile to tug at the corners of his maw. ''Excellent thinking. That's completely understood. Shadowclan had been..flooded recently, and taken shelter with Riverclan for a small moment,'' He explained. It must had been harsh for the shady clan, but truthfully Passionblaze was thrilled that they were back in their own home. It created balance and peace. ''However,'' Passionblaze bowed his head. ''This is our battle, and battle alone. How fair would it be if we wiped out Windclan with four against one?'' Badly, so badly, Passionblaze wanted to win this war (which should had never started in the first place), but if they were to fight - if he were to fight, he would want it to be fair and square. Forget about help. One on one. Clan against clan. Personally, this was how Passionblaze felt when it came to fighting. As his name suggested, he was quite...Passionate, about everything; anything. ''That's just my opinion, though. We cannot just think about the win all the time. We have to think about the lives - the innocent ones that will be put in the midst of all this. Kits, elders, and the sick are all of us. Not just one clan. But, all of us. We should never weaken a home for a simple victory. But, to be honest with you? It's all up to Snowstar. It's what she wants to do, and as her loyal mates, we will fight alongside her. '' Passionblaze wasn't in control of this battle, but Snowstar was. If she sought help from the other clans, Passionblaze would be by her side to sort arrangements out. He also knew that perhaps the other clans wouldn't want to be involved in such...bloodshed. As a leader, you would avoid every horrific conflict to protect your clan mates. ''Trust me, I do understand where you're coming from; it's a wonderful reason, after all! But, do you understand where I am coming from? We all may be enemies, we all may not get along, but we always - must always become a team. We have our difficulties, but in the end we might as well all hang separately, or together.'' The words were out in the open, and Morningblue could take the deadly truth as he saw it. ''Besides, we all just finished a surprised attack,'' An easy one, for sure. The syndicate cats were no match, at all. ''And, we're all recuperating. We're getting ready for another battle, but the other three clans most likely wouldn't want to...help out.'' Though the help would be appreciated. On the other hand, this all was simple opinion, and Passionblaze knew he could be wrong; maybe the other clans would want to offer their aid. Passionblaze secretly wished that Snowstar and Blazingstar would put their differences aside, stop being bitter about the past, stop fighting like two kits over a moss ball, and declare the battle off. Simply throw the battle away. There was no way Passionblaze wanted to fight again, but he knew that if he needed to, then he would. No questions asked.

[PeaFlower]

Originally Posted by Okapi

Ivypaw could feel something being pressed onto her. She heard the meow of a cat, she attempted to speak, but all that came out was blood so she closed her mouth, she struggled to open her amber eyes, but nothing opened, she risked opening her mouth,” Mama.” She whispered as blood gushed out of her mouth. She whimpered in pain, she’d be recovering soon, ofcourse, right?
@PeaFlower (She RPs the mother of Ivypaw)

Cedarflower practically barged into the the medicine den, her usual light steps giving way to a desperate trample of sorts. Her long fur was more messed up than usual and anyone who didn't know her well would think she had lost it, which wasn't far from the truth, really.
Her green eyes were wide and filled with panic, her tail lashing left and right and her heart beating loud and fast as the brown she-cat looked around the den for her daughter, her little kitten.
When her gaze settled on Ivypaw's body, covered in cobwebs and blood, she let out a muffled wail, taking hasty steps in her daughter's direction.
She would have just up and went right next to her, had it not been for her distressed mind finally registering what was going on, and that she wasn't alone in the den.
She looked at Caliapaw, her eyes scanning the ThunderClan medicine cat's features, trying to see if she was allowed a little bit of hope, or if there was really nothing to do for her daughter. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to decipher the other cat's expression. Her gaze went back to Ivypaw, her panic finally starting to fade away, letting a sorrowful void settle inside the mother's mind.
Tears started to well up inside her eyes, and her stomach was filled with dread. She tried to ignore it all, ignore her emotions. She closed her eyes shut and took a deep breath, though she struggled doing so, and managed to regain a little bit of composure, but her frantic breathing and flattened ears threatened her real state of mind.
She opened her eyes again, and, not looking away from her daughter, she tried to speak up, her voice trembling ever so slightly.
"I ... when I heard that her mentor had dropped her off here I- " She took a sharp intake of breath. "I'm sorry I came in so suddenly I just-" She tore her gaze off from her daughter's bloodied form, and finally looked Caliapaw in the eyes. "Tell me. Be honest. Be harshly honest. Please ... do you think she's gonna make it ?" The last bit of her sentence came out as a broken sob, as Cedarflower looked pleadingly at the medicine cat.

@Lonestar23

(Is this alright, or is it too much ? I'm really tired at the moment so I don't know if I went a bit overboard with it ... )

[oats]

@lonestar23

She was huddled, practically shrinking into herself in an attempt to hide from the cold. However much Milkweed tried to deny the fact that she was anything but pure Thunderclan blood flowing through her veins, she was rather forcefully reminded that her pelt was just way too thin to help shield her from the cold. The bicoloured molly shivered bitterly.

Milkweed turned her eyes to the sky, face beginning to squash into a squinting sort of grimace as she braced her eyes against the sun’s bright light.

It was no longer a warming, mother-like comfort, and more of a dour reminder that greenleaf was only too far away. She was sick of it; sick of cold prey, sick of lakes frozen over. They only served as funny a of clock, except nobody was laughing. The waters were perhaps the worst thing, though. Perchpaw’s spirit could’ve been submerged in any of those lakes now.

The memory of him was hazy, at best. For all she knew, he could have never existed. The details of his face had foregone her mind, only the fact that he was dead and a dirty, cowardly Windclanner had watched on at the border. His favourite prey was vole, his eyes were the brightest blue. All she remembered about his voice was how it sounded as the inlet’s claws dragged him down into its gaping maw. She didn’t like to think about it, if that wasn’t obvious enough.

Despite all of that, her suppressed memories and the feelings that came with them leaked into the grey, wet day. Head between her paws, Milkweed sighed. Again. She would go insane if there was yet another sunhigh like this tomorrow.

[lone]

Originally Posted by goose

@lonestar23

She was huddled, practically shrinking into herself in an attempt to hide from the cold. However much Milkweed tried to deny the fact that she was anything but pure Thunderclan blood flowing through her veins, she was rather forcefully reminded that her pelt was just way too thin to help shield her from the cold. The bicoloured molly shivered bitterly.

Milkweed turned her eyes to the sky, face beginning to squash into a squinting sort of grimace as she braced her eyes against the sun’s bright light.

It was no longer a warming, mother-like comfort, and more of a dour reminder that greenleaf was only too far away. She was sick of it; sick of cold prey, sick of lakes frozen over. They only served as funny a of clock, except nobody was laughing. The waters were perhaps the worst thing, though. Perchpaw’s spirit could’ve been submerged in any of those lakes now.

The memory of him was hazy, at best. For all she knew, he could have never existed. The details of his face had foregone her mind, only the fact that he was dead and a dirty, cowardly Windclanner had watched on at the border. His favourite prey was vole, his eyes were the brightest blue. All she remembered about his voice was how it sounded as the inlet’s claws dragged him down into its gaping maw. She didn’t like to think about it, if that wasn’t obvious enough.

Despite all of that, her suppressed memories and the feelings that came with them leaked into the grey, wet day. Head between her paws, Milkweed sighed. Again. She would go insane if there was yet another sunhigh like this tomorrow.

A multicolored feline padded into the clearing, her amber eyes bright and alert. Amberflame was often alert at this time of the day - more so then in the afternoons, when everyone was up and more vigilant. In early morning, there were less cats up and the cats who were up needed to be on guard. Amberflame did not take being a warrior lightly - her responsibilities were always her first priority. The cold didn't bother her - a downy, soft pelt was her protection against it and so she was able to do more things more efficiently during the colder moons. Such as now. Leaf-bare was the worst season, to her, and it wasn't just the prey shortage or the snow, but how unwilling some of the other cats seemed. Greenleaf and leaf-fall were good times of year, when the weather wasn't scorching hot or bitter cold.

Spotting Milkweed in another corner of the clearing, Amberflame's expression changed. What was this cat doing? Padding over briskly, her eyes fell on the other cat and she settled down nearby, her tail wrapped around her paws. "Good morning." She mewed in a low, careful voice, although her expression was partly angry. It wasn't anything personal - that was just how the she cat normally looked. Angry and irritated at the world around her, her tail twitching with that anger at times. "Have you been hunting this morning?" She asked in an attempt to not only make conversation, but get a glimpse of what this feline was like.

For Amberflame there were two types of cats: those who were productive, got up early and did their duties, and those who lounged around, spreading their duties throughout the day or not doing them at all. Amberflame was the first of these cats. An icy wind blew through her coat - she shivered, but otherwise, her expression did not change. Milkweed's own pelt was quite thin and looked like it wouldn't protect her against anything - let alone the cold winds of leafbare.

[Charmer]

Originally Posted by Constellation

Despite the apathetic demeanor that the other tom was giving, Passionblaze kept a rather friendly gaze in his eyes. His job was to listen, to take action, and to keep the others safe. He viewed himself as a one-sided friend to all cats - outside or inside the clan. Passionblaze was not the type of cat to make enemies, on his behalf. As he settled into a comfortable position, with his tail lazily thumping quietly behind him, Passionblaze tilted his head from one side to another. From left to right. Slowly, nodding, taking in the information that his comrade was giving him. ''Mhm,'' Passionblaze hummed. ''I see,'' Now, it was his turn to think. It made sense - with the upcoming battle, they would need allies. Shadowclan and Riverclan would be good neighboring clans to work with. Passionblaze blinked, his gaze on the ground for a moment, slow nods coming from him. He then trailed his gaze upward, squinting his eyes as he made out the form of the other tom; Morningblue. Eureka! That was his name... Passionblaze cleared his throat, allowing a small smile to tug at the corners of his maw. ''Excellent thinking. That's completely understood. Shadowclan had been..flooded recently, and taken shelter with Riverclan for a small moment,'' He explained. It must had been harsh for the shady clan, but truthfully Passionblaze was thrilled that they were back in their own home. It created balance and peace. ''However,'' Passionblaze bowed his head. ''This is our battle, and battle alone. How fair would it be if we wiped out Windclan with four against one?'' Badly, so badly, Passionblaze wanted to win this war (which should had never started in the first place), but if they were to fight - if he were to fight, he would want it to be fair and square. Forget about help. One on one. Clan against clan. Personally, this was how Passionblaze felt when it came to fighting. As his name suggested, he was quite...Passionate, about everything; anything. ''That's just my opinion, though. We cannot just think about the win all the time. We have to think about the lives - the innocent ones that will be put in the midst of all this. Kits, elders, and the sick are all of us. Not just one clan. But, all of us. We should never weaken a home for a simple victory. But, to be honest with you? It's all up to Snowstar. It's what she wants to do, and as her loyal mates, we will fight alongside her. '' Passionblaze wasn't in control of this battle, but Snowstar was. If she sought help from the other clans, Passionblaze would be by her side to sort arrangements out. He also knew that perhaps the other clans wouldn't want to be involved in such...bloodshed. As a leader, you would avoid every horrific conflict to protect your clan mates. ''Trust me, I do understand where you're coming from; it's a wonderful reason, after all! But, do you understand where I am coming from? We all may be enemies, we all may not get along, but we always - must always become a team. We have our difficulties, but in the end we might as well all hang separately, or together.'' The words were out in the open, and Morningblue could take the deadly truth as he saw it. ''Besides, we all just finished a surprised attack,'' An easy one, for sure. The syndicate cats were no match, at all. ''And, we're all recuperating. We're getting ready for another battle, but the other three clans most likely wouldn't want to...help out.'' Though the help would be appreciated. On the other hand, this all was simple opinion, and Passionblaze knew he could be wrong; maybe the other clans would want to offer their aid. Passionblaze secretly wished that Snowstar and Blazingstar would put their differences aside, stop being bitter about the past, stop fighting like two kits over a moss ball, and declare the battle off. Simply throw the battle away. There was no way Passionblaze wanted to fight again, but he knew that if he needed to, then he would. No questions asked.

"You mean like the innocent lives Blazingstar put in danger when he challenged another clan to battle just before leafbare? He made that choice. Not Snowstar. Blazingstar. We may not be able to stop a fool from throwing away the lives of his clanmates, but should Thunderclan suffer losses of life because of his foolishness?" The tom's tail gave a lash. He took a breath and closed his eyes to calm himself. "I do understand where you're coming from, Passionblaze. But my sister...she's the only family I have and she just gave birth to kits. I have their safety to think about now. And her mate's safety. Can you blame me for searching for the chance at a solid victory. One that doesn't just keep them safe, but all the kits of Thunderclan? And as noble as it may sound to assume the two clans will face off alone, suppose Windclan doesn't do the same. Then what?" The proud tom lowered his gaze, "Still I know the choice is up to you. I'll do my duty as a warrior regardless." And that was the truth, Morningblue would obey the wishes of his leader and the deputy because that was what a good warrior did.