WindClan: Life Before 2023's Fire

[Tavvi]

Originally Posted by Midgefur

Chestnutkit's sappy look hooked the tom's heart, and he stifled a small chuckle as the brown tabby leaned against his toes. The little round face, the black-edged pink nose, bright round eyes... As much as Gorsebird chided him about starting a family, Harrierclaw was a sucker for kittens.
"Don't worry, I'm sure Ni.. Sw.. I'm sure they'll come over to see you too, Chestnut." He gave a nod and was about to look for the rest of the kit's mouse when his mother's tangy tone rustled his ear fur. Her first question had the warrior frozen on the spot and the second ensured that the tom wouldn't be able to meet her sharp gaze. What had he been doing? Newleaf seemed like a blur really, the same thing day in, day out... Stuck in a rut with no sense of time for who knows how long. But that wasn't something the tom could excuse himself for; he clamped his teeth down on his tongue and felt the base of his tail prickle. He was always one to fall into the torbie's paws, but that wasn't all.

At the mention of Stormglare, Harrierclaw did break away, his hazel eyes making their way to his Mothers'. The shock on his face was probably more emotion than he'd expressed in the last season. Was he really gone? He hadn't took the time to really get to know his stepfather, and now he was gone? The warrior's tail slumped into the grass with little sound. What could he say now? It would surely be too late for anything meaningful, but the bomb had been dropped and Harrierclaw was left wide-eyed like a fish.
"Mother, I..." He licked his nose in an attempt to stay composed, "I'm sorry you had to go through that without us."

The hope that her sons would bond was a small one. Gorsebird honestly didn't care one way or another. How could she, when the very nature of the life the clans lived dictated that you could be perfectly healthy one day and dead as dirt the next? Gorsebird wasn't a bitter cat, but she sure as Starclan wasn't a happy one. She then let out a brief snort at Harrierclaw's reassurance to Chestnutkit about Sweetwhisker, shaking her head. Her mind contemplated even going into a rant on the subject but decided against if only to save it for another time.
Gorsebird knew, of course, Harrierclaw wasn't going to answer her questions. Her son had always been a shy little thing and she doubted that would ever truly changed. It would be a lie, however, to say she didn't enjoy to a point the anxiousness she caused in him. She was the hunter and he was the stunned bird. How fun. She then held back a laugh before remembering she had just mentioned her beloved mate had died and had to be unhappy for obvious reasons. Putting on the show, she continued to sniffle and frown before kicking it up a notch. "Oh, Harrierclaw, I-I-I'm sorry but s-s-s-so...sorry doesn't wipe the moon o--o-o-o..of tears away!" She wept, starting to tremble as her teardux went into high gear. "T-t-t-tawnykit died, and now my sweet Stormglare died. You haven't e-even met the other four kits yet...a-a-are you j-just waiting f-f-for them t-t-to die too!?" She inquired clearly hysterical as she did.

@Panda

[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by Cosmo

Weaselshade would not describe himself as wandering. No he knew what he was doing, he was looking for prey. At least he thought he was. He was walking around the territory crouched rather low to the ground but he had no idea what he was hunting for. He could smell prey but it certainly wasn't anywhere near him. After wandering a little farther Weaselshade picked up a trace of mouse scent. He walked towards it and as soon as it was in his sight he pounced. Weaselshade bit down on the mouses neck. Maybe I should head back to camp... He turned and began to head towards camp.
His kits were about to apprenticed, and Weaselshade was beginning to feel useless. He knew that every warrior was important to the clan but he didn't really feel like he had the right to visit his kits in the nursery so near their apprenticeship. But that didn't change the fact that he really wanted to visit them... and Fawnfern.
Weaselshade was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't see Fawnfern, and ran right into her. He jumped back in surprise and dropped the mouse he was carrying. Without looking at the cat he bumped into, he bent down to grab the mouse. "I'm sorry!" He said immediately, "I didn't see you there." When Weaselshade saw who it was he dropped his gaze. Fawnfern? After a few seconds he looked back at her. "Fawnfern, I didn't, uhm, expect to see you there."

Fawnfern had been getting a little too serious with her game. She never played before, so this was an entirely new experience that gave her heart the adrenaline it needed to make all her troubles collapse behind her. She wasn't fast or nimble like a natural born Windclanner. Her legs were still a bit stubby from lack of exercise and bearing kits. However, she still ran after the blowing flower as if she was one with the wind - until she had got the wind knocked out of her. She rolled after another tumbled into her, smacking down on her side with a harsh 'thud'. She was ready to shoot back up and give the lecture of her life to whoever this other was! Her blue eyes blinked opened, pale and lucid, until they met a familiar face. Her look of irate dropped at the sight of him. Admittedly, she was doing her best to avoid him since the kits were becoming apprentices. There were no reason for the two of them to have any interaction, the only strings attached were their kits. She blinked, looking down at her paws for a moment before flicking them back up. ''Yeah, I didn't expect to see my own self here.'' She tried to provide a light joke, but end up failing. It was rather awkward... ''I needed some fresh air after being cooped up in the nursery for a long time. I might as well start losing this weight, don't you think?'' She flicked her tail, straining a smile before she noticed his prey. He must had been out hunting - a skill she'd never possess. Frankly, she didn't know whether or not she wanted to learn.

[Empress Of Evil]

@Celestial
[Might be a bit short. I'm not that good at starter posts ^^']

A black and white she-cat sat in a quiet part of the camp clearing, a scowl resting upon her face as usual. In front of her lay a pile of bones, shaven of the flesh that once clung onto them and stained red from the blood. Winterwisp ran her tongue over her teeth, licking away any red colouring on her teeth.
The warrior was sitting by herself (as she normally would) enjoying a meal by herself. Alone again, she thought. She didn’t feel particularly sad or happy at this thought. By now, Winterwisp had gotten used to eating by herself. At first, no one had wanted to eat with her for no apparent reason, but nowadays, no one wanted to eat with her because she made herself a simply unpleasant cat to be around. She didn’t mind though….not much at least. It was a little boring if she were to be honest. She couldn’t remember ever being able to sit down with a clanmate and have a civil conversation. Since a young age, Winterwisp had already become a bitter cat and she knew it. She had put any hope of being nice behind her and kept to what she was best at; shoving other cats away from her. Perhaps one day the warrior would try and change, try and become a better cat. But for now she was happy to put up with the lonely life she was living. She had been living like this for so long that she had forgotten what it was like to be happy. She had thought about not letting her life go to total waste and actually trying to do something about her misery, but the question was, did she really want to open herself up again? Do I really want to open up to the cats who pushed me away first? Winterwisp stared out across the clearing to see cats laughing and talking with each other. No. They were all having fun and being friendly by the looks of it, but no one had come up to her and tried to invite her over. It just wasn’t the life for her. The warrior honestly couldn’t imagine herself being nice either.

Now finished with her meal, she pushed the pile of bones aside so that she could deal with it later. She lowered herself towards the ground, using the long blades of grass to cushion her body. She rested her chin on her paws, which were crossed over. Her pale green hues stared out into the distance, her mouth a thin line on her face. She never smiled. The closest she ever went to a smile was a straight line.
The sun was just a bit past the middle, meaning that the afternoon would be approaching soon and she would have to leave to go hunting soon. She didn’t have to go hunting, but it wasn’t as if she had anything else to do. She hadn’t been assigned anything to do later so she had the rest of the day to herself, to do as she pleased. The warrior wasn’t the type to go about playing pranks on her clanmates and waste her time in such a stupid manner. Plus, she doubted that her clanmates would laugh with her if she pranked them. Winterwisp wasn’t popular among her clanmates so they’d probably just be mad, no matter how funny it’d be. The she-cat considered herself too mature to be playing pranks anyway. She’d already grown up and her brain had matured long ago, now wasn’t the time to suddenly be childish again.
Growling at herself, the she-cat pushed her thoughts away. She was here to relax! Not get distracted by everything she wanted to forget about. Winterwisp was (surprisingly) in a good mood. At least, a better mood than usual. She wasn’t happy. No, she had basically lost the ability to be happy. She was content with her life. Why? She wasn’t too sure. Perhaps she hadn’t had to snap at anyone for getting in her way yet. Oh wait no, that wasn’t right. She’d hissed at one of the elders when they’d pushed past her on her way to the fresh kill pile. But other than that, she found that she hadn’t to be as violent as usual. It was strange to be honest, Winterwisp found that she always had to snap at least two cats every day. It wasn’t a normal day if she didn’t. She hadn’t had an abnormal day in forever.


---------------------


@Charmer

A young Abyssinian padded into the camp, a blackbird hanging limply from her jaws. Her yellow hues were narrowed and piercing, focused on the ground. Cats noticed her glare as she padded forward and moved out of her way as she walked towards the fresh kill pile. Two kits that were playing in front of the fresh kill pile didn’t seem to notice the approaching apprentice. Caracalpaw darkened her stare even more and cleared her throat upon reaching the last two cats who stood between her and the fresh kill pile. They finally noticed her when her shadow fell upon then and they immediately ran away with high pitched squeals. Caracalpaw had loomed over the two kits, obviously scaring them.
The she-cat was one of the older apprentices now and it wouldn’t be long before she became a warrior. Her mentor had even said in their last training session that after a few more sessions, she would assess her skills. Although she hadn’t smiled on the outside, Caracalpaw was secretly very pleased. She was excited to be a warrior. She couldn’t wait to have her own way and boss the younger cats around. She was even excited by the thought of training an apprentice, although she doubted that Blazingstar would give her an apprentice when she was just a young warrior. But despite that, she was pleased with her efforts and excited for the day that she passed her warrior assessment and achieved her warrior name. It wasn’t just that, but she was excited to leave all her memories of apprenticehood behind her. There were lots of things that she would like to forget about but with her current rank, she found it hard to forget. But she did want to change and she wanted to be the way she had been before.

Caracalpaw deposited her kill at the fresh kill pile before grabbing a much smaller piece of prey. With the mouse clutched tightly in her jaws, she moved away and found a spot to sit. It was on top of a large rock that was flat enough at the top that two cats could fit with enough personal space. Bunching her muscles, she hopped up before circling and sitting down. In a few moments, the mouse was gone. A pile of bones and entrails were all that remained of the animal.
The russet furred she-cat lay down on the rock and positioned herself so that the sun hit her back and quickly warmed it. She curled in close to herself and tucked her tail beneath her nose so she become a small circle of fur. She looked as if though she were asleep. The only sign she gave that she wasn’t really sleeping was her yellow hues, which were blankly staring straight ahead.

[Charmer]

Originally Posted by Empress Of Evil

@Celestial
[Might be a bit short. I'm not that good at starter posts ^^']




@Charmer

A young Abyssinian padded into the camp, a blackbird hanging limply from her jaws. Her yellow hues were narrowed and piercing, focused on the ground. Cats noticed her glare as she padded forward and moved out of her way as she walked towards the fresh kill pile. Two kits that were playing in front of the fresh kill pile didn’t seem to notice the approaching apprentice. Caracalpaw darkened her stare even more and cleared her throat upon reaching the last two cats who stood between her and the fresh kill pile. They finally noticed her when her shadow fell upon then and they immediately ran away with high pitched squeals. Caracalpaw had loomed over the two kits, obviously scaring them.
The she-cat was one of the older apprentices now and it wouldn’t be long before she became a warrior. Her mentor had even said in their last training session that after a few more sessions, she would assess her skills. Although she hadn’t smiled on the outside, Caracalpaw was secretly very pleased. She was excited to be a warrior. She couldn’t wait to have her own way and boss the younger cats around. She was even excited by the thought of training an apprentice, although she doubted that Blazingstar would give her an apprentice when she was just a young warrior. But despite that, she was pleased with her efforts and excited for the day that she passed her warrior assessment and achieved her warrior name. It wasn’t just that, but she was excited to leave all her memories of apprenticehood behind her. There were lots of things that she would like to forget about but with her current rank, she found it hard to forget. But she did want to change and she wanted to be the way she had been before.

Caracalpaw deposited her kill at the fresh kill pile before grabbing a much smaller piece of prey. With the mouse clutched tightly in her jaws, she moved away and found a spot to sit. It was on top of a large rock that was flat enough at the top that two cats could fit with enough personal space. Bunching her muscles, she hopped up before circling and sitting down. In a few moments, the mouse was gone. A pile of bones and entrails were all that remained of the animal.
The russet furred she-cat lay down on the rock and positioned herself so that the sun hit her back and quickly warmed it. She curled in close to herself and tucked her tail beneath her nose so she become a small circle of fur. She looked as if though she were asleep. The only sign she gave that she wasn’t really sleeping was her yellow hues, which were blankly staring straight ahead.

Thistledown was still waking up, his eyes bleary from sleep as he made his way into the clearing. Ever since he had received his warrior name, his days seemed much less eventful. He still had to do the same amount of work, but now that he wasn't waking up early to train with Ambercloud, he had settled into a routine of going on afternoon hunting patrols and evening border patrols. It fit him nicely. He was not a morning cat. The young tom smacked his dry lips, as he blindly snatched the first item off the well-stocked freshkill pile he could reach. A blackbird. It was no rabbit, but it would do. With eyes half-lidded he shuffled over to his favorite sunning spot. The gray tom had his whole day laid out: he'd fill his belly, hunt, go with the afternoon border patrol, then the evening, have another meal, bed, and do the whole thing again tomorrow. It may not have been an exciting life, but it was on his terms and he liked that. He knew it wouldn't always be this simple. Though he was still too new to the warrior's den to expect to be given an apprentice anytime soon, he knew it was only a matter of time. Thistledown was so absorbed in his thoughts that when he reached his favorite sunning spot, he almost tripped over the cat already occupying the beam. The small warrior stared at the intruder, his amber eyes flicking nervously back and forth. He knew the shecat was an apprentice since she was big enough to be a warrior but he hadn't seen her in the warriors den. He supposed that meant he outranked her, technically. Could he tell her to move? Would that work? He set the blackbird gingerly on the ground and stared at the shecat, standing awkwardly for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. "Um. Hi?" It was the best he could do.

[Cosmo]

Originally Posted by Brilliance

Fawnfern had been getting a little too serious with her game. She never played before, so this was an entirely new experience that gave her heart the adrenaline it needed to make all her troubles collapse behind her. She wasn't fast or nimble like a natural born Windclanner. Her legs were still a bit stubby from lack of exercise and bearing kits. However, she still ran after the blowing flower as if she was one with the wind - until she had got the wind knocked out of her. She rolled after another tumbled into her, smacking down on her side with a harsh 'thud'. She was ready to shoot back up and give the lecture of her life to whoever this other was! Her blue eyes blinked opened, pale and lucid, until they met a familiar face. Her look of irate dropped at the sight of him. Admittedly, she was doing her best to avoid him since the kits were becoming apprentices. There were no reason for the two of them to have any interaction, the only strings attached were their kits. She blinked, looking down at her paws for a moment before flicking them back up. ''Yeah, I didn't expect to see my own self here.'' She tried to provide a light joke, but end up failing. It was rather awkward... ''I needed some fresh air after being cooped up in the nursery for a long time. I might as well start losing this weight, don't you think?'' She flicked her tail, straining a smile before she noticed his prey. He must had been out hunting - a skill she'd never possess. Frankly, she didn't know whether or not she wanted to learn.

Weaselshade sat there for a while, studying his paws. When she tried to make a joke, he laughed in a way that made it obvious he didn't find it funny. Awkward... He looked at his paws, the caramel and tan color of his fur exactly like Raccoonkit, slightly lighter than his son's. He glanced at Fawnfern, noting how similar she was to Clearkit, soon to be Clearpaw. He smiled at the thought of his son and daughters, about how fun it was to visit them in the nursery and watch them play with each other from Fawnfern's nest. Sometimes he would play with them in the clearing, though it was rare for them to ever venture far from the nursery, especially due to their mother's preference of the comfortable and safe den.
Weaselshade nodded along with what she was saying and tried to laugh at what sounded like a joke, the thing about losing weight. He watched as she glanced at the mouse. Suddenly he just spoke randomly, "You know you could always learn how to hunt." After he said that he instantly felt weird. Surely Fawnfern knew how to hunt, I mean she was cat. What if he had insulted her? What if she didn't know how to how to hunt, would she still be insulted? He sure hoped not because when Fawnfern got mad she got mad. Like really mad.

[fresh]

Originally Posted by Strange Rainbow

Birdrose let out a few sniffles, before coughing for her sister to give her some space. "I need to tell you who the father is, but I think we should go somewhere more private. I don't want anybody to hear." meowed the younger molly. The warrior starred at the nursery, standing there wondering if she should move in there or not.

Ambercloud stepped back to give her room, solemn pity lacing her amber eyes. She nodded carefully at the request, turning slightly and beginning to walk toward the camp entrance, her tail swaying as she gestured for Birdrose to follow. She had a sneaking suspicion she knew what had happened with her sister, but wasn't ready to speak out about it. The she-cat had no clue who the tom was, but she had compiled a mental list of most of the flirts in WindClan. He had to be on it, surely.

[Panda]

Originally Posted by Tavvi

The hope that her sons would bond was a small one. Gorsebird honestly didn't care one way or another. How could she, when the very nature of the life the clans lived dictated that you could be perfectly healthy one day and dead as dirt the next? Gorsebird wasn't a bitter cat, but she sure as Starclan wasn't a happy one. She then let out a brief snort at Harrierclaw's reassurance to Chestnutkit about Sweetwhisker, shaking her head. Her mind contemplated even going into a rant on the subject but decided against if only to save it for another time.
Gorsebird knew, of course, Harrierclaw wasn't going to answer her questions. Her son had always been a shy little thing and she doubted that would ever truly changed. It would be a lie, however, to say she didn't enjoy to a point the anxiousness she caused in him. She was the hunter and he was the stunned bird. How fun. She then held back a laugh before remembering she had just mentioned her beloved mate had died and had to be unhappy for obvious reasons. Putting on the show, she continued to sniffle and frown before kicking it up a notch. "Oh, Harrierclaw, I-I-I'm sorry but s-s-s-so...sorry doesn't wipe the moon o--o-o-o..of tears away!" She wept, starting to tremble as her teardux went into high gear. "T-t-t-tawnykit died, and now my sweet Stormglare died. You haven't e-even met the other four kits yet...a-a-are you j-just waiting f-f-for them t-t-to die too!?" She inquired clearly hysterical as she did.

@Panda

Originally Posted by Midgefur

Chestnutkit's sappy look hooked the tom's heart, and he stifled a small chuckle as the brown tabby leaned against his toes. The little round face, the black-edged pink nose, bright round eyes... As much as Gorsebird chided him about starting a family, Harrierclaw was a sucker for kittens.
"Don't worry, I'm sure Ni.. Sw.. I'm sure they'll come over to see you too, Chestnut." He gave a nod and was about to look for the rest of the kit's mouse when his mother's tangy tone rustled his ear fur. Her first question had the warrior frozen on the spot and the second ensured that the tom wouldn't be able to meet her sharp gaze. What had he been doing? Newleaf seemed like a blur really, the same thing day in, day out... Stuck in a rut with no sense of time for who knows how long. But that wasn't something the tom could excuse himself for; he clamped his teeth down on his tongue and felt the base of his tail prickle. He was always one to fall into the torbie's paws, but that wasn't all.

At the mention of Stormglare, Harrierclaw did break away, his hazel eyes making their way to his Mothers'. The shock on his face was probably more emotion than he'd expressed in the last season. Was he really gone? He hadn't took the time to really get to know his stepfather, and now he was gone? The warrior's tail slumped into the grass with little sound. What could he say now? It would surely be too late for anything meaningful, but the bomb had been dropped and Harrierclaw was left wide-eyed like a fish.
"Mother, I..." He licked his nose in an attempt to stay composed, "I'm sorry you had to go through that without us."

Originally Posted by Tavvi

Gorsebird shook her head frowning before lightly nipping Chestnutkit's ear again. "No, Chessie when you act this way you don't get tasty mice or to meet Sweetwhisker." Her voice was stern as she continued her deadpan stare. "Don't you 'please Mommy' me!" Gorsebird then scolded her fur bristling slightly as she started to get agitated. "And no! For the last time when you're naughty, you don't get what you want!" By now she had reached her boiling point starting to bare her teeth, as all the 'mommyish' softness she had previously melted away. She had been getting ready to lecture the kitten again before an all too familiar scent entered her nose and a rather slovenly grey and white coat entered her line of vision.

Deciding to make a move, she beamed licking Harrierclaw's cheek affectionately."Well, well, well, long time no see my little Eyass~ What have you been up to? Meeting with a silly she-cat or two, breaking hearts...breaking my heart because you haven't visited me or your new brothers and sister?" Gorsebird inquired, her tone certainly carrying a level of bitterness to it. "You know, Stormglare died...I could have really used you or Sweetwhisker to make my l-l-life a little e-easier!" She sniffled turning on the waterworks in attempt to pull a gulit trip.

Chestnutkit cowered down to his mother's harsh tone. His fur was already long, so when it began to stand on end because the tense situation, he simply looked like a big ball of fuzz. He fought his own instincts that told him to hiss, knowing it'd only dig him into a deeper grave. He had prepared himself to apologize if not just to get the mouse back, when Gorsebird's emotions seemed to completely change at the sight of her other son. He watched in confusion for a moment, which allowed his fur time to lay flat again. "But you have me, mommy! Why couldn't I help make your life easier?" He pleaded with his mother, hoping this offer may earn back the privelages she had striped from him.
As his mother continued on her rant, Chestnutkit could do no more than sit back and watch. He wasn't stunned by her emotions. He was quite used to this, in fact. She would often cry like this to Stormglare before he died, making Chestnutkit rather numb to sympathizing with her. As she went on, the only comment of her's that Chestnutkit was really shocked by was her question of 'was he just waiting for the other kits to die too.' At this comment, Chestnutkit's personality flared back up into a minor hissy-fit. "I'm not leaving to join daddy in starclan yet! Do you think I'm going to?!" He looked towards his mother with worry filling his eyes. If she had said something like that so casually, was there something about his health that she knew and he didn't? Of course, Chestnutkit was a perfectly healthy kit, but his young mind overexaggerated the situation, as it did in most scenarios.

[Midgefur]

Originally Posted by Tavvi

The hope that her sons would bond was a small one. Gorsebird honestly didn't care one way or another. How could she, when the very nature of the life the clans lived dictated that you could be perfectly healthy one day and dead as dirt the next? Gorsebird wasn't a bitter cat, but she sure as Starclan wasn't a happy one. She then let out a brief snort at Harrierclaw's reassurance to Chestnutkit about Sweetwhisker, shaking her head. Her mind contemplated even going into a rant on the subject but decided against if only to save it for another time.
Gorsebird knew, of course, Harrierclaw wasn't going to answer her questions. Her son had always been a shy little thing and she doubted that would ever truly changed. It would be a lie, however, to say she didn't enjoy to a point the anxiousness she caused in him. She was the hunter and he was the stunned bird. How fun. She then held back a laugh before remembering she had just mentioned her beloved mate had died and had to be unhappy for obvious reasons. Putting on the show, she continued to sniffle and frown before kicking it up a notch. "Oh, Harrierclaw, I-I-I'm sorry but s-s-s-so...sorry doesn't wipe the moon o--o-o-o..of tears away!" She wept, starting to tremble as her teardux went into high gear. "T-t-t-tawnykit died, and now my sweet Stormglare died. You haven't e-even met the other four kits yet...a-a-are you j-just waiting f-f-for them t-t-to die too!?" She inquired clearly hysterical as she did.

@Panda

Originally Posted by Panda

Chestnutkit cowered down to his mother's harsh tone. His fur was already long, so when it began to stand on end because the tense situation, he simply looked like a big ball of fuzz. He fought his own instincts that told him to hiss, knowing it'd only dig him into a deeper grave. He had prepared himself to apologize if not just to get the mouse back, when Gorsebird's emotions seemed to completely change at the sight of her other son. He watched in confusion for a moment, which allowed his fur time to lay flat again. "But you have me, mommy! Why couldn't I help make your life easier?" He pleaded with his mother, hoping this offer may earn back the privelages she had striped from him.
As his mother continued on her rant, Chestnutkit could do no more than sit back and watch. He wasn't stunned by her emotions. He was quite used to this, in fact. She would often cry like this to Stormglare before he died, making Chestnutkit rather numb to sympathizing with her. As she went on, the only comment of her's that Chestnutkit was really shocked by was her question of 'was he just waiting for the other kits to die too.' At this comment, Chestnutkit's personality flared back up into a minor hissy-fit. "I'm not leaving to join daddy in starclan yet! Do you think I'm going to?!" He looked towards his mother with worry filling his eyes. If she had said something like that so casually, was there something about his health that she knew and he didn't? Of course, Chestnutkit was a perfectly healthy kit, but his young mind overexaggerated the situation, as it did in most scenarios.

A sudden jostle near his paws caught Harrierclaw's attention and he glanced down to see Chestnutkit as round and spiked up like his namesake nut. The kitten was tense in his attempt to hold his tongue, but as soon as he spoke again, the warrior could feel the stiff air around him fade. He let out a shaking breath and concentrated on their mother, silvery white whiskers pressed firmly against his cheeks as she stuttered. Unconsciously he shook his head slow and gentle, as much as he wanted to get to know his family, it just hadn't been in him. When Gorsebird wailed her rhetorical sobs, his heart panged in his chest and the lanky tom dropped his head, stippled with guilt and cold sweat.
No, obviously he didn't want anything to come of them.

Chestnutkit's voice brought him back, and he found himself surprised at such a defiant tone from the fuzzy little cat. Harrier quickly cleared his throat, round eyes determined to make himself as sure-sounding as possible.
"Chestnutkit, you're fine, you'll make a strong apprentice yet." He meowed with a stern nod and a swish of his tail. If the other surviving littermates were doing as well as him, the rest would surely make it to apprenticehood as well.

[Empress Of Evil]

Originally Posted by Charmer

Thistledown was still waking up, his eyes bleary from sleep as he made his way into the clearing. Ever since he had received his warrior name, his days seemed much less eventful. He still had to do the same amount of work, but now that he wasn't waking up early to train with Ambercloud, he had settled into a routine of going on afternoon hunting patrols and evening border patrols. It fit him nicely. He was not a morning cat. The young tom smacked his dry lips, as he blindly snatched the first item off the well-stocked freshkill pile he could reach. A blackbird. It was no rabbit, but it would do. With eyes half-lidded he shuffled over to his favorite sunning spot. The gray tom had his whole day laid out: he'd fill his belly, hunt, go with the afternoon border patrol, then the evening, have another meal, bed, and do the whole thing again tomorrow. It may not have been an exciting life, but it was on his terms and he liked that. He knew it wouldn't always be this simple. Though he was still too new to the warrior's den to expect to be given an apprentice anytime soon, he knew it was only a matter of time. Thistledown was so absorbed in his thoughts that when he reached his favorite sunning spot, he almost tripped over the cat already occupying the beam. The small warrior stared at the intruder, his amber eyes flicking nervously back and forth. He knew the shecat was an apprentice since she was big enough to be a warrior but he hadn't seen her in the warriors den. He supposed that meant he outranked her, technically. Could he tell her to move? Would that work? He set the blackbird gingerly on the ground and stared at the shecat, standing awkwardly for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. "Um. Hi?" It was the best he could do.

The russet furred she-cat could feel fatigue pulling at her eyelids, wanting them to cover her eyes and let her drift into the grasp of sleep. It wasn't long before her eyes were only half-open. There wasn't anything particularly interesting to do when yu were just curled up in a ball, staring at whatever was in front of you, which in Caracalpaw's case was her clanmates. There was no drama, everyone seemed to be going along their usual way and everyone had something to do with themselves or another cat. Had she been bothered to, Caracalpaw would've let out a sigh. Although the thought of rest was tempting, she didn't really want to. She just wanted to let her muscles rest but still stay awake. The apprentice wanted something to happen. Even if that something was talking to another cat.

Her yellow hues flashed open again as an abrupt movement to her side caught her attention and she lifted her head slowly. Standing there was a tom. She tilted her head very slightly and examined him. She was planning on seeing if there was anything about the tom that made her recognise him, but then her gaze went to focus on the blackbird he had with him. She turned her head slowly to look at the frsh kill pile, before turning back to look at the tom. I caught that, she wanted to say aloud once she had checked that her blackbird was no longer there. The old her would've burst it out immediately without checking to see if it was really gone and started boasting about her wonderful catch. But she had changed and she wasn't as loud as she used to be. She was a lot duller. Her mind still thought the same, and it still wanted to receive some praise, but her mouth didn't want to open. She wasn't sure if she actually wanted to talk to the tom. It had been ages since she'd actually wanted to talk to anyone.

Focus, she told herself and went back to looking at the tom. He seemed somewhat familiar, but she couldn't find a name to give him. He looked like he was around her age but she had the feeling he wasn't an apprentice, else she probably would've noticed by now. Being antisocial meant that she had a lot more time to be more observant and she noticed a lot more things than she used to.

Caracalpaw realised that she had been stuck in her thoughts for a long time now, and she'd kind of just stared at the tom, never really saying anything. Should she say something? After all, it had been a while since he had first spoken so maybe he was already expecting no response. Or what if he wasn't looking for a conversation? Or but surely he had to. If he wanted to get her to do something he would've just ordered her to do so by now. But the main question in her mind, was she ready to talk? "Hello," She said at last, her voice croaky, as if she hadn't used it in a while.

[SuspiciousMindz]

It was muscle memory at this point as the leader rose to the Breezerock. The breeze around him was lovely. Greenleaf always brought the best weather, however, it was too hot for the ginger tabby sometimes. His thick fluffy pelt just kept in heat. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here beneath the Breezerock for a clan meeting!" his voice echoed across the clearing before he awaited his clan members to join him.

@Flares @Aurora Australis @RedHead
Once assembled, he addressed the incoming apprentices first. "Rustkit and Raven, please step forward," he called, his gaze resting on Raven for a moment longer. "Raven, you have left your previous life behind and joined WindClan. You seem to have settled well and we welcome you as a full member of WindClan," He had brought this kitten with him to WindClan and watched them try to fit in with the clan. He still didn't know much about the kitten's upbringing, but it seemed like a rough one just by their actions. Blazingstar felt the need to say these words to Raven before moving on to the real reason for calling him up in front of everyone. "Raven, Rustkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Rustpaw and Ravenpaw! Rustpaw mentor will be Frozenflame. I hope Frozenflame will pass down all she knows on to you," he dipped his head to the young tom before looking at Ravenpaw. "Ravenpaw, I have chosen to be your mentor," he spoke, his eyes alight with excitement and determination as if Ravenpaw were his first apprentice. He'd done well with Ferretsprint and merely wanted to continue training apprentices to still be a warrior of his clan. He gave everyone a chance to chant the names before moving on to the next ceremonies in line.

@Strange Rainbow
"Birdrose, please come forward," he called, his eyes settling on the warrior. ""I have gathered the Clan to witness the giving of your new name," he paused, letting it sink in. "Spirits of StarClan, you know every cat by name. I ask you now to take away the name from the cat you see before you, for it no longer stands for what she is. By my authority as Clan leader, and with the approval of our warrior ancestors, I give this cat a new name. From this moment on she will be known as Flowerspirit, for her way to start anew and to not be reminded of what she has been through," he spoke, dipping his head to the newly named Flowerspirit before jumping down off the Breezerock, ending the clan meeting. He went to congratulate the apprentices and the warrior before joining the clan in daily activities.