WindClan: Life Before 2023's Fire

[lio]

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

[wren]

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

how many cats want to be deputy?

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

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

[sunflowers.]

Originally Posted by Lilyfur2

Runningkit smiled. She bounced into her home paws, thinking backwards. She stood up, smiling despite her clumsiness.
"Yes, lets! Lets!"

"I'll be the patrol leader!" He mewed confidently, puffing out his chest.

[|+sari+|]

Originally Posted by Starstruck

He sighed, sad to see his companion go but happy to be alone with his thoughts. "I think I'll just stay out here..." He gazed at the stars, wondering if he would go there soon- would he die in a battle? Or would Starclan allow him a mate first- maybe even kits? He hoped so. For now, though, he was happy just to have his friends and family with him.

Owldust smiled softly and nodded, leaning down to give Embercry a friendly lick between the ears. "I'll see you tomorrow, then." and with that, he turned and slipped inside the warrior's den.

{Ack! Sorry this is so late, and so short. Want to end the rp here?}

[Vessel]

Originally Posted by |+Tired Rose Child+|

Owldust smiled softly and nodded, leaning down to give Embercry a friendly lick between the ears. "I'll see you tomorrow, then." and with that, he turned and slipped inside the warrior's den.

{Ack! Sorry this is so late, and so short. Want to end the rp here?}

(Sure! And it's fine, I always make short stuff!)

[The Cannibal]

@Slushie

After receiving his apprentice name, Simmerpaw wasn't exactly sure how he felt. It was too soon after his own fathers death for anything to really settle in. And he wasn't even necessarily sad about Blazingstar's true passing, maybe a little angry even. Angry that he barely got to know his father, angry that he didn't get to learn anything from him or show him his skills. If he was sad, it was more so for his own siblings and his mother, he knew Prairiepaw was very torn up about it, but he couldn't bring himself to grieve. The golden tom got sick and died, that's what cats did whether you wanted them to or not. And after that, they were just gone, sent to the earth and nothing more ever comes from them.
'Who is this Goldfeather? I've never heard of him,' thought the young tom, his pale green eyes sweeping the cats of the clearing for his new mentor. They hadn't really been introduced, but the crowd from the ceremony was clearing, the noise dying down so they could have a proper conversation. Sitting with his back perfectly straight and chin tilted slightly upwards, Simmerpaw flicked the tip of his tail. 'Surely I was assigned a cat who is competent enough to teach me. I'm better than the others, so obviously they would have to put a good warrior with me.'

There was an air of pride about the young cat, the way he held himself. He was proud of who he was, he knew what he was capable of (in terms of acting and thinking). This tom acted much older than what he was, and no one knew why. He just seemed to grasp things easier than most, he had a knack for understanding cats and how they acted. Acting was a joy of his, he liked to see how far he could go, what he could make other cats believe. One day, he hoped he could be a good enough actor to where other cats would believe every act he put on. That way he could get close to anyone he wanted to, be a cat of many faces, make it confusing for everyone so they never quite knew who he was. He enjoyed confusion. It fueled him. Discord was fun and so was chaos, but only when it benefited him. He thought about it too much, the future, being so good at acting that he could convince anyone of anything.. The things he could do with that. His eyes flickered briefly with delight as he thought about it before he realized he still hadn't seen Goldfeather. Letting out an exasperated breath, the gold and white tabby continued to rake the clearing with his gaze.

[The Cannibal]

Originally Posted by SuspiciousMindz

The painful wailing of Simmerpaw's sibling came to curt end as she felt her toes getting nibbled on. The ginger molly shot upwards and turned to see her brother. "Not now Simmerpaw!" Prairiepaw mumbled, eyes dropping to the ground. "Don't you understand? Dad is dead! We won't see him again until we join StarClan..." Tears threatened to pour down her face again, she felt so much grief, she didn't know how to process it.

For a brief moment the tom had thought he had done good by stopping her wailing, but no, she was still upset. Of course he mostly expected that, you couldn't just get rid of someones grief with simple toe nibbles. Especially not when the grief is incurred by your father's passing. Though he wanted to continue the nibbles, to try and get her laughing, he would listen to her mumbled words and stop. Sitting up, he would maneuver a bit closer to her, briefly pressing his nose to her shoulder. There wasn't any amusement on his face anymore, or anything sunny or warm about it. If anything, Simmerpaw looked resigned, maybe even a bit tired.
At the mention of Starclan, he gritted his teeth. Starclan wasn't real. It was just a tale told by the queens, a fairytale told to give cats hope that they weren't just gone when they died. But he knew a time and a place to argue, this was not either of those. Prairiepaw was distraught by the death and she didn't need to be further distraught with him telling her the truth (in his mind anyways). "I understand Prairiepaw, I am not some dumb kit. But what you have to understand is that we still have mom, and you still have me. Dad is gone, but you are not alone and you will not be," though the words were blunt, they were said softly. "I know that you are sad because he is gone, but you will always have me." He looked into her eyes with a warmness that seemed genuine, and likely was. He wasn't normally genuine with other cats, but he was at least so towards his family. "You can stay in my nest tonight if you have trouble sleeping."

[dino.]

@The Cannibal

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

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

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

[Moon Lily]

Originally Posted by Nebby

"I'll be the patrol leader!" He mewed confidently, puffing out his chest.

Runningkit smiled, and stood parallel to him, puffing out her chest as well.
"And I'll be a warrior who can defeat every fox and badger in sight!" She mewed cheerfully.

[sunflowers.]

Originally Posted by Lilyfur2

Runningkit smiled, and stood parallel to him, puffing out her chest as well.
"And I'll be a warrior who can defeat every fox and badger in sight!" She mewed cheerfully.

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