WindClan: Life Before 2023's Fire

[Caligo Everton]

Originally Posted by Dawnheart

Stormkit hissed. The four moon old kit went over to Mistkit and Pinekit, and looked at them hard. "Why are you two so hard on Rowankit? If you were born the smallest in your litter, would you like other kits to treat you the way you treat Rowankit? What if someday he became leader? You don't want a leader who holds a grudge on you from kithood."
She flicked her tail, gave them one last, long, hard look, and went over to Rowankit. "You can play with me if you want Rowankit. Don't worry. Sometimes even the smallest, or the ones made fun of the most become the greatest. Look at Firestar! He was a kittypet, but became a legendary clan leader!"

mistkit sneered and said. "what if i became a medicine cat then he would have to have me to talk to starclan. besides firestar had his looks rowankit is just an ugly undersized badger lumbering around but no hes not even a badger because he doesn't have any strength pshhh leader. him!" she turned with a flick of her tail and called over her shoulder. "besides i would much rather be like tigerstar or scorge." she chuckled at there worried faces and ran off toward pinekit her icy eyes glinting.

[patroclus]

Originally Posted by Owl

@patroclus

Windcrest wasn't so much closed off because of him, she was just extremely nervous about battle training. It brought back memories of when she was younger and how her parents bruised and bloodied her body all up when she didn't do what she was told. The she-cat felt safe with Crowheart although the tom was very childish and immature most of the time. However, there was a care-free nature to him, one she never witnessed as she was growing up. In all honesty, the pale she-cat wanted to adapt and modify that care-free nature and make it her own. She hated the way she was molded and sculpted into a submissive, anxious fae that couldn't properly express herself. She was always scared, except when it was just the two of them. Looking around the moor, seeing the grass blades wave in the wind as if they were saying hello, she smiled softly at the peace and quiet. It was so lucky that they were the only ones there. Usually, it was bouncing with mentors teaching their apprentices or patrols rallying around. Windcrest then suddenly flinched at the sudden physcial contact of Crowheart nudging her. The she-cat always flinched no matter what, although she never flinched as bad if Crowheart had touched her compared to another clan mate or cat in general. A small chuckle escaped her, smooth like honey. She gave him an amused expression when he said he was the best of the best. Rolling her eyes ever so slightly, the she-cat stopped as he did and awaited what they were going to do next.

“Now,” Crowheart sat down with a thump, the grass around him flattening under his bulky form. He rolled his shoulders absentmindedly, his muscles stretching and relaxing beneath this dark pelt as he prepared them for the training session. The tom was excited to begin, as he himself did not have an apprentice currently. He enjoyed teaching Windcrest the ways of the clan and the techniques she would need to use. He simply enjoyed having her here with him. The tom couldn’t help but directing a sweet smile towards the she cat, his own joy brightening his amber eyes. He curled his tail around his paws before lashing his tail out and repeated the process. He often found it difficult to sit still. “We aren’t going to be jumping right into the physical stuff. That often comes later. It’s important to get the specific stances and correct executions of techniques before we get into applying them. As much as I’d like to wrestle with you, I’d rather you get the steps down.” Crowheart perked his ears and got back to his paws, bouncing over to Windcrest and twitched his whiskers as he appraised her. Though the tom often came across as ditzy and naïve, Crowheart was very aware of Windcrest and the way she held herself. He knew she wasn’t very comfortable with physical contact, though he was trying to condition her to accept certain touches. Physical contact was an important part of being a clan member. They often shared tongue to share gossip and the like, being them closer together. It was important to have strong bonds in the clan, but Crowheart didn’t wish to push the nervous she. “Would you like to start with offensive training or defensive?” He left it up to her, his ears perked forwards to catch her words.

[Crumbleless]

Sparrowkit squinted his golden yellowish angrily at Mistkit. The 1 moon old hadn't expected his first time seeing to be this horrid. The black kit had expected happy kits playing with each other. Sparrowkit sighed hunching his shoulders. What a start this has been... Sparrowkit stretched out, even in his depressed state he still wanted to be slightly comforted by the warm smells of the nursery. Suddenly some spark slighted in his paws and he padded stiffly towards Mistkit and Pinekit,"You two certainly are rude. What if your mother caught you saying that to Rowankit? She would probably claw off your pelts and feed them to a Darkforest cat." Sparrowkit was a great listener and had been hearing tales of sorts told to a few of the kits he shared a den with.

Flickerkit sat in a crouch shaking in rump back and forth with his tail extended outwards as he stalked a leaf. The young kit was very exhilarated considering her had just opened his eyes not but a few days ago to find this wondrous world in which he hoped to explore. His blue eyes stared at the leaf as it moved slightly away from him. He wiggled his white rump once more before pouncing at the leaf with a yowl. It was too late though the young kit missed the leaf as a strong cold breeze of air blew through the entrance to the den. Flickerkit grunted twitching his light grey ears with annoyance."Mousedung!", The white kit spat unsheathing his thorny claws and darting after the leaf shreading it up.

[The Cannibal]

Pinekit grinned at Adderkit's enthusiastic reply, and rolled back over, standing up and smiling broadly, almost in a truly friendly manner, and he watched Adderkit. The other kit was very energetic, like most kits her age were, and probably very eager for her ceremony. Pinekit was as well, but he was able to control himself a little more; he didn't like looking overexcited, he believed it made him look foolish in a way. "Yeah, hunting will be nice...for what you said.." he mewed, almost not hearing her words and not speaking much for a moment as his voice trailed off. It was a while before he spoke again, as he gazed around the camp, looking almost longingly towards the entrance to the territory and shifting from paw to paw. He was so eager to get out and explore that he could almost have flown...although he wasn't going to until he learned Adderkit's views on the idea. If she was going to be one of those cats who kept every paw in line, he was going to have to really watch his words and actions around her. Otherwise, he wouldn't have to worry about telling her or her finding out; she would most likely abandon him and forget about hanging out with him anymore. At least in his experience, that's what it had been like. Pinekit was slightly taken aback by the force and anger that was in Adderkit's voice as she spoke, sounding almost upset at the suggestion. "Alright, alright, ok...I'm sorry I offended you," Pinekit mewed, with a short laugh. His mind was racing with furious thoughts, and he was wondering what on earth made Adderkit so...well, he wasn't even sure what to think about her! She was a good runner, certainly, and she seemed like she would make a decent apprentice, but she was so eager to follow the rules all the time! "Well, I, uh..." Pinekit began, realizing the awkward situation that he had placed himself in. Way to go, Pinekit, he thought with a snort. That's the last time I bring up the game suggestions, he thought with a sigh. He gave a slightly sheepish grin, trying to make himself look as charming and vulnerable as possible, hoping that if he did so, she wouldn't be quite so angry with him. "I have before...I mean, what would life be without a little rule breaking? If everyone always followed the Code, all the time, then everyday would be the same! There would be no excitement, no battles, no anything! You wouldn't want to become an apprentice just to find out that you never got to have any battles, would you? And then there would be no use for battle training, because no one would ever attack other than the occasional rogue, fox, or badger!" Pinekit mewed, voicing his opinion loudly. His squeaky voice was ringing out now, as he began to get carried away. "So yeah, I've snuck out of camp before- but I'm not the only kit to do so, and I won't be the last. And if you don't want to be friends with anyone who's broken or bent the rules before, well you're going to have a hard time finding any...because no one is perfect," Pinekit mewed, letting the smallest bit of his true personality through. He couldn't help it...it made him upset when cats got so frustrated about rule breakers. He stopped, his eyes going back to their original distant state and he sat down, curling his tail around his paws.

He seemed to have almost shut down, as though he didn't believe in anything anymore, as though he had disappeared. He glanced up at the sky once more, unable to say much ad his throat felt tight and dry. There was a bitter taste in his mouth, and he gave a scornful short laugh, unable to believe that he was feeling so tired and worried after his outburst. Was Adderkit just going to abandon him? Well, there goes my chances...and just for a moment, I actually thought maybe I could put aside the act for a little while, not for long, just to really get to know her...I thought maybe she would be a real friend and not judge me and act like I was the worst cat ever, but I guess that's all gone now...oh well, it doesn't really matter, I mean...I'm not the only cat to lose a friend, either. Pinekit thought to himself, with a small smile. Even his thoughts weren't cheering him up, and he avoided looking at Adderkit.

Pinekit's answer to her stating about how hunting could be exciting as well caused her to twitch her tail a bit, it gave her the impression that he hadn't actually listened to her words at all, that he had just sort of agreed with her to be done with that part of the conversation. Why do I keep getting these thoughts? She thought in frustration, frowning inwardly, she didn't want to think this other kit was bad, she wanted to think that he was a nice, friendly other kit that she'd be more than happy to hang out with. I need to stop, this is not how I should be thinking. Shaking her head a bit, she flashed a smile at the other kit instead, forcing those thoughts and accusations down and forcing herself to ignore them, she didn't want to lose a possible friend. Of course that all changed when he inquired about going outside the camp when it was strictly forbidden for kits to do so, the kit acting much more brash than she would have ever wanted to, but she had always felt like it was a matter of becoming an apprentice or being held back for who knew how many moons. As scrutinizing as ever, Adderkit almost seemed to glare at the other kit, her lips pursed tightly and her eyes glinting in a rather harsh light, the tip of her tail flicking this way and that. She didn't even realize how.. How condescending she was coming off as. She would never want to put another kit down, not even if they were rule-breakers and yet here she was. The sheepish grin was outright ignored by the yellow tabby, her nose wrinkling a bit because she knew exactly, or well, had a very good idea about what was to come out of his mouth next. Though as he began to speak, she had to blink and she finally came to the realization about how she was acting, really it was almost like she was demeaning the other kit. "Oh I..." Was all she muttered out at first, glancing down shamefully and flattening her ears, her anger dissipating like fog in daylight. "That.. Yeah.. That's true..." Her mew came out softly, glancing back up at him with an apologetic look. "Look, I-I'm... I'm sorry Pinekit, I-I... I didn't mean to.. Come off that way.." Adderkit looked back down at her paws and sagged her shoulders, it wasn't often that this energetic kit looked so defeated and ashamed. "I-It's just... Becoming an apprentice, it's.. It's really important to me.. If I had to wait any longer well... I'd just die! The shame that would fill me if I had to wait another few moons while my litter-mates went on to become apprentices, it would be indescribable. I-I.. I didn't mean to come off as so condescending and demeaning, I'm sure you're still a great kit." Her voice was gentle and filled with understanding and even hopefulness, her eyes glancing back up at him.

The young she-cat took note of his demeanor, it was hard to read but.. But he was upset. The thought that what just had happened may have totally ruined a budding friendship made Adderkit deflate even more. Suddenly she wasn't so energetic. Slowly she lowered herself to the ground and laid her chin on her forepaws, sullenly looking at the ground. I'm such a screw up. Maybe some of those cats are right, maybe I won't get anywhere in life, I'll just be the runt who can't even make a friend because I'm too stupid. Too eager to prove myself to the clan. If it was possible, she would almost seem to deflate more. All she could hope for was that Pinekit would forgive her.

[Gusty]

(@SuspiciousMindz)

Heatherbird stared at Cobraspirit for a moment, letting the words sink into her. It was just beginning to penetrate the surface of her life, and this already was horrifying. Patchkit was only a newborn; days old. This shouldn't be the last day of his life. The queen could hardly see that Cobraspirit moved closer to her in an attempt of comfort.
For a brief second, wrapped up in the cloud of misery, the queen wondered whether she should have heard the dreadful news today. After all, the starry warrior had given her a choice. The molly hadn't really been thinking of the consequences at the time; all she knew was that information would make her more prepared. Although this all would be true, Heatherbird didn't know whether this was really the wiser decision.
"I know." The molly whispered, gazing up at the translucent being. "I'll- I'll watch over Patchkit as much as I can, with the rest of my kits." Her voice trembled a bit, but she caught it at the end. "And Frogspirit..." The molly's quiet rasp droned off into silence. Even so, Heatherbird's murky blue gaze was still glued onto Cobraspirit- unwavering and undefeated. Was his pelt shimmering away into a dull mist? "You're leaving." She muttered, narrowing her orbs as the StarClan spirit seemed to vanish into thin air. Her guardian warrior had brought her back into the world of life.
For a second, everything seemed dark. Her surroundings were filled with the pitch-black malevolence of nighttime. Shaking with vigor, the queen blinked her eyes open. Her heart-racing dream was over.

[lone]

Originally Posted by Duskflight

Pinekit's answer to her stating about how hunting could be exciting as well caused her to twitch her tail a bit, it gave her the impression that he hadn't actually listened to her words at all, that he had just sort of agreed with her to be done with that part of the conversation. Why do I keep getting these thoughts? She thought in frustration, frowning inwardly, she didn't want to think this other kit was bad, she wanted to think that he was a nice, friendly other kit that she'd be more than happy to hang out with. I need to stop, this is not how I should be thinking. Shaking her head a bit, she flashed a smile at the other kit instead, forcing those thoughts and accusations down and forcing herself to ignore them, she didn't want to lose a possible friend. Of course that all changed when he inquired about going outside the camp when it was strictly forbidden for kits to do so, the kit acting much more brash than she would have ever wanted to, but she had always felt like it was a matter of becoming an apprentice or being held back for who knew how many moons. As scrutinizing as ever, Adderkit almost seemed to glare at the other kit, her lips pursed tightly and her eyes glinting in a rather harsh light, the tip of her tail flicking this way and that. She didn't even realize how.. How condescending she was coming off as. She would never want to put another kit down, not even if they were rule-breakers and yet here she was. The sheepish grin was outright ignored by the yellow tabby, her nose wrinkling a bit because she knew exactly, or well, had a very good idea about what was to come out of his mouth next. Though as he began to speak, she had to blink and she finally came to the realization about how she was acting, really it was almost like she was demeaning the other kit. "Oh I..." Was all she muttered out at first, glancing down shamefully and flattening her ears, her anger dissipating like fog in daylight. "That.. Yeah.. That's true..." Her mew came out softly, glancing back up at him with an apologetic look. "Look, I-I'm... I'm sorry Pinekit, I-I... I didn't mean to.. Come off that way.." Adderkit looked back down at her paws and sagged her shoulders, it wasn't often that this energetic kit looked so defeated and ashamed. "I-It's just... Becoming an apprentice, it's.. It's really important to me.. If I had to wait any longer well... I'd just die! The shame that would fill me if I had to wait another few moons while my litter-mates went on to become apprentices, it would be indescribable. I-I.. I didn't mean to come off as so condescending and demeaning, I'm sure you're still a great kit." Her voice was gentle and filled with understanding and even hopefulness, her eyes glancing back up at him.

The young she-cat took note of his demeanor, it was hard to read but.. But he was upset. The thought that what just had happened may have totally ruined a budding friendship made Adderkit deflate even more. Suddenly she wasn't so energetic. Slowly she lowered herself to the ground and laid her chin on her forepaws, sullenly looking at the ground. I'm such a screw up. Maybe some of those cats are right, maybe I won't get anywhere in life, I'll just be the runt who can't even make a friend because I'm too stupid. Too eager to prove myself to the clan. If it was possible, she would almost seem to deflate more. All she could hope for was that Pinekit would forgive her.[/CENTER]

Pinekit looked back at Adderkit, his thoughts seeming to be elsewhere as he did so. The young tom was almost worried looking, as though he weren't quite sure what was going on. He sometimes looked like that, and generally it was because something was wrong. The young brown tom said nothing for a while, looking upwards and then down at his paws, his tail twitching back and forth as though to build tension. Finally he fixed his gaze on her and gave a sigh. "Look, I...I'm sorry I was so harsh about that. I didn't mean to...to make you so upset, it's just...no one really trusts me, just because I've bent the rules a few times. I mean, haven't we all? Well, you may have not, but...it's just, I was really hoping that you would be different from everyone else and then when you said that, well...it made me feel like I was wrong again, like I had made another bad choice, another failure like I always do," Pinekit mewed. There was truth in his words; he was beginning to feel like perhaps it wasn't so bad to tell Adderkit some truths. After all, she had been very pleasant company so far, other than being a little extra energetic, and maybe...just maybe, he might want to put up with her longer than he had previously planned. "But I understand, I would feel the same way...I still have a little while longer to go, but I definitely get not wanting to have your ceremony put off," Pinekit mewed. He was still feeling slightly upset at her stereotype, and not quite sure of what to think. He had been put in the category of "rule breakers" all his life, but then she had called him a 'great kit,' which he was rarely called. Troublemaker, yes. Rude, yes. A bully, yes. But great? He rarely received praise, and certainly not from other kits, not with his reputation. Pinekit looked back up at the sky, as he often did. For some reason, he found watching the clouds fascinating, and it was something that he usually did to avoid awkward conversations. Pinekit sighed, his gaze following the clouds and his tail twitching back and forth, his back turned to Adderkit, saying nothing to her. Eventually he turned back to her and gave a little smile to her. "So anyway, how about doing something else...since you don't want to do...that, maybe we could play a game or something that's more active, you seem kinda bored," Pinekit mewed, with a little grin.

[SuspiciousMindz]

Patchkit was silently suckling. A rare thing. He was able to keep the milk down, let alone get it to enter his mouth. Sure, it took a while, but the small kit had to get something into his system before things ended badly. The black and white kit kept dozing in and out of consciousness. Sleep threaten to take grip on the small kit. He was exhausted, although at his mother stir, he was woken up a bit more. He could sense her distress and it only made his mewl in protest. He didn't want his mother being stressed out. She must've had a nightmare. In attempt to grab her attention, the small kit kneaded on his mother's stomach softly. Once more, Patchkit was drifting in and out of sleep.

[Nightingale]

Nightingale paw wonders away from the training Moor to the camp hoping for something good to eat... also because she was tired of not getting a response from her mentor or friend.

[Nightingale]

Nightingale paw wonders into the clearing sad from not seeing her mentor at the training moor she sits down looking glum and just overall in a bad mood.

[Jingle]

Originally Posted by Nightingale

Nightingale paw wonders into the clearing sad from not seeing her mentor at the training moor she sits down looking glum and just overall in a bad mood.

Willowsong padded into the large clearing, bright green eyes shining as she returned with a large vole. She set it in the fresh-prey pile and looked around for something to do. She spotted an apprentice, who seemed to be quite upset, and walked over to her, strides long.