I will write a few paragraphs of a story, then various options for you to choose from. Post in this thread what your choice is, and
make sure to mention me! The winning choice, by majority vote (the choice currently in the lead will be in italics), will lead us into the next part of the story. I'll write another paragraph and choice, and the cycle will repeat until our little cat dies.
You can join in at any time!
~~~~~
You awake slowly, blinking sleep from your tiny eyes and looking around almost blindly, taking in the sights. You're laying in a small nest with two other kits and a grey and white she-cat. You look up at the she-cat, reassured by her warm, milky scent. This must be your mother.
The she-cat glances down at you and smiles. "Good morning, little one. I'm glad you've finally opened your eyes! I'm your mother, and these are your siblings." She points to the two kits sleeping beside you with her tail before looking back at you. "And you are...
Crow of BloodClan
Your mother smiles as she tells you your name. Crow.
"My name is Cloud." She continues, and looks down at your siblings. "This is Flame." She points with her tail to a dark ginger tom. "And Dawn." This time it's a little pale ginger and white she-cat. You look at your littermates thoughtfully, yellow eyes wide and curious. You turn your attention to the den around you. It's small and dark, with a gap in one wall leading out to somewhere... else. Somewhere outside of this nest and den. You feel the urge to run through it and explore the world beyond.
Your mother notices your gaze and smiles. "Now that your eyes are open, you can go out and explore if you'd like, as long as you don't leave camp. Why not wait for Flame and Dawn to wake up; then you can look around together."
"I'd rather explore on my own."
Your mother eyes you for a moment before sighing. "Okay then. But be careful, okay? The outside can be dangerous, even if you stay in the camp. Not every cat here likes kits."
You nod to reassure her before turning to the entrance. You take a deep breath, and then scamper towards it, now cautiously eager to explore outside this little den. You emerge into a thin path between two red stone walls; they must be the 'Twoleg buildings' your mother mentions sometimes. Across the path there are various dens like yours, made from strange boxes and containers. Some have distinctive scents... Where should you explore first?
The den that smells like dust.
The dust-scented den intrigues you. It's set apart from the other dens, and the entrance is facing away from the camp. Actually, you're not sure if this den is even a part of the camp... Getting a little nervous, you pad up to it, sniffing it cautiously. You suddenly have to sneeze as dust clouds around your muzzle; that explains the smell. But who lives here? Does anyone?
You slowly make your way to the entrance of the run-down den, made from an old Twoleg box with a large hole cut out of the side. Your little yellow eyes are wide as you look inside. You can see two shapes huddled together at the back of the den. They turn to face you suddenly with matching bright amber eyes. As soon as they see you, one of them jumps to their paws, revealing a large stature and, judging by the fluidity of the movement, powerful muscles.
They stalk forwards until they stand over you, a massive ginger and white tom with glaring yellow eyes. On instinct, you fluff out your black pelt to seem more intimidating, but it has no affect other than making this cat look even scarier!
Stand your ground.
You swallow your fear and stand up a little straighter, your fur standing on end. You narrow your eyes and bare your teeth. The tom seems surprised, the cold anger fading and being replaced by mild amusement. After a few moments of tense silence, he smiles and meows, "It's been a long time since I've seen a kit in my den."
"Who are you?" You mew, fighting to keep your voice steady and legs straight. This tom doesn't seem like he's going to attack you any more, and the relief is making you feel a little light-headed. The tom flicks his ear and smiles once again. He straightens, towering over you, but he doesn't seem intimidating any more. He seems like someone worthy of respect, but not fear. His eyes glisten as he answers, "My name is Branch."
You wonder why you've never heard of him before; your mother was always talking about your clanmates while your eyes were closed. With not much else to do, you'd memorised every name you'd heard. Branch seems to pick up on your confusion and adds, "I'm not a part of BloodClan any more. I was a great fighter once, so I was allowed to stay by the camp, but BloodClan cats are not my allies."
"Who's that in your den?"
Branch looks over his shoulder into his den with a thoughtful frown. The other cat curled up inside lets out a low hiss and looks pointedly away. Branch turns back to you and sighs, "That's my sister, Leaf. She doesn't really like kits."
You watch Leaf curiously. Branch starts talking again and you quickly turn your attention back to him. He seems almost nervous as he meows, "She's
not supposed to be here, so I'd appreciate if you didn't tell anyone in the Clan. It can be our little secret, okay?"
Say yes, and never tell anyone.
You decide to trust Branch, nodding your head to let him know you'll never tell a soul. He visibly relaxes and gives you another smile. "It was nice talking to you, kit, but you should probably be getting back into the camp now. You might get into trouble if anyone sees you talking to me." With that he turns and walks back into his den.
You pad back to the main area of the camp and look around, wondering where you should explore next.
The den that smells like blood.
You pad over to the blood-scented den, starting to feel a little concerned. It's a pretty big den, made of hard green Twoleg material. A faded white symbol is on the side of it. The metallic stench of blood is strong here, turning your stomach as you reach the entrance. It's dark inside, so you can only see a pair of ice-blue eyes that suddenly seem very close.
The breath leaves your body as a matted white pelt stained with blood and dirt streaks towards you. Claws flash before your eyes and you find yourself rooted to the spot as this cat lunges towards you, hissing and lashing their tail.
Call for help.
You manage to yowl once before this crazy cat collides with you, easily knocking you over onto the ground and knocking the breath from your lungs. You writhe around, trying to escape the sharpened claws that are digging into your flanks. You can only hope someone heard your yowl. Luckily, whatever power above seems to like you, because the weight of the dirtied cat is suddenly lifted from you.
You scramble to your paws and back away, trembling. A few tail-lengths away, the bloody, muddy white cat is being pinned to the ground by a much larger tom with sleek ginger fur. Your attacker is clearly outmatched, and they seem to realise that, going limp in the ginger tom's claws with a sigh. Sensing his victory, he clamps his jaws around the white cat's scruff and starts dragging her away, despite her winces and hissing.
The two of them disappear into the blood-scented den, leaving you standing there, trembling despite yourself, blood trickling down your flanks... and with no idea of what just happened!
Follow the tom into the den
After a moment of hesitation, you pad after the ginger tom into the den, wanting to know what just happened and hoping that he can tell you. The den is dark on the inside, and the scent of blood gets suddenly stronger and you have to stop for a moment to make sure you don't throw up. Once you're sure you're not vomit on yourself, you look up and realise that your eyes have adjusted.
At the back of the den are three hunched shapes; that's where the smell of blood is coming from. The ginger tom is standing over one of the shapes, who you recognise as the cat who attacked you, while the others watch from the corner. The tom is hissing something to your attacker, who you're close enough to now to acknowledge as a she-cat. Confused, you pad closer, trying to hear what he's saying. You step in a puddle of something with a small splash sound, but it's enough for the tom to realise you're there.
He whirls around and his eyes widen in horror when he sees you. He lunges forward and you don't even have time to react before he's grabbed you by your scruff and is bounding out of the den. He drops you onto the hard stone ground outside and growls, "Kits aren't allowed in there!"
"Well, why not?"
The tom lets out a low hiss, straightening and looking back at the den. "Because it's dangerous!" He turns back to you, the rage in his eyes slowing fading and being replaced with fear. "That den is where we keep the prisoners. Usually one of the guards watches them, but it would seem that Ash decided to take a break."
You blink in confusion. Prisoners? Guards? Your mother often told you about the Clan before you opened your eyes: BloodClan, the Clan who lives within a Twoleg place, taking prey from the weak who don't deserve it. The strong are the ones who will survive, was the thought in every BloodClan warrior's mind. You'd assumed there would be cats who didn't agree, but were they really taken prisoner for it? With a warrior watching them?
The tom notices and sighs, sitting down in front of you and curling his tail over his paws. "Sometimes, there are cats who don't agree with our philosophy: the strong must survive to protect the new generation. We think cats should fend for themselves, only asking for help if they truly need it, or they're unable to help themself. For example, a kit like you."
You resent him adding that, but you don't speak up. He keeps talking, his eyes misting over as if he's no longer paying attention. "Usually, these cats just sit back and protest. But sometimes, they take things too far. They attack cats from our Clan. That's why we banded together in the first place. Long ago, our Clan was scattered after both leader and deputy died. But we kept our mindsets, and cats who disagreed drove us to join forces and defeat them, at any costs, even having to take them alive and keep them breathing."
Your eyes widen as you listen to his story, wondering vaguely why your mother has never told it to you before. He seems to suddenly realise you're staring at him and breaks out of his stupor with a cough. "A-anyway... who're you, kit?"
"Who are you?"
His eyes widen with surprise at your response, but it's quickly replaced with amusement and... is that respect in his eyes? You don't have long to consider it before he's talking again. "You're a smart kit. If you'd given your name out outside of the Clan, you might've been in big trouble." You can't help but puff your chest out proudly at the praise.
The ginger tom begins to settle down, eventually lying on his side in such as way that he blocks the entrance to the prisoners' den off from the rest of the camp. "But you can trust me. I've had a couple litters of my own and it's softened me. I'd never hurt a kit." He looks momentarily wistful, but quickly shakes his head to clear whatever thoughts had cloud it. "Anyway, to answer your question, my name is Rowan."
He shifts his position slightly and frowns at you. You follow his gaze to the claw marks on your flanks; blood is slowly trickling down your hind legs. Rowan sounds worried as he meows, "You might want to see Robin about that; she's the healer. Her den is the one that smells like herbs."
"I'll be fine!"
Rowan raises an eyebrow but doesn't object. "If you say so, kit. At the very least, try not to strain yourself too much until those scratches have healed." That's fair enough, so you nod before taking your leave and returning to the main portion of the camp. As you walk, you feel your hind legs start to ache, and your paws are a little sore from stepping on the hard stone beneath you for so long.
Sighing, you start to head back to the nursery, realising that it would be best for you to rest for a while. You pad inside and wait for your eyes to readjust to the darkness. Before they can, you feel something barrel into your side and knock you straight over. You wince as your scratched flanks hit the ground, the pain only worsened by a sudden weight on top of you.
Your eyes finally adjust and you look up to see a dark ginger kit on top of you, greenish yellow eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Why'd you go exploring without us, Crow?" He meows, pouting slightly as he steps off of you. You scramble achingly to your paws and stare at him in confusion. You recognise his scent instantly - it's your brother, Flame. And Dawn's right beside him. They look upset.
"I didn't want to wake you."
Flame still seems upset, but not quite as angry any more. Dawn just sighs and pads over to a she-cat you hadn't noticed was here when you first opened your eyes. Flame follows your confused gaze and answers your unspoken question by meowing, "That's Sparrow. She's expecting kits within the next few days."
You notice Sparrow's swollen belly and try to imagine another group of kits running around the nursery with you. Maybe they'll be great friends once they're here. Dawn is talking to Sparrow about something, and Flame has padded back over to your mother, Cloud. You're uncomfortably away of the stinging in your flanks, so you should probably wash the scratches once you've settled down.
Go to Dawn and Sparrow.
You pad over to where your sister sits beside the expecting queen, ears pricked curiously. Dawn turns as you approach, greeting you with a smile. Sparrow notices the she-kit's distraction and also focuses on you. "Crow! You've finally opened your eyes! I didn't realise before; you must've left while I was still asleep." She finishes with an amused purr.
Dawn grins wider and turns back to the queen, meowing, "I've been here since she woke up, and she's been telling me all sorts of stories! They're all really interesting." Sparrow smiles down at the kit gratefully. Dawn gasps suddenly and jumps to her paws, running to your side. "Why don't we listen to the next story together? Sparrow says it's really good!"
"Okay!"
"Alright then, you two." Sparrow meows, shifting once again as she prepares to tell the story. "Get comfortable, because it's a long one!"
"Seasons ago, there lived a warrior named Tiger. His name came from his striking resemblance to an evil cat who lived even longer ago, named Tigerstar. Because of this, Tiger fought to prove himself harder than any other warrior. One day, the healer had a dream, telling them that three warriors would soon leave the Clan on a journey, and that only one would return. The cats to leave turned out to be Tiger and his siblings, Snow and Petal. They set out on a journey towards the far, far distant mountains, guided by strange dreams that pointed them in the right direction.
"Snow died soon after reaching the mountains; the cold was too much for them and they didn’t have enough to eat. Stricken by grief, Tiger pledged to a sick and weak Petal that he would
not let her die. Tiger caught all the prey he could find, which was not much, and left it for Petal while he continued hunting. He hunted for a day and a night, stalking every shadow and rustle of undergrowth. Finally, he found an eagle. Eagles don’t travel as far as the Twoleg place, so Tiger had no idea what it was. But it was a bird, so it was prey that could feed his sister. He followed it all the way back to its nest, where he lay in wait until nighttime, when the eagle grew drowsy.
“And
that was when Tiger struck, lunging forwards with his claws outstretched towards the eagle! The bird saw him coming a second too late; it tried to start flying away, but Tiger was too quick and followed it straight up, snagging it in his claws and dragging it back down! When Tiger returned to Petal, she was nearly dead. But the eagle was enough to feed the both of them, with some scraps left over. Thanks to Tiger, Petal had enough strength to travel back to the Clans, where she could get treatment from the medicine cat. Thanks to Tiger, the prophecy was wrong. Two cats returned, instead of one!"
Sparrow finishes with a smile, which Dawn eagerly reciprocates. You frown thoughtfully and mew, "Wouldn’t it be better if Snow hadn’t died?"
"Of course it would, Crow." Sparrow sighs, shifting in her nest and resting one front paw over the other. "But this is a true story, and I don’t want to sugar coat things."
“How do you know it’s a true story, Sparrow?” Dawn asked, eyes still bright with wonder.
"Because my mother’s mother was Petal’s daughter." Sparrow purrs. "Petal would always tell her that story, and then she told it to my mother, and my mother to me."
You smile to yourself and wonder if you’ll ever be as great a cat as Tiger was.
You have completed the kit stage of this adventure! Look out for the next section within the next few hours.
From now on, posts alerting you of updates will contain a link to the original post for the trainee stage.
Update: Trainee stage!
@
NightWarrior4Life @
Captain Toad @
Flameleaf @
Marie @
Swiftheart @
Tigress @
Equinox @
billiebear6 @
Undercover @
Cranesong @
Phoenix Flames
Choose Your Own Adventure
