WindClan: Life Before 2023's Fire

[Slash-GNR]

Originally Posted by Wolfybro

He kept on walking. He knew an area of Windclan territory that seemed to be open for all of Starclan to see,it was his favorite hunting place. If he could hunt that is. He glanced over at the shecat next to him. His eyes went into slits at the question,but he held his tongue, Not in the mood for a fight currently,"It's been perfectly fine." his tone was sarcastic as he looked forward of him,avoiding eye contact instead. His claws slightly dug in the ground,not wanting to be reminded of his unpresent brother.

Flameblossom reared back her head at his sarcasm. "There is no need to have that attitude with me," she retorted. However, she kept on walking even though she wanted to teach this tom a lesson so very bad. "I was just trying to be nice," she said at last through kept back breathes. She then sighed as she looked around the area. "So, how much farther?" she asked tilting her head.

[graves]

Originally Posted by Slash-GNR

Flameblossom reared back her head at his sarcasm. "There is no need to have that attitude with me," she retorted. However, she kept on walking even though she wanted to teach this tom a lesson so very bad. "I was just trying to be nice," she said at last through kept back breathes. She then sighed as she looked around the area. "So, how much farther?" she asked tilting her head.

"Well some cats aren't as nice as you,princess." he replied back,not even looking at her. He stayed silent after that,not answering her question so the only sound between them was the crunching of the snow under their paws. He suddenly stopped,"Were here," he mewed,looking back at the shecat. The field was glazed with snow like a thick blanket,the morning sunrise reflecting a purple orange color on the white snow creating a hue of the morning. "During leafbare theres usually white rabbits of prey that hide under the snow and you just jump on them."

[Slash-GNR]

Originally Posted by Wolfybro

"Well some cats aren't as nice as you,princess." he replied back,not even looking at her. He stayed silent after that,not answering her question so the only sound between them was the crunching of the snow under their paws. He suddenly stopped,"Were here," he mewed,looking back at the shecat. The field was glazed with snow like a thick blanket,the morning sunrise reflecting a purple orange color on the white snow creating a hue of the morning. "During leafbare theres usually white rabbits of prey that hide under the snow and you just jump on them."

Flameblossom grunted as he called her 'princes'. She didn't like the nickname. She related it to kitty-pets, which she didn't like much either, but she could tolerate them. She then stopped as he did and looked out upon the field. She had to admit, it was very beautiful. However, she pinned back her ears at his last words. "I know how to hunt," she stated back to him. She didn't know if he meant for it to be an insult or not, but she just wanted to get even with him on the nasty commentary. She then stalked off around to the trees in search for a rabbit to catch.

[graves]

@Duskflight

Sunsong currently sat in the clearing,her long tail curled around her paws neatly. The chilled winds of leafbare brushed up against her thick fur but she didn't mind. Her belly was swollen with kits,pudging out against her sides. She wanted a fresh breath outside of the nursery as it seem that's where she spent most of her time now adays. After the Era she had defended the nursery with her life,taking care of abandoned kits and baby siting,and any repairs that the nursery needed because it was now leaf bare. She was now close to the end of her pregnancy,she has been a mother before so this was no surprise to her. She hadn't seen her mate Smokethorn in awhile,or her own kits which had saddened her. Had they forgot to visit the nursery? Were they to busy? She had always felt insecure at the thought that her family wouldn't have time for her because she wasn't a warrior,she was a forever queen so she couldn't see them everyday. But the warm clogged nursery had felt small,like it was closing in on her so she wanted a breather. Letting out small breaths that created a steam affect in the air.Her amber eyes glazed across the snowed clearing,the snow having a thick blanket like affect across the land. She found it pretty,and remembers having shared memories of her last litter when the snow had fallen. It had been a bit since her last litter but she was now a mom again,as that was her role in this clan.

[lone]

@Duskflight

The newly named Pinepaw sat in the clearing, hues gleaming brightly as he looked around. Almost everything was new and exciting now, and he was looking forwards to every adventure that he might embark on with his best friend-- Adderpaw. He was looking forwards to everything that might happen to the two of them...well, everything within reason. Of course there were always bad things that might happen, things that could go wrong...things that Pinepaw didn't want to happen. But they'd survived his tricks and games, so perhaps they could survive more. He wasn't quite sure what to think right now. Everything seemed so vivid, and yet he wondered if he was dreaming. After all, he had wondered if this day was ever coming, and now that it was really here, why shouldn't he be dreaming? He'd hoped and worked for something all his life and it had turned out to be a bust, hadn't it? Well no, not exactly. It wasn't a bust. It was something special and unique, and he wondered if Adderpaw had felt this way at her own ceremony. He hoped so. He hoped that she felt just as special as he did at the moment, and that she would be able to survive through everything that had happened to the Clan and their friendship.

It had been almost too much for him.

But they had made it through, and he was looking forwards to seeing what the next day might bring. Because after all, didn't each day bring new promise? That was a thought he would have scoffed at the day before but now, with everything looking so special and wonderful, and since he knew that there would be further adventures, the tom was having new thoughts about the world around him. Good thoughts. I can't wait to see Adderpaw. Hey, I could tackle her now...since I'm not having a ceremony and supposed to be completely serious. The tom sat up, puffing his chest out slightly as he did so. He really was proud of himself, and although he wasn't exactly one to have a giant ego-- right now he felt as though he had just become deputy, or leader.

That must be what it felt like to be an apprentice.

In another part of the clearing, a young brown and white cat was also sitting. She was somewhat smaller then the aforementioned, and her hues were sadder. She was thinking about a friend of hers-- or a past friend of hers, she wasn't quite sure how this was going to turn out. And she was terrified because of it. How could she know? How could she know what would happen or not happen in the future, and how could she know whether Rainpaw would ever apologize to that poor apprentice? She couldn't. But, at least her new mentor had thought it was a nice thing to do. He had said so. That gave Heartpaw a warm feeling, knowing that at least one cat thought she was doing the right thing. She hadn't been looking for recognition or praise when she had defended the other cat, she had been trying to do a nice thing for someone else. A nice thing for another cat, so that Rainpaw wouldn't get to their head and make them feel like they didn't mean anything. She glanced around for her mentor now, wondering where he was-- shouldn't they train sometime? Might be nice, she thought with the slightest of shrugs, the smallest tilt of her head. She glanced around once more, dark, almost cobalt blue hues searching for Rookpatch.

Where could he be?

She didn't think that he was purposely trying to avoid her, and she knew that at some point they would have to train...right? She would make it up to Rainpaw later. Maybe she could ask the older tom's advice on it...hopefully he would have something to say on the matter, he must have been through something like that before to make him so nervous. Not a bully, exactly, but perhaps he had been bullied. Or maybe someone had stuck up for him, and lost a friend? No-- that was exactly like her own story, and she doubted that any cat had a story that was exactly like her own. She sighed, licking her maw a little nervously as she glanced around for Rookpatch again. He would show up. She knew he would. And besides, he couldn't avoid her forever...right?

Besides that, she seriously doubted that she had done anything to make him want to.

[Spirit]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

@Spirit

Aspenkit sat in the clearing. The silver and black tom's hues scanned it, though he seemed to have almost run out of energy. What was the reason for this sudden dip? Perhaps it was the fact that he was bored. This wasn't an often occurrence, and he wasn't quite sure for the reason, but he knew that he was officially and extremely... bored. I could really use some help figuring out what cats I would like to hang around now, the tom thought with a sigh. He was not yet an apprentice, so he would feel awkward finding a cat who was quite a bit older then him and asking them if they would like to play. And he was too old for the very young kits, though he wouldn't have minded a playmate of significantly younger age at that moment. Even an older playmate might have been nice.

That was, just until they decided that they got bored of him. That was the problem, the kink that Aspenkit had found when deciding to spend time with older cats...they tended to get bored of a mere kit pretty easily. He wasn't just some cat to be thrown away, he wanted them to accept him! It wasn't always that easy, though. Most of the time it was quite hard, as a matter of fact. Aspenkit wasn't quite sure why he bothered most of the time; did other cats simply not care that he was trying to help them feel better, that he was trying to be a friend to them? Well. There are always the cats who don't have many friends, who are more then grateful. He thought with a sigh. Aspenkit himself had quite a few friends, though he preferred to keep that knowledge to himself. Not everyone wanted to be friends with someone who already had a lot of friends...but Aspenkit wanted to be a friend to all, someone that any cat could come to and he would be there.

Ferretpaw wandered around the clearing, trying to keep away from all the bullies lurking around camp. She wanted friends. But it seemed to her that everyone she ever met had something against her even before they saw her. What did she do wrong? She was just a mere apprentice! She'd done nothing wrong.
Sliding under her little bush and into her nest there, she peered around camp. Her blue hues landed on a kit in the clearing. Or well, she didn't exactly know if he were a kit. He seemed near six moons at least. He were alone. That was odd. Not many others were alone. Ferretpaw always seemed to be, but to be honest, she'd gotten quite used to it by now. It was just the normal for her, and she expected nothing more. She loved spending time with Blazingstar, her mentor, but he were also one of the only cats who could bring happiness to her face.
Pondering wether or not to go over to the tom, she tilted her head and thought about last time a scene like this had happened. It had been Winterwisp who had sat nearby Ferretpaw's bush, and when Ferretpaw had made the slightest noise, Winterwisp had gone crazy at her. So for Ferretpaw, approaching this lonely tom didn't seem like a good idea. What if he went crazy on her too?

[lone]

Originally Posted by Spirit

Ferretpaw wandered around the clearing, trying to keep away from all the bullies lurking around camp. She wanted friends. But it seemed to her that everyone she ever met had something against her even before they saw her. What did she do wrong? She was just a mere apprentice! She'd done nothing wrong.
Sliding under her little bush and into her nest there, she peered around camp. Her blue hues landed on a kit in the clearing. Or well, she didn't exactly know if he were a kit. He seemed near six moons at least. He were alone. That was odd. Not many others were alone. Ferretpaw always seemed to be, but to be honest, she'd gotten quite used to it by now. It was just the normal for her, and she expected nothing more. She loved spending time with Blazingstar, her mentor, but he were also one of the only cats who could bring happiness to her face.

Pondering wether or not to go over to the tom, she tilted her head and thought about last time a scene like this had happened. It had been Winterwisp who had sat nearby Ferretpaw's bush, and when Ferretpaw had made the slightest noise, Winterwisp had gone crazy at her. So for Ferretpaw, approaching this lonely tom didn't seem like a good idea. What if he went crazy on her too?

Aspenkit glanced up in surprise, hearing a rustle in the bushes. Although he was normally a little more mature for his age-- considering he should be an apprentice by now-- the tom's curiosity was peaked and he padded over towards the bushes, cautiously approaching whatever was in them with a look of skepticism on his features. He wasn't quite sure what could be in there, and he didn't want to get attacked by some ferocious loner. It wasn't often that he spotted a loner, as a matter of fact he'd only seen one in his whole life and that cat had ended up joining WindClan, so he wasn't really a loner now, was he? He glanced over at the bushes with an anxious look before deciding that, if he was going to be attacked, he might as well try to be friendly beforehand.

He swallowed, before poking his head into the bush.

Though what he saw inside surprised him a great deal-- it was only a small, white cat with some darker markings. Cocking his head to the side, Aspenkit withdrew his head from the bush and sat outside, confused. "Come on out. I won't hurt you," He mewed in the most comforting tone he could manage. He was somewhat surprised to find a cat hiding in a bush, especially since that cat had Clan scent and wasn't that of a loner. Not to mention she looked very well groomed, and well fed. She couldn't be hiding from anyone in particular, could she? One way to find out, Aspenkit thought with a slight shrug and a purr. There was amusement glittering in his hues as he looked at the young she cat. He hoped he wasn't frightening her with his presence.

"What were you doing hiding in a bush?" He asked, good nature obvious in his tone.

[Spirit]

(Hah you got a few things wrong my friend :P First of all, her fur is usually ruffled, at least as much as a short haired cat can get her hair ruffled, and secondly, she's looking thin to the bones, but hey, let's look past these mistakes xD)

Ferretpaw gave a surprised squeal when Aspenkit poked his head into her bush. She hadn't seen that coming at all. This was -her- bush. No one had ever stepped inside it except herself. At least not after she had claimed it six moons ago.
'I won't hurt you'. That was new. Most new faces always started out doing exactly that. Hurt her. Even if it was just verbally, Blazingstar had made a point out of it technically being hurting someone.
Taking a deep breath, the young apprentice stepped out of the bush and faced the younger tom. She hadn't seen him around much. Or wait.. Had she? She hadn't spend much time in the nursery in her kithood, but she thougt she could recognize the fur a bit. However, no name seemed to pop into her head.
To his question, she peered over her shoulder to her bush for a short moment, before facing him again. "Umm.. Relaxing?" She said.
Her guards were up. It might not be noticable, but all her muscles were ready to jump and run, should anything bad happen. Always ready to jump and run. For that, she were called a coward by many.

@Lonestar23

[lone]

Originally Posted by Spirit

(Hah you got a few things wrong my friend :P First of all, her fur is usually ruffled, at least as much as a short haired cat can get her hair ruffled, and secondly, she's looking thin to the bones, but hey, let's look past these mistakes xD)

Ferretpaw gave a surprised squeal when Aspenkit poked his head into her bush. She hadn't seen that coming at all. This was -her- bush. No one had ever stepped inside it except herself. At least not after she had claimed it six moons ago.
'I won't hurt you'. That was new. Most new faces always started out doing exactly that. Hurt her. Even if it was just verbally, Blazingstar had made a point out of it technically being hurting someone.
Taking a deep breath, the young apprentice stepped out of the bush and faced the younger tom. She hadn't seen him around much. Or wait.. Had she? She hadn't spend much time in the nursery in her kithood, but she thougt she could recognize the fur a bit. However, no name seemed to pop into her head.
To his question, she peered over her shoulder to her bush for a short moment, before facing him again. "Umm.. Relaxing?" She said.
Her guards were up. It might not be noticable, but all her muscles were ready to jump and run, should anything bad happen. Always ready to jump and run. For that, she were called a coward by many.

@Lonestar23

{Oops XD}
The grey and black tom cocked his head to the side as the older cat slowly made her way out of the bush. She looked, well...terrified. Like there was something seriously bad going on in her life. Maybe she just needs a friend. Anyone who looks that scared must need one. he thought, turning his head to the other side. The tom cleared his throat and curled his tail around his paws, trying to sit up so that he would look taller. He was quite tall for his age already, and was even taller then the other apprentice-- though, if he were being honest, that wasn't saying too much. She wasn't the biggest cat, but Aspenkit had learned to appreciate that good things came in small packages. And besides, now he could spend the day with this older female. Looks like his boredom was cured. "Oh, I see. That looks like a relaxing place to be. Maybe I'll stop by sometime when you're not using it, okay with you?" He asked, peering into the bush again. He hadn't been completely truthful with his statement. The bush looked like a less relaxing place to be-- but perhaps that was just because the tom didn't like small spaces. And it wasn't the largest bush he had ever seen. "I'm Aspenkit, by the way. Sorry-- I don't recognize you, what's your name?" He asked with a large, friendly smile. He was trying to attempt to make friends with the she cat, sort of ease her out of her shell...though by the looks of things, it looked like that would take a while. Now that the tom could see better, he noticed that the she cat did look quite similar to a loner...which was an awkward situation, considering he had thought she looked much sturdier in the bush. Now she looked as though she might break if he touched her.

Guess I'll have to be careful not to touch her, then, Aspenkit thought somewhat wistfully.

[InfernoFlicker]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

A slightly sympathetic look came over Obsidiansky's features. He felt bad-- it was obvious that this cat, whoever she might be, had been expecting something completely different. Instead she was being harassed by the hostile deputy, and now being told that her friend-- or family member-- was gone. "She led us well. But there-- there was a fire here, and then...and then another cat took over. H-he got rid of Dapplestar, I don't know what he did with her... but she returned for a little while after he was overthrown by S-SkyClan...they're a new Clan that we just recently found out existed, heh...and then she was gone. She appointed Blazingstorm-- Blazingstar now-- as her deputy, and then she left, and he chose Shrikecall." That was a short explanation of what had happened, but it was the best that Obsidiansky could do at the moment. With Shrikecall staring at the cats as though he would like to kill them, or at least get rid of them, and them looking back at him with such confusion, he knew there was no way that he had time to explain everything. He glanced hopefully at the cats, wondering if they understood any of what he had said. He doubted it...it was too confusing to take in like that all at once. Everything was so mixed up and confused nowadays, it was hard to tell who was telling the truth and who was lying.

Shrikecall watched Infernosky with a curious, then deadly expression as she spoke. He had never heard of either of those cats, and he was beginning to think that she was ranting names out now, hoping to get into their Clan. Who wouldn't? The safety and protection that a Clan offered was special, and not to be given away to every cat who came asking for it. "I've never met any cat by that name. Now get out of here before you force me to take harsher measures. I do not wish to hurt you if I don't have to." He snapped. Shrikecall wasn't a heartless cat. He knew that this cat must have some connection to Dapplestar, but as she had no proof...and as Dapplestar was gone anyways...he guessed that they had no business here. Unless they wanted to ask Blazingstar about Twilight-something and Swallow-something, they needed to leave. There was no way that he was going to allow these strangers to get in his way and endanger the Clan. The red furred one obviously had some leaderlike tendencies, but if she had belonged to WindClan before, why had she left? And why was she returning now, right after Singenight had been defeated and the Clan was getting back to normal again? This couldn't be a coincidence. Now, even if they could provide him with significant proof, he wasn't sure he would let them in.

"Listen, why don't I take them aside and explain? They deserve to know what happened to Dapplestar at least, and I can't tell them everything within a few minutes," Obsidiansky mewed, looking anxiously at the Deputy. He knew better then to cross the tom, but these cats should know.
"Absolutely not. You can tell them here and now. I will return in a short amount of time to make sure you followed my orders." Shrikecall snapped back, glaring at the younger warrior. What did this young warrior know about running a Clan? About keeping a Clan safe? Nothing, that was what. Shrikecall knew what he had to do to keep WindClan safe, and Obsidiansky was acting like it was no big deal, like these cats were absolutely no threat to them at all.
"It's my responsibility. I promise I'll keep an eye on them." Obsidiansky mewed, glancing over at the cats with a curious expression and a half- hopeful one. He wanted to explain. Somehow, he knew they weren't here to hurt WindClan...they were here on perfectly innocent business.
"One wrong move, and you're all in trouble. Don't leave them alone for a minute. Understood?" Shrikecall asked after a while. Perhaps he was being unreasonable. And if this younger cat wanted to take on the responsibility...so be it. He could do that if he liked, but Shrikecall knew that something bad would happen and when it did, Obsidiansky would be the one to blame.

"Great. You won't regret this." Obsidiansky mewed, smiling at the Deputy before Shrikecall backed up and allowed him to pass through to the other cats. "Follow me. I suppose we owe you an explanation..." He mewed, glancing back at the cats who were standing at the entrance to the territory.

Infernosky's auds fell flat against her cranium when she listened to the cat that accompanied the deputy explain what she'd missed. All of that information didn't quite make sense to her, but what troubled her most was the fact that Dapplestar was missing, not dead. The red tabby wasn't sure what would have comforted her mind more; knowing that she was dead and not suffering, or the fact that she could be alive out there somewhere, hurt, or in danger....or she could be alive, free, and fine. Not knowing which option was the truth nearly drove her mad inside.

Meanwhile, behind Infernosky, Russel and Jitterbug wore blank expressions in response to Obsidiansky's story. The Chartreux avoided everyone's eyes awkwardly, and Jitterbug had her paws held up infront of her muzzle, counting her toes as if she were trying to organize the information in her head.

Infernosky's response to Shriketail's dismissal to the names she offered and her acceptance into Windclan was met with a level bitterness the former deputy had only used when she was thoroughly upset. Her long-furred banner was lashing wildly behind her now, and she placed one paw step ahead of her in a challenging stance. She clearly was not going to move without a fight.
"I would hate to bring you to harsher measures," There was a small hint of cockiness in her voice, "but if you don't take me to this 'Blazingstar' or take me to some cat that knows me and get some sense into your thick head...I'm afraid I won't be the only one getting hurt."

At this point, Russel took a step into the conversation and mewed a warning to Infernosky, "I thought we decided violence wasn't part of the plan..."
His attention then turned to Obsidiansky, who offered to give them a better explanation and to take the wheel on the situation. Russel liked this cat; much like himself, he found virtue in finding compromises and peaceful negotiations. The Chartreux nodded in agreement, "Wonderful idea. I know I need a better explanation, especially since I don't have a clue who any of these names are...aside form what Infernosky has told us, of course."

As Shrikecall turned to leave, Infernosky was bristling. "Ask anybody if they know me! There has to be somebody..." she was calling after his turned head, "I want to speak to Blazingstar, too. And-"
She fell silent when Russel placed his thick furry fore arm and shoulder infront of her. Deep blue eyes sincerely looking into her firey greens, he told her to give it up. Put in check, Infernosky paused, sighed, and forced herself to regain her composure. This was a nightmare. She wished she could just claw her ear and wake up, back in the warriors den, when her whole abduction by loners and trapped in twoleg cages in the 'city' was all just a dream. Maybe Russel was right; she just needed to check herself, and take a step back to process everything. Had she been a fool to believe that everything would be as it used to be when she finally came all this way back? Was it all in vain?

As if to read her mind, Russel stood by her side to lead her in Obsidiansky's direction and said, "Maybe this cat has answers for you."
Infernosky was rarely openly vulnerable in anyone's presence, Russel being the only exception. She burried her face in Russel's mane-like neck fur for a few long seconds.
"It's okay," The big grey tom murmured, "Me n' Jitter are your family too."

Infernosky took a deep breath, pulled away and nodded. This is not the time to grieve... The red tabby thought to herself. She forced herself to keep her head high, and grudgingly looked to the friendly cat to lead them to an explanation of everything she had missed.

"So...what's your name anyway?" Jitterbug piped up after the awkward exchange of bitter emotions. Jitter was about the age of middle aged apprentice, and she wasn't too fond of serious emotions. She bounded up next to Obsidiansky with large, youthful, and bi-colored eyes, one grass green, and one morning sky blue. "I'm Jitterbug. Wanna know why? Because I get the jitters sometimes." Her tone was peppy and rather oblivious to the true meaning of the name. Behind her, Russel's eyebrows furrowed into a look of pity.