Re: Willow's Rise
 

The more Wolfpaw interacted with this cat, the more vindicated he felt in his actions. He didn't understand why Bumba picked this one, but he was quietly pleased it didn't seem like she gave him much attention. Haggard Ruins, as if that were any impressive. Any ThunderClan cat oughta know where their old camp was, the sacrifices that took place as it crumbled beneath their very paws. "We'll start with the other landmarks today, then." The trek from camp to Willow's Rise was easy, probably the shortest distance between all of ThunderClan's major features. "Bumba's the Clan leader, 'course she's busy. But if she knew you were sittin' on your ass all moon, she'd be real disappointed too." This one could thank him later. "Look, I know you aren't familiar with our Clan history but you need to understand you can't expect things to be handed to you. You gotta put in effort to go anywhere, otherwise you'll be one of those.. apprentices-at-forty, kinda cats. And I don't think you want to be one of those.

"The Clan's full of a bunch of warriors willing to help out, but they likely won't if you don't ask first. Nightgaze, Wildtwist-- they're a couple of our hornets, they'll help you if you ask. Redhawk 'n Sagefern, too. Even if you're not sure, just try 'n see how it plays out. Worst case scenario? They suck, and you gotta try with someone else." Wolfpaw's desire to progress is why he sought cats outside of Bumba for training. He understood her schedule wasn't always flexible, and after being sick so long, he didn't want his training to be hindered further. He had to advance.

Asterpaw didn't seem to have his ambition, which was so absurd to him. Who wouldn't want to fight their way to warriorhood? It didn't feel earned, otherwise. "Sagefern's kind of a crowheart, but I wouldn't take it personally. I think he's just like that." He'd been very abrasive during their hunting session, and not the most helpful, but they did get him in the right direction. Wolfpaw would take what he could get, and expected Asterpaw to do the same. "This is Willow's Rise." He stopped only when they neared the weeping willow tree, gaze resting on the carvings in the wood. Time had weathered them, but the clawmarks remained adamantly visible. "Where we lay our dead to rest. It's said that under the canopy of this willow, the sun bleeds through the hanging leaves and guides the fallens' spirits to StarClan's light. Whether you wanna believe that or not is on you." Not his problem. He wasn't sure where his faith lay, either, at this point.

Re: Willow's Rise
 

Aster listened attentively to Wolfpaw as the two made the trek out of camp. Honestly, he didn't say a thing that Aster didn't need to hear, and it was sort of hard to listen to it, especially because... well, because he'd come into this clan thinking he'd do great, thinking that he'd do everything he could, but he'd been petrified by all the new faces and rules the minute he walked in and had hardly been able to do a thing. Pathetic, really. Wolfpaw, for his part, could be a lot meaner about this all, but he felt more to Asterpaw like he was just annoyed, which the siamese was thankful for. He'd deserve to be yelled at, though.

Willow's Rise, when they reach it, is pretty even in the cold of leaf-bare. Aster can definitely see why this was considered the clan's sacred burial ground. He wasn't sure how much he really believed StarClan was out there, that they would wait here to guide the dead across the barrier between them and life, but he guessed it would be a nice comfort if he did believe such a thing. Could he decide to believe that? Or was that more of a thing he'd have to be born believing? Hm... he could consider that later.

"How many generations back does this land go?" He asked, voice a little quiet, somewhat awestruck. "All the way to the very beginning of ThunderClan?"

Re: Willow's Rise
 

"The land itself, yes." Wolfpaw's voice had soften, gaze swept over the various mounds, over the clawmarks etched on the willow tree. "But this as our graveyard? Not quite." He nodded to the memorial, the tears in the bark as evident as the day they were carved. "Seasons ago, a fire raged through our territory. It killed several cats; the marks represent the lives lost that day.

"I don't understand why our leadership did this, 'n Mom don't neither. But where we were putting bodies was Firefly Cove--" his voice waivered a little. "Then RiverClan stole it, 'cause they claimed it was theirs, and took all our dead with them. So once we got the graves back, the bodies were moved here so they'd remain within our custody. Easier to defend this than the edges of our land." He really, did not like RiverClan. They had no dignity or honor.. they were just a bunch of fleabags. "If you believe some of the elders, we used to live underground too. If any of that's true, I reckon there's even older graves far below us we'll never see."

[ @FrostyGalaxy ]

Re: Willow's Rise
 

Nightgaze sat here for a few hours and just kept an eye out for any trouble.

Re: Willow's Rise
 

Curltail
ThunderClan Warrior

A fluffy white she-cat with a curled tail was bounding across Willow's Rise just nearby Nightgaze. She was chasing a rabbit.

The warrior's emerald gaze flicked towards the burrow the rabbit was trying to flee to, and she sped up her pace.

The she-cat leaped over the rabbit, blocking its escape route.

The rabbit let out a squeal, and before it could flee between the white warrior's legs, the she-cat slammed a strong forepaw down on it, giving it a swift, clean bite to the back of the neck.

The bite killed the rabbit instantly and it went limp in the warrior's jaws.

''Thank you, StarClan, for this prey,'' The she-cat meowed whenever she lifted her head.

Re: Willow's Rise
 

"ThunderClan used to be underground?" He asks, a little surprised by that fact. Everyone always compared ThunderClan to squirrels, so it'd make more sense in his mind if they lived in the trees in the way past, but living underground just made him think of gophers. Now that he thinks about it... he's maybe heard some cats talking about tunnels here and there, but he didn't think the tunnel system would be so... expansive.

"Hm..." Aster hums thoughtfully. "It's a little sad, if that's true. All the super old graves in the tunnels... no one comes to visit them anymore. I wonder if they're lonely down there..." He's not really speaking to Wolfpaw, more to himself, but if the other apprentice wants to comment on it the siamese won't object. Maybe one day he'll go down into the tunnels, just to try and find the old graves, to pay them a visit and make sure they don't feel left behind or forgotten. They deserve to be remembered, even if Asterpaw himself doesn't know who they are and never will.

[ @BEAR. ]

Re: Willow's Rise
 

Re: Willow's Rise
 

"All the Clans did, a long time ago. Ol' Goat says it's 'cause the predators back then were overwhelming them, but.. so I ain't so sure I believe him." A shrug. "Been so long. We still got predator issues, but it ain't so bad we can't handle it. Even birds aren't too much a bother unless you being stupid." To his knowledge, ThunderClan hadn't lost a kit-- or anyone, to a bird attack. Beyond the foxes ShadowClan tried sending over, their predator issues had been real minimal. He hadn't fought one yet.. maybe someday.

The odds of finding the graves were slim, at best. "Most of the tunnels are long gone, they collapsed. There was this huge flood that just.. wiped them out." He didn't know why anyone would want to go down there, in hindsight. Even if they restored them, how many bones would they find of cats who.. couldn't escape?

Wolfpaw decided they'd had enough of this, specifically. No point in dwelling on the dead. "C'mon, let's go to the Cove."

[ @FrostyGalaxy / feel free to move there in ur next post ]

Re: Willow's Rise
 

Shadepaw
7 Moons
She/Her

Her thin mottled pelt shuddered to keep the cold at bay as Shadepaw stalked toward the Rise. Willow's Rise, where she would get some sort of training or other with Fawnsplash. Her mentor had promised to teach her some battle moves. She would be catching up in a bit, leaving Shadepaw to examine her surroundings.

She felt stupid just sitting there. Where was the point? Not even on a hedgehog's tail, that's where. Shadepaw narrowed her dark green eyes around the sheltered bit of landscape. An idea sprung to mind, and after a few flicks of a dark grey ear, she padded toward a shaded spot, eyeing the space beneath a bush with small, round green leaves with a firm texture. She slipped under it, settling into a crouch. Shadepaw cast her eyes out, waiting for her mentor to appear.

What would Fawnsplash think if Shadepaw managed to take her mentor by surprise?

@celeste

Re: Willow's Rise
 

Bumblestar rarely came up here anymore. It felt wrong, like a betrayal to those she was supposed to be remembering, but sometimes it just hurt to think about it.

Today, she was trying to get past that. Actually sit down and do some thinking next to Jaystride, maybe actually say something out loud. But, like always, suddenly Redhawk was there, in some stupid-looking situation.

Bumblestar came to a halt and stared at her. "Why are you the way that you are?"