ThunderClan Clearing

[kittycatburmise]

Mallowpaw
129/100

Mallowpaw was home.

She'd done it. She had pulled through the sickness, she had survived, she had been spared from being snatched by death's cruel talons. She had gotten what she'd wished for. And now she was home, she was home and she could recover and get on with her life and her training.

Except she couldn't.

In those days stuck in her nest, she had thought there would be two outcomes of this sickness: either she would die, or she would live and recover and get her warrior name. Wolfhive would recover with her, and they would resume training slowly, gently, giving her time to build up her strength before he oversaw her assessment. Then he would cheer for her at her warrior ceremony, and her heart would swell with pride and happiness as she finally shed her 'paw suffix. That was her vision. That was what had kept her fighting, what had kept her from closing her eyes and letting herself succumb to the illness.

Over those moons, she had thought she would die many times. Many times had she felt death's cruel presence in the sick camp, circling them like a vulture. Many times she had heard the commotion as one of her clanmates died and wondered when her turn would come, if she would be next. But never had she considered that Wolfhive might die. Wolfhive was strong, Wolfhive was reliable and a constant and even though his immune system was compromised, even though he once gotten sick and been bedridden for moons, he'd recovered. He'd survived and recovered and taken her out for training with an apology that he hadn't been able to teach her for a while. The thought of him dying was as mind-boggling as snow in greenleaf. But it had happened, and now she had to deal with the fallout, with this strange reality where her mentor was gone.

Mallowpaw blinked back the tears in her eyes, swallowed back the emotion in her throat as she sat in the shadows of camp. When she had arrived, she had spent a considerable amount of time staring at her reflection in the stream that ran through camp, shocked at her appearance. She had known she had become skinny, known that her ribs were showing, but she hadn't been able to see the full impact of the sickness on her body. She hadn't been able see her gaunt face, her dull eyes, her hollow cheeks. She hadn't been able to see how she looked like a malnourished kit, no fat nor muscle to seen on her, all skin and bones under her (now thankfully groomed) brittle fur. The sickness had truly left its mark on her, both physically and mentally.

[kairosclerosis]

Originally Posted by hermeswind

Dragonflycliff, settled into these new friends (clearly) looked at Ashpaw.
Echobarley looked at them too. "Hm?" he said, Dragonflycliff just staring without a word (that's what she do)

ashpaw
dark grey cat with darker spots and tail; copper eyes
11 moons - thunderclan - they/them
silvertongue t2, shadow fiend, mind reader, skip the steps (PFOP)

”So, when I first came here.. I had a very weird dream. I got this scar! And how, you ask? I fought a giant ghost called.. The Quasar!” Ashpaw raised their body to attempt to show how big The Quasar was. “But.. the ghost wanted something from me. It wanted my help, for some reason? Weird, right? Anyway, I’ve got an idea. Want to know?” Finally, the copper-eyed apprentice took a deep breath, before looking hopefully to the others.

nettlepaw
dark grey cat with darker spots and tail; green eyes
11 moons - thunderclan - they/any
the collector, agatha kitty, kitty softpaws t2

Nettlepaw nodded, a tad shocked but also very curious. “Well.. I’d like.. to know.” they mewed in a polite manner, before joking “It’s not.. every.. day.. you.. fight a.. ghost..!” They stifled a snicker before turning back to Dragonflycliff and Echobarley. They wondered what the two thought of it all.

[iliri]

Kestrelkit
medium-furred, gray-and-orange calico molly with heterochromatic green-and-blue eyes
purrks: n/a
she/her | thc kit | 1 moon

---

Kestrelkit had been perched just outside the nursery, her gray paws half-buried in a thin blanket of snow as she watched the delicate flakes drift lazily from the pale gray sky. Her wide eyes followed each flurry with rapt attention, mesmerized by the way the frost seemed to dance before it landed on the cold earth. The chill nipped at her tiny marbled nose, and she wrinkled it with a quiet sniffle, too focused on her exploration to mind the cold. She wasn’t looking for trouble. She had simply been curious, as always, letting her paws wander to the edge of the clearing where the world felt just a bit bigger, the air a little crisper, and the snow somehow softer. But the peacefulness shattered like thin ice under heavy paws when a voice boomed across camp, cutting through the cold stillness with the force of a thunderclap. Kestrelkit flinched violently, her heart leaping into her throat. The sheer power in Bumblestar’s voice made her stumble backward, nearly tripping over her own paws as her fur puffed out in startled alarm. She blinked rapidly, pulse racing as she whipped her head toward the source of the commotion. Her mismatched gaze locked on the leader, who stormed out of her den with eyes blazing and claws unsheathed, a snarl twisting her features into something fierce and unrecognizable. For a heartbeat, Kestrelkit was too stunned to move.

She crouched low, her belly brushing the ground as if that alone could shield her from the storm brewing in the clearing. Her breath came in shallow gasps, the cold air burning her small lungs as she tried to make sense of what was happening. Then she saw him—Pinepaw. He looked like he was shrinking beneath Bumblestar’s fury, His fur appearing to have been bristling as he had been flattened against the ground. He looked small—smaller than any apprentice should—and the sight of him trembling under the weight of Bumblestar’s rage sent an uneasy shiver down Kestrelkit’s spine. She watched, her wide eyes unblinking, as Pinepaw gave out his explanation. Kestrelkit’s ears twitched, the soft fur at their tips brushing against the frosty air. She blinked slowly, the weight of his words pressing into her like the harsh cold seeping into her paws. Technically attacked? That’s what he called it? She didn’t know exactly what had happened between Pinepaw and Mudhound, but the tone of his voice—the way he said “technically” as though it were a leaf blown aside by the wind—felt wrong. Deeply, fundamentally wrong. Her claws unsheathed instinctively, pricking the frozen ground as a strange, new sensation curled within her chest.

It wasn’t fear. Fear had come and gone with Bumblestar’s shout, sharp and fleeting like a thorn. This was something else—hotter, sharper, a prickle of ire in her belly. Her mismatched eyes—one blue, one green—narrowed as she peered at Pinepaw, her small mind working to untangle the knot of feelings that had suddenly twisted within her. The leader’s furious correction made Kestrelkit jump again, but this time, her reaction wasn’t fear. It was a jolt of something that felt almost like… satisfaction. The fierce pride of watching justice served, even if she didn’t yet have the words to name it. She pressed herself deeper into the snow, her fur bristling as Bumblestar loomed over Pinepaw, her voice sharp and serrated with grief and rage. The world seemed to hold its breath. Kestrelkit held hers, too. Her leader’s words tore through Kestrelkit like the wind howling through bare branches. She didn’t understand all of it—didn’t fully grasp the weight of what it meant to lose a son or the depths of a grief that could make a voice break in two. But she felt it. Oh, how she felt it. The grief, the fury, the way Bumblestar’s tail lashed and her claws struck the ground as if she could carve her pain into the earth itself—it all crashed into Kestrelkit like a wave, leaving her breathless and trembling. She looked back at Pinepaw, and this time, her gaze was no longer wide with confusion or fear.

It was sharp, burning with a fire too big for her small frame. He had done this. He had made Bumblestar roar with a grief so fierce it scorched the air. He had tried to hurt someone—someone who mattered—and now he was groveling, making excuses. A low, growly noise built in Kestrelkit’s throat, soft and kittenish, but fierce nonetheless. Her tail lashed behind her as her claws dug deeper into the snow, anchoring her in place. Why would you do that? The question burned in her mind, equally raw and unspoken. She didn’t understand Pinepaw’s reasoning—couldn’t wrap her head around why any cat would act with such carelessness, as though the world weren’t already full of sharp edges and cold winds. She could feel something sharp twisting inside her, a sense of injustice so heavy it made her small chest ache. She didn’t yet have the words to shout at him, didn’t yet have the strength to confront him like Bumblestar did, but her heart pounded with the desire to do something. Her mismatched eyes, blazing with a fierceness far beyond her moons, remained locked on Pinepaw. She saw the way his tail twitched nervously, the way his ears lay flat against his head as he bowed. He looked… pathetic. Weak. A coward hiding behind flimsy words while Bumblestar’s grief tore through the camp like a storm. The wind howled again, carrying the bitter scent of sorrow and rage, and Kestrelkit’s tiny frame trembled from more than the cold.

She felt it now, that spark of understanding blooming in the depths of her chest. Life, she realized, was not always kind. It could be sharp and cruel, full of claws and teeth and heavy, heavy hearts. She didn’t understand everything. But she understood enough. And as she continued to stare at Pinepaw, her small heart hammering with emotions too big for her to name, she made a silent promise. A fierce, quiet vow that burned as bright as the fire in her belly. She would remember this. She would remember the way grief could roar, the way words could wound, and the way some cats—like Pinepaw—could break things they didn’t know how to fix. And in the cold, bitter quiet that followed, she let her anger settle deep into her bones, a seedling of justice growing within her. Her claws flexed one last time. He will not be forgiven.

(closed; mainly a reaction post to pine’s exile... and for foreshadowing for future silly plot shenanigans uwu)

[Ladiebugg]

DaylightWing
DaylightKit, DaylightPaw

15 Moons | She/Her | Bisexual

ThunderClan Warrior

___

DaylightWing lounges around in the clearing, her tail swaying back and forth as she cleans her nub of a front leg.

[CollapsingStars]

Magpiepaw
TC apprentice | 6 moons | They/them

Magpiepaw lazed about. Just as they would do any other day. Maybe they were hoping for something to happen. But with that blank expression, maybe not. The air was cold and they felt damp from just looking at snow! It felt.. gross. They arranged their body, tucking their paws underneath them. The huge apprentice was not very fond of this weather. Uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable.

Their eyes searched around for something to do, obviously bored. Maybe they could play with the kits? Or ask an older cat to teach them? Maybe even playfully spar with another apprentice.

....

Oh wait. Maggie doesn't know how to fight. They used their weight to their advantage most of the time when they were a kit, so now they know next to nothing. Oh well. Didn't matter. They betted sparring would be gross, too. Having cold, wet paws on them was NOT on their agenda for the day. Night? Whatever.


@SoulJoy and @newo for interactions! (Ill get magpies training up shortly)

[Dolomedes]

This little ferret, or perhaps… a thorn in the side, finally wore down Flamepaw’s patience enough to teach them something. Rosekit, the little one called herself. ( Herself… ) And if Flamepaw was understanding correctly, she was born to Springlight. What a complicated past for a kit who didn’t even seem to know it. Sucks what parents can do to you without even being present. That and the defiance, maybe that’s how Flamepaw found himself teaching Rosekit a hunter’s crouch. But if the kit whines anymore, Flamepaw might just turn around and leave.

[Palmtreejesus]

Dayback yawned as he exited the nursery, the morning air cold and crisp on his previously warmed pelt. He sighed, already missing the warmth of his daughter, Wishkit, by his side.

The tom had become a den dad after his 'adopted' kit had suddenly appeared in the night long ago. He looked around for a place to unruffle his fur, settling down near the elder's den and getting an itchy spot on his back was a relaxed sigh.
@Ants

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DAYBACK
He/him

[Palmtreejesus]

Originally Posted by Palmtreejesus

Dayback yawned as he exited the nursery, the morning air cold and crisp on his previously warmed pelt. He sighed, already missing the warmth of his daughter, Wishkit, by his side.

The tom had become a den dad after his 'adopted' kit had suddenly appeared in the night long ago. He looked around for a place to unruffle his fur, settling down near the elder's den and getting an itchy spot on his back was a relaxed sigh.
@Ants

[IMG] ap_image_read.php (120×120)[ IMG]
DAYBACK
He/him

Bump! Sorry I couldn't see your bump policy @Ants

[Idiotic.Bean101]

Orangepaw-He/Him
10 Moons
PURRKS
Silver Tongue T1-Inactive
Dreamwalker-Inactive
Katty Kreuger-Inactive


--------------------


At the moment, Orangepaw has grabbed one of the fattest things on the prey pile he could've found.
He didn't pay attention to what it was, he just grabbed it.

The sickness made him scrawny, and he's gonna fix that one way or another.
So, he eats away, though still trying to not be messy, because ew.


[OPEN]

[SoulJoy]

•❅—✧❅✦❅✧—❅•
Frostpaw

he/him || 12-14 moons || ThunderClan
----------

Frostpaw was walking out of the apprentice den, just having woken up. He looked at the clear sky and smiled. He loved the feel of the cold and the snow under his paws. He was like a ball of sunshine. He looked around the camp, scouting potential friends. That’s when his gaze finally set upon a certain apprentice. They had this look to them and he was intrigued by them. They were like the total opposite of him, or at least, that’s what they look like. He walked over to the cat. “Hello! I’m Frostpaw!” He said rather cheerfully, a bright smile on his face.

•❅—✧❅✦❅✧—❅•

{ @CollapsingStars / Magpiepaw is such a diva lol }