ThunderClan: Life Before 2023's Sinkhole

[azu-azulu]

@marni

A nimble black cat padded into the territory, was that... The smell of home? The thing she had disappeared from all those moons ago? Yes! That was one smell she could not forget. Home. Blue eyes flicking around, even this being home, barely anyone would recognize her scent, she stunk of crow-food and the thunderpath, but that could be easily washed off I hope to starclan they remember me the she thought, still trying to find somecat. The she soon saw cinderstar and hurried over "hello! I'm not sure if I know you yet, but I am shadefur, I dissapeared... I don't remember how many moons ago, pesky twolegs!" She cursed at herself internally for her poor social skills and memory issues

(Shadefur lol-)

[Poprock]

Echosong approached the Thunderwillow with slow steps, happy to let the eager kits and apprentices get a better seat than her. Blue eyes looked around for a certain dark warrior.

[Spotty]

> Batblood @Jayvines [Patrol report]

As soon as he was done with the border he went back to Ravenpaw (something was seriously wrong with this child) and signaled with a flick of his tail for them to follow him as he started to move back to camp. Roosterflame had been the patrol leader, but since that cat was nowhere to be found, reporting the patrol fell on Batblood.

"Sparrowflight! Our patrol to Windclan went fine, nothing came to trouble us. Ravenpaw and I marked the border, but Roosterflame seemed to disappear before we got there, and he didn't join us." Honestly it wouldn't surprise him if the Chicken had gone to chase butterflies, and he would have happily cursed out outsiders if it wasn't for the fact that the deputy, the cat he was speaking with was a former outsider. "But the border's marked now, though I suggest you try and keep those two bird-siblings together next time" what a surprise Ravenpaw and Crowpaw were also former outsiders "they dont seem to work without each other."

[gravekeeper.]

Originally Posted by implimm

[ @Wingnettle - im CRYING did you even intend the absolute DESTRUCTION you caused me by calling nec an elder omG ]

The she-cat had not moved from her position in the shade- It was too warm for that. And she was faring quite well here. However when one of the apprentices talk back, her eyes flash in the light as her gaze is drawn back to them. "It was never solely the duty of the leader to ensure you, and your friend, and your denmates, were trained daily. She has bigger things to worry over than some apprentices deciding to sit and wait to be noticed when they have not even dared raise their voice." Narrowing her eyes again, Nectarflame thinks for a moment.

"They all became warriors since then." And got mauled, carried away, disappeared, and kidnapped. But that was beside the point.

"I do not know where you got those ideas from, and if your mentors have been neglectful then indeed it would be good to talk to your leader about it. But that is the thing, it is definitely on your paws to do that. You cannot just sit there talking about what you are not getting, when you are not reaching for it. Nothing is gained through complacency."

Darkpetal did not like Nectarflame badmouthing the apprentices. “Oh come on!” He sighed,”It’s not Flamepaw’s fault her mentor left. And I will absolutely never, ever, do the same to Ashpaw. If you don’t believe that they have been trying, go… go shove a rock up your nose.” That last part wasn’t intended and Darkpetal instantly felt bad for it, but he didn’t apologise because of how frustrated Nectarflame made him and the apprentices, especially Flamepaw. Flamepaw didn’t need the older warrior’s barbed comments, in fact she needed someone to console her and to help her move on, and that would be Ashpaw, her new mentor, Darkpetal himself or all of them.
@Wingnettle @SpiritedWarrior

[JackHunt_17]

hawkice padded up at the call

[Swiftheart <3]

"Well, yes and no...When we saw the rouge we were at the edge of our territory, but when chasing them off, we went outside our territory, WAY outside, and we didn't know how to get back." Swiftheart said.

[bubble[error].]

Originally Posted by marni

[ I thoroughly apologize for how lackluster and delayed these replies are ]

Cinderstar
It had been quite some time since Cinderstar had heard her warrior name spoken. With it came a sudden rush of nostalgia, back to days when she was simply serving and proving for her Clan to the best of her ability. Many things had changed since those days - with one of them being the fact that she was now in charge of leading those ranks she had once been apart of.

Bluepaw's explanation was not all that different from others she had heard - that ShadowClan showing up had scared them off, that they wanted the chaos to die down. And while with warriors it irritated her, apprentices were different. They should never have had to deal with any of it.

The rogue attack was a surprise, and so was hearing that Softpaw had been involved. Her eyes widened in brief shock at the realization that her apprentice and adopted daughter had not once mentioned this to her. She pushed that to the back of her mind, knowing it was something to revisit another day. Her eyes softened as Bluepaw mentioned he had died and then came back. StarClan was being awfully gracious to a Clan they had claimed to have turned their backs on.

"Thank you for being honest with me, Bluepaw. What happened with ThunderClan and ShadowClan, what you and your fellow apprentices had to experience... while the intent was good, almost all of it should have never happened. I understand why you felt as though you had to flee." There was a sort of strength in coming back and owning up to leaving being a mistake in the first place. "I am just glad to see that you returned in one piece. If you will, you can follow me back to camp. ShadowClan is gone, and things have returned to... somewhat normal. My name is now Cinderstar, and ThunderClan's deputy is Sparrowflight." There were other changes, but hopefully this would be a good start for the young tom.

Turning back towards camp, she signaled with her bobbed tail for Bluepaw to join her on the walk back.

[ Done - I will go ahead and move him out of the missing! ]



Cinderstar
Padding dutifully through the trees of ThunderClan territory, Cinderstar had her gaze sweeping the undergrowth for any signs of missing cats. A scent she did not expect to come across fluttered by her nose and she turned her head in surprise. Was that...? Hurrying past a clump of thorn bushes, the silver bengal came to see that the scent belonged to who she'd suspected. "Larkstorm - where have you been?" she questioned, eyes flashing with curiosity as she approached the missing Clanmate.



Cinderstar
From where she sat outside the camp entrance, pulling her tongue across her paw and then bringing her paw down over her ears, Cinderstar paused when she heard a familiar voice. Her eyes drifted down to see Emberkit come skidding to a halt by her paws. Disappointment settled within her - this was the second time the kit had gone missing - and yet as tears came streaming down Cinderstar knew that being upset would only end in a meltdown.

"Emberkit, this is the second time this has happened. While I am not mad, I am a little disappointed. What can we do to prevent this from happening?" Kits sneaking out, leaving camp for a quarter moon... it was disheartening to see that the apprentices and warriors of the Clan, and even the queens and elders, not making much of an effort to make camp life entertaining for the Clans kits.

// Emberkit | She|Her | ThunderClan Kit \\

/ Sorry for replying to your entire post! I am on a phone and can't delete things right unless I want to hold down the delete button for a while. Also sorry for being late to reply. Ever since my normal role-playing friend, peepaw, stopped replying to our usual threads, I've slowly lost interest in this. I apologize for anything I am late to. \

Emberkit looked up at Cinderstar. "I don't know! It's the butterflies! They are so cool with their wings and such! I'll never be an apprentice!" She cried again, backing up from the ThunderClan leader. She was in so much trouble now. She had to be.

[plum]

[ @Wingnettle, @SpiritedWarrior, @AshCloud67 ]

It was one thing for Ashpaw to get it, to understand what the Bengal was saying. But... It was another thing entirely to miss the point so terribly that one would lash out vehemently, like Flamepaw (and soon, Darkpetal). Green eyes flicker in the dim shade, surprise lighting them up before fading into exasperation the closer the mouthy apprentice came.

"Perhaps you missed the day where I stood atop that tree and called attention to moons of neglect from Aspenstar and Dogbark, child," she responds coolly. Nectarflame was not ordinarily one to throw around the things she had done, she quite loathed the 'you owe me' attitude some had, but Flamepaw seemed to be especially daft and a little reminder surely would not be harmful. "So if you would like to say that any of us here are unobservant, perhaps start with those closest to you who did not realize the trouble you have been facing." And then, quite coyly, her gaze shifts to the warrior among them. "Darkpetal, was it?"

"Rather than swearing either way what you would or would never do, these things go better when one actually shows they mean what they say. Perhaps instead of throwing kit-like insults at your senior warriors when they express their knowledge and advice, you would like to begin setting a decent example of what warriors should be doing for their pupils? I understand that it may be challenging, after all that is why we are in this predicament with so many younger warriors such as yourself abandoning their sworn duties."

And that was it. Nectarflame sniffs dismissively and turns her cheek, putting a boundary down between them. She was not here for any petty argument a child wanted to start. She was here for her mate, and for Sparrowflight. Her gaze finds the deputy and she smiles faintly, amused clearly.

[SpiritedWarrior]

Originally Posted by implimm

[ @Wingnettle, @SpiritedWarrior, @AshCloud67 ]

It was one thing for Ashpaw to get it, to understand what the Bengal was saying. But... It was another thing entirely to miss the point so terribly that one would lash out vehemently, like Flamepaw (and soon, Darkpetal). Green eyes flicker in the dim shade, surprise lighting them up before fading into exasperation the closer the mouthy apprentice came.

"Perhaps you missed the day where I stood atop that tree and called attention to moons of neglect from Aspenstar and Dogbark, child," she responds coolly. Nectarflame was not ordinarily one to throw around the things she had done, she quite loathed the 'you owe me' attitude some had, but Flamepaw seemed to be especially daft and a little reminder surely would not be harmful. "So if you would like to say that any of us here are unobservant, perhaps start with those closest to you who did not realize the trouble you have been facing." And then, quite coyly, her gaze shifts to the warrior among them. "Darkpetal, was it?"

"Rather than swearing either way what you would or would never do, these things go better when one actually shows they mean what they say. Perhaps instead of throwing kit-like insults at your senior warriors when they express their knowledge and advice, you would like to begin setting a decent example of what warriors should be doing for their pupils? I understand that it may be challenging, after all that is why we are in this predicament with so many younger warriors such as yourself abandoning their sworn duties."

And that was it. Nectarflame sniffs dismissively and turns her cheek, putting a boundary down between them. She was not here for any petty argument a child wanted to start. She was here for her mate, and for Sparrowflight. Her gaze finds the deputy and she smiles faintly, amused clearly.

Flamepaw glared at Nectarflame, she seemed to be on a power trip. At least... in Flamepaw's eyes. It wasn't often she was mad at a Clanmate, but the warrior she-cat seemed to not be having it. Aspenstar and Dogbark? Flamepaw had no idea who those two cats were, but if it was true that they neglected ThunderClan and their duties, the orange and white green-eyed tabby understood.

“I did miss that day.” Flamepaw grumbled, beginning to feel that it wasn't worth arguing with the warrior, "That was the past. You seem to focus on it rather than the now."

Although Flamepaw wanted to argue back to prove that what Nectarflame was saying was wrong, she understood it was the wrong place and time. She quietly urged Ashpaw to go back to her seat in the crowd and glanced back at Nectarflame before turning away herself. She sat by Darkpetal and paid no more attention to the golden bengal. If she was telling the truth, then why'd she sit on the branch Cinderstar is on during the time after Aspenstar and Dogbark? Flamepaw desperately wished she could understand Nectarflame more, try to make the effort to understand why the golden bengal say what she did. But alas, she was at a loss. It wasn't time to think about it now, it was time to see who her new mentor and continue becoming the best warrior possible. One day, she'd be denmates with Nectarflame. Flamepaw had to get over her anger.

It wasn't until she sat down that she noticed her fur was bristling during the conversation with the senior warrior. Glancing down, she noticed her claws were slightly unsheathed, so she quickly fixed it and sheathed them. I can't let my anger get the best of me... depending on who I get, I will have to ask my mentor how to manage it. I can't be this hot-headed forever, I may never become the leader of ThunderClan!

@Wingnettle
@AshCloud67

[Wingnettle]

Ashpaw gazed sympathetically at his friend and rest his tail on her back. They returned to their seat, but Ashpaw was still thinking about what Nectarflame had said. Our duty... we should be more responsible for our training... is this way I am so behind the others? Have I been negligent? He couldn't find an answer. Flamepaw clearly disagreed with the older warrior, but he couldn't shake himself from a new wave of shame: was he neglecting his training? Wasn't he doing enough for his clan? He immersed himself deeply in dark thoughts.
@implimm @AshCloud67 @SpiritedWarrior