WindClan: Life Before 2023's Fire

[MaryTheCrow]

Originally Posted by Thornwolf

Flowerkit laid down and started thinking about things to do, perhaps it was to play or look around. She knew there was surely tons of things to do, she’s just unsure what to do...perhaps playing with something or just looking around
Flowerkit started looking at random objects near her such as a pebble or even some dirt. Maybe things far like the clouds

|Open|

- Brightkit -
He/Him

Brightkit was hit with a sudden bout of energy. He had to run and he had to run now. So he did run. He ran, avoiding kits and queens and anyone else who might've wandered into the nursery. He ran until he inevitably tripped over something. That something was another kit. "Oomph!" he grunted as he tumbled face-first into the ground below.

The bicolor kitten quickly jumped to his feet, shaking himself off before looking at what he'd tripped over. Once he realized it was another kit he squeaked in alarm and stage whispered an apology, "I'm so sowry! I didn't notice you! I- are you okay?"

[Quietheart]

Originally Posted by epicstinkyman

" A new outsider? Hm. Perhaps he means no harm. Although I may not be an experienced warrior, I believe this new outsider may just want to have a place for his family during leafbare. Imagine, for all the queens, if you had to raise your kittens alone during leafbare with no cozy den or clan to turn to. All by yourself, in the cold. Having to hunt for you and your kittens. I say we give him a try! " Tumblebreath looked around enthusiasticly for any cats who might agree.

Rabbittail

|26 Moons|

Rabbittail's cream white form floated among the crowd as she listened to all the differing opinions. Her fur was positively bristling at the thought of letting non-clanborn cats into WindClan territory. I doubt those flea ridden vagabonds even know what the warrior code is, let alone StarClan. The idea was simply horrid. She watched Beetleblaze proffer his idea to Twilightstar, and could not help but feel the tom had dropped his brain somwhere on the moor. For all the tan warriors devout beliefs he was the exception, not the rule. Her brother Velvetpaw came first to her mind, and how he had abandoned the clan.

The tom was being to idealistic if he thought the loners would simply just adopt StarClan and live together in harmony with WindClan. Either way Silverpelt had determined long ago that there would always be four clans, something he conveniently seemed to have forgotten. What if he's going soft on the loners? She wouldn't be surprised if his non clan heritage was interfering with his judgment. This is why we aren't allowed to mix, it divides us all! Proper warriors would drive these newcomers from their land. Let them go set up shop somewhere else. She was huffing with anger when she heard Tumblebreath trying to rally support to the cause of siding with the loners.

"Oh And I suppose you are going to handle the situation when they inevitably need more territory, more food, and MORE healing herbs." She spat. If Rabbittail had a tail it would have been thrashing back and forth, instead she was pacing frantically her ears low and hostile.

[Moxie Foxy]

Stonecrackle growled "send them away, how do we know this isn't a guis? that they won't end up taking more of our territory if we cater to them now?!"

[Quietheart]

Originally Posted by Wingnettle

Milkpaw (he/him)
Creamy-white short fur and green eyes

❛ ━━━━━━･❪ ⚘ ❫ ･━━━━━━ ❜

Shocked murmuring run through the crowd of cats as Twilighstar announced the arrival of an outsider asking for their territory. Milkpaw felt too stunned to speak, but the idea of sharing their territory with other cats was... absurd. Why had their leader accepted this idea? Couldn't she see that strangers would be a danger for Windclan? And most of all, why would some outsiders ask for a place batted by the icy leafbare winds instead of searching for the trees' shelter in Thunderclan or Shadowclan?

Milkpaw stepped forward, uncertainly in every paw step and movement that he made, but the leader's gaze was expectant and comforting to him, so he tried to speak aloud.
"Twilightstar, if I may speak..." the young apprentice bowed in head in respect and waited for a nod of approval, before continuing: "I don't think it would be wise to let mysterious cats in. What about the Warrior Code? We should be supposed to protect it with our life, and... and.." he took in a deep breath and recollected his thoughts. "You said first that this tom looks suspicious. What if he's lying? What if he's not bringing in his family, but an entire party of cats?"

Milkpaw stared expectantly at Twiligthstar, wondering if his words were making sense of if someone would even bother listening to an apprentice for such an important decision. "What if... they decide to take over all our territory..? What if... they are actually stronger than us? It could take just an ambush and our camp would be..." his throat felt hot with the effort, and his heart was thumping louder than ever, but the idea of having weird cats not following the warrior code so close was too terrifying.

And what if they've asked consciously about the Swooping Cliffs? We know it's dangerous and we don't use it too often, and this information could've revealed precious if they were to make a plan like this... With wide eyes, he stared into Twilightstar's without moving. He could hear the caterwaul behind them, lots of various comments coming from all his clanmates at once.

Milkpaw knew that they were now risking a lot by making the wrong decision. His claws slipped out and sunk into the damp ground of leaf-fall, his eyes not leaving the leader's expression. Suddenly he turned around, desperately in need of his sister's support. Their gazed locked, and Milkpaw sent her a silent plea. Leafpaw...

[ @The Heir Apparent @Moonraven ]

Originally Posted by Wingnettle

Milkpaw (he/him)
Creamy-white short fur and green eyes

❛ ━━━━━━･❪ ⚘ ❫ ･━━━━━━ ❜

Milkpaw felt utterly bewildered by his clanmate's harsh comment. It's not like he wanted to join an argument, but he guessed there was no way out now.
Trying to steady his voice, he replied calmly to Ashpaw: The Warrior Code explicitly says that we must protect our boundaries against trespassing cats. These strangers do not follow the warrior code, and it wouldn't be wise to assume that they have kits. Especially in danger."

Woah, that was quite an answer. The effort left Milkpaw almost drained, and suddenly he wished Firepaw was with him. This apprentice called Ashpaw didn't seem much rational, but it was Twilightstar's opinion who counted the most in the end. Where even is Fallownose? He glanced around, but only the leader sat on the Breezerock.

[ @SpookyCloud the Pumpkin ]

Quietkit

|2 Moons|

A small grey figure stumbled out of the nursery into the open air. Quietkit rubbed his one good eye with his crooked right paw. Why is everbody yelling? His amber left eye climbed up the breezerock until it found Twilightstar who seemed to be gathering many cats around her again. For the first time he noticed that they shared a similarity. Both of them only had one eye. It would have been a comforting thought for the kit, yet many of the cats in the clearing seemed angry. They were discussing something with scary looks, and intense voices. The heavy atmosphere caused Quietkit to shrink, as he took a step back towards his den.

He was about to go back inside when he saw Milkpaw talking with the big boss lady. Then he turned with an intense look towards another apprentice which the tom-kit did not know. Milkpaw's face as he spoke wore an expression that did not fit any he had shown him during their tour of the camp together. The bewildered kit had only ever seen the cream apprentices softer side. Now his green eyes were like hardened gems, but Quietkit noticed his body seemed to shake from the effort. Are they having a fight, does he need my help? But the gray ball of fluff felt to nervous to get involved, his mind was blank from the stress and he longed to walk away but couldn't stop watching the events unfolding in front of him.

[TheNyanCatMinecart]

~ WOLFFANG OF WINDCLAN ~

Wolffang felt a flicker of disappointment as the called Gorsekit did not show up. It was his apprentice ceremony, one of the most important days of his life. He should be here. Based on Twilightstar's searching yet unconcerned expression, the resurrected tom assumed that he just hadn't shown up to the meeting. His tail - he had no tail-tip anymore - twitched unhappily. This was one of the things he did not miss: the care some cats lacked for such important Clan events. The number of reassignments was disheartening, too. This had always been a problem. Well, now that I'm back, I'm going to work as hard as possible to make it less of an issue. Wolffang would not be incompetent. He would not let his apprentices go untrained or his duties unfulfilled. In fact, he was thinking of hunting after the meeting when he remembered Leechscar. The large, sturdy tom was not looking forward to speaking with him. But he knew it was necessary. I can't not speak with him.

Speaking of Leechscar, he was going to mentor an apprentice - Mushroompaw. Wolffang had heard the name before. Glancing around, he spotted the golden tabby cat. Hopefully, they would be compatible with his former apprentice. It was odd thinking of it like that. Leechscar had not been a warrior when Wolffang had died, but here he was, becoming a mentor. He also wasn't present at the meeting, which caused the dappled tom to feel a flicker of annoyance, but Leechscar had always been a little... antisocial. Then there was the mention of Laurelpaw, Fernpaw's kin. Hadn't Skyleaf been mentoring her? Wolffang gazed around in confusion. Skyleaf wouldn't have neglected an apprentice. She was a loyal, hard-working warrior. Lioncloud was a different situation entirely, but Skyleaf? No. I wonder what happened. Surely nothing bad. I just spoke to Skyleaf. Wolffang felt his fur begin to prick, but he forced it to lie smooth and instead shuffled his broad, sturdy paws in the sand.

Meanwhile, Twilightstar was talking about disobedient apprentices. Laurelpaw, for one, which was a bit of a surprise. She hadn't seemed too bad in the past. And Ashpaw, some cat he didn't know much about. Wolffang bit back a small growl of frustration. A lot of things in WindClan needed fixing, and... well, he was going to help fix them. I won't let them down. Not again. One more announcement about an apprentice who had been involved in an accident that caused memory loss. Scalepaw. That was the same apprentice who Tulippaw was currently talking to. More eyes burning into his pelt caught his attention, and Wolffang lifted his head to find Toadpounce staring at him. The tom didn't go over or say anything, just gave a small nod before turning away. Wolffang nodded back despite doubting that the spotted tom would be able to catch it. He'd liked Toadpounce, and he'd fought bravely against the dogs.

Twilightstar fell silent, and as the mentors and apprentices greeted one another, Wolffang's attention was drawn back down to the little dark gray kit who had come up to him earlier. He was gazing up at him with wide green eyes and pricked ears, revealing that his name was Wolfkit. Name twins. He supposed they were. Other than that, they didn't look too similar - they both had big ears, but their pelts were different shades of gray, and their markings and eyes were dissimilar colors. Without warning, Wolfkit's expression changed to a perplexed one and he asked... if they needed to have the same name? Wolffang was confused, but a little amused, too. It sounded like the sort of question a young kit would ask - one who was too young to completely understand the way their Clan worked.

"Of course not," he replied. "Twilightstar is the one who chooses your name. And it's not uncommon for cats to have the same prefix - I know there have been other cats with the name Wolf-." Hopefully, the kit would understand that. The dappled gray tom's attention was almost immediately drawn back to the Breezerock, where Twilightstar was making a much longer, much more important announcement. His remaining notched ear pricked.

It had to do with an Outsider. Wolffang's eyes immediately narrowed as his leader spoke. Fallownose had mentioned trouble with them, and he agreed with Twilightstar's decision to keep all Outsiders in the Outskirts. He wanted to know more about the Clan, but didn't want to join? That was very suspicious. The next thing she said was even worse: he'd asked for territory. Immediately, the muscular tom's hackles began to rise, and his long claws unsheathed, digging into the sand. The lilac-gray she-cat didn't sound happy about all of this, yet she'd still mentioned the Swooping Cliffs, which admittedly had gone unused. And the other Clans... Wolffang leaned forward a little more. Sparrowstar and Pikestar? The names were unfamiliar to him. Last he'd heard, ThunderClan had been a mess and RiverClan had been dealing with horrible allegations.

So, the verdict was: should WindClan allow the Outsider and his family to use territory they didn't traverse? Or should they turn him away so he'd go crawling to the less experienced Clans? Wolffang could understand Twilightstar's dilemma, but he already knew what he was going to say. The tom stood up and meowed, "I don't think we should give away any of our territory. We may not use the Swooping Cliffs now, but come leaf-bare, we may need it to hunt. Also, I don't like the sound of this rogue. Why couldn't he settle elsewhere? Surely, in the vast lands of the Outskirts, he could have found a place for him and his family to live. I suspect something might be up. Let the other Clans do what they like; WindClan shouldn't give up their land. And Outsiders have been bringing a lot of trouble lately, from what I've heard." Wolffang did not like the situation, and he firmly believed that this rogue should not take up any of WindClan's land.

@Ravensong @Moonraven @cinnamon

[Alchemist Kitsune]

Snowypaw

Outsiders?

Snowypaw's ears perked in curiosity, wondering if this had anything to do with the odd scent over at the cliffs when Stonecrackle had taken him mole hunting. The large apprentice had been unable to identify any clan scent on the strangers' odors, but it had definitely brought Stonecrackle out of sorts. Snowypaw couldn't find it in him to blame the massive, gray tom. Had there been outsiders there, a battle might have proven to be catastrophic if it somehow led closer to the edge than they had been at. The confirmation that the outsider had asked to stay at Swooping Cliffs rather cemented the idea that maybe it was the same group of cats, and Twilightstar had already been aware of the problem. Not that it surprised the apprentice. The WindClan leader hadn't remained a leader for so long by keeping shut in and waiting to be surprised.

What did come as a surprise, however, was the outsider's request to take over Swooping Cliffs. It seemed... odd to say the least. Judging by the scents in the area, this outsider's family must have at the very least been scouting the area already, a thought that made Snowypaw nervous. It wasn't the thought of outsiders being in WindClan that got his nerves on edge, however. Partly because of his own laid back way of thinking when it came to other cats and partly because of Deadmoon's own open mindedness when it came to other clans, the Maine Coon mix was not particularly against outsiders or other clan cats. As long as they did not hurt WindClan, he held no ill will towards anyone, really. That said... there was something to be said about wanting to live in a clan's territory but also wanting to make it clear that they did not want to belong to the clan in question.

What will they do once leaf-bare makes the cliffs even more dangerous and with little prey?

Warriors and apprentices from all sides gave their opinions on the argument at paw, Stonecrackle among them. He twitched an ear, his feelings mixed on the matter. One one paw, it seemed like it would be heartless to send a family of cats out to fend for themselves without shelter with leaf-fall upon them. The longer the family of cats was out searching for a new home, the less time they would have to properly settle in, make themselves familiar with the territory, and properly prepare for the harsher moons ahead. On the other paw, this outsider had made it clear that he had no intention of playing nice. He wanted the territory. Territory established for WindClan. All the while not belonging to said clan. Not belonging to any clan, for that matter.

Whiskers twitching on the patched tom's face as a frown deepened on his features, Snowypaw couldn't help shake the feeling that something was... off. Unfortunately for the apprentice, this was nothing new. He'd been feeling like something was off about everything ever since his mentor disappeared, making his own gut feelings impossible to trust right now. What if the cats simply wanted the dangerous territory because it was easier to defend than it was to attack? What if these cats had somehow led to the disappearance of many of the WindClan cats that had vanished these past moons, Deadmoon included? What if they suddenly decided they didn't just want the cliffs, but the whole of WindClan to boot?

And what if you are wrong?

The little voice that hated thinking the worst of others nagged at the back of his mind. Yes, the situation was odd. But... maybe the outsider had simply asked for the territory due to a simple lack of knowledge on how the clans and their code worked. There were too many what ifs for his unreliable mind to land on a decision with any sort of certainty. Not with how listless he had been this past half moon. Settling on remaining quiet, deciding he would be of no help in this situation, Snowypaw wrapped his feathery tail around his fidgeting paws, closing himself off further into his little corner in the clearing as the debating cats continued berating each other before Breezerock.

[Alchemist Kitsune]

Lightningkit

Blue eyes squinted as tiny, dainty paws skittered in the darkened den, knowing full well they shouldn't be there. Despite Lightningkit's intrepid nature to explore everything, her excursion into the forbidden areas of the camp were not done in the name of adventure. Not this time. No, today she had a much more important mission at paw. Finding her brothers.

Gingerheart hadn't said anything to her - not yet, anyways - but the calico kit was sharp enough to know that something had to be wrong. Young as she may be at a mere moon of life, the chatty molly had full memory of her nestmates, no matter how annoying they might be. No, scratch that. Especially if they were as annoying as the two useless balls of fur that took up prime nest space, especially now as the weather seemed to be turning colder. Her ears flattened at this thought, knowing full well that no matter how many names she called them in her mind, they were her useless balls of fur, and she missed them dearly.

At first she'd thought their extended disappearance was simply Hawknight's favoring them over her. He'd already shown to be more thoughtful of the other two before, relegating her to the position of entertaining her brothers when he wanted to spend special bonding time with the others. She didn't mind spending time with her littermates, she just didn't like doing it because it was convenient to him. As time went on, however, she started doubting this was the case, as not even he could convince their mother to part with them for so long. That was part of the reason she was now here, in this expedition to the warrior's den. Searching the forbidden to ensure that the pale white warrior's nest did not have any hints of her brothers in it, a part of her desperately hoping it did. Sure, she would be angry at Raykit and Sorrelkit for excluding her, but she'd just give them a stern lecture and forgive them. Eventually.

Yes, that was indeed the plan. A straight forward plan to be sure. The only flaw of course being that she had no idea where Hawknight's nest even was to begin with! An angry little tail lash escaped her as she grumbled, realizing she would have to search each nest individually. Normally this would be a task she would be more than happy to indulge in, but there was no time for games today. She was being serious, and speed was of the essence. Of course, there was another thing that the calico did not count on. Her youthful lack of an attention span...

A groan and some shuffling in a nearby nest intriguing her, Lightningkit's large ears swiveled in the direction of the sound. Carefully approaching, the Abyssinian mix's steps grew less careful as she approached the silver tabby writhing in the nest, her features contorted with pain and misery. Blue eyes growing wide, Lightningkit stared in unabashed wonder, having never seen a warrior in such a condition before. Her mission now having been squarely thrown to the back of her mind, the young kit placed her paws at the edge of the nest, lifting herself on two paws to get a better look at the molly within. "What's wrong with you? Did you eat too much? You kinda look like you ate to much. Momma always says that's why you have to mind your bites. But you look big... can't you take big bites without getting a tummy ache? Lightningkit began, her usual torrent of questions escaping her without second thought as she tried to get a better look at warrior.

Wide eyes grew even rounder as Lightningkit noticed the warrior was covered in healing scars that seemed to be small, sharp bites. This observation making her realize it was not a stomach ache, the calico's eyes took on the sparkle they normally had when about to launch one of her lightning fast question storms. "Oh oh, did you get bitten? What bit you? Was it a monster? Uncle Squirrelear says that cats can't fight monsters. How did you fight that one off? Was it really hard? What was its weak spot? Did the monster taste good after you finished it off? Or did it run off crying? Unless... you didn't lose, did you?" the young kit rambled, finally stopping at the last question, genuine curiosity lacing her high pitched voice.

-

@IvySpirit

[Ian]

Fallownose burst into camp just in time to hear the tail end of what Twilightstar was announcing and the various voices of his Clanmates raising, mostly in anger. Based on what Twilightstar said about a stranger and his "family", and how William had said he had spoken to a one-eyed warrior, he assumed that they must be speaking about the rogue group.

"Twilightstar!" the deputy called, weaving his way to the front of the crowd with his pelt bristled and fur standing on in. Clearly, something wasn't right. "The outsiders have taken Swooping Cliffs, and it certainly isn't a family. There are at least fifteen of them, probably more, and they're all adults. The leader had the gall to threaten me, asking if WindClan would notice my disappearance and making comments about how the cliffs are dangerous. I don't know what he told you, but his intentions can't be good and we must drive them out!"

Fallownose believed with his whole heart that this group was a threat. Their story was off, and they had the gall to threaten him on his own territory. He didn't know what their angle was, but it wasn't a good one.

@Moonraven

[Quietheart]

Rabbittail

|26 Moons|

Rabbittail found her paws padding along furiously, not sure where exactly they were taking her. I can't believe Twilightstar is seriously entertaining the idea of having loners as uninvited guests in our territory. The day had started out pleasantly enough, though perhaps she had been a little pedantic when she visited the nursery to clean out the queens bedding. She had only wanted to ensure proper warriors were raised, ones who understood the warrior code and behaved like clan cats. Rabbittails white tipped ears folded over in a display of frustration as her face fell into a frown. Hollowmist's kits needed her to teach them right from wrong, what if the kits loner mother led them astray?

Today's events only proved how divided the clans loyalties were becoming due to the influx of Loners. All in one breath she grumbled and sighed twitching her pink scared nose hoping she might sneeze the anger right out of her. If only it were so easy. Eventually her paws ceased, and she stopped to get her bearings. It wasn't long before she realized where she was. Have I gone all the way to Adder rocks? Her emerald eyes looked out past the craggy stones, gray even in the light of the midday sun. It occurred to her that just north of here was the swooping cliffs, the place where the loners would supposedly be holing up. In her anger Rabbittail realized she must have unconsciously made her way there to ward off any would be trespassers.

Her head turned as she thought she heard a sound in the distance. The wary warrior craned her neck and ears listening carefully. She was alert and ready for any cat foolish enough to take advantage of her clan!

@Ivybush666

[Ivybush666]

Name:Kozmokit
Gender: Tom
Is your character a kit or an expecting queen?: Kit
Reason for Joining: Parents were killed and kit abandoned, found and adopted by the warrior rabbittail
Rank Request:kit
Other: Was agreed he could join before Twilighstar made the official closed to loners announcement. Proof
Mention Me: @Moonraven