SkyClan Clearing

[Teza]

Originally Posted by Duskflight

Hearing that the she-cat was fine, the brown tabby would nod his head with a rather happy look on his face, clearly glad to hear that she wasn't being overworked, though he quickly looked back with surprise to hear that she wasn't being placed on enough.
"Oh? Well I can certainly arrange for you to be placed on more, I apologize that you feel that you haven't been placed on enough! Though you are right when you say we've been blooming with new warriors. so many new young faces, I love it. It shows Skyclan is truly growing strong, not that I ever had any doubts about our strength before." He would chuckle right along with her and cross his paws in front of himself in a neat, relaxed manner.
The question she asked next caused him to turn and then tilt his head with a little, "Hm?" But then the brown tabby realize what she was speaking about and his eyes softened, seeing that she was clearly embarrassed by the fact that she missed her kittypet family.
"Oh Moonfrost, you know there is no shame in missing your family, regardless of where they're from. It's not wrong at all to miss them, in fact, I don't blame you and I truly apologize that we've moved so far from them. I know it must be hard."
Turning his head he would look across the clearing for a moment before looking back to her. "I wish I could give you permission to go and visit them, but I.. I simply can't condone such a dangerous journey, it was hard for the clan, it would be even harder to go by yourself and I do wish to be able to see you again."

At his words, Moonfrost felt a wave of emotions crash down upon her. Relief and shock were among those emotions, and the light she-cat stole a glance at her leader for a second. "Y-you would?" she asked. She cursed herself secretly for asking such a mouse-brained question, and even more-so at how she asked it; nervously. What did the feline have to be nervous about? Grousestar probably just didn't want to lose any of his clanmates, end of story. Right? Or maybe... 'What if...' she thought. She hypothetically shook her head free of the thought. 'Don't be mouse-brained. Why would Grousestar want an ex-kittypet as a...' she couldn't bring herself to say it, even in her own mind. There was just something about that word that made her freeze up in anxiety, but not the bad kind. It had always made her giddy and anticipating the next time she spoke to the tom she thought of it for. Grousestar had taught her much when she joined the clan, and she would always appreciate it, but what if there was something more there? Should she act upon it? What if there was nothing and she ruined their friendship? Moonfrost simply decided to stay where she was, waiting for Grousestar's answer. He seemed so calm and relaxed. She wondered what was going on inside his head.

[The Cannibal]

Originally Posted by Noire

‘‘...have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon?...Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned?...Can you sing with all the voices of the mountain...can you paint with all the colors of the wind…’’ Splotchfeather happily traveled through the clearing, singing and humming occasionally to the song that was on her mind. A song that her mother used to sing to her and her brothers whenever they were travelling. Splotchfeather would always join in on the musical, having to inherit her mother’s treasured voice, but her brothers lagged behind, bobbing their heads occasionally. The calico had her eyes closed, not noticing her surroundings, but her gait was in step. A gentle jump of movement that displayed her current bouncy mood, and when she almost tripped over one of her own paws, her eyes opened in alarm, and her heart quickened. She immediately shut her maw, laughing at herself inwardly. ‘’Momma always said watch where you’re going, Splotch. Good-’’ the she-cat was amused by a fluttering insect that hovered above her nose at first. She twitched her nose, having it to off, before quickly pouncing after it.

Her laughter sounded sweet, and once the bug was gone, Splotchfeather felt that she had a complete moment of fun, before settling down again to see what she could do. There haven’t been much she was up to. She would occasionally hang around Greystep, and talk his head off. A problem with her senseless rambling, and she was surprised that the senior warrior haven’t called her off or ignored her or ran her away. He must had a patience of a saint if he could handle her. Especially since she first met him, and he was such a...stammering tom. He was quite amusing, if she dared admit.

This she-cat hopped to her paws, and as she passed other cats, she shouted a pleasure of hellos their way, being the upbeat cat she always was. Even some may find her personality a nuisance, there was many who needed her attention. If it was one thing about Splotchfeather, she hated cats that were depressed or alone. It was the main reason as to why she approached Greystep those moons ago. He was alone. To her, he seemed suspicious as if he were plotting something, but as she got to know him better, she figured he was harmless, and just looking to be alone. Another problem the she-cat had was...never leaving anyone alone.

Deep down, Splotchfeather knew that loneliness was never the answer. Who in their right mind would ever want to be...alone? It was scary. To her. She never wanted to be alone, and she never quite understood how well it worked for other cats. It was the reason that she joined a clan, especially after losing the only brother she had left. She couldn’t be alone. She feared the depression.

As the calico continued to hum her happy hellos to whomever would listen, she thought about her next move. What was she going to do? She couldn’t sit around...it wasn’t her forte. She was boundless energy, always up for some type of excitement. ‘’Maybe, that’s what I should do,’’ she exclaimed loudly to herself. Having to come off as delusional to some other cats for talking to herself. ‘’I’ll go offer my services! Maybe someone needs to smile.’’ And, she allowed a sweet smile to grace her own muzzle as she trotted on looking for her next friend.

Or, victim. Depending on the cat she runs herself into.

@Duskflight

{Terribly sorry about the late reply!}

You know, you should really get some more sleep, you'd be able to hunt better. You haven't been catching as much.

A body-less voice spoke in his head as he laid there with dull eyes at the edge of the clearing, a place and sight that has been common ever since Skyclan had situated in the new territory beside the Dusk Syndicate. Ever since they moved, he had lost all hope in ever being able to see Willowrain again, the one cat who accepted him, the one cat he thought he had a chance with. All of that was gone now and he was left alone, a miserable heap among cats who didn't wish to conversate with him because of how awkward he was in social situations, conversations dropping into awkward silence, his inability to apparently connect with other cats emotions, his inability to help others cope because he could hardly understand his own emotions. But who is this 'he' that I've been referring to?
That is Yarrowpounce, the mostly white tom with a brown tail, brown patches on the back of his forepaws and a brown patch over his left eye, a skinny cat who very clearly wasn't meant to take down anything over strength, but very likely speed. A cat that could have possibly been considered one of Skyclan's best hunters, but not anymore.

Now the warrior just sat there in the clearing for most of the day, staring off into space and wondering what caused the one cat that cared to utterly disappear like she did, what he did wrong, what he could have done better, what he could have done to make her stay. He occasionally was placed on a border patrol or a hunting patrol, but for the most part he was in the back of the border patrol, not even attempting to converse with the other cats in the ground, and on hunting patrols he usually failed to catch anything at all. His mind was elsewhere, not paying attention to catching prey, or checking scents, his decisions completely clouded every waking second of each day. Yarrowpounce was barely living any more it felt like.

You should eat, when was the last time you ate?
The thought caused him to stir lightly, his yellow eyes blinking slowly and becoming a little less hazed than they were before, looking slowly one way, then the next, taking the sight in before him before looking at his side, where a few of his ribs were prominently sticking out. He hadn't been eating regularly, most of the time not even noticing that he was hungry, forgetting that he needed to eat, hardly having the motivation to do it if he even did happen to remember. It seemed he was stuck in a very deep rut, a very deep rut that would lead nowhere at all and it seemed too deep to be able to climb out, especially with no one to talk to.

Heaving out a slow, deep breath, Yarrowpounce would turn his gaze to the fresh kill pile that seemed so impossibly far away, vaguely aware of the painful gnawing hunger that stabbed at his gut. His limbs felt like they were filled with stone, tying him to this spot he laid in, preventing him from getting up and receiving the vital nutrients he so desperately needed to survive.
I'll get food in a minute. He replied to his mind dully, his gaze slowly traveling to the ground where it would stay, looking at a single strand of grass that waved with the breeze, his gaze fixating there and threatening to glaze over again with his self-loathing thoughts. Part of him was fighting hard to try and not think about it, that part of him had been fighting for the past several moons and yet each time it was swarmed and snuffed out as he fell back into his thoughts, bleeding hours upon hours away, just sitting there. Staring.

Please, someone, anyone. Save me before these thoughts take over again. I don't want to keep dwelling on them. Please... Save me.

[goddess of ducks]

@Flameleaf
Chirppaw padded out of her den, the one where all the apprentices slept. The Persian she cat stretched her legs, then turned her honey brown gaze down to look at her pelt. It was ragged and ruffled from sleep, matted and knotted from twisting. Sighing, she plopped down and ran her rugged tongue over her cream colored fur, working diligently to smooth it out and make it perfectly clean.

[Tundra]

Goldenpaw looked at Chirppaw grooming herself. She looked over her shoulder at her own pelt, which was ruffled and messy. Goldenpaw shrugged. What was the point of grooming yourself if your pelt was going to get messy again? Goldenpaw padded over to Chirppaw. "Hi there!" She mewed. "Want to go hunting or something?"

[goddess of ducks]

Chirppaw was consumed with the cleaning of her pelt. So much so that she did not hear the approach of the other apprentice. When they spoke, she was startled and jumped, sending another could of dust into her fur. Becoming flustered, she bent her broad faced hard back down, blowing at the dirt settling on her fur. She hated dirty fur. "What? Oh yeah hunting. That sounds nice." She said rising to her paws and making her way towards the camp entrance.
(To the territory?)

[Mango]

Fennelheart limped into camp, her paw pad had a deep scratch dripping blood, her tail had a scratch, and she had a scratch on her back she anounced," The patrol by the Dusk Synigouge border is dead, I am the only surviver on our side. They are by the border. I need two cats atleast to fetch them." She sat down and fell asleep in exaustion, blocking the entrance out of camp. (Use snarl as her suffix)

[Mango]

Originally Posted by Rivergold

"I was only noticing," she mewed.

Cucumberpickle groused," It's all right."

[Rivergold]

Originally Posted by Chameleon eats a doughnut

Cucumberpickle groused," It's all right."

"Though you may need to work on the appreciation." She turned as Fennelheart limped into camp and collapsed, padding toward the she-cat. "Cucumber, come here," she mewed as she nosed the prone warrior.

[Mango]

Originally Posted by Rivergold

"Though you may need to work on the appreciation." She turned as Fennelheart limped into camp and collapsed, padding toward the she-cat. "Cucumber, come here," she mewed as she nosed the prone warrior.

Cucumberpickle padded over," Yes?"

Fennelheart glanced at the cat prodding her," Hey! I'm not dead ya know!" She snapped then blinked," Sorry, I didn't mean to snap, it's been a bad day."

[lone]

Originally Posted by Pathos

[i think i'm going to use times new roman? it looks nicer than arial tbh.]


The smaller-than-average warrior gazed up at Greystep, watching his actions. Truly, Acornflash was intrigued. By now, he knew not to ask questions about anything that seemed different than what he was used to, but he couldn't stop his mind from wandering. It was just something that he did. Acorn's features softened for a moment after his statement, observing his clanmate. Greystep was, admittedly, much larger than Acornflash, which intimidated him the slightest bit, but it would be nothing to worry about, so long as he didn't focus on that sole fact. At his companion's minor outburst of anger, the dark tom's optics widened in surprise and a touch of fright, the fur along his spine rippling. Automatically assuming that he had done something wrong, Acornflash murmured a soft apology, only able to be heard if one listened closely or focused on the movements on his mouth. He wasn't sure what he had done that had sparked his anger, but the one thing he had falsely thought to be true was that Acornflash himself had caused it. He hated the idea of blaming someone else for something, even if said thing was in no way related to him. The thought of blaming himself went much smoother in his mind than if he decided to assume that it wasn't his fault.

But, at the sound of Greystep's voice, Acornflash relaxed some. Hope laced his thoughts; maybe if he acted like he hadn't just gotten frightened over the tom's slight display of irritation, it would all blow over. He still wasn't completely calm, though. An observation had lodged itself in his mind, unable to be swept away by the train of thought: Greystep really was a larger cat, much larger than himself. He hadn't noticed it earlier—or at least, if he had, he chose to ignore it—but now, with his show of fright, he couldn't dislodge that thought. At Greystep's timid question, Acornflash blinked. "Why wouldn't I be nice to you?" he meowed, tilting his head in confusion. It didn't compute in his head. Of course he would be nice to Greystep... right? With more earnest intent, he continued. "Who hasn't been nice to you?" His optics hardened, a glint of worry in them. Of course, Acornflash had had his own share of negative cats, but he didn't think that some cats would be so terrible to this poor tom that he would have to be suspicious of newcomers!

Too soon, however, Greystep had said more. For now he would have to take his mind off of the previous subject and focus on what was at hand. "Well, at least that Dusk Syndicate wasn't there! I think I would've run away too," Acornflash chuckled, grinning at Greystep. "I've never been the best at fighting, and from what I've heard, they're really good at that sort of thing," he added. The Syndicate scared him the most on his list of frightening things—they were not only foreign to him, but they were also murderous! Never a good combination. He would never admit it, though, and would always play it off with jokes or a laugh.

The grey tom was somewhat embarassed that he had frightened the younger cat. His ears went back against his head, but he didn't say anything. Being older, not by much he assumed, he wanted to set a better example then the one he had for the brown cat. "S-su-sor-soh-suh-sor-ry. Sorry," He mewed, his ears flattening themselves down even further. Of course embarassment played a huge part in this, and regret. Why hadn't he just remained still? No way to frighten younger cats there. Just sit still and pretend to be some sort of a...rock, or a stationary object. That was how he reacted when he was frightened. As for how he reacted in a situation like this, well...normally breaking down was a pretty normal response for the tom. But not this time. This time he was more mortified then anything else, frozen with regret and worry that something could go badly wrong. What else could he do, though? He'd already frightened Acornflash. Made a bad first impression by hiding away. Cautiously, somewhat clumsily, he looked as though he were trying to make contact with the younger cat before moving away in a shuffling manner, muttering something to himself as he did so. There was no stammer when Greystep was talking to himself.
　
There was no...anything, really. It was more of a quiet murmur then anything else, just to calm himself down. It worked, too! At least...he hoped it worked. The tom's confusion at his words puzzled Greystep. Why wouldn't he be mean, was the real question-- wasn't it? That was just how the older cat's mind worked. After moons of being scared, and alone, it was only natural that he would have some suspicion. Probably would have been stranger had he not. Acornflash seemed like a decent cat, a nice cat, even... wasn't he? Realizing he still hadn't answered the question, Greystep swallowed slightly. "B-be-buh-because I'm w-wu-weh-weird. Because I'm weird." He mewed somewhat stubbornly. This was something the large tom had been told often. He was weird. Abnormal. He wasn't the type of cat that should be living in SkyClan with the others, going on patrol and...fighting. The thought sent shudders down his spine. Fighting. He hated fighting. It scared him, to be honest-- which was strange. He was quite strong, and when he did get up the nerve to fight, did so very well. And yet he was still scared. "L-lots of c-cats," The tom shrugged. His stammer had almost stopped now, which he was glad about.
　
Just as long as things kept going in this direction, nice and easy, he would be fine. Just as long as no one mentioned an uncomfortable subject, Greystep would be able to keep his vocal cords under control. "H-have y-you e-ever seen a D-Dusk Syndicate c-cat?" He asked, cocking his head to the side. He'd seen one once. Embarassingly enough, they hadn't even been close to him and he had been terrified. The thought that they might soon join the Gathering, coming to the safe place where he felt like the Clans really were able to connect scared him. Forbidden love sometimes started at Gatherings, and he worried that someone from SkyClan might fall in love with a Dusk Syndicate cat. The idea of that! It was horrible. Who would ever want to be with someone so...scary? He wondered what would make that happen. And yet, the Dusk Syndicate cat that he had seen had looked quite friendly. Had he not been such a coward, he might have been tempted to go and say hello. But he had learned that friendly-looking cats were not always good cats. During the battles with the Clans, for instance, there had been some quite friendly looking cats who had attacked him. Had Acornflash fought in those battles? He might have asked, had he not been so...nervous.