WindClan: Life Before 2023's Fire

[kingly]

HAWKKIT
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Credit to Cian

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@Oliveflower @Swiftstripe
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He didn't understand why a warrior had to be involved. He already told her. "You were running. Your tail was moving and so I went chomp. Bad habits I guess," the little cat would shrug, tail flicking in boredom. "I didn't harm you, so I'll be on my way! Good bye" he purred before turning and stomping off, the little bi-colour grumbling under his breath.

[Note; let's end it here with me. You can continue just don't mention me or anything. Thanks!]

[marshall]

Bearbranch
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Bearbranch approached the Breezerock, ready for another meeting.

[kingly]

HAWKKIT
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Credit to Cian

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@
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The little tom would scramble over to the side of the clearing, watching from afar.

[spade]

New apprentices! Snowypaw recalled their own apprentice ceremony with delight, and their blue eyes lit up as they picked out Bearkit and Mushroomkit in the crowd. What a joyous day; despite the dark cloud of doubt and despair that seemed to hang over not only themselves but the rest of WindClan, these kits would have their moment to shine. To embark on the journey of training to become a warrior... Nothing would ruin that.

They straightened themselves up a bit more, nodding to themselves as the kits both scampered forward at Twilightstar's call. Hopefully the mentors they received would be, well, receptive to them, and get started right away on their training. They recalled the day of the border patrol, when the owl had nearly snatched their pelt off their back... with a shudder, Snowypaw blinked away the memories, instead focusing on the two soon-to-be apprentices.

// [ open! ]

[Moonraven]

Originally Posted by spade

That happened to provide the little boost of confidence needed, the calm tone that Twilightstar always spoke with. It was one of the qualities Snowypaw admired of the leader - how she managed to always speak with clarity and softness despite the entire world crumbling down around her.

"Thank you," they replied, taking a few more steps into the den, the leaders' sitting figure coming more into focus. Not once had the young apprentice been in here, and they couldn't help it as their blue yes traveled up the walls and to the ceiling. Rather impressive, and quite the den for a cat as important as Twilightstar. There was a lot of room in here, but only one nest. Did that mean that she ever got lonely? Snowypaw simply couldn't fathom sleeping alone like that. Despite their... current state, they were thankful that the nests around them were filled with their denmates. All apprentices, all focused on training.

It occurred to the white feline, finally, that a bit of awkward silence had stretched on as they had taken the time to observe the den. Wincing a bit at the fact, Snowypaw's ears tucked against their head, cheeks hot with embarrassment. "S-Sorry. I've just... never been in here before. It's bigger than I thought it would be." Stars, now it was just awkward squabble instead of what they had originally planned to say. They offered a small dip of their head as an apology.

"I wanted to speak to you about... potentially getting a new mentor? Gulltwist, she... she's great, but ever since she was assigned to watch over Coldamber... well, I think she's more preoccupied with that," Snowypaw began, snuffling their paws but forcing their gaze to remain unwavering, even against the screaming voices in their head telling them to look away.

Was it disrespectful to ask for a new mentor? They didn't know; all they knew is they were starting to hate the cat they were becoming, and how life wasn't shaping up to how they thought it'd be by now. "I totally understand if... if you're too busy. I really shouldn't be bringing such small issues to you. I mean, you just had kits for StarClan's sake!" Oh yeah, the kits. Getting a bit sidetracked, Snowypaw felt the twitches of a smile stretch across her face. "Who, by the way, are wonderful. I met three of them in the clearing earlier; Leechkit, Beastkit, and Lionkit." There was a bit of emphasis on Lionkit, the little bundle of fur who had seemed to turn their day around.

Straightening up now and realizing they had gotten side tracked, Snowypaw shook their head, murmuring an apology. "Didn't mean to get side tracked. I know you're busy. I just... wanted to see about maybe being assigned to a new mentor, that's all."

// @Moonraven

Dipping her head to acknowledge the thanks, Twilightstar couldn't help but observe the apprentice as they glanced around her den. If the she-cat was a bit more subconscious, she might have fussed a bit about her bedding, but she wasn't so she didn't. Having spent the majority of her time in this den, she never looked at it beyond a place for sleep and alone time. With wide-open eyes filled with what the leader was going to assume was some sort of approval and wonder, this place must be quite amazing to an apprentice.

She let the Snowypaw gawk as much as they wanted, it was rare to find a young cat interested in their surroundings. "Oh, that quite alright, and I agree this den is big for one cat." Twilightstar's never had more than a couple of cats inside her den, she wondered how many she could fit in here. "I had trouble adjusting when I first moved in after Brightstar stepped down," Twilightstar commented with an almost nostalgic glint in her green eye. "It was strange sleeping without anyone around me, the nursery, the apprentices' den, and the warriors' den, even my brief time as deputy, I've always been surrounded by soft breaths, heartbeats, and sometimes the most annoying snores, and then I came here. Nothing but my thoughts and silence to keep me company." Twilightstar prattled on, hoping to put the cat a bit more at ease and simply because she could.

"A new mentor?" She repeated once Snowypaw got to the root of this talk. Curling her tail tip, the lilac feline listened patiently while picking up small nervous singles in the apprentice's body language. Twilightstar's had a number of kits and apprentices even warriors portray such singles when it came to speaking with her. She didn't particularly like it, Snowypaw didn't seem all that shy to her. Was it a lack of confidence in themself or were they genuinely concerned about obtaining a negative answer from her? Twilightstar waited a moment to see if they had anything else to say, and they did, though it was a bit of a topic changer.

"Leechkit told me he planned to take his siblings out to explore the camp today, I'm glad to hear you got a chance to meet them." Wonderful isn't a word that Twilightstar would use to describe her headstrong son, he was nothing like his elder brother, but his heart was in the right place. Lionkit and Beastkit were utterly wonderful, she was sure they'd both make friends faster than Leechkit, which concerned a bit, but she'd handle it when it came along... along with Midnightkit. Her kits stuck together like honey, Twilightstar would like to make sure they retrained their bonds with each other as they grew. Twilightstar noted that Snowypaw seemed especially keen on Lionkit, she'd have to see about setting up some sort of playdate with those two. Snowypaw seemed like they could use an extra friend.

"You know that your training is extremely important." Twilightstar's meow took on a more serious tone as they fell back to the former topic. "I'll admit that I'm not very happy to hear that Gulltwist has been spending more time with Coldamber than training with you. If she couldn't handle both of you she should have come spoke to me immediately about finding a new mentor. At the same time, you should have come and spoke to me as soon as you noticed a halt in your training. It affects your future as a warrior, Snowypaw. That's not a small issue, my kits are important, and although they do keep me busy, I still have a clan to take care of and run. You're training or rather lack of it, affects how you'll be able to support and provide for the clan alongside everyone else, and that is just as important to me as my kits."

Even with her kittens, Twilightstar would not be using them as an excuse to neglect her duties to her clan or the cats that depended on her. It was a difficult feeling to deal with thinking that her clanmates may believe that she wanted to spend more time with her kits and so neglected to tell her about stuff like this. She loved her kits dearly, but the whole reason she had Ashfeather take care of them and hoped their bonds grew stronger with each other was because she didn't want them to need her all the time. Sadly, she was a clan leader before she was a mother, she did her best trying to find a balance between both roles.

"I can find you a new mentor at the next meeting, do you have anyone in mind you'd like to teach you, if not I'll try to be more considerate when picking out the warrior."

Originally Posted by Kai.Cougar

Seakit just looked up,His eyes lacked any emotions whatsoever and just stared at Twilightstar. So he's dead,Just say he's dead. He wasn't confused,Sad,Anger or anything of the sort. Seakit just react well to such heavy news like that. Was it normal to not feel anything at news like this. My father once mentioned I had siblings here. I'm an only child,I don't remember ever growing up with other siblings ma'am. He was trying to force himself to not think about his dad but he wanted to focus on these mystery siblings of his,He had to meet them tho he doubt he'd ever speak to them like he did to Twilightstar.

This kit reminded a lot of Leechkit, far to old for his age. It made her wonder sometimes. Her whiskers twitched at his blunt tone, but she refrained from saying anything about it. "It doesn't seem like you were close to your father." Twilightstar mewed with a gentle scowl. "I can't do much about these siblings of yours, though I did consider Moonsoot a friend, he never spoke to me about personal things like that." Twilightstar explained, it didn't sound like he wanted to find them all that much to her.

[spade]

Snowypaw listened as the lilac she-cat described what it had been like to first move into the den. They couldn't picture it, not really. The apprentices den was always noisy, conversations reverberating off the walls and into their ears right as they were trying to sleep. "I don't think I'd be able to sleep without the chatter of the other apprentices," they replied honestly with a flick of their ear. What would it be like to sleep somewhere where the noise was nonexistent? The apprentice wasn't sure, but felt as though they would miss it somehow.

The meeting of the kits was definitely a change of topic, and while Snowypaw perked up a bit as it appeared Twilightstar was glad they were making friends, the apprentice knew that the real topic of this den intrusion was to seek out a new mentor. Everything that came next was something Snowypaw already knew - or at least, suspected. But something about the way Twilightstar said it, or perhaps it was the choice of words she used... Either way, Snowypaw found themselves wishing that they'd entered with a bit more of their usual... well, confidence wasn't the right word. Optimism? Joy? Any other emotion other than the nervousness that was now gnawing away at their belly.

Of course, she was right. As soon as they had noticed a halt in their training it should've dawned on them to speak up about it. Why were they like this now? What had come to pass that had changed who they were? As much as it was expected of them to let go of such kit-like tendencies, they found themselves longing for the days where everything was new and exciting - like how the den had been upon first entering.

"I know. And I don't want that to happen... I... I'll work on it, I promise, Twilightstar," Snowypaw spoke up again, this time with a bit more 'oomph' behind their words. "I want to be able to provide for WindClan, just like my mother did, and how my older brother is... he's such an important member of the Clan now, I want to make sure I can fill in the pawsteps he left behind him." Thoughts of Wolffang danced through her head, how proud they had been of their brother being selected as the deputy. Though they didn't talk much - in all reality, Snowypaw didn't talk to really anyone of their biological family much these days - they were still honored to be linked by blood to such an important cat.

Perhaps all they really needed was the right paw to guide them, the right path to follow, and their Clanmates. After all, it wasn't just a mentor that was to train the young apprentices of the Clan, right? It took an entire Clan, at least in her mind; cats working paw in paw to strengthen the Clan. "I don't really have anyone in mind... Just, not someone that will yell at me too much." The tiny smile stretched further across their face, the sparkle in their eyes indicating it was merely a joke. Well, half joke. They didn't do well under... tough mentors. But maybe that's what was needed to shape them into a proper warrior. They didn't know all that much when it came to what made a good mentor and what didn't. "I don't know too many warriors aside from Wolffang and Rosebriar, but I'm sure that someone who perhaps doesn't already have an apprentice, or someone they're watching over, would be great!"

// @Moonraven

[carmen]

@WarriorzFan
Stupid, stupid, Snakepaw. Silentstorm groaned audibly. It wasn't her fault that she came back from hunting without an apprentice. Of course, it would happen to her. Nothing ever goes right for poor Silentstorm. Spitefully, she glared out over the moor to where the moor parted into the pine trees of Shadowclan. He was probably there, trying to force Dawnstar into letting him join. Idiot. Like Dawnstar would let anyone join her clan, especially a half-trained unloyal apprentice.

Silentstorm still wasn't sure what Windclans relationship with Shadowclan was. In the past moon, it felt like everything had changed and she would never catch up. The shock of Twilightstars kits still reverberated through her mind, the memory of the vultures tearing apart the soft body of a kit who never had the chance to open their eyes still haunted her. There was still four left though. Midnightkit, Lionkit, Leechkit, and Beastkit. When they were old enough to leave the nursery, it would be a shock that they were so well known.

Despite the distraction, Snakepaws leering face reappeared in her mind. His jaw jutting out and his eyes filled with cold humor. Silentstorm could imagine scratching her claws through his eyes, teaching him what it meant to be a traitor, to be "weak." Another snort of disgust made its way out. His ideals of the perfect cat didn't work with him. Leaving because he was angry was something no good cat could do, no loyal car at least. That was the only insult she could come up with. Unloyal, a traitor. Not that anyone cared how she felt. He had been gone for two days before anyone told her.

Finally standing up out of her nest, she stretched and padded into the clearing. She could help with something, maybe hunt or patch up some of the dens, but she didn't feel like. The deaf bengals spark had been dulled. Silentstorm padded over to the nursery and sat right in front of the den. She had learned that most cats wouldn't bother anyone near there, and if they tried, she could always bite them. Curling up, her mind wandered back to Snakepaw. Stupid, stupid Snakepaw.

OPEN

[~Mothman~]

Originally Posted by FrostCat

Twigpaw blinked. "But our Clanmates hate them to the core," He meowed, confused. "And I thought you just said you hated them too." Didn't she? Maybe there was something wrong with his ears. He would have to go to Peachfrost later.

"I never said I hated them. I said I hated doing this part of border patrol," she said stiffly, starting to walk the rest of the way around the border.

[WarriorzFan]

Originally Posted by Pheasantflight

@WarriorzFan
Stupid, stupid, Snakepaw. Silentstorm groaned audibly. It wasn't her fault that she came back from hunting without an apprentice. Of course, it would happen to her. Nothing ever goes right for poor Silentstorm. Spitefully, she glared out over the moor to where the moor parted into the pine trees of Shadowclan. He was probably there, trying to force Dawnstar into letting him join. Idiot. Like Dawnstar would let anyone join her clan, especially a half-trained unloyal apprentice.

Silentstorm still wasn't sure what Windclans relationship with Shadowclan was. In the past moon, it felt like everything had changed and she would never catch up. The shock of Twilightstars kits still reverberated through her mind, the memory of the vultures tearing apart the soft body of a kit who never had the chance to open their eyes still haunted her. There was still four left though. Midnightkit, Lionkit, Leechkit, and Beastkit. When they were old enough to leave the nursery, it would be a shock that they were so well known.

Despite the distraction, Snakepaws leering face reappeared in her mind. His jaw jutting out and his eyes filled with cold humor. Silentstorm could imagine scratching her claws through his eyes, teaching him what it meant to be a traitor, to be "weak." Another snort of disgust made its way out. His ideals of the perfect cat didn't work with him. Leaving because he was angry was something no good cat could do, no loyal car at least. That was the only insult she could come up with. Unloyal, a traitor. Not that anyone cared how she felt. He had been gone for two days before anyone told her.

Finally standing up out of her nest, she stretched and padded into the clearing. She could help with something, maybe hunt or patch up some of the dens, but she didn't feel like. The deaf bengals spark had been dulled. Silentstorm padded over to the nursery and sat right in front of the den. She had learned that most cats wouldn't bother anyone near there, and if they tried, she could always bite them. Curling up, her mind wandered back to Snakepaw. Stupid, stupid Snakepaw.

OPEN

Elderflare was wandering about the clearing when he saw a cat with so much malice in her eyes, he wondered what was going on. He decided to do some digging to find what was up. "Hello, I am Elderflare. We can skip all the small talk because I want to know what is up with that expression and what made you have it. Its like the most abhorrent expression I have ever seen." he said. Not completely true, but mostly. that face was in the top 5 most ferocious expressions he had ever seen.

[gs29513]

Another one? Deadpaw was fairly certain she had been assigned to the most recent batch of patrols Wolffang sent out, but she wasn't going to argue with Peachfrost. Better to head over and hope the warrior she was sent out with was competent. Yep, I'm here. What do you need? she grunted, taking note of the medicine cat's lack of usual politeness. Maybe being annoying wasn't the best idea, but what was Peachfrost going to do? @Rockfall