ThunderClan: Life Before 2020's Fire

[Cosmo]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

The nursery was, quite surprisingly, one of Vixenkit's favorite places. It was a good place to sit and watch. And, an excellent place to meet new victi- friends. She had to remember, they were friends, not her victims. And with Oriolekit out of the way, and Beetlekit not having as much luck without his "lucky partner in crime," Vixenkit was free to do as she wished. The multicolored cat was observing, at the moment, watching the world go by and thinking of what she wanted to do tomorrow. Or today. It was still fairly early, and the day would have enough time left in it for her to do something. Perhaps it was time to make a friend. A partner, or a new toy. A new toy was preferable - honestly, the she cat didn't understand why you would want friends. They were competition. If they were with you, wouldn't others like them better then you? Until they were eliminated. Stupid Oriolekit, hanging around with that tom all the time, and now look what had happened! Though honestly, Vixenkit's relationship with her sister had been shaky. It wasn't like she was heartbroken. The she cat who was known for being bratty, bossy, and manipulative, was alone. And honestly, she could almost wish that Oriolekit and Beetlekit were here, just so she wouldn't have to sit there and listen to the pathetic playing of other kits. The cheerful giggles. Ugh. She wasn't focused on playing - although had she wanted to, Vixenkit would have played all she wanted. Oh yes, she was confusing. She got what she wanted when she wanted it. She did what she wanted when she wanted to. But when she didn't need, or want something, well... that was a whole other story. Couldn't anyone focus on her good qualities? She was strategic, and intelligent, and... yeah, maybe the bad ones were more interesting. Wasn't that just the way the story always went, though?

@Mystical

If you think hard about it, the world can be a surprisingly irritating place. Quietkit, was quiet. But with a neglectful mother and a father in a different clan, why wouldn't you be? And the truth was, quieter cats have more interesting things going on in their minds. Quietkit's case was that one. When he sat still, as far away from his mothers nest as he could get, he could hear a lot more. Think. Understand. He had finally been able to sneak away from his siblings, as charming as they were they weren't everything they were cut out to be. Starkit, well, honestly he didn't like her that much. She was caring, and he loved her as much as he would a normal sister, but honestly he saw her as Birchfur's favorite. If his mother even cared for him and his siblings. But Starkit, StarClan, I mean, how unfair is that? Quietkit wasn't the type of cat to judge cats, but when you were as quiet as he was, you really had nothing better to do. The to sighed, and averted his gaze to the ground. He shouldn't be thinking about his siblings that way. Patchkit was alright, Starkit was okay, he had nothing to say about Fernkit. Neutral view right? Will, yes it was, but the view you should have on your siblings is a loving one. Not a "they're okay" view that he had. He sighed again, turning his gaze around the nursery for any random cat who might want to play with him. No one, just as I- A multi-colored pelt caught his eye. It was a she-kit, from the look of her she was older than him, but with all his fluff he looked about as big as her. Slowly, Quietkit approached her. He had seen Starkit do this a million times, it was called making friends. But if he failed, he had a backup plan, sneak away.

[zinfranny]

Originally Posted by Random Melody

Snowstar had turned back to watch her Clanmates, her ice blue eyes troubled. Her gaze flickered over each one, knowing how starved they were. She wanted to do more. She wanted to do so much more. But she couldn't. Maybe hunting in ShadowClan isn't enough. Snowstar's eyes darted doubtfully toward the fresh-kill pile. It seemed to get smaller and smaller by the second. Their land is flooded as it is. Maybe... Maybe.. Snowstar shook her head desperately, not liking the way her mind was headed. The Siamese shifted her black paws, curling her tail over them and lifting her gaze to the sky before dropping it again. Dad, Fernpaw, guys I don't know what to do. Please... The thought trailed off when Gyrewind's voice came into her thoughts. She almost jumped.

The young leader turned cautious blue eyes onto the former leader. She nodded gently with his words, sighing. "I know. I know. I just... Why me? Why was I chosen for this? I don't know how to lead. I don't." Her gaze flickered painfully, eyes darting down toward her paws. At his question she honestly struggled to answer, guilt flooding her in waves. Ordered every cat to hunt in flooded lands. She thought, almost bitterly. "I thought we could try hunting in ShadowClan." Snowstar said warily, her gaze flickering around the clearing. "They're in RiverClan territory for now - Their lands flooded. I figured... Maybe there'd be prey left there." Her maw twisted, setting into a grimace. "But it's still not enough.."

Gyrewind's eyes lightly squinted at his Clanmates. After several moments in thought, the tom grew agitated- but didn't let it show through. He dropped his original intention to get to his new found point. Snowstar won't get anywhere if she keeps doubting herself like I did.
"It's time to stop asking the same question over and over again. Doesn't matter if you think StarClan chose you as deputy or I did, but you're leader now nonetheless, and nobody's going to give you the answer to your question. You wont be able to drive this Clan if you keep saying you can't lead or asking countless times 'why me, StarClan!' like a kit. You need to stop acting like every other young leader and suck it up, jump into the saddle and lead." Gyrewind stared down at her sharply, his voice lacking the sensitive tone he had before and indicated he wanted to make this point clear. Between their already weary state and the dive in the situation's warmth, tension began to crackle.
In his head, Gyrewind knew he meant no harm. He was tired and unfed and truthfully didn't want to stir anything up, but he knew better then to try and kiss Snowstar's feelings. Gyrewind wanted her to stop thinking so childishly, and although they had no control over when this period of famine would pass, he wasn't going to let his leader weep over it.

[Random Melody]

Originally Posted by Inglewood Binks

Gyrewind's eyes lightly squinted at his Clanmates. After several moments in thought, the tom grew agitated- but didn't let it show through. He dropped his original intention to get to his new found point. Snowstar won't get anywhere if she keeps doubting herself like I did.
"It's time to stop asking the same question over and over again. Doesn't matter if you think StarClan chose you as deputy or I did, but you're leader now nonetheless, and nobody's going to give you the answer to your question. You wont be able to drive this Clan if you keep saying you can't lead or asking countless times 'why me, StarClan!' like a kit. You need to stop acting like every other young leader and suck it up, jump into the saddle and lead." Gyrewind stared down at her sharply, his voice lacking the sensitive tone he had before and indicated he wanted to make this point clear. Between their already weary state and the dive in the situation's warmth, tension began to crackle.
In his head, Gyrewind knew he meant no harm. He was tired and unfed and truthfully didn't want to stir anything up, but he knew better then to try and kiss Snowstar's feelings. Gyrewind wanted her to stop thinking so childishly, and although they had no control over when this period of famine would pass, he wasn't going to let his leader weep over it.

Snowstar sat in stunned silence as he spoke, but he seemed to have gotten his point across anyway. Her face flushed with immediate guilt, knowing he was right, knowing she was acting like a kit. After guilt, anger for herself followed, and her eyes narrowed. The helpless look was gone, replaced with determination. She didn't have time to sit around and wonder why she'd been chosen. He was right. What mattered was now. Was that she was leader; Her Clan needed her to suck it up and face it like it was. So, Snowstar sat up a little straighter, allowing her flattened ears to pick up. "You're right." She said simply, her voice even as she glanced over the Clan for a moment.

She took a deep breath and continued. "ShadowClan territory is flooded. There's not enough prey there to feed the Clan - Everything has either run or died already, and I don't think they'd appreciate crow-food - Even if we are starving." she thought for a moment, and another idea made her cringe this time. "I hate the thought of stealing. But if ShadowClan doesn't have enough, maybe.." She trailed off thoughtfully. WindClan was surely doing good - She doubted the noise the twolegs were making would bother them. Granted, she'd never tried rabbit - But it must be better than nothing. Would her Clanmates feel the same? "Hm." Snowstar's maw twisted into a grimace, ice blue eyes narrowing thoughtfully. It was rare to see her so deep in thought; She'd nearly forgotten Gyrewind was beside her. "Tensions are already high enough between us and WindClan, though... Still.." She murmured, gazing around at her Clanmates through distant, thoughtful eyes. Her Clan was starving, and clearly there was not enough prey in ThunderClan or ShadowClan to feed them... But would it be smart, testing their limits with WindClan?

[zinfranny]

Originally Posted by Random Melody

Snowstar sat in stunned silence as he spoke, but he seemed to have gotten his point across anyway. Her face flushed with immediate guilt, knowing he was right, knowing she was acting like a kit. After guilt, anger for herself followed, and her eyes narrowed. The helpless look was gone, replaced with determination. She didn't have time to sit around and wonder why she'd been chosen. He was right. What mattered was now. Was that she was leader; Her Clan needed her to suck it up and face it like it was. So, Snowstar sat up a little straighter, allowing her flattened ears to pick up. "You're right." She said simply, her voice even as she glanced over the Clan for a moment.

She took a deep breath and continued. "ShadowClan territory is flooded. There's not enough prey there to feed the Clan - Everything has either run or died already, and I don't think they'd appreciate crow-food - Even if we are starving." she thought for a moment, and another idea made her cringe this time. "I hate the thought of stealing. But if ShadowClan doesn't have enough, maybe.." She trailed off thoughtfully. WindClan was surely doing good - She doubted the noise the twolegs were making would bother them. Granted, she'd never tried rabbit - But it must be better than nothing. Would her Clanmates feel the same? "Hm." Snowstar's maw twisted into a grimace, ice blue eyes narrowing thoughtfully. It was rare to see her so deep in thought; She'd nearly forgotten Gyrewind was beside her. "Tensions are already high enough between us and WindClan, though... Still.." She murmured, gazing around at her Clanmates through distant, thoughtful eyes. Her Clan was starving, and clearly there was not enough prey in ThunderClan or ShadowClan to feed them... But would it be smart, testing their limits with WindClan?

In the back of his head, he smiled. But his faced remained hard like stone. Now you're thinking straight.
Gyrewind nodded as she spoke, or more likely went over her decisions so far to assure her and Gyrewind. His bicoloured eyes hardened, miraculously harder then they were before, as she suggested branching hunting parties into WindClan to get a taste of rabbit. But he wasn't surprised- She had made a move that wasn't working in terms of the long run so there had to be solutions rising sooner or later.
"I can pretty confidently say that it would be... catastrophic, if Blazingstar found us stealing prey." Gyrewind meowed after a few moments of thinking. "Or should I say when. There'd be no avoiding it. But we are hunting in two territories and still don't have enough prey. We are managing fine, no queen or elder is hungry. But if warriors continue going underfed, and continue trekking across territories to at times no avail, it will get dangerous." He was talking to Snowstar as much as he was himself. His eyes wandered for another moment.
"Hunting in WindClan risks a battle, and a battle risks lives. WindClan is well fed, I assume, and have more strength then we do right now. But we don't know how long the twolegs will be scaring off the prey." He offered at the end an opportunity as Gyrewind didn't want to declare decisions himself. Talking about battle set him at unease. The tom hadn't been raised in a life with imminent war ahead, wasn't trained to prepare him for battle for the sake and order to protect his loved ones. A Clan cat was raised to assert their lives in the face of death without hesitation, but it wasn't in Gyrewind. So unless ordered to, he avoided battle. Even feared it.

[Random Melody]

Originally Posted by Inglewood Binks

In the back of his head, he smiled. But his faced remained hard like stone. Now you're thinking straight.
Gyrewind nodded as she spoke, or more likely went over her decisions so far to assure her and Gyrewind. His bicoloured eyes hardened, miraculously harder then they were before, as she suggested branching hunting parties into WindClan to get a taste of rabbit. But he wasn't surprised- She had made a move that wasn't working in terms of the long run so there had to be solutions rising sooner or later.
"I can pretty confidently say that it would be... catastrophic, if Blazingstar found us stealing prey." Gyrewind meowed after a few moments of thinking. "Or should I say when. There'd be no avoiding it. But we are hunting in two territories and still don't have enough prey. We are managing fine, no queen or elder is hungry. But if warriors continue going underfed, and continue trekking across territories to at times no avail, it will get dangerous." He was talking to Snowstar as much as he was himself. His eyes wandered for another moment.
"Hunting in WindClan risks a battle, and a battle risks lives. WindClan is well fed, I assume, and have more strength then we do right now. But we don't know how long the twolegs will be scaring off the prey." He offered at the end an opportunity as Gyrewind didn't want to declare decisions himself. Talking about battle set him at unease. The tom hadn't been raised in a life with imminent war ahead, wasn't trained to prepare him for battle for the sake and order to protect his loved ones. A Clan cat was raised to assert their lives in the face of death without hesitation, but it wasn't in Gyrewind. So unless ordered to, he avoided battle. Even feared it.

Snowstar jumped a bit when he spoke, having been so lost in thought she'd forgotten the former leader was there. The Siamese blinked up at him through curious ice blue eyes, listening intently as he spoke with a frown. Yes, a battle would be horrible. But Snowstar knew it may be their only chance... "I know." She sighed. "But still.." She trailed off thoughtfully. Her Clan needed food - But they were weakened. Was picking fights with WindClan a good idea at the moment?

Snowstar frowned thoughtfully for a moment. RiverClan wasn't an option. Honestly, it would have been her first choice - RiverClan ate fish, anyway, not land prey - But ShadowClan was also there in RiverClan territory, too. So they were probably eating what land prey was there. Besides, Snowstar definitely didn't want two Clans teaming up against ThunderClan... And most likely, that's what would happen. So, no... RiverClan wasn't an option. "Our territory has no prey. Everything's run off. ShadowClan territory only has crow-food. RiverClan territory... Not an option. ShadowClan's residing there, and I don't know about you, but i'd rather pick a fight with just WindClan than have two Clans after us." She meowed, whiskers twitching, but not with amusement. "I hate the thought of battle as much as you do, but I think... WindClan is our only hope." Her mind flashed back, remembering when Blackstorm had killed her father. Remembering her brother had led her, along with her other siblings, to the wastelands. Remembered how they'd starved for so long, much too weak to eventry to hunt beyond the wastelands. Snowstar's eyes narrowed. I won't let ThunderClan get like that.

[Risenphoenix]

Brindlefur steps lightly into the clearing, sitting and giving herself a wash, trying to ignore the way her belly growled. She was hungrier than she'd been since last leaf-bare, which didn't bode well for the coming leaf-bare in the least. She sighed as she stopped her grooming, closing her eyes and tipping her head skyward a moment,'Oh, StarClan, why is this happening? Can't you help us?' she prayed fervently, opening her eyes again as her tail-tip twitched.

It wouldn't be long, in these prey-poor days, before the nursing queens would have trouble producing enough milk to feed their kits. Her expression shifted then into one of staunch determination, and she rose to her paws, her tail lashing behind her as she trotted for the camp entrance. She was going hunting, and she had no intentions of coming back without something for the queens and elders. 'StarClan, I know you're watching. Help me on my hunt.'

[BluBunnie]

Originally Posted by MaskedBandits

Burstpaw slowly stood up once he heard the kit's confirmation. Though he knew it wasn't directed at him, he used it to know that Mousekit was in and ready to go. He's so timid, so like me... I hope he likes this. Once he was fully upright, he turned his head around and looked the tom in the eye, a small smile lifting the corners of his mouth. "I'll go slower if you want me to," He said, hoping to give the kit and air of control. "If I'm going to fast, just let me know and I'll slow for you." Turned his head back around, he looked on at all of the cats in the clearing. It was quite crowded, so crossing the whole length of it was out of the question, but if he stayed by the apprentice's den and the nursery, he'd have enough room to give Mousekit a decent badger ride. Now go before you change your mind!

And they were off. Burstpaw charged forward, starting out at a fast jog and moving on to a run as he neared the nursery. He ran like he was chasing an opponent; he ran fast, of course, but not so quickly he'd trip over his paws. The ground flew by, the vines and bushes making up the walls blurring together, but as he approached the nursery, he started to turn, making it so they didn't have to end the ride once they reached the den. He made his turn slowly, only tilting his body slightly to the side. The last thing he wanted was for Mousekit to get hurt, as he'd never forgive himself if he did. Don't think about that. Just keep going the way you are. So he did. Burstpaw kept going, keeping his eyes open for sudden obstacles and his ears open if the kit on his back were to say anything.

Mousekit nodded, then realized the older cat couldn't see him- "Ok.." He said softly. He was beginning to trust this cat a bit more and his stutter went away a bit, his claws dug into Birstpaw as he took off, he hoped he wasn't hurting him. He kept his eyes closed as they sped through the clearing, as his breathing slowed the kit decided to open his eyes. His eyes shone in amazement as the world around him blurred, he let out a small squeak of delight.

He took in a sharp breath as Burstpaw began to turn, he was able to return to his excited state once they successfully made the turn. Mousekit began to sit up a bit more but kept his claws clung into Burstpaws fur.

[lone]

Originally Posted by Mystical

If you think hard about it, the world can be a surprisingly irritating place. Quietkit, was quiet. But with a neglectful mother and a father in a different clan, why wouldn't you be? And the truth was, quieter cats have more interesting things going on in their minds. Quietkit's case was that one. When he sat still, as far away from his mothers nest as he could get, he could hear a lot more. Think. Understand. He had finally been able to sneak away from his siblings, as charming as they were they weren't everything they were cut out to be. Starkit, well, honestly he didn't like her that much. She was caring, and he loved her as much as he would a normal sister, but honestly he saw her as Birchfur's favorite. If his mother even cared for him and his siblings. But Starkit, StarClan, I mean, how unfair is that? Quietkit wasn't the type of cat to judge cats, but when you were as quiet as he was, you really had nothing better to do. The to sighed, and averted his gaze to the ground. He shouldn't be thinking about his siblings that way. Patchkit was alright, Starkit was okay, he had nothing to say about Fernkit. Neutral view right? Will, yes it was, but the view you should have on your siblings is a loving one. Not a "they're okay" view that he had. He sighed again, turning his gaze around the nursery for any random cat who might want to play with him. No one, just as I- A multi-colored pelt caught his eye. It was a she-kit, from the look of her she was older than him, but with all his fluff he looked about as big as her. Slowly, Quietkit approached her. He had seen Starkit do this a million times, it was called making friends. But if he failed, he had a backup plan, sneak away.

The feline turned her head, yellow-green optics meeting the tom's gaze. Ugh - great. A stalker. Still, she put on an almost sickeningly sweet smile and flicked her tail as she glanced in his direction. "Come on now, no need to be shy - I know I'm fabulous, but there's no need to sulk around in the shadows about it. If you need something from me, ask." It wasn't like Vixenkit would really do anything for anything else. Not unless they had something she wanted. Still, the younger tom was pretty adorable - Vixenkit would be an apprentice pretty soon, and wondered just how big of an age difference there was between herself and the other tom. "If there's something bothering you about me, dear, come on out and say it then." She unsheathed her small pinpricks of claws, and fixed him with her yellow-green gaze. It was somewhat eerie to other cats, or at least that was what she had heard before - but Vixenkit herself didn't care about that. If they thought it was so creepy, Vixenkit couldn't care less. They were entitled to their own opinions, after all! She honestly wouldn't really mind if they told her that her eyes were creepy. A hint of softness entered those so-called "creepy" eyes and she glanced up and down the other cat. "Who are you?" Her voice was interested, although honestly, the she cat didn't care that much. Why should she care about meeting some cat that, to be honest, she really didn't care about knowing? Although Vixenkit was just like that. She didn't really care about meeting anyone. He'd better be useful to me. Or maybe she would end up being useful to him? Either way, Vixenkit could see why first impressions were so important - right now she was getting a possible-partnership impression from this cat. If that were true? Things could start going very fast. And it was important to have a good relationship with your possible partner. So, Vixenkit would listen to him, be nice - at least sort of nice - to him, and hope that things went well. @Mystical

[Undercover]

@meraki

Cottonfrost strode through the camp entrance, his tail flicking slowly from side to side. His eyes glanced once over the camp before he spotted a small patch of unoccupied grass, turned bright by the afternoon sun. He slowly made his way over to the creating and sat down on his haunches. He had just come back from a walk in the forest, and could practically feel the sharp nag of a burr in his fur.
Twisting around, the dark grey tom tugged at the thing until he got it loose. He spat it out, and decided that he might as well groom himself. Tucking his chin, Cottonfrost lapped silently at his chest fur. He looked up to give a small cough, then returned to his grooming. These mornings were his favorite; slightly chilly and sunny.

[SuspiciousMindz]

@Lonestar23
The black and white she-cat's pale hues widened as he suggested flopping on her again. "You wouldn't..." she spoke, narrowing her eyes challenging. Her tail tip twitched a little bit more before she rolled back onto her stomach. She began lifting her paw and bopping the top of the tom's head, a small giggle leaving her body. However, that playful ring changed at the next words. Mintberry crinkled her nose as Ottertail suggested the boyfriend idea. "Eww, why would I want boyfriend cooties?" she spoke, sticking her tongue out in disgust. "I don't need that type of relationship in my life. It'll get in my way!" she spoke, raising her head up towards the sky as she spoke, almost like she was telling the stars not to do anything drastic. Mintberry raised her brow in slight interest, however. "But I will def help you get a girlfriend, just so I could intimidate them and ruin your relationship," she winked playfully. "Because that's what best friends are for, though, right?" she chuckled again. "And I expect the same treatment if I ever go crazy enough to have a boyfriend," she laughed now, her hues drifting around the camp for a moment. Nothing more interesting around, so her gaze drifted back to the larger tom.