ThunderClan: Life Before 2020's Fire

[AnayaDusksong]

@Little Bird @Jusniffles

Gingerstep sighed and flicked Goldenstorm with her long tail once more. "Well, I best be going -- and you should too, Goldenstorm. Your mate may have had kits, but that is no excuse for you to skip out on your duties." She looked to Creamfrost and Lionkit. "You two have a nice day, and make sure you get some rest. Alright?" The ginger she-cat turned to exit the nursery and smiled over her shoulder at them. "Goodbye. I'll see you some time later." With that she left, her brother staring after her in silent bewilderment.

[bright !]

Originally Posted by Duststorm

(Oh hush, it's fine! I'm still working on making starters decent sized honestly >>; Sorry this is late! ;w; )

Huffing slightly, Badgerpaw pushed her way out of the apprentice's den, a few strands of moss entangled in her fur. It had been a while since the apprentice had been confined to camp duties, so she was definitely in a better mood. Honestly, the apprentice had slept awfully the night previous so she was a bit grouchy, but she was slowly managing to pull herself from it. Despite that, she couldn't help but shoot a half-closed glare at the pale sunlight that filtered into her eyes. Nothing like a warm ray of sunlight to wake you completely up, huh? Settling down just outside of the den, Badgerpaw twisted around giving her back a few quick licks. Nipping out the moss, she lifted herself back up and stretched out, a yawn parting her jaws. Giving herself a good hard shake, the apprentice continued her path to the fresh kill pile and parted her jaw, drinking in the scent. Squirrels were probably her favorite, but she could settle for something smaller, especially since she hadn't gone out for the day. It was unfair of her to take anything bigger without at least doing some chores. Gently digging through, she settled on a wimpy looking mouse, picking it up into her jaws. Badgerpaw scanned the clearing, deciding on a spot next to another apprentice. They looked relatively friendly and really, Baderpaw needed to be more involved with her fellow clanmates. Arriving to the spot, she slumped down, immediately tearing into the prey.

[aack sorry im so late!]
Geyserpaw tilted her head slightly to the side at the sound of another apprentice-sized cat slumping down beside her. Her pale blue eyes had found a black and white she-cat next to her, tearing into a rather small-looking mouse. Maybe she wasn’t that hungry. Or maybe Geyser was just really hungry. She didn’t say anything for a moment, but after a small amount of silence, the larger apprentice spoke, “Name’s Geyserpaw.” Her tone didn’t have that much expression, as usual. It was just kinda nonchalant. But it was odd for her to be making the first move. She wasn’t one to approach other cats first. Then again, the other had technically approached her first- but she was the one to speak first. She had seen the black splotched apprentice around the den before, and in the training cave, but never actually got her name. But that shouldn’t be a surprise, she wouldn’t know any cats’ names in her clan if it wasn’t for the others saying them. Something about the she-cat had even caught Geyser’s eye most of the time she was around. Perhaps it was her booming, confident voice that didn’t suit her appearance at all? Her bossiness towards other cats? Probably, probably not. But she knew there had to be more to that, more than what others may think. She just looked like an interesting cat, even if she most likely didn’t know Geyser had even existed before now. But again, that shouldn’t be much of a surprise. She was never the one to stand out or really want other cats to know of her. If they did, they’d want to talk to her and become friends or whatever. She was busy, and a hard worker, so wouldn’t really think of making time for a social life. She does well in what she does, and that’s only because she doesn’t get distracted so often by other cats. The few that notice her may brand her as mysterious, but other than the side she'd show to close friends/family, there’s really not all that much to her. In her opinion.

[Random Melody]

Originally Posted by Beau

Lynxheart saw the shock in her face and sighed. His outburst had probably just ruined one of the few friendships he had. But then she thanked him. Relief pooled up inside him and he nodded, choosing not to say anything. Lynxheart was a caring cat and felt bad for Goldensky. He was willing to concede that she deserved some consequences, but he was confident that she had already faced enough. She didn't need everyone looking at her like a monster. But who knew? Lynxheart certainly couldn't see into this cat's mind, but he could see into her eyes and the cat he saw there didn't look evil.

Lynxheart had no insight into her motives or emotions. All Lynxheart had was his morals and he believed that if a cat was truly sorry for their actions, then they deserved to be forgiven and given another chance. It saddened him that other cats didn't see life that way, the way he believed Starclan would want cats to live. However, he'd already expressed far to much emotion to this she-cat whom he'd just become acquainted with, much more than he usually showed cats after knowing them for a moon. Therefore, he kept his usual stoic, yet friendly face on. Stoic, yet friendly, the perfect way to describe him.

Goldensky lowered her head and took another bite of her mouse, though she wasnt too concerned with eating anymore. Her thoughts kept drifting back to the looks the queens gave her, the glares many warriors sent her way, the way that even apprentices stared at her. Like she was a monster. Was she? Goldensky had never intended to hurt anybody, not before Fernpaw died. How did her sister's death take this effect on her? Probably because Fernpaw was the only one Golden was ever close to growing up. Her death shook everyone up, but Goldensky felt the pain the worst. She just hoped desperately that her Clanmates could forgive her in time. She knew Roarclaw had some trouble trusting them, and Honeyfur had her doubts with Blackstorm. Foxthorn was more open with Goldensky, and Snowstar was... She was the one who invited them back. Snowstar gave them a second chance. And Goldensky couldnt let her down again, she just couldnt.

"Nothing's ever going to be the same again, is it?" Goldensky hadnt meant to speak the words aloud, ears pricking up as she looked up toward Lynxheart for a moment before looking back down, her gaze fixing intently on the mouse. "Maybe its not supposed to be." The queen mumbled, lowering her head to take another bite. Nothing would be the same again, Goldensky knew that much. She wanted it to. She wanted her siblings to trust her completely, wanted her Clanmates to like her again. Most of all she wanted to know if Fernpaw still loved her, or if she was scowling from StarClan right now. The thought sent that same hollow feeling spreading through her chest again, but it wasnt as empty as last time. No, this time there was a spark of hope in the darkness. Maybe she does forgive me and Blackstorm.

[Teza]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

The brown tabby blinked as his wolf-like friend approached. Truth be told, the tom was often quite interested by his friend's wolfish tendancies and he wondered how that had happened. Falconclaw's eyes studied Wolfsoul for a moment as the tom approached, listening to his words and analyzing each one for tones in his mind. "Of course, Wolfsoul. It'd be a pleasure to leave here." Sharp, falcon-like hues - true to his name - studied his friend once more before he stood up. One thing the tom was not very good at was concealing the truth from others. Had anyone asked him if he had friends in other Clans, well, he would have tried to find a way to lie - but mostly, Falconclaw felt uncomfortable hiding his feelings. They were normally proclaimed loudly for those around him to hear, despite when they were obviously unwanted. Falconclaw got to his paws, the brown tabby glancing at Wolfsoul half expectantly. "Shall we go, then?" He asked with an almost bored tone in his voice. Though he was glad to be getting out of the clearing - while he understood why the WindClan warrior had been captured, that didn't mean that he had to like it any more. And on the contrary, he quite hated it.

(I'm so sorry this is late And short...)

Wolfsoul's tail started going back and forth wildly and his ears perked when he finally got an answer from his friend. "Great! Let's go!" he said, jumping up and running out of camp like an apprentice. Maybe he had gone too far with that, but he didn't particularly care. He was excited to get out of camp, and with one of the toms best friends no less! He sat just outside of camp, waiting for Falconclaw to catch up. 'Maybe you should start acting your age,' he thought, tilting his head a bit as he did so. "Nah," he said quietly. His tail shook from side to side rapidly as he waited for his friend. Nothing made the tom happier than being with his friends. What else would?

[Ceridwen]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

The sandy feline examined Buffalopaw with the air of 'do whatever you want, doesn't matter to me.' "There's nothing wrong with me. I'm just observing. What, has the Clan come to the point that if an apprentice isn't running around making friends they're 'abnormal' or 'down?'" Kestrelpaw's voice was partly angry. It was frustrating that there were cats who thought there was something wrong with her simply because she wasn't the type to make friends. She never had been. Kestrelpaw was more the type of cat to sit alone at a party rather then socialize. The type to stay away from making new friends. Her brothers were her friends. Her mentor was her friend. She had a few outside friends, though not many, and she had never been the type to think that it was 'cool' to have a lot of friends.

To her, that was the opposite of cool. Why would you want a bunch of cats crowding around you all the time, giggling about nothing and gossiping? "I just don't need a lot of friends in my life. That's all." And as a matter of fact, the apprentice seemed to make enemies more easily then friends. And on the occasion she would make a friend, it was surprising if they managed to get any closer to her then the basic occasional hunting, friendly talking stage. It was even more surprising if they got her to tell them a single secret... Kestrelpaw being the type that kept her secrets to herself and her family - which she included her mentor as a part of. He was like an older brother to her, which was nice.

She was constantly surrounded by toms... as friends, that was. Friends who she thought of as brothers. Because for whatever reason, she cats just didn't seem to like Kestrelpaw much - at all. And toms didn't necessarily find her attractive, either.

His gaze flickered away for a moment while he thought about how he would answer. Beginning to see that this would be a more delicate conversation, he tried to think up the right words that wouldn't push her to even greater ire. There wasn't a clear path to breaking down walls with any cat, but some were tougher nuts to crack than others. He shifted his weight, "Oh! I'm glad to hear you're doing alright! It's just that...well you know...current events and all, seems like everyone's a bit down lately," He sighed, he hated seeing his clanmates in a rut, but the only thing he could do to help them was to keep smiling and give them someone to talk to.

When she went on about her philosophy on friends, his eyes widened a bit. "You don't need a lot of friends? W-well I suppose that's good, if that's the way you like it," He was feeling more uncomfortable by the minute, as if he had goofed up monumentally by disturbing Kestrelpaw's peace. It sounded almost as if she wanted him to go away. Yet, he didn't want her to feel as if he'd just wasted her time talking to him. Was it worse for him to keep going, or to leave her be? "Hmm, I like to think of every cat in the clan as friend," He gave a wide smile, trying to downplay his nerves, "We're all in it together, after all,"

[Foggy22]

Originally Posted by CandyFlossCat

Lynxkit awoke in her nest, grooming down her messy fur that never seemed to want to stay down. The lynx-point bobtail sighed, her ears pricked as the energy returned to her body and she leapt happily out of her bedding, and Lynxkit grinned with excitement. She glanced around the nursery, her eyes glowing with excitement. "Let's see..." she hummed, her gaze scanning the area. "Maybe someone wants to play!" She chimed, her ears pricking as she looked for anyone else awake.

((Open!))

Fogkit woke up when she heard the rustling of moss. She didn't usually wake up easily, but hey, everyday was different. She shook out her gray and black pelt, moss flying everywhere. She scanned the nursery with her blue-gray eyes, when she spotted a bob-tailed kit standing there, also looking around. Probably looking for someone to play with. Fogkit guessed. Well, if she wants to play with me, she can come to me. She decided. Fogkit sat down, and started cleaning her fur.

[Cosmo]

@AnayaDusksong
@Jusniffles
Creamfrost had a puzzled expression on her face as Gingerstep left the nursery. Her gaze sought out Goldenstorm. Finally it reached him. "What's that about?" she asked. Creamfrost couldn't understand why Gingerstep would make a big deal over Lionkit, and then leave. Hopefully Lionkit wouldn't understand. Still, why Gingerstep had done that nagged at Creamfrost.

[AnayaDusksong]

@Little Bird
@Jusniffles

Goldenstorm turned to his mate and shrugged. "I'm not really sure. Maybe she was just excited about seeing Lionkit? It's pretty much a rarity to see her like that -- she's always so serious about her duties, it's almost all she thinks about." He looked at his kit and smiled, adding, "She needs a mate and kits of her own -- maybe that will soften her up some."

[Cosmo]

@AnayaDusksong
@Jusniffles
Creamfrost nodded, hoping her mate was right. "I hope you're right." she said, looking down at Lionkit. Though she was trying to say positive, part of her told her that maybe her sister-in-law just hated her nephew. Creamfrost pushed the thought away, but it came back.

[dionysus]

Originally Posted by Random Melchester

Goldensky lowered her head and took another bite of her mouse, though she wasnt too concerned with eating anymore. Her thoughts kept drifting back to the looks the queens gave her, the glares many warriors sent her way, the way that even apprentices stared at her. Like she was a monster. Was she? Goldensky had never intended to hurt anybody, not before Fernpaw died. How did her sister's death take this effect on her? Probably because Fernpaw was the only one Golden was ever close to growing up. Her death shook everyone up, but Goldensky felt the pain the worst. She just hoped desperately that her Clanmates could forgive her in time. She knew Roarclaw had some trouble trusting them, and Honeyfur had her doubts with Blackstorm. Foxthorn was more open with Goldensky, and Snowstar was... She was the one who invited them back. Snowstar gave them a second chance. And Goldensky couldnt let her down again, she just couldnt.

"Nothing's ever going to be the same again, is it?" Goldensky hadnt meant to speak the words aloud, ears pricking up as she looked up toward Lynxheart for a moment before looking back down, her gaze fixing intently on the mouse. "Maybe its not supposed to be." The queen mumbled, lowering her head to take another bite. Nothing would be the same again, Goldensky knew that much. She wanted it to. She wanted her siblings to trust her completely, wanted her Clanmates to like her again. Most of all she wanted to know if Fernpaw still loved her, or if she was scowling from StarClan right now. The thought sent that same hollow feeling spreading through her chest again, but it wasnt as empty as last time. No, this time there was a spark of hope in the darkness. Maybe she does forgive me and Blackstorm.

Lynxheart quietly munched on his vole, reflecting on the past. If no cat was ever forgiven, the clan would be a lot smaller today, he decided silently as he chewed. His mind turned to some of the acts committed during the Evil Era. Obviously most of those couldn't be forgiven, but he wondered if any of the followers were sorry for what they'd done. Perhaps they deserved some form of forgiveness. As long as their acts hadn't been to horrible. The tom decided that his thoughts were too heavy for such a lovely day and tried to quiet his mind. Lynxheart focused instead on his plans for hunting later. He tried to decide where the he should hunt and if he should bring a patrol. He didn't have any friends to ask, but he could always ask the deputy if there were any cats he could take on a hunting patrol. Maybe he could even turn it into a border patrol and hunting patrol.

Goldensky's voice brought him out of his deliberations and he turned amber eyes to look at her. Sympathy softened his features, but there was no pity. He didn't pity her, knowing that any warrior was and should've been too strong and proud to accept any cat's pity. "No," he meowed in an even tone, "I don't think it could be." A thoughtful note entered his voice and he added, "But maybe that's not a bad thing. Adversity and hardship tends to strengthen relationships and weed out the ones you don't need."