ThunderClan Territory

[Ever]

Originally Posted by Casper

@RedHead

Merlin took in a deep and shaky breath, his chest feeling tight from the harsh night air that surrounded the small cats. The young tom suddenly felt the weight of their decision on his shoulders as he looked up at the towering trees, shrouded in inky darkness. There could be anything lurking in these woods. But he would be ready for it.

"I'm ready," he replied with a short nod. And the two siblings took their first real steps into the forest. Merlin kept his senses alert, his eyes and ears both flicking from side to side in an effort to not allow anything to sneak up on them. What would their first step be? How would they find these forest cats? He had no idea what to do, other than to walk. "I hope we find them before too long...I'm so cold! I don't wanna sleep out here."

@Casper

Athena pressed her side against her brother, it helped her feel a little warm and a little more brave to have him here with her. Her eyes didn't know what or where to focus on. The moon cast shadows everywhere and the gentle breeze had them moving in every direction. The overwhelming amount of stimuli made her want to close her eyes for a moment and run through the forest and soak it all in at the same time. She nodded at her brother's words.

"Me either." She mumbled as they pushed between pine trees and under their thick prickly bows. She still didn't smell any cats. She lifted her nose up to the breeze, ope ing her maw slightly and taking a deep breath of cold air. Her eyes flung open. "I can smell it!" She said excited, picking up her pace to a small trot away from her brother. Her fur pricked again, she was both scared and excited to meet these new cats

As she trotted towards the faint scent of unfamiliar cats she thought about what would happen. Would they be nice? Would they fight her and her brother? Would they scare them away? There was no way of knowing. Half the cats she had spoken too through her confinements in the twoleg nest had either been rather friendly or hissed and went about their day. Interactions were still pretty uncommon to her but she was feeling ready to face the challenge.

[RedHead]

A nightly run through the territory had been exactly what Flintstar needed to clear his head. His badger wounds were still healing, though thankfully none of them had gotten infected. Now the large leader had slowed to a gentle trot, tail flicking ever so slightly back and forth. He loved the forest at night, with it’s many shadows and mystical quietness. Breathing deeply, he enjoyed the feeling of being alone, the cold breeze brushing over his thick pelt. It wasn’t cold enough yet to penetrate his coat and cause him to shiver, but he could feel that the air would get there soon enough.

Then he caught a scent that was not at all that of a nightly scent in Thunderclan’s forest. Ducking low on instinct, the muscled tom began to creep forward, pausing to make sure he was downwind of the two cats he could smell.
A make and a female, by the smell of it. From the twolegplace. With great skill and silence, the tom made his way closer, until he was peering from the brush, right behind the two felines. He relaxed at the sight of them though. They were simply kits, probably wandering kittypets lost in the forest. Flintstar stood and stepped out of the brush with a chuckle, eyes narrowed slightly at the two kits, though there was a small smile on his face. He didn’t want to look intimidating, he was already a large enough cat that he didn’t need to go around asserting that. “Hey there kits. Are you two lost? You sure don’t smell like members of my clan.”

@Casper @Ever

[pidgeon]

Merlin let out a small yowl of surprise when the larger cat emerged to greet them. He's huge! thought the kitten, taking a few pawsteps back, before remembering he was supposed to be brave for his sister. He dropped the little toy mouse he was still carrying and forced himself to stand tall, even though it made him shiver at the cold.

"I'm Merlin and this is Athena, my sister!" He announced to the huge tom. "We escaped our housefolk. They were boring, and we wanted to go on an adventure. We heard about forest cats and wanted to see if it was true!" His confident tone was defeated by the sound of his teeth chattering from the chill every time he opened his mouth. He hoped this would work. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in a warm nest and go to sleep. It had been such a long day...

@RedHead @Ever

[wren]

Originally Posted by Delta

Tallmarsh wove through the underbrush, long tail sweeping behind her in quick, sharp movements. She thanked StarClan there was no snow, otherwise she would've been soaked. A freezing breeze pierced through her coat and made her shiver, so she stopped where she was under a tree barren of leaves. She glanced around uncertainly to make sure no one was within earshot, then let out a loud yowl, head reared towards the starry night sky. Once she had finished letting out her frustrations, she sat there, face still towards the sky, looking at the stars through the empty branches above. It seemed she never got a break from...everything. She learned how to heal others, then she was on the wrong side of a civil war, then a fire killed Passionstar and destroyed her herb store. And now she was here, having to sneak out of camp in the middle of the night to let out her frustrations hopefully in private because the new ShadowClan medicine cat makes her want to rip her whiskers out. Not to mention she had an apprentice to train, too. That was her decision, she had to admit, but still. She sighed deeply, closing her eyes as another breeze cut across her pelt.

Roaringthunder thought perhaps after the walk with wildfire he needed to cool down, he was an old soul and not that he couldn’t keep up with the energy of those his age or even older he just didn’t want to. The large grey Tom was swept into the cool night by a desire to be alone with his thoughts again. The sweet lullaby of brittle branches gently rubbing against each other in a bone chilling dance, the still singed territory bringing with it a horrible stench. It would be long before the foliage grey thick enough to hunt properly, it left the clan feeling exposed. Bare branches no longer bore leaves and the moss and grass burnt to ash. It was sad but also as he had observed like a cleansing. Perhaps emotionally and physically. The forest breathed life however desolate it appeared to be now. Sprouts would shoot up to touch the sun kissed sky by the time the snow melted away next season. Though the fire had taken lives... it was good in its own regard.

The large tom plodded along not fearing the possibility of frightening prey, he wasn’t delicate with his steps and swayed as the wind brushed up against his sides in a playfully enticing way. Taking a deeply troubled breath the large warrior pushed his way through the dying and decayed bushes when he heard a yowl.

He paused briefly not frightened in the slightest, head tilted back to catch wind of the scent. Though nothing came but ash and decay. His ears pinned to his skull and he headed in its direction. If an intruder had come this far onto their territory he doubted any singular warrior would like to take him on alone. Not because of his fighting skills but rather his sheer size and height. It was enough to frighten any average sized cat. Before long the moon revealed a silhouette amongst the shadows a thin and dainty shape compared to his. He didn’t bother being secretive as he drew closer until the scent embraced him. Faint scent of herbs, thunderclan and- ah Tallmarsh. Frustration radiated off of her like feisty waves and a gentle smile touched his lips. “Frustrated this evening?” his voice came smooth and un accusing. He could understand the stress she was under. There he stopped promptly within a few tail lengths following her gaze to the stars that peeled behind the trees. “I hear yelling is a good outlet” he mused quietly sweeping his tail around his paws and bringing himself to a seated position. “I hope you don’t mind if I joined you?” he paused “though if you do intend on screaming a little more I’ll respect your space. Maybe spare my ears while I’m at it” he said with a playful twinkle dancing behind his yellow eyes.

[Ever]

[QUOTE=Casper;619917]Merlin let out a small yowl of surprise when the larger cat emerged to greet them. He's huge! thought the kitten, taking a few pawsteps back, before remembering he was supposed to be brave for his sister. He dropped the little toy mouse he was still carrying and forced himself to stand tall, even though it made him shiver at the cold.

"I'm Merlin and this is Athena, my sister!" He announced to the huge tom. "We escaped our housefolk. They were boring, and we wanted to go on an adventure. We heard about forest cats and wanted to see if it was true!" His confident tone was defeated by the sound of his teeth chattering from the chill every time he opened his mouth. He hoped this would work. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in a warm nest and go to sleep. It had been such a long day...

@RedHead [/CENTER][/FONT]

Athena jumped, back arching when a cat suddenly crept from the underbrush and spoke to them. So quiet! How had we not heard him? Ahe thought as the huge forest cat approached them and spoke. He seemed friendly at least, but he was so large. He had an air of confidence around him too that made her want to duck her head down rather than trying to hold it confident with her brother. She didnt want to disappoint him and seem scared after all they had just worked through. She tipped her little nose into the air, looking up at the stranger.

"Can we join you? In the forest? We can't go back now, it's not the life for us." She tried to sound confident in her decisions, but her voice quivered. Slightly from the cold that shook through her little body, half due to the adrenaline that pumped through her. The cat didn't look like he would hurt him, but if they joined him they would be subject to meeting a lot more cats. Her tail tapped against her brother's low to the ground behind them and she tried to keep her expression hard and determined.
@RedHead @Casper

[RedHead]

Athena and Merlin. Well, being from the Twolegplace explained their odd names. Flintstar himself was no stranger to that though, he’d been there when he was a young kit. And his mother had come from yeh twolegplace, though not as a kittypet. Plus, he’d been in forest long enough to forget a lot about his kithood as a loner with his mother.
As the male, Merlin, dropped his toy mouse and stood taller, the Thunderclan leader tilted his head slightly, smile becoming amused. He admired the young tom’s courage, and both of them for facing the cold night they clearly felt. Flintstar himself wasn’t subject to the cold, with as thick of a pelt as he had and his adaptation to living out in the forest for his whole life.

His eyes widened in surprise as he opened his mouth to speak, listening to Athena’s words. He’d thought they’d only come to explore the forest and had been about to escort them back home. Join Thunderclan? He glanced over the two again. They both seemed healthy and with somebody training, would probably be able to get in good shape. And only training would prove if they were fast learners or not. After a moment of silence, Flintstar finally spoke.
“It’s nice to meet you two. My name is Flintstar, and I am the leader of the band of cats that’s lives in the forest. We’re called Thunderclan, one of the... four clans that lives out in the woods.” He paused, nodding his head towards the forest ahead of them. “I admire the certainty you show in wanting to join my clan. But there’s a few... complications with that.” Flintstar sat down, deciding this conversation might be longer than he formerly intended. “Thunderclan has recently suffered a fire that burnt most of outbursts territory, and there was not enough time for it to grow back before the colder moons came. This leaf-bare is going to be terribly harsh for the entire clan, with little food and little shelter.” He leveled the two cats with a stare, nothing hostile, but warning shining clear in his eyes. “I, as the leader would love to have more apprentices in training, but that also depends on how well you two would fare within the clan. And how fast you could learn alongside the other apprentices.” The tom then slouched until he was able to be eye level with Athena and Merlin. “So, you may come with me and be willing to adapt to being a clan cat, no matter the trails or judgment you face. Or you may go back to your warm twolegplace nest and only dream about living in the forest with wild cats.” He gave them a toothy grin at the end, straightening up and awaiting their answers.

@Ever @Casper

[Sharp moon]

[ @SilentLamb ]
Linnetpaw was busy going over his practice, yes he was tripping over his paws, being clumsy and everything like that, but that didn't stop him at all, he looked around for any alone apprentice to see if maybe they would have any advice, until seeing a familiar she-cat, and slowly approached.

[pidgeon]

This big cat was scary looking, but the way he spoke and his choice of words sounded so gentle and kind, even if his voice did hold a stern tone. After listening closely and drinking in every word, Merlin was only further excited at the prospect of joining these forest cats.


"We'll do it! Right, sis?" He nodded eagerly in the direction of his littermate. "It took so much to convince ourselves to finally leave that stuffy old place...we can't just give up and go back. This is where we are meant to be, I just know it. We can be fast, and we can learn! We figured our way out of that neighborhood easy enough." The adrenaline had begun to warm his pelt, so he wasn't shivering quite as much anymore as he described their events. His confidence was beginning to return to him now that the prospect of joining the forest cats was within his grasp. He would learn and grow, and he would strike fear into the hearts of those soft garden-cats in the twolegplace!

@Ever @RedHead

[Ever]

Athena kept careful eyes on the Tunderclan leader as he lowered himself to look into their eyes and warned them of the realities they were about to face. She felt a surge of courage as she looked into the eye of such a strong and powerful cat, one who wasn't turning them away. The kit had never known the cold until tonight and hadn't the faintest clue of how difficult this leaf bare would be for her and her brother, but she felt this gurgling excitement. They were here, they'd really made it. There was no way that they they would turn it down. The way he phrased the end almost made her frown but she kept her expression calm, she didn't want to offend a cat who was offering her the chance at what her and her brother dreamed of. She wouldn't let her prickly attitude spoil things from the very start for her brother.

She nodded her head when her brother spoke and puffed out her tiny chest, trying to seem as confident as she could. Maybe it made her look silly before such a cat, but she didn't know. She wanted Flintstar to know he was making the right choice about welcoming the two pampered kits into his clan. Thunderclan, Athena thought to herself as she tried to pick the right words before speaking, we've really done it! She gave a tight smile to her brother.

"You don't have to worry about us. We'll learn as quickly as we can! We'll make you proud of your decision to let us join you." She said, ducking her head slightly. She couldn't help it, he just had that air of power about him. A cat that demanded respect, despite how he himself tried to put them at ease. Her tail perked up behind her, she couldn't wait to follow him into the clan and see what it was like. She wondered how the other apprentices would treat her. She hadn't met a cat her age before! It had been since they were kittens with their siblings. She glanced over at her brother, golden eyes eager.

@Casper @RedHead

[RedHead]

The large tom studied the two young cats for a moment more, considering their confident words and attitudes. Finally, he broke into a smile and nodded. "Alright. You two are clearly young and able, and seem very positive about your decisions. So, I will allow you two to become Thunderclan apprentices." He stood up and began walking deeper into the territory, green eyes alight with the excitement he could feel radiating off of the two young cats. "Follow me now, to Thunderclan's camp if you're absolutely certain. After this, there will be no turning back." He smirked at the end, still friendly, but with more mischievousness shining in his eyes. "And I'll even give you guys a little assessment. Let's see if you can keep up!" He then broke into a run, though it was more of a trot for the large tom, allowing the two young cats to still see him and easily catch up if they pushed themselves hard enough.

@Casper @Ever