WindClan: Life Before 2023's Fire

[wren]

Originally Posted by xeno

Just as the grizzled blue tom was preparing to take a generous bite out of his dinner, he was rudely interrupted by a voice that made him want to claw out his ears and bury them. Disgust crawled up his spine like a thousand scuttling insects. He didn't think he'd ever hear a voice that made him want to reflexively retch, but here he was feeling like he'd taken a boulder to the gut. As he glanced down despairingly at the hare, he wondered if someone up above had it out for him. This was just cruel.. He snorted like an angry bull and punted it, watching it land in a cloud of dust a few foxlengths away.

I'm gonna strangle this kid. His lips drawn into a scowl, Mistyfern snapped his head around to glare in the direction of the voice.. and immediately regretted it. Oh sweet Starclan, that was one ugly mug. The poor feller looked like he'd headbutted a monster then jumped face-first into a badgerhole. Did he really not notice him? Maybe his eyesight was worse than he'd thought..

"Yes.. unfortunately." Mistyfern groaned disinterestedly. "I don't see your name on it, but If you want your 'spot' so bad, you're welcome to come move me yourself." He raised a smug brow and shifted until he was comfortable again, flicking his tail as if to say "bring it on".

Some days coyote would spend so much time alone he forgot how horribly deformed he appeared to others- this happened to be one of those times. When all the visons and demons everybody was seeing looked exactly like you there was much to worry about. Now that all of this was wearing off he was once again brutally reminded that his face was mangled. He recoiled at the toms harshness, something he wasn’t usually used to being faced with. Most would scramble off in a flustered hurry and blurt out an apology under their breath- however this tom met him with just the same amount of energy. Pure hatred.

It was a surprise to be met with irritation on both sides- in fact stunned he couldn’t quite find a sassy comeback to defend himself. His ears flattened back against his skull as he seemed to be picking at his face with his comment. His tail lashed rather anxiously and he stood meeting his gaze with equal disapproval. ”oh joy, just when I thought elders couldn’t get any better” he looked him up and down. ”Maybe I will or.. you could just get up and go back to your den and we won’t have to take that route” he snorted like an angry dog taking a daunting step in his direction.

He wouldn’t take disrespect from somebody years older then him. He may be old but that never meant he was any wiser. ”So how about you go pick up your meal and drag your sorry old carcass back to bed” he tipped his head to the side gesturing to the hare he’d punted across the clearing in a childlike tantrum. He stood at around his height but just slightly shorter, he let out a puff of breath and thrust his chest out defensively. He felt a breeze brush by the pair running up against the bare pink skin of his wounds making him shiver. ”or would you like to get a closer look?” he snorted again tipping his head back to the hare before dropping to a seat comfortably behind him looking smug as ever.

[RedHead]

Flowerpaw cast another glare at the tom over her shoulder as she continued grooming, her tail laying out beside her, the fluffy tip twitching in irritation. Flowerpaw didn’t particularly like any cat, save herself of course, and Warblerpaw definitely wasn’t helping his case any. “Undeniably unattractive, that’s for sure.” She snorted in response to his comment, turning slightly so she could more easily reach some of the harder areas for her to groom. “That’s big talk from a cat with your pelt.” She purred sweetly, though her eyes clearly showed the mocking tone that her voice lacked. She made a show to pause in her grooming and look him up and down, ending her once-over with a disgusted huff. “Yeah... big talk.”
At his mention of what had been going on outside, Flowerpaw gave a low growl, glancing suspiciously to the entrance of the den. “Yeah, I know it’s over. But I’m hiding in here to be safe. You never know if there’s going to be a cat still crazy worked up over whatever was happening out there.” She gave a shiver, for once glancing at Warblerpaw with a look that wasn’t quite scathing, something of worry. But not for him of course. Just general worry. And worry for herself.

@vermin

[marshy]

(Open)

Robinflight walked over to small gathering cats. He was cold, dirty, bloody, and really, really, tired. He was ashamed of what he had done, "So many lives lost, some because of me. I almost lost mine too many times." He thought sadly. Sure, Robinflight had survived, but at others expense? Would Starclan forgive him? Would he go to the Place of no Stars for his deeds? He decided not to think about it as he walked up to the remaining cats. He said to the closes one "Hey, I'm glad you're alive. No matter what you did, I'm glad your here."

[mochi]

Originally Posted by BILL.

Foxpudge had been right behind Brightstar as she made her way to the Breezerock, and he tucked himself into the growing crowd. It seemed so small.. where were all the apprentices? Were they okay?

Was there any left?

At the sight of Goatkit's shivering form, Foxpudge swept his tail around the kit to encourage him to come closer for warmth. What little he had, he'd rather give to the kit in need. "You might want to head back into the nursery, Goatkit.. it won't do any good if you get sick."
@mochi

Goatkit
The young tom blinked as a warm fluffy tail wrapped around him, and Goatkit looked up at the large warrior, grateful for the warmth he provided. At Foxpudge’s words, an uneasy sensation wiggled through his gut, causing him to shift on his paws and look down at the ground uncomfortably.”I-I’ll be okay. I want to hear what Brightstar is going to say.” His normally upbeat and optimistic voice shook slightly as he spoke, an awkward, though unconvincing smile twitching at the edge of his lips.
He didn’t want to go back. Not to the blood and the stench and the tiny, mangled corpse he’d glimpsed while running out of the nursery. It almost looked like it had been eaten, but Goatkit hadn’t smelled any foxes - and he was pretty sure he would have noticed if one of those had broken in to the nursery. Whatever it was had left the body unrecognizable, except for the size, which made it obvious it had once been a kit.
He hated to try to guess who it had been, so he shut his mind off to the horrors and instead tried to keep his spirits up by recalling the dream he’d had of his mother. It helped, for the most part.

[Aroogi]

@Lilyfur2 @sunflowerseed

Rabbitpaw crept forward, pressed fearfully into his sister as he shivered from the rain pouring down. His pelt was slick to his thin frame. His fur was caked in mud. He whimpered, wondering where his mentor and Springtail was.

[tye]

He studied grooming his long, flowing pelt sharing a cold side eye at Flowerpaw. He didn't say anything, only a low 'hmph' from the depth of his throat and stood up to give a final shake from any debris. Honestly, it didn't matter how much the rude calico insulted him, he didn't need to prove his ravishing self, it shows on its own. "Riiight, right," the apprentice flicked his tail, no longer caring to bicker. Warblerpaw attention quickly shot up, pausing from his grooming to look at his denmate's worried gaze. "True..," his blue eyes darkened sharing the same feeling with her. "I heard one of our clanmates hurt a kit..or worse. I think some cats are hiding their shame, they don't even want to talk about it." Understanding his clan's fear and pain, he didn't bother to be his nosy self asking questions and stuff. It's a shocking reality for those recovering from the murdering blood-bathe. He sighed. No matter how much he disliked Flowerpaw he's not continuing the sad, overly concerning conversation. What happened, happened. Now we all must recover from it or else everyday will be a weighing emotion of depression and grief. "You're in a good spot. No crazy cat can find you here alone in the den where there's only one way out," he said sarcastically in a lighter tone, continuing. "Brightstar called a meeting. Let's go, Turtlepaw."
@RedHead

[tye]

The maine coon entered the scene quickly after squabbling with Flowerpaw and sat the farthest away from every cat. Yes, the craziness died away but you can never be so sure. The crowd can easily be a fighting frenzy being mixed up in the deadly battle. Surely not he. If anything happens the young tom will be out of camp in just a paw step. Warblerpaw awaited patiently, a twitch of his nose he looked up at the cloudy grey sky. It's bad this happened beginning of leafbare, his mind wandered.

[Open]

[lio]

[ OPEN ]
[ @vermin ]

It was raining.
It was raining hard.
It was raining on him.
Hogpaw was shaking. He had been caught out at the edge of the clearing when the rain started, pelting down and seeming to wash away the insanity that had been raging before. He didn't notice all of the bodies scattered across the clearing. Instead, he was focused on himself, on the mud that was now soaking into the ground after formerly being on his body. The deformed tom couldn't bear to look up from where he was, fearing that someone would spot the ugliness that he held. The mud, it protected him, and now it was gone.
He tried desperately to scoop it back onto his pelt, rolling around and splashing filthy water on himself, but it was no use. The rain only washed it away more, leaving the cream-colored tom to remain a shaky, ugly mess. He sobbed, ears flat and eyes refusing to open. He didn't want to see them all staring at him. He couldn't face them. For so many moons, he had used the mud to protect himself. If they saw what was beneath the mud, he would only be hated more, shunned from the Clan for being such a disgrace.
Hogpaw wildly stumbled around, blind as he tried to find a place to hide. Don't look at me... he thought, bumping into warriors and dens as he tried to navigate the camp with his eyes closed. The deformed tom swallowed the thick lump in his throat, despair filling him. He ignored the call of Brightstar, wanting only to be hidden away from everyone. Don't look at me! Hogpaw finally stopped, realizing he was going to get nowhere, so he simply crouched down and covered his face with his paws, chubby body shaking with sobs as rain pelted down onto him.

[lio]

The russet molly shared a somber smile as she watched Twilightshine walk to her place beneath the Breezerock, her tail curling over her paws. She watched Brightstar closely, hoping that the news was not as terrible as it seemed. How many had died? Did she hurt anyone else? Her paws shuffled, chest feeling tight. Her heart felt heavy. Please tell me that I didn't kill anyone.

[tye]

What a nightmare. Cowpaw awakened feeling lightheaded as he escaped the apprentice den from his fainted slumber. Hazy, dizzy, his sight caught glimpse of blood tracks and splatter and dead bodies of his clanmates. The strong iron smell of old blood almost made him hurl, his eyes only saw shades of grey, the bodies white and lifeless. Not even the cold rain pouring down couldn't wake him up for this isn't a simple dream- it's real, this happened in his clan. "Awful, awful, awful," he muttered on repeat, until his shadow gaze slowly lit up again as he mentally forced back what he'd seen, heard and imagined. Those memories swirled back to the deep abyss of his mind. Quickly, he returned back to his former self ignoring the massacre that had happened. He pad on until he heard a familiar sniffle-snorting cry. "Hogpaw?" The spotted tom followed its' sobs seeing the brown splotched apprentice crouching down. At first, he didn't say a word only to place his nose against his shoulder to comfort him. He seems real. This can't be fake! It's really him. Cowpaw pressed his cheek against Hogpaw's head, purring happily. "Why are you crying? Oh! Is it because your mud washed off? " The dirty tom cried on and slowly his eyes drifted in a dark, unsettled stare that only lasted for a few seconds. " ..No cat can help you when you're crying like that," the last sentence came out stern, edged and slightly..cold? It surprised him. The words echoed of another cat, a black she-cat with cold brown eyes flashed in his head. He gasped, green eyes round a mix of fear and confusion. "I-I mean, c'mon! No sobbing," a forced purr came out. "Let's get you all mud up again, haha.."
@hxneysuckle