WindClan: Life Before 2023's Fire

[Leo]

Originally Posted by RedHead

Calico pelt gleaming in the setting sun, Flowerpaw made her way across the clearing, head held high like she owned the place. Pale green-blue eyes scanned the clearing, searching for a familiar russet pelt. Her silky tail flicked back and forth in irritation when she didn’t spot it. Huffing, Flowerpaw sat and curled her tail around her paws, crouching low as she attempted once again to find her brother among the many different colored pelts in the clearing.

@Leo

He crept low towards his sister. He had spotted her searching for him in the clearing, but he'd been behind her when she was looking. With the grace his long legs allowed him, the young cat came closer to where Flowerpaw sat. His tail was waving around in the air, but he tensed, ready to spring. With a yowl, he leapt for Flowerpaw, paws outstretched.

[RedHead]

Originally Posted by Leo

He crept low towards his sister. He had spotted her searching for him in the clearing, but he'd been behind her when she was looking. With the grace his long legs allowed him, the young cat came closer to where Flowerpaw sat. His tail was waving around in the air, but he tensed, ready to spring. With a yowl, he leapt for Flowerpaw, paws outstretched.

Now this was unexpected. Flowerpaw let out an "oof" as she was squashed to the ground, her muzzle getting planted in the dirt. But she could still smell the distinct scent of her brother wafting around her as she struggled from underneath him. "Get off you big lug!" She growled, arching her back and shoving herself up from the ground, easily dispatching him. She then whirled towards him, teeth bared in a snarl. "Now you're in for it!" She yowled, though there was a playful lilt to her tone. Thankfully today, Flowerpaw wasn't in a bad mood. Otherwise Hawkpaw might've gotten a few warning scratches from her.

[The Cannibal]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Pineneedle had thought he'd do a better job of showing kindness to his clanmates. Sure, they could be obnoxious at times, and some of them were definitely more irritating than others, but it should've been easier to show them a little kindness. His recent attempts, however, proved otherwise. He'd been on patrol with an older warrior; he hadn't clawed the tom's ears off, but he hadn't exactly been the epitome of kindness, either. As a result, he was beginning to wonder if he was cut out for being a social cat. He'd never been good at it, not by a long shot, but at least he used to be able to put on different personas. Now, it seemed he'd lost everything but the grumpy, aggressive young warrior he was left with. Why couldn't he be more like he was with Adderheart? The answer, perhaps, was in their long and detailed history that Pineneedle sometimes wished he could forget. He wouldn't have given her up for anything, but how they'd gotten to where they were was filled with several things he would've rather left behind. Namely, his manipulation and later apology. He hadn't been a social kit unless someone had something he wanted, and he wasn't a social warrior now.

He had no one to blame but himself for the trouble he'd caused in the past. As much as he would've liked to put it on less than ideal parenting and little supervision, he'd made quite a few choices that he wished he hadn't. Leaving the past in the past sounded good, but when it came down to it, how could he do that? How was he supposed to forget everything he'd done? Most of the cats he'd wronged were long gone by now, either to battles or they'd left the Clan. On occasion, Pineneedle would think about them. He'd wonder where they'd gone and if they remembered anything he'd done. He would've liked to apologize for the wrongs he'd committed, but with no way of knowing where the cats were or if he'd be able to find his way back to WindClan afterwards, it seemed like an ill-advised journey to take. Reflecting on the past was all well and good in theory, but once Pineneedle had started down that path, he hadn't been able to stop. He'd been sitting in the clearing for what felt like hours now, without moving.

He could feel other cats staring at him, going around him, talking amongst themselves; although, he guessed that wasn't about him. Few cats had so little to do that they resorted to gossiping about their clanmates, and the ones who did were the worst of all as far as Pineneedle was concerned. At least he wasn't obligated to spend time with them. It was a good thing he wasn't required to spend time with any one of his clanmates, otherwise it was likely he would've been kicked out of WindClan long ago. It was a pleasant surprise he'd managed to stay here this long. He'd half-thought that he would have given up by now, and gone to spend the rest of his days in some isolated stretch of territory out where the rest of the loners and rogues lived. He wouldn't have survived out there for long; Pineneedle thought he knew how to take care of himself, but the only home he'd ever known had involved other cats helping him. In reality, he would've ended up dead at a young age without anyone mourning him, thinking he was healthy and alive somewhere far away from the Clan he seemed to hate.

He did love WindClan; he owed a lot to them, after all. They'd been the ones to protect him, and most of the warriors had been better parents than his own had. Since he'd had little interaction with most of the warriors in the Clan, that said a lot about how terrible his own parents had been at raising him. Neither had shown a lot of interest; not that it mattered, since that wasn't an excuse for being a poor excuse of a cat for most of his life. He was lucky to have found at least one friend. It was a good thing, too, because if Pineneedle had never found Adderheart, he probably would have left WindClan. And although he'd learned that she had doubts of her own, and she wasn't as perfect as he'd believed, she was still good, through and through. A better cat than he was, by any means. He wanted to make her proud, and he was trying to be someone that deserved a great friend like her, but the question was.. could he do it? Was there a way for Pineneedle to change, or had it been too long? Was he too far gone?

@The Cannibal

It was hard to stop doing something that you've convinced yourself you must do for moons upon moons, and Adderheart knew that firsthand. Any cat would think that it would be easy to stop working so hard, but to her it seemed nearly impossible. Inside, she was driven by a near bloodlust to work, to prove her mirth, to show to Blazingstar, Buttercupbreeze, everyone in Windclan, that she was a valuable, dependable warrior. She wanted to live up to the image she had set for herself as a kit, she wanted stories to be told about her and her dedication, she wanted young kits to look up to her because she herself had no one to look up to but herself. She had tried to only go on one hunting patrol a day, to just pick one, stick with it, then relax at camp, but then she promptly found herself on three, and then hunting in between and doing a little patroling as well. It wasn't until she found herself barely crawling back into her nest at a time between moonhigh and dawn did she realize she wasn't doing very well at what Pineneedle wanted of her. And she wondered if he would be disappointed in her. That would sting. Normally other cats disappointed mattered to her like a fly buzzing around her ear, but the thought that he would look upon her with disappointment... The mental image of his face, tinged with disappointment; it tore her heart.

It made it hard for her to sleep, because all she could see was his face, his words, her stomach twisting in knots. She didn't want to be a disappointment, she wanted to make everyone, make herself proud, make him proud. If only she could spend more time with him. It came so easy to just sit there and relax when she was next to him. She didn't think about patrols, about social image, of anything when her side was pressed against his. Everything was so... Easy, when she was with him. And it was that image, that memory rather, of her next to him, just talking, enjoying each others company in the comfortable warmth of midday, it's what helped her finally fall asleep.

With wispy dreams that she easily forgot, Adderheart was able to sleep through the better part of the morning before eventually jolting awake, her own body realizing how long it had slept. Body flinching into alertness, she sat up in her nest, small pieces of bedding clinging to her disheveled fur. Briefly glancing around the warriors den, she'd eventually come to sigh and exit the den, not bothering to clean her pelt just yet. Exiting the den so soon after waking up, the sandy tabby had to squint her eyes at the bright light of day and pause to let herself adjust. Once she was fully equipped to deal with the light, she brought her gaze to look around the clearing, not quite sure what she was looking for until her gaze landed upon the only thing she wanted to see. The only cat she wanted to see right now.

Thoughts flying away, Adderheart felt her paws taking her towards the brown tom, she could almost feel a small sob at the base of her throat. It would never escape, she wasn't going to cry or anything like that. But dear Starclan did she need his company right now. And she wanted to hear how he was doing, she wanted to know everything going on with him. She wanted to talk about nothing, about everything. It was weird to want to talk to another cat so much, but not with Pineneedle, it just felt natural. A sleepy, warm smile curled onto her muzzle as she sank in beside him. "Hope this spot isn't taken, because I'm taking it anyways," there was a soft purr to her voice, eyes focusing on him with sparkling eagerness and warm joy.

[The Cannibal]

Originally Posted by Flameleaf

 

Pigeonkit lifted his head, ears twitching. He was still a bit tired, but he figured the tiredness would fade away if he played or did something else for a bit. The kit slowly got to his paws, looking around for someone to speak with. He spotted a warrior sitting in the corner of the nursery, just watching the kits. Pigeonkit tipped his head to the side, debating if he should try to interact or just ignore them. After a minute of this, he decided that he could at least try. He hopped over to the calico, trying his best not to step on anyone along the way. “Hello!” He said, trying his best to speak in a quiet tone.

There were so many things to watch in the nursery, it was hard to keep track of everyone all at once. And even if his back was to one of the walls and no one could sneak up behind him, Rookpatch was still very surprised when Pigeonkit hopped in front of him. The calico tom visibly flinched at the sudden movement in front of his face, but he quickly relaxed with a very bright, and very kind smile. A sweet sense of delight washed through the tom as he realized the kit had come to speak with him. There were very cats who bothered trying to talk to him due to his severe stutter that only got worse with fear and embarrassment, so to actually have someone approach him was a blessing. Kits were practically always the kindest, they never minded talking to you, playing with you, including you in things because they had no reason not to. They didn't have prejudices or expectations, they just saw you as another cat. "H-H-Heh-Hello-o th-th-th-air-there! W-W-Wh-What's-s y-your.. N-Name? {Hello there! What's your name?}" Tilting his head slightly, Rookpatch would continue to smile, his tail curled to his side and paws tucked beneath him.

[BEAR.]

Originally Posted by Skeleton Bliss Girl

Snailpaw hadn't been complimented since her walk with Emeraldbush. The apprentice puffed out her chest a bit at the compliment. "You weren't that bad either.", she replied. Snailpaw felt the prey in her mouth slip, but she quickly relocated them.

"A hare is hardly impressive," he told her with amusement. "You brought down a hawk! Hawks usually carry cats off, it's hard to bring them down, especially in mid-flight."

The walk back to camp wasn't as eventful as the hawk attack, and Darkbelly remained careful to keep the bird from dragging on the ground.

Next stop? The nursery.

[Pepperkins]

Shrewpaw shifted in his sleep before jolting awake to the sound of a voice. With a yawn he glanced around the den curiously before spotting the silhouette of a clan mate nearby. He couldn't quite make them out though. "I am now," he mumbled in reply, getting up to stretch.

[Prussia]

Silverkit listened to the other kits as they spoke and played in the nursery. Though she was three days old, her eyes remained closed. Some might have thought this concerning, but neither Silverkit nor her mother, Brindleflower, saw this as a problem.

Brindleflowe lay on her side, with her little kit nuzzled into the soft fur of her belly. Here she was warm. Here she was safe. What did she need to open her eyes for when her mother was right here with her?

But she did wonder what it was like, the world just waiting to greet her. She was curious to know what it looked like. The little [lilac] tortoiseshell kit thought. When will I open my eyes? When will I be ready?

[furrensic]

Originally Posted by Haunted

"I guess I shant, if you don't be so snarky!" Kitepaw chortled softly, though amusement was clearly shown in her bright optics. She raised a 'brow' at his question, her own eartip flicking like a fly had shimmied over it. What a surprise, the tom had actually asked her name - maybe he wasn't so dull after all. She smirked slightly, her long plume tucking tighter around her paws, and a sniff of pride wafting off her pelt at his inquiry. "The name's Kite, Kitepaw. And I've a while yet."

Kitepaw. Wasn't that a bird? Depsite that , it sounded a bit odd in his opinion , in a good away.

Beepaw gave a simple , small nod. "Interesting name." He meowed , "But I think Beepaw is better." It was said a bit jokingly. Though , he honestly did think his name was better , due to having pride in himself , and a bit in his sister's. Oh! He needed to visit them sometime soon. He hadn't seen them in a few moons , the last one he'd seen was Snailpaw for poppy seeds.
"But , that's my opinion." He snickered slightly.

[wren]

(( kinda sucks but whateva ))
@SuspiciousMindz @Fuzzyfeline

It wasn’t just everyday that he got to go out with his dad, especially lately he seemed twice as busy even though nothing seemed to be going on. Blazingstar was important and needed and he didn’t have much time to hangout. The entire clan relied on him for everything after all. The thought was dizzying but he quickly shook it off. It wasn’t for him to worry about anyways. That’s why Blazingstar and Buttercupbreeze were in charge. They could handle it... and walking beside them both now made him feel so insignificant.

He couldn’t help but feel guilty, he was patrolling a border with the leader and deputy when unbeknownst to them he’d visit the Riverclan border almost.. nightly now. Between stolen glances and private conversations he feared maybe he was.. well enjoying seeing Cedarbug so much that.. he quickly dismissed the thought. He had so much on his plate already, this was his chance to at least get talking to his dad and he was worried about that instead. Ideally speaking he could balance out his problems, a healthy mixture of anxiety but also success. However he quickly learned even planning ahead for life reared it’s ugly head. Could he be loyal to his father and buttercup and windclan itself when he hid this truth from everybody? Probably not. His ears flattened in an anxious way, zoning into his thoughts just as his paw snagged on a root and he nearly tripped; however managing to catch himself within a mere few seconds. Impulsiveness took over and he coughed out a pitiful laugh ”wasn’t paying attention- heh” he mrrowed casting Blazingstar an embarrassed glance before slipping back into step beside the pair. Let it be for now... maybe you can tell him later.

[Leo]

Originally Posted by RedHead

Now this was unexpected. Flowerpaw let out an "oof" as she was squashed to the ground, her muzzle getting planted in the dirt. But she could still smell the distinct scent of her brother wafting around her as she struggled from underneath him. "Get off you big lug!" She growled, arching her back and shoving herself up from the ground, easily dispatching him. She then whirled towards him, teeth bared in a snarl. "Now you're in for it!" She yowled, though there was a playful lilt to her tone. Thankfully today, Flowerpaw wasn't in a bad mood. Otherwise Hawkpaw might've gotten a few warning scratches from her.

“I guess I am, you just have to catch me first!” Hawkpaw turns and runs off, weaving his way through other cats in the clearing. He usually is not feeling this playful, but around his sister, there was an exception. Paws thrumming against the ground, Hawkpaw didn’t dare look back to see if he lost Flowerpaw to the crowd. He ran into a few of the older warriors in the clearing, who scolded him and told him to chill out. “Sorry!” He gasped out, before reaching the edge of the clearing and ducking behind a small patch of heather. He closed his eyes and perked his ears, awaiting the telltale sound of his sisters pawsteps.