WindClan: Life Before 2023's Fire

[judas]

@Ludicrous Lunacy

Dancer walked through the forest, flicking her tail. The Black and White cat looked around, narrowing her yellow orbs across the Moor. She had scented other cats, but thought nothing of it. She flicked her tail, looking for something to eat. Flicking her ears up in alarm, she stalked closer, seeing a small rabbit on grass. She crouched, slowly creeping up. The Rabbit's ears went up, and it darted along into a Rabbit hole. "Fox Dung!" She hissed, belly grumbling.

[BluBunnie]

[Open for anyone to Respond :3]

Redwhisper sat near the center of the Clearing, the Maine Coon had a fiery orange colored pelt with dark red swirl patterns and a bright white underbelly. The tom had just spent most of the day grooming his fur, whenever his depression hit him badly he tended to forget to groom himself. His long, thick pelt got matted easily and it took him forever to get everything out. The large tom now smelt like daisies rather then dirt, his bright yellow eyes observed camp carefully as he stomach growled loudly. He had also forgotten to eat, Redwhisper stood and trotted over to the freshkill pile. It took him a few moments to find what he wanted, which was a nice plump rabbit. Since new leaf was coming back many prey had come out of their dens, which meant more food for the clan. He found a shady place to sit and soon began to wolf down the meal after thanking Starclan.

[Fel]

@woly @Suspiciousmindz @bad company @meraki @Lilly

It was all my fault.

I was the one who let her do this, who said it was okay to split up-- I didn't respond as quickly as I should have, didn't I? Tawnypaw's heart was racing. She couldn't take this- she couldn't take any of this. Apparently, another cat had already fainted, and all she was doing was standing still. She couldn't tell if it was blood or tears running down her cheek until she was alerted to the red drop which had landed onto her paw, staining the fur by her left ear from the wound she'd already had, though she hadn't said anything about having it treated as she helped carry in Moonpaw's body, and silently shrinking away. I'm a bad friend, aren't I? I'm... terrible. Her face fell as she stood to the side, her paws trembling as she saw how supportive the other two apprentices were, even the leader, medicine cat, and two other warriors. She was a killer, wasn't she?

Moonpaw, I'm so sorry... She looked at her friend's body with a flash of regret crossing her expression, her bright green eyes now dimmed with sadness. It's over, isn't it? Isn't it over?

Blood dripped into her left eye as she closed it in an averse reaction, sighing as she turned her head away, bearing the pain from her injuries which seemed like cuts in comparison to her friend's injuries.

[The Cannibal]

Originally Posted by Suspiciousmindz

@Duskflight
Finally the two had made it back to camp. This loner had been walked through the entrance of his former clan, but of course not without attention drawn to them. Blazingstar had decided to move the loner to the warriors den, one of the safest places here and they'd be able to recover without getting in the way or causing havoc. It'd be a different story at night when the warriors needed sleep, but at that point, he was hoping they'd be too groggy to actually comprehend there was a new cat there. "Okay," he murmured with effort. Carrying Duskflight's weight had worn the leader down, but he couldn't show this now. Immediately he took Duskflight to some random nest near the back and waited as the grey feline settled down before continuing. "I'll go grab something, don't try to move," he warned. Despite this feline claiming to be a former warrior, he couldn't trust him. Within moment the leader left the den and came back with a small hare between his jaws. He dropped it at Duskflight's nest and sat himself down in another random nest. "So, what's your name?" he asked, assuming Duskflight finally started eating. Before giving the tom enough time to respond, he introduced himself. "I'm Blazingstar," he concluded thinking there was no other introduction needed for the leader himself. Little did Blazingstar know, once hearing the name the loner used, he'd have a moment of realization as to why his scent was so familiar.

It seemed to have taken ages to get back to camp, but at least they were eventually able to. Normally Duskflight would have been a bit self-conscious with all of the attention drawn to him, but at the moment, he was barely hanging on to consciousness it felt like and the thought of cats taking notice of him was the last thing on his mind. The dark grey tom was nearly ready to collapse in the clearing but the orange tabby apparently had a different idea and was moving him to presumably the warriors den. The clan looked so different from when he was a warrior, it's clear the fire had taken it's toll on the land. Once safely inside of the den and in the back, Dusk collapsed into a nest with a wheeze, closing his eyes as the cat who brought him here ordered him to not move as he went to go grab him some food, the former warrior would be more than happy to abide by this request and simply took the time to try and regain what little energy he had left. Before he could happen to fall asleep, he heard pawsteps returning and the smell of rabbit, his nose twitching and his eyes opening tiredly. Normally the dark grey tom was a modest cat and prided himself in his manners, but at the moment he truly was starving and the second that it was placed in front of him, the former warrior ravenously began to tear into it, ignoring the need to pluck the fur from it first. After a good portion of it had been devoured, the skinny cat could finally let out a sigh, ears perked at the cat's question and then promptly after that his introduction.
So they have a new leader.. I wonder what happened to Dapplestar?
Blinking his head, he would immediately bow it in respect and close his eyes.
"I apologize if I didn't greet you with the proper respect I.. I was still under the impression that Dapplestar was leader."
Now it was his turn to introduce himself. Raising his head, his baby blue eyes would meet those amber ones of Blazingstar.
"My name is Dusk, but I was formerly known as Duskflight."

[doghouse]

Originally Posted by NightWarrior4Life

"Look? What's going on?" ShinePaw spun around to join her friend. Ah Mouse-dung! Aren't I supposed to be going on a patrol with Flamestorm this morning? she frowned. I'll give it a miss... The Molly decided. The warm breeze ruffled her grey-silver fur. "Fox-dung! I just groomed myself! Now I've gotta do it again!" She complained then started reluctantly licking the odd patches of fur that were facing strange directions.

(How are ya?)
Phantompaw laughed, playfully nudging her friend. “Aw, give it a rest! Fur doesn't need to be clean.” she teased, showing off her own fur, which was wild and unkempt, full of moss and scraps of bedding. She gave a crooked smile, revealing her sharp, pointed teeth. To prove her point, Phantompaw promptly flopped over and rolled around in the bedding until she was covered in moss and her fur stuck out in every possible direction and looked greenish gray from the dried moss stuck in it. “Voilà!” she announced, collapsing in laughter.

[NightWarrior4Life]

Originally Posted by Skelly

(How are ya?)
Phantompaw laughed, playfully nudging her friend. “Aw, give it a rest! Fur doesn't need to be clean.” she teased, showing off her own fur, which was wild and unkempt, full of moss and scraps of bedding. She gave a crooked smile, revealing her sharp, pointed teeth. To prove her point, Phantompaw promptly flopped over and rolled around in the bedding until she was covered in moss and her fur stuck out in every possible direction and looked greenish gray from the dried moss stuck in it. “Voilà!” she announced, collapsing in laughter.

(I'm good, you?)
"Maybe I do need to loosen up a bit...messy fur could be a good strategy when hunting or fighting as it'll allow us to camouflage!" Then she added enthusiastically "but this is our secret tactic between us...we'll be unstoppable! Think of the things we could do...we could eavesdrop and find out so many secrets! We'll be honoured among the clans if we turn in traitors, excluding ourselves of course." ShinePaw just let all the words tumble out of her mouth at once, not really knowing what she was saying but she knew it was good. Soon she'd have all the juicy gossip in the forest to please her sharp tongue.

[doghouse]

Originally Posted by NightWarrior4Life

(I'm good, you?)
"Maybe I do need to loosen up a bit...messy fur could be a good strategy when hunting or fighting as it'll allow us to camouflage!" Then she added enthusiastically "but this is our secret tactic between us...we'll be unstoppable! Think of the things we could do...we could eavesdrop and find out so many secrets! We'll be honoured among the clans if we turn in traitors, excluding ourselves of course." ShinePaw just let all the words tumble out of her mouth at once, not really knowing what she was saying but she knew it was good. Soon she'd have all the juicy gossip in the forest to please her sharp tongue.

(Excited, happy, sad, in pain. So, good I guess ^^)

“Mhm, especially since both of us have lighter fur colors that don't blend into anything but storm clouds and smoke. But everything blends in with smoke, so it isn't special.” she said, her voice a bit higher than usual and her eyes brighter than they often were. She looked as if she might start bouncing about talking uncontrollably at any heartbeat, although she did not, which was good. “Yes, yes! I like the idea of being traitors to our Clan and to other traitors! Makes us sound evil, huh?” Phantompaw said, her voice dropping to a whisper on the word "evsoftlyhe stared up at the ceiling of the den, which was a big mass of interwoven branches, bushes and plants made so thick it stopped water from getting in, which was good, because outside, she heard rain pattering softly on the ground.

[graves]

Originally Posted by AbsurdJinx

Smokethorn practically melted at her accented words. He felt his pelt warm up when Sunsong forwardly released her love for him, and he showered in the affection. It's been ages since they last saw each other, each busy with their own duties. Now, after quite some time, satisfaction was greater than ever. After all, he had waited some time for a meeting with his mate, and that was nearly impossible. He didn't hurt anymore, because he was beside her.

He displayed a bright, genuine smile as Sunsong reassured him that she had been taking care of herself, but her reasoning shocked him. Smokethorn would father another litter! Only now did he realize that she smelt strongly of milk - more so than usual, and that her belly was larger and swollen. Joy glimmered in his yellow-green eyes, and he even offered a small jump of excitement. He could only laugh in response, shoving himself forward to press his nose against hers.

``Don't worry about me, darling,`` Smokethorn purred. ``Though I assure you I am taking care of myself. Now that we're expecting kits,`` He mewled excitedly, ``expect me to be around more often. I'll be a better mate to you, and I'll be a better father, too, as I've learned from my past. Tell me, when was the last time you ate?`

"I'll be a better mate to you,I promise." her tone was serious, amber hues gazing into his golden ones. She felt guilty for shutting herself off during the Era, cutting herself off from everybody because of her own guilty and fear. She wanted to be better, to be able to accept herself and love herself just as much as Smokethorn did, to improve her self esteem. She smiled at the affection she was getting,both verbal and physical,giving a soft purr in response. She was heavy with kits and had her eye on some in the nursery,some more kits that were found during the Era and had been motherless. She figured she could take them as her own,and love them just the same. She gave a small smile, speechless for a moment. Her mate could always make her speechless at times, her heart swelling at how much he cared for her, how he was going to be there and making her feel loved. It was certainly working. She felt revealed that the tom was taking care of himself. Her smile only grew as she nodded,"I'm glad you are taking care of yourself, I would've given you an earful if not," she chuckled,"I ate this morning,which was awhile ago. I ate a whole blackbird!" her tone was full of excitement over a small simple thing, but it was a big step,seeing as last time he asked at question she could barley eat one bite of a small mouse that was shared. It was a step to improvement.

[NightWarrior4Life]

Originally Posted by Skelly

(Excited, happy, sad, in pain. So, good I guess ^^)

“Mhm, especially since both of us have lighter fur colors that don't blend into anything but storm clouds and smoke. But everything blends in with smoke, so it isn't special.” she said, her voice a bit higher than usual and her eyes brighter than they often were. She looked as if she might start bouncing about talking uncontrollably at any heartbeat, although she did not, which was good. “Yes, yes! I like the idea of being traitors to our Clan and to other traitors! Makes us sound evil, huh?” Phantompaw said, her voice dropping to a whisper on the word "evsoftlyhe stared up at the ceiling of the den, which was a big mass of interwoven branches, bushes and plants made so thick it stopped water from getting in, which was good, because outside, she heard rain pattering softly on the ground.

"Imagine if there was a massive battle or fire and there are dead bodies and everything then you can just see our shadows emerging from the drama...that would be well cool! Seein as we are evil now..." She purred softly then said "You know why keeping water out is useful? Because dry wood sets on fire easily...it would be a shame if the camp burnt down..." There was a shimmer of excitement in Shinepaw's eyes as she proposed this extremely cunning plan As if she could read Phantompaw's mind.

[lone]

@Brooklyn Trees

More then anything else, the tom wanted his friend to believe him. He wanted her to understand how much he cared. But, it seemed that every time he did... she just blocked his words. Was she afraid of him? Of getting hurt, or hurt by him? If that was the case, then he would do everything in his power to keep Moonpaw from getting hurt. Well... he would never hurt her, and he knew that. But did she? After what had happened with Bronzepaw, even he was unsure if he had the power to keep her from getting hurt. If he had the power to keep her from getting hurt he would use it, but he didn't have that.
　
If only he could go back in time.
　
Back in time to that day on the hill, the day when everything had felt just right. That day when everything had felt like the world would go on forever, and the sun would never go down... Silverpelt would forever be shining, and the moon would be glimmering even in the daytime. That day when he had thought all the colors of the world couldn't be brighter then his smile around her. Though there had been confusion and darkness too, not to mention directly following that. Why had he opened his big mouth? Why hadn't he just kept quiet, stayed with Bronzepaw maybe, that might have worked! He liked her. She was friendly, and funny, and a great cat. But she wasn't Moonpaw, and perhaps that was what was keeping him from walking away to find her.
　
She was sweet, but Moonpaw could light up the darkest of nights with just a soft word. Her fur didn't fluff out in that dandelion-like way that Moonpaw's did. She didn't have the ability to set him on fire and douse it at the same time. She hadn't been there when he was a kit, when he had been alone and she had rescued him. She hadn't been there when he'd felt awful in the past. It was Moonpaw. It had always been Moonpaw, and he knew it. The question was... did she? Did she understand that this wasn't just a sweet little crush he would be over, he wasn't just a starry eyed apprentice chasing a daydream, and she wasn't some forbidden object that would never be his?

　

Though, it appeared that last part might be true. She might never be his. No amount of pleading or trying to convince her would allow her to be his. "I... please, Moonpaw, you have to believe me. You mean everything to me." The sun, the moon, the sky... he would give everything to her if it meant she would be happy. If he could. If he had the power. But, the tom didn't have the power, and he knew it all too well. It was something that seemed to constantly plague him, the knowledge that he didn't have the power to do what he wanted to. "I don't know what I did to make you so confused, or... if I did anything, but I'm not lying to you." And he wasn't. He wasn't lying to her, and he didn't know why she was so worried about this.
　
It was just as new to him as it was to her!
　
Only, he was choosing to embrace it instead of running away. Only he was going to make the best of this, make this as good as it could be. Only he was going to try and convince her that he was telling the truth, try and convince her that there was no way he could lie to her about this. Why would he? Didn't she know him well enough to understand that he was trying to be honest with her, trying to show her what he was thinking and feeling? But, she couldn't accept it. Either she couldn't or she wouldn't and either way, she was breaking Couragepaw's heart.
　
Why had he gotten this name, anyways? It sounded as though he were not afraid of anything. But that wasn't true... right now he was very afraid. Of rejection, of his best friend... but he could do this. He knew it, and he hoped she would believe him. "I... understand if you don't feel the same way, and I can accept that." Now that was a lie. He might be able to understand, but... he would never be able to accept it. He would never be able to go through life knowing that he had done something wrong, or at least must have, due to her rejection. "But please listen to what I'm about to say." Even if she hadn't been listening through everything else, she could listen to this much. He was afraid to touch her. Afraid that if he did she might melt into thin air, there one second and gone the next.
　
He could do this. He had to do this. Though he wasn't sure why he needed to do it so badly, it was as though there was some unseen instinct pushing him to speak to her. Pushing him to tell her what was going on, what he could feel... what he was now confident that he was feeling. He was sure she would be able to understand. Hadn't he told her this before? Perhaps. Perhaps not, he felt like he was in a dream right now and this was all he could think. All he could say.
　
"I love you."