WindClan: Life Before 2023's Fire

[perseus.]

Ashflight and Coyotecrash were sharing tounges.

[activity post]

[Rose]

Berrypaw
Post Count: 77/100

Inching forward as her name was called, Berrypaw mustered the bravest expression she could find, casting glances at random warriors in search of Aspenwillow. Because after all, she'd been assigned with that cat to... find daisies..? That didn't sound too hard.. right?

[ @Silverdream - Aspenwillow ]

[Pitou]

**Toadpounce**
[OPEN if anybody wants to have witnessed]

When he left camp, he'd planned on heading towards Juniper's Rest. He didn't have anybody in particular to visit there but he often wondered if his beloved Batsnow should be buried here. He didn't know where she'd gone and he refused to give up hope that she'd one day return but as each day passed it was growing more difficult to hold onto that hope and his worst nightmare was that she had died somewhere out there and was never able to be honored and buried like the warrior she was.

Even with Juniper's Rest as his planned destination, his paws didn't take him there. They faltered in their slow path, the chill of the impending leafbare seeping into his old injuries, stiffening them and making traveling all the more difficult. He knew if he moved more it'd help strengthen everything, he knew other warriors had gotten on with far worse injuries, his own leader was missing an entire eye and was still the oldest and strongest leader in the clans as far as he was concerned. But the thought only made him feel the uselessness settle deeper in his gut. He grew up with parents who worried over him, not about his well-being but about how his awkwardness was difficult to deal with. He had no friends until Batsnow. But never before had he felt such despair. Batsnow was gone, most of his kits were gone. Cobwebpaw was the only piece of himself holding him somewhat together. Seeing Wolffang again had been a bittersweet revelation. He'd spent so long blaming himself for the former deputy's death by the jaws of those dogs, those same jaws that had robbed him of his own mobility. And then the badger that maimed Lion...Dreamlight, just another attack he could do nothing about.

He shook himself and pushed on forward, trying to move out of the thoughts beating on him from every angle. He didn't know how much time had passed as he tried focusing on the chill wind nipping through his short fur, pricking his skin, but he suddenly found himself facing the outskirts. He tried to dispel the thought that his paws had carried him here as a sign. Was it a sign from Starclan? Did his ancestors even care about him enough to send him signs? Or maybe it was that they cared about Windclan enough to know he was only a drag on his clan? His heart constricted and his mind whirled about his family, his clan, his life. He sat down, his spotted fur fluffing up subconsciously against the cold, as his eyes stared blankly out at the unfamiliar territory just past their border.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

He didn't remember falling asleep, much less out in the open with the cold biting at him, but a distant bark jolted him. His muscles hardly moved as they were constricted in a tight curl, the tall swaying grasses moving above him. Realization came quickly after the initial panic; the bark was far away, but he didn't care to wait around for it to come closer. So he slowly lifted himself to his paws against the stiff protests of his chilled joints and muscles. He stretched each leg at a time then dipped into a low arching stretch. When he looked up, he noticed dots of fluffy white sheep. He knew the fluffy creatures were harmless, though he still preferred to keep his distance. Sheep often meant nothing more than the sheep themselves but his sleepy, cold mind slowly put together the sudden appearance of the sheep and the bark he'd heard. His heart hammered slightly and he turned directly away. Sheep were often left on their own but they sometimes came included with dogs of their own and the bark he'd heard earlier gave him enough indication that this may be one of those times. He stayed low and quickly skirted away but his muscles froze when another set of yipping rang out so close he didn't figure he'd ever hear anything again. He popped his head up and realized he was nearly face-to-face with a black and white dog. Its eyes were on the sheep but, with the popping up of Toadpounce's head, the dog's attention shifted and the yips changed to viscous barks as it broke into a run. Toadpounce's heart skipped. Could he really outrun a dog? In the state he was in he wasn't sure he could outrun a twoleg, let alone one of their mutts. He didn't dwell on the concern as he turned and pelted across the ground. The dog was cutting him off from the Windclan camp but he was less concerned with making it back to camp and more concerned with simply getting out of this alive. He ran blindly, feeling the pounding of the dirt so close behind him. He had no plans other than to simply run. He was sure he wouldn't be able to outlast the dog so he could only hope that a plan would fall into his paws.

He could feel his paws slowing, panic lit inside him. The dog's breath was growing suffocating behind him. Then everything stopped as the ground fell out from beneath him. His paw dropped into a gopher hole and his body was hurtled across the ground. He waited tense heartbeats for the dog's teeth, but they never came. He let his eyes open and his pounding heart dropped out completely. The looming face of a bundled twoleg peered over him and a thick twoleg pelt was dropping over him. The weak leaffall sun went out completely and the pelt stifled the cool air. It constricted around him and he was hoisted above the ground. He lashed out but his paws tangled in the pelt inconsequentially. He was squeezed until he was rendered completely motionless and everything else seemed to blur together as he was carried helplessly away from his family, his home, his clan.

[Dark]

Originally Posted by oleander

☄. *. ⋆ Crowfoot

Crowfoot hummed lightly when Cowpaw asked them to go and find some poppy with an apprentice, Firepaw, they nodded and stood up stretching and shaking out their fur as they looked around for the apprentice, "Firepaw come on lets get the herbs Cowpaw needs."

@Darkclaws

Firepaw
___________
[31/65]

Firepaw made her way over to the area Cowpaw had been in and turned towards Crowfoot, pale green eyes gleaming with excitement. She was going on another patrol already! She had one up on Sunpaw and she couldn’t wait to rub it in her face later on. They were to get poppy flowers? EASY. She and Crowfoot would be the first ones back AND do the best job she decided. When Crowfoot let her know that they were ready, she bounded away towards the entrance of the camp. ”Come on Crowfoot! Let’s go get some poppies~” She called cheerfully.

[Ian]

PATROLS ARE DUE DECEMBER 1st BY 11:59 PM EST
If you need an extension, let me know before the deadline
If you need to be replaced, let me know within two (2) days
Hunting patrols, have your character place their catch on the fresh-kill pile before reporting, or your character will be punished

Fallownose made his way to the base of the Breezerock to send out another round of patrols. He hoped that none of them would run into the rogues on the territory and that they would stick to Swooping Cliffs like Twilightstar had told them to. "Everyone I send out on patrols, always be aware of your surroundings. The outsiders are still in our territory." With that reminder, the deputy jumped into assigning cats to mark the borders and hunt.

"Ashclaw [ @~SilverShine~ ], take Aspenstrike [ @jupiter ] and Flickerpaw [ @Caspian ] to the ShadowClan Border."

"Stoneheart [ @Shinestripe ], mark the ThunderClan Border with Swiftmoon [ @ImSoTired ] and Ashpaw [ @Ashcloud the WindClanner ]."

"Coldsong [ @tanuki ] and Mistpaw [ @fawnbloom83 ], you two will accompany me to the RiverClan Border."

"Stumpypoppy [ @Eaglet ], hunt with Snowypaw [ @Alchemist Kitsune ] at Windy Hills."

"Splitmeadow [ @~'Ace of Spades'~ ], head to the Sky Glade with Crowfoot [ @oleander ] and see what prey you can catch."

"Hemlockheart [ @Shade. ], hunt at Adder Rocks with Vinetail [ @Fernwillow ].

"Wolffang [ @TheNyanCatMinecart ], hunt in territory with Fawnpaw [ @Wintersun ]."

Fallownose fluffed up his pelt against the chill as he finished calling patrols and stood, waiting for Coldsong and Mistpaw so they could head out.

[Ian]

Shiningskies took a nap.

[gravekeeper.]

Ashpaw’s ears perked up. A patrol? she thought, this will definitely beat taking care of the elders. But… I want to go hunting. Ah well. At least it’s something. Now to find my patrol mates. Hey, at least we aren’t patrolling the ShadowClan border. When she yelled at me, Twilightstar told me that those guys can be NASTY. And she said this at a GATHERING! Who knows what they could be like without having to obey a truce! “Happy to help Fallownose,”Ashpaw meowed to the deputy, then turning her gaze so she could find the cats on her patrol,”Stoneheart? Swiftmoon? You there?”
@ImSoTired @Shinestripe @NinjaBloss

[Shade.]

@Fernwillow

Hemlockheart was ready to stretch his hunting muscles and help out the clan. He didn't know much about his patrol buddy, but he was sure they'd get along okay.
"Hey, Vinetail, over here! Ready to go?" he called out.

[MockingRabbit]

Originally Posted by TheNyanCatMinecart

~ TWISTEDKIT OF WINDCLAN ~

Brightkit's voice broke through Twistedkit's shattered world, but it did not cure it, nor did it help. She was vaguely aware of her foster sister sniffing her over. Was she checking to see if something was wrong with her? Something is wrong with me. Willowsky's words repeated in her head, drowning everything else out, and the sobs kept wracking her small body as more and more tears - so many tears, surprising for one so small - kept falling down her face and leeching into the soft nest beneath her. Her chin was soaked with saltwater, and her throat was clogged with pain and emotion so strong for such a young kit, a kit who was barely halfway to her apprenticeship. Are you alright? Brightkit's question registered, and the answer was no. Twistedkit was not okay. She was not good, either. She was horrible. She was vile. A monster. A murderer. She'd hurt Willowsky and her brother and her father. She'd hurt her entire family. And it was all because she'd been born bad, born differently from the rest of her Clanmates. It's all my fault.

Why should Brightkit care about such a naughty, horrible kit? Why should anyone care? Twistedkit didn't deserve to be loved. She deserved to be hated and cast out because of what she'd done. Yet the thought scared her. She didn't want to be alone. She wanted to be curled in her nest with Willowsky in the nursery, excited to grow up and become a warrior. However, everything was different. I don't deserve anything. I don't deserve to be loved. Why did the others like me if I was so naughty? Twistedkit glanced up at Brightkit with her good eye and managed to choke out, "No. I'm horrible. I'm naughty. You don't deserve to be with me. Nobody deserves to be near me." Her voice was horrible and hard to distinguish, but it was audible enough. The words pained her - she didn't want to lose her closeness with Brightkit - but she'd be even worse if she tried to hide the truth. Willowsky hates me, and she should. Everyone should.

"I'm... I'm..." Her voice shook, and she didn't know how she could go on. But the words burst out, strangled and high-pitched and awful-sounding. "I'm a murderer! I'm ugly and vile and disgusting and different, and I-I killed my brother and father, and, and, I got Willowsky into trouble, and I was naughty and didn't listen. Everything is my fault!" Her words broke into even harder sobbing. It was hard for her to produce more tears, so she just continued making a choked sound in her throat as she trembled, weak, exhausted, horrified, sad, and full of emotions that one her age should not be feeling.

@Rabbiteye

Brightkit licked Twistedkit between the ears as more tears continued to flow. What was wrong? She didn't seem to be hurt, and yet, she was crying like every bone in her body was broken! Brightkit took an involuntary step back as words tumbled out of Twistedkit's mouth. She stood still for a moment, mouth open in shock. "You are not a murderer!" She squeaked after finally finding her tongue. "You're a kit!"

[*longfire*]

Ashclaw perked hearing what Fallownose said the tom nodded and waited for the others

@Caspian @jupiter @NinjaBloss [ i'd like it if we get the patrol done before the due date for the reason my birthday is coming up and wassailing is coming up]