WindClan Clearing

[Bonsai]

Driftingkit walks around

(closed activity post)

[Beaan]

hollysap slept

( closed - activity post )

[nyme]

AND IT NEVER MADE ANY SENSE, ANYTHING

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ❀ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

MAGGOTPAW . 10 MOONS . IT/THEY . WINDCLAN
SILVER TONGUE T1

Maggotpaw cannot sleep. This is not a new problem, and thus the solution is not a new solution. It creeps, trembling at the cold, from den to clearing so that it can turn a gaze skyward, hoping to find stars...but there is only darkness. Inky cloud-bellies hang heavy overhead and Maggotpaw turns its meanest scowl up at them. Silverpelt is hiding away on a night like this, when Maggotpaw needs to look at the stars and imagine who they all once were...typical, selfish Starclan. Maggotpaw stamps a paw down with a short, bratty huff. It crunches in the snow and icy grass.

So then what.

It could go and find its sister, demand she share a nest. Or sleep with the elders, even...but it's been finding, day by day, that it doesn't fit the same now as it once did. Once, Maggotpaw was a small-thing. A tiny-thing. A maggot. And while it'll never grow to be a very large cat whatsoever, while it still fits the bill of being small, it is larger now. Different, now. That, Maggotpaw knows, is because life here is a changing-thing. Names change and bodies change and the weather changes, too. That's the sort of thing it has to come to terms with now that it's a cat and not a maggot and not even the between-thing it had once been; that thing called Maggotkit.

It's not sure why, but it doesn't feel right to keep doing the things it had done when it was a between-thing. They're changed. They haven't entirely figured out what that means, yet, but it's a -thing that makes them reluctant to seek out the cats that Maggotkit would have gone to to feel better. At least right now, they'll accept that they are Maggotpaw, and try to think about what that means.

Something icy stings their ears, which flatten in indignation. Guh!! Maggotpaw looks up again, and there is snow on nose and between its eyes for its trouble. How awful! First Starclan hides away all night where Maggotpaw can't look at them, and then they send snow! The rotten bullies....Maggotpaw hisses wordlessly and swipes at the air.

[ OPEN ]

[Tallstar]

Duckthroat
116 Moons
He/Him

Duckthroat notices Maggotpaw standing at the edge of the clearing, shivering slightly, the chill of the night biting at their fur. The elder’s eyes narrow, and with a slow, thoughtful step, he pads over toward the apprentice. His gait is steady, despite his age, and his fur ruffles in the cold air “Maggotpaw,” he calls gently, his voice warm despite the chill, “You’re still out here in this cold, eh? Can’t be comfortable for a young one like you.” He comes to a stop beside the apprentice, glancing up at the dark sky with a hint of understanding. "Stars or no stars, it's a bitter night. You ought to be in where it's warm." Duckthroat’s gaze softens. “If you can’t sleep, you’re welcome to join me in the elder’s den. There’s plenty of room, and I don’t mind the company. You won’t find warmth out here, but there’s comfort in numbers." He gives a small, knowing smile, his voice gentle. "The cold can be hard to sleep through, especially when it bites like this. Come along now, and I’ll make sure the den’s a bit warmer for you." He turns his head, flicking his tail as an invitation, hoping Maggotpaw will follow. "You’re not bothering anyone, kiddo. Sometimes we all need a little extra warmth. You’re welcome anytime."

@nyme

[Tallstar]

Vinesmoke
13 Moons
He/Him
A jitterbug in love

Vinesmoke took a deep breath as he approached Wildpaw, his heart still racing from the nerves that hadn’t quite faded. His fur was clean now, thanks to Deadmoon’s help, but his mind was still a swirl of thoughts. He could hardly believe he was standing here, ready to ask Wildpaw out. “Hey, Wildpaw,” Vinesmoke began, his voice a little quieter than usual. “Would you like to go to the Sky Glade with me? It’s a special place I go to sometimes. I thought you might enjoy it.” He hesitated, his tail twitching nervously behind him as he waited for Wildpaw’s response. His paws felt a little shaky, and his stomach was tied in knots. But he wanted to share this peaceful place with Wildpaw—it had always been a spot where Vinesmoke could think, where he could feel calm and centered. Maybe it would be the same for Wildpaw.
@Dolomedes

[nyme]

AND IT NEVER MADE ANY SENSE, ANYTHING

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ❀ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

MAGGOTPAW . 10 MOONS . IT/THEY . WINDCLAN
SILVER TONGUE T1

Duckthroat is here!!!!! Maggotpaw perks up because this means that everything will be alright, now. Duckthroat does that: he makes everything better. Maggotpaw waits for it to come but as the seconds tick by, it is still cold out. They are still unsleepy, odd-feeling. The night is still very, very dark.

Maggotpaw wonders, uneasily, if there will ever be a thing that Duckthroat cannot fix.

"It's cold for you too. You're old. You shouldn't be outside ever until it's warm and there are flowers." And then Maggotpaw could decorate him in them. It's so irritating that there are hardly any flowers, ever, during leafbare. The seasons changed and took Maggotkit and the flowers that Maggotkit liked with them. Awful. All Maggotpaw gets is snow. Is dead leaves and the dirty ground. It pouts hard, wanting to bury its face in Duckthroat's side and complain the night away, but it doesn't. It just stands there, waiting for it-doesn't-know-what. It doesn't move to go and cuddle with Duckthroat. This does not make much sense to Maggotpaw, since going and cuddling with Duckthroat is in the top three things it ever wants ever. Maybe it's that feeling of wrongness, even though Duckthroat is saying that it's allowed and it's okay. Sure, okay, it's allowed. It's okay. But it's still different. Maggotpaw can remember a time when it had to crane its little head to look up at Duckthroat and that's not the case anymore.

"Duckthroat, you're shrinking. I'll be able to pick you up and carry you around any day now. When I do that, where do you want to go? Only, it can't be someplace with twolegs, okay?" It changes the subject, steers it away from sleep as it picks restlessly at the frozen ground. It's worried that tonight might be the first thing ever that Duckthroat cannot fix, and it doesn't want to be proven right so it will not follow the elder to sleep quite yet. "Have you gone everywhere already? Do you have a favorite place? I can take you if you have a favorite place. When I can pick you up, I mean. I'll carry you right there. Or I can find a new place. Did you know there's lots of new places? But some of them, you have to have really long legs to get to. Or you have to jump really high, but there aren't any grasshoppers to help us. Some of them, also, you need a rabbit to show you where they are, but a special kind of rabbit with six legs and a long tail. All those rabbits are hiding right now."

Maggotpaw knows they're being a teensy bit naughty, keeping poor Duckthroat out in the snow like this because they don't want to go to bed yet, but the distracting stories fall right out. They can't help it. They can, though, wander over to Duckthroat's side and offer their own warmth for a time—whatever difference it makes.

"Do you know any stories about when it snows?"

@Tallstar ; DUCKTHROAT

[Desert Rain Frog]

Warmsun Shivers.


Activity Post, Closed.

[Fish]

Spottedpaw and Ashcloud chatted together

[Shystar]

Foxspirit was bouncing around camp like usual and Sparkfire was once again telling her to calm down. Silentsong one the other side of camp watched the twins amused. (Open)

[Songtail]

Lilykit moved (she’s accepted so early nooo)
Rabbitleap yawned
Fernpool loaves