Willow's Rise

[A Wolf]

@Jayvines

Sparrowtail's ears pricked as a rustling sound came from the bushes near him and a not many heartbeats later a cat came thundering around a corner. The sure seemed to have a lot of energy. He could recognize the same spark in them as in his sister, which wasn't exactly good news.


She approached him, how fun.


Placing down his catch and nodded to the other warrior. "As well as it does in leaf-fall." he mewed calmly. "Is that why you came here? To hunt?" It wasn't why he was here, yet he had caught a rabbit, a young one sure but one that worked as food, especially when the winds got colder and colder with every passing day.

The only thing he liked about the cold season was that the river froze, the thing that gave their enemies their advantage would be ice. And if Riverclan was dump enough to try to fight again they would be much, much weaker and not threat to Thunderclan.

[Jayvines]

@A Wolf

Well this cat seemed friendly enough! Rather straight to business with them it seemed, but no matter.

"I was actually just out to stretch my legs," she purred and gave her body a low stretch as she spoke. "I usually take a run around an area of the territory to get my blood moving then hunt on my way back to camp. However, with Leaf-fall hitting us I might be less frequent in my 'run-abouts' since the chill is starting to set in."

Standing up, Sparrowflight gave her pelt a quick shake before smiling at her clanmate once again.

"What about you? I can see you've caught yourself a decent rabbit."

[Shade.]

Rosepaw really shouldn't be out here. Something bad was bound to happen. Bur she needed to be here and do some apprentice duties. The warriors had scolded her enough already. She slept in a lot and didn't do much. Anything she did do, however, ended in disaster. Like the branch accident. Or the snake accident. Pretty sure the RiverClan raid was her fault too, somehow. She'd been to the medicine den so many times now. Icicleripple knew her perfectly.
She was sure that her bad luck would strike again out here. She needed to hunt something quickly. She had no idea what this place was, her mentor hadn't shown her the territory well, and she was probably lost at this point. She had no idea how to hunt either but she could try. Last time she hunted, she got attacked by a bird and rolled in the dirt. But she was bigger now...right?
With a very sloppy hunting crouch that made her look like someone had broken all four of her legs, she began sniffing and stalking.

@Papaya

[A Wolf]

@Jayvines

Well she sure did chatter a lot. Small-talk had never been one of Sparrowtail's strengths but pretending was, and being polite and liked was important factor in becoming deputy. In Thunderclan at least, maybe not in Shadowclan, but he wasn't going there any time soon.


"It's young." he mewed shortly and nodded to the rabbit. "But as you said; leaf-fall is coming and I couldn't afford to let it escape." He pocked the dead prey a little with his paw before looking back at his clan-mate. "Running hu? A hobby or just exercise?" God he hated this, it felt so forced at unnatural, couldn't they discuss something like battles or strategies, it was more fun and millions of time more important and useful.

[dino.]

// @Shade.

>Buckbranch<

Oh, stars, how he'd missed his home. The familiar scents and the cats he'd left behind - everything was a much welcome sight that made his heart ache, not with longing but with fierce love.

His travels had prohibited him from seeing much of the living world, and he was reveling in it now, even the less positive parts. He brushed one paw over the gouges in the bark, wondering who could have been so angry to defile a memorial in such a way(angry at himself that he'd never found out who) - until he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to look.

His expression contorted with amusement as he watched the obviously hapless apprentice struggle along. She was unfamiliar to him, but definitely ThunderClan, and with a lighthearted swaying of his tail he opened his mouth to call out to her. "Would you like some help, there, kiddo?"

[Shade.]

@Papaya

Rosepaw yelped a little and looked up, startled that someone else was around. She wasn't sure who he was, but he smelled fairly of ThunderClan and was in the territory, meaning he was probably a warrior. Rosepaw barely knew her clan. She'd joined at 3 moons old but most cats, after getting a taste of her peculiar nature, avoided her. She lacked any sort of charisma. The only cats she spoke with regularly were her siblings. So this was pretty weird.
"Err, yeah, maybe. I don't really know what I'm doing but I was told to go hunt. Um, uh, I'm Rosepaw." she said awkwardly, her sad blue eyes scanning the warrior.

[Jayvines]

@A Wolf

Sparrowflight chuckled before settling onto her haunches.

"Well, paws crossed we don't have too rough of a Leaf-Bare," she stated before her muzzle tilted down slightly into a frown. "Starclan knows our clan doesn't need that right now."

At the question of her running habits however, she perked right back up into a small grin.

"Well, its more of a habit for me. I love the rush of wind through my fur, and I find its easier to think about things when you're racing through the trees." Adjusting her tail so it draped over her paws to keep them warm as she sat she turned an inquisitive eye towards her clanmate. "Do you have any hobbies outside of normal clan duties? An apprentice to train or something like that?"

[Willowfern]

// @Socks

Dogbark plodded towards the old tree, sadness prickling his pelt at the reminder of the tragedy that earned this tree’s title.
The fire.

Smoke choked the tom as he stumbled fearfully through the camp, the kits in his maw and on his back squirmed in protest as he tripped and almost fell on a fallen tree branch.
Almost out! Almost out!
He leapt forward, willing the kit on his back to dig in with their claws, and cleared a smoldering patch of earth, seconds before it burst into flames.
In the semi-safety outside of the camp, Dogbark let the two kits down and ordered them to go find their parents among the crowd of refugees.
As he turned to dash back into the blazing territory to attempt to help any stragglers, he was stopped by a tail on his shoulder.
“Stop, Dogbark, we can’t lose any more loyal Warriors tonight,” The voice was firm and commanding, but it was sentimental too.
“Hemlockheart,” Dogbark coughed, turning to face the other Warrior, “I have to go back! There are still cats in there!”
Hemlockheart’s face was grim,
“I know, Dogbark,” He sighed, releasing his shoulder, ”But we can’t risk any more lives,” He looked anxiously at the exit from the burning ThunderClan, as if looking for something… or someone.
“Hemlockheart… where’s Pinepaw?”
Hemlockheart tapped his tail worriedly against the ground,
“You haven’t seen her? Oh StarClan… I hope she’s alright.”
Now Dogbark understood the other Warrior’s concern, he was thinking of his daughter.
“I-I’m sure she is…” Dogbark breathed.
Hemlockheart nodded and turned away, disappearing into the crowd of cats.
Oh StarClan, why did this have to happen?!


Dogbark’s eyes flashed open, he had been unaware he was daydreaming.
Shaking his head to get rid of the clinging memory, he sat by the tree and placed the reason he’d come here on the ground.
The small flower rested on the root of the tree as Dogbark prayed to StarClan.

[Socks]

// Dripberry // @Witchy Willow

The silver tom wasn't anything close to a solemn cat, in fact, he usually skips every stage of the grieving process just to avoid those sad feelings. Feeling happy was better so that's how he was gonna feel all the time.

Many found The Weeping Tree a place to mourn but he'd rather appreciate what it had to offer, plenty of prey and a calming atmosphere if you ignored all the memories it brought on. He remembered that fire as being scary, he'd only been an apprentice back then... None of that mattered because Dripberry was happy as can be and following the scent of the great deputy of ThunderClan!

"Bogspark- I mean- Dogbark!" He was completely unable to register the scarred tom's mood when he approached, as evident by his much too loud and giddy voice. "So glad I caught up to you, buddy-of-mine! I tracked you all the way here!" Personal space didn't exist for Dripberry, physical affection made him happy so surely it would make Dogbark happy as well, which is why he attempted to rub his pelt against the deputy's in greeting. Great, amazing, irreplaceable deputy Dogbark deserved to be happy, he was doing such a good job, after all!

[taillow]

Cindersky
It wasn't often that Cindersky found herself out here anymore. Nestled close enough to camp to warrant daily visits, something just felt... wrong about sitting underneath the willow tree. Scored marks across carefully etched formerly memorialized claw tracks churned bile in her stomach. Who would ever do such a thing? Had it been RiverClan, in the height of all the poisonous tension that flowed between the two Clans? She wouldn't put it past them - least of all their cowardly leader. Sure, the last Gathering he had spoken with a calmness foreign to her, but Cindersky still recalled the claws that flew across camp, the blood that stained den walls that had once belonged to her Clanmates. Now, they lay slain and buried. Forgiveness, sure, but she would not forget.

Exuding a sigh and getting ready to rise to her paws, the sound of quiet paws alerted her that she had company. Cindersky twisted around, blue eyes relieved to see a familiar honey colored flash of fur. "Aspenstar," she greeted her leader with a warm smile and nod. She couldn't recall ever having spoken one on one with the ferocious molly - generally she tried to stay out of her way since she couldn't even begin to imagine how busy and stressed she might be. "I was just... taking a moment to reflect under the Weeping Willow. You're welcome to join... if you're not busy, that is."

@poppy.