WindClan: Life Before 2023's Fire

[Fallpotato]

Originally Posted by BlindSunLight

Risingpaw watched her mentor disappear through the brush, as she raced after him. she knew there was no way she could keep up, but she tried. Out of breath she stumbled and rolled, landing flat on her stomach. 'Come on Risingpaw!' she thought, embarassed.

He stopped and turned around padding back to her. He dipped his head down and nudged her up, purring. He licked her ear and said "I'll give you a five second head start." He smiled and turned around counting in his head

[BlindSunLight]

Risingpaw got back to her paws, she knew her mentor was easy on her, 'maybe he pities me'. Risingpaw shook her head no time for those thoughts.
Risingpaw took the chance, and ran, she wanted to be strong and fast, so when she becomes a warrior she can take care of herself and protect others. Risingpaw loved the wind, she loved to run through the tall grass. "I did it I won!" Risingpaw stopped where a clear path was made from all the paws that had worn down the grass there.

[doghouse]

Originally Posted by NightWarrior4Life

"Fox-Dung!" ShinePaw exclaimed "I've never been so annoyed with her in my life! Also, I think she's probably into us...no that we're...or anything...she thinks we have deep dark secrets to hide from her...she never has been able to mind her own mouse-brained business!" The grey Molly hissed, kicking a stone across the clearing.

Phantompaw blinked, flinching a bit at the loudness of Shinepaw's voice, though she tried not to show it. “Yeah, probably. And is she always so . . . disgusting!” that was the only word that seemed to fit what she'd thought was going on between the two of them. Not that there was anything wrong with two she-cats loving, but she found love in general a waste of time and very disgusting. “We'd better be more careful. She might start eavesdropping or something.” the pale calico warned.

[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by Empress Of Evil

The abyssinian was so focused on the rabbit that nothing seemed to be able to break her concentration. Chasing after the rabbit, Caracalpaw stretched her legs out with each stride, hoping to increase her speed. Running always felt like flying to her. Well, she had never flown before, but she presumed it was like running without having to use so much leg power. The she-cat loved how the soft grass skimmed her paws as she glided over the moors. She felt free and happy, she felt like there wasn't a care in the world. Caracalpaw really appeared to be in her own world. Feeling the blood rushing in her ears, her eyes narrowed as she concentrated intently on the rabbit in front of her.

Suddenly, the she-cat stumbled as one of her paws landed in a shallow hole in the ground. She hadn't seen it since the grass concealed the hole, but either way she had stumbled into it and was desperately grasping for balance. She weakly looked ahead and saw the rabbit nearly slipping out of sight. No. She couldn't lose it now, the clan needed food. And this was going to help prove just how hard working she was. Caracalpaw gritted her teeth, concentration glimmering in her yellow hues as she regained her balance and immediately started to dash after it again. It was necessary that she got back the speed she had just lost. She refused to let such a dumb creature escape.

Surprising herself, Caracalpaw almost seemed....faster. Perhaps it was just her, but even if it was, it seemed to motivate her and a small smile cracked through on her maw. The abyssinian finally managed to regain the distance between the rabbit that she had had before, but now her muscles were tiring and she could only match the pace of the fluffy, white animal. Frustration started to take over her and a frown quickly replaced the faint smile. She probably wouldn't be able to last much longer. What a waste of a good piece of prey, Caracalpaw thought, disappointment shimmering on the surface of her yellow orbs.

As if she was struggling enough, a voice broke through her emotions and Caracalpaw nearly stiffened, although she continued to run. The abyssinian didn't turn to look at who the voice belonged to. Mostly because she didn't want to. It was a voice that she recognised too well. One that brought her anger, annoyance and disgust. Memories quickly flooded into her mind. The rock, the words, and the dark atmosphere of the conversation. She was much to disgusted to look at the tom who had brought her such bad memories. Caracalpaw didn't have time for such idiocy.

A scowl formed on her face as the apprentice realised she wouldn't be able to ignore him forever. "I was having great fun before you came along," Caracalpaw replied sourly, only giving the brindled tom a mere glance. "There's a reason why it's been a long time since we've seen it other," the she-cat continued bluntly, her eyes bored. "And yes, I unlike you have a great memory," Caracalpaw said flatly, showing her disgust through her yellow eyes. She was sick of hearing the voice that this arrogant tom owned. She was having a perfect day before he had to come along it and wreck it with the sounds that came from his voice box.

If it weren't for the fact that she was hunting a rabbit, Caracalpaw would've taken her time to imagine breaking the tom's voice box. The joy of seeing him speechless, literally. The rabbit. Right, that's what she was here for. She had gotten too caught up in her emotion of disgust that she had almost forgotten about the milky coloured animal. She focused on the animal again and surprisingly, felt herself gaining speed. For a moment, she was confused as to how she seemed to be so magically running faster. But then the realisation quickly hit her and her eyes narrowed. That's right, she wanted to run away from the stupid apprentice next to her.

Ah, that attitude. She still had it even after a couple weeks of him being away. The male continued to run after her, picking up his legs with every thrust he landed against the grass. He turned to face her, giving her an obnoxious laugh. ‘’Good to know, Cactuspaw. Yet, you still cease to get rid of me.’’ He knew that the abyssinian’s name was far from the desert plant, but it played in his head. The moment he put out the name how furious she had gotten. The way she snarled at him like he was the enemy. He simply did not know her name, and she made a huge fit out of it. Spiralpaw was scared, that was for certain, but he refused to show his fear. Instead, he walked away. One thing he knew was to never make the wrong she-cat angry. If so, he was bound to lose anything he loved...apart of his body that is. The tom looked down at his legs, they were the most vital part to him. He also liked his tail, and his eyes, nose, mouth. He loved his mouth. Every reply came from it, whether it be friendly, snarky, or advice. He loved his mouth. Mainly because he learned that it most likely annoyed the she-cat running beside him.

‘’I was here first. I have no idea what you’re blabbering about.’’ The tom unsheathed his claws, picking up speed to feel the flight in his jumps. No wonder they loved running. It felt like they were flying. Although, that would be weird for him to think since he never actually flown before. Though he wasn’t afraid of being creative. That was the best part about him. His creativity, and the feline next to him didn’t understand that. She quickly mistook him for some arrogant tom that wanted attention.

Sure, when the two first met, he wanted impress her, but maybe he got too out of paw? Maybe, he went too far? The tom only wished to make friends. Making enemies scared him, most did not know. He could feel the tension when he was around this she-cat. He could feel every hated beam of energy emitting from her. Quite frankly, it scared him. He would had done anything to make it better, but he could not. He ruined his chances so far.

The next best thing that the tom knew he could be to her? Her annoying one-sided friend. Spiralpaw liked to think he was her friend. Especially since she wasn’t that bad in his opinion. They both had just met, got into an argument, and thus...became ene--frienemies. That word was a lot less scary, a lot better. ‘’Of course, I agree, Cactus.’’ The tom snickered. ‘’There’s always a reason for something happening, and perhaps there’s a reason as to why we are...meeting again.’’ He says, feeling a slight wave of confidence hit him. He gave the female a quick look from the corner of his eyes before he sprang faster, leaving her by only a little bit.

He caught sight of the milky colored animal. His eyes clouded over in worry. What was he doing? He didn’t know anything about hunting! The tom couldn’t even hunt himself. It was his weakest skill that he hoped to improve. However, his eyes glanced back at the other apprentice, and for some abnormal reason, he had hoped that he would be able to impress her.

Maybe if he allowed himself to catch this piece of prey, she would praise him, be happy, be thankful! She would probably want to be his friend! Spiralpaw made himself believe these things, and he shot forward following after the rabbit before he skidded low, allowing himself to be slid across the ground, flaking up grass and dirt along the path. As the rabbit turned, Spiralpaw pressed forward, making a sharp turn and catching up to the rabbit.

He felt pride, knowing he was about to strike a kill, and as he was nearing the rabbit to give the final blow, he turned back once towards the other apprentice, giving her a smirk. ‘’Learn from a real master,’’ He remarks before looking forward again.

Darkness took over him.

What Spiralpaw fail to see was a large shrubbery bush in his path. Though the moors were clear fields, there was always that one bush or shrub in the way, and so far...he wasn’t lucky. He took pretty nasty hit in the head, and allowed the rabbit to hop away. A few strange groans could be heard from him, but other than that, he was knocked out.

Deep down, he knew he had deserved it.

[graves]

Originally Posted by AbsurdJinx

[ ahhhhhh i swear i responded to this sorry its late ]

Smokethorn was only padding around camp. It was his sixth lap around the entire clearing, actually, and he felt as if he could lap it a million more times. He had breath for ages. His long legs and skinny structure supported his speed, though he wasn't running. He was casually walking, his paws brushing against the ground as he walked, almost as if he didn't care enough to lift his paws with every step. His yellow-green eyes surveyed the area, and beneath them lied a lazy smile. He enjoyed the fresh air that forced his short, thin fur to dance, and brought his body to a light shiver. The ground was cold below his tough paw pads, but he didn't mind.

During the Evil Era, he hadn't seen much of his kin. Sunsong kept herself locked in the nursery, and Smokethorn just hasn't seen Adderpaw or Leopardpaw anywhere. So he's kept distracted with a bunch of hunting and border-patrolling. He felt as if Sunsong were too busy in the nursery to see him, and perhaps she would be much too stressed to love him properly. He didn't want to add on to her stress, so he kept his distance, for her sake. But now that the Evil Era was over, and he's left a while for Sunsong to recover, he was ready to see her once more. It's been moons since their last meeting!

And then he saw her. He came to an abrupt halt, his colored hues studying her as he struggled with what to do. Should he approach her? How should he approach her? It were as if they were young again, and he had a kit-crush on her, and was nervously wondering how to make his first impression. We're mates! What's there to be anxious about? They've seen each other in their worst, in their best - this should be easy, it should come natural... And it did. After observing the thick golden locks of her pelt, and the soft amber eyes that he fell in love with, Smokethorn launched himself forward like a kit just out of the nursery. A bright, genuine smile lit up his features, and his gait was a lengthy bound.

``Sunsong!`` He cheered in a rather breathy tone. Only she was capable of taking his breath away. Smokethorn came to a sudden halt before his mate where he stood and looked over at her with admiring eyes. His chest heaved as he breathed heavily - the consequences of having a gorgeous molly take your breath away. He simply stared at her through wide, loving eyes. He didn't need words - he was with the love of his life, and that was all that mattered.

[no need for sorrys ! i refuse]

At this point, she was tempted to just go back inside the nursery. In there,she was focused on kits then her guilt against her own family, there, she had something to do. To not think. But when her amber eyes laid on her mate Smokethorn,calling her name, all thinking stopped. Her ears perked,a smile reforming on her face. His voice felt so familiar, as she stood up and grew closer to him, his scent filled her nose. Smelled like fresh moors of the territory, which didn't shock her. His eyes,oh his eyes..such a rich golden color, it warmed hr to stare into them, as she could feel her pelt set ablaze again as if she was first crushing on him all over again. He had called her name, and she was here to answer him. She padded closer to him. her paws felt numb,she felt like she couldn't hear anything but how loud her heart was beating,her gaze focusing on her mate and everything around her becoming irrelevant. She couldn't move to fast, still heavy with a new litter of kits. But once she was close enough to him, she immediately pressed her forehead against his. She was drastically shorter then the tom, the warrior having classic windclan features or long,skinny lean limbs. While she was more larger in size, but much shorter as she was built for strength,rather then speed. "Smokethorn," his name was the other thing she said,her voice quivering with emotion. It was a hushed tone,as if she didn't want to break the moment they were having- a reunion. She didn't know what to say, she always felt speechless around her mate.

[Gull]

Gooseleap prowled the area, his head positioned downward, tail swishing as he tried to find a way to further prove himself. "Hm..Boring as ever.." The tom meowed, his fangs baring as he spoke. He made his way to the fresh kill pile, digging his fangs into a deceased piece of pray and padding away with it, laying down a few tail-lengths away and beginning to feast on the small thing.

[Fallpotato]

Originally Posted by BlindSunLight

Risingpaw got back to her paws, she knew her mentor was easy on her, 'maybe he pities me'. Risingpaw shook her head no time for those thoughts.
Risingpaw took the chance, and ran, she wanted to be strong and fast, so when she becomes a warrior she can take care of herself and protect others. Risingpaw loved the wind, she loved to run through the tall grass. "I did it I won!" Risingpaw stopped where a clear path was made from all the paws that had worn down the grass there.

He padded after her. He nodded "yep, you did." He purred and nuzzled her cheek. He looked around and yawned. He said "we're a long while from home it's already dark. It would be too late to get home so.." He looked around and then went and found a hollow tree. He made 2 nests, one large and one small. He laid in the larger one and smiled

[NightWarrior4Life]

Originally Posted by Spirited Darkness

Phantompaw blinked, flinching a bit at the loudness of Shinepaw's voice, though she tried not to show it. “Yeah, probably. And is she always so . . . disgusting!” that was the only word that seemed to fit what she'd thought was going on between the two of them. Not that there was anything wrong with two she-cats loving, but she found love in general a waste of time and very disgusting. “We'd better be more careful. She might start eavesdropping or something.” the pale calico warned.

ShinePaw just shrugged at Phantompaw's comment "my family is a mystery..." She sighed.

[doghouse]

Originally Posted by starfall

[no, no it's quite alright <3 thank you for bumping ]

The white tabby cocked her head to the side, noticing her daughters fur was a lot fluffier than usual. Worry washed over her, was she hiding something, or was she just proud of of something she had done? A shiver ran down her spine, everytime the warrior looked at her daughter, she saw nothing but Gorsefeather, her past mates cold, unforgiving, ruthless eyes. Dovecloud shuffled her paws, creating a small dust cloud within the growing grass beneath her paws. Her daughter had been acting odder that usual, her body language was reserved, secretive, she was hiding something, and the molly needed to know. She had to stop Phantompaw before she did something she could never take back, something that could never be forgiven. She wouldn't let her become like her half-father. She took a step forward, her blue hues shone with worry "That's....good, hey honey, are you sure you're alright? Is something...bothering you?" she asked softly, her British accent slightly showing. Nothing but concern was plastered on her face. She loved her children, no matter what they'd plan on doing, no matter what they believed in, she would do anything for them. "Phantompaw." she said sternly yet sweetly "You know I'd kill and be killed for you, right?" she asked softly, her tail tip twitching, truth and love boiled in the words she spoke, and she meant every single one. The white tabby wasn't very good with words, and she wasn't the best at expressing her love towards others but she always tried her hardest for the ones she cared for. She hoped that her message got to her daughter, she prayed that her love was evident in her words, in her actions, that was, after all, all she could do.

Dovecloud was unable to hold back a gasp once her daughter turned her face so that she could see the other cheek. Anger swelled within her stomach, welling up, boiling. Menace flashed in her blue hues and her haunches raised. After a few seconds of calming down she looked behind Phantompaw, hoping to spot her mentor "Is he still there? He better have a good reason for doing that. I swear to Starclan if he doesn't I'm going to shred him to pieces." she growled, normally she was sweet, understanding, forgiving. But when someone messed with her family in any way she would come down on them hard. The warrior let out a huff and turned her burning gaze upon her daughter "You have a family Phantompaw! If you need help come to us! What good are we if you don't lean on us every once in a while? That's what family is for hun." she said sadly, her hues glittered with sadnes and pain. It hurt, the fact that her own daughter wouldn't come to her for support, for help, that's what mothers are for, that's what she's for.

(Oh, okay ^^ )

Phantompaw studied her mother's blue eyes, not surprised to see worry in them. She'd learned that Dovecloud tended to worry a lot, and often times Phantompaw saw nothing to worry about. Focusing her blue orbs on the scenery behind the white tabby with black stripes, she could see only the rolling hills of the moor, stretching until it actually touched the sky, but she knew that somehow, whenever you tried to get closer, that point stayed the same distance away. How that worked, the pale furred calico didn't know, but guessed that it it was for a reason of some sort. Smoothing down her fur quickly, she closed her eyes, listening to the wind howling through the grass and over her head. The wind was in all directions, yet it stayed going the same direction, which also confused her a bit, although not very much at all. Then she looked back, meeting Dovecloud's gaze for only half a heartbeat, but what she saw was something she'd never expected to see. It was as if Dovecloud wasn't seeing her at all, and she shifted, a tremor of uncertainty going through her every bone, and quickly she looked away. “Yeah, I'm alright.” she said, and that was almost the truth. The wound was very shallow and hardly bled or hurt, just a faint sting, nothing really bad. It just looked worse than it was. But it was also a lie. She wasn't okay. She was confusedconfused, angry, and unsure of what to think. Her friend, Shinepaw, encouraged her to do things, and probably was a big influence on her. She liked Shinepaw, and liked to think that they were close friends. “No, no!” she said, but a little to quickly and stiffly, so it was probably an obvious lie. There were many things that were bothering her, and nothing really could be done about them. She lowered her gaze so that Dovecloud couldn't see her eyes. Her anger at her mother was gone, if only for the time being, and her eyes were full of unspoken questions and confusion. “Yes, I know.” she said after a moment, her entire body trembling slightly, and she hoped that Dovecloud couldn't see it. She heard a note that sounded friendly in her mother's voice, but shook her head, not sure if it wasn't sst her imagination.

Phantompaw flinched, stepping away uncertainly. She had never seen this side of her mother before, and the menace in her eyes made her wary, so she stepped backwards a few pawsteps, putting a little more distance between them. Hurriedly, she raised her head. “I'm fine, really! And no, he isn't there.” Hopefully. She added silently, as she didn't actually know if he'd stayed there afterwards or not, although she figured that he hadn't. She flinched as Dovecloud spoke again, this time at a certain word she'd come to believe meant nothing, even more so since her talk with Shinepaw. “He does! It was a training session. Combat.” she said quickly, hoping the clear that up then and there. Raising a paw, she teased out a few tufts of dark russet fur, letting them float away on the breeze like dandelion fuzz, but far more threatening in a slight way. “Why should I? All you've done is hold me back and lie! Rainkit lied to me, and he won't tell me, and I know that you know what it is! I see it in the way you look at me. I can't lean on cats that I don't know if I can trust.” she said, her voice starting out loud but ending in a whisper. Her fur bristled. She hadn't meant to say any of it, but she'd lost her temper at Dovecloud's words, and had been unable to help herself. She closed her eyes, then looked straight at her mother, waiting for her response.

[InfernoFlicker]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

The young warrior chuckled, watching Jitterbug dart into the warriors' den. He wasn't too much older then her-- around ten moons, he supposed. Not too much of an age difference, and definitely the maturity levels were not too different. Sometimes Obsidiansky acted like a kit. Other times he was angry... and his personality seemed to almost change, twisting and turning until it was as though you didn't even know who was talking anymore. Not a happy occurance. But one that seemed to occur often, much to the tom's dismay. He hated it. Right now was a good time, a happy one, one that Obsidiansky was sure he would have fond memories of later. These strangers were nice. Sure, maybe the Deputy-- or former Deputy?-- could be a little more friendly, but after hearing their story he supposed she had a reason to be more closed off. Not quite as friendly, or happy-- though he didn't have a right to judge.
　
She'd be fine too. She was from WindClan originally, after all. "It's alright. There are always younger cats going in there when they aren't supposed to, no one really thinks much of it." He purred with a chuckle. The tom had refrained from using the word 'apprentices' just in case they didn't understand. Had the Deputy-- what was her name? Infernosky. Yes, that was it-- had she filled them in on Clan life or should he do that now? He was about to ask when Russel spoke again, in that same quiet, somewhat strange voice. The tom wasn't used to hearing voices like that. Not from older cats, at least. Younger ones, sure! But Russel also looked to be about his age... though sometimes it was hard to tell.
　
"It is," He agreed. While the tom wasn't quite sure what the 'city' was, he supposed it wasn't a nice place. From what Jitter had told him, at least. "Yep. Born and raised here." He glanced around, looking at the sky, the trees... it was easy to take those things for granted. Russel and Jitter, who hadn't lived in a Clan before, seemed to be amazed by everything in Obsidiansky's opinion. From what he could tell, they were quite intrigued by the colors, and the brightness, and the openness of everything. Guess you just kind of take it for granted living here all your life. Though the tom still thought of WindClan as beautiful, definitely... he wasn't as amazed by the colors and the true beauty of the Clan. How it worked, and everything. It had just...always been that way. Always pretty, always sort of open and fresh... the scents and the colors... he hadn't ever thought of it as a blessing to get to live in a place like this.
　
It had always been how things were, born and raised in WindClan, and he supposed he would die there as well. His expression became more amused as the she cat exited the warriors' den-- though whether she had left by choice or some grumpy older warrior had kicked her out was unknown. And he wasn't about to ask her. It was none of his business, anyways. "Hey, as long as there's no one who's claimed it, she can have it. I don't think anyone pays much attention to that kind of thing anyways." He shrugged. The big one in the corner... as far as he knew, it didn't belong to anyone.
　
She would probably be allowed to have it, no one would care too much. Unless, of course, the nest belonged to some older warrior who'd been in the Clan for a while. Like Shrikecall. The Deputy definitely wouldn't allow Jitter to have his nest, and he would be angry if she did. A flicker of worry passed over the tom's features before it faded as he realized that would be something to worry about in the future. Not the present. For now, things were perfectly calm and would hopefully remain that way. "Did Infernosky already tell you guys about how the Clan works?" He asked, looking curiously towards the two cats he was with.

Russel was enjoying the comforting heat of the sun on his back. While Jitterbug was tussling around in the den, Russel thought he might nearly doze off...but he knew better than to close his eyes, otherwise he might crash over on poor Obsidiansky. It wasn't until then that he realized how tired he was. After all, they had been traveling from dawn until dusk for at least two moons now. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how much of a miracle it was for the trio to find the place they were looking for from such a long way away. Infernosky must have an incredibly innate sense of direction, the chartreaux thought.

Jitterbug was purring loudly and lapping at her paws contentedly now.
"Good," She said between licks, "I'm gonna have the longest and deepest sleep I've ever had in my entire life tonight." Windclan camp was already growing on the young cat very quickly. The more time she spent here, the more she loved it. She hadn't been sure that she would really like it before they arrived, and the entire journey she had been thinking of her sisters and worrying whether it was the right decision to leave or not. Now that she was here, she knew she would never go back. Even though she hadn't even toured the entire camp yet, the sense of fellowship and family between the clan cats filled her and comforted her; she felt safe among these cats, physically and emotionally. The only problem was the trees...she kept thinking she heard them calling her name between the creaks in the wood and the wind through the leaves. It took a lot of effort to ignore them.

Russel responded to Obsidiansky, "She went over a little bit of it...some of the concepts were difficult to grasp just through words, but, she told me I would make a good warrior? And Jitterbug would be a good...warrior in training? She also mentioned something about our names..." He had been offered a lot of information from Infernosky over the past moons that he had forgotten some of it and didn't quite understand the rest.

"She said we go out and hunt all the time, and I'll get to learn some super epic battle moves," Jitterpaw piped in enthusiastically, "And my favorite part; we get to pick out of a HUGE pile of prey to eat for breakfast and dinner every day." She paused from cleaning her fur and looked up at Obsidiansky, "Are you a warrior?"