Settling in [p]

[Rani]

Crowtooth
Windclan Deputy | He/him | 51 Moons

Power Card: Cold Gust

Leading the other tom out of camp Crowtooth forced himself to shift his usual lecture to a new audience, lining up the knowledge in his mind. After all, most of the cats he trained were kids and so he didnt talk to them the same as he talked to adults, but further they usually knew all about clan structure and life already so didnt need that lesson.

Cal was different. By the time they got to their first location however he had his thoughts in order.

Starry Meadow

An open grassland that lies on top of a hill. Thousands of flowers cover its surface, and while the travel may be rough - it is worth the sight of many stars. This is a place for sincerity and solemn. Windclan's fallen clanmates reside here where they can touch the stars.

Arriving in the meadow and sitting next to Bravebirds, his sisters, gravestone the deputy gestured for Cal to sit and explained. "This here is the Starry Meadow, windclans grave. As a clan member ya 'ave the honor ta be laid ta rest here when ya pass an' windclan members upkeep the graves an' protect them from critters diggin' them up.
Lotsa cats visit often ta talk ta their loved ones, I do come ta visit my lost sister Bravebird, and while we hunt an' herb collect here... Well we do it wit' respect.


I dunno who buries an' visits outsiders actually but we clan cats care a lot fer our dead....." The tom was kinda hesitant to bring this part of clan life up, wondering if Cal would think him crazy but it was important.


"This is 'cuz our dead talk ta us. When a clan cat dies they go ta starclan an' make up the stars an' silverpelt. They can visit cats, usually the medicine cats, in their dreams an' bestow gifts or prophecies ta help the clans. They also grant our leaders nine lives ta defend the clan wit', which is how Twilightstar has survived so much."

Windclans leader was more scar then pelt now adays and old enough to join the elders if she wished but still lived despite all odds, starclans blessing for her strong.


The tom knew it was a lot to take in so sat and let Cal ask what questions he needed to understand, happy to share.


@Red'fur

[Ghost of Red]

(( Swiftleap ))

* He nodded and smiled. *
" Not at all. I've heard much of your starry ancestors. It is quite common for outsiders to do the same. "
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@Rani

[Rani]

Crowtooth
Windclan Deputy | He/him | 51 Moons

Power Card: Cold Gust

Huh, that was new knowledge, Crowtooth had no clue that outsiders had any sort of thoughts on the afterlife. As far as the tom knew they and kittypets didnt believe much at all, though then again he didnt really talk to them as a lifelong clan cat.

Cocking his head at Cal the tom stood and started leading him to the next location, rasping a "Thats new knowledge, tell me what the outsider afterlife is said ta be life while we walk."
The chat should be done by the time they arrived to the next location.

Sunset Grove
An open patch of woodland. Small prey animals can be found throughout the nooks and crannies. Birds have claimed a home in the treetops of tall aspen trees. Overgrown and luscious herbs are common to find here.

Arriving in one of two (kinda) tree'd locations in windclan Crowtooth wondered if Cal was happy to be above ground or if he was like windclan already and found it kinda disturbing.


"Alright this heres sunset grove. Our only real forested spot so yer gonna get prey here ya dont often get elsewhere like squirrels an' the like. Feel free ta explore while I talk an' if ya got questions on the location ask 'em."
The deputy though would be settling down to sit for a moment, he had a lot of talking to do.

"Ok so I told ya about the clan ranks, kit, apprentice, warrior, deputy an' leader but I kinda skimmed over the other ranks.

First medicine cat. We have healers in clan ta deal wit' our injuries an' illnesses an' ours is Lightningstorm. Great molly, ya mightve seen 'er in camp, the small calico, but dont get on 'er bad side. Shes trainin' the next medicine cat Rabbitpaw.
The clans duty is ta protect these cats wit' our lives given theyre critical ta our lives an' aint meant ta risk themselves huntin' or fightin'.


Then theres less 'official' ranks.
Furies are cats under me an' Twilightstar who manage clan life when we're busy. They elites who issue orders an' manage disputes includin' giving punishments so listen ta them. Our current ones are Batglare, Dapplebreeze, Hawkfur, an' Leechscar.
Then theres tunnelers. Im one but these are the specially trained cats that work in the tunnels below windclan ta hunt an' use 'em ta help the clan. It aint an easy skill set ta learn an' NO ONE outside o' this clan knows about 'em. So never say a word ya hear me, it could save lifes later.

Any questions?"


@Red'fur

[Ghost of Red]

(( Swiftleap ))

* He followed along the path Crowtooth took. *
" Not many of us believe in the afterlife, but some of us do. "
* He stopped and sat down listening to everything Crowtooth said. *
" No questions at this time. "
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@Rani

[Rani]

Crowtooth
Windclan Deputy | He/him | 51 Moons

Power Card: Cold Gust

Honestly Crowtooth was a bit stumped. Not in a bad way! Just that... well usually he was being barraged by questions by now by an enthusiastic apprentice but Cal didnt seem to care either way. Hopefully he was still absorbing the knowledge though.


Enjoying the quiet and shade for a couple of minutes eventually the deputy drove the two to rise and carry on the trip.

Sky Glade
A wide-open area reclaimed by WindClan after losing it to ShadowClan. The Sky Glade is dominated by heather, with a single pine tree known as the Lone Pine sitting in the center. Below the Lone Pine, a small network of tunnels can be found where an abandoned Warren is located.

An assortment of prey can be found here, although rabbits are a primary source and plentiful, though can be difficult to catch due to their speed. Large birds such as hawks and vultures can be found frequenting the sky.

"Alright here is a pretty historic location. The sky glade. I'll skip clan rules until next location ta give ya a bit o' history. This place was the location o' a few battles over it an' other thin's.

Around my youth shadowclan an' windclan were at war over Icestar, Dawnstars mother, stealin' our warriors land an' prey. We drove 'em out o' their camp an' territory fer a moon like we recently done ta riverclan fer their crimes but when they returned.... Well shadowclan returned a monster.

Icestar was dead an' the cruel ruthless Dawnstar was at the head. She's mellowed now but back then she killed countless cats, held hostage an' tortured Twilightstar, an' worse. Eventually thin's settled wit' us havin' the glade but..... Well I'd rather have those we lost instead."
Crowtooth passed over many acts done and the full history but he'd tried to impress how bleak time was then.

And there kind of was a point to that.

Clan life was often very very hard and involved taking lives and risking the loss of your own and even clanborn crumbled under that, unable to do whats necessary or finding it too harsh. Crowtooth wouldnt judge if Cal was the same, but would judge if he gave Wolfcry too much undue hope or kits and left when the going got hard.


So he told Cal the ugly truth and watched him closely to see how he took it, to see if he could handle it.


@Red'fur

[Ghost of Red]

(( Swiftleap ))

* He nodded and kept following. When they reached the Skyglade he smiled and looked at Crowtooth. He heard the ugly truth that he told. *
" War is a terrible thing... It causes too many losses to either side. An unnecessary act of violence all for a problem that could easily be solved with words. "
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@Rani

[Rani]

Crowtooth
Windclan Deputy | He/him | 51 Moons

Power Card: Cold Gust

Perhaps it was.... callous, Crowtooth truly liked Cal after all, be he audibly snorted at the idea.
"Lad ya better kick the notion o' talkin' Dawnstar down right quick, she seems calm but the rat queen is truely mad and revels in violence an' blood.



If she's yer enemy she aint gonna want solutions, she's gonna want the fight she can cause wit' the problem."
The new windclan member better take that piece of advice and believe it, otherwise he'd be the next in a long line of dead windclanners under shadowclans paws, his skinned pelt lining their nest.


Crowtooth sighed, suddenly feeling old and tired. "Theres a lotta bad cats like that in the world. An' wit' a lotta cats gathered in one place wit' the clans yer prolly gonna see more o' them, so if its you or a clanmate or them, ya need ta be prepared ta make that hard choice. There will be a point where theres no time fer talkin' Cal. Where words or anythin' arent enough ta make up for a friend they took from ya forever. Then I hope ya find the war in ya, because you're enemy sure will." Sometimes death needed to be answered by death to be anything close to justice for the lost. Sometimes talking didnt work and a point needed to be made in blood. Sometimes it could hurt you and your loved ones to even try to 'talk'.


But Crowtooth didnt want to think of Cal dead because he was too idealistic to survive as a warrior so he just padded off, leading call to another location.

Windy Hills
Found near the center of WindClan's Territory are their three large hills one in the middle, and two on each side. Surrounded by flat meadows filled with flowers and herbs such as marigold and cobwebs. The higher a cat climbs the hills the stronger the wind blows, those not used to the strong breeze can easily become winded or lose their footing while climbing on dreadfully blustery days. Despite the strong gusts, plenty of prey can be found hiding in between the hills, like hare, rabbits, birds, and mice. Predatory birds like falcons, vultures, and hawks can be found flying or perched at the top of the hills scouring for prey.

"Ok so last spot, Windy hills. Theyre like what the name says, windy hills. Full o' prey though, just keep an eye on the sky as sometimes raptors circle an' while they aint usually one ta hassle a full grown warrior..... Better safe then sorry.




How about ya take the moment ta show of yer huntin' skills? We need ta know ya can feed the clan afterall, brin' back prey so that the queens elders an' kits can eat first an' be healthy. Go catch somethin' anythin' though do ya know how ta hunt rabbits in particular or do ya wanna lesson.

Rabbits are the main prey in windclan so its a hard but important skill ta learn."


@Red'fur

[Ghost of Red]

(( Cal ))

* He nodded his head and dipped it respectively. *
" I understand words can't solve everything, but violence should always be a last resort or in defense. "
* He followed after Crowtooth and stopped when he did. *
" I know how to hunt rabbits. Feisty things when you get a hold of them. That's how I got this scar on my eye. Lucky it didn't claw it out. "
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@Rani

[Rani]

Crowtooth
Windclan Deputy | He/him | 51 Moons

Power Card: Cold Gust

Cal knew how to hunt rabbits, that was good at least, something Crowtooth didnt have to train. "They do that fer sure. Glad ya know the skill as runnin' across the moor an' chasin' down rabbits is a lotta windclans huntin' fer most warriors. Tunnelers not so much but as we dont have much ta hide behind ta stalk prey up here most hunts involve runnin'." that alone should be clear by how empty this landmark was but for grass and hills.


"Alrighty prove yer skills, go bring back some prey an' at least one rabbit. Ill wait here until ya do an' will be watchin' ta see how ya manage. Call it an assessment or somethin'."
The tom did have a good viewpoint up high from here so he just settled down to watch, not moving on until he'd verified Cal could provide.


@Red'fur

[Ghost of Red]

(( Swiftleap/Cal ))

* He nodded and slinked away his paws making barely any noise as he moved away and searched for prey. He caught scent of a rabbit and smiled. He lowered himself to the ground and quickly crawled towards the scent. He made sure he was downwind of it so it couldn't pick up his scent. He crested a hill and saw it. He backed up a bit and watched carefully. Finally he shot towards the rabbit and was upon it before it could run more than 3 foxlengths. He swiftly killed and turned to scrap some dirt over it. His closed his eyes and used his ears to sense if any other prey was around. He scented Crowtooth and some mice but he could tell they were hiding since they could smell Crowtooth. He decided to wait them out and was able to collect another 3 mice. He proudly grabbed them and padded back to the rabbit dragging it along behind him. He mumbled through the mice. *
" Dif I fo Goof? "
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@Rani