Wolffang lounged in the clearing, soaking up the sun's rays as they settled on his thick pelt. They tinted it golden, adding a splash of color to the sea of dappled gray. A light breeze swept through the camp and teased his fur. He tipped his broad head back, a purr rumbling in his throat as the cool air mingled with the delicious heat. It's a perfect day. Leaf-bare's grip was faltering, paving the way for the life of newleaf. Wolffang inhaled deeply. The wind already tasted of fresh grass and sweet heather. He could see it, too, in the clumps of bright green springing up around the clearing. And what was that darker green plant unfurling, spreading wide to absorb the sunlight? Ferns.
A slight pang of grief sizzled in his chest as he thought of Fernpaw, but it quickly faded. It was too pleasant a day to get lost in unpleasant thoughts. Wolffang wasn't brushing the apprentice aside, of course, but he knew better than most that getting lost in the past would blind a cat from enjoying their life. Besides, the ache wasn't as strong now. Fernpaw's been gone for seasons. Wolffang watched a pointed dark green tip rustle in the breeze. Still, I hope he's at peace, wherever he is.
The large tom allowed his gaze to lazily sweep the camp. Especially after his conversation with Leopardsong, he felt at peace. Content. Happy. Wolffang knew how to move forward, and the pain, grief, and guilt that had burdened him had lifted. A smile graced his face. I'm always learning.
His amber eyes fell upon the camp entrance. I should go hunting later today, he decided. His single ear, notched from many fights, twitched. But, for now, I'll enjoy the sun. It was the first sunny day that wasn't also wet. Any signs of snow were gone. And Wolffang had learned that he was allowed some time to himself, so long as he didn't neglect his Clan.
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Some of my characters think or act in ways I disagree with. Please understand that I do not support or condone these thoughts or actions.
Her pale gaze swept the clearing as her long body slipped free from the shadows of the warrior's den. Taking a moment to stretch herself out from claws to tail, then each leg in turn. She finished her waking with a vigorous shake of her tortoiseshell coat. She could feel the heavy winter fur fall from her shoulders and neck, and she narrowed her gaze with displeasure. Newleaf was coming and coming fast, and her pelt was telling her that without having to smell any wind or see any flowers.
Swiftfire padded further into the clearing, pausing as she noticed a familiar dappled pelt lounging nearby. For a brief moment, Swiftfire wondered if she should bother with him. The former deputy looked pretty content, and she didn't want to disturb him. Yet she had never had a chance to approach the tom before. She liked his style, the way he thought. He had been under a lot of pressure when he had become deputy; She didn't blame him for cracking under it all. Not every cat was cut out for that position, and she had begun to find herself drawn in...a different direction.
In a way, she felt a kindred sort of spirit with Wolffang. For moons she had watched from afar, keeping to herself...but such a lonely life wasn't so much fun. In recent moons she had cats she could call her friends now...so why not see if Wolffang would be open to her company? It's not like she spit thorns and venom with every word, right?
"Good day, Wolffang." Swiftfire purred warmly as she approached, sitting a couple mouse-lengths from him. "Prey will be flowing plenty in a couple more moons, eh? Think I can offer the birds some of my fur for their eggs?" Claws came up to comb through the fur on her neck, pulling out tufts of loose shed. She flicked her paw to dislodge the fur, ducking her head to groom her shoulder, her eyes half-closed as she felt the sun warm through her pelt.
In recent days, Firestorm’s stomach began swelling. It wasn’t quite yet large enough that it encumbered her movements, but it would take some getting used to. She didn’t know if it was yet common knowledge that she was pregnant, but the rest of the clan would figure out one way or another with how rumors spread around here.
Deciding to leave the den that her and her mate called home, she briefly looked around the clearing before her eyes settled upon her next victim. Wolfy! It appeared as though he had someone he was talking to already. A pretty calico (not as pretty as Lightningstorm, mind you), that if memory served correctly was named Swiftsomething (henceforth dubbed Swifty) was by his side. She hadn’t really been keeping up with the rest of the clan in recent moons, however, she was trying to remedy that. Maybe it was time to start forgiving everyone else (except for Littlewhatsit. She could die horrifically for all she could care).
Padding over, Firestorm gave a bright smile. Today was one of her better days, not feeling as queasy as the last couple of weeks which was a welcome change. ”Oh Wolfy~ Oh Swifty~ What’re y’all up to~~” She chirped cheerfully as she approached. Oh what a wonderful day it was, the sun was shining wonderfully, and a light breeze gently tousled her coat. How could she not be in a good mood!?
Not waiting for an answer, she promptly plopped herself down next to them before flipping on her back and lazily stretching in the warm sunlight. Another thing she missed while being isolated from the rest of the clan – moments like these were she could sunbathe in blissful ignorance.
Smell that? That was the smell of training on the air! Today was a perfect day! It was warming up, there was no more snow on the ground, the sun was shining... Why, taking clover's apprentice out today to see the lay of the land seemed like the most perfect idea she's ever had! Maybe Starclan put it in her brain for her-- how nice of them! Leaving the warrior's den with a long stretch of her back legs out behind her, she bounces into the clearing and scans for the familiar black and white pelt of her darling little apprentice... Oh, oh, there he was! Hushy spotted! Grin wide on her maw, she trots over to the little guy and headbutts him playfully, tail raised high and trembling with excitement.
"Mornin' Hushy! So since it's gorgeous outside and all I figured today we wooould... Wait for it..." She spins about on her paws before lifting one in the air toward the shining sun, mismatched hues glinting with sheer joy. "Dun-Da! Go on your territory tour! It's almost as if fate itself chose today for us, don't ya think? Hehe, are ya hungry? Did ya eat? We can always hunt while we're out and about but you oughta eat here first! We got a lot of ground to cover!
Hushpaw
~<>~
10/100
9 moons || he/him || WindClan Apprentice medium furred tom w/ black, grey and white fur; gold eyes
"Ok then," He grins wide at the kit and then immediately shuts his mouth again, thinking that perhaps mayybeeeeeee his teeth might not be the most welcome sight to Raykit. "I'm not goin' anywhere!" And he plops down comfortable. He's about to open his mouth and keep talking, when Cloverhoney - his mentor - bounces on over. Hushpaw returns her headbutt with a trill of eagerness. Training!! They're going out into the territory to train!! Yippee, let's goo!!
"Food? Pshhh, I don't need food for energy! I run on the love of WindClan alone! Bam, bam-!" Playfully, he bats at his mentor as he says 'bam, bam', behaving, in all honestly, more like a kit than an apprentice, but it's all in good fun!! But- oh, shoot, he'd forgotten about little Raykit. Cringing a little at his forgetfulness, golden eyes lock onto her, an embarassed glint in them as he addresses her. "Sorry Little Ray, training calls! I'll come find you afterward, 'kay?" With that, he attempts to flick her on the nose with his tail good natured-ly before he returns his focus back to Cloverhoney. "Where to first?"
The fresh scent of another cat drifted toward him on the breeze a heartbeat before he heard pawsteps headed in his direction. Wolffang turned to find a slender, long-legged she-cat striding toward him. Her tortoiseshell-and-white pelt looked strange from his angle. The black swallowed the sun, turning her into a shadow, yet her orange splotches glowed like fire. More blinding was her white undercoat. It took a few moments of bemused blinking for his eyes to adjust. Swiftfire, he thought.
He didn't know much about her, admittedly, but she seemed to be a competent warrior. He offered her a respectful dip of his head. I hope I didn't look like a hare-brain, staring and blinking like that. But the thought was naught more than a troublesome fly.
Swiftfire's demeanor was friendly, as was usual for a Clanmate interacting with another. Wolffang began to nod in agreement at her comment regarding the prey, then chuckled as she shed some multicolored fur. "Good day. I'm sure they'd love it if the cat-scent didn't scare them away," he purred. "Then they'd lay plenty of eggs, and WindClan would have more than enough prey for leaf-bare."
Despite the pleasant weather and the pleasant interaction, two memories tugged at the back of Wolffang's mind. Eggs reminded him of Fernpaw. His small brown face broken by a grin, those huge green eyes sparkling with pride, a round egg rolled toward Wolffang as a gift... And birds had been Rosebriar's favorite prey.
He mentally shook himself, shedding the slight stabs of grief and anger away and keeping his expression from showing anything. Memories were bound to arise, but Wolffang wouldn't let them ruin his day. He unsheathed his claws and lightly raked them through the thick, ragged fluff covering the front of his neck and the entirety of his chest. Massive clumps of light cream-gray fur came free. He was so used to shedding that he hardly noticed it, and that was something, considering the fact that his pelt was longer and thicker than Swiftfire's, and she seemed plenty aware. "Between the both of us, I'm sure we'd encourage enough mother-birds to give us fresh-kill not just just this leaf-bare, but the next."
Wolffang silently thanked Leopardsong for teaching him how to loosen up. This was a "joke." Or a "sarcastic comment." Or just... "having fun"? He knew how to respond to these things now instead of missing the point and going on some tangent about hunting or whatever. Still, he worried his tone wasn't as playful, though it held some mirth.
"Fur jokes aside," he meowed, hoping this was a good way to continue the conversation, "it is a lovely day. I was thinking of-"
More pawsteps headed in their direction made Wolffang break off mid-sentence. His eyes widened slightly as he spotted Firestorm. She looked bright and cheerful, her pale orange coat glowing like a sunset. His smile widened a little. He'd wanted to speak to Firestorm ever since he'd rescued her from the, well, fire. She didn't seem as shy as before, now appearing to be quite cheerful. Her positive mood was infectious. Similar to Swiftfire's joke about fur.
However, Wolffang hadn't seen her in the warriors' den lately. She was spending a lot of time in the medicine cat's den. He would've felt concerned if she didn't seem so happy. I hope the smoke didn't affect her lungs, he thought. The scarred end of his tipless tail twitched.
Wolfie? Firestorm's use of his nickname distracted him from any worries. Only two cats called him that, and they were close to him, but Wolffang found he didn't mind it coming from Firestorm. He dipped his head to her.
"Firestorm! It's great to see you," he rumbled. "Swiftfire and I are just talking. Feel free to join us." But there seemed to be no need, as Firestorm had flipped onto her back and seemed quite content.
Wait, what was up with her stomach? Wolffang didn't want to be rude, but he couldn't help looking at it. It was bulging a little, more so than usual. It could just be because prey is running better, he reasoned. But then why was she spending so much time with Lightningstorm...?
Realization dawned on him, but he wasn't entirely sure, and he didn't want to be too upfront. Many WindClan she-cats didn't want to be asked if they were pregnant if they weren't, and Wolffang didn't want to be on bad terms with Firestorm. Not that she seemed like the kind of cat who would mind, but he wasn't taking any chances. "Are you okay?" he settled for instead. "You've been spending a lot of time in Lightningstorm's den."
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Some of my characters think or act in ways I disagree with. Please understand that I do not support or condone these thoughts or actions.
Hushpaw
~<>~
10/100
9 moons || he/him || WindClan Apprentice medium furred tom w/ black, grey and white fur; gold eyes
"Ok then," He grins wide at the kit and then immediately shuts his mouth again, thinking that perhaps mayybeeeeeee his teeth might not be the most welcome sight to Raykit. "I'm not goin' anywhere!" And he plops down comfortable. He's about to open his mouth and keep talking, when Cloverhoney - his mentor - bounces on over. Hushpaw returns her headbutt with a trill of eagerness. Training!! They're going out into the territory to train!! Yippee, let's goo!!
"Food? Pshhh, I don't need food for energy! I run on the love of WindClan alone! Bam, bam-!" Playfully, he bats at his mentor as he says 'bam, bam', behaving, in all honestly, more like a kit than an apprentice, but it's all in good fun!! But- oh, shoot, he'd forgotten about little Raykit. Cringing a little at his forgetfulness, golden eyes lock onto her, an embarassed glint in them as he addresses her. "Sorry Little Ray, training calls! I'll come find you afterward, 'kay?" With that, he attempts to flick her on the nose with his tail good natured-ly before he returns his focus back to Cloverhoney. "Where to first?"
Oh her apprentice was so so fun! Thank the Stars she was gifted with such a boisterous young tom-- having a cat that matched her energy would make training so much more fun for them both! When clover's batted at, she can't help but giggle, meeting his paws with white ones of her own to bat them away in return. Barely able to contain clover's growing excitement, she paces in a few circles as she waits for Hushy to finish up talking to the kit he had been chatting with. Look at her little guy, socializing and stuff! So good of him! Best apprentice ever. She beams when his attention turns back to clover, stopping her eager pacing to stand before him with her tail still raised high in the air.
"I figure we oughta get the borders outta the way! So we'll staaaart... With the Shadowclan border!"
That was the clan they had the least beef with right now, right? Eh, whatever, even if it wasn't she already said it so clover's word was now law! Whipping around to face the exit of camp, she starts into a sprint, clover kicking up dust behind her paws as she races off.
"Keep up, Hushy! We got a lot of ground to cover! Let's zoom!"
Snowkit ran into the middle of the clearing. "Who wants to play a game? Anyone? I propose a game of hide and go seek! Anyone who wants to join please join!" Snowkit procceded to run around and jump on things, making sure she got every cat's attention. "Who wants to play hide and go seek?"
(open. please join in!)
| Snowybreeze |
Heightened Perception [Smell] - Active | Rapid Recovery - Inactive | The Collector - Inactive
There was a flash of relief, instant gratitude on his still nervous gaze as Goldenfox let him know that he hadn't come across as some horrible, rude, and frankly just unpleasant clanmate. That would... that would not have done, by golly no. Not after she had been so nice to him so far. And what was better, she had accepted to share the rabbit with him! It was a small token. A tiny display of thankfulness to the she-cat who had spent her time with him today despite their initial meet up being... less than stellar because of his oafishness.
And speaking of less than stellar impressions based on his oafishness... Snowybreeze soon realized there was a strange look on her face as he flailed about, coaxing a small eep out of him as he fumbled, attempting to remain still once more. In an effort to make up for his nervous blunder, he dipped his head, gently pushing the rabbit closer to the she-cat. Mismatched ears perked up as the gold and cream warrior continued speaking, and the Maine Coon mix could soon feel his ears growing warm with embarrassment. He was... admittedly not very used to compliments. Receiving them, in any case. As far as he was concerned, he didn't deserve them. The first two words spoken... distant and clumsy? Yes, those two described him well, he supposed. He didn't like to impose himself on others. Bother them with his presence. And he was... most certainly not the most dexterous of cats. And fair, he did try to be honest. Lying was just... too rude for his tastes. But... a big heart? Cute?! No no no, surely Goldenfox must be teasing him.
Oh... Actually, that made a whole lot of sense. Little bit of teasing. The warrior did have a good sense of humor, this was no doubt just more of it! As she dipped to take some of the rabbit, the tom attempted a humorous smile, the effort more bashful than anything as he dipped raised a paw to bat at his own ear. A common motion he unconsciously did whenever he was feeling particularly shy about something. Deciding to not make things any more awkward than they had to be by failing at an attempt at a chuckle - knowing full well he would - he took a bite of rabbit himself, chewing slowly before swallowing his bite, a small coughing fit accompanying the action as Goldefox teased him further, his ears growing warm once more.
"I-I - cough - Shall. En-endeavor - cough cough - Shall - gasp - T-try. My... my best. To remember. That. I can. However. M-make. No. No promises," he whispered lightly, as he tried his paw at a small joke of his own.
@Tiabirb [Goldenfox]
| Not sure if you want to end it here or if you want to continue on to the border and have them hunt together. I am good with either choice! |
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Lightningstorm is WindClan's current medicine cat.
She has a semi-closed den policy.
Hawkfur
WindClan
he/him | 48 moons
[Russet tabby with tuxedo markings and sky blue eyes] Purrks: Flock Together T3
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[Cranekit - @starry ]
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Hawkfur watched the sun rise over the ridge, loafed up outside of the warrior's den. He hadn't been able to sleep well recently, and often found himself awake before the sun. That did mean he could watch the sun rise, and he could watch the dew dissipate from the grass. It was nice. What he hadn't expected was the simple fact that sunrise meant awake cats. And awake cats... meant awake kits.
Re: WindClan Clearing
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