[Macabre.]

Username: Macabre.
Clan: BirchClan

Quest Number:QUEST #1
Response:

Draw or write about one of your cats processing the grief of losing a loved one.
You may write and/or draw your response to this prompt.

Username: Macabre.
Clan: BirchClan

Quest Number: QUEST #2
Response:

Draw about a ‘perfect day’ in the eyes of one of your cats.
You may only draw your response to this prompt.

[Timid-Decidueye]

Username: Timid-Decidueye
Clan: x

Quest Number: #3

Response: Tawnystar wants to be remembered as the fearless cat who was given a mission by the mysterious cat in the fish in the sky herself. The cat who gave him the mission of leading a new era of cats that walked along the sunflower stalks. The ones who frolicked and played in the grass and caught mice for fun. She wanted to be remembered as the one who let rogues and kittypets into his clan graciously with open paws. She was never one to judge. And she wants to be remembered as such. She wants to be remembered for what she did while she was the leader of her clan. She wants for her legacy to be passed generation to generation in hopes that the clan will be prosperous even after she has passed, and when she has... She will be grateful to meet the cat who was generous enough to give his lost soul a new purpose.

Word Count: 158

[literal.swag.]

Username: literal.swag.
Clan: wayward

Quest Number: #1 | Draw or write about one of your cats processing the grief of losing a loved one.
Response:

[ 1450 words ]

A piece of him had been left there; back in that dimly lit clearing, untouched by silvery tendrils except for tiny bustling golden lanterns. Carved haphazardly from his soul and left to rot. Buried by endless layers of newly formed earth and sucked deeper within the soil. Eating away at it until it resembled the rest of him; battered and torn. The memory infiltrated his mind like a disease, making him feverish and panicked, limbs heavy and unsure of themselves, throat closed harsh.

Shadows fell heavy on the leaf-littered earth, seeming to feed hungrily off of the ones that were steadily overwhelming the insides of the cats themselves. They lapped hungrily at the sharpness of the cats, the tips of their ears, the ridges of their paws, the curve of their muzzle. Each shrouded in an expression of darkness. While it had gone unnoticed to the pastel feline until much later when he was once more drowning in the cement waves of the memory, the forest had been quiet. Maybe it had known, maybe it had been waiting patiently, quietly, expecting, as the events unfolded before them. Or maybe it had been waiting excitedly, with bated breath, restless with expectations. Or maybe it had even led them here, shadows guiding the three lives with gentle quiet hands, to this exact moment.

Tree branches hung low under the weight of the night, intertwined with each other like wicker baskets across the top of the clearing. The moon hid behind the clouds, unwilling to watch as a muted pink and white she-cat lay unnervingly still between violent coughs wracking her frame. A dark tom was crouched over her, lithe frame quivering in distress and nearly uncontained despair. The darkness folded over him easily, blending and fuzzing his edges until one couldn’t tell where the shadows ended and the cat began.

Oneria had never been able to blend into the shadows as well as his brother did. They tried; crawling up his legs and burying within the crevices of his limbs, but it never seemed to work. It was almost as if they simply rolled off of him like raindrops on plastic. Or if his aura itself dispelled them. Although in this moment he had never felt farther from the light. A metallic buzzing danced lightly in the air between him and his two closest relationships. Assisted with woody and somber notes, accentuated by poignant darkness. It was electrifying, vibrating in his veins and short circuiting his brain, cutting his nerves and leaving him empty. Seeds of thoughts were unable to take root in the dry soil of his mind and it left him unable to react as the air began to grow thicker. He could do nothing but choke on his own tongue, eyes locked steadfast on his twin and his best friend as a dull green haze clawed at the air, expanding out greedily from his twin’s paws.

Blackness scorched his vision, a darkness, a lack of existence, he’d never experienced before. He would’ve never thought that lack of color could be so blinding. Quicker than he could finish his thought, or even form it, the clearing was back in full focus. Everything was sharper now, yet duller, and a deep unease crawled viciously under his skin. It was as if his soul knew before his consciousness, his brain lagging several steps behind. Whether it was purposeful or not, he wasn’t sure, but he wished it never had caught up. He wished he was stuck in limbo, in the toxic embrace of ignorance, back before his heart crumbled.

“Melione.” The words felt foreign on his tongue, as if he was not the one to speak them. Nothingness tingled his frame, erasing his consciousness from his body, lightening his steps until it felt like he was floating. “Melione.” His words were hoarse. “What…What did you do?”

Melione’s already frozen frame grew impossibly stiffer until he crumbled under the weight of his own anguish. He met Oneria’s tortured gaze with his own haunted one. The pastel male moved forwards in unsteady steps. He watched his brother’s ears fall, his eyes grow dry from his lack of blinking despite the wall of tears pressing solidly against the back of them. Yet while he watched his brother fall apart before him, compassion evaded him. Where the warmth for his kin should’ve been, ice swallowed it whole. His best friend’s body called to him at the edge of his vision, a giant beacon of a life he would never get to experience once more.

“I don’t…” Melione’s throat was dry and his words stuck heavily to it. He stumbled hastily over his words, “I…she was…she was sick…Oneria.” His words were small, cowering from himself. “I thought…I wanted to help her…I thought I could help her.” Desperation drowned his tone, pleading for forgiveness, for understanding.

Anger was ice in Oneria’s veins. The shadows lurched forwards mockingly, laughing. Wrenching the moon from behind the clouds. Withdrawing and unveiling the still body of his best friend off to his right, allowing her soft edges to be illuminated harshly from the planet above. This wasn’t right, she wasn’t the sharp acrylics the universe was so desperately trying to paint her as, she was watercolor. Soft and gentle, sure and genuine in her stroke of colors, in her playful carelessness. Quietly transparent but boldly beautiful. Oneria loved her, she was his best friend.

Carwynn’s purposeful but gentle jabs were an unknowingly welcome annoyance in his life, her infuriatingly knowing tone, her steadfast loyalty. How she taunted and prodded him when she saw a cat that was his type, or how she put so much faith in his wingman capabilities. Her brash compassion, her rough around the edges comfort, her unyielding friendship. Such beauty, such safety not being in his life anymore was unfathomable.

Cracks formed in his reality; this was not real life if she was not there with him. Things began to wither and crumble as his world rapidly fell to instability. While he was physically standing right before his twin, he was lost somewhere, deep within the confines of denial. The words that tumbled from his mouth echoed within the emptiness he was trapped in. He didn’t even know she was sick. She was his best friend and he didn’t even know. Betrayal snuck through his veins, severing them as they went until he felt like his heart was bleeding. “What do you mean she was sick? She…she wasn’t sick.” His voice cracked with embarrassment.

“Yes, she was sick, Oneria. Very sick. She had been…she had been sick for a while. I…I tried everything. Everything.” The muted pastel male replied, gaze still hollow.

Once more anger bit at Oneria, puncturing his skin and piercing his already tattered heart. “No, Melione. No. This…this was all you.” Venom laced his words, his gaze. One could almost see the toxins take hold in the other. Melione began to tremble. “You and your stupid witchcraft! Are you happy now?! Huh?! Now that you’ve taken the life of another! My best friend! It was you!” His volume chased his rising anger. “I hope you’re happy. You killed her. I hope it was worth it.”

Fragments of the twins' porcelain souls laid haphazardly in the clearing Oneria was now leaving behind. The horror, the dejectedness, the guilt that subdued his twin’s gaze was seared behind his eyelids. It infuriated him, that his brother could shed such tears after committing such an atrocity, that his brother truly thought he was capable of such wizardry. It infuriated him that he thought he could test it on Carwynn, of everyone and everything out in their world, he had to choose her. Melione’s cries fell silent on Oneria’s ears, his whole nervous system now shut down, on autopilot.

He was so caught up in a whirlpool of an experience that he never thought he’d had, despite her mortality and his lack thereof, that he did not feel the shift in the air. He did not realize that, despite the night still strong in the horizon, a sliver of light ran steadily under his paws. He did not realize it caught hold and slowly drank in his frame until a thin coating of light laid feather-like on his frame. He did not discern the voice that spoke to him in a quiet nearly indecipherable voice. Words warm and lulling. Oneria did not realize how it bolstered the festering disdain that was growing for his brother. He did not realize until he stood before his twin; and the light and him became one.

Username: literal.swag.
Clan: wayward

Quest Number: #3 | Write about the legacy your character wishes to leave behind after they pass.
Response:

[ 294 words ]

Death may have shown itself to Gossamer in cowardice and ugly ways; taking those that he cares about the most and those that are innocent, but it had never tried to conquer him. Being on the brink of death is unfamiliar to him, and so, he had never thought much about the story that would unfold after his own passing, after death had finally gathered the courage to face him. But the world that he holds near, now, is full of understanding. It is submerged by a silent sacred agreement; one is without judgment here. As long as the inhabitants of Moiraia continue to be respectful of each other, despite individual opinions, all will be well. It is a world overflowing with color; from the depth of the haunted hues to the peak of the pristine pastels. Moiraia was a canvas, and it had been painted and shaped to its full potential, to its most beautiful. A quiet calmness brushed through the land of wayward, coaxing others to feel as though they had finally found their safe haven. Gossamer was proud that the felines of this world held fast by the regulations embedded deep within the roots of the world. It was quiet and pleasant, despite the level of energy he needed to maintain to remain on the lookout for any disruptions to the equilibrium the planet had perfected since the beginning. He is honored to uphold such sanctity, such a safe and welcoming place for those who may be lost or in danger. That is what he wishes would continue long after his physical departure. That he has done enough, has upheld such laws so fiercely that this paradise remains even if he is not there to guard it.

[crexmii]

Username: crexmii
Clan: softclan

Quest Number: one
Response:

Word Count: n/a
Cat Used: sirius




Quest Number: two
Response:

Word Count: n/a

Cats Used:
cilantro
findingcheese
mossy
ebonywish
yarrowspot
adderblaze
tulipspeck
raspberry

[elliott.]

january quests r judged! <3

[allynabean]

Username: allynabean
Clan: moonclan

Quest Number: 1 - "Draw or write about one of your cats processing the grief of losing a loved one."
Response: word doc here for easier reading!




Sandcloud wasn’t even home when it happened.

The large pale tomcat had been out on patrol with Herondrop. He’d been taking his time, watching the sunset, wishing his husband was there with him to enjoy the view, wondering how his kits were doing in their training.

He should have been there.

When they arrived back at camp, Moonclan was in a frenzy. Cats were yelling, running through the cavern that made up their home. Nightstar, their leader, was shouting something over the clamor, attempting to calm the crowd, but to little avail. Herondrop took one look at the ruckus and slipped away, leaving Sandcloud alone in the entrance.

Nightstar saw Sandcloud approaching, and hurried over to him, her black fur bristling with anxious energy. “Sandcloud! There you are- There’s been a cave-in, deep in the tunnels. We need all the stoneshapers we can get,” Her usually poised face broke for a moment, pity and worry crashing into her ice blue eyes, “Shellpaw, Thornbelly, and Mistfin are hurt, but safe. Oakfur, Lilybreeze, and Clementinepaw are trapped.”

The words chilled Sandcloud to the bone. “Where’s Foxwink?” His mate needed to know, if he didn’t already.

“Already helping.”

Sandcloud nodded and ran off, racing through the cavern to where the new caves were being explored and expanded, deep under Moonclan’s main camp. His kits were down there. Shellpaw and Clementinepaw could be hurt- If the stoneshapers weren’t able to dig themselves out, that could only mean they were unconscious. Or worse.

Shaking the thought from his head, Sandcloud followed the scents and sounds of cats, the stench of fear leading him through the maze of tunnels with ease.

Oakfur, the lead builder, was Clementinepaw’s mentor. He’d probably been training her down here, honing her magic. Clementinepaw was a stoneshaper, just like Sandcloud… It had always been easier to relate to her over their other two kits, Shellpaw and Squirrelpaw, a waterweaver and firestarter respectively. Not that he had favorites, of course.

He saw Foxwink first, grooming a wounded Shellpaw off to the side. Several stoneshapers shouted instructions to one another, Mothroot leading the charge as the builder with the most seniority aside from Oakfur. Who was buried. Along with his daughter. And Lilybreeze- why had the young windwalker been down there?

“Sandcloud!” Foxwink noticed him first, dust covering his red fur. Sandcloud leaned down to the smaller tom, nuzzling his fur for a second. The fear they shared for their daughter and clanmates hung thick in the air.

Sandcloud turned to his son, Shellpaw, who had a few gashes across his cream-colored fur, but otherwise looked alright. “What happened? Are you alright, Shellpaw?” Sandcloud asked, eyeing the wall of collapsed stone and soil.

Shellpaw, always the quietest of the three siblings, nodded. “I-I’m okay. The tunnel just- collapsed, and I, I was stuck, but Clementinepaw pulled me out… and it fell on her…” The poor kit was crying, and Sandcloud nuzzled his head gently.

“We’ll get them out safe, Shellpaw.” He promised. It didn’t feel like a promise he could keep.

Thornbelly, helping move the heavy rocks with his magic, spoke up. “I was here too, part of the tunneling party,” He had a cut on his forehead and was favoring a back paw, but otherwise didn’t look too hurt. “Oakfur was showing Clementinepaw how to reinforce the wall of the tunnel, pack the dirt and stone, when it just suddenly… gave out.” The bob-tailed brown tabby shuddered. “It happened so fast. I was lucky.”

Mistfin, a waterweaver and Shellpaw’s mentor, spoke up as well. They were on the ground, nursing a broken front leg and blood smeared across their silver fur. “I was helping the builders, showing Shellpaw how to feel for underground water sources,” Their voice quivered, “Shellpaw was trapped under a boulder, and Clementinepaw, who’d managed to be out of the way, went back for him… I hope they’re all okay.”

Sandcloud walked up beside Mothroot, giving the older cat a nod of respect. “Do we know where they are?”

Mothroot shook her head. “Underneath, but the collapse is pretty big. None of them are responding.” She sighed, frustration and worry in her eyes, “We can’t move too quickly- this place is already at risk of caving in further. We just have to hope they’re alright in there.”

Hope was all he could hold on to as Sandcloud joined the stoneshapers in pulling apart rocks and slowly, but surely, carving into the stone to find their clanmates.

They unearthed Lilybreeze first, the slight calico barely conscious, her back legs crushed and broken in a way that hurt to even look at. Foxwink was sent to bring the lifebringers and healers down. It wasn’t safe to move Lilybreeze more than she already had been.

They kept digging. Oakfur was found next, unconscious but lucky enough to have been wedged in an empty space beneath a large boulder, and he had barely more than a few scratches on him. The lifebringers, Honeydawn and Newtflick, tended to his wounds after Lilybreeze was healed as much as she could be. They’d set her back legs in a brace built from wood and twine and let the healing magic begin its work.

Sandcloud was beginning to tire, but pushed on. He kept himself going, heavy stone after heavy stone, breaking them down so infuriatingly slowly. Repeating the mantra Clementinepaw is okay. She will be fine. She’s okay. She will be fine. Clementi- Until, there, underneath the rock he’d just moved. An orange tail, fluffy fur matted to the bone with dirt and blood, limp and unmoving. His heartbeat spiked, fear threatening to choke him.

He felt at the stone above where her body must be, eyes closed, concentrating on the rumble of the earth and the weight on the stone under his claws. Reaching out, finding that connection, like he’d done over and over again. Using his magic was second nature, by this point. It was easy to find the imperfections in the stone, break it apart into manageable chunks, move it through the air and away from where his daughter lay.

Clementinepaw. Her body was ragged, covered in dust and dirt and blood. Sandcloud hovered over her, almost too scared to check if she was still breathing. She was so small. His sweet little kit looking like this was unreal. She wasn’t supposed to be so still.

Foxwink gasped, rushing over to where Sandcloud stood frozen. He pawed at their daughter, leaning down to her bloodstained chest to listen. The look in his mate’s eyes was all Sandcloud needed to see.

“We found her! Newtflick, get down here, she’s- she’s not breathing!” Sandcloud called, panic rising as Foxwink shook his head.

It was a blur. Newtflick and Honeydawn couldn’t do anything. Even as Sandcloud pleaded, begged for them to help her. “Even lifebringers can’t do much once they’re gone, Sandcloud,” Newtflick’s quiet, sorrow-filled words rang in his ears.

He kept Foxwink and Shellpaw close, as they brought the wounded and… and dead up from the tunnels. Clementinepaw’s small form was draped across Sandcloud’s back, the weight barely noticeable as they made their solemn trek toward the Healer’s Den.

Squirrelpaw, their other son, joined them when they were back in the main camp, uncharacteristically quiet. He walked alongside Shellpaw, both brothers watching Clementinepaw’s body with a sort of desperate hope that she might suddenly open her green eyes, laughing about everyone’s worried faces.

Sandcloud could feel her growing cold.

The anxious energy the clan held before was burnt out now, filled with a quiet mourning. Oakfur was already waking up, barely hurt, and while Lilybreeze might have some permanent damage to her legs, she was awake and alive. Sandcloud was forced to part with Clementinepaw, to let the Healers clean her fur, lest she go to Starclan covered in dirt and blood.

Foxwink was consoling their sons, Shellpaw distraught and sobbing quietly. Sandcloud made his way over to where Oakfur was cleaning the blood out of his fur, on the other side of the Healer’s den.

“Can I have a word?” The sandy-colored tom asked in a hushed tone. Oakfur nodded, eyes heavy with exhaustion, pain, and grief. He followed Sandcloud outside, to a nook in the cave.

“What happened? You-“ Sandcloud’s voice broke, he was so angry, “You were her mentor. It was your job to protect her.”

“I know.” Oakfur’s gaze was downcast, not daring to look the hurt father in the eye. “I’m- I’m so sorry, Sandcloud. It happened so fast-“

“EVERYONE KEEPS SAYING THAT!” Sandcloud growled, tears pricking his eyes. “Clementinepaw had the time to go back and pull her brother out of the collapse before it fell on her- surely you, the Lead Builder, a much more experienced stoneshaper than your apprentice, could have helped her!” The anger was unheard of from Sandcloud, usually a calm and laid-back cat. Oakfur couldn’t blame him for it now, though. Not after what he lost.

“I’m so sorry,” Oakfur choked out again, shaking his head.

Sandcloud turned away.

. . . . . .


Nightstar held a ceremony for Clementinepaw that evening.

“Tonight, Moonclan lost the brave young stoneshaper, Clementinepaw,” Nightstar began, the clan gathered in the center of camp around Clementinepaw’s body. Sandcloud and his family stood next to the leader. “The tunnels collapsed, and she went back for her brother, finding herself buried in the process. We honor Clementinepaw for her bravery. We honor her for the light she brought to the clan, her cheer and her humor. She was going to make a wonderful warrior, her skill with the earth unmatched for her age. I’ve spoken with Oakfur, her mentor, and we’ve decided that she more than earned her warrior name.”

Sandcloud looked up, surprised. He didn’t know about this.

Nightstar continued, “From now on, Clementinepaw shall be named Clementineshine. She will always be with us, shining down from Starclan. May the Moon light her path, and her nights be filled with warm fur and good hunting.”

Clementineshine. The clan murmured the name, reverent whispers echoing through the cavern. Sandcloud leaned next to her head, grooming his daughter one last time.

“You made us proud, Clementineshine.”


Word Count: 1690

[Ember the Wolf]

Username: Ember the Wolf
Clan: Willowclan

Quest Number: #3
Response:

Word Count: N/A

~~im a day late but i hope its okay ;-;~~

[elliott.]

[ Start of Round ]

"Thank you all for your replies!! I'll have your prizes figured out soon!"
The current round has ended.

February Quest Results

Quest #1
allynabean → 160xp
crexmii → 80xp
hazelfang → 40xp
literal.swag. → 80xp
macabre. → 45xp

Quest #2
crexmii → 140xp
ember the wolf → 35xp
hazelfang → 35xp
macabre. → 37xp

Quest #3
archaeopteryx. → 25xp
hazelfang → 40xp
literal.swag. → 20xp
timid-decidueye → 15xp

Please remember to link to this post in your next explore post to use your exp!

"And here are some special prizes for those who put extra effort into their entries!
You can use this to buy some cool stuff from StarClan's shop!"

allynabean → +320 stardust
crexmii → +440 stardust
hazelfang → +230 stardust
literal.swag. → +200 stardust
macabre. → +164 stardust

"Thank you all for participating! I loved hearing about each of your Clans!"
"While I loved all of your entries, these ones were my favorites! Here's something extra for your hard work!"

Quest #1 - allynabean & literal.swag.
+1 UR MYO each

Quest #2 - crexmii & macabre.
+1 R MYO each

Quest #3 - archaeopteryx. & hazelfang
+1 UN MYO each

"Wait wait wait, I have more questions, don't leave yet!"
A new round has begun!

QUEST #1
Draw or write about a questionable choice your clan has had to make in the past.
You may write and/or draw your response to this prompt.

QUEST #2
Draw about two cats who are on complete opposite spectrums and how their
relationship is-- maybe one friendly and one cold cat, or the fastest vs slowest cat?
You may only draw your response to this prompt.

QUEST #3
Write about something one of your cats is really bad at.
You may only write your response to this prompt.

[olivionary]

Username: olivionary
Clan: Ivy Hollow

Quest Number: One
Response:



The decision to travel to Ivy Hollow in the first place was a questionable choice of which much of the clan didn't agree with. Their leader, Calloway, decided that the clan would be making the journey to a new base, but didn't pressure any of the cats to make the journey if they truly didn't want to. A number of cats stayed behind at the original campsite, which wasn't proving successful at sustaining the clan, while other cats left them in the middle of the journey due to it taking longer than they wanted it to. Unfortunately naught could be done about that.
While the decision to make the journey was heavily questioned and hotly debated, it has seemingly worked out for the best. The clan has found a secluded location from other clans that appears to be plentiful when it comes to both prey items and medicinal herbs. Both of which their prior location lacked. The cats that committed to the move have had to deal with a range of emotions: they've found a wonderful new home; they had to leave their old home; some of their friends and family members refused to join them and others left during the journey, so there is no way of knowing where they have ended up or what has happened to them. A number of cats had injuries when they refused to continue on the journey which has left the clan's medicine cat carrying a lot of guilt over not being there to help them.
Despite the pain that had come with moving, they cats are also celebrating the peace that has washed over all of them. They don't have an awful lot to worry about in their new home, besides the old two leg that lives in the cottage at the far end of their territory. While the two leg has been a cause of concern, the general consensus has become that she is harmless and even seems to enjoy having the cats on her property! The cats, for the most part, keep out of the two legs way and do their best to pretend that she isn't there. Things may change eventually, but for now the questionable decision appears to have been the correct one.

"Allegra?"
"Yes, Hayes?" The she-cat turned to look at the tom.
"If you knew everything that you know now about the decision to come here, would you have made the same choice?"
There was a pause before Allegra responded.
"Yes, I would have made the same decision for myself. I think I would have pushed my friends to have come more than I did. I wish they could see what we have now."
"I should have made my mum come with us." Hayes replied quietly.
"I think she needed to stay, to keep the others all in check. Without her I think they will fall apart."
Hayes knew she was right.
"There was a reason she was Calloway's deputy. She is the perfect candidate to keep them safe and improve things for them."
"Why couldn't we have improved things though?"
"Hayes, you know as well as I do that the clan was too big for the territory that we had. Things were going to end up changing for the clan, one way or another. We're fortunate that things changed in the way that it did."
"I just wish there was more we could have done to keep the clan together, or to have at least made things easier for them without us."
"We did all that we could." Allegra nodded towards a cloud, "That one looks like a rat."

Word Count: 604

[Wretched.Felidae]

QUEST #1
Draw or write about a questionable choice your clan has had to make in the past.
You may write and/or draw your response to this prompt.

QUEST #2
Draw about two cats who are on complete opposite spectrums and how their relationship is-- maybe one friendly and one cold cat, or the fastest vs slowest cat?
You may only draw your response to this prompt.

QUEST #3
Write about something one of your cats is really bad at.
You may only write your response to this prompt.

Username: Wretched.Felidae
Clan: (Please link)

Quest Number:
Response:
Word Count: (If applicable)