ＴＨＩＣＫＥＴＷＩＮＤ！
age. 30 m . rank. medicine cat . where. medicine cat den . tags. aprilpaw . words. 842
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- lol
smoke plumed together in clouds, choking out any intentions of smell or sight.
indent the world around thicketwind burned, flickering flames licking over hillsides and climbing up aspen trees with vicious fervor, a lust for destruction. everything around the medicine cat was consumed by bright oranges and hissing yellows, the flames emitting heat in waves that made his eyes water and a cough splutter from between his gritted teeth. countless caterwauls from his clanmates clashed with the snapping and crackling of grass and wood, and blurred silhouettes of valleyclanners scurried around like ants whom had just gotten rain doused on them. trees began to sway and topple from left to right, sparks flying through the air like shooting stars and sticking to thicketwind's dark brown tabby coat as if they were pesky burrs. the smoke spilled towards the tom, too thick to see through, swallowing him whole and devouring all means of sight and senses. thicketwind and his clanmates drowned in the fury of the smoke and the flames . . . and his own screams were what woke the medicine cat up.
indent thicketwind woke with a start, yellow eyes wide and breath coming out in hasty puffs of air; sweat trickled down his neck and made his paws sticky, and his legs were thrown askew in his nest, bedding scattered everywhere. the maine coon's enlarged pupils frantically searched his surroundings for any signs of fire, but he was only met with the dark confines of his den; he expected the smell of smoke but only the comforting smell of herbs filled his nostrils. it was just a nightmare, but the disturbing sense of reality within the horrific scene still haunted thicketwind's mind. everything had been so vivid, one would think he had actually experienced it all . . . or that he would. more and more of these nightmares were occupying the medicine cat's mind at night, mostly consisting of fires like this one──as if one thing would be the downfall of valleyclan, and the cats of the field of stars couldn't decide on what. the nightmares were getting to be more alarming, so thicketwind would soon have to consult ashstar about his suspicions that his nightmares──omens──had to do with starclan and the clan's fate in some way. though, he needed to find the right time to introduce the topic; he didn't want to plummet the clan into panic, especially if it had to do with valleyclan's future. besides, everyone's paws are so full with the fiasco about the loners and their names and what their presence will mean for the already-scarce prey. i shouldn't burden anyone with just yet . . . but as soon as i can get ashstar alone, i must tell her what has been going on.
indent the large dark brown-and-white brute pushed himself up from his nest and gathered his missing pieces of bedding, scrapping them in a corner of the stone den and replenishing his nest with more lichens and bits of shrubbery. as he worked, he surveyed the den for a moment; pale, hazy lighting spilled in──gray and depressing──to flood the den and illuminate the small, empty nest next to thicketwind's. aprilpaw was awake, which was odd, as the roles were usually reversed. it wasn't that aprilpaw was an awful apprentice by any means──he saw himself in her, and was happy that he'd chosen such a fitting successor──but all apprentices loved their sleep and took as much advantage of it as they could. speaking of aprilpaw, i need to find her so we can go out and stock up on herbs. their storage was most always well-stocked, the valley providing all they needed, but they were running low on feverfew, chamomile, and raspberry leaves on this dreary morning . . . so it looked like he and his apprentice had a busy day ahead of them. thicketwind's belly snapped at him as he arched his back and shook the stiffness from his limbs. he would grab a quick bite to eat before leaving with aprilpaw.
indent he moved to leave the stony den when a brisk breeze drifted inside, brushing over his dark brown, white-splotched pelt and leaving his skin prickly in its wake. the chill settled in the den, giving the tom a clue to just how cold it would be today . . . if he hadn't already been capable of guessing from the faint white light spilling in that heralded cloudiness. just then, the familiar tinkle of aprilpaw's kittypet collar met his ears, right before the light gray tabby padded into the den, mewing, "thicketwind?"
indent the male dipped his head to his apprentice and responded curtly, as always leaving no room for small talk and getting straight to business, "aprilpaw, good morning to you. we have some tasks to tend to today, so let's get something from the fresh-kill pile and leave quickly." the maine coon's yellow eyes flashed in the darkness of the den and he said, tufted ears flicking, "herbs will not pluck themselves, after all."
ＥＤＥＮ！
age. 19 m . rank. loner . where. den, heather hollow ; golden valley . tags. sootface . words. 1311
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- lol
the snowshoe's icy blue orbs flew open and were met with the bleak, autumnal hues of daybreak sliding across the valley and entering her den.
indent the warm-furred she-cat blinked back tears as the bright grayish-white lighting swept into her cozy space; her dark brown tail thrashed across the floor as she stretched her paws before her with a groan, spurred into motion by the prospect of a new day. while any other lazy loner would've yawned, turned away from the nasty weather, and tried to go back to sleep . . . eden was instantly wide awake and rearing to get up, up, up and out into the open. her stomach was growling something fierce, and she needed to hunt. the loner staggered to her nimble brown paws, sluggish with sleep, and ran a paw across her masked face, cleansing it of the crustiness slumber had brought about. she kicked the fuzziness out of her limbs by shaking them, yawned, and bowed down in a long, easy stretch with her rump high in the air. eden reveled in every pop and crackle her cramped bones made, and she shook herself, shedding debris from her nest and strands of creamy-white fur. that done, she rolled her shoulders and adjusted her head to its usual high angle, lowering her muzzle downward as if attempting and succeeding to give off the impression that she lorded over all. tail raised and muscles taunt with confidence, the snowshoe padded out of the hole in the ground that was her den, coming out to stand in the shadow the rock above it cast. eden strutted with her usual self-assuredness and serenity out into the early morning, stepping from the shadows and swathing her petite body in the bleak, cloud-obscured light of the sun. she hesitated a moment in the center of her self-claimed clearing, surveying her surroundings with keen blue eyes. the heather hollow was a fine place of residence; it had all eden needed, after all──protection from the swaths of heather, concealment due to it being in the side of a hillside, and even the occasional bite to eat. it was strange to associate the place as "hers". ever since she'd left her humans' household and her mother, colette, eden had never really stayed long enough in a place to call it hers. everything was only temporary──the shelter, food, or company. the young loner was used to that kind of life, you see, like all loners were. unlike clan cats, loners weren't exactly the type to form long, everlasting bonds.
indent which reminded eden of the "valleyclan" cats she had observed in her short time here. never had she encountered such a strange society in her past moons of travel. the clan was a large one and their territory massive──their reeks and scent-markers stung the air from the hills to the aspens to the river to the mountains for crying out loud──and they had hierarchy and rules, rules, rules galore. at first, eden had turned the other way, knowing that valleyclan was more tolerant of outsiders and that she wouldn't have an issue with the likes of them. but recently, she found herself intrigued. she wondered what it was like to live like that: have consistent friends, food, and a warm nest to snuggle up in each night. but eden was a loner, and she had no time for such foolhardy affairs. and right now, i need to catch some breakfast, the snowshoe thought, lapping the fur of her chest down, stalking across the hollow, and shunting through the heather to the golden hills beyond.
indent the moment eden left the shelter of the hollow, wind blustered into her pretty maw, making her whiskers fling crazily and blue eyes water. it was very chilly and overcast as all get out, fat gray clouds scudding across the sky and blotting out the sun and leftover stars every once in a while. even without the gauze of the clouds, the sun was weak. autumn had made it tired, and it was starting to relent to its brother, the moon. the warm-colored molly set off, slinking low to the ground and pink nose wriggling, attempting to pick out scents amongst the wind. she had stalked over a few hillsides──through windblown bushes, across small veiny streams──before she caught a promising fragrance on the breeze. rabbit. instantly, eden was alert, pupils narrowing, breath hushing, body flattening to the yellow grasses beneath it. eden moved slowly as the scent became stronger and stronger, one with the earth, sticking to whatever cover or ditches she could. if she was too hasty, the perfect silence around her would be shattered, and she would lose all hope of catching her quarry. if she was impatient, the drive to kill could squander the hunt and her prey would go fleeing. the masked snowshoe took her time. she caught sight of the rabbit from her vantage point behind a thicket, luckily upwind of it, and she watched its dusty brown coat and cotton tail bob temptingly before her. sinking her teeth into such a treat would be a fine change from everything else she had been eating these past few sunrises; mice and lizards were hardly suitable, but a rabbit still retaining its plumpness despite the cold? eden needed this kill.
indent she put one brown-coated paw before the other, resisting the urge to charge. the lithe snowshoe had never been a very patient molly, so ignoring her heart and belly, which were screaming at her to sprint after the rabbit right away, was painstaking work. closer and closer she inched, until she was only a bound away. eden extended her pale pink claws, heartbeats away from flesh in her maw, when suddenly, another cat leapt out from behind a bush across from her. eden's cold blue eyes widened in surprise and all she could see was a gray mass of fur and yellow eyes before she was knocked to the ground, landing on her back with a resounding thud. there was a throbbing pain where she made impact with the ground and her eyes shut, a hiss of annoyance and pain escaping her lips. the snowshoe waited a beat before blinking her orbs open, only to have them met with those of another. her attacker──a large tom──had his nose practically touching hers and he was really too close for comfort. eden's nose wrinkled and she worked her paws beneath the male's chest, pushing him off and creating some distance between them that was a relief to feel.
indent "what are you, tom? blind? hasn't your mother ever taught you to keep your eyes forward while you randomly leap over bushes and nearly crush a molly in the process?" eden snapped, getting to her paws and taking a seat, sitting prim and proper before the male with her gaze cold and chest puffed defensively.
indent now that he wasn't so close, she was allowed a better look at him. handsome was the first thing she thought, but the snowshoe quickly dismissed it, despite its truthfulness. the male was a light gray tabby with large ears that were curled at the tips; his fur was longer than hers and thick, and his eyes . . . he had very nice yellow eyes, all big and moony with round pupils. he also reeked of valleyclan; no doubt he was one of them. but because he hadn't made a move to attack, eden stayed seated. before the stranger could realize that her gaze had been lingering a little too long, she turned her head to the side, displaying aloofness and detachment. in doing so, eden remembered the rabbit she'd been after, and disappointment and malcontent flooded her. it was long gone now, probably in the safety of its burrow . . . thanks to the big oaf opposite her.
