𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐶𝑎𝑡𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑅𝑢𝑖𝑛𝑠 [ o&a ]

[gravehound]

[gravehound]

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for many years, the colony has lived peacefully in the swamps that they've made their home. as generations passed, they've adapted to their environment, tending towards longer legs and darker pelts to more easily navigate the treacherous terrain and hide from their prey. with no other cat groups around, surviving is easy, so long as they can avoid the predators that live alongside them. prey is typically plentiful and humans are rarely a bother so far into dangerous wilderness.

unfortunately, the land itself often poses dangers that the colony can do little to combat or protect against. a little under a week ago, a section of the sewers that are used for navigating and heavily relied upon for hunting collapsed. initially, they were flooded so heavily that even the strongest warriors were forbidden from entering them. although the flooding has now dropped to more manageable levels, the water is still high enough to make hunting underground a dangerous venture.

with a strain on prey raising tensions in the colony, many concerns have arisen from losing a portion of their hunting grounds. in particular, the question has come up of whether or not it's still safe to send apprentices into the sewers for their final test with portions falling apart without any warning. due to the nature of colony politics, consisting largely of arguing for weeks on end until the loudest opinion gains enough support, very little has been decided on what to do about it.

a number of unfortunate consequences have arisen from the collapse. many warriors are hesitant to enter the sewers, either out of superstition or rational fear, forcing them to work twice as hard to acquire enough prey to feed the colony from only surface hunting. additionally, numerous apprentices who should have already had their final test and achieved their full ranks have been delayed until a decision can be made on what to do.

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discussion thread

[gravehound]

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I. all cs rules apply, as always
II. do not post all ooc things or character forms in this thread - they go in the discussion
III. please try for at least one paragraph per character in each response - however, keep in mind quality is more important than quantity
IV. please no text smaller than 85 or very bright text colors for readability reasons. please remove signatures here as well
V. try to remain active - please alert me if you need to stop posting for more than two weeks or we will assume you have dropped from the roleplay
VI. high ranks can be reserved for up to 48 hours. all other ranks have unlimited slots until it's decided there are enough
VII. to begin with, please no orphaned kits (must have at least one living parent in the roleplay). additionally, the beginning limit is five characters per person - you may PM me to discuss it if you would like more and believe you can handle it
VIII. diversity in gender and sexuality is accepted and strongly encouraged
IX. try to keep characters realistic in both appearance and ability - no mary sues, godmodding or powerplay. if you wish to have a character with rare traits (sphinx or munchkin cats, male tortoiseshells, etc) please PM me for permission - keep in mind if you choose to that purebreds, especially unique ones like munchkins or sphinxes, will have more difficulty in the wild
X. please try to follow the naming conventions outlined in the setting information. additionally, please consult the list of used names on the discussion thread to avoid duplicates
XI. rules can be edited or added to at any time. alerts will be posted in the discussion thread should this happen

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[gravehound]

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Territory
the majority of the territory is made up of swampy land with intermittent patches of forest with more solid ground. a series of old human ruins are scattered across the territory, often crumbling and sinking into the swamps. underneath the land runs a series of dilapidated sewers, often blocked off from collapses but still serving as a good area for hunting. the camp itself rests in one of the few drier areas in a small forest clearing, dens made of brambles and other foliage woven together into a shelter that mostly protects the inhabitants from the weather. a short ways from camp is the remainder of an old church, one of the most intact and notable ruins in the area. a small river runs nearby where the colony gets their fresh water.

Prey
the colony hunts a wide variety of prey. among the easier catches are mice, rats and other rodents, found all across the territory and often in the sewers, as well as lizards and frogs in the swamps and underground. they also frequently hunt the fish that live in the swamp water and occasionally get into the water running through the sewers, including things like crayfish. more uncommon catches consist of birds, particularly waterfowl, which are easiest to get when young in the spring.

Predators
a number of predators share the land with the colony. the most notable and most dangerous are alligators which can be found rarely in the swamps above ground but primarily below in the sewers. hawks and eagles inhabit the trees and can pose a severe danger to kittens and occasionally to adults. badgers, bears and foxes are territorial but rarely a threat unless antagonized. weasels will occasionally go after a kitten if the opportunity arises. porcupines and deer can be dangerous if bothered but are usually benign when left alone. cougars and bobcats will rarely pass through the area and are considered unfriendly but usually will not go out of their way to bother the colony.

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[gravehound]

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Names
the cats of the colony generally have two names; a formal name and an informal name. informal names can be any normal name, from something you would name your own pet cat to items found in nature - they are typically one word and do not follow the prefixsuffix trend of clans. formal names are a combination of the informal name with their rank before it, such as a cat named manta with the formal name warrior leader manta. formal names are used mainly in situations that require being respectful, such as a lower-ranked cat receiving orders from their leader.

Voting
important decisions which will effect the majority of the colony are voted upon by everyone apprentice age and up.everyone is gathered in an area designated for voting and place stones in spots designated by the leaders depending on their decision. once the votes are cast, each leader will count them once to ensure no miscounts. should a vote threaten the colony's safety, the leaders can unanimously decide to overturn it. one of the most notable uses of the voting system is that both leaders and their seconds are voted into their positions - most often when a leader dies their second will be voted into their place, but occasionally a new cat will be selected by the colony.

Apprenticeships
kittens become apprentices at the age of six months, and will be assigned to an apprentice group based on age upon deciding to be a healer or warrior. a group of adult cats who work well together will be placed in a mentor group and assigned to a group of apprentices. late-stage training focuses more on one-on-one sessions, though group training continues. to finish their training, each apprentice must complete both group and individual assessments, as well as traverse the sewers from the entrance at the far end of the territory to reach the entrance close to the camp. though it seems a harsh test, few apprentices have ever failed.

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[gravehound]

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Warrior Leader
manta - male - 4 yrs - gravehound
Warrior's Second
chickadee - female - 3 yrs - cactus;

Warriors
acorn - male - 2 yrs - starcharts
fox - nb - 3 yrs - gravehound
harmony - female - 1 yr - hiccup'
mango - male - 4 yrs - zena~heatha
unlimited
Warrior Apprentices
pepper - female - 11 mo - starcharts
quinn - female - 10 mo - alykay
name - gender - age - username
unlimited

Queens
name - gender - age - username
name - gender - age - username
unlimited
Kittens
name - gender - age - username
name - gender - age - username
unlimited

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Healer Leader
teller - male - 3 yrs - flower head,,
Healer's Second
crescent - male - 3 yrs - moonmap

Healers
jasper - male - 4 yrs - zena~heatha
river - male - 6 yrs - cactus;
name - gender - age - username
unlimited
Healer Apprentices
name - gender - age - username
name - gender - age - username
name - gender - age - username
unlimited

Elders
quail - male - 16 yrs - hiccup'
pansy - female - 10 yrs - starcharts
name - gender - age - username
unlimited

Outsiders
name - gender - age - username
unlimited

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[gravehound]

[gravehound]

M A N T A
⚜ male ▵ 4 years ▵ warrior leader ▵ middle of camp ▵ open ▵ 525
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manta rose from his nest the moment dawn’s light peeked through the entrance of his den, illuminating the brambles and moss around him. the last few days had been hard on everyone, between the flooding itself and the constant arguing about what to do about it, and as he padded out into the camp, he mused that their only hope for resolving things now was going to be to hold a vote. as if the inconvenience on the rest of the colony wasn’t enough, there were apprentices well beyond the point of receiving their full rank who had been unable to do so.

halting just in front of his den, he languidly stretched out in the first few rays of sun shining through the trees, dappling his black and white pelt, arching his back before standing straight once more. turning his gaze to where the prey pile belonged, beside a large tree stump dominating the center of camp which was used for holding meetings, he was dismayed to see only a couple of sad-looking frogs there. more than anything else, what they needed was a significant increase in hunting patrols - with such limited access to the sewers, it was a struggle to feed everyone, and he had gone hungry more than one day already to allow the rest of the colony to eat. dragging his paws over to the meeting place and twitching the tip of his tail, he sat down beside the pile, sweeping his gaze across the camp. most of the warriors would be rising soon, and at least a couple of patrols needed to go out right away.

he would never admit it to the rest of the colony, of course, but he found himself quite concerned about their future in the swamps. collapses like the one in the sewers weren’t something they could prevent - and unless they could learn to better adapt to it, he wasn’t sure they would survive much longer. many of the colony’s members had grown suspicious and afraid of the sewers, claiming the portions collapsing in were a sign that the colony wasn’t meant to be there, and it was sewing fear through the rest of the cats. unfortunately, that meant that even though the flood waters had receded significantly, almost nobody was still willing to go underground for hunting. if it continued even a few days longer, cats would begin to starve.

closing his eyes and breathing in the early morning air, still cool enough to be comfortable, he tried to steady his thoughts. food was their first priority, with getting their of-age apprentices their full ranks close behind. personally, he was of the opinion it was no longer safe to send their children into the sewers for their final assessments. hunting patrols, going underground only long enough to gather prey before returning, were one thing. oftentimes, though, apprentices spent a full day or more underground during their test. he just wasn’t sure anymore that it was safe to allow them to do so, not when it seemed entire mountains of rubble could fall from the ceiling in a portion of the tunnels at any moment.

F O X
⚙ nb male ▵ 3 years ▵ warrior ▵ outside the warrior’s den ▵ open ▵ 317
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like most of the colony, fox had not been sleeping well. he didn’t think of himself as a particularly superstitious cat, and certainly didn’t feel the sewers collapsing was some kind of divine intervention to chase the colony out of the area. that did not, however, mean that the series of events which had resulted from it were any less concerning to him. food had been scarce - when they ate, it was very little, just enough to keep them going until they could acquire more. most of it had been going to the colony’s queens and apprentices. the colony’s in-fighting, as well, was taking a toll on just about everyone. there were only so many days of arguing with nearly everybody that a cat could take.

carefully navigating around the nests full of sleeping warriors, he stepped out of the den and into the camp, shivering slightly at the cool morning breeze still blowing through. it would turn hot and muggy within hours, as it always did. tail drooping, he glanced across the little clearing that the colony made their home, spotting only manta sitting near the essentially empty prey pile. giving his leader a slight nod, he settled down near the warrior den’s entrance for now, lifting a mostly-white paw to clean his face in an attempt to wake up.

one of the things most aggravating to him, at least, was the delay in making their apprentices warriors. they didn’t really need to hold actual training sessions anymore, of course - the two of them had learned just about everything they were going to learn, which was exactly why they were meant to have their assessments already. still, though, he and his fellow mentors were expected to bring the two younger cats on patrols with them and were continually considered responsible for their well-being. he was quite ready to be done with mentoring for a little while.

[torrentcompany]

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ⅰ. tom ⅱ. 2 years ⅲ. warrior
ⅳ. 319 words ⅴ. outside the warrior's den ⅵ. tags: fox, open

the morning was quiet, though that much wasn't unusual in the colony's territory. sounds always seemed faintly dulled down by the swamps, save for the singing of frogs at night and the buzzing of insects right over the water. in camp, without either of those things, everything felt quiet and still. only awakened by the stirring of other warriors, acorn was more a little reluctant to leave the comfortably dry nest he was curled up in, knowing that beyond the den tended to be a little damp at all times. with a soft sigh, he finally accepted his fate and stood up, arching his back in a long stretch before padding forward out of the den.

immediately, the same problem that hovered over everyone's head came back to him. as far as acorn was concerned, the infighting regarding the collapsed sewers had gone on far too long. it had been almost a week already since they'd fallen in on themselves, and yet, no conclusion had been reached yet. apprentices were being forced to wait long beyond their time to rise to their full ranks, and even worse, hunting was much harder than it should have been. they had never fully relied on the sewers for food, after all, but nearly everyone was panicking as if that were the case. as if they had all suddenly forgotten how to hunt in the forest or marshes.

shaking his head to clear his thoughts for the moment, the brown tomcat lifted his gaze up from the ground to blink across at fox. unsurprised to find him there as well, acorn couldn't help but give a friendly curl of his tail as he settled down, inclining his head slightly. "good morning," he said to the orange cat, unable to contain a sleepy yawn right after speaking. evidently, he could stand to find his nest again for a few more hours.

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ⅰ. molly ⅱ. 11 months ⅲ. warrior apprentice
ⅳ. 466 words ⅴ. middle of camp ⅵ. tags: open

to the surprise of nobody, pepper found herself in the camp much earlier than nearly anybody else. the tortoiseshell molly always seemed to have more energy than she knew how to deal with, and it mostly showed in her eagerness in everything she did, especially when it was something that might bother anyone else. if it was unintentional, she didn't show it. parting her jaws in a wide yawn as her paws touched onto the slightly soggy ground that made up most of the forest, pepper padded towards the center of camp, flicking a glance around at the empty clearing. she really was early.

the slowness of the morning gave pepper far too much time to think. a large part of her seemingly boundless energy stemmed from the fact that she, as an older apprentice, was nearing the end of her training period. for months she had worked hard to earn her place, to prove her worth, and she had just begun to feel like it was paying off before the sewers had collapsed. after that, her training had all but come to a screeching halt. a crucial part of every colony apprentice's training was the time when they learned to navigate the sewers. they had to learn the long, winding tunnels by heart, know where the prey liked to hide, and how to avoid the many dangers that lurked in its darkness.

the colony was all but in chaos regarding the sewers now. with nobody able to come to a decision, pepper and the other apprentices were pushed to the side as more important concerns, such as the danger of any cat getting stuck or crushed by the unstable stone holding the sewers up, or the fact that if they did completely collapse, how they would lose a major source of prey. it was hard to not feel pushed to the side by all of that, even if pepper understood the gravity of the situation. this was something that could very well damage the colony in a way that it might not be able to come back from.

looking up from her paws as others began to finally shuffle from their dens, pepper considered her position. she wasn't doing nothing, at least. almost daily, she accompanied her mentors on patrols throughout the forests, hunting and checking the borders still, and occasionally practicing her battle moves just to make sure that she didn't lose her skills as the days without her real training stretched on. if nothing else, she could impress her colony mates by catching the biggest prey, or by performing the most impressive moves. more content with where she stood than she had been just after waking, pepper curled her tail around her paws, settling down and lifting one paw for a quick wash.

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ⅰ. molly ⅱ. 10 years ⅲ. elder
ⅳ. 250 words ⅴ. inside the elder's den; asleep ⅵ. tags: open

for the most part, the colony was full of cats who weren't afraid to yell to get what they want. that was, after all, just the nature of politics there. if you were going to have your voice heard, then you had to be the loudest, the boldest cat. that was the idea that pansy had always lived by, and she'd made it quite clear over the past week. she was likely in the minority with where her thoughts about the collapsed sewers rested; she was of the opinion that they needed to move on, leave the sewers behind, for if they couldn't move past this and adapt, then the colony was surely doomed to die out.

pansy yelled with the rest of the colony, but after days of arguing and throwing her heart into it all, she was beginning to show her age. the last day or so had left her exhausted, and after a quick check with the healers, had been sent to her nest early the previous night for fear that her constant activity as of late was having an adverse effect on her health. as a result, pansy hadn't felt the need to rise from her nest yet, instead enjoying the rare luxury of having an excuse to sleep in. even an elder in the colony was expected to be social when they could, and though this particular molly usually found enjoyment in talking to others, she was far too overworked at that point to care.

[zena~heatha]

✨Mango✨
||Male||Warior||45 Moons||Crush; Manta|| Tags; Manta, Open||

Mango was lying under the tree at the edge of the camp, relaxing in the shade its branches provided. He liked this tree a lot. There were markings in its trunk, some very small. These marks had been made by the colony, and they were all in neat rows. There were dozens upon dozens. Kits made their marks when they became three moons old. Apprentices made two, one after they caught their first kill and one when they became warriors. Queens made markings when they found out they were pregnant. They also made markings showing how many kits they had. Healers had a branch on the tree specially for their own markings. Then there were the leader marks. There weren't many, but they were so significant. Mango looked at the kit markings. He could see the place where he and his brother made theirs. The marks were very close together. After that Jasper made his marks on the healer branch. Not all cats made the marks on the tree. If every cat made every mark the tree would be sliced apart! Mango thought to himself, amused at the thought.

After a little while Mango had finally finished his mouse, so he stood up, looking around at the camp. He didn't really know what to do, as he hadn't been assigned a job by anyone. Normally someone would send him out hunting, but it was still too early for many other cats to be around. movement caught his eye and Mango swivelled his head, seeing Manta emerging from his den. Mango stood still for a few heartbeats, before padding towards his leader. "Manta!" He mewed, waving his tail at the tom. "How did you sleep?" He asked, purring.

🌲Jasper🌲
||Male||Healer||45 Moons||Crush; Fox||Tags; Open||

Jasper yawned, blinking. He was in his warm nest in the Healer's den, surrounded by the scent of herbs and other cats. Apprentice scent. Cats went in and out of this den all the time, and it was mostly young ones who didn't watch where they were going. It was a bit irritating how often he had to explain what to do when you get something in your paw. Just yesterday one of the apprentices had come in three times between sunhigh and sundown. He couldn't believe they could catch a mouse, but not know how to get rid of a thorn in their paw. They're the thorns in my paw... He thought, a smirk on his face.

Jasper shuffled in his nest, wondering if he should get comfortable and go back to sleep. He spent a while thinking about whether to get up, but decided if he wasn't hungry there wasn't any point. He could see his brother outside and wondered if he should talk to him. Mango was staring at the claw tree. Jasper didn't see much point in cats clawing into that tree, especially since it was never made an official tradition, but he supposed it made cats be happy. That's why Jasper did it all those moons ago. He did it to make his brother happy. Mango had begged and begged him, because apparently the marks would make cats remember them forever. Jasper told him how ridiculous this was, and it hurt Mango's feelings. So, Jasper had woken up early one morning and put his claw mark in the tree, right next to Mango's so that he would know it was Jasper's. Mango said it was the happiest day of his life. He often told Jasper it actually still is.

Jasper twitched his ear, still debating whether to get up or not. Mango stood up and padded away from the tree, so Jasper settled with staying in his nest a while longer.