[❂] as we walk in fields of gold - ValleyClan - OPEN!

[AtlasHyperion]

Ashstar
Ashstar - female - 120 moons - leader - location: meeting rock - tags: Clan
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The small calico molly curled her tail around her paws as she sat back atop the tall meeting rock. She waited a few moments for the whole Clan to be within earshot before beginning. "As you all know, we go on patrols in the morning. Nazareth, take Cloudwhisker, Morningmask, Dovewind, and Dawnpaw out to the river to see how soon you think it's going to freeze over, how plentiful the fish are, and to catch as many as you can bring back. It's going to be a cold winter, and we don't want to be taken by surprise. Crookedbreath, take Sootface, Ebonymask, Owlfang, and Huck to the aspen forest, in the direction of the summer camp. Same thing I told the others; check on supply of prey and catch whatever you can carry. Dismissed." She was aware that she'd paired cats between whom there was some tension, but hoped that this fuss over names and blood could all be resolved before winter hit and they had to sleep practically on top of each other to keep warm. And Poppysong was going to have her kits soon, which was poor timing, considering the change in weather.

Aprilpaw
Aprilpaw - female - 16 moons - med. cat apprentice - location: camp - tags: Thicketwind, Clan
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She sat attentively as Ashstar finished organizing patrols, then turned to find her mentor, Thicketwind, as the calico dismissed the Clan. For a few moments she couldn't find him, but then she noticed his distinct pattern quite close by, and trotted over to him. "What was that you were saying about herbs?"

Nazareth
Nazareth - male - 72 moons - senior warrior - location: camp - tags: Clan
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The tom refused to stop grumbling about his leader, whom he was quite fond of, though didn't show it, as she put him on a patrol with Dovewind and her minion, Dawnpaw. The two were hardly the most accepting cats he knew, which was why he made a point to avoid them as much as possible. No point in arguing with Ashstar, however; once the molly set her mind to it, no one could convince her not to proceed with her plan. She was probably trying to resolve the conflict, but, as a Clanborn cat, she wouldn't understand. Oh, well. He would do his best not to make snarky comments or antagonize, and hoped that the others would do the same. He sat at the edge of camp, where a well-worn path of paw prints and scuffs of tails and prey across the dust led down from the hill and faded in several directions, waiting for his patrol to come join him.

Whiskey
Whiskey - male - 96 moons - elder - location: camp -> nursery - tags: Clan, Poppysong?
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Whiskey, though he liked to pretend that he couldn't care less about anything but food and sleep, wasn't oblivious or unobservant, and didn't fail to notice that Ashstar had put the temperamental Dovewind and her impressionable apprentice Dawnpaw with the rather volatile Nazareth. That was going to end well. Unfortunately, Huck was leaving, too, so he wouldn't be able to tell his story. Oh, well. Poppysong might be in the nursery, and a busy queen was almost always in the mood to share prey and talk. He picked up the bird Huck had awoken him for and padded off to the nursery with it, tail twitching in the breeze and bones cracking as he stood. "Poppysong?" the old grouch called into the entrance of the nursery.

[deftonesly]

ＴＨＩＣＫＥＴＷＩＮＤ！

age. 30 m . rank. medicine cat . where. camp . tags. clan ; aprilpaw . words. 609
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lol
ashstar was seated upon the tall meeting rock, wrapping her tail around her paws as thicketwind bent to bite into aprilpaw's pine marten, one furry ear trained on what the calico had to say. when the valleyclanners had quieted down around him, the burned molly spoke, voice calm and authoritative above the wind that whistled over the camp's rock-dotted surface. "as you all know, we go on patrols in the morning. nazareth, take cloudwhisker, morningmask, dovewind, and dawnpaw out to the river to see how soon you think it's going to freeze over, how plentiful the fish are, and to catch as many as you can bring back. it's going to be a cold winter, and we don't want to be taken by surprise." thicketwind nodded at the curt words in silent agreement as he licked his whiskers clean of the last remnants of his meal and straightened. indeed, the valley was crisp with the warning signs of leaf-bare already; the clan needed to be well-stocked in order to survive. even though the fields of gold had always been kind to them in the past . . . no chances were to be taken as long as thicketwind was around.
indent "crookedbreath, take sootface, ebonymask, owlfang, and huck to the aspen forest, in the direction of the summer camp. same thing i told the others; check on the prey supply and catch whatever you can carry. dismissed." the big brown-and-white tom thought it interesting that the cool molly had grouped clan-born cats with cats that didn't sport traditional names──nazareth and huck. he had a hard time believing that the wizened old leader would do this without a reason; perhaps it was a vain attempt to settle the tension between clanmates. ever since valleyclan had made it acceptable to join its ranks without a clan name, well . . . cats had been wrought with nerves, fur edging out like spines and harsh words ready to explode upon anyone that thought traditional names were the way to go or vice versa. thicket wind himself thought clan matters to be frivolous and pointless in the end; a cat was a cat, regardless of their name . . . and a patient was a patient.

indent as the clan separated and the called cats grouped together to complete their tasks, the broad maine coon pushed his thoughts aside. ashstar's decision was her own──all the medicine cat could do was pray that tempers didn't flare and that the patrols would return without scratches for him to tend to. aprilpaw dragged him into complete consciousness by drawing near and mewing, perky as ever, "what was that you were saying about herbs?" thicketwind blinked his vibrantly yellow eyes and remembered their lacking storage and what they needed to stock up on. "we need to gather feverfew and chamomile most importantly──also, if you happen to see some raspberry leaves, pick those up too." he got to his feet, uncurling his massive tail and shaking out his long coat. he cast a glance at the hills beyond camp . . . and then the bordering mountains and their yellow aspens, wondering what they had in store for them today. "we may be out for a while, and we'll be splitting up somewhere along the way as well . . . however, not before a quick assessment on your knowledge is made." he looked at the small gray tabby pointedly, a twinkle in his eye, and then started padding across camp, shadow stretching before him across the rocks. without another second to waste, he began bounding down the hill, pouncing from flat rock to flat rock. "come along!"

ＥＤＥＮ！

age. 19 m . rank. loner . where. golden valley . tags. sootface . words. 463
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lol
the valleyclan cat's expression seemed to shift in an instant──going from frustrated and irritable to downright furious in the mere seconds of silence that followed eden's answer. the big gray tabby flattened his curly ears against the back of his skull, drawing his lips back to reveal sharp white teeth protruding from pink gums. he tensed up like a dying spider, ligaments drawing closer together and spine arching in ire as he backed away, hissing out in venomous spurts, "i don't owe you a thing!" eden's ears flattened in answer, and she backed off as he did, sliding out her claws and bushing out her warm-colored fur. the prospect of a fight whispered in her ears . . . would she take it? it wouldn't be unlike the snowshoe to do so. when the valleyclan cat pressed on, annoyance rippling from him in heated waves, eden's icy blue eyes narrowed and a growl rumbled within her. "run off and catch your rabbit. you haven't helped me at all!"
indent the snowshoe let the words hit her full on, allowed them to singe her . . . she absorbed them, reading the signs of the tom's body and deliberating on what her next move should be. the gray tabby was hostile, not ready to fight . . . but definitely thinking about it, just as she was. who is he to speak to me in such a way? i've done nothing wrong! he's the one getting his tail in a knot! maybe it's time someone sets him straight, and shows him just what a lady can do when you push her around too much for your own good . . . the petite molly tensed her hindquarters, lashed her dark brown tail, and felt every bit of her body tense with her decision. she snarled, unafraid now, blue eyes blazing and pelt nothing more than a spiny messy atop her form, "you know what, tom? i'm tired of playing nice with you. perhaps it's time you've learned your lesson on how to talk to ladies."

indent without further hesitation, eden leapt impulsively for the big warrior, mind nothing but a half-thinking red haze and teeth bared to sink into tabby fur. if there was one thing the loner wouldn't stand for, it was being pushed around . . . becoming someone's door mat for them to wipe their paws upon. and something about this delirious, know-it-all jerk made her blood boil, and now she could no longer take his nasty tone and narrowed orbs. she was going to claw some respect into him, and most definitely wouldn't take his offer to run away. a challenge was a challenge, and eden? well, she never could resist one. house cat or not, that would never change.

[crash the mode]

x

HUCK ➳ THE SUN UPON THAT PLACE
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valleyclan apprentice · where camp · with whiskey, crookedbreath

indentIt wasn't that he didn't want to go out with the patrol so much as he'd wanted a bit more morning to himself. With leaf-bare on its way the likelihood that they would start sleeping in rose, but that was hardly free time so much as it was a gaping lack of. Not to mention he'd wanted to hear Whiskey's story.

indent"Hold that story for me, old bag!" Huck got to his paws and kicked into a trot to catch his mentor. Their patrol was... well, they weren't cats he had any problems with, necessarily. He just didn't know them well enough to pass real judgement. That was it. Huck came to a stop (though his paws didn't stop tapping before him) beside their smaller gathering, tail puffed to a significant width and eyes bright. "So, the aspen forest..." The sooner they could get going, the sooner they could get back-- not to mention the less time Whiskey would have to hobble over and chew off his insubordinate ears.

DOVEWIND ➳ TAUGHT HIM A LESSON HE WOULDN'T FORGET
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valleyclan warrior · where camp · with dawnpaw

indentAshstar's intentions weren't lost on Dovewind, but rather than rise to whatever bait their leader had set, she kept her level gaze cool and an unreadable smile on her face. She was trying to stay in Ashstar's good graces, after all. Nothing good would come of starting trouble with one of her clanmates, no matter how unworthy of that title she deemed them. Dovewind cocked her head to one side and offered Dawnpaw an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry, Dawnpaw, but it looks like we'll be busy for a while. When we return, though, I'll give you that lesson I promised."

indentThe warrior stood with a small flourish of her tail, beckoning her apprentice to follow. Nazareth-- temperamental as he was --didn't seem to have taken kindly to this patrol arrangement either, and he'd gone to wait as far away from the meeting as he could while still within limits of the camp. Dovewind approached him coolly and didn't greet him, instead turning to wait three tail-lengths away on the opposite side of the entrance. Sentries at odds.

SOOTFACE ➳ AND IT LEAVES ME FEELING COLD
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valleyclan warrior · where valley · with eden

indentThis terrible interaction had brought him no closer to finding Mits, and his mood was soured further when the molly became offended. In the back of his mind he cursed what clan law allowed non-clan intruders entry into their territory-- first hunting their prey and now blatant aggression? Never mind that these same laws led him to meet dear Mits. Their code only served him so far as it did, and all else was an irritant. Hypocritical, perhaps, but the stress made it very difficult to care in the moment.

indentIt would only become more difficult to think, Eden further proving she couldn't be trusted in the valley by pouncing with her claws extended.

indent"You know what, tom? I'm tired of playing nice with you. Perhaps it's time you've learned your lesson on how to talk to ladies."

indentHe had that short warning before she was upon him, and Sootface hissed when he felt her claws connect with his shoulder-- turned up in time to defend his throat --and her teeth clacked near his cheek. Hopefully she enjoyed the taste of fur, given it was all her jaws would get the chance to close upon. Sootface wasn't the most adept fighter in ValleyClan but he didn't pull his punches. "Ladies shouldn't expect special treatment when they stroll in with foxhearted intentions!" With another hissed burst Sootface shook her free of his flesh and pivoted to strike out with a sharp set of claws.

POPPYSONG ➳ I DON'T FEEL NOTHING AT ALL
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valleyclan queen · where nursery · with whiskey

indentOf course Ashstar's announcement had nothing to do with her. Poppysong shook her head and retreated into the nursery again, taking a moment to be relieved with the stale warmth that greeted her within. It would only be a short time before she began to lament the lack of circulation, again, and the aged scent of the moss of her nest. She'd paused beside it when the elder Whiskey entered. She smiled, though fatigue surely showed on her face, and she turned to greet him. "Whiskey. I don't supposed you've got an apprentice under all of that fur." With a short purr she gestured him further inside with a sweep of her tail. He'd brought prey. She was touched, and gave the elder's forehead a thankful lick. "You're up early."

[deftonesly]

ＴＨＩＣＫＥＴＷＩＮＤ！

age. 30 m . rank. medicine cat . where. camp . tags. clan ; aprilpaw . words. 609
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lol
ashstar was seated upon the tall meeting rock, wrapping her tail around her paws as thicketwind bent to bite into aprilpaw's pine marten, one furry ear trained on what the calico had to say. when the valleyclanners had quieted down around him, the burned molly spoke, voice calm and authoritative above the wind that whistled over the camp's rock-dotted surface. "as you all know, we go on patrols in the morning. nazareth, take cloudwhisker, morningmask, dovewind, and dawnpaw out to the river to see how soon you think it's going to freeze over, how plentiful the fish are, and to catch as many as you can bring back. it's going to be a cold winter, and we don't want to be taken by surprise." thicketwind nodded at the curt words in silent agreement as he licked his whiskers clean of the last remnants of his meal and straightened. indeed, the valley was crisp with the warning signs of leaf-bare already; the clan needed to be well-stocked in order to survive. even though the fields of gold had always been kind to them in the past . . . no chances were to be taken as long as thicketwind was around.
indent "crookedbreath, take sootface, ebonymask, owlfang, and huck to the aspen forest, in the direction of the summer camp. same thing i told the others; check on the prey supply and catch whatever you can carry. dismissed." the big brown-and-white tom thought it interesting that the cool molly had grouped clan-born cats with cats that didn't sport traditional names──nazareth and huck. he had a hard time believing that the wizened old leader would do this without a reason; perhaps it was a vain attempt to settle the tension between clanmates. ever since valleyclan had made it acceptable to join its ranks without a clan name, well . . . cats had been wrought with nerves, fur edging out like spines and harsh words ready to explode upon anyone that thought traditional names were the way to go or vice versa. thicket wind himself thought clan matters to be frivolous and pointless in the end; a cat was a cat, regardless of their name . . . and a patient was a patient.

indent as the clan separated and the called cats grouped together to complete their tasks, the broad maine coon pushed his thoughts aside. ashstar's decision was her own──all the medicine cat could do was pray that tempers didn't flare and that the patrols would return without scratches for him to tend to. aprilpaw dragged him into complete consciousness by drawing near and mewing, perky as ever, "what was that you were saying about herbs?" thicketwind blinked his vibrantly yellow eyes and remembered their lacking storage and what they needed to stock up on. "we need to gather feverfew and chamomile most importantly──also, if you happen to see some raspberry leaves, pick those up too." he got to his feet, uncurling his massive tail and shaking out his long coat. he cast a glance at the hills beyond camp . . . and then the bordering mountains and their yellow aspens, wondering what they had in store for them today. "we may be out for a while, and we'll be splitting up somewhere along the way as well . . . however, not before a quick assessment on your knowledge is made." he looked at the small gray tabby pointedly, a twinkle in his eye, and then started padding across camp, shadow stretching before him across the rocks. without another second to waste, he began bounding down the hill, pouncing from flat rock to flat rock. "come along!"

ＥＤＥＮ！

age. 19 m . rank. loner . where. golden valley . tags. sootface . words. 422
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lol
a hiss blasted the snowshoe's ears, bouncing through her skull as her coral weapons slammed into the valleyclan tabby's left shoulder.
indent the mingled sound of shock and mild pain gave eden new life; a tussle was well on its way judging by the responding noise and the anger she could practically feel seeping from the snarky brute. and eden was ready──welcomed the idea, even. it was time to begin. the curly-eared male twisted his shoulder in the nick of time, shielding his soft white chest from the lone molly's claws. the small movement allowed eden to get only a scanty taste of the long, wispy fur of the tom's cheek, and she almost roared in plaintive annoyance as she landed on the crackly yellow grasses of the golden plains. the chocolate-masked female spun quickly, body an electrified hissing ball and cold blue eyes narrowed. that wasn't enough! those few snatches of fur were not nearly enough for how demeaning and unnecessarily harsh the valleyclanner had been to her, and continued to be.

indent "ladies shouldn't expect special treatment when they stroll in with foxhearted intentions!" hissed the tom. eden snarled, rearing back to send out a spit-filled retort, when the yellow eyes of the valleyclanner slitted and her adversary surged forward on muscular legs, claws extended and poised to sink into eden's lovely warm coat. while the male was suspended in the whistling morning air, eden acted speedily, swerving to the side and growling, "fox-hearted? you call hunting for food and getting bowled over by an oafish buffoon like yourself fox-hearted!? it was you who made me angry!" she let the words sink in and the moment the big gray tom landed, she acted, lunging for his bushy tail and clamping firmly onto it, biting down hard. it wasn't much──a kit-like move, perhaps──but eden was smart enough to know that, if given the chance, the tabby could wring her neck. she couldn't allow him to pin her down or worse; that would mean defeat. instead eden had to dance out of his way, poking and prodding and snapping until he was tired, and then she could really pummel his strange curly ears.
indent around a mouthful of mottled fur, the snowshoe spluttered, "come to think of it, you're one to talk about foxheartedness. i'm not the cat cavorting with a loner against the will of my clan, now am i?" a snicker followed, and the masked she-cat took delight in the fact that not only her pale claws could cause damage.