EXPLORE TITLE: ~ 20 • Explore ~xxxxxxxxxxxxx═ ═══ ═
Far beyond the desert plains, and far beyond the crater, amongst distant starry grasses, two silhouettes crouched… Breathing together their hearts silently raced, desperate for answers, and the atmosphere heavy with the sound of silence. The winds of stardust pulled taught, as the two cats fear for the fates of their descendants.
Time seemed to stretch out for an eternity, punctuated by nothing but silence…
At last, Emberstorm let out a desperate sigh, “I… I just don’t know how to reach them…” Fear gripped her heart as she remembered the danger of a prophecy untold. “Opalflight…” She gazed upon her loving soulmate’s astral form, “Wh- What do I do?” her voice faltered as she spoke. “We already lost Wanderclaw…” Tears began to pool in her eyes and fall down her cheeks, she began to weep “I have failed them.” She whispered. Tears streaming to the floor, she hung her head low, defeated…
Opalflight’s heart sank as her strong and powerful Emberstorm, was reduced to helplessly sobbing. “Emberstorm… I promise…” She paused, “Emberstorm I need you to look at me,” her voice warm and gentle. “I promise we will save them, every last soul down there, I promise we will save them all ” She looked deep into her partner’s beautiful mismatched eyes, “I promise to fight for them all…”
Emberstorm gazed back into her lover’s eyes, they remained there frozen in a silent vow for no more than a moment.
Deep within her partner’s Amber eyes, Emberstorm saw the truth and she knew… She had to keep fighting.
Emberstorm rose to stand on her shaky legs, exhausted from chasing this dream through the starry plains.
Opalflight walked close by her side to hold her steady.
“Emberstorm, I know that clans shouldn’t share prophecies, but maybe in these dire times we could make an exception?”
“You know Crowleap won’t let that happen…” Emberstorm said with a sigh.
Opalflight responded, at last that familiar playful glint came back to her eye “I never said we’d ask him” with a brief pause Opalflight finally responded “I promise you, we’ll save them…”
Gathering up the little hope she had left, Emberstorm nodded, pushing forwards to follow Opalflight’s lead, ready to give this all another shot.
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The sweet winds of the desert dawn dusted the pale trees and warm earth, the stars faintly shimmered above as the night’s chill seeped from the earth. Amongst bundles of grass and dry desert shrubs Opalflight’s ethereal visage raced towards Ridgeclan’s camp, and close by her side, Emberstorm’s celestial form trailed.
They were on a mission and their destination was none other than Onyxdream. She was the only listening cat of the crater that was within Starclan’s reach.
After an eternity travelling amongst the desert, they found the clan.
The starry furred cats danced among the sleeping members of Ridgeclan searching for the the daughter whose visage echoed songs of the night. Looking like no more than a silhouette sprawled out on the desert sands, Opalflight whispered to only her mind, "Onyxdream, I have a message…" and with a deep breath, "I need you to follow me…"
Onyxdream stirred, letting out a sleepy whisper "wh- what? Is..? are you…" and with a final word, she fully awoke "...Opalflight??"
"Yes my dear, I've returned, somethings happening…” a quiet urgency entered Onyxdream’s mind “I need you to follow me."
She rolled to her belly and lifted her body into a sit. With a short sleepy exhale, she signalled to Opalflight, she was ready to go. As the two set off, out of the corner of her eye, she could swear she almost saw a flash of orange…
Onyxdream spoke aloud "Where have you been Opalflight?? I've been waiting for you..? I've felt so lost without you…" Onyxdream's voice quivered with the ghost of the anxiety she had been feeling.
"I'm sorry young one, there's… something happening, and we're truly not sure what it is…"
"What do you mean we're?"
As Onyxdream asked she realised that they were approaching the Craterclan border. She frowned, not understanding… Almost exactly when she frowned, a second starclad cat revealed themselves to Onyxdream. "Hello young one, sorry for intruding, but we have a favour to ask"
Onyxdream almost jumped out of her skin, the only ghostly cat she'd ever seen had been the cloud-like Opalflight. This new cat stood before her, looked almost as though her fur was set alight by the stars sprinkled over her. Even at rest, she burned with a ferocity that Onyxdream almost couldn't withstand. She looked anxiously towards Opalflight.
"I'm Emberstorm, it's nice to meet you Onyxdream" she bowed her head toward Onyxdream.
How does she know my name her heart raced with uncertainty. Glancing back at Opalflight again, she saw her eyes sparkle with admiration as she gazed at her starry companion. Her mind eased a little, as scary and new as this was, she’d always been able to trust Opalflight and she felt this time would hopefully be no different.
“Onyxdream, my sweet child, something awful is on the way…” Opalflight hesitated, unsure of how exactly to convey the danger that the clans were in. “It’s something shrouded in darkness, and fear, I need you to ready the clans for what may come…”
“D-did you say clan-s, as in both?”
Emberstorm chimed in “Unfortunately…”
Opalflight tried to clear the context “Craterclan’s developing a blockage, and much like I call to you, Emberstorm calls to kits in craterclan, but they do not answer… Onyxdream, I need you to know how important it is that you deliver this message to Craterclan. It may be the only thing to save them.”
Onyxdream’s head began to spin, Dad would never forgive me if he knew I was helping them… Can I really risk that fate?
Opalflight silently winced at Onyxdream’s hesitation, she seemed to forget that Opalflight could hear her thoughts… Trying to offer subtle guidance, “the choice is yours, but remember you may also reap what you sow…”
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Onyxdrem reflected on this request for many nights, but on this night, she awoke with a sense of urgency she hadn’t felt in some time… She’d made her decision and the time was now, her fur stood on end as she danced among the sleeping Ridgeclan, the sunrise casting golden hues over her friends and family.
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Far across the crater, a light brown tabby stared at the sky as she watched the stars disappear, with a sigh Dawnfeather lamented the fact that she hadn’t heard a peep from Starclan in moons. With a sigh she began to walk under this twilight sky, hoping she might even hear the whispers of a long silent Starclan.
An unknown while passed and as she wandered even further eastward she saw a silhouette on the morning horizon, a stranger, much closer than they should have been definitely on the wrong side of their border…
She dropped low to the ground and began to sneak towards this shadowy stranger flecked in hues of blue and orange readying herself for a confrontation. As she grew closer she could see that it was only a cat of apprentice age… It would be unfair for a warrior to fight an apprentice alone…
“Hey you!” She called, hoping not to scare the stranger too badly, “What do you think you’re doing this far west of the border?”
Onyxdream froze, a feminine voice called out to her, a Craterclan member…
I really didn’t think this through enough. Shewinced and braced herself for what might come, as she bowed her head and announced “I- I have a message for Craterclan! Its a-about an impending disaster… Y- your starguide called to me, she begged me to tell you…” Her voice trembled.
Dawnfeather paused, Starclan!? How did she know about their silence?? Her expression of confusion betrayed her thoughts.
“Emberstorm! That’s her name! Please! I think it’s urgent you need to prepare your clan…” Her hesitation was buried under the urgency she had awoken with on this dawn. Onyxdream grew breathless as she tried to say it all as fast as she could.
“I know no cat by the name of Emberstorm, Starclan or otherwise” Dawnfeather squinted at Onyxdream, growing doubtful of the stranger’s words.
“She said she was trying to contact you, but there was some sort of blockage? I- I don’t know… Please…” Onyxdream was begging now, at a loss, how could she possibly prove her authenticity…
Dawnfeather watched this Ridgeclan apprentice grapple with the severity of her message, she was either a truly gifted actor or she wholeheartedly believed her message, to travel to a neighbouring clan’s camp, alone…
“The twins! She said there was kits that ignored her call!” Onyxdream was struck with crucial information that might finally sway Dawnfeather’s belief.
Dawnfeather hesitated, uncertain of her clan’s future and beginning to worry that Onyxdream was right about an impending doom… “I cannot trust you fully based off your word alone, however I can ask the kits.” Dawnfeather sighed as she braced herself for the future to come. “As for your trespassing, please don’t return to this territory, I truly don’t want to have to fight… If you return, I may have no choice,”
Onyxdream stood a little straighter, no longer cowering, “I felt it couldn’t wait, but I understand,” she sighed, relieved that she was being listened to.
“Let me escort you somewhat back to the border,” Dawnfeather offered, sensing that this apprentice couldn’t particularly hurt her.
The journey to the border was largely uneventful, but after saying farewell to Dawnfeather, she began to worry about whether her absence was noticed…
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Her black pelt helped her hide during the nights, but now, with the sun high overhead she stuck out severely. No matter how careful her pawsteps
she’d barely be able to hide as she re-entered camp…
Then she spotted him. His similar shadowy pelt and burning orange eyes. Onyxdream’s stomach turned. Her fears had come true.
The walk back to camp was excruciatingly quiet, and yet Crowleap’s silent fury screamed out in her mind.
As she entered camp Honeyseed spotted her and gleefully
called out “Oh! Onyxdream! You’re alright! I thought something terrible might have happened to you!” Onyxdream continued to hang her head in shame…
It was only once they made it to the leader’s den did he finally speak “What in the heaven’s sake do you think you we’re doing no only crossing the border alone, but you were WITH Craterclan’s teller! You better have an incredible explanation for this!”
Rage coursed through his every syllable, she knew she’d messed up bad.
“Dad, I know it looks b-”
“Bad, Uh huh, do you have ANY idea what could have happened to you” Crowleap cut her off, absolutely fuming.
“You were such a good kit and now you’re transpiring with our enemies! I can’t even be-”
“It’s not like that!” Onyxdream burst out “Starclan needed me to carry a message. That’s it!”
“You’re telling me that Craterclan’s ghosts have infected your dreams…” he spat “How DARE they come after my daughter like that! They’re preying on your naivety! You’re not allowed out of camp unaccompanied at all! After a stint like this, it might be forever!” He growled his last sentence “Can’t trust my own daughter thanks to those outsiders” He stalked out of the leader’s den…
Onyxdream was left truly speechless, her world was tumbling down around her.
Opalflight… why…. She let out a heavy sigh, she never heard from Opalflight inside camp…
Honeyseed burst into the leader’s den, “what happened? I’ve never seen Crowleap that mad! Are you unwell?”
“Not physically… I-” tears began to stream down her face, “I just wanted to make the right choice…”
“What choice?” Honeyseed’s sweet voice settled Onyxdream’s heart only slightly.
“Starclan told me I had to deliver a message, about a great danger and they couldn’t get through to Craterclan, Starclan said that Craterclan might die if this message didn’t get to them…”
“Starclan? Onyxdream, I haven’t anything concerning from starclan in a short while, and my connection with them would be stronger, I doubt it was actually Starclan.” Honeyseed’s sweet voice failed to hide her dismissal of Onyxdream’s dilemma. “Maybe you need to sleep it off, being awake too long can make cats see some unusual things…”
Even my own clan won’t listen, how do I have any hope that Craterclan ever will?
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As dusk graced the horizon and the sun disappeared from the sky, a familiar trio wandered from Craterclan’s burrow. The spinifex grasses nearby were cast an almost mustard hue, in this evening light. Littlepaw laughed as Zip danced about chasing a tiny white butterfly. He let out a puff of smoke, frustrated as no mathher how har he tried to munch, the butterfly flew beyond his reach. Finchpaw paused to look at the twilight stars above, “I can’t believe that this is the same sky I’ve always lived under…” Finchpaw laughed, “weird isn’t it? That we all have such different lives under the same sky?”
Zip looked at him scrunching his nose clearly bumfuzzled
by Finchpaw’s proposition, quickly losing focus he began to chase down another butterfly.
Littlepaw giggled “I don’t think he quite understood, but yeah it's weird I guess… I think I never thought about it… Life’s just always been pretty good for Craterclan…”
Back inside the Craterclan burrow, Dawnfeather awoke the heat feeling as though the sun was high overhead, but peaking out of the burrow, she could see it was night and she’d slept in… Weird.
Remembering her conversation with Onyxdream the night before, she began to seek out Sandkit and Pearkit. She had to find out what they knew.
As she approached the nursery, she heard Blossomheart call out “Hi Dawnfeather! How are you?”
Smiling Dawnfeather replied “I’m doing well! How are you? And the kits?”
“I’m doing great! These two always seem to be bickering, or have some sort of beef
going on, but other than that they’re well!”
“Hi Dawnfeather!” Pearkit spoke just moments before she spun around and tackled her sister, “Hey! No fair! I was distracted!”
Dawnfeather laughed, before finally getting to the reason she had come to the nursery “I have a question for you two… Did you have a dream about anyone saying they were a ‘Starguide’?”
The two kits nervously looked at each other, and Sandkit nervously shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
“How did you know that?!” Pearkit burst out.
Dawnfeather gasped.
She did her best to shake off her shock, now she needed to know what this starguide had said… “Can you remember what she said?”
“She tried to trick us into being scared! She said it’s going to get hot but it’s already hot!” The two kits laughed together both remembering their silly encounter with Emberstorm.
Dawnfeather lightly laughed with the kits, desperately trying to hide her shock and confusion…
“That sounds like quite the dream! I need to patrol soon, maybe I’ll be back to talk to you both soon” she winked at the kits, bidding them farewell.
Hurrying over to snowspark’s den, she needed his tactical help for what she could possibly do…
“Snowspark! Starclan’s revealed a dangerous future for us…”
Before long, the two founders of Craterclan realised their only option was to seek out refuge in Ridgeclan’s territory…
The crescent moon hung low in the night sky and at last, Snowspark and Dawnfeather stood before the territory’s border. The two shared a nervous glance hoping their half-baked desperate plan would save their loved ones.
Not a moment after Dawnfeather’s paw touched Ridgeclan earth, claws struck her back and side, knocking her to the ground. Snowspark growled as he fell to the hard ground. Both Craterclan cat’s pinned down by the weight of their foes. “W- Wait!”
For only a second, nothing but the wind responded to Dawnfeather’s yelp.
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And then from the darkness a shadow called “Would you look at that,” a voice dripping with disdain spat from the nearby bushes, “I knew Craterclan were lowly but I can’t believe that even the leaders of Craterclan would stoop as far as disrespecting the borders we had even agreed upon.” Dawnfeather stared up in shock at Crowleap’s vicious orange eyes. “I will say, I’m not surprised though, your ancestors were just as wicked.” He paused for no longer than a moment. “Poisoning my daughter’s mind with their lies and tricks.”
“Please, Crowleap! We’re not trying to attack! We need help!” Dawnfeather began to plead.
“Starclan has foretold that we must escape or our clan is doomed,” Snowspark locked eyes with Crowleap, staring him down even from the ground.
“And who gave you that idea? A cat that is merely fifteen moons old? Seems believable…” Crowleap sneered.
“Crowleap, I don’t know what sort of stories you have heard, but this is too high stakes, for clan rivalries. Cats will die because of this!” Snowspark desperately tried to reason with him.
“My answer still stands. You’ll have to figure it out on your own. Now get off my territory” The Ridgeclan leader growled at these intruders.
As the two were released from being pinned, they hurried over to Craterclan’s territory defeated and feeling as though all hope was lost.
Dawnfeather and Snowspark’s hearts sank through the whole silent journey home. Defeat eating away at their courage…
What are we ever going to do..?
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As foretold, in the nights following the burrow grew hotter and the desert’s sparse puddles evaporated faster than usual… Craterclan began sleeping out in what few shadows they could find on thick grassy beds, the only way to separate themselves from the hot earth and the searing sun overhead.
Amongst the danger of sleeping out in the open, most cats did their best to find some form of normalcy. Littlepaw under the blasting heat of the sun, remembered the coolness of the waters of her magical camp. The way the playful fish would splash about in the water, and the wonderful sound of the bubbles she would blow under the water.
The sounds of bubbles echoed in her mind, bloop bloop bloop. Closing her eyes she could almost see the living noodles that Finchpaw called “eels”.
She let out a peaceful sigh, escaping from the awful heat even if only in her mind.
Finch lazily stretched out as he woke up only a little, blinking as he wondered why Zip was outside the burrow, and drifting off before he could realise, they were all outside the burrow.
Littlepaw turned her attention to the sky, the birds that flew freely overhead didn’t seem to suffer from this heat quite as much, and before long she drifted off too, dreaming of running amongst birds way up in the clouds.
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This night began like any other, the sun hung low in the sky, and the sweet eastern winds blew in. Onyxdream dug her claws into the earth and stretched her back as she stared at the pale evening moon. She'd been having trouble sleeping lately, and she’d been using that time to dig out around the bases of the bushes in Ridgeclan’s camp. Dingopaw had discovered that the bushes seemed to grow thicker and stronger if aided by some little moss balls of water. She always marvelled at Dingopaw’s ability to understand plants, and work his magic to have them flourish. Since the day that she’d snuck over to Craterclan, her father had prohibited her leaving the camp at all for fear that she might betray Ridgeclan again but she sort of enjoyed helping Dingopaw with all his gardening. She gently padded around camp, as always keeping herself busy with tidying tasks and organising the herbs for Honeyseed. Cool winds blew over the ridge and Onyxdream breathed in the tranquillity of Ridgeclan’s empty camp.
In just one moment her whole world was about to change.
The night sky split in two bursting alight, birthing a second sun. An impossibly loud crack rang loud and ached in Onyxdream’s ears. Eyes wide she stared at the supernova materialising in her home crater. Panic ripped through her chest and a single thought rang out in her mind.
It’s happening.
Bits of rock and hot ash rained down from the sky, the earth itself tumbling down as the very ground her paws rest upon quaking violently. Her homeland around her had become nothing but apocalyptic. The sky turned a cataclysmic red as the light faded, she could only see glowing rivers of red, right where Craterclan’s camp was.
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Darkness slowly grew to light as Dawnfeather slowly came to ears still ringing. The shockwave of the explosion had thrown her to the ground hard. Blinking through the smoke and confusion, she tried to comprehend what had happened… She- She’d been on a patrol… Maplepaw Her concern immediately flashed to the youngest member of the patrol. She desperately searched for Maplepaw, she knew the young apprentice would have taken the blow much harder than she had. “Maplepaw!” Squinting she saw a silhouette too large to be an apprentice, as she crept closer she saw it was Sunfoot. She sighed a breath of relief “Oh Sunfoot, you’re okay! It’s me, Dawnfeather! We need to find the others!”
“I know! Where’s Maplepaw?” Sunfoot echoed Dawnfeather’s unspoken worries.
“We need to keep looking!” Resting her tail on Sunfoot to not lose her in the thick black smoke, she realised how tight her chest felt as the smoke stole fractions of her air. Crouching low Sunfoot hoped she might be able to see more where the smoke seemed thinner. Just as she did she heard coughing not far from where her and Dawnfeather were, it sounded like Clayfreckle and Aspenwind had found each other. “Crouch low! The air’s a little thinner down there! Has anyone seen the apprentices?!” Sunfoot called to the other two warriors, the silence from the two apprentices hung heavy in her mind. As her and Dawnfeather scoured the small area that the warriors had been thrown to, she caught Littlepaw’s scent. She hurried towards her apprentice’s smell, and as she grew closer she heard laboured breathing and quiet crying.
“Littlepaw, please what’s wrong? I- I’m scared…” Maplepaw whimpered.
“Maplepaw! Thank stars you’re alright! It’s okay, we’re here now.” Dawnfeather reassured the young apprentice,”
Dawnfeather hurried over to the two apprentices, and she could hear Littlepaw’s breathing was laboured but steady. “She’ll be okay Maplepaw,” she curled herself around the apprentice taking her into her warmth. Her sobbing slowed as the warriors around her brought her back into a world of safety.
Aspenwind stared at his daughter unconscious but breathing. Both horrified he’d been so close to losing her and ecstatic that she’d most likely recover.
He snapped from his stupor and rushed over to clean his daughter’s ears and face, hoping that maybe, just maybe it would help her come to and they could escape from this dark landscape they’d been thrown into.
Before long Littlepaw blinked her eyes open and her breathing slowly returned to normal.
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3195 words
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╭── ●○ ───── ◉ ───── ○● ──╮CATS ON PATROL
Dawnfeather |she/her | HP 100% | HUP 10% | Sick: N
Clayfreckle |he/him | HP 100% | HUP 0% | Sick: N
Aspenwind |he/him | HP 100% | HUP 20% | Sick: N
Sunfoot |she/her | HP 100% | HUP 20% | Sick: N
Littlepaw |she/her | HP 100% | HUP 0% | Sick: N
Maplepaw |she/her | HP 100% | HUP 0% | Sick: N╰── ●○ ───── ◉ ───── ○● ──╯ ╭── ●○ ── ◉ ── ○● ──╮╰── ●○ ── ◉ ── ○● ──╯ ╭── ●○ ── ◉ ── ○● ──╮LEVEL 7
746/950 EXP
╰── ●○ ── ◉ ── ○● ──╯ ╭── ●○ ── ◉ ── ○● ──╮╰── ●○ ── ◉ ── ○● ──╯ ╭── ●○ ── ◉ ── ○● ──╮ACTIVE QUESTS
N/A
╰── ●○ ── ◉ ── ○● ──╯ ╭── ●○ ── ◉ ── ○● ──╮INVENTORY
▉PREY:▉
scraps | 1FP | x6
bugs | 1FP | x7
spinifex hopping mouse | 2FP | x1
dunnart | 2FP | x3
plains mouse | 2FP | x1
bearded dragon | 3FP | x2
desert skink | 3FP | x3
bush stone curlew | 4FP | x1
wallaby | 5FP | x2
▉HERBS: ▉
blackberry leaves | x1
borage leaves | x1
bright eye | x2
broom | x1
burdock root | x1
burnet | x1
chamomile | x1
chervil | x1
coltsfoot | x1
daisy leaves | x2
dock | x2
fennel | x1
hawkweed | x1
mallow leaves | x1
marigold | x1
dried oak leaves | x1
ragwort leaves | x1
ragwort | x2
rush | x1
stick | x1
stinging nettle | x1
yarrow | x1
holly berries | x2
deadly nightshade | x1
water hemlock | x1
╰── ●○ ── ◉ ── ○● ──╯ ╭── ●○ ── ◉ ── ○● ──╮ITEMS USED IN THIS EXPLORE
N/A
╰── ●○ ── ◉ ── ○● ──╯ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Some notes to the writers:
{I used all 10 words! Woo!}
I'd like to claim this quest exp too please! June 2023 Quest (25 exp)
Hi! This is left super open ended on purpose and I’d love to invite you to exercise full creative freedom over how they might react! The edge of the crater they once called home, has exploded in a volcanic eruption, and it’s awfully close to Craterclan’s camp!
Dawnfeather, Clayfreckle, Sunfoot, Littlepaw (mentor is Sunfoot), Aspenwind, Maplepaw (mentor is Aspenwind) were on their way back from a patrol when the crisis hits. I have updated their descriptions in my clan’s archive if you’d like to get to know them better. You are also welcome to use Emberstorm as a helpful ghost/NPC/Starguide if you feel that they might need some extra help through the crisis!
You are also welcome to leave your response more abstract and go all vibey instead if you prefer! Thank you so much!<3
xxmoonclan !
