[Warrdog]

Mook c: Welp. That about seals it for me.

[souldier]

Officially open!

[drift.]

all three are in here just so my story flows a lot better but I'm only entering for the Tawny Buck

[/Aster/]

mark hoping to enter

[G1 Sunstreaker]

Username: G1 Sunstreaker
Tribe thread: viewtopic.php?f=103&t=3755397
Mouse #: 2
Mouse name: Irene ("peace")
Prompt answer: WIP <3

[Knickknacks]

Username: Knickknacks
Tribe thread:Tribe of the Riverside
Entering for mouse #1, #2 or #3? 1
Mouse name: Stormcloud
Prompt answer: Fiiiiinished I think? finally.

An encounter with one of my tribe's border guards, ft. poorly drawn backgrounds as well as Chestnut, one of my mice.

Stormcloud trudged along the riverbank, his paws smarting with exhaustion. His tail dragged limply in the wet sand, his legs were covered in mud and dirt, and his whiskers drooped. The hot midday sun beat down on his back,warming his dark fur so he felt like he was baking in his own skin. Many times he had been tempted to jump into the stream beside him- though to his small stature it looked more like a river- to cool off, but one glance into its swift water told him that in his exhausted state he wouldn't be able to withstand the current.

He had been traveling alone for but a few days, but the absence of his younger companions made it feel like an eternity that he'd spent alone, in no company but his own. If he wanted to get deeper into the Valley he'd have to cross this stream at some point, but so far no decent crossing had presented itself- after the incident a few days ago, when he and his companions had tried to cross that stream by climbing across on a branch, he wasn't taking any chances with unreliable bridges, looking instead for a shallow, slow-moving ford or some stepping stones.

He felt a stab of sadness as he thought about his former companions- he had grown fond of the pair of them in the time they had traveled together, more so than he'd ever admit out loud. He hoped they were safe, and that they found homes of their own wherever they ended up.

Finally, after another small eternity, he came upon an ideal crossing spot- a set of smooth stepping stones, glistening wetly in the sunlight. With a sigh of relief, Stormcloud hurried over to the very edge of the stream, his tired legs protesting weakly. He crouched, bunching his muscles, and leaped, landing squarely on the first rock. He continued crossing, and was on the very last stone when a voice rang out.

"Hey! Hey you! Stop right there!"

Stormcloud stopped and sat up, glancing about warily, his nose twitching. The undergrowth on the side of the stream parted, revealing a young brown buck. Squaring his shoulders, the younger mouse stepped out onto the sandy bank and stood facing Stormcloud.

"You," he began officiously, "Are on the border of the Tribe of the Riverside's territory. Are you friend or foe? You..." he stopped, scanning Stormcloud's tired figure with his yellow eyes, seeming as though he was suddenly able to see him properly. "...you look exhausted," he finished, looking a bit more sympathetic. "What's your business here?"

Stormcloud faltered. He was looking for a tribe, true, but he knew nothing about this mouse or his tribe. He’d keep his purpose hidden until he knew more about them.

"Just passing through," he said slowly.

The other mouse seemed to be thinking hard, shuffling his feet and twitching his whiskers. He stayed like this for a few moments before giving a sharp nod, as though coming to a decision.

"You're welcome to stay the night at our village," he said tentatively. "Take a rest from your journey. I can show you through our territory when you're ready to continue on." He eyed Stormcloud expectantly.

Stormcloud was taken aback. The thought of a rest sounded like heaven to his aching body... though he was still wary, the stranger seemed genuine in his offer. And if he was looking for a tribe, he'd have to see what the options were like, right?

"Sure- that is, yes. I will come with you," he said. The young mouse brightened instantly.

"Alright then!" he chirped enthusiastically, now all smiles. "I'll show you to our village... introduce you to Brindle- she's the leader, she'll be excited to meet you- I'm Chestnut, by the way!" he said, nudging Stormcloud's shoulder in a friendly way when the gray mouse had leapt onto the sand.

Stormcloud found himself smiling back at the younger mouse's enthusiasm as they headed back into the undergrowth.

Brindle was, in fact, pretty excited to meet him. Stormcloud thought that she looked a bit young to be a leader, but the gray mouse had an authoritative bearing about her nonetheless. At Chestnut's call, she emerged from a burrow in the roots of the bush whose canopy arched over the whole village area, long tendrils of leaves falling to the ground and hiding the space from outside view. Stormcloud had to admit it had potential, though currently it was a bit bare.

"Ah, Chestnut," the new mouse- Brindle- said. "You're back. All's well on the border?"

"Yes, ma'am," Chestnut said cheerily. "Eh, that is... mostly all quiet," he added tentatively. "I picked up this traveler and brought him to meet you." At this, he gestured to Stormcloud. Stormcloud saw a skeptical expression crease Brindle's face, a why on earth would you do that sort of look. Chestnut must have noticed it too, for he hurriedly added, "Look at him- he's exhausted. You must have been traveling for days on end, right?" he said, glancing over at Stormcloud, who nodded assent. "See? So I figured we could give him a bit of food and shelter- right? Right?" he prompted, nudging Brindle.

"Alright, alright," Brindle said fondly, shoving him gently in response. "You've convinced me. You," she said, addressing Stormcloud. "What's your name?"

"Stormcloud, ma'am," he responded. Even though he was clearly Brindle's elder by a good bit- she stood only as high as his shoulder- he added the 'ma'am' to sound respectful.

"Ooh, fancy," she said, a bit teasingly. "It's nice to meet you, Stormcloud. Chestnut- go get some food for our guest," she called to her tribemate, who grimaced slightly before heading for the burrow at the base of the large bush. "You can rest out here, if you like," Brindle continued, indicating the large space sheltered by the bush. "It's quite safe, and to be honest we haven't gotten a decent burrow hollowed out just yet. Chestnut and I can barely squeeze through our own tunnels, and you're much taller than either of us," she said. It was true- Stormcloud towered above the smaller, younger mice. He gave a small, amused huff and nodded in agreement. "I don't suppose you're any good at digging, are you?" Brindle asked hopefully. Stormcloud shook his head.

"Not at all, sorry," He said. "I was never any good at digging- any time I tried my tunnels usually collapsed in on themselves before I got very far. No, I've always been better at finding food and identifying plants and such." Brindle nodded, looking interested.

"We don't know much about the plants around here," she said. "Chestnut and I have taken turns finding food, and have had pretty good luck so far- I'd like to learn more about what's edible and what's not, though. Could you teach me?"

Stormcloud was taken aback. He was just staying the night- right? He had no plans to move in with these young mice, he knew next to nothing about them- a whole host of reasons to say no, to say that he was just passing through and wouldn't be able to do that, jumped into his head- and yet before he knew it, he was saying yes, that he would love to teach Brindle about plants. The small dappled mouse looked delighted.

Chestnut reappeared, dashing out of the burrow like he was being chased and holding a small woven basket in his mouth. He dashed back over to Stormcloud and Brindle and dropped the basket at their paws. It was full of seeds and berries. The young brown mouse vigorously shook out his fur before sitting down.

"I don't... like... enclosed spaces," he said with a small shiver. "Hey, can I have some of that too?" he added, grabbing a plump red berry the size of his head. Stormcloud, who had been looking down and rifling through the basket, glanced up at Chestnut, grinning. The grin melted off his face as Chestnut held up the berry to bite into it.

"DON'T EAT THAT!" he roared, slapping the berry out of the brown mouse's paws. It soared away, bouncing across the dirt and coming to stop at the opposite end of the clearing. Brindle and Chestnut stared at him with wide eyes.

"What did you do that for?" Brindle demanded, sounding reproachful. "He has just as much right to the food as anyone- more than you, I daresay, since he's the one who found all that."

"It's a miracle he hasn't poisoned you both," Stormcloud said in response. "That," he squeaked, pointing at the fallen red berry, "Is a holly berry. It's poisonous." Brindle and Chestnut both stiffened with shock.

Brindle broke the stunned silence that followed. "Is... uh, is there anything else poisonous in there?" she ventured.

"It's likely," Stormcloud said grimly. "You two are quite lucky I was here. I'll take care of these," he said, standing up abruptly. "And then find some real food." Without another word, he took the basket over to the gap in the bush near the river and emptied its contents into the water.

As the other two mice watched, Brindle leaned over to Chestnut and asked, "Does that mean he... intends to stay with us? Or something?"

"Of course!" Stormcloud barked, now striding across the clearing with the empty basket. "Someone has to make sure you two knuckleheads don't poison yourselves." And without another word, he pushed his way out of the bush and into the territory, on the hunt for food for his new tribemates.

Some sketches~
1-2. Chestnut decided to fling some berries at Stormcloud after he brought edible ones back. Because he's a goofball. Stormcloud is amused and Brindle is mortified but also amused at the same time. She's like "It wasn't me I swear don't hurt me please"
3. Stormcloud retaliates. He's not above messing around and having fun from time to time. Chestnut is very much regretting his decisions and is feeling thoroughly defeated right now.
4. Stormcloud fulfills his promise to teach Brindle about plants. sweet. No more near-poisoning experiences here!

Stormcloud has been a nomad for pretty much his whole life. He wasn't born in a burrow, but rather on a tussock of grass. His mother later admitted that the period in which she nursed her young pups was about the longest she'd stayed in one spot. Stormcloud and his siblings traveled all over with their parents, seeing the sights of their world. It was a perilous life, and one of his siblings was lost early on, but their mother and father had honed their natural survival instincts enough to keep their brood safe. When the pups grew to adulthood, Stormcloud and his siblings opted to split ways from their parents and find their own place in the world. Stormcloud considered devoting his own life to wandering, and did so for a while, but came to the realization that it just wasn’t the same if you were on your own- yet whenever he attempted to settle down, he found himself longing for the nomad life again. His adventurous spirit wouldn't be quelled that easily. It wasn't until he became more advanced in years that he seriously began considering a permanent home. He encountered the tawny buck and black doe on the road, and heard their tales of the Valley of Kagonn. That sounded like the perfect place for a mouse- he could live without fear of predators and impart his vast store of acquired knowledge to younger mice. He became close to his two companions during their short travel together, but in the end, upon arriving in the valley, their varying ideas of a destination led to their eventual seperation. Stormcloud was alone again, exhausted, and thoroughly tired of traveling... but this time it was not to last. He was drawn into Chestnut and Brindle's small family, and finally, finally, felt a sense of belonging.

One of Stormcloud's notable physical features is the prominent tear in his left ear. How did he come by this injury?

~*~

"So what's that?" Chestnut asked, pointing at Stormcloud's ear. The two bucks were lying in the shade of their village tree, safe from the beating hot sun. Brindle was off hunting for more food- she and Stormcloud had found a few good food sources since the latter had arrived. And now that he had educated them a bit more on safe berries they didn’t have to worry about poisonous berries lurking in their food stash. They were storing the collected food in one of the few burrows Brindle and Chestnut had managed to dig. Stormcloud was too tall and broad-shouldered to fit inside the small tunnel, but his younger companions made sure to bring out a stash of nuts and berries whenever he needed it.

"This?" Stormcloud replied, reaching up to touch the tear in his ear. "I’ve had this for... longer than I can remember. I got it when I was abroad on my own- my family was a nomadic bunch, but I decided to head off and make my own way when I grew up.

"So, I was traveling abroad- far, far away from the Valley- and I came upon this weird cluster of human structures. There were black-and-white huge beasts there, with massive hard feet like rocks and whiplike tails. I avoided them as best I could- a mouse would be flattened if one of those things stepped on you- and went into this open human building. More huge creatures were in these compartments along the walls, and the whole place was warm and filled with straw. I was looking around for food when I came face to face with... a cat!" Stormcloud paused to allow for Chestnut’s horrified gasp, then continued.

"So I’m face to face with this cat, a massive ginger tabby. I think it was as startled to see me as I was to see it, and we had this moment when we were both stock-still, staring each other down, until I took off running and it came after me. I had a decent head start and was able to save my skin by slipping through a crack in the wall, but it stayed outside, waiting for me to come out. I waited in there for who-knows-how-long, and just when I finally thought it was gone, and dared to stick my nose out, it jumped at me. I was able to get back in pretty unscathed, but the cat managed to take off this part of my ear. It wasn’t until a good long while later that the cat finally got bored- I think cats are more interested by moving prey. So I was finally able to escape, though I was a bit weak from bloodloss and nearly got stomped on by some of those hoofed creatures. Aaaand I lived happily ever after," Stormcloud concluded, winking at Chestnut, who burst into a fit of giggles.

"Wow. You had so many adventures," Chestnut said when he’d regained his composure. "My own life has been- well, fine, I guess, but not super adventurous. I hope I can have adventures like yours someday," he said to Stormcloud.

"I’m sure you will someday," the older gray mouse said. "But don’t forget that I have been alive a lot longer than you have. And it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, adventure- there were a lot of times when I felt scared, or alone, or uncertain. You’ve got a good life here, a safe life- don’t wish that away, lad."

"I guess you’re right," Chestnut said. "Thanks, Stormcloud."

Gender:: Male
Role:: Food Gatherer
Age:: We're not sure- he seems aged and experienced, but not quite elderly. He gets annoyed if we ask for exact numbers.
Personality:: Gruff old veteran. He doesn't get loud or angry very often (though when he does it's quite scary, actually.), and acts as a solid, comforting presence to the tribe. He's full of stories and advice, and will cuff you around the ears and knock some sense into you if you need it, but isn't above loosening up and having fun, either. He's a well-loved member of the tribe, and Brindle values his counsel highly.
Relationships::
--Stormcloud gets on very well with Brindle. Though he doesn't praise her, per se, he has admitted on rare occasions that she's "got a good head on her shoulders. Well, decent, actually. Not entirely filled with fluff at the least." Brindle is very willing to let the older mouse advise her, and admits that she really enjoys listening to his stories of the sights he’s seen, out in the world.
--Stormcloud is very fond of Chestnut, moreso than he'd really admit out loud. The younger mouse's enthusiasm counterbalances the older one's more somber demeanor. The fact that Chestnut, too, was the first tribe mouse Stormcloud ever really met creates a sort of special bond between them as well. Stormcloud views Chestnut almost like a son or grandson, and fills a mentor-like position in the young mouse's life- more so than Brindle, who Chestnut views as an older sister-sort, ever could.

[AlphaLeonis]

Username:
Tribe thread:
Entering for mouse #1, #2 or #3? #2
Mouse name:
Prompt answer:

mark!

[Zombiehund]

Username: Zombiehund
Tribe thread:
Entering for mouse #1, #2 or #3? 3
Mouse name:
Prompt answer:

Wip ^^'

[Rondell]

...

[souldier]

** Reminder:
You don’t need to have partners if you would prefer to work alone! You may partner up if you wish, but please remember if you don’t it will not effect your chances. **